Reunion

Reviewed by Ashley Graff, Teen LDSFiles.com Staff Writer

Reunion by Allyson B. Condie. Published by Deseret Book.

Retail Price: $15.95 Available here

"Addie Sherman isn’t popular, she’s not exuberant, and she’s not known as the class clown. She’s just Addie, a high school junior who is convinced that she has nothing in common with the rest of her outgoing family, including her brother Dave. When Dave’s wife, Avery, needs help during a difficult pregnancy, Dave calls on Addie. Addie has to hide her resentment over having to help her sister- in- law when there are plenty of things going on in her own life that need her attention.

Sam Choi is one of Addie’s best friends, and he has a few secrets of his own. He doesn’t want to go on a mission, and he’s not sure how to break the news to his parents.

Cate Giovanni is a freshman in college, and enjoying the chance to reinvent herself and leave her high school years behind. As she makes new friends and encounters new people, she also can’t help but think about someone she left behind."

Reunion is a book about change and forming new relationships. Addie Sherman, Sam Choi and Cate Giovanni are all struggling with problems of their own. They soon, however, meet people along who influence them for the better. This book is for someone who loves the typical drama that goes on with being a teen and transitioning into college life. It's a fun read that’s easy and enjoyable but helps you realize not everything happens through coincidence.

Promise of Spring

Reviewed by Dayna Davis, LDSFiles.com Staff Writer

Promise of Spring by Kristen McKendry. Published by Covenant Communications, Inc.

Retail Price: $14.95 Available here

Melinda Keith likes being alone. Her farm 'experiment' in Texas after a painful divorce is exactly what she thinks she needs. But she doesn't count on Ryan Delaney moving in next door. Then, when random acts of violence start to happen on her farm, she has no idea what to believe.

This is an interesting book. The author has obviously done a lot of research on current farming techniques and how to create a self sustaining environment. I found the information on living off the land very compelling. By the time I was done, I wanted to plant a garden at the very least, and I'm not much of a gardener. This book really isn't much of a romance, I would classify it more as a drama. It was a good book to pass the time.

Shades of Gray

Reviewed by Dayna Davis, LDSFiles.com Staff Writer

Shades of Gray by Pamela Carrington Reid. Published by Covenant Communications, Inc.

Retail Price: $15.95 Available here

Samara met Adam, an established photographer, years ago on a quiet beach. He introduced her to the tools that could capture the beauty around her, she in turn, introduced him to the gospel. Now, Samara is a promising student of photography, with a steady boyfriend, and a dysfunctional family. Adam's reappearance in her life is a gift, but what does it mean?

What a thought-provoking book. This novel appropriately handles some tougher subjects. Samara has a testimony as a teenager and thinks that it solves all of life's problems. As she gets older, she learns that sometimes her testimony is not the answer to everything and then she's not sure what to do next. "Shades of Gray" is exactly what the name suggests - no black and white answers, just some different levels of thought on different problems. It also touches on the influence and affect we can have on each other's lives. I really liked this book because it was unusual and made me think. I thought I had the ending figured out before I got there - but was very much surprised. I recommend it.

Fields of Home

Reviewed by Dayna Davis, LDSFiles.com Staff Writer

Fields of Home by Rachel Ann Nunes. Published by Shadow Mountain.

Retail Price: $15.95 Available here

Mercedes Johnson is happy with her life. She has a husband, Wayne, who adores her, plus three beautiful boys. But that changes when Dr. Brandon Rhodes, a famous heart surgeon and a key figure in her past, shows up in her grocery store. Mercedes knows that things won't be quite the same again.

I enjoyed this book. It is not quite a sequel but it follows a few of the characters that we met in a previous novel "Flying Home". Rachel Ann Nunes is a solid storyteller, and her books are always interesting - not at all predictable. This one makes you wonder about different paths in our lives. Did we have experiences where our perspective may not have been the whole story? Would we have made different choices if we knew what everyone involved was thinking and going through? I recommend it.