Allie Sanders thinks life in a small town can’t get any more dull and boring. She plans to escape after graduation. After a bad break-up, she wants to sail through junior year without distraction. Then the mysterious loner sits down in front of her in AP English. He’s the guy she noticed last year desperately trying to stay invisible. She wants to know his secrets.Suddenly her much older military brother, Doug, makes a rare appearance. He takes a special interest in her life. Suspicious of his motives Allie holds back, never really trusting him. She’d go against family and friends to protect the loner—and his secrets—even if it ends up breaking her heart.
For three decades, Nancy taught elementary school. She'd written short stories as a child, kept a diary and loved the writing process. After retiring, she hadn’t set out to become an author, but when inspiration struck, she couldn’t resist putting pen to paper. She now had time to follow her dream. Today her writing spans various genres, including young adult, historical romance, romantic suspense and cozy mysteries.
Nancy lives with her husband, Ron, and has a married son, who helps her with tech more than he likes! Plus, add in a wonderful daughter-in-law and grandson which makes her life complete.
**Thanks to YA Bound Book Tours and the author for offering an e-book copy in exchange for an honest review.**
What I like most about the story is the beginning. It's really addictive and draws my attention immediately because of the mysterious "Niner", Lucas Montgomery. I'm so eager to find out who or what he is and why he seems to know everything in advance. At first, the female main character, Allison Sanders, aka Allie, acts like an inexperienced spy, which is pretty funny throughout her discovery of him, trying to stalk Lucas after school and of course, with her strong determination, she reveals his secrets.
After knowing what he really is, the story doesn't seem that interesting and intriguing anymore, sadly. I always have the feeling that sometimes those characters' behavior, or their conversation sounds mature, but when I get the good impression on them, their next move turns out a little bit naïve and innocent. The story is full of high school drama, unreasonable tantrums, and even some childish reactions from Allie. For example, Allie's crush for Lucas is more like an insta-love, which is probably the first time I've read about it, and after ignoring her on purpose for awhile, he suddenly kisses her and they become a cute couple. BUT, he mysteriously disappears afterwards, so Allie decides to give her ex a second chance. To be honest, there is a huge part of the story works out like this, without a good reason for a certain outcome to happen. Or perhaps that's because I can't understand what they mean.
All in all, it's a rather quick and light read for me, and the first chapters are really tempting, but the story simply doesn't live up to my expectation. Still, if you like to read something like pure, puppy love combined with some secrecy and slight violence, then I definitely recommend this!
29 by Nancy Pennick was one that took me by surprise. I managed to read the majority of it in a single day. It was quick read and I flew through it.
What intrigued me the most about this book was the fact that it had to do with a secret society of boys/men who were all born on February 29th, a leap year day. Those particular men were given special “powers” like super strength or brainpower or some other things. For that reason, they are wanted by the military in order to be used as soldiers whether those particular people are willing to do so or not. It was a very creative idea and I hadn’t heard of anything like it before, so of course I wanted to read more about it. The concept behind Niners was built up very well.
Then we have our main character, called Allie. She seems to be the one who is stuck in the middle, seeing as her boyfriend turns out to be one of those Niners but her oldest brother happens to be part of the military group that is rounding all of those particular people. You see how she has the issue of wanting to keep her boyfriend and brother far away from each other? As well as that, no one is allowed to know who her boyfriend really is for his safety… and then there is the issue of her not knowing which group is actually the good one. They’re both telling her different things, but who is really the bad, or the good? Or are the lines a bit more grey than that?
Although I really did enjoy the plot and the dilemma to this book, at times I found the writing style to have a bit of a young feel to it. In general, it didn’t deter me from reading or distract me too much. But in terms of the romance sometimes I felt like it wasn’t entirely believable. But at other points I could definitely see how some people would act like that in a relationship. I would recommend this book for the younger YA audience I think.
Nate and Ashley were Allison’s best friends. I really liked the both of them, because they were always there for her no matter what she needed or wanted. I think as a group of three, they really did have a true friendship and that was something I could admire throughout the book a lot.
I was also a bit annoyed by some of the choices that Allison made. Whenever her boyfriend was out of the scene for whatever reason, or she was experiencing some difficulties in their relationship, she seemed to run back to her ex. I can understand that, but it also made me feel like she couldn’t do without a boyfriend of some sort, or didn’t want to try and stick out the single life… which bothered me a bit.
^How I felt about her older brother, Doug.
The action was a bit want worthy in places, but the ending had a good climax where everything came to a pinnacle and some tough decisions had to be made. I really like that Allison had to be independent in that moment and really needed to ‘save herself.’ She maybe have a boyfriend who has powers, but she is also her own person and he can’t do everything for her. I liked that Pennick didn’t just turn her into a damsel in distress but made her strong too.
This book was so well written and interesting that I finished it before realizing I was coming to an end. Don't believe I have read anything prior by this author but I know I will be from here on out. A great book! It will have you turning pages quickly!
29 by Nancy Pennick is a page turner. Well written and fast-paced, it is filled with the ups and down of young love and clever science fiction issues that center around being born on leap year. Since this is a leap year, I found it especially interesting. Allison finds the love of her life in Lucas. He walks into class one day, mysterious and hurting, and her heart goes out to him. She is determined to find out what is behind the secretive exterior. And so is her older brother, Doug, who is in the military. Even after she knows she should walk away, her heart refuses to let him go. Lucas is a loner. Though he tries not get involved with Allison, he feels the same pull that she does. He loves her. Together they find strength, love, and pain. The intensity of both the plot and the characters pulled me in and held me until the last page. Yes, it is Young Adult with family drama and the emotions of young love. But it also has secretive military missions and excellent twists and turns throughout the story. I highly recommend this story and look forward to the next in the series.
I received this book in exchanged for an honest review.
A typical-curious-teen-love-story with a twist from the cover itself, up to the story-line.
The "29" thing made me grab the copy because it made me curious which is a good thing for authors who would love to get their reader's attention. I love how the story goes, I became excited on every pages. I like how the story made me hate Doug, a little disappointed with Allie's parents, likes Ashley and Nate, and being amazed by the Montgomery's and the Niners.
Realizing Allie's bravery at the end made me happy at the same time sad but we'll never know what comes next. Looking forward for the next book.
This book is not only for teenagers but for those lovers of technology, awesomeness, and LOVE itself.
I really liked this book. I loved the characters (and despised one lol). I easily fell into the whole thing. I pictured the school, the diner where Lucas and Allison went on their first outing together. it kept me flipping the pages not wanting to put it down. now I'm sad it's done and can't wait to see what's next. I'm rooting for Allie! and I love Lucas! excellent book “I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review”.
Oh the beginning was so promising. Things were going great. But then, around the 30% mark, it just went downhill for me. It's like I completely lost interest once the mystery around Lucas was revealed, resulting in my skimming the rest of the book super quickly to be finished with it.
Allison Sanders is in high school and is intrigued by the new boy in her class, Lucas Montgomery. But when her much older brother, Doug, begins coming home and questioning her about Lucas she gets her guard up.
Soon Lucas explains to Allison a bit about himself and why Doug is after him. Allison must make a choice and decide if she believes Doug or Lucas and must help the one she believes. Along with her best friends Ashley and Nate can Allie keep those she loves safe and figure out who the leak is?
This was a super interesting book with lots of mystery to keep you trying to find everything out and discovering what Doug was after.
I liked Allison for the most part. I didn't really like what happened with her and Josh but I understood to a certain degree why she did it to get pressure off of her. Allison was stuck between her family and Lucas, knowing that Doug was a little evil and had always been to her made the decision pretty easy for her. She was smart but to a certain degree was initially naive to how far Doug would go.
I really liked Lucas but it took me a long time to really put the pieces of him together. The age thing totally threw me but I think I have finally gotten it. He was super smart and had to life a life on the run with never being able to stay in the same place for very long due to people like Doug going after him. I felt bad for his family as well as their whole life had to change as well.
I liked Allison's friendship with both Nate and Ashley and how Nate would help Lucas and Allison with anything they needed. I was kind of worried about Nate but deep in my heart I thought he was good.
The twist at the end totally threw me and I definitely wasn't expecting that! I knew why Allison did what she did in order to keep Lucas safe!
A little romance ,a little intrigue and a plot I haven't read about before will keep me reading this series until the last book and the best thing..they are all on kindle unlimited.
Class hadn’t started so I talked to the back of his head. I gave up trying to talk to the front. “I want to thank you for helping me out the first day of school. I wasn’t in trouble or anything, just an ex wanting to talk. I didn’t want to talk and that’s what you saw ... or heard. How did you hear me?” I paused for a response but nothing. Thinking back to that day, I thought it odd that he came out of nowhere and knew I wanted Josh to let go of my arm. We blended in with the crowd. We weren’t yelling or fighting. To a passersby, Josh had his hand on my arm. The grateful teen girl routine wasn’t working so I went with another approach. “And, by the way, how did you know I needed rescuing? Or if I wanted rescuing? Maybe I want to get back with my ex and you ruined it.” I let out a loud huff, hoping he felt my frustration. “Anyway, I’m not going back to him, in case you’re interested. I have big plans to get out of this town as soon as I graduate. A boyfriend would complicate things.” I poked him in the back. “Got it?” I swear his shoulders moved up and down with laughter. “What’s your name? First name that is, Mr. Montgomery.” He shook his head slowly back and forth. I couldn’t tell if he found me impossible or was answering “no”. I poked him once more for good measure and then stopped. Mrs. Greene walked to the front of her desk. The signal class would begin. During her lecture, I obsessed on how to get the guy in front of me to open up. Maybe I should ask him about his tattoo. It’d make a great conversation starter. So what does XXIX mean? Are you in a cult? A gang? I chuckled at the thought then frowned. My brother’s out to get you, so watch out. Why did I feel suddenly protective of Heathcliff? A better idea hit me. Follow the secretive Mr. Montgomery. Thank you, Mr. Whitmore, for issuing my parking pass. I had to wait a few days, but the Jeep now sat right outside, ready to go at a moment’s notice. As soon as the bell rang, I rushed for my locker, forgetting to wait for Ashley. Out of breath, she caught up with me. “What’s the hurry? Are you meeting Josh? Did he dump Chloe?” “I’m going to follow him, Ash.” I stared into my friend’s hazel eyes and saw confusion. “Josh?” “No, Heathcliff,” I whispered and exhaled at the same time.
Wow! I was absolutely blown away by this book! I'm so glad I took a chance on a vague description and dove into the wonderful world of the 29. I literally just finished the book and had to immediately record my review. Why haven't more people read this book? It was like the magically perfect blend of high school teen angst, sci-fi, and romance. If any of those things appeal to you, pick this book up now!
Allie is a high schooler with a crush. She's been trying out this independent woman gig after breaking up with her cheating ex but the mysterious lure of a boy in her class keeps drawing her attention. After dedicating her after school time to essentially stalking this boy until she found out more, it all pays off in a rather sudden and extremely rewarding way. In the blink of an eye, Allie and Lucas (the mystery boy) are a couple. I guess that's pretty typical in high school, but it was just as shocking and happy to me as I'm sure it was to Allie. Unfortunately, things aren't all unicorns and rainbows. Lucas has secrets and while he appears to get a grip on the hot/cold personality he wears, it's very clear that there is something he's holding back.
Allie, on the other hand, is pretty much an open book. She's got a loving family but her brother's are significantly older than her. On brother in particular, Doug, ends up becoming aggressive in his questioning of Allie soon after she and Lucas begin dating, raising all sorts of red flags. I don't want to spoil any of the twists and turns that this book delivers, but there is definitely oodles of conflict in Allie's future. She is forced to choose between her family, her friends, and the love of her life. I don't envy her the very tough choices she's forced to make in the course of this book.
Another highlight, other than the completely addictive mystery and action, was the wonderfully written characters. Allie's friends play as much a role in the story as she does and they were so much fun. I am *thrilled* to see that there are more books in this series, because there is no way that I can let this world go. If the first book in a series can knock my socks off, where can they go now that all the introduction is finished? I can't wait!
Allison Sanders is the youngest and is almost done with high school. Her older brothers have their own lives. Doug is in the military and rarely comes home. She doesn’t have much of a relationship with him. Her other brother, Dean, lives near the beach with his girlfriend Autumn. He is an artist. He and Allison are close. Starting school gives her the opportunity to sit behind the hot loner guy. He intrigues her and she is determined to learn more about him. He is very mysterious and she can’t seem to pin him down. Things slowly change as she catches Lucas’ attention. They click and grow closer. He has secrets and when he knows he can trust her, he tells all. Alli is shocked to hear his story. It is completely amazing. She also knows her oldest brother, Doug, is on the hunt for men like Lucas. He will stop at nothing to find them. Alli fears for Lucas and herself as Doug sets his sights on her. Some mysterious person is feeding him information. The leak is shocking as Alli scrambles to keep Lucas safe. This story line was fascinating. I really like the idea of the Leap Year birth and the powers that come with it. The concept is original and intriguing. I thought the author created a whole different world hidden among our everyday lives. The technology and knowledge they possessed created such a sci-fi feel. Unfortunately I hated seeing Alli’s brother as the bad guy. He had a lot of power and she had to sacrifice a lot because of it. I hated how things ended. She is so devastated and her feelings toward Doug are completely understandable. He was an excellent villain. It’s the first book in the series so I know I will see both characters again. I am interested to see how they will continue. It’s not over and I can’t wait to read more. I give it a 4 out of 5.
After breaking up with her ex-boyfriend, Allie decides to begin junior year by focus on her mystery crush who just happens to sit in front of her in English. Allie doesn't know his name yet, but with encouragement from her next door neighbor buddy Nate and her best friend Ashley, and her own amateur sleuthing, she's determined to find out more about him and his secrets.
I really enjoyed all the characters, as they are all have their own personalities and interplay well together. I even enjoyed reading about the villain of the story, Allie's older brother Doug, who the author worked to explain his behavior even if half of it is just that he is a psychopath.
I thought the mystery surrounding Lucas and the meaning behind the 29 (XXIX) was well written giving clues before revealing the answer. The exact mechanism behind how everything works is not fully explained, which irked me slightly, but I was able to suspend my disbelief to enjoy the rest of the book.
I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I will try my very best to not include any spoilers but it won't be easy lol. This book was amazing! I'm not usually much of a sci-fi fan but the cover drew me in. It didn't take long reading until I was completely taken in by the story as well. Fast paced and full of mystery and intrigue and just the right amount of romance. I sat glued to the edge of my seat through the entire book trying desperately to figure out where the author would take me next but gladly it remained a mystery to the very end which I loved. I hate when a book is predictable but this was anything but. I found it refreshing in the fact that I haven't read anything quite like it. The story line was very unique and imaginative. I liked it so much that I've already pre-ordered my copy of book 2 :D
*Received a free copy from the author for an honest review.*
So first off in exchange for a honest review I received a free copy of 29. This book was so well put together and amazing. I have to say the description did not do justice. This book is about Allie and Lucas and the fact that he is a leap year baby. There is such a neat twist that I honestly would never had thought about it as being something interesting to write about. The book is about loyalty, love, friendship, and good vs evil. This should be the book you don't overlook. Wait ago Nancy Pennick. You have a life long fan
I skimmed most of the book after about the thirtieth page because I realized that whatever interested I had in starting the book, with the Loner kid was trumped by the poor and cliched writing and uninteresting "mystery" with unrealistic dialogue between the main character and her friend. It wasn't even tolerable ignore some major overhaul in language to get to the heart of what XXIV meant.
Received this book via Book Buzz in exchange for an honest review.
I was given this book for an honest review and very thankful. From the first page nothing could drag me away from this story and could not stop until the last page. Very well written and very imaginative and it continued into the 2nd book.
I enjoyed this light scifi YA. The characters were likeable, and I liked the relationships between them. It had an episodic feel to it: moments of action or higher drama followed by lulls where everything seemed to be going just fine again. I could imagine this story being done as a CW series, and it would be enjoyed by people who like the show Roswell New Mexico. I'll admit the main concept of Leap Year boys being magical was a push, but once I got past that and just enjoyed the whole "secret society" thing, it was fun. I'd like to know more about her brother Doug and what he's really up to. I am interested to see what happens in the next in the series. From the preview, it looks like it jumps ahead to her college years. A clean read, fine for readers 12 and older.
Such an interesting take. It would be interesting to see what the explanation is for why this only happens amongst the males and I'm hoping the first female is found or born.
This review has been crossposted from my blog at The Cosy Dragon . Please head there for more in-depth reviews by me, which appear on a timely schedule.
Allison is settling in for a normal Junior year of high school. Little does she know that her heart will be attracted to the bad boy in her English class, and her older brother will be set on a rampaging trail to force her to betray her loved ones.
Cliche, cliche, cliche. Fall for for the ‘bad boy’, get dumped, go back to the ‘safe choice’. Seriously girl, I’d be pretty worried you know what love is before you head off into the woods with someone.
I really liked the idea behind this novel, once it finally got going. Innovative, yes. Well executed? No. I was hanging out for details the whole time, and that was what kept me reading. But in fact, I basically started skimming because I no longer connected to the characters. They could all die for all I cared.
More could have been done here about the literature that was included. There should have been some importance linked to Fahrenheit 451. If there was, I missed it. With that, how did Ash possibly afford all those books she bought? Hasn’t she heard of a library? Ash is just a weak secondary character. In fact, I felt like I didn’t know much about any of the others because Allison was so absorbed in herself.
I’m giving this 2-3 stars, erring towards 2 stars. I made the mistake of starting it, and then I finished it, but it really wasn’t worth my time. It needs an update in its speed and the tell/show method.
First off- I wasn’t sure if this was the end or there were more books to come and I am glad to say that there are more books to come. Otherwise, I would have been very frustrated with the ending.
This story was a great idea! Being born on leap year and only aging 3 months every year so you are only one year older every four years and with some extra benefits to boot! Sign me up!
Allison is your typical teenager. She has had this crush on this Loner boy in school even when she was dating the popular guy. He ends up in her class and eventually she wins him over and they become a couple.
As Allison learns more about Lucas and as they fall for each other, she realizes she can’t be selfish with him. Her brother is in the military and is downright abusive to his own sister and is interested in Lucas. I mean that he is literally physically and mentally abusive to her. He knows how to make it so his parents haven't a clue. She doesn't want her brother anywhere near him and she is prepared to sacrifice their relationship to save him. There are decisions and sacrifices to be made. There is a mole too.
The story is gripping, keeps you on your toes and has a cute love story. I want to, no need to know what happens next. But I can’t wait!! I have no patience!
The book reminds me a lot of the twilight series with those same type twists and how the truth is revealed to the girl.
Thanks to YA bound book tours for an ecopy in exchange for my honest opinion.
*I received this book for an honest review* I will admit, right off the bat, that YA is not my preferred genre of reading. Like my own writing, I prefer adult themes and not having a bar that limits how far some of the drama-and yes, affection and sex-is allowed to go.
What did I like: That being said, I enjoyed reading 29. I liked the charters of Lucas and Allison, and enjoyed the suspense. The idea of being a "niner" was completely original, something really enjoyable, and perfect for a read this year of all years :) The lovey/couple scenes were satisfying and believable. So were the teen angst scenes.
SPOILERS AHEAD.... What did I not like? Lucas sending Allison to bed when they were about to get it on...I just found that unbelievable. Very noble and PC, but not something likely to happen.
I didn't like Doug, but found his motivation totally believable, as well as the idea that the government would want to control Niners and use them any way they could. Very good action, and REALLY good ending, I have to say the courage of Allison did shine through at the end, making me truly identify with her deep love and willing to sacrifice her own happiness for her love's safety. Kudos! And I need another Niner novel now to know what happens, if Lucas and Allison do find someway to be together later in life. What can I say....I'm a romantic! :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The cover of this book made me think of the movie 28 days later so I was expecting it to be another zombie book. It's not. It does however, have a unique story line, that draws you in and makes you feel like you have to know what happens on the next page. The main character is a girl named Allie, in her Junior year at high school. I personally found that the teenager in me identified with her on so many different levels:
*She has an older brother she barely gets along with and who does whatever he feels he needs to accomplish his own agenda
*She's from a small town and longs to get away.
*She has a best friend who is a girl but is always a little closer to her male best friend
*Her ex Josh always seems to be around no matter what she does
Mrs. Pennick, being a former High School teacher herself, has plenty of anecdotes and knows all of the little details of the high school experience to bring the high school experience back to life and make you feel like you never left. If you read the description and it appeals to you, I really think you should give it a try!