4 Stars: "The Boy Who Said No" by Patti Sheehy

Goodreads.com Description: As a boy Frank Mederos's grandfather teaches him to fish, to navigate the seas, and to think for himself, much needed skills under the new Castro regime. When Frank is drafted into the army, he is soon promoted to the Special Forces, where he is privy to top military secrets. But young Frank has no sympathy for Fidel. He thirsts for freedom and longs to join his girlfriend who has left Cuba for America. 
Frank yearns to defect, but his timing couldn't be worse. After two unsuccessful escape attempts, Frank learns that the departure of the next available boat conflicts with upcoming military exercises. If he stays, he will miss the boat. If he doesn't, he will be the object of a massive manhunt. 
Problems abound: How will Frank escape the army base without being seen? Where will he hide until the boat comes? How can he outwit his commanding officer? And how can he elude hundreds of soldiers ordered to bring him back "dead or alive"? 
Frank's true story, a tale of love, loss and courage that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page is turned.

"The Boy Who Said No" was a very accurate and easy to relate story of a young man seeking the freedom that was snatched from him and his family upon the rise to power of the communist government in Cuba in 1959. Although the story is very well written and includes great detail on the day to day life of Cubans it doesn't accurately represent the way that Castro rose to power (he was not the president elected from the outset). This was the only fault I found in the book.

I enjoyed living through the culture of the island as well as the lives of people who were left without their properties and businesses. The book showed great insight into the ranks of Cuba's officials and I enjoyed being able to connect my own experiences when dealing with Cuban officials as to those described in the book. I've been witness to shaming and demonstrations against dissidents just as described in the novel. I've met with people that left the island illegally and the feelings conveyed by them are very much the same as those of the protagonist. The hurt of leaving your loved ones behind as well as the resentment towards the party for forcing you out of the only place you've ever called home is a common feeling that every Cuban living abroad can identify with.
I fell in love with the characters; I remembered family members that are still behind and those that have already passed on without ever seeing their country free from oppression and hunger. I can see my mother and the mothers of millions of Cubans in the way that the characters in the book sacrifice themselves for their children and loved ones.
The maturity shown by the characters at young ages can seem unreal to many north-americans but poverty and necessity make children age faster. It's hard to forget all worries and play when you hear your neighbours being beaten by police for expressing what they believe in; for not agreeing with a statement or new law; when unemployment skyrockets and young men spend the days sitting on their porch gossiping like old ladies.
This is the truth of what Cuban culture has become, and the stories told in the book make reading the decline of the country much more bearable to people like me, who can imagine the true potential of the island.
The thrilling chase will keep your eyes glued to the pages (or screen) throughout this very emotional and exciting read. You will blink as you look around you after feeling teleported into the Cuba of 1960s and visiting places unheard of by locals and tourists alike.
"The boy who said no" is so accurate that the hearts of hundreds of Cubans will break upon seeing in its pages the streets, parks, and cities  left behind; the aunts and uncles that didn't make it out; and wondering what happened to their long-lost childhood friends.

2.5 Stars: "Love Rehab" by Jo Piazza

2.5 Stars: "Love Rehab" by Jo Piazza
Love Rehab is modern romance novel about a woman struggling with her 'addiction to love'. She starts Love Addicts Anonymous with the hope to break the cycle of instantly picturing a life together whenever she meets a man, without stopping to consider whether they truly match one another.

Goodreads.com description: Cyber-stalking, drive-bys, drunken text messaging, creating fake email accounts—you’re gonna have to face it, you’re addicted to love.
 
Sophie isn’t dealing with her breakup well. Dumped by her boyfriend, Eric, for his sexting, D-cupped, young Floozy McSecretary, Sophie leaves Manhattan and lands back in her hometown, crushed and pajama-clad, blaming herself and begging her ex for a second chance. 
 
But when her best friend, Annie, gets in trouble for driving drunk and is forced to go to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, something clicks in Sophie’s strung-out mind. Women need love rehab, she realizes, to help fix the craziness that comes along with falling for someone.
 
If you start it, they will come. When she opens up her home to the obsessed and lovelorn, Sophie finds a way to help women out there who have overdosed on the wrong men—and she saves herself in the process.
 
Love is a drug and the only things that can save us are the steps, rules, and one another. Step one: Admit you have a problem, and keep the hell away from Facebook.

Love Rehab was not just an easy read, it was funny. It actually made me laugh out loud in more than one occasion, and for that I'm grateful. I was interested in the mindset of these women having witnessed the behaviour in some of my girlfriends, but without having the possibility to reach into their heads and watch their thought process develop. 

I enjoyed the anecdotes described in the book as well as the various characters who were part of it. While the book is for adults I think it would be safe for teens to enjoy it as well.

It makes mention of a great deal of pop culture references and many times I didn't know what they were talking about but it manages to explain it pretty well. I imagine people that are very familiar with the Reality-TV genre will skip over the description and miss some hilarious comparisons.

I learned from this book that I am very proud (or at least compared to the protagonists). I will admit to some Facebook snooping of my own, but never have I reached he hilarious extremes these women reached.

There isn't much to say about the plot. It is unique, entertaining and I felt that  should find out what happened to these women that had hunkered together and tried to mend one another. I felt like the author should have gone a bit more into each of the characters' stories. Perhaps explaining more about their progress and checking in with the principal protagonist from time to time. 

Sophie was unique in her own way. She was kind, but could act out impulsively when she felt hurt. Her personality felt very real, and while she herself can see the change that had taken place in her thought regarding relationships, I felt like I had skipped pages and had missed this progressive change. One chapter she was obsessing, the next one she was almost cured and capable of restraining herself. Perhaps a more gradual change would have been more credible.

I would recommend this title to anyone who wanted something light and funny to read in a very short time.

4 Stars: "Seraphina" by Rachel Hartman

"Seraphina" is the fantasy story of a young woman and her struggle with her real identity in a very unforgiving ancient land. The book deals with dragons and other fantastical creatures.
Goodreads.com description: Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

In her exquisitely written fantasy debut, Rachel Hartman creates a rich, complex, and utterly original world. Seraphina's tortuous journey to self-acceptance is one readers will remember long after they've turned the final page.
I was undecided between 3 or 4 stars. Ideally, this would be a 3.5 star in my rating, because since it is a teen book I didn't feel it taught me anything about people, I didn't have a moment where I found it to have changed part of me, or to have shown me something about myself that I didn't know before. It was very enjoyable to read; it was refreshing, easy and with quality. Yet there were no epiphanies on my side. It would have made for a great beach read. I actually looked forward to sitting in the bus since I would get to read this novel, which is a high compliment to Rachel Hartman. Furthermore, I found myself missing the characters when they weren't with me. I finished this book some time ago, but felt so close to it, that had to wait for some time in order to write a fair review. As it turned out my feelings didn't change. I still enjoy what I read, and was not sad that I wasn't able to take more from the story. It is after all the story of a young woman trying to come to terms with whom she is (or what she is) in a society plagued by pain and a war that had ceased not long before her birth. If I wanted to compare her character to a similar historical event the closest thing that comes to mind would be the persecution and racism against young Japanese people post WWII. These people knew little about that culture and the people they were associated with, yet the pain in society was so raw that they were seen as the soldiers that left thousands of mothers, fathers, wives, sons and daughters missing family members.

Seraphina was wonderful, I don't usually read teen fiction, let alone pick it up without having had it recommended from my coworkers. Granted, the book received a glowing review in Quill and Quire; but I was impressed by the story. It felt so real and lacking all the cliches that make teen books bestsellers that I felt time just fly by while I was immersed in the story. 
Seraphina was smart, funny and kind. She was forced to grow up but still kept the heart of a child. I found her to be realistic despite the fantastical twist of the story. I was gripped by this book. I couldn't let go of it. The world felt so well crafted, complete and natural. The writing flowed without needing to make extrapolations in order to give it some solidity. I have been in a historical fiction mood lately, so this was right up my alley. 
In conclusion I am looking forward to seeing what is going to happen next with this character. I wish I wouldn't have to wait and hope that my interest doesn't wane in the time in between.