My Secret Guide to Paris by Lisa Schroeder

My Secret Guide to Paris by Lisa Schroeder
"Nora loves everything about Paris, from the Eiffel Tower to chocolat chaud. Of course, she's never actually been there -- she's only visited through her Grandma Sylvia's stories. And just when they've finally planned a trip together, Grandma Sylvia is suddenly gone, taking Nora's dreams with her.

Nora is crushed. She misses her grandmother terribly, but she still wants to see the city they both loved. So when Nora finds letters and a Paris treasure map among her Grandma Sylvia's things, she dares to dream again . . .

She's not sure what her grandma wants her to find, but Nora knows there are wonderful surprises waiting for her in Paris. And maybe, amongst the croissants and macarons, she'll even find a way to heal her broken heart."- summary from Amazon

I love reading a new middle-grade from Lisa Schroeder; they're simply the cutest books and she really nails the voice of little girls so well. Plus, there's the exotic, romantic locale of Paris and a middle-grade version of 13 Little Blue Envelopes, and you've got yourself an awesome, page turner of a book. Nora is a wonderful main character and she has a clear emotional arc in the book which was wonderful to follow along with.

FTC: Received e-galley from Netgalley. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

The Third Twin by C.J. Omololu

The Third Twin by C.J. Omololu
"When they were little, Lexi and her identical twin, Ava, made up a third sister, Alicia. If something broke? Alicia did it. Cookies got eaten? Alicia’s guilty. Alicia was always to blame for everything.

The game is all grown up now that the girls are seniors. They use Alicia as their cover to go out with boys who are hot but not exactly dating material. Boys they’d never, ever be with in real life.

Now one of the guys Alicia went out with has turned up dead, and Lexi wants to stop the game for good. As coincidences start piling up, Ava insists that if they follow the rules for being Alicia, everything will be fine. But when another boy is killed, the DNA evidence and surveillance photos point to only one suspect—Alicia. The girl who doesn’t exist.

As she runs from the cops, Lexi has to find the truth before another boy is murdered. Because either Ava is a killer . . . or Alicia is real."- summary from Amazon

Omololu's third novel is her best yet- a highly suspenseful book full of twists and turns. I could not stop reading this book because Omololu knows how to build the mystery and suspense slowly. Lexi is a great main character and it's interesting to see how she figures everything out. There's some false leads and I was pretty surprised with who the killer actually is, and the reason behind it. And there's a sweet romance that pops up throughout the book which I really enjoyed too.

Overall, such a great book and I strongly urge you all to check it out as well as her other previous books too. Omololu is such a fantastic writer.

FTC: Received e-galley from Netgalley. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.