Wanted by Sara Sheppard | Rating: ★★★★★ 

“Or perhaps all those things you missed upon first glance mean much more than you could ever guess.”

In the eighth novel in the bestselling Pretty Little Liars series loose ends begin to tie themselves up as revelations are put front and center. Wanted is one of the best of the seemingly never ending series; as questions are answered regarding the murder and disappearance of Alison DiLaurentis, four little liars are more than ready for the chance to put their dramatic pasts behind them and start fresh. Little do they know that A is only just getting started--and they're about to be blindsided by a secret none of them saw coming.

Shepard crafts, again, a deliciously dark tale of luxury, mystery and lies. Pretty Little Liars is known--and beloved--for the way the plots are woven in quick, but still neat, tell-alls and secrets. As always, it's equal parts to the point and dancing around the inner-workings to keep readers on their toes. What I, personally, liked most about Wanted was the tone it set and how the plot unraveled a bit differently in comparison to past installments. Still soap-opera-friendly, Wanted has more of a trail to explore than its predecessors and Sara Shepard crams a world of questions, answers and intrigue in this one.

Cum Laude (Class) by Cecily von Ziegesar | Rating: ★★☆☆☆

“To her surprise, college was even lonelier than high school.”

I’m a bit torn on what rating I’d like to give this novel because I feel as though I am judging it a bit too harshly. Cum Laude is meant to be the first adult novel that Cecily has done but it reads far too similar to her young adult style of writing we come to find in the Gossip Girl book series. It’s shaky, at best. But the story itself is by no means the worst thing I’ve ever read, so perhaps my rating of two stars will raise to three.

I’m unsure.

Off that note, I’ve been a fan of Cecily for years and years. Aside from Harry Potter, and more recently the Hunger Games and the Darkest Minds, I’ve never really had a big obsession with a series of books like I did with Gossip Girl and its spin-off series The It Girl. I can proudly say that she is one of the authors that not only got me reading, but she also got me writing.

And she’s so sassy and stylish, her narratives are often hilariously sarcastic.

Looking For Alaska by John Green | Rating: ★★★★☆

“When adults say, “Teenagers think they are invincible” with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don’t know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail.”

Looking For Alaska was John Green’s debut novel as a published author. This was, years back, my first introduction to John’s writing and it is still the perfect place to start when you want to read anything by him. It’s made of all the things his writing is known for — coming of age thoughts and occurrences, quotes and references that will stick with you, dark comedy and characters that will come alive right before your eyes.

One of the best things about John’s writing is that it feels real — his world becomes something that can play right before your eyes. And it really helps to connect to its target audience. It will surely get teenagers reading and thinking, hey, this guy just gets it.

And gets it, he does.