This week, some great stand-alone books.

Where Things Come Back

Goodreads rating: 3.81

It’s the summer before senior year. Seventeen-year-old Cullen Witter is an average teenager in an average town in Arkansas. Nothing exciting ever happens. Life in Arkansas is a dull ride and Cullen can’t wait to graduate and move on to a less dull life. Everything changes when his younger brother disappears. What makes it even more unbearable is the rest of town is more concerned with the appearance of a rare bird.

On the other side of the world, eighteen-year-old Benton Sage is a missionary in Ethiopia. He abandons this occupation pretty quickly in search of work more to his calling.

Where Things Come Back seems a tad unfocused in parts but that was what I liked best about the book. Most young adult novels are concerned with focusing on one specific aspect–the love triangle, the self-discovery, the road trip, the popular girl who would never fall for a sensitive and nerdy guy. Where Things Come Back is more holistic and, in my opinion, offers a better representation of real-life. It’s a quick read and available in the library.

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry

Goodreads rating: 4.03

Seven-year-old-Harry-Potter-fanatic Elsa is different. The only person who understood Elsa was her quirky grandmother. When Elsa’s grandmother passes away, she leaves behind a series of letters, leading Elsa on a journey of discoveries.

The title may be a mouthful but the story is wonderfully poignant. It will make you feel so many emotions at the same time. The book is pretty thick (around 400 pages) for what seems to be a simple storyline, but there are many twists and turns which will make this book stand out even more for you.

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry is available in the library.

Hope was Here

Goodreads rating: 4.0

Hope and her aunt move to a new town in Wisconsin to start a new life. They work in a diner owned by a man named G.T. who is diagnosed with leukaemia. When election season comes along, G.T. decides to run for mayor against a corrupt politician. Hope finds herself caught up in his campaign, learning that a little hope goes a long way.

A relatively short read, Hope Was Here is a heartwarming book. I felt very attached to the characters who were well-developed and relatable. The pacing is not consistent–at times the story moves super fast, at others, very slowly–but the author makes up for that with the plot. Hope Was Here is also available in the library.