"Bleeding Violet" by Dia Reeves

This book is whack. It’s really messed up. If you are looking for clean and uplifting, do not go anywhere near this book. But it’s also amazing… how did the author get these ideas into words?

Hanna is bi-polar and has not been taking her medication. She is prone to vivid hallucinations. Sometimes she even has conversations with her dead father.

Fed up living with her aunt, she bludgeons her on the head with a rolling pin, leaving her to die. Hannah then hitchhikes to Portero, where her biological mom is living. Hannah is ready to reconnect, but they haven’t seen each other in years, and they do not have a healthy relationship. It’s hateful, combative and destructive.

And that’s just the beginning chapters…

Hannah starts over in a new school where her hallucinations take on a new level. This town is not welcoming to visitors. Something (or someone) is living in the glass windows, the neighborhood is filled with mystical portals, and there is an abundance of body parts and blood everywhere. But is she really seeing things, or has everyone gone mad? And her mom is not acting like her normal, spiteful self. Something evil is contaminating their house.

This book is not for the faint of heart. Especially if you’re squeamish with blood, pus, and unidentifiable alien fluids. It’s raw, vulgar, and disturbing. But, there is a romantic vein when Hannah finds love and lust with her new boyfriend, Wyatt. He’s supposedly one of the “good guys.” But when people are possessed, demons are in the shadows, and charms work their magic, it’s hard to know who to trust. Luckily, Hannah excels at making irrational decisions. And, she has a horrific violent streak that she’s not afraid to use. The town of Portero needs to watch its back.

This book is geared towards teens. I would recommend for older teens, LOTS of violence, drugs and sex. Also good for adults!

"Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Lia and Cassie have been best friends for years. They are competing against each other in a battle of will power, strength and determination to see who can get the skinniest. They were encouraging each other to self destruct and Cassie won.

Cassie died from complications from bulimia.

Being dead doesn’t stop Cassie from haunting Lia. Her ghost is following Lia and tempting her to join her on the other side. Cassie encourages Lia to self destruct, cutting and continuing to starve herself. Lia is forced into treatment by her parents, but it’s hard to recover when your best friend is telling you to self destruct.

"Suicide Notes" by Michael Thomas Ford

15-year old Jeff is in the nuthouse, the psychiatric ward of a mental institution, for attempting to commit suicide. But he didn't do it on purpose. At least he didn't mean to. He's got 45 days of treatment to explain to his counselor why this is all a big mistake. At first Jeff is opposed to group therapy and doesn't want to discuss his personal issues with all the other locked up teenagers. But after he gets befriends a few insiders, he realizes everyone has issues and maybe he's just been ignoring one big issue he didn't want to face. His relationship with his best friend, Allie, may have more to do with his suicide attempt than he's willing to admit. This book is part "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and part "Girl, Interrupted" but funnier. Good for 8th and up.

"Waiting for Normal" by Leslie Connor

Addie would give anything for a normal house to live in. Instead, she is trapped living in an old trailer in New York with her dysfunctional mom - Mommers. Addie wants to live with her step-dad, Dwight, and her younger half-sisters, but unfortunately she's stuck.

Her mom is driving her crazy! All she does is chat on the Internet, watch court TV and disappear for days on end. Addie has to be the responsible one - doing the dishes, cooking and cleaning. It's totally not fair.

She learns to cope by practicing the flute, playing with her hamster, and making friends with her neighbors at the convenience store. Dyslexia plagues Addie's schoolwork, but she manages to cope and remain optimistic about her living situation. I fell in love with Addie's character and her determination! Great for 4th-8th grades.

"Hugging the Rock" by Susan Taylor Brown

What do you do when your mom runs away from home? This is what Rachel must figure out. She's feeling abandoned and alone, and her dad is struggling with how to cope with her mom's absence. Rachel learns about her mom's battle with bipolar disorder, and how her father dealt with her mother's illness when Rachel was younger.

"Now You See Her" by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Jacquelyn Mitchard usually writes for adults. Years ago she had a big hit as an Oprah book club selection for "Deep End of the Ocean," which got made into a so-so movie starring Michelle Pfieffer. This is Jacquelyn's first try at writing a book especially for teens, and I think it's excellent.

Hope Shay is a drama queen. She has spent her childhood in auditions and being dragged around by her obnoxious stage mom. She gets the opportunity to attend the pretigious Starwood Academy for gifted actors. Unfortunately for Hope, she is the only girl with talent in school. Fellow students don't appreciate her acting ability until one day her teacher casts her in the lead of Juliet opposite her very own Romeo, Logan Rose. Hope and Logan start a steamy love affair while practicing their lines. All is good in the world until Logan unleashes his idea - "It would be so easy, Hope. We could get one of those voice-disguising things and use a disposable cell phone... and after the drop, I'll just be the one who finds you. You wouldn't be hurt...if we had, like, twenty thousand dollars stashed away, it would be so much easier....what would you say your parents think you're worth?" Logan and Hope plot the ultimate theatrical performance, Hope's kidnapping. All is going according to plan, until a plot twists dumps this novel inside out. I was blindsighted, intrigued and kept on the edge of my seat as the storyline unfolded....You gotta read it to find out!