The Hate List, The Miles Between, and Liar

I've read three ARCs over the past three weeks. I couldn't put ANY of them down. And I waited about twenty minutes in the Bloomsbury booth at ALA Annual for the women there to notice me so that I could get a copy of Liar. A friend of mine gave me one of those one-sentence synopses for it and I knew I had to read it.

The Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Valerie's boyfriend shoots up the school, and even though she throws herself in front of him to stop the violence, she still gets blamed for what happened, because she helped him write the Hate List, a list of people they wish would disappear off the face of the planet. This was one of those books where you know there's an awesome resolution coming--where the protagonist is finally going to stand up for herself and find closure--and it did not disappoint. I really can't find anything critical to say about it, except that Nick's last name, Levil, was a little heavy-handed. :) But the story was perfect and it was very moving. Of all three books, this was my favorite.

The Miles Between by Mary Pearson
Mary Pearson is one of my favorite authors; I talk up Jenna Fox to everyone. I was hoping that The Miles Between was going to be another slightly spooky story where a mystery lurks in the background, and that's what I got. Yay! I cried my eyes out at the end and thought the buiding romace was great. Destiny is a lovable character who really develops as the story progresses. I did figure out the twist right before the reveal, but I think that was supposed to happen. Pearson is such a fantastic writer and she really sucks in her readers. It may be a hard book to booktalk, but it will definitely appeal to any of your readers who like realistic fiction.

Liar by Justine Larbalestier
I can't give too much away about this story, but it's the kind I love--unreliable narrator, big secrets, and nice twists. I wasn't nuts about the resolution; it seemed a bit too hasty and undone. I wanted a little more reveal. But the build-up was phenomenal and the pacing was breathtaking. I loved Micah's voice, and I thought that the premise was so sad. There were a few plot elements that seemed incongruous, though. However, I'll definitely recommend this to teens when it comes out.