Review: Murder Between Friends

Murder Between Friends by Liz Lawson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jake is being released from prison and everyone is thinking about what happened two years ago. One of the reasons Jake was convicted was because Grace said she saw him near the scene, but now she wonders if she saw Jake or someone wearing Jake’s jacket. Grace, Ally, and Henry (Jake’s brother) decide to rekindle their friendship and look for evidence to prove his innocence. Did Jake kill his English teacher? If he didn’t, then who did?

Murder Between Friends is a stand-alone thriller that immediately grabbed my attention and kept me engaged the entire time. I was fully invested in the results of this investigation and waited for the conclusion as the pages almost turned themselves. Lawson created characters that were believable with an investigation that was just as plausible. Murder Between Friends would be a fun read for all thriller fans.

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Review: The Family I'm In

The Family I'm In by Sharon G. Flake
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

John-John has had trouble relating to his father, who he never seems to measure up to. It is the end of his junior year, and everyone wants to know who he will take to the prom and where he will work this summer. If it was up to his dad, John-John would work for him and have lots of girls in his life. That is NOT what he wants, though. His friend, Caleb, struggles to make money to help his family after his father cannot work. These teens may be dealing with issues on opposite ends of the spectrum, but they both must learn to cope with the expectations of those in their lives.

The Family I’m In is the third book in The Skin I’m In series. Although it does include characters from the first two books, this is more of a shared universe series than a direct continuation of the story. Events from the first two books are mentioned, but this story could be read as a stand-alone novel. The characters deal with hard issues (family illness, mental health, and hybrid families just to name a few) and Flake covered these issues fairly without watering them down. The Family I’m In would be great for all readers, teens and adults alike.


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