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Masquerade
Senior year at Trimouth Academy changes everything for Anastasia Gardenwood. As if reeling from her breakup with her beau, Elijah, is not enough, Ana is forced to spend another year at odds with her arch-nemesis and stepsister, Penelope Barker.
Ana is thrown into chaos when she discovers that she is pregnant with Elijah's child, despite taking all necessary precautions. Tensions rise and calamity ensues when Ana and Elijah discover that Penny had a role to play in Ana's pregnancy.
Secrets and deception abound in the town of Willowdale-but the truth always comes out, one way or another.
Ana is thrown into chaos when she discovers that she is pregnant with Elijah's child, despite taking all necessary precautions. Tensions rise and calamity ensues when Ana and Elijah discover that Penny had a role to play in Ana's pregnancy.
Secrets and deception abound in the town of Willowdale-but the truth always comes out, one way or another.
506 pages, Paperback
Published June 7, 2022
1 person is currently reading
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 26, 2022
Not gonna lie, when I saw the size of this book, I was a little scared but I was so glad I read it! Could not put it down! I usually take like 4 months to read this size and it only took me 1.
I was very impressed with the story, especially everything after the miscarriage. I thought this would be like a Juno story but it was very original and it relates to an audience that is often left out and ignored. I was so excited to be reading this book about life after a "life changing event" it was so real and just gripped me.
I loved how this story played on things people can relate to in experiences of high school, love life, pregnancy, loss, having blended families and even bouts of anxiety. This book also had many plot twists that felt so right to the story and made me constantly verbalize my surprise (which is a bit embarrassing on an airplane but so worth it).
The writing was very clear! It was an easy read that allowed my mind to relax and sink into the world the author was describing. I appreciated the care and energy that went into creating such a vibrant world.
If I had anything to complain about it would only be two, very minor things. 1) I felt the beginning was holding back a little too much about the dad's death and that distracted me from the story. It is an important detail, but I feel it could have just been stated rather than holding mystery around it 2) some phrases were repeated very close together, not a huge problem, it made things very clear but it was a little too much at times. This did not happen in many spots so as I said 🤣 extremely knit picking
Overall I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to escape the world, looking for comfort or just looking to meet some new and really cool characters.
I was very impressed with the story, especially everything after the miscarriage. I thought this would be like a Juno story but it was very original and it relates to an audience that is often left out and ignored. I was so excited to be reading this book about life after a "life changing event" it was so real and just gripped me.
I loved how this story played on things people can relate to in experiences of high school, love life, pregnancy, loss, having blended families and even bouts of anxiety. This book also had many plot twists that felt so right to the story and made me constantly verbalize my surprise (which is a bit embarrassing on an airplane but so worth it).
The writing was very clear! It was an easy read that allowed my mind to relax and sink into the world the author was describing. I appreciated the care and energy that went into creating such a vibrant world.
If I had anything to complain about it would only be two, very minor things. 1) I felt the beginning was holding back a little too much about the dad's death and that distracted me from the story. It is an important detail, but I feel it could have just been stated rather than holding mystery around it 2) some phrases were repeated very close together, not a huge problem, it made things very clear but it was a little too much at times. This did not happen in many spots so as I said 🤣 extremely knit picking
Overall I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to escape the world, looking for comfort or just looking to meet some new and really cool characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2022
Just a disclaimer at the beginning of this review that I am acquainted with the author. Masquerade follows 17 year-old Anastasia "Ana" Gardenwood in her senior year at Trimouth Academy and it is rife with trials and tribulations. Starting with Ana discovering she is pregnant with the child of her ex-boyfriend Elijah Drake. Pile on the pressure and tension of her step-sister Penny's escalating bullying and the result is a page-turning soap opera that is a great summer read. Cynthia Brubaker achieves a fine debut with a story that keeps the reader coming back to find out what happens next. If I have one criticism, it is that I wish a little more attention had been given to the motivations and emotions of the other characters. Told in the third-person the focus remains almost exclusively on Ana's point-of-view and the other pivotal characters could definitely have been more fleshed out if that had shifted from time-to-time. However, despite genre fiction being more my thing, I was quickly drawn into the story of Ana's struggle. To see Ana grow from being a completely intimidated, 'Good Girl' people-pleaser, assuming way too much of the blame for the issues hiding behind that mask, to recognizing standing up for the truth was standing up for herself was very satisfying. Though I do wish Penny had faced a little more comeuppance at the end. Perhaps for the sequel?
January 30, 2023
Masquerade written by Cynthia Brubaker took me back to my preferred selection of books when I was a teenager: fun, mysterious, and fast-paced. I know Cynthia personally, she delivers stories left and right, writing is a big passion of hers. A lot of emotion went into writing masquerade.
As a volunteer reviewer and avid reader, I’ve enjoyed the characters and the high school plot line. It was fun and constantly keeping me on my toes. My favourite character dynamic was Ana and Penny, Ana’s character growth during Penny’s unrelenting harassment had me feeling proud of Ana, we see her fears, thoughts, and actions portrayed in a relatable way where Ana was scared, angry, protective and embarrassed. These characteristics and emotions Ana felt were very relatable, I put myself in Ana’s shoes often and it enhanced the reading experience (not that it needing enhancing in the first place!)
Some questions and fickle critiques/suggestions I have:
- Penny: what happened to Penny at the end of the book? The storyline was heavily written with her torment toward Ana, I wish we would’ve seen justice for Ana at the end. I was left confused and slightly disappointed that there was no consequences for Penny’s actions.
- The title Masquerade: correct me if I’ve missed this, I read faster than my eyes can keep up with when I’m on the last chapter of a book! I noticed that the friend group never went into the winter formal to dance. Was it a masquerade? Based on the title I expected the big plot line or resolution of the story to be set in a masquerade dance.
- Dialogue and descriptive writing: while reading conversations, Ana’s thoughts and the use of italics, I found that a lot of these topics listed above were almost filler writing that did not impact the story (excluding the italics). Needless to say, I understand why it was written this way. I assume the dialogue and Ana’s thoughts were to deepen our understanding of characters and their relationship. However, I was more engaged with reading conversations and thoughts that were related to the plot line of the story.
- Near the end when Elijah and Ana are back together, Elijah’s way of talking felt very formal and fancy when it was a casual conversation. To make conversations more casual, I recommend reading it out loud to determine if the speech sounds too tense!
- This is a very personal suggestion: there were lots of italicized words when I found that not many of the words needed lots of emphasis. Many pages had at least two emphasized words. It made the impact of the plot big! However I think that reducing the italicized words would give the same emphasis you want to create.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story Cynthia has created, I hope there’s a sequel to see how Ana and Elijah’s relationship progresses, Penny’s consequences, and Ana’s life after a tormenting year!
As a volunteer reviewer and avid reader, I’ve enjoyed the characters and the high school plot line. It was fun and constantly keeping me on my toes. My favourite character dynamic was Ana and Penny, Ana’s character growth during Penny’s unrelenting harassment had me feeling proud of Ana, we see her fears, thoughts, and actions portrayed in a relatable way where Ana was scared, angry, protective and embarrassed. These characteristics and emotions Ana felt were very relatable, I put myself in Ana’s shoes often and it enhanced the reading experience (not that it needing enhancing in the first place!)
Some questions and fickle critiques/suggestions I have:
- Penny: what happened to Penny at the end of the book? The storyline was heavily written with her torment toward Ana, I wish we would’ve seen justice for Ana at the end. I was left confused and slightly disappointed that there was no consequences for Penny’s actions.
- The title Masquerade: correct me if I’ve missed this, I read faster than my eyes can keep up with when I’m on the last chapter of a book! I noticed that the friend group never went into the winter formal to dance. Was it a masquerade? Based on the title I expected the big plot line or resolution of the story to be set in a masquerade dance.
- Dialogue and descriptive writing: while reading conversations, Ana’s thoughts and the use of italics, I found that a lot of these topics listed above were almost filler writing that did not impact the story (excluding the italics). Needless to say, I understand why it was written this way. I assume the dialogue and Ana’s thoughts were to deepen our understanding of characters and their relationship. However, I was more engaged with reading conversations and thoughts that were related to the plot line of the story.
- Near the end when Elijah and Ana are back together, Elijah’s way of talking felt very formal and fancy when it was a casual conversation. To make conversations more casual, I recommend reading it out loud to determine if the speech sounds too tense!
- This is a very personal suggestion: there were lots of italicized words when I found that not many of the words needed lots of emphasis. Many pages had at least two emphasized words. It made the impact of the plot big! However I think that reducing the italicized words would give the same emphasis you want to create.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story Cynthia has created, I hope there’s a sequel to see how Ana and Elijah’s relationship progresses, Penny’s consequences, and Ana’s life after a tormenting year!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2024
This was an absolute whirlwind of a read, and I loved every minute of it. MASQUERADE is a young adult tale that will take you right back to your high school days, and all the drama that comes with being a teenager.
I will be the first to admit that my high school years were fairly tame and boring, but I was still able to relate to a lot of what poor Ana experiences throughout the duration of this novel. Anyone who's ever been bullied will understand what she's going through. Anyone who ever went through a high school breakup will be able to relate. All those things you went through in high school that you look back on now and laugh about? You'll see them here.
But this isn't a lighthearted novel intended to take you back to those days. The things that Ana endures are brutal, and I have a great deal of respect for her and the way she chooses to handle everything. She is lucky to have the most supportive parents I've ever seen (seriously, Ted is hand's down one of the greatest fathers I have ever read, and I'd like to formally request he adopt me) which is lucky, because her step-sister makes Disney villains look harmless. I have never wanted to strangle a character more. It was WILD.
I can't reveal much without spoiling the events of the novel, but this is definitely a book I'll be revisiting in the future. It's wonderfully written with engaging characters and touches on a great deal of social issues while maintaining an atmosphere that felt more believable than I've seen in quite some time. Do yourself a favour and give it a read - you won't be disappointed!
I will be the first to admit that my high school years were fairly tame and boring, but I was still able to relate to a lot of what poor Ana experiences throughout the duration of this novel. Anyone who's ever been bullied will understand what she's going through. Anyone who ever went through a high school breakup will be able to relate. All those things you went through in high school that you look back on now and laugh about? You'll see them here.
But this isn't a lighthearted novel intended to take you back to those days. The things that Ana endures are brutal, and I have a great deal of respect for her and the way she chooses to handle everything. She is lucky to have the most supportive parents I've ever seen (seriously, Ted is hand's down one of the greatest fathers I have ever read, and I'd like to formally request he adopt me) which is lucky, because her step-sister makes Disney villains look harmless. I have never wanted to strangle a character more. It was WILD.
I can't reveal much without spoiling the events of the novel, but this is definitely a book I'll be revisiting in the future. It's wonderfully written with engaging characters and touches on a great deal of social issues while maintaining an atmosphere that felt more believable than I've seen in quite some time. Do yourself a favour and give it a read - you won't be disappointed!
October 30, 2023
It was a swift read because I’m going on a plane heavy book. The only suggestion I have is to reduce the repetition in the content, which became a bit excessive since I read it over the span of three days. If I had read it over a longer duration, these repetitions might not have been as bothersome, and I would have appreciated the work even more. Great job!
June 5, 2025
This story was so sweet and so loved it🖤 adore this author and her work🖤
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews