When Life Gives You Demons by Jennifer Honeybourn
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Publication Date: July 17, 2018
Themes & Genres: Paranormal, YA, demons, exorcists
Blurb:
Sixteen-year-old Shelby Black has spent the past year training to be an exorcist. Her great-uncle Roy—a Catholic priest and Shelby’s guardian—believes she has a gift for expelling demons, and he’s put her through exorcist boot camp hell, but he still doesn’t trust her to do an exorcism on her own.
High school is hard enough without having to explain that you fight demons for a living, so Shelby keeps her extracurricular activity quiet, especially from Spencer, her cute math tutor. Secrets run in Shelby’s family, though: her mother has been missing ever since an exorcism went horribly wrong, and Uncle Roy is tight-lipped about it. But Shelby’s hell-bent on finding her mom, no matter what—even if what it ends up costing her her soul AND a date with Spencer.
What I think of the book:
It’s been a while since I’ve read a nice, funny YA, and When Life Gives You Demons proved to be just that.
Right from the start I noticed that the author is good at taking the scene out of the book and placing it into the reader’s head. At any given moment, I was aware of what the surroundings and the characters looked like.
As the title and cover suggest, there’s a good deal of humor, the casual, teenage kind. And I think the portrayal of the teens was done almost as it should. There was some stereotyping though, and one scene that was too unbelievable.
Basically, Shelby just found out that her mother is in a great deal of trouble, so naturally, the girl is worried. And then, in the middle of her “I must do something to help” thoughts, she gets a text from her crush and starts smiling, and suddenly it’s all about the boy.
I know she’s a teenager, but… Her priorities are seriously messed up.
I mean, even a hormonal teenager wouldn’t go from “My mom, who I love dearly, is in mortal danger” to “OMG! My crush just texted me! What should I text back?!” in less time than it would take you to blink.
However, the rest of the girl’s portrayal is okay, and there are even some really nice, small touches that add to Shelby’s personality, like having a personalized spray bottle for her holly water.
Who would I recommend this book to? I’d recommend When Life Gives You Demons to teens and people who are older and want a casual, clean read.
My rating: 
(4/5 demon lemons)
Would I re-read this book? Maybe.
Am I interested in other books by this author? Yes.
Where can you buy the book*:
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About Jennifer:
Jennifer Honeybourn works in corporate communications in Vancouver, British Columbia. She’s a fan of British accents, Broadway musicals, and epic, happily-ever-after love stories. If she could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, she’d have high tea with Walt Disney, JK Rowling, and her nana. She lives with her husband, daughter and cat in a house filled with books. Wesley James Ruined My Life is her first novel.
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