The Long Game (The Fixer #2)
   by: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publication Date: June 7, 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's
Genre: Political Thriller
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Physical copy received via the publisher in exchange for  a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 368 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 5/5 stars

Tess Kendrick, teen fixer extraordinaire, returns in a pulse-pounding thriller about a deadly conspiracy at the heart of Washington.

 For Tess Kendrick, a junior at the elite Hardwicke School in Washington D.C., fixing runs in the family. But Tess has another legacy, too, one that involves power and the making of political dynasties. When Tess is asked to run a classmate's campaign for student council, she agrees. But when the candidates are children of politicians, even a high school election can involve life-shattering secrets.

Meanwhile, Tess's guardian has also taken on an impossible case, as a terrorist attack calls into doubt who can--and cannot--be trusted on Capitol Hill. Tess knows better than most that power is currency in D.C., but she's about to discover first-hand that power always comes with a price.

Perfect for fans of Harlan Coben and Ally Carter, the second book in this thrilling series will leave readers breathless.

 

 

After reading and LOVING The Fixer, I couldn't wait to get my hands on The Long Game! I never would have thought I would enjoy political thrillers, but man, Jennifer Lynn Barnes has sold me! There are so many twists and turns that I did NOT see coming! I was seriously floored! I love books that take me by surprise like that!

 

I will keep my thoughts brief, as I do not want to include any spoilers from The Fixer, as there are plenty of twists and turns in that one as well! Tess has become known as a fixer at her school and while she doesn't really relish the job, she still ends up doing it. She doesn't like seeing her classmates treated unjustly and no matter how much she says she's not going to, she always finds her way into the middle of the fray! Her relationship with Ivy is definitely strained after things came to light in the previous book, but I really like the way Barnes developed that relationship. It's realistic and raw and I just love it. I also love Adam too and am still holding out for him and Ivy to get together!

 

The gang is all back in this one and there's a hint of a romance! I wasn't sure how I would feel about it, but I was totally on board! However, things get... complicated. That's a good word for it. :) And that's all you'll get from me.

 

Action, adventure, intrigue, secrets, betrayal... it's all here in this second book in the series! I am really hoping Barnes gets contracted for a third novel because oh my goodness I need closure and answers! I highly recommend these books- they are so much fun and they read so fast!

 

The Fixer (The Fixer #1)
   by: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publication Date: July 7, 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Physical ARC received via the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 384 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This thriller YA is Scandal meets Veronica Mars.

Sixteen-year-old Tess Kendrick has spent her entire life on her grandfather's ranch. But when her estranged sister Ivy uproots her to D.C., Tess is thrown into a world that revolves around politics and power. She also starts at Hardwicke Academy, the D.C. school for the children of the rich and powerful, where she unwittingly becomes a fixer for the high school set, fixing teens’ problems the way her sister fixes their parents’ problems.

And when a conspiracy surfaces that involves the family member of one of Tess's classmates, love triangles and unbelievable family secrets come to light and life gets even more interesting—and complicated—for Tess.

Perfect for fans of Pretty Little Liars and Heist Society, readers will be clamoring for this compelling teen drama with a political twist.

 

 

Oh wow. This book completely blew me away! I loved every minute of it! That comparison to Scandal and Veronica Mars is on point too. I loved meeting Tess and seeing her inadvertently get immersed in the political world and all the power hungry, scandalous individuals that come with it. I was sad we didn't get any romance in this book, but surprisingly, it didn't bother me too much. The plot has so much action, twists, turns, and invokes so many questions that I was completely engaged by those things alone.

 

I liked Tess as the main character. She is uprooted from her life in Montana and brought to Washington D.C. to live with her sister, as her grandfather is ailing from Alzheimer's. Tess isn't happy with this because Tess believes her sister abandoned her and she really carries some hurt feelings over this. There is a lot more to this story than meets the eye and I confess I guessed the truth pretty early on.

 

Tess's new school is known for being the one a lot of political kids attend, so everyone seems to know who Tess is by her association with her sister Ivy. Ivy is well known for her ability to fix things and make problems disappear, and it looks like Tess may share that attribute with her sister. However, Tess ends up getting involved in quite the mess, just by who she associates with at school.

 

Ivy and Tess's relationship drove me a little crazy because Ivy doesn't want Tess to get wrapped up in any part of what she does for a living and she doesn't tell Tess ANYTHING. I get Ivy's wanting to protect Tess, but if Ivy were a bit more open about certain things, maybe Tess wouldn't have gone searching for answers of her own. Ok. She totally would have. LOL.

 

I did love Ivy's friends, Bodie and Adam. They were both great and I liked how easily they accepted and got along with Tess. I am totally shipping Ivy with Adam and I hope that happens because I really liked him and how caring he was of both girls. Bodie was also a lot of fun and I like that he realized Tess wasn't easily dissuaded just by telling her to leave well enough alone. He got that and so he expected her questions and really understood her plight.

 

As I said, there's not a romance in this one, but I could see one potentially form between her and Henry. Henry is a pretty stoic kid, which makes sense as he has just endured a tragedy, but because of his dislike of Ivy, he and Tess don't really get off on the right foot. So I could see something spark there between them. There is another guy in this one, Asher, but I don't know that I would consider him for Tess. He's a complete goofball and a flirt- and he just didn't give off that vibe like Henry does.

 

Even though I figured out one of the big plot twists, I could not figure out the whodunit aspect. The book resolves a lot of the current questions raised, but not all. I am definitely excited to read the sequel to see how Tess and Ivy will handle what's happened at the end of the book. I forsee more manipulation, more twists and turns, and definitely more action in the sequel's future!

 

The Naturals (The Naturals #1)
    by: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publication Date: Nov. 5, 2013
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Physical ARC won from the publisher
Page Count: 308 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie.

What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides—especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length.

Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.

 

 

I won this book last year in a Twitter giveaway and just never quite found the time to read it... until now! Our school has started up a book club and they are doing a different genre every month and then meet to discuss what books they read! Being a teacher I was afraid they would say it was only for students, but they were happy to let me join in the fun! This month's genre was mystery, so naturally I thought of this book! I'm not a huge mystery fan, but I really did enjoy reading The Naturals. It was very CSI for Young Adult, which definitely captured my interest!

 

While I enjoyed this book, I did expect a bit more action and suspense. Instead, a lot of the book revolves around our main character Cassie getting acquainted to the program and learning to hone her skills as a profiler. This was important to see, but I felt it went on a bit too long for my taste. I did love the thriller element to this one though. Barnes incorporates a very creepy 'extra' that we see throughout the book before certain chapters. It is critical to the storyline and I loved trying to figure out what it meant! The action really ramped up towards the last 1/4 of the book, and I have to say- I was NOT able to predict the end of this one!

 

Cassie is a bit of a loner. She is surrounded by family, but still feels out of place. When she is approached by the FBI for her ability to profile people, she jumps at the chance to leave and head for Washington. She is not the only one to have enhanced abilities though. In the program, there are 4 other teens her age who are also helping the FBI crack cold cases. Michael can read emotions and is quite good at masking his own. Cassie really struggles to get a read on him and finds herself wondering who the real Michael is. He comes across as snarky and confident, but I liked him. I especially liked what he said to her at the end of the book! Dean is another profiler like Cassie, but he is determined to keep her at arm's length. He doesn't have any interest in befriending her, but as they are both profilers, they find themselves working together quite frequently. Dean is still a bit of a mystery, but as we learn more about his past, it makes sense as to why he is the way he is. Lia and Sloane round out the group. Sloane is Cassie's roommate and is a bit socially awkward. She thinks in patterns and numbers and is very type A. Lia, on the other hand, is a bit of a wild child and likes to be the center of attention. She could really grate on my nerves at times, but I don't think she's a bad person. I was afraid she'd be a bit too mean girl for my tastes, but she wasn't that bad. 

 

I wish I could have gotten a bit more on Cassie. She's not a bad heroine, but I didn't really connect to her at all. I felt like we saw way more personality in Lia than anyone else and she's not who the book is focused on.

 

I wasn't crazy about the impending love triangle either. I honestly didn't feel Cassie had a spark with either Michael or Dean to be honest. I prefer Michael, as he actually is forthcoming in his want to date her, where Dean doesn't show any outward affection towards her. He offers her comfort and a quiet strength when she discovers some things that connect to her past. However, Michael had something going on with Lia at one point in time and it's clear she still wants him, so of course this complicates matters.

 

I'm huge on character development in a novel and I just felt this one was lacking in that department. I really liked the premise though, so that is what would encourage me to continue this series. I've also heard fantastic thing about the second book, Killer Instincts, so I'm definitely going to give it a try.

 

Next month's BHS Book Club genre is romance! YAY! This will be an easy one for me to do, because pretty much every book I read has romance in it!