EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR by E.K. Johnston

Though Exit, Pursued by a Bear deals with the serious subject matters of sexual assault and abortion, I enjoyed this story and believe it to be an essential book for any teenager and older to read. Hermione is not just a cheerleader, but the co-captain of the team, and she's getting ready for her last year of high school before her life changes. But everything changes before she reaches her last year of high school when she is drugged, raped, and left to die at a summer cheer camp. How she deals with the traumatic event and the fallout from it all is what this book is about. Because of Hermione's memory loss from that night and her amazing support system, the story shows her struggles, but also her push to not let herself be seen as a victim. Without those things, this story could have gone much differently, and the author does make note of that in their author's note at the end. I must also say that I have felt a strong connection to both of E.K. Johnston's contemporary YAs, because I grew up and live in the same area, so I can relate to it, and the characters could easily be people I know. I will definitely be reading more from this author!

BUILT OF SECRETS by Jemi Fraser

This book was a wild ride! From the burgeoning heat between Tansy and Sam to the arms dealer after Tansy's top secret project, there was never a dull moment in Built of Secrets. Like the average person, the MCs did have their share of secrets and communication issues, but nothing they couldn't work out. And Sam was determined to keep their communication open in order to keep Tansy safe. I loved the characters, the setting, the story, and how Jemi Fraser set up the entire series in the first book. I'm definitely excited to read more!

​KNOWN TO THE VICTIM by K.L. Armstrong

Wow, this book had me going around and around trying to figure out who the main character, Amy, could trust. After the murder of her mother, Amy struggles with her grief, and it's her half-brother who helps her through it. But then he gets framed for attempted murder of his girlfriend, and Amy isn't sure if he's guilty or not. Her podcast about intimate partner violence tells people how to spot red flags in relationships before things become violent, so surely she would see the signs in her brother, right? Or maybe someone set him up. But who? Known to the Victim has so many twists and turns throughout, especially in the second half, right up to the last chapter. I really didn't know what was going to happen, and I'm still a bit shocked, even if the "monster" was hinted at all along. I will definitely read more by this author under this pseudonym and the other one I've enjoyed books written by. 

THE SPIRIT BARES ITS TEETH by Andrew Joseph White

The Spirit Bares its Teeth reminds me of a book I read earlier this year where young people fight back against those working to oppress them. Only this book is set in a Victorian paranormal setting, and the fighting back is not in secret and much more gruesome. It is important to read the Letter from the Author at the beginning of the book to know the trigger warnings. But I kept reading and enjoyed this story of friendship, betrayal, found family, and revenge. The main character, Silas, is Trans and Autistic, both which play an important part in the story. The Spirit Bares its Teeth is an intense fantasy horror story that portrays only a minimal amount of the real cruelties if human nature. It's the second book by Andrew Joseph White that I've read, and I will definitely read more!

BLOOD SISTERS by Vanessa Lillie

Blood Sisters is an intense read, both in terms of suspense and the Indigenous issues it tackles head on. Syd is a BIA officer who is sent back home to help with a case, leaving behind her pregnant wife. She hasn't been there for a couple years, and her contact with her family has been fleeting at that. But when she returns to Picher, Oklahoma, she can no longer avoid them. And her priority changes from the case she's supposed to help with to finding her missing sister. 

Syd's assumptions about her sister and her stubbornness that has her doing everything alone instead of waiting for help, get her into a lot of trouble and prevent her from finding the clues she needs to find her sister. Once she begins to let others into her investigation, she learns the connections between her sister, her own traumatic past, and the case she was sent there for.

In Blood Sisters, Vanessa Lillie wrote a very suspenseful novel that kept me reading from beginning to end. And it also weaves in many Indigenous issues that need to be learned in both Canada and the US, including government land grabs, broken treaties, and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People.

I highly recommend Blood Sisters as both a suspense novel, as well as one  to learn more about important Indigenous issues.
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