Lisa SchroederBesprekingen

I started reading this series years ago, and when I found out I never ended up reading the last book, I decided it was about time I got to it. And let me tell you, I am so glad I did.
Lily is a people pleasing person who bites off way more than she can chew in an effort to make everybody happy, and honestly, that’s probably why I like her so much. After all, I can relate to her. This is a story about making sure you know what your priorities are, being honest with the people you care about, and not making promises you can’t keep. I think this story teaches some very good lessons, and if you just want to read a lighthearted book, I think you’ll really enjoy this book.
Also, I just wanted to mention that near the end of the book, the characters talk a little bit about the book they were reading for the club and allow me to fangirl for a moment because it’s ELLA ENCHANTED BY GAIL CARSON LEVINE. That is my favorite book in the whole world and I absolutely lost my mind when I read that part. Bless the author for included that in there, because I was beyond happy that I was reading a book where the characters in the book knew of and loved my favorite book.
Okay, my fangirl moment is done. Back to the actual review.
All I have to say is that this was a really great book and I’m really glad I decided to read it.

7/10, a very interesting mix of fantasy and history. Definitely recommended if you want something like The Inheritance Games series but for younger readers.

Gay moms are mentioned too much but is a really important and well written story

CW: Teens consider suicide as their location is about to be destroyed by a meteor so they want to go out on their own terms.

A fun read with some serious undertones. When Isabel's parents decide to open a cupcake shop, Isabel is taken on a roller coaster ride of emotions as she steers the crooked path of her mother's depression and her own desire to travel. Never dull, the pages fly by as the reader experiences the ups and downs with Isabel.

Loved it! And I know middle grade girls will too!

What a dandy, twisted tale this is. Told in alternating chapters by multiple characters, the murder of not-so-nice girl, Mirabelle is at the center of a pinwheel of suspects and confused classmates. Was Mario embarrassed sufficiently by worms and a humiliating tweet? Did Mirabelle's boyfriend have motive after she broke up with him shortly before being killed, or was it someone else? Grab the book and follow along. When the big clue drops, many might miss it, but it's a good solid one. This is a fine suggestion for teen mystery lovers.

Alice feels lost ever since her mother died of cancer years before. The only solace she finds is in her boyfriend Blaze and in the music she writes and plays with her best friend Claire at church. Her father has remarried and they no longer cook and make up jingles together and her step mother is expecting a baby girl. Alice is not excited about her new half-sister. Then her life goes from bad to worse; Claire tells her that the church thinks Alice’s songs are too sad and they don’t want them to play and sing anymore. She and Claire stop talking and hanging out and Alice feels even more alone; thank God for Blaze but she even has some confusion about him. Then after her new sister is born, her dad tells her they are driving to California from their Seattle home to visit Victoria’s parents for Thanksgiving. Her dad is called away on business Thanksgiving night and Victoria, Alice, and Ivy make the return trip to Seattle. They wind up caught in a blizzard and Victoria’s and Alice’s icy relationship begins to thaw even as the temperature drops. When Victoria goes for help, Alice focuses on keeping Ivy alive and learns things about herself and her dead mother in the process. The story is told in poems that have an authentic teenage voice.

This story is told from multiple viewpoints. It includes social media posts and newspaper articles. It tells about the murder of Prom Queen Mirabelle Starr.

Mario begins the story when he comes upon Mirabelle's body in a ditch. His date Elana is passed out in the passenger seat. The cops arrive really fast and first arrest Mario for contributing to the delinquency of a minor because his date had obviously had too much to drink.

We also hear from Parker who was Mirabelle's boyfriend except she broke up with him on prom night which led him to hit his grandparents' liquor cabinet. He wonders if he might have done something to Mirabelle and not remember. But he was sad not mad.

We hear from Mirabelle's brother Josh who knows some things about his sister that he isn't sharing with the cops. And we hear from Lucas who is Mario's best friend and begins his own investigation when he comes to believe that the police are so fixated on Mario that they aren't looking for the real murderer.

There are other viewpoints too - Mario's mom, Elana's, Zain's (the secret boyfriend0, the head detective's. All come together to gradually uncover what really happened to Mirabelle on prom night. It doesn't help the reader at all when it comes out that some of the characters are lying.

This was a nicely twisty thriller that will keep teens turning the pages to find the answers.

A quiet sweet story that probably would have benefited from me having a bit more working knowledge of the game of football. A pretty story from a dual perspective. It always takes me awhile to get into a story that is told in prose or partially in prose but other than that I quite enjoyed it.

Teen fiction; poetry novella (romance). Personally I don't care for these novels written in verse (poetry is very hard to do well, and a whole novel of mediocre poetry quickly gets tiresome), though they can be more easily devoured by reluctant readers--I'd probably still give them something from Ellen Hopkins instead though, as this title has much less action/drama. But I did skim ahead to find out what was the deal with these two kids, whose lives will apparently be forever changed on the morrow--you'd think the world was ending, the way these two were acting. (*spoiler alert*: it turns out Amber was switched at birth with another girl who died and now her birth parents have gotten joint custody of her--she's to spend the next 6 months with them, but in the end her world is not turned so upside down as she thought it would be. Cade, on the other hand, is to have some kind of surgery the next day, and he's scared about it but he also comes through fine. So this is basically a lot of angst over what turns out to be relatively small potatoes.)

This is a great chapter book for tween-aged girls. It's got an awesome heartfelt story, and the baking imagery is sure to make your mouth water!

I Loved this book it was really amazing. I was sad it was so short.

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Amber was switched at birth. Now that her real parents’ ‘daughter’ died, they want to meet her. Amber doesn’t know how to feel. She doesn’t want to leave her family,even if they aren’t biological. Cade is living each moment like it is his last. Cade is about to donate an organ to his dying father. Cade and Amber haven’t met before this day, but hanging out with a stranger intrigues them. Even though they enjoy each other's company;they have made it a rule that they do not talk about their pasts, why they aren’t at school, and why they are at the beach instead. Together, Cade and Amber share a wonderful day while enjoying the simple things in life. But, at the end of the book they share their secrets and reveal who they truly are. Cade is at the beach because it is the day before the surgery. And Amber is there because it is the day before she meets her real family.Cade and Amber make sure to have the best day of their lives before they face their fears.

I really enjoyed this book. My favorite thing about it was that is was written in verse. ‘The Day Before’ had a good message. It taught me about enjoying the simple things in life like glitter, laughter, and jellybeans. It taught me that connecting with people can help you face your fears. Overall this book was light and very good. If you are looking for a nice ,breezy, teen vibe book, you should read ‘The Day Before’.

3.5 Stars. I liked the format and the simplicity of the writing, maybe in part because I’ve read a couple thick books lately so there’s something refreshing about a narrative that isn’t throwing more at me than I need, the focus is narrowed to the emotion of the moment rather than mired in histories or description (not that I dislike an epic scope, I just kind of needed a breather from it).

Fifteen year old Ava’s boyfriend has passed away, but Jackson hasn’t left her, he’s a ghost in her home. While at first his presence is a comfort, Ava gradually questions whether having his spirit hovering around her hurts more than it helps.

This novel is told entirely in verse, there is the occasional pretty passage, though for the most part the author keeps it understated and clear, it isn’t the sort of poetry where you’ll have to decipher the meaning behind it.

As a skeptical sort of person, I sometimes struggle with coincidences in books, so I didn’t love that Ava and one of her best friends are both drawn towards the same boy, not that it’s impossible for that to have happened, it just felt unlikely under the circumstances, and it also seemed unnecessary to add potentially more drama to this girl’s grief.

Now I know I said that it was refreshing to read something sparse, something shorter, and I stand by that, I very much appreciated the quick pace, that it didn’t waste a lot of time on possibly irrelevant information, however, I did crave maybe five or ten more pages on the very relevant matter of Ava and Jackson’s relationship. Whether through a session with the therapist, an interaction with the ghost, or mining Ava’s memories, I wanted a touch more insight into their relationship. I know that they have this game of dares, I know that he seemed at times to be possessive, I wanted to dig into those two intriguing aspects of their romance since both of those things lean towards unhealthy, and how or if that may have played into Ava’s mental state after his death.

Where I thought this book most succeeded was in the emotion, and it’s all the more admirably achieved given the simplicity I mentioned in the writing, there’s nothing all that flowery in the way she describes the grief, the guilt, the decision to try to heal, to seek help, it’s just presented in relatable terms, where the everyday average reader could go, yeah, I get that, if I’m in Ava’s shoes, I’d feel torn up and just plain torn, too.

I love all of Lisa's books, and this one was right up there with the others. I couldn't put it down and finished in one day!!!

Like I said when I reviewedChasing Brooklyn; I have fallen in love with Lisa Shroeder and am now reading all of her books. I realized since the last review that what I was calling prose writing is actually her writing in verse, though I guess they could be the same thing:)
I like that Lisa is writing about death and how teens deal with it. And also how most of them are haunted in the beginning of her books, but soon realize that they can't go on living like they were. Of course in both of her books that I have read, the ghosts are only sticking around to help the person. In I Heart You, You Haunt Me. We meet Ava, at almost 16 she is the perfect girl. She has best friends and the perfect boyfriend. She attends a "School's Out" party with her friends and boyfriend; Jackson. When Jackson is dared by Ava to jump from a cliff into the water, he of course does it.... Only no one expected to be attending his funeral....
The book starts off with Ava at the funeral and moves on from their. She has the usual haunting experiences, cold areas, items moved, radios turning on... And she just knows that it is Jackson as soon she feels him. Ava believes that Jackson is sticking around because she needs him, and so she slowly pulls away from everyone; afraid to leave the house because she knows that Jackson can't go with her. She is in a sense still dating Jackson in her mind and she almost refuses to give up and let go.
We meet Ava's ex-boyfriend Nick, who is trying to help her, but with still being in love with her, she only see's it as him trying to get back with her. Ava's parents finally just pack her off to the beach for the 4th of July, where she meets Lyric ( love the name!!), he's older than Ava; but she feels alive with him, normal in a way that she hasn't since Jackson passed. Of course, being Ava; she freaks out and runs, only to meet up with him again at a party. Turns out that Cali, Ava's friend is crushing on Lyric; though Lyric isn't really interested in Cali. He wants Ava, and after seeing her at the party, he realizes exactly who Ava is.
Without giving away the ending, let's just say that Ava realizes she must let go of Jackson, so that she can live again. I loved the book and it is one that will be added to my collection so that I can re-read it from time to time.

I have read a few reviews of this book, and even before that I had it in my TBR pile. I actually haven't read any of Lisa's books; but I had heard that she writes in what I believe is called prose. This book isn't like your normal YA books. At first when I saw how many pages were in it, I was a little daunted. I know I read a lot of 400 page books, but after finishing a 325 page read I was wanting something light.
So after flipping through the book, I was glad to see that it wasn't pages upon pages filled with tiny little test!
Chasing Brooklyn is the story of two teens that are struck by tragedy twice. Once when Lucca, Brooklyn's love and Nico's brother dies on New Year's. One year later Gabe, the driver of the car and a friend to both Brooklyn and Nico; dies of a drug overdose. The story alternates what would be considered journal entries of Brooklyn's and Nico's thoughts. With both being "haunted" by the ghosts of Lucca and Gabe, the story has a great start.
It starts of with Gabe haunting Brooklyn in her dreams and then slowly escalates, I was confused as to why exactly Gabe was haunting Brooklyn and what he meant by the things he would say to Brooklyn, but by the end of the story I began to understand.
Nico is haunted by Lucca; his brother. Lucca comes to Nico with the plea "Help her", talking about Brooklyn. I thought maybe at first that Brooklyn's dream hauntings from Gabe may injure her in some way; but soon realized that maybe Lucca just wanted Nico to help Brooklyn learn to live again.
All in all, I really enjoyed the book and I now have Lisa's other books on my TBR list!

Cute, short book about a mom and daughter who have very different interests. Isabel's mom loves baking and Isabel just wants to get out of her small town and see the world. Isabel's mom has good days and bad days, suffering from something that looks like bipolar disease. She gets big ideas and goes all out, but then gets nervous and wants to quit. Her latest venture is a cupcake business. She purchases a building and starts renovating, when true to form, her mom wants to bail. Meanwhile, Isabel has learned about a kids' baking competition. Winners will receive an all-expense paid trip to the bake-off in New York City. Isabel is determined to win, so she can get out of Willow, Oregon, even if just for a few days. Then she starts to wonder. Is she trying to get away from Willow or her mom?

Chapter titles are fun cake flavors. Two actual recipes are included at the end. Younger middle grade girls who have any interest in baking will enjoy this one.

Cupcakes are beautiful and wonderful things. A story about cupcakes, well, that'll easily draw me in. But this isn't just a story about cupcakes - it's about individuality, fear of failure, and wanting more out of life.


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Isabel is a dreamer. She dreams of traveling the world like her flight attendant aunt, that her mom will stop jumping from idea to idea (she's currently on a mission to own a cupcake shop), and that she'll win a baking competition all on her own. Her mother is a dreamer too, hence jumping from idea to idea. She's so excited yet so fearful of her cupcake shop. Isabel and her dad are in charge of building her confidence up in an unspoken agreement because as soon as Isabel's mom gets even slightly discouraged - she gives up. And if she gives up on her cupcake shop then who knows where their family will be.


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Although food books are my jam, It's Raining Cupcakes was just okay. The ending felt abrupt and really now - how does no one come to the conclusion that the mom is obviously having mood swings so she might have a mental illness?

What I did enjoy were all those cupcake recipes, the imagery of the food, the best friend (even if she was away at camp most of the time), and Isabel. Isabel tried to branch out on her own by making a tart for the baking competition, but her mom thought cupcakes would get the shop some great advertising. They all always have to try to please the mom so this causes a dilemma for Isabel. She's a good mother otherwise. I do however strongly believe she's suffering from something. I just don't know what.


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If you like mom and daughter stories with some yummy dessert treats then It's Raining Cupcakes might fair better for you. It's a nice and fun read but, a bit young perhaps for my taste.

A year ago Brooklyn's boyfriend Lucca died in a car crash now his best friend Gabe committed what suicide? Or was it an accident? She doesn't even know because they grew apart after his death. He overdosed and she can't believe it. He was given a chance while her boyfriend was not. Now the pain is even more unbearable. Everyone keeps dying around her. People keep leaving even her mother left with her twin brothers leaving her alone with her father who can't do anything so she does it for him. Making dinner, cleaning the dishes, doing the laundry.

She writes in her journal well Lucca's journal everyday. Tells him how much she misses him. Tells him how much she loves him. She has changed after his death. She won't make art like she used to. Won't draw her flowers. Everything is grey now. And then her dreams turn gray and ugly too because Gabe comes in them and then she runs away fear gripping her. He won't leave her alone either. Why is she dreaming about him when she's supposed to be dreaming about Lucca? What does he want?

Nico is running faster than ever. Running from the pain of losing his brother. He may be all cheery on the outside but it's only a mask. Impenetrable. Not only did his brother die but his best friend and even though he feels that everyone rather have Lucca here than him he still misses him. Bad. And when Gabe dies he feels it again but more anger then pain. How could he do that when his brother is dead? Why did he have to create more pain. Now the school is up to three deaths the first being a boy named Jackson that died about 6 months before Lucca or something like that. Then Lucca comes to him. Telling him to help Brooklyn. How's he going to do that? He isn't him.

I have been waiting to read this over a year and when I finally open it I'm like "What the...?" It's all because

The book
is written
like this.
It's called
verse
which I
have no idea
what that is.

And I was like "Oh no!" Only because then I wouldn't be able to get to know the characters more. I liked it at times because some of the things said were powerful but other times I didn't especially towards the end because it was just too much. I wanted to get to know the characters. I wish there was only some verse. Or maybe it wasn't that. Maybe it was just that the characters didn't have much depth.

The whole thing with Gabe was really engaging me into the story. But then when he finally caught up to her I was disappointed. I thought it was just dumb. Why? It was just disappointing. Nico and Brooklyn's relationship was the good part of the book. Nico was sweet to her but then that's it. It wasn't as great as I hoped. It was just okay.

There were two sneak peeks of her other books and they sound exactly the same. Sorry but I don't think I'll be reading them.

"The Day Before" focuses on Amber and Cade, who want to enjoy on last day before facing their upcoming challenges which will drastically impact both their lives. Although Amber's secret was fairly easy to work out, thanks to the letters from Jeanie and Allen, Cade's was a mystery right until the end.

Written in verse, Lisa Schroeder always manages to convey so much emotion in her books using carefully chosen phrases and simple prose. She has a beautiful writing style that perfectly captured the fear, love and hope Amber and Cade were feeling. Her message emphasised the importance of enjoying the simple pleasures life gives such as jelly beans, glitter, laughter and music. A touching read.½

2.5 stars

Once again Lisa Schroeder has written another quick read about love, grief and moving forward. It reminded me a little of the movie "Ghost" with Jackson being there for Ava despite his death in a tragic accident. However, unlike "Ghost" I didn't really like the female character nor the spirit of her dead boyfriend. I found him quite creepy, especially when he started throwing temper tantrums when Ava didn't give him the attention he wanted.

My biggest concern with this book was Ava's emotional response to her boyfriend. She was quite obsessed with him and her life revolved around him so deeply, that I was worried about her mental state. I honestly don't know if a fifteen-year-old girl would react the way she did, which made her unbelievable.

In "Chasing Brooklyn", written by the same author, the grief was palpable on every page, but Ava's grief didn't move me the same way. However, I still think "I Heart You, You Haunt Me" will appeal to reluctant readers in their early teens.½

3.5 stars

Lisa Schroeder is becoming an author I admire. She has a wonderful writing style and create a range of emotions using limited words. Her books draw me in and take me on enchanted, touching journeys.

In "Far From You", Alice is struggling with the death of her mother and the fact that she has a new step-mother and baby stepsister. I didn't really like Alice at the start despite her feelings of loneliness and despair. People who loved her tried to reach out but she continually pushed them away. However, after a near tragedy, she did learn to love and heal, and the final song she wrote was extremely moving.

Reading "Far From You" was like reading a different poem with each chapter. Each one was short, lyrical and powerful. Although a quick read, I thoroughly enjoyed following Alice's journey of acceptance, healing and the importance of family. I absolutely adored the focus on a mother's all-embracing love.½