Pretend You Love Me by Julie Anne Peters

Here's a brief bit from the author's webpage:

In this fresh, poignant novel, Mike is struggling to come to terms with her father's suicide and her mother's detachment from the family. Mike (real name: Mary Elizabeth) is gay and likes to pump iron, play softball, and fix plumbing. When a glamorous new girl, Xanadu, arrives in Mike's small Kansas town, Mike falls in love at first sight. Xanadu is everything Mike is not —cool, confident, feminine, sexy.... straight.
Julie Anne Peters has written a heartbreaking yet ultimately hopeful novel that will speak to anyone who has ever fallen in love with someone who can't love them back.
National Book Award finalist Julie Anne Peters has written a compelling novel about coming out, finding love, and discovering your place in the world. Alyssa's story will speak to anyone who has known the joy and pain of first love and the struggle to start over again.

My Take:

I liked this book and always appreciate the fact that there are love stories out there for the LGBT community.  Ms. Peters books are always well written and great stories.  Mike Szabo falls in love with Xanadu, the new girl in town.  I started to find it frustrating that Mike kept trying to force the relationship between she and Xanadu.  I understand how difficult and frustrating it must be to love someone that will never love you back in the way that you would like them to.  The characters were great, very real and I absolutely loved Mike's friend, Jamie.  I would recommend this book and am giving it 4 chaste kisses!

By the Time You Read This, I'll be Dead by Julie Anne Peters

Here’s a blurb from Ms. Peter’s website: Daelyn’s been the victim of bullying throughout her life and now she’s simply counting down the days until she can commit her final act on Earth. It’s destiny that she finds a Web site to help her in her quest. She has the motive, the means, and the determination. Then she meets this boy, Santana, who makes her examine her choice of death over life. But is he too late to save her? And is she too damaged to save him?

As a writer it is difficult to approach scary subjects sometimes. But being brave enough to dive in completely, is going to result in a better book. Julie Anne Peters presented the subjects of bullying and suicide in raw honesty. Daelyn was bullied from kindergarten on. She was once an overweight child. While she’s no longer fat, Ms. Phillips understands that it’s the mental self-image that most often sticks with a person and drives those inner demons.

I adore Santana, the guy who begins talking to Daelyn. He’s charming, smart and just plain funny. While he’s not so conventional looking, as I’ve learned over time, true wisdom and life’s greatest lessons can come in the most unlikely packages. This book counts down the days until Daelyn’s final Day of Determination.

While the ending didn’t tie everything up and spell it all out plainly for you, it worked for me. It made me think and consider things long afterward. The cover is gorgeous!  I loved the discussion questions, the suicide prevention information and signs to watch for in the back. I’m giving this book 3 roses.