#Review - T-Minus by Shannon Greenland #YALIT #Thrillers #Suspense

Series: Standalone
Format: E-Galley, 320 pages
Release Date: August 6, 2019
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Suspense

The president’s daughter has only twenty-four hours to save the country in this 24 for teens thriller.

24 hours. That’s all the domestic terrorist cell has given Sophie to stop the assassination of the president of the United States—her mother—and to save the country. But with her father and brother missing, too, she knows this goes deeper than anyone thinks. Only someone on the inside would know how to make the entire First Family disappear.

It’s up to Sophie and the few friends she trusts to uncover the conspiracy and stop the terrorists—because they want something from her, she has no idea what it is, and they’ll kill her brother if she goes to anyone else…

 

Shannon Greenland's T-Minus is being sold as 24 for teens. Pretty good description. This espionage thriller sets a tight ticking clock and high personal stakes that will keep readers turning pages until the end. 17-year old Sophie Washington's mother is the first female President of the USA. One night, there is a legitimate threat against her mother which protocol dictates that the Secret Service separate all four members of Sophie's family to secure locations. Her father leaves her with a curious message, "Do Not Trust Anyone." Anyone could be a threat.

Over the course of the next 24 + hours, Sophie's life will turn into a nightmare and secrets will be revealed that will upturn her life. Sophie and her friends Jackson, Callie, and Zeke are all members of the CIA's teen program. (There is no such program. It's a figment of the author's imagination). They attend a school that trains them in all areas of covert missions including hand-to-hand, martial arts, simulations, and obstacle courses. 

While trying to discover what happened to her brother Erik, and attempting to save her family, Sophie discovers the truth about an incident that happened 15 years ago but was covered up by the people she knows very well including the Vice President. As for Sophie's character, there were times that I questioned the thought process to some of her choices and decisions. I felt as though there were certain instances that were unrealistic and problematic. But, it is fair to say her choices in the end were courageous and heroic. 

Recommendation: If you can honestly and truly suspended all reality for the entire time you read this book, you should enjoy the action packed scenes and the daring escapes that Sophie manages while staying alive and attempting to uncover who the terrorists are. If you are a fan of shows like 24, or even Designated Survivor, you might actually enjoy this story since you already know that fiction is not real life and it is pretty much impossible for what happens in this book to actually take place.  

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#Review - Watching You by Shannon Greenland #YALIT #Contemporary

Series: Standalone
Format: EBook, 305 pages 
Release Date: July 2, 2018
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Suspense

Viola’s always been that girl from that family, so a scholarship to a prestigious private school in Florida was supposed to be her ticket out of poverty and into a brand-new life. But Viola’s secrets have followed her. Her relationship with the intelligent and gorgeous Riel should have been the salvation she needed—he understands her troubled past better than anyone. But then weird things start to happen. 

Frightening messages.

Missing personal items.

The unsettling feeling that she’s being watched.

Viola’s never been one to give her trust easily, but she’ll need to trust in Riel if she’s going to survive her stalker. Because she’s not fighting for a new life anymore—she’s fighting to stay alive.

Shannon Greenland's Watching You is a young adult, mystery novel featuring Viola Burnett. Viola is the recipient of a full ride scholarship to attend Ponce De Leon Academy in the Florida Keys. Being from Tennessee, Viola is the girl who lives in the projects, whose mother is a stripper, whose her father is in prison, and whose older sister is a crack addict. She is someone who is trying to rise above her past, her family, and being one of those girls who could never get out of a life that was apparently meant to be her fate. She wants badly to do what's right for her younger siblings while aiming for acceptance into MIT, even if it means twisting the truth a bit. 

Yes, she is that smart, but she isn't infalible. She has made some mistakes that if they come to light, she could lose everything, including a surprising relationship with her mentor Rial Villanuevo, and his younger sister Mar who stole the show. If you need a reason to read this book, it is Mar's role in almost every aspect of the story. But, let's skip over that for now. Viola really begins to question her actions after realizing that the person she took the scholarship from, Rial, is a genuinely nice guy who works hard in everything he does, including taking care of his precocious younger sister who falls for Viola almost immediately.

Since this is a book that is set to the backdrop of a private academy with rich, spoiled, kids, you will definitely see your fair share of mean girls who just can't help but be vulgar, and intolerable, and annoying. This is a book that also features a stalker, and this character actually gets their own storyline. The stalker has chosen Viola for some reason that eludes me. Perhaps it was because of Viola's relationship with Rial. Perhaps it was because she isn't a rich spoiled brat who gets everything she wants and doesn't look down on others.

IMHO, Viola really should have uncovered who the stalker was way before trouble came raining down on her head and the ugliness raised its head. But, alas, this is fiction, and the author needed to play the story out to the final showdown while also putting in lots and lots of sexual situations. Fair is fair right? Could one call this a romantic suspense? Absolutely. Could one say that there is more romance than mystery or suspense? Absolutely. The best parts of this book were with Viola and Mar. I loved how quickly they connected as though they were friends, or sisters for all their lives.  

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