Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

What would you do for your sister?

A Friend for Lucy by Jen-Ai Elena Molineaux

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When I started to write this review, I had eaten too much sugar. I was on a bit of a sugar-high-buzz that was making me a bit too “up” and slightly feeling off. So, I was nervous this book would be too sweetly reviewed or I would maybe dwell too much on how sweet it was. After all, A Friend for Lucy by Jen-Ai Elena Molineaux is a sweet book. It is also a clever story of friendship between different generations and how family can […]

Misfortunes is an understatement

The Many Misfortunes of Eugenia Wang  by Stan Yan 

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TITLE:  The Many Misfortunes of Eugenia Wang AUTHOR / ILLUSTROR Stan Yan Read via an advanced reader copy DUE September/late October 2025    Review: This is an interesting coming of age story with a potential supernatural element. I mean potential because is a ghost really talking to Eugenia, or is it just a normal fear manifesting itself? There are modern pieces that are mixed with the tradition of a Chinese family. And as Eugenia starts to become a teenager, she questions some of her mothers […]

They adorably find you when you need them

Adorable Empire: A Graphic Novel by Laura Terry

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Adorable Empire: A Graphic Novel by Laura Terry is a nice solid 3. The story is not new (magical animals, being yourself, divorce, complicated family and friends relationships), but it is nice (I will repeat this word) and has a few points that keep it new for someone who has read a lot of this theme, but also does not deter a newbie to the flock of coming of age books. There are nice illustrations that are not WOW, but not blah either. Overall, it […]

“Shay had always had one of those faces meant for smiling. Not every face was meant for smiling but Shay’s was one of them.”

In a Jam by Kate Canterbary

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3.5 stars CBR17 Bingo: I (A book title beginning with I) Official plot summary: When Shay Zucconi’s step-grandmother died, she left Shay a tulip farm—under two conditions. First, Shay has to move home to the small town of Friendship, Rhode Island. Second—and most problematic, since her fiancé just called off the wedding—Shay must be married within one year. Marriage is the last thing in the world Shay wants but she’ll do anything to save the only real home she’s ever known. Noah Barden loved Shay […]

When you’re Evil (ish) and make a mean latte

teenagers, self-esteem, good and evil, fame villains, by Kennedy Tarrell

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When I saw the cover of Evil-ish by Kennedy Tarrell I figured it would be in the fantasy genre and I hoped for a graphic novel. The graphic novel hinting covers have fooled me often of late so I was hoping I was not going to be disappointed and instead of a good, old fashioned graphic novel, I would find myself reading a (gasp! clutching pearls) a NOVEL! Actually, that hyperbole works well for this cute, fun, and cozy familiar story. Our main character is […]

Not all men, but certainly a lot of them. Especially rich, white ones.

The Change by Kirsten Miller

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4.5 stars Buzzwords Cover Challenge 25: Pattern CBR17 Bingo: Red (A book with a red cover) Official plot summary: In the Long Island oceanfront community of Mattauk, three different women discover that midlife changes bring a whole new type of empowerment… After Nessa James’s husband dies and her twin daughters leave for college, she’s left all alone in a trim white house not far from the ocean. In the quiet of her late forties, the former nurse begins to hear voices. It doesn’t take long […]



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