#Review: Friends and Other Liars by Kaela Coble

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I started this book with some expectations based on the Goodreads review.  And they were all met but in a way I had not expected. I expected the secrets to be really more sinister and maybe directly hurting the narrator.  But in bargain , the way the secrets impact the people close to them and the everyone's life is so amazingly captured in the book. I hated some characters ,empathized with some and in the end , I fell in love with each one of them. That's how this book hooks the reader and make you feel concerned. This was a beautiful story. Tragic ,but so full of real wise words. I had a hard time letting this one go.

About the Author: 
KaelaCoble lives in Burlington, Vermont, and is a member of the League of Vermont Writers and a graduate of the WoMentoring Project. This is her first novel.

Website: https://kaelacoble.com/


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Goodbye Rudy Kazoody by AA Freda

Without going into much details about the title character , I can say that this book sure hit the right spots for me. The story of a group of teenagers ,led and kept in line by Spike ,as told by his cousin Joey will make many of us think of our childhood and the age of crushes ,love , lust and mistakes.

The story set up in a time and place when lot of Italians emigrated to America. The story covers the friends , the families ,the issues of immigrants and the impact on the kids specially. Though Spike is the hero of the area, the guy who seem to get anything he sets out to get because of his hard work and virtues ,I loved Betty. She is the kind of person/ friend I feel I am. I liked the dynamics of their relationship from the beginning and the way each character is molded deserves appreciation. It is a story that covers all important topics but maybe that is where lies the problem. It is too detailed at places. Yet , it is engaging read.

My rating : 3.5 / 5 ( I took .5 away for the frustrating mystery about the title )

Quote-

Besides, Betty has to find a way to come to terms with herself. She has to realize just how great she is. It’s fine to be normal. You don’t have to be perfect; all people make mistakes. As soon as she recognizes that, you’ll see Betty in a brand new light, I promise you.”

Beyond School by Chitra Anand

There are lot of books being written today and thankfully , some of them are about teenage issues and parenting. "Beyond School" is one such wonderful book that has Shail , his parents , his teacher Gladys under spotlight and through their interactions with other people ,the book weaves an almost accurate account of any child in the last years of school.

We all go through the stage where we swing between extreme love and anger at our parents. Some times we irrationally and intentionally have done things to irritate them ;perhaps our way to show them hoe we felt under their constant nagging. Its portrayed so well here with Shail and his father Sushil and then there is Sushil thinking how he was a rebel in his family. There are similarities as well as differences in the intentions ; which is what the younger generation fails to understand when we throw tantrums and accusations meaninglessly.

Shail's parents are very understanding and cooperative folks which he realizes only when he happens to be in trouble and his parents alone support him. By focusing on other's behavior and way of dealing problems , the author clearly makes the reader realizes which is the best way and how to avoid the mistakes of others.

My favorite part was when shail's mother reads his messages to his girlfriend and is shocked by the frank references to their sexuality. The way the author sorts her thoughts is brilliant.

Glady's past , her experiences and her lessons shape her present and future. She represents the set of students who are different and hence a little confused about their identity. Her father is her mentor and his patience alone helps her move on from the childhood scars. I loved her father's character the most. In so many ways, he reminded me of my mother.

All in all , this is one of the best reads for me from Indian fiction this year. I will love all teenagers and parents to read this and find a mirror to their life.

My Rating : 5/5

This book review is a part of The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program and Blog Tours, to get free books log on to thereaderscosmos.blogspot.com"