Young Adult

“<p></p><p>4.5 Stars </p><p>The writing in this novel is very beautiful at times. You can tell the author possesses this skill in spades. I had to drop half a star for animal abuse/death. It's just so awful to read and better in my opinion, to be alluded to but not necessarily described. I loved the idea of the Rhyme Reaper and how the kids nursery rhymes were twisted to fill the killers purpose, this strategy makes the book very memorable. The twists were pretty good. I will definitely be checking out more by this author.</p><p>Great dark read. </p>”

“<p>Small Town Rivals</p><p>Small Town Series Bk. 1</p><p>J.C. McCann</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>In a town where loyalties are divided by school colors and Friday nights revolve around basketball, Georgia Harris knows one rule you don’t break: You don’t fall for the enemy.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>As a Maple Grove cheerleader with a spotless reputation, Georgia has always played by the rules—until a prank gone wrong puts her face-to-face with Beau Connelly, Pine Ridge’s star player and the last boy she should be talking to. What starts as teasing banter quickly turns into something neither of them expected… or can control.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>But in a small town, secrets don’t stay secret for long.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>When rumors explode, lines are drawn, and Georgia finds herself caught between loyalty, fear, and her heart. With pressure from friends, rivals watching her every move, and faith being tested in ways she never imagined, Georgia must decide who she really is—and whether love is worth the cost.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Tropes: Divided Loyalties, School Colors, You Don’t Break, Don’t Fall for the Enemy, Enemies-to-Lovers, FMC Cheerleader, Prank gone Wrong, Teasing Banter, Small-Town, Secrets, Rumors Explode, Lines are Drawn, Loyalty, Fear, Pressure from Friends, Rivals Watching, Faith is Tested, Finding who you really Are, Is Love really Worth It?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Small Town Rivals is the 1st book in the Small Town Series by J.C. McCann.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>In a lot of way Small Town Rivals is a fun, sweet, heartwarming modern-day retelling and reimagining of Romeo and Juliet, a reimagining of this romance in a lot of ways, placed in the high-stakes backdrop of the small-town dropped into the high stakes high school basketball rivalry.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>In Maple Grove loyalties are divided by school colors and on Friday nights you know you’ll be in the bleachers cheering on your high school basketball team. And that’s true for Maple Grove cheerleader Georgia Harris. And more than that, there’s one rule that Georgia knows you never break, you never ever fall for the enemy.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Georgia has a spotless reputation and it’s one that she plans to keep, she’s always kept to the rules, at least until what seems to be a harmless prank goes horribly wrong, and when it goes wrong it puts her on a face-to-face collision course with Beau Connelly. Beau’s Pine Ridge’s star basketball player and he’s the last person Georgia should be talking to. Georgia and Beau start off with this incredible teasing banter but it quickly starts to shift and turn into something so much more and something that neither of them ever expected…or can control.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>But, as in typical small-town fashion, there’s no such thing as being able to keep a secret, and very quickly Georgia and Beau’s secrets come out and soon the entire town knows.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Soon rumors are exploding, lines are being drawn, and Georgia finds herself caught between her loyalty, the fear that lives deep in her heart, and everything else that lies deep within her very heart.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Soon Georgia finds that pressure is being put on her from her family and friends, all her rivals are closely watching her very move, and the faith she holds dearest is tested in ways that she never imagined it could be. Now Georgia has to decide who she truly is and who she really wants to be – and more importantly she has to decide whether love is worth the cost.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Small Town Rivals is the debut novel by J.C. McCann and as an ARC reader I personally take a lot of enjoyment from reading an up-and-coming author’s debut novel. I found Small Town Rivals to be well written, enthralling, and really very easy to read and get into.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>J.C. did a stunning job in her character development while leaving enough room to give her characters to grow and develop through the book and her character arcs were phenomenal. Georgia was a strong, intelligent, beautiful, independent FMC who was so believable and felt real. She was your typical teenager trying to figure out who she was and who she wanted to be. Beau was such a strong, handsome, independent, protective MMC who wanted to protect Georgia from all the pressure, all the rumors that were swirling around them, and he wanted to protect her from all the bullies that wanted to rip them apart.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I honestly felt like I was back in high school, walking the halls, and it brought back memories of what it was like for me to be that age. As I was reading this book I felt as though I was living in Georgia’s shoes and walking through this book in her shoes and goes through what she was going.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>There were moments where this book shattered my heart, then put it back together, and then other moments had me giggling like a school girl again.</p><p></p><p>If you enjoy a great enemies-to-lovers, basketball romance, a strong FMC &amp; MMC then honestly this is the book that you are going to want to pick up. I highly recommend this book. I greatly enjoyed it and I honestly think you’ll enjoy it just as much as I did.</p>”

“<p><strong>Small Town Rivals by Jamie McCann is a sweet, fun, and heartwarming modern-day reimagining of a Romeo and Juliet romance set against the high-stakes backdrop of small-town high school sports.</strong></p><p>The story centres on the intense, long-standing rivalry between two schools, Maple Grove and Pine Ridge—a "hate mode" so ingrained that nobody even remembers why it started. When Georgia, a Maple Grove cheerleader, falls for Beau, the star player from Pine Ridge, the "us vs. them" mentality of their town is put to the ultimate test.</p><p>The writing is effortless and peppered with witty comments that are genuinely laugh-out-loud funny. Beyond the cute romance, the book does a wonderful job of exploring the realities of peer pressure, the desire to belong, and the courage it takes to challenge inherited prejudices. Watching Georgia and Beau demolish the walls around them to let each other in is a beautiful journey. For anyone who loves a well-executed enemies-to-lovers trope wrapped in small-town charm, this is an absolute 5-star sweet and cute read.</p>”

“Mysterious , captivating, suspenseful ”

“Alexis awakes to find her mother's room splattered with gore and her mother missing. Her father comes to take her to his home. Things quickly escalate as more people are being murdered, with a nursery rhyme note left behind. All meant to taunt Alexis. Where The Ladybugs Go To Die is a nonstop thriller, full of secrets and lies, leaving Alexis not knowing who she can trust. ”

“Toxic is a gripping, claustrophobic psychological thriller that pulls you immediately into the fractured mind of its narrator. The prose is razor-sharp, perfectly capturing the paranoia and spiraling logic of a protagonist whose grip on reality is questionable from the very first page. The atmosphere is suffocating; the manicured suburban setting of Lilypond Lane feels like it's closing in with every chapter, making this a genuinely unsettling read you won't want to put down. What makes Toxic truly remarkable is how masterfully manipulated the reader's perspective is. The story forces you to sit uncomfortably inside a unreliable narrator’s mind, constantly questioning what is real and what is delusion, and just when you think you have your footing, the rug is pulled out from under you. It's a bold, unflinching exploration of toxic family dynamics, mental health, and the terrifying consequences of unchecked perception. Compact yet devastatingly effective, this story will sit in your brain long after its final page.”