About The Book:
Title: THE LOST CAUSES
Author: Jessica Etting & Alyssa Schwartz
Pub. Date: September 5, 2017
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Pages: 344
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Find it: Amazon, B&N, TBD, Goodreads
They’re the kids that no one knows — or no one wants to know. The rich depressive, the OCD chick, the hypochondriac, the drug abuser, the athlete with anger management issues. All chosen for intensive group therapy because they’re out of other options. They’re lost causes, the therapist tells them. She promises this support group will help them heal.
There’s only one problem. She’s not a therapist. And that water she offers? It contains a dangerous serum that gives each of the kids a psychic power.
Suddenly, they can think clearly, speak to ghosts, see the past, even move objects with their mind. Their earlier problems have vanished, but their new freedom comes with a price.
Sabrina, Gabby, Z, Justin and Andrew are to help the FBI solve the grisly murder that has rocked their small town. Their new powers will help them uncover clues and follow leads that have eluded the authorities. Their outsider status gives them the perfect cover.
But the same traits that make them top investigators also make them vulnerable. As they close in on the murderer, they expose a much larger conspiracy that puts them directly in harm’s way and makes them wonder who — if anyone — they can trust.
Review:
I’ve been on a thriller kick lately so I was excited to start this story. This is a quick and intriguing read so you won’t find yourself struggling to turn the pages.
You follow 5 high school misfit students that never really fit in with any group and all have some sort of quirk or habit that makes them stand out. Before the mysterious death of a local resident, these students never spoke to one another. The FBI brings these students together and gives them new “abilities” to help solve this unsolvable death.
Overall I really liked the story. I liked the pacing and how not too much time was given to one character over another. That being said, I did not connect with every single character. I liked the dynamic of the group when they were together, and I got frustrated reading about how they were before. They all had their issues but some were more extreme than others. I didn’t really like Sabrina’s character for a reason I won’t spoil here. Just know that it bothered me and every time it was brought up again I couldn’t stop rolling my eyes. The rest of the characters were well written and were able to develop and grow as the story went on.
As much as I liked the characters and the X-Files feel of this story, I did have a hard time with the believability of the concept. I think there could have been a smoother way to bring the FBI into the story and the kids develop their powers. There was no way for the agency to know what kid could get what power, or that they would develop separate powers. That’s the only reason I didn’t give this 5 stars.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, yes I would. I want everyone to give this a chance because it really is a quick and enjoyable read.
About Jessica and Alyssa:
Hi, we’re Jessica & Alyssa!
We’re best pal writing partners who have been obsessed with reading since we each used to hoard The Babysitters Club books in our bedrooms across the country from one another in Los Angeles (Jess) and Virginia (Lyss).
We finally met on the first day of college at USC, long enough ago that Rocket Dog platform flip-flops were fully acceptable night-out shoes and our biggest life decision was whether to watch Dawson’s Creek or Beverly Hills, 90210 on Wednesday nights (90210, obviously).
We started writing together right after college when we took the “write what you know” adage to heart and wrote a TV pilot that sold to Fox about how life sucks when you’re 22, broke and a freshman in life. We spent the next many, many years writing for TV and film before we jumped into the book world, a major lifelong dream of ours.
The number one question everyone always asks us is how we write as a team so here’s the rundown…After being best friends and writing together for so long, our brains now officially occupy a shared space. Ninety percent of the time, we know what the other person is going to say before she even opens her mouth. Our husbands think it’s creepy, but we think it’s awesome. After this many years, we’ve honed it to a pretty efficient process….except for when we digress on Facetime to catch each other up on the few hours we weren’t in contact with each other (which takes especially long if we’ve both finished the same book and need to discuss, if one of us needs justification for an argument we picked with our husband or if we’ve discovered a new hair product, self-tanner or blog).
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Giveaway Details:
(3) winners will receive a finished copy of THE LOST CAUSES, US & Canada.
Ends on September 19th at Midnight EST!
Rafflecopter Link:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2623/?
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
9/4/2017- The Autumn Bookshelf– Interview
9/4/2017- Kourtni Reads– Review
9/5/2017- Morbid Romantic Reviews– Guest Post
9/5/2017- Mama Reads Blog– Review
9/6/2017- Owl Always Be Reading– Excerpt
9/6/2017- What the Cat Read– Review
9/7/2017- BookHounds YA– Guest Post
9/7/2017- Bibliobakes– Review
9/8/2017- Book Princess Reviews– Interview
9/8/2017- Savings in Seconds– Review
Week Two:
9/11/2017- Smada’s BookSmack– Excerpt
9/11/2017- Jessica’s Reading Room– Review
9/12/2017- Portrait of a Book– Interview
9/12/2017- Texan Girl Reads– Review
9/13/2017- Cindy’s Love of Books– Review
9/13/2017- A Gingerly Review– Review
9/14/2017- Comfort Books– Interview
9/14/2017- The Desert Bibliophile– Review
9/15/2017- Rainy Day Reviews– Excerpt
9/15/2017- Here’s to Happy Endings– Review
Title: THE SPECIAL ONES
Em Bailey is an Australian living in Germany where, despite having been a vegetarian for many years, she now enjoys the occasional Wurst. Em used to be a new-media designer for a children’s television production house and is now a full-time author. Shift is her first YA novel, although she has written a number of books for children under the name Meredith Badger.
Title: THE DISAPPEARANCES
Emily Bain Murphy grew up in Indiana, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, and has also called Massachusetts and Connecticut home.
Violet Grenade by Victoria Scott
