I was so intrigues by this book until the very end. Then one anti-feminist chapter made me so angry. Teagan does NOT need to wait around for Nic to love her. This is absurd. A powerful female heroine was created only to have her digress to the need of having a man in her life, Screw that.

I love love love love this book, the character shows a great sense of humor had me laughing out loud while also enjoying a great story in store at 9 I haven't checked yet but I really hope this is becoming a series I'll be looking for other books by this author

This book was meant for the big screen.

You got a little bit of everything: helicopter crashings, police car chases, murders, black-ops soldiers, secret government works... literally the perfect soup for a kickass action movie.

This book was honestly action scene, after action scene, after action scene. If there's one thing Ford can do right, it's keep you hooked from start to finish.

The characters, though, were DEFINITELY my favorite part of the book. Can I just make this clear right now: I LOVE TEAGAN! She is SO refreshing of an MC. She's snarky, sarcastic, funny, loyal, slightly childish, morally-good but questionable in her methods, all that good stuff... but most important she NOT MORALLY SUPERIOR. She doesn't walk around thinking the world bows down to her, and even though she's got super powers, she doesn't alienate herself from anyone else. And the other characters don't bow down to her, wish I really liked as well! In super hero books (if you've been reading my reviews for a minute, you know I don't like super hero stories), the character is always so distant and superior, you know? Teagan isn't. She feels real, she feels relate-able.

AND I'M NOT EXCLUDING THE REST OF CHINA SHOP FROM THE DISCUSSION!! Annie, Paul, Reggie, and Carlos, I LOVE THEM!! I think they were all unique, and I love that their relationships with each other was so shaky and then they grew together. I mean, you start the book off and they are all at each other's throats, and near the end it's like they've all banded together like a dysfunctional family, and I love it. I mean, it's a feat that I remember all of their names and personalities, because usually I tend to get side characters mixed up. But I can safely say: they made this story kick ass just as much as Teagan did.

"I never thought of them as friends. They were people who'd been forced to work with me, all of us conscripted in a war against Tanner's shadow enemy. But that's changed. They've got my back. I've got theirs."

There was a touch of romance in the story with Nic in the book too, but I enjoyed that it wasn't made front and center of the story. I enjoyed that Teagan remained her own entity separate from him.

So, with that said, what didn't I like about the book? This really had the makings of being an all-time-favorite of mine (which is amazing in-of-itself considering my distaste for super hero stories); but what really got me about this story was the ending.

I strongly dislike when instead of wrapping a book together, the author just leaves a major cliff hanger at the end. It makes me feel cheated. I feel like I didn't even read a book, like I've spent all this time with these characters for this to not even come together in a finale. And what really makes me mad is the author really COULD have finished it good. There are fifty nine chapters in the book: chapter fifty eight finished the story beautifully. Teagan did some self reflection, was able to go home and wonder what else the future might bring for her (her thoughts about what the future might bring we're a perfect gate way to a sequel without leaving the reader hanging). Then there's chapter fifty nine, the chapter which leaves you a MASSIVE cliffhanger. It quite literally made me roll my eyes because it was a very cliche cliff hanger too.

That said, will I look out for the next book? Absolutely. I'm curious to see what the else the author can bring to the table. I'm curious to see if it can get better, if the sequel can really give me that bang that I'm looking for.

This opens with a bang, befitting the title but it’s weird bang- kind of like small town fireworks with the reload time between the bursts of color, as this stops mid-action to give us a bit of catch-up. Once we are caught up though, it’s go-time, and the rest of the book is an easy, quick, and fun read.

Teagan works for the government using her psychokinesis skillset accomplishing jobs in ways that aren’t exactly legal. With so many misdeeds between them, Teagan, along with a ragtag of misfits for a crew, have a lot to lose if things go south and there’s no guarantees of backing by their employer if they get themselves into too much trouble.

So, when someone turns up dead after a job gone south, and in a way only a telekinetic could do, Teagan- the only telekinetic around, has less than a day to clear her name before she is hauled back to a facility where there is zero chance of ever seeing the light of day again.

I have been finding the first and third person mixed pov, a lot in books lately. I have varied feelings on this- sometimes it’s very noticeable, and sometimes it works really well. At first it was noticeable here (may be only because it is uncommon) but later especially towards the end, I was grateful for it.

I was a bit worried at the beginning that this was going to be one of those insert here: female lead, kick-ass, snarky-girl, the millionth-edition. Though she starts off a bit snarky, Teagan is nowhere near kickass. She’s a bit impetuous and pretty funny at times, but I am glad to say the snark leveled off to a good mix of self-awareness and a wryness of tone, topped with some nice characterization- I really enjoyed her.

As the story goes and we learn more about her and her love of good food, we start to realize a lot of Teagan’s big dreams are her trying to grab on to the happiness she remembered from before her world fell apart, back when she still had a family around her, and wasn’t considered a freakshow because of her PK abilities.
We meet the crew and some acquaintances through Teagan’s pov and they proved to be just as interesting as Teagan- we don’t get all of them fleshed-out but we do get enough to really feel personalities through her interactions and I’m looking forward to more of them (if there is a sequel).

The relationship threads at the end of the book, felt a little long to wrap up though, especially the stuff with Nic. I can’t complain too much about this point because I did appreciate not being left wondering about personal comments, and thoughts that Teagan had previously about ex’s, or about why certain people did what they did- the answers to the important stuff were given. In other words- small threads are in place for a sequel, without leaving this book feeling unfinished.


The use of third person for Jake’s parts, filled in so much of the story that would have been left unanswered otherwise with only Teagan’s limited pov, just because of the fact that Jake’s character events were so isolated up until they actually meet. For that reason, this pov change worked really well for me.


The city plays a big part in the setting, especially with the wildfires raging in the background and in some ways- it was easier for me to picture skid row and the colorful flavor of the mixed community, than if it had been just a regular every person’s neighborhood. You don’t forget the backdrop here for that reason.

I can’t say too much about the plot without spoilers except that I loved how it kept you on your toes wondering the reason behind the murders, and that even having the pov of view from Jake doesn’t answer that question to almost the very end. Great pacing, plotting and use of the pov’s.

Also, Bravo to the one reveal that surprised the heck out of me, and by doing so, also cleared up a couple of complaints story-wise that I was having. I had been leaning towards an idea of what I thought was up, but other than the person, I wasn’t even close. It’s hard to surprise me anymore and this earned itself all kinds of brownie points for doing just that.

Action packed and just as fun as the title suggests!

3.75

Notes-

A special thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a review.

Review will be posted on blog closer to pub-date.

Super funny and enjoyable! This is a great urban super hero romp! Would recommend it to any comedy seeking millennials

Though there are some fun ideas present in the book, and the style is fun (and exactly what you'd expect it to be based on the book's title), it ultimately failed to do it for me. It definitely had a strong low-budget cable action series vibe, which, though occasionally fun, isn't usually quite my jam.

An action adventure from beginning to end. A first in what is I expect a series with a kick ass lead character. Young adult's will enjoy it's edginess and the independent main character Teagan. Thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss, and the publisher.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks NetGalley!

Teagan Frost has telekinetic powers, which the government is all too happy to make use of.
BUT a body shows up at the location of her last job.. murdered in a way only someone with powers could have pulled off. She has 24 hours to clear her name. Her life and more is at stake.

This sci-fi adventure is great, and Teagan is easy to like!

Not My Cup of Tea
Hard to believe that I read this entire book, even though I disliked the majority of the characters. I was about to give up about half way through as the level of violence was getting way outside my comfort zone. At about that time, the story changed from full throttle mayhem action to more of a psychological mystery thriller. Each time I was ready to throw in the towel, some quirky snippet of the main character’s past, made whatever was going on,, half-way believable. Dribbles of the back-story for the main character, how she got to be this way, was what had me hooked. Even though this sub-genre isn’t for me, overall it was a well told story so really does deserve a three (3) star rating.

Teagan is not like other people. At all. She can move sh*t with her mind. What she refers to as psychokinesis, or PK, has earned her a top secret job with the government in Los Angeles. After all, she's the only person in the world with PK...or is she? When a man from her team's most recent mission is killed in a way that can only be done using PK, Teagan has a very short amount of time - 22 hours to be exact - on which to clear her name. And her team isn't exactly falling over themselves to help her, either.
.
.
I absolutely loved this book. Teagan is a smart ass chick with some pretty cool powers, and you can't help but giggle- and face palm - at her antics as she struggles to figure out how and why things went so wrong. Teagan's team is a rag tag bunch, all awesome in their own right, and I loved going along on this roller coaster ride of a day with each of them. There will apparently be a second book, whether a duology or the start of a series I do not know, but I do know I'll be reading it!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
.
.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this ridiculously fun book!

Wow!

This is a REALLY fun sci-fi adventure read; it's got a lighter, casual tone that's easy to get sucked up in, and it takes on a pretty wild ride.

Teagan Frost has psychokinesis (PK for short), is obsessed with the LA food scene and old-school hip hop, and finds herself framed for murder where all the clues point to someone with PK (and Teagan is the only known Gifted individual in the world, according to the government).

Getting caught means either getting killed by one side (for revenge) or getting killed by the government (for research), and WOW, does Teagan's fight for her own freedom move rapidly (and hilariously) through the streets of Los Angeles!

Ford does a nice job of making his main character a mouthy teenager without doing the whole THIS IS A TEEN LOOK AT HOW TEEN SHE IS! thing that far too many YA author do. The supporting cast, too, are largely compelling and, while it's never find to spend even fictional time with a psychopath, big bads aren't always very appealing. Away from the characters, the story movies ridiculously fast, and just when you think it's finally calming down, something else blows up (either literally or figuratively), a reality which makes The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t with her Mind a lot of fun to read. My only major issue was the way the main characters viewed romantic relationships, largely because I couldn't tell whether or not Ford expected us to accept/support her thinking (if so, yikes). That said, I did find it distracting how often British spellings and words were used. Since the story was set in LA and no one we met wasn't either American or Mexican, it was really jarring to see things that could easily have been adjusted so they more smoothly came from the mouths/minds of the people in the book.

[This review will be posted at the below link 2 weeks before publication date]

The title hooked me, the book was fast paced, and the main character was friggin’ awesome! I can’t wait to read more by this author.

Excellent character-driven urban fantasy

I loved this book. The story is well-paced, there is good intrigue and the action scenes are excellent. But it is really the character development that stands out. This is a story about people; that the main protagonist has telekinesis is almost secondary. Jackson Ford also has the ability to inject humor in his writing. Read the Acknowledgements section; it's the best one I’ve ever read.

Mixes and matches tropes from other genres into a batsh*t crazy thrill ride that never lets up. It also has a great female lead. Teagan is one of those characters that will alternate between making you laugh or cringe at what she just said/did, but she will never bore you! The plot gets dangerously close to going too far over the top, but never enough to stop you from turning the pages. A nice twist towards the end and then a hint at what’s to come in the sequel next year. The story here does wrap up nicely for those worried about major cliffhangers. Should be a great choice as a beach read this Summer.

This book was ok. It had an interesting story line and is the beginning of a series. It was a quick read with lots of action and suspense.

An interesting book with a unique premise but some flaws in execution. I don’t mind alternating POVs and appreciated how obvious Ford makes it about who the main character is at each switch. I didn’t love that one was first person and the other was third, though. It made parts feel disjointed when the two mains interacted and the tone kept changing. I did like the cliff hanger at the end...it will definitely bring me back to see what happens next, even if I felt like too much was left out of this story.

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I admit that the title of this book is what drew me in! The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind was non-stop action, right from the first page. Teagan Frost is funny, likeable, and an unlikely hero. The ending had several unexpected surprises, including one turn of events that seems to hint at a second book. This was a lighthearted yet intense read and was thoroughly enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit books for this arc.

I needed something light and preposterous. This fixed that need for me. A fun, action-packed read. And it looks like the beginning of a series! While Teagan acts like an undisciplined brat through most of the book, she has a good heart and it shows. I liked most of the rest of her team as well. Hopefully, there will be a follow up to this story in which her other team members' stories are more fully developed.

I really liked this. Great female lead and fun premise. I literally gasped twice, totally surprised by a revelation. That almost never happens. Can't wait for book 2!!