Gateway Reviews

A SHOT AT NORMAL Juniper Jade lives what one might call an "alternative" lifestyle. Born to second-wave hippy parents--who went to 1994 Woodstock, not the real-deal back in the day--Juniper lives an organic, radiation-free, and vaccine-free life. Homeschooled with her younger siblings, Juniper can't help but feel like she's missing out on something important: a normal teenage experience. But Juniper doesn't fully understand the consequences of her parents' alternative lifestyle until she gets sick with a preventable disease and ends up passing this disease on to others. When this outbreak of measles has terrible consequences in their small California town, Juniper is horrified. She doesn't want to get sick again--and she definitely doesn't want to get others sick. But no matter how much Juniper argues, her parents aren't swayed. So Juniper makes a difficult choice: go to court to sue her parents for her ...

YOU HAVE A MATCH Abby Day doesn't need a DNA test to tell her who she is: a photographer, a friend, and a decidedly less-than-stellar student. But when Abby's best friends purchase a test, she decides to join in. A DNA test can only make the group closer, especially after the Big Embarrassing Incident between Abby and Leo that left the group dynamic a little awkward. Little does Abby know the results will change her world forever: she has a long lost older sister she knew nothing about. Savannah Tully is perfect in ways that Abby isn't: an Instagram influencer, a health guru, and undoubtedly a model student and daughter. The girls decide to meet without telling their parents, trying to piece together the mystery of Savvy's birth and adoption. But with high school graduations, summer school, and college all on the horizon, the girls know their schedules are tight. They decide the best way to get together away from their parent...

THE MARVELOUS MIRZA GIRLS Ever since the death of her aunt, Noreen Mirza has felt tetherless. She can't focus on graduation. She can't focus on college. Worst of all, she can't write. When Noreen's mother Ruby gets offered a temporary position in New Delhi, the girls jump on the offer. A gap-year away from routine and grief may be just what Noreen and Ruby need--and it will allow them to fulfill Sonia Khala's dream of visiting Delhi, too. In a vibrant and vibrantly-polluted city, Noreen meets a young and handsome artist named Kabir, who shows her the charm and magic of this ancient, complicated place. With Kabir's help, Noreen begins to see the joy in life again. She starts to find her voice. But when a family scandal erupts, Noreen and Kabir find their new relationship on rocky footing. What does it mean to love someone? What might happen if love vanishes? PROS Gilmore Girls...

HAPPIY EVER AFTERS For sixteen-year-old Tessa, attending Chrysalis Academy is her dream. An aspiring romance writer, Tessa can't wait to be surrounded by other artists all day, every day. But Tessa has never shared her work before--with anyone but her best friend, that is--and though Chrysalis accepted her to the creative writing program, it was her mother who sent in her portfolio, not Tessa herself. When Tessa realizes one of the requirements for her classwork will be sharing her work, she finds herself overcome with nerves, and suddenly, for the first time in her life, Tessa finds herself without words--completely and totally unable to write. Afraid that she is a fraud and no artist at all, Tessa wallows in self-pity until her best friend comes up with a solution: what if Tessa could live like the heroine of her books? What if all Tessa needs is a little bit of romance in her own life? Luckily, Tessa already knows the perfect hero fo...

DON'T TELL A SOUL When Bram arrives in the sleepy town of Louth in the middle of the night, she simply wants a fresh start away from Manhattan--a place where she's no longer wanted anyhow. Her estranged uncle James welcomes her into his newly-renovated manor with open arms, glad to have someone else in his life after the recent tragedy that saw the north wing of the manor burnt to the ground and James's beloved wife Dahlia put into the ground forever. Bram is happy to start over but soon discovers this isn't the fresh start she wanted. The manor is creepy, and the townsfolk are unfriendly. And, as it turns out, Aunt Dahlia wasn't the only unfortunate woman to lose her life at Louth Manor. The Dead Girls of Louth have long haunted the manor, all the way back to the time of Grace Louth herself, and the townsfolk claim the manor drives young women insane. Will Bram find herself the manor's next victim, or will she be the...

GIRL ON THE FERRIS WHEEL High school sophomores Eliana and Dmitri have little in common. Eliana is shy and introspective. Dmitri is loud and outgoing. Eliana would rather spend her weekends wrapped up in blankets marathoning Harry Potter one more time. Dmitri spends his weekends as the drummer for a local, up-and-coming punk band. When Dmitri quite literally falls for Eliana in their shared gym class, however, they find themselves suddenly entangled in a realm entirely new: the realm of first love. Exciting and awkward, they wrestle to sort through their relationship, but with so little in common, how long can the butterflies of first love last? PROS Male Romance Narrator This story is not merely told from the female perspective, as is often the case with romance. Dmitri gets a perspective, too, and his voice is really fun. More importantly, Dmitri is written by a male writer, which is necessary...

REVENGE OF THE SLUTS When explicit photos of seven high school girls are anonymously forwarded to the entire student body at St. Joseph's High School, Eden Jeong is on the case. An executive editor for the student newspaper The Warrior Weekly and a senior herself, Eden knows this is likely to be the biggest investigation of her entire student career. But the investigation proves tricky. The girls are unwilling to talk, and the administration is less-than-excited about Eden's incriminating exposé. The hands of the police are tied since none of the girls involved are minors. With all this pushback, Eden buckles down for the investigation of a lifetime. PROS Tackling Tough Issues The non-consensual sharing of explicit photos may be a well-known problem, but it is still a problem. This is just the type of problem that we as a society like to push under the rug, especially because it is a pro...