Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) - L.C. Rosen

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"My first time getting it in the butt was kind of weird. I think it's going to be weird for everyone's first time, though.

Meet Jack Rothman. He's seventeen and loves partying, makeup and boys - sometimes all at the same time. His sex life makes him the hot topic for the high school gossip machine. But who cares? Like Jack always says, 'it could be worse'.

He doesn't actually expect that to come true.

But after Jack starts writing an online sex advice column, the mysterious love letters he's been getting take a turn for the creepy. Jack's secret admirer knows everything: where he's hanging out, who he's sleeping with, who his mum is dating. They claim they love Jack, but not his unashamedly queer lifestyle. They need him to curb his sexuality, or they'll force him.

As the pressure mounts, Jack must unmask his stalker before their obsession becomes genuinely dangerous..."

There is a dearth of sex-positive books out there for young people, especially with LGBTQ* representation, so I give this book a resounding "yes, please!" I am endlessly glad that Rosen showed his first ninety-nine pages to friends and that those friends talked them into continuing to write Jack's story, because the world needs more books like this and more characters like Jack and his friends.

"I know lots of kids want to be famous, and yeah, I like attention, but I'd much prefer it for things I do--like dress amazing and say witty things--than who I do."

Jack is infamous around his high school. Rumors fly after every party--the book starts with a trio of girls discussing his alleged "fourgy" in a hot tub over the weekend, for instance. Most of these rumors aren't true, but that hasn't stopped people from believing everything they hear before, and it certainly won't in Jack's case. Fortunately, Jack's best friend started a website after being kicked off the school newspaper, and she comes up with the perfect way to harness Jack's reputation as a sexpert...a write-in advice column for students.

When Jenna first pitches him the idea, Jack is hesitant. He commits to writing one column, but doesn't plan to let her plan go any further than that. Much to his surprise, though, his fellow students respond well to the column, and he finds himself enjoying writing for the website. The only downside  to his new "sexlebrity" status is that mysterious pink notes have begun appearing in his locker, and they've quickly gone from intriguing to straight-up creepy.

"It could be worse." He tells his friends after finally admitting to them how disturbing the notes have become. Jenna won't let him dismiss things that easily, though. "That might be true, but that doesn't mean it's not bad. That doesn't mean you don't try to stop it from being bad."

As tension escalated and Jack and his friends went through plan after failed plan to unmask his stalker and get them to leave him home, I found it harder and harder to put this book down. I loved Jack from the first page, and it tore at my heart to see him doubt himself, toning his fashion down and retreating inward as he struggled with what to do and how to keep his friends and family safe. This would have been a solid 5-star read for me if it had been twenty pages longer. My one big gripe with the book is the rushed ending. I was reading an electronic version, and I couldn't believe it when I got to the end...at first I thought maybe my download hadn't completed properly and I was missing the last chapter or something. Everything was just a little too abrupt and anticlimactic, which was a let down after being so riveted through the entire book. That aside, though, incredible. More like this, please!

Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe - Melissa de la Cruz

My rating: ⭐

From the cover:

"Darcy Fitzwilliam is 29, beautiful, successful, and brilliant. She dates hedge funders and basketball stars and is never without her three cellphones—one for work, one for play, and one to throw at her assistant (just kidding). Darcy’s never fallen in love, never has time for anyone else’s drama, and never goes home for Christmas if she can help it. But when her mother falls ill, she comes home to Pemberley, Ohio, to spend the season with her family.

Her parents throw their annual Christmas bash, where she meets one Luke Bennet, the smart, sardonic slacker son of their neighbor. Luke is 32-years-old and has never left home. He’s a carpenter and makes beautiful furniture, and is content with his simple life. He comes from a family of five brothers, each one less ambitious than the other. When Darcy and Luke fall into bed after too many eggnogs, Darcy thinks it’s just another one night stand. But why can’t she stop thinking of Luke? What is it about him? And can she fall in love, or will her pride and his prejudice against big-city girls stand in their way?"

I'm a sucker for Pride and Prejudice remakes, so I was excited to read this when it popped up on my radar. Alas, that excitement was short-lived. From the first page, the writing was cringeworthy. Right off the bat, for instance, she describes her approximately 45-year-old driver as having a "grandfatherly" twinkle in his eye and then, sentences later, rejoices over being wrinkle free at the ripe old age of twenty-nine and not looking a day over twenty-four. Exhibit B, my personal favorite example of the lackluster writing, can be found in the descriptions of four of the men in Darcy's life, found mere pages apart from each other.

"Chris had always been handsome, but now, as he approached her, he looked more picture perfect than ever before, a tan, toned, chiseled specimen of a man who looked like he had walked straight out of a Ralph Lauren catalog and into the Fitzwilliam Christmas party."

"If Chris Mayfair was catalog model handsome, Bingley was movie star handsome. He had undeniably sculpted good looks, but unlike Chris, those looks came with character and personality, quirks and asymmetries that made his face just as lovable and unique as it was handsome." (Don't even get me started on making his first name Bingley, good lord.)

"If Chris Mayfair was catalog handsome and Bingley was movie star handsome, then Luke was real-life-person handsome. He had dimples and dark brown eyes and his hair was never anything short of unruly."

"If Chris Mayfair was catalog handsome and Bingley Charles was movie star handsome and Luke Bennet was real-life-person handsome, then Carl Donovan was simply nice-looking."

How does an editor not see this in a book and take it out? Sweet Jesus, come on, that's so bad. And as if the juvenile writing style weren't enough, the story was all over the place and Darcy was flighty, insecure, and judgmental. Every interaction between her and another person featured an inner monologue detailing the other person's flaws and all the ways in which Darcy was better than them, yet inexplicably everyone seemed to think the sun rose and set with her. There was nothing about her I could find to like, from her shoehorned-in name brand impractical outfits down to her hate-love of Gilmore Girls, the show which she describes both as "saccharine, tediously dull" and "quick and witty."

I was sending pictures of particularly awful passages to my sister as I read, and she finally asked how old the author was because she thought the book was written by a teenager trying to imagine what it would be like to be a successful adult. That was exactly the vibe I got from this book, and if it weren't such a quick read and hadn't become entertaining in its awfulness, I would have DNFed after the first couple chapters. Perhaps the biggest letdown was that were it not for the names and inclusion of "Pride and Prejudice" in the title, I never would have pieced together that this was supposed to be a retelling of Jane Austen's classic. If this is what Melissa de la Cruz considers a reimagining of Pride and Prejudice, she may need to revisit the original.

Little and Lion - Brandy Colbert

My rating: ⭐⭐

From the cover:

"When Suzette comes home to Los Angeles from her boarding school in New England, she isn't sure if she'll ever want to go back. L.A. is where her friends and family are (along with her crush, Emil). And her stepbrother, Lionel, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, needs her emotional support.

But as she settles into her old life, Suzette finds herself falling for someone new...the same girl her brother is in love with. When Lionel's disorder spirals out of control, Suzette is forced to confront her past mistakes and find a way to help her brother before he hurts himself--or worse."

There was a lot to look forward to going into this book...diverse books, characters of different races and backgrounds, LGBT (particularly B!) representation, frank discussion of mental illness...but not a lot that I ended up loving, sadly. The synopsis wrote checks that the actual content couldn't cash. As a disclaimer, I do think that the meh-ness of this book for me was partially due to the fact that I listened to the audiobook and was not in love with the reader. However, I also felt that the pacing of the book was slow and that way too much time was spent hashing and rehashing the same small issues, rather than developing the story. The beginning was intriguing, but then it went nowhere. Readers (or listeners, in this case) shouldn't have to slog through 90% of a book before something actually happens, and even when things finally DID come to a head, the drama of it all fell flat for me. I give this an A+ for concept but a C- for execution.

They Both Die at the End - Adam Silvera

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today.

Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day."

Mateo and Rufus are going to die today. They both received a call from Death-Cast, and Death-Cast is never wrong. 

Mateo, plagued by anxiety and paranoia, wants to spend his last hours on earth saying goodbye to his best friend and her baby, visiting the hospital where his father is in a coma, and leaving some kind of mark on the world. He wants to...but instead he finds himself still locked away in his apartment three hours after receiving the call, afraid to venture into the outside world.

Rufus, who received the call in the middle of pummeling his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend, narrowly avoids being arrested for the assault during an impromptu funeral with his foster parents and best friends. Now, alone in the world with less than 24 hours left to live and unable to go home, he isn't sure what to do.

Enter the Last Friend app. After several depressing, sketchy, and disappointing interactions, both Mateo and Rufus are ready to give up on the app. Mateo gives it one last shot, though, contacting Rufus who, with understandable reluctance, agrees to pick Mateo up at his apartment so the pair can begin living their last day to its fullest. But what begins as a partnership of convenience between two dying teenagers quickly blossoms into something more. Mateo inspires Rufus with his kindness and gentle spirit, and Rufus pushes Mateo to take risks, put himself out there, and do the things that he has always been too afraid to try. 

This book is both heartbreaking and beautiful. The relationship that blossoms between Mateo and Rufus warmed my heart, and the way their lives intertwined with the many side characters introduced throughout the story was both fascinating and inspiring. Given less than 24 hours to live, most of us would think, understandably, that this is far from enough time to leave our marks on the world. What this book shows us, however, is that what we see as tiny actions can have a huge ripple effect. They Both Die at the End reminds us that simple acts can have a vast impact. 

A series of brief reviews

Life has been coming at me fast recently, with trying to complete a certificate in early childhood education while also going in for a series of interviews that have now resulted in me starting a new job for the first time in (gulp) more than five years. Consequently, I haven't had the mental bandwidth to post as many book reviews as I would like to. It's heartbreaking, I know. To prove that I'm still reading and tide us over, I thought I would post some of the books on my currently reading list and give an overview of how I'm liking them. Buckle up! I'm not a monogamous reader.

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee

"It occurs to me suddenly why the pair of them may be lounging in the middle of the day, and I freeze, blushing before I have confirmation of my suspicions. 'Oh no. Am I interrupting something marital and romantic?'

'Felicity, please, it's six in the evening,' Monty says with great indignance, then adds, 'We've been fornicating all day.'"

Uh, yeah. I'm like two chapters in and already love this every bit as much as I enjoyed The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue. Mackenzi Lee, you're a wonder. Please never stop writing books.

Wildcard by Marie Lu

Much like the first book in this duology, Warcross, I want to love this but I don't. Everything about the premise is appealing, and after finishing Warcross I was dying to know what the deal with Zero was, but I just can't get into it. I don't know if it's the pace or what, but meh...I feel like I'm slogging through this one.

Pride by Ibi Zoboi

I wasn't exactly head-over-heels for Ibi Zoboi's American Street, but I have high hopes for this one! I'm a sucker for retellings of Pride and Prejudice, and I'm looking forward to seeing how this one goes.

The Fates Divide by Veronica Roth

Awwww, yes! I didn't review Carve the Mark, but it was a solid 4 stars for me on Goodreads, and I was dying to get my hands on this one. I'm a little over 2/3 of the way through, and ohhh boy, it is all the adventure, action, and intrigue that I had hoped it would be.

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

This one is a re-read for me (or a re-listen, I suppose, since I'm listening to the audiobook), and I will never tire of revisiting this series. Every time I do I love it more. If you're a fan of badass chicks, vibrant characters, and adventures in space, pick these up.

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Another reread and another series I will never tire of revisiting. I just want Jace to be happy!

Umbertouched - Livia Blackburne

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"The mission was a failure. Even though Zivah and Dineas discovered a secret that could bring down the empire, their information is useless without proof. Now, with their cover blown and their quest abandoned, their only remaining hope is to get home before Ampara brings the full might of its armies against their peoples.

As Shidadi and Dara alike prepare for war, Zivah and Dineas grapple with the toll of their time in the capital. After fighting alongside the Amparans against his own kin, can Dineas convince the Shidadi—and himself—where his loyalties lie? After betraying her healer’s vows in Sehmar City, can Zivah find a way to redeem herself—especially when the Dara ask her to do the unthinkable? And after reluctantly falling in love, what will the two do with their lingering feelings, now that the Dineas from Sehmar City is gone forever? Time is running out for all of them, but especially Zivah whose plague symptoms surface once again. Now, she must decide how she’ll define the life she has left.

Together, healer and warrior must find the courage to save their people, expose the truth, and face the devastating consequences headed their way."

I have such mixed feelings about this book. Some of the characters pulled me in, and I found myself eagerly reading certain chapters because I had to know what would happen to them. Exactly what you want from a book, right? So why the mixed feelings? Because when I wasn't eagerly reading those certain chapters, I kept forgetting I was reading this book. 

Just like with the first book in the series, Rosemarked, while the plot is intriguing and the characters are compelling, the book is too long for the story it's telling. It's like wandering in the desert alongside Zivah and Dineas...every once in a while, you may come across an oasis of a few chapters and can't stop reading, but in between are long stretches of nothing progressing. It's not a bad read, but the pace was too slow to keep me consistently engaged, and in the end there wasn't even any of the resolution that I expected. Ultimately, if you need something to read and this duology is what's available, go ahead and pick it up. If you're weighing your options and this is one of them, there are better books out there.

Blanca & Roja - Anna-Marie McLemore

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"The biggest lie of all is the story you think you already know.

The del Cisne girls have never just been sisters; they’re also rivals, Blanca as obedient and graceful as Roja is vicious and manipulative. They know that, because of a generations-old spell, their family is bound to a bevy of swans deep in the woods. They know that, one day, the swans will pull them into a dangerous game that will leave one of them a girl, and trap the other in the body of a swan.

But when two local boys become drawn into the game, the swans’ spell intertwines with the strange and unpredictable magic lacing the woods, and all four of their fates depend on facing truths that could either save or destroy them. Blanca & Roja is the captivating story of sisters, friendship, love, hatred, and the price we pay to protect our hearts."

Blanca and Roja are sisters, born to a family line cursed to have two daughters only to have one taken by los cisnes, the swans, in the chosen daughter's fifteenth year. While they were born opposites, natural rivals, they refuse to accept that one day they will be parted. Instead, the pair does everything they can to make themselves as similar as possible, hoping to confuse los cisnes. "If the swans can't tell us apart," Blanca tells her sister, "they can't decide which of us to take." When the time that a sister is usually taken has passed, Blanca and Roja start to believe they have succeeded...until, finally, the swans appear. 

The sisters are left alone in their house while los cisnes decide who they will take. Roja, with her bloodred hair and sharp edges, knows it is she who will be taken, but when she is attacked while confronting the swans, a bear comes from the woods to save her. The bear, however, is not what it seems--not a bear at all, but a boy from town named Barclay, who had gone missing not long before. Suddenly the sisters find their fates entwined with those of Barclay and his best friend, Page. Will los cisnes succeed in dividing the sisters forever? Or will the bonds being built between this foursome be enough to break the spell, free the sisters, and release Barclay and Page from their own prisons?

While I did dock a star because the narrative was difficult to follow at times, overall I thought this book was amazing. The characters were well developed, and it was fascinating to read about the del Cisne family traditions and experience this fairytale from a new cultural perspective. I especially love watching Roja, Blanca, Barclay, and Page evolve after the boys come into the sisters' lives and their relationships develop. This was such a unique reading experience, and if you're a fan of fantasy, fairytale retellings, #ownvoices stories...pick this title up.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein - Kiersten White

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Elizabeth Lavenza hasn't had a proper meal in weeks. Her thin arms are covered with bruises from her "caregiver," and she is on the verge of being thrown into the streets . . . until she is brought to the home of Victor Frankenstein, an unsmiling, solitary boy who has everything--except a friend.

Victor is her escape from misery. Elizabeth does everything she can to make herself indispensable--and it works. She is taken in by the Frankenstein family and rewarded with a warm bed, delicious food, and dresses of the finest silk. Soon she and Victor are inseparable.

But her new life comes at a price. As the years pass, Elizabeth's survival depends on managing Victor's dangerous temper and entertaining his every whim, no matter how depraved. Behind her blue eyes and sweet smile lies the calculating heart of a girl determined to stay alive no matter the cost . . . as the world she knows is consumed by darkness."

Full disclosure, I've never read Frankenstein. **GASP** I know, what kind of English major/librarian am I? That being said, if you were contemplating reading this book and wondered if maybe you needed to have read Frankenstein to appreciate it, I am happy to report that is not a prerequisite. Although come on guys, let's get real...we should read the original. 

Anyway, let's get to my thoughts on the book. It started off a little slow for me. It took me a few chapters to get into it, but once I did I was into it. Don't fret if you start reading and can't decide if this book is for you...it grows on you, I promise. The last quarter or so of the book was especially excellent--I gasped multiple times, and I think at one point I said, "oh, holy shit!" out loud, further convincing my husband that I am crazy. Oooh, it was excellent. Protip? This book comes out just in time to make the perfect spooky October read...grab yourself a copy and enjoy!

People Kill People - Ellen Hopkins

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"People kill people. Guns just make it easier.

A gun is sold in the classifieds after killing a spouse, bought by a teenager for needed protection. But which was it? Each has the incentive to pick up a gun, to fire it. Was it Rand or Cami, married teenagers with a young son? Was it Silas or Ashlyn, members of a white supremacist youth organization? Daniel, who fears retaliation because of his race, who possessively clings to Grace, the love of his life? Or Noelle, who lost everything after a devastating accident, and has sunk quietly into depression?

One tense week brings all six people into close contact in a town wrought with political and personal tensions. Someone will fire. And someone will die. But who?"

First of all, that cover.

Second, so much of this book gave me chills. Talking about humans and their capacity for violence, for instance:

"Like a god

I am nothing

without you...

but I am relentless

I know you can hear me

and sooner or later

you'll heed my call"

And taking that one step further:

"See, I've got this theory

Given the right circumstances

any person could kill someone

Even you."

This is not a happy book. I wouldn't even say any of the characters are particularly likable. The reader is taken inside each character's mind, privy to their darkest thoughts, and oof...those thoughts are dark indeed. But that's the point. Hopkins has given us people at their lowest, people who given the right circumstances could be capable of anything, even pulling a trigger and ending a life. If you read this and don't come away with a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, well...I don't know how to feel about that. There have been a number of books written in recent years about gun violence, and while I did find the verse in this particular one a little clunky at times, one thing it did really, really well...well enough that at times it was difficult to continue reading...is make you feel. 

"See, the absolute truth

is 

people 

kill 

people.

A

gun

just

makes

it

easier.

Even a child can do it."

Think about that. And tell me it doesn't give you chills.

Changers Book 4: Forever - T Cooper and Allison Glock-Cooper

My rating: ⭐⭐

From the cover:

"When we left Kim Cruz in Changers Book 3, she'd just come out to her best friend. In Changers Book 4: Forever, Kim discovers that this is only one small part of understanding who she is and where she belongs. Soon enough, she changes again, into the body and social status of her dreams. What she does with her newfound power will come to haunt her. In this final installment of the provocative Changers series, our hero learns what it means to be the person everybody loves without actually being known at all; what it's like to be given the benefit of the doubt when you don't deserve it; and how easily opportunity comes when you look the part. Changers Book 4 explores what it means to find yourself--even as your self keeps changing--and how in the end we become the person whose story we want to finish."

When this series first came to my attention, I was like uhh, yes, obviously I will be reading these books. The first book did not disappoint...it was fascinating to read a book like this, about someone coming to terms with their changing identity, seeing Drew struggle with social dynamics at school and learn about herself along the way. I've been putting off writing this review though, because while I was impressed with and drawn into the first book, the second and third were not quite as enjoyable, and as much as I wanted to be able to gush about the series, this fourth book...I didn't like it.

Where the strength of book 1 lies is in examining social expectations and dynamics. That was a central point in Drew's story, and if that focus had remained consistent through the last three books this would have been a stronger series. It went off the rails, though, throwing in the drama of the Abiders, kidnapping, murder, etc. This just didn't work for me. There were several separate storylines, each more ridiculous than the last, and none of them were incorporated into the others, which was jarring. Also, whether it be a traditional three-act or something else, I need some kind of structure, and this book didn't have one. Every chapter was up and down, back and forth. Kyle's emotions shift so quickly, and for reasons difficult to understand, that it was exhausting reading about him. One page Audrey hates him, the next she loves him, then she hates him again...honestly, this fourth book reads like a rough draft, like the goal was "get everything on the page, and then we'll go back, edit, and move some stuff around"...except that second part never happened. Not great.

Perhaps I could have tried to look past the rough quality of the writing itself, but the nail in the coffin for me was the very casual inclusion of suicide. Maybe that wasn't the authors' intention, but the way it was thrown in, as though it was an unimportant side story, really bothered me. Kim wakes up as Kyle and, next page, apropos of nothing, he's on a bridge attempting suicide. Now, I suppose to their credit, this chapter does end with the woman who stopped him reminding him, "be mindful...that you don't pick a permanent solution to a temporary problem." That doesn't do much to make up for such offhand use of suicide as a plot device, though, particularly when later they casually throw in during a fit of angst later the thought that he "can't stay. Can't leave. Can't kill [himself]. Can't build an Alien sleeping capsule and seal the door for nine months." Just...no.

I'm sad I didn't love this series. I really wanted to. But ultimately the plot was all over the place, with too many ideas crammed into one series, and while the handling of topics like racism and gender identity were done well, others, like mental health, were treated too lightly. It was too unbalanced for my taste.

Save the Date - Morgan Matson

My rating: ⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster—all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.

The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.

There’s the unexpected dog with a penchant for howling, house alarm that won’t stop going off, and a papergirl with a grudge.

There are the relatives who aren’t speaking, the (awful) girl her favorite brother brought home unannounced, and a missing tuxedo.

Not to mention the neighbor who seems to be bent on sabotage and a storm that is bent on drenching everything. The justice of the peace is missing. The band will only play covers. The guests are all crazy. And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute.

Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future."
Not my favorite. I thought the characters were great, but they were pretty much the only thing that kept me reading after about the first quarter of the book, which...not great. Perhaps if it had been shorter it would have held my attention better, but the first 3/4 of the book is nothing but a series of ever-more-ridiculous terrible things threatening to ruin Charlie's sister's wedding, all of which she somehow ends up responsible for fixing, despite the presence of two wedding planners, two sets of parents, the bride and groom, and several grown-ass siblings not currently in high school. All the actual human conflict gets packed into the last few chapters, which is a huge bummer since the conflict between her brother and the rest of the family is talked about throughout the entire book. Don't make me wait the bulk of the book for more details! Weave the interpersonal drama in with the ridiculous wedding drama! Also, "And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute"? Goods not as advertised. Dreamy Billiam is barely in the first half of the book, and legit nothing happens between the two of them. Almost the entire book focuses on her depressing hang up on Jesse the obvious douchebag. Don't tease me with a budding romance between the main character and a sweet, funny dude and then torture me the entire book with some asshole. Bleh. 

Ultimately, while this would make a great movie, it was not that successful as a book. You can pass on this one.

We Are Not Yet Equal - Carol Anderson

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Carol Anderson's White Rage took the world by storm, landing on the New York Times bestseller list and best book of the year lists from New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, and Chicago Review of Books. It launched her as an in-demand commentator on contemporary race issues for national print and television media and garnered her an invitation to speak to the Democratic Congressional Caucus. This compelling young adult adaptation brings her ideas to a new audience.

When America achieves milestones of progress toward full and equal black participation in democracy, the systemic response is a consistent racist backlash that rolls back those wins. We Are Not Yet Equal examines five of these moments: The end of the Civil War and Reconstruction was greeted with Jim Crow laws; the promise of new opportunities in the North during the Great Migration was limited when blacks were physically blocked from moving away from the South; the Supreme Court's landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision was met with the shutting down of public schools throughout the South; the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 led to laws that disenfranchised millions of African American voters and a War on Drugs that disproportionally targeted blacks; and the election of President Obama led to an outburst of violence including the death of black teen Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri as well as the election of Donald Trump.

This YA adaptation will be written in an approachable narrative style that provides teen readers with additional context to these historic moments, photographs and archival images, and additional backmatter and resources for teens."

I keep starting this review only to delete what I wrote and start over because I can't find the words that are right to start this off. Instead of allowing myself to get caught in an endless loop of rewritten intros, let's start with a quote from the epilogue of this book.

"Imagine if, instead of continually refighting the Civil War, we had actually moved on to rebuilding..."

This quote basically sums up the entire book. Every chapter is full of examples of (white) people going out of their way to keep people of color down, even though doing so hurts everyone. Where could we be as a country if we built everyone up and let people succeed instead of letting racism run unchecked and tearing people down for our own bigoted amusement?

There was so much in the early chapters of this book that I had never heard before, and it's depressing to realize how much of history has been whitewashed and retaught as something less shameful than what it actually was. It's equally frustrating to read about the presidencies immediately following the Civil War and realize...things are basically the same today. The idea that equal treatment of minorities is somehow favoritism, for instance. The attitude of, "Fine, we'll grant you these rights so you can be 'equal', but do you really need to exercise all of them? Can't you just be happy with the scraps we already gave you?" Definitely still going on. Ugh.

This book is well-researched, well-written, and a great adaptation of White Rage. If you're wondering whether you should read it, the answer is yes, you should. Full disclosure: it will make you mad. Hopefully we can all use that anger to make things better.

Someone I Used to Know - Patty Blount

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"TRIGGER WARNING: Boys will be boys is never an excuse.

It’s been two years since the night that changed Ashley’s life. Two years since she was raped by her brother’s teammate. And a year since she sat in a court and watched as he was given a slap-on-the-wrist sentence. But the years have done nothing to stop the pain or lessen the crippling panic attacks that make her feel like she’s living a half-life.

It’s been two years of hell for Derek. His family is totally messed up and he and his sister are barely speaking. He knows she partially blames him for what happened, and totally blames him for how he handled the aftermath. Now at college, he has to come to terms with what happened, and the rape culture that he was inadvertently a part of that destroyed his sister’s life. 

When it all comes to a head at Thanksgiving, Derek and Ashley have to decide if their relationship is able to be saved. And if their family can ever be whole again."

Oof, this book. This is a difficult topic to write about, but it's so important when it comes to opening a dialogue to have stories like this out there, and while it feels weird to read a book about a 14-year-old being raped and say "this book is important, and everyone needs to read it," well...this book is important. And everyone needs to read it.

The use of dual narrators, telling the story from both Ashley and Derek's perspectives, was an excellent approach. As Derek and his friends learn, it can't just be women, male victims, or people with sisters/wives/daughters fighting this fight...men with no other stake in the game besides a desire to be a good person need to become allies, and what better way to help young men along that path than to give them a role model like Derek? Watching Derek grapple with his mistakes was almost as painful as reading Ashley's story, but it was also inspiring to see him learn from them, ask questions, and start to become a better, stronger person. We need more narratives like his in the world.

With Ashley's story, the court excerpts at the start of chapters were a punch to the gut, and they help the reader right away to get into Ashley's head and try to feel what she was and is still feeling. Her chapters were hard to read at times, but they should be hard to read. I don't want to meet the person who reads this book and doesn't struggle through it. 

One thing that really hit me hard was her realization that there is no justice. No matter what happens, nothing is going to fix what happened to her. She will always have to live with it, it will always be a struggle, and nothing about that is just or fair. Another heartbreaking piece of her narrative was the question of why the bright future of a high school football player was more important than her bright future. That is a narrative that is spun so often in cases like this...look at Brock Turner as a real-world example. He's so talented, he has such a bright future, something like this shouldn't define the rest of his life! But...it's fine that it will define the rest of his victim's life? He chose this, they didn't. Nothing about that is acceptable, and the fact that so many people don't even think about the victim in cases like this is disheartening.

Ultimately, I think what makes this book most important is that nothing about it felt like fiction to me. Every word, every experience was real. Ashley, Derek, and their family may be made up, Vic may not have ever existed, but the things that happened to them have happened to other people. Do happen to other people, every day. Read this book, then share it with someone you know. Build more allies. Put less pressure on women to attempt to police the behaviors of others and shift that responsibility where it belongs. Books like this can help change the world.

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue - Mackenzi Lee

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

NOT THIS TIME! And here's why:

This book caught me by surprise in such a good way. Full disclosure, I often have a tendency to judge books by their covers, in that I see a book like this one and think, "yup, that cover caught my attention. I'm gonna read this." without ever checking to see what the book is about. Consequently, knowing nothing about the plot, I started reading this with the expectation that it would be a little light, somewhat salacious, and funny.

I mean, I wasn't wrong. But it also did a mind-blowing job of weaving deeper themes into the story, making you think without ever coming right out and spelling out for you, "hey, let's talk about social issues." Monty's dad's treatment of him, the way people react when they find out Monty's sexual orientation, and the things Percy deals with being dark-skinned are just a few examples that come to mind, but it happens throughout the book, small comments slipped in when you least expect it that make you pause and consider the issue. It was masterfully done and such a pleasant surprise.

As if that weren't enough, I couldn't help but fall in love with the characters. I listened to the audiobook first, then read the physical book, and my god, every time Monty says, "hello, darling" I died a little. He was just the right blend of sarcasm and genuine caring, Percy was infinitely sweet and somber and made me want to hug him, and Felicity...I don't like hashtagging midsentence, but she is #goals, for sure. Then we get the side characters, and the little details we see that bring them to life...just sublime. After reading this, I think I'm going to start reading more books based only on the cover. I may get burned at times, but it was such a nice surprise going in blind and coming out of it with this experience. Amazing book. Please read it.

Quiver - Julia Watts

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Libby is the oldest child of six, going on seven, in a family that adheres to the "quiverfull" lifestyle: strict evangelical Christians who believe that they should have as many children as God allows because children are like arrows in the quiver of "God's righteous warriors." Like the other families who adhere to this philosophy, Libby's family regards the father as the "Christian patriarch" and leader and the mother as the "helpmeet" who gives birth to, cares for, and homeschools the children. 

Meanwhile, Zo is the gender fluid offspring of Libby's new neighbors who have moved to the country from Knoxville in hopes of living a slower-paced, more natural life. 

Zo and hir family are as far to the left ideologically as Libby's family is to the right, and yet Libby and Zo, who are the same age, feel a connection that leads them to friendship—a friendship that seems doomed from the start because of their families' differences."

Libby Hazlett and Zo Forrester meet when Zo and hir family move to the farm next door to Libby's after the property had been empty for more than a year. The Hazlett family is fairly sheltered, primarily spending time with each other and with members of their church congregation, so right away Libby finds herself intrigued by the new family and, in particular, Zo. 

The two families have radically different ideologies--Libby's father is a strict disciplinarian, unwavering in his ultra conservative principles, while Zo's parents are liberal and much more relaxed in their parenting style. As it turns out, though, they also have a lot in common, and everyone seems to hit it off...until, that is, their fathers getting into an argument at an ice cream party and Mr. Hazlett decides that his family will no longer associate with the Forresters. 

Alas, the damage Mr. Hazlett fears has already been done. Spending time with Zo has gotten Libby thinking, and it turns out she may not be as content with her life as she previously convinced herself. Will she risk angering her father and turning her back on the God she is supposed to believe in to continue her friendship with Zo, or will she bend to her father's will and allow things to return to how they used to be?

This book is like nothing I have ever read. Coming from a family who, while not evangelical Christians, were close enough for some of Libby's experiences to hit close to home made this a difficult read, but seeing Libby and Zo learn more about each other, grow closer, and take the time to understand the other's perspective was worth the discomfort. I felt connected to both of them right away, and watching them grow throughout the book warmed my heart. Not only that, but I found myself unexpectedly tugged into the friendship between their two mothers, rooting for Mrs. Hazlett's happiness as she struggled through a difficult pregnancy and, after their husbands' fight, losing her new friend. Julia Watts did a remarkable job bringing the Hazlett and Forrester families to life, and if you're looking for a book that allows you to experience worlds you aren't familiar with, I can't recommend Quiver strongly enough.

The Day Tajon Got Shot - Beacon House

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Meet Tajon.

Tajon is sixteen and black.
He's tall and skinny, and he wears his hair in dreads.
Tajon works hard and tries his best to be good.
He does OK in school. He has plans.
He's determined.

Tajon is the kind of son who cares about his family.
He's the kind of brother who stands up for his sister.
He's the kind of kid who dreams big dreams to get himself and
those he loves up and out of the hood.

Tajon is the one who gets shot.

Meet the authors.
Ten black teen girls in Washington, DC started writing this book during the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. They began with one central question: What really happens in a community when a black youth is the victim of violence by police? Each writer takes on the perspective of a central character - the victim, the police officer, the witness, the parent, the friend - and examines how it feels to be a human being on all sides of this event. Their stories thoughtfully explore issues of race, violence, loyalty, and justice in a community torn apart but seeking connection."

This book is important, and not just because of the topic. Books like The Hate U Give, All American Boys, How It Went Down, etc. are all valuable, and if you have the time and inclination I recommend reading all of them. Before you do, though, I suggest you get your hands on a copy of this book--legit, ask me, I will lend you mine.

Why should this be number one on your to read list? First things first, because it was written by a group of teenage girls. If that knowledge doesn't hit you like a punch in the gut with every word you read, then you just might be missing a heart. Think about what they must be going through to be able to produce something like this. These girls worked together to examine all sides of the epidemic of police violence toward black people in a thoughtful, emotional, and powerful way, and I was blown away with every page. As if that's not enough, they brought each character to life, and I caught myself holding my breath multiple times as I read. Finally, the artwork incorporated into the story added even more depth. This book is a work of art. And page 151, man...I don't think I've ever reacted so strongly to a book before. 

Final reason to read this? Jason freaking Reynolds tweeted that people needed to read it. Jason Reynolds, guys. If you don't want to take my word for it, take his. I promise you, he's right.

The Kissing Booth - Beth Reekles

My rating: ⭐

From the cover:

"Meet Rochelle Evans: pretty, popular--and never been kissed. Meet Noah Flynn: badass, volatile--and a total player. And also Elle's best friend's older brother... 

When Elle decides to run a kissing booth for the school's Spring Carnival, she locks lips with Noah and her life is turned upside down. Her head says to keep away, but her heart wants to draw closer--this romance seems far from fairy tale and headed for heartbreak. 

But will Elle get her happily ever after?"

 

They didn't ask me for one, but if they had, this would be my front cover blurb for The Kissing Booth: "I rolled my eyes so many times reading this, I was worried they would stick that way."

This might be the first time I have ever hate-read a book. If I had another audiobook lined up, I would have given this up after the first chapter. Sadly, I didn't, so I stuck it through to the bitter end--and, oh boy, was it bitter. I can't think of a single positive thing to say about this book. Truly, from start to finish, it was hot garbage with no redeeming qualities. If I could give it zero stars, I would. Hot. Garbage.

So, what was it that made me hate The Kissing Booth so much? Let's start off with the least offensive flaws and progress from there.

Flaw 1: If Beth Reekles has an editor, she needs to find a new one. If she doesn't, she needs to get one, because this book was ridiculous. Everything happened suddenly, all Noah did throughout the book was smirk, give his trademark smirk, smirk sexily, give a steamy smirk. All everyone else did was grimace at things that were happening. No kidding, it felt like every other sentence, someone was grimacing. Beth, let me help you out here, real quick, with some synonyms.

Smirk: sneer, leer, simper

Grimace: frown, scowl

Flaw 2, closely related to Flaw 1: Did you know that Beth Reekles is British? I did. Want to know how? Even though this book is set in California, everyone uses British slang and phrases! It happened throughout the book...Noah drove a motorbike, Elle didn't want to get into another row, people were sat on counters, etc... If everything else about the book was great, neither of these issues would have been a deal breaker, but as it transpired they were the least-offensive thing about it.

Flaw 3: There was no character development and no consistency in their personalities. I'm not sure Beth even knew what her characters were like, they changed so much from one chapter to the next. All of it was so weird...one chapter, Elle is one of the guys, because since her mom died when she was young she was never very girly. The next she has multiple outfit changes and needs to make sure her makeup is perfect. Oh, but don't forget that her mom died when she was young! It's important...even though it never has any impact on the story and ultimately seems like some weird detail shoehorned in for....no discernible reason? Also, her dad is just..........he may as well not have been there. Elle is a junior in high school who lives like a college student with no parental supervision.

Dad: *After Elle didn't come home until the next morning after a party* "You didn't drink did you? Because I don't want you to drink."
Elle: "Well I got super shitfaced, but don't worry, Noah stopped me from getting naked in front of the whole school."
Dad: "Oh, Elle."

Dad: "I don't like Noah, and I don't think you should date him."

Elle: "Uhh I'm gonna date him." *proceeds to stay out all night and go to a hotel with Noah*

Dad:

Reading this felt like reading a poorly-written fanfic based on Gossip Girl or One Tree Hill. The driving force behind the drama was "I'm dating my best friend's brother, but he can't know!" Why can't he know? Why does he care? There was no reason for the secrecy, and the only reason for her best friend to be upset at the two of them dating was never addressed. Which brings us to the biggest thing I hated about this book:

Noah is controlling and abusive! This is the elephant in the room the entire book, and it ends up brushed under the rug. Can we stop writing YA fiction that romanticizes abusive relationships? Can we please? At the beginning of the book, we find out Noah has been threatening every guy at school to keep them away from Elle...to "protect her," he says, but seriously? It's because he wants to date her. Multiple times throughout the story, Noah drags her away, forced her against walls, tells her how to dress, threatens other people to scare them away from her, does something unforgivable only to kiss Elle and make her forget all about it. At one point, he almost breaks a guy's rib for trying to kiss her. It gets played off like the guy was being aggressive and borderline sexually assaulting her, but it wasn't written that way at all. It was written like "guy thinks Elle is interested. Tries to kiss her. She begins to shut him down. Abusive, territorial male appears from out of nowhere to kick guy's ass before she can." Gross. 

There is one half-hearted reference to Noah seeing a therapist when he was younger for his violent tendencies, but apparently it couldn't be helped. I guess it's just one of those incurable things for everyone to look past? An adorable quirk? That's what it ends up becoming, anyway. Elle shrugs it off because Noah is just so darn cute. Besides, after their weird non-break up when Lee finds out they're "together," he turns it all around. It's like night and day, suddenly (do you see what I did there?) her violence-junky (yep, they use that phrase. Over and over) boyfriend is an over-the-top romantic, doing amazing things like presumptuously booking a hotel room for them the night of the summer dance (which they didn't even go to together), asking the band to play a song she likes, and (hold onto your hats!) holding the door open for her. What a sweetheart.

This book reminds me of those "I fed a bot 10,000 hours of content and then had it generate its own version" things. Is Beth Reekles real? Or was this book written by an alien with the barest grasp of human emotions and experiences? I truly can't decide, but either way it's terrible. Please don't read it. Please.

Lights Out Lucy - Elicia Hyder

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Lucy Cooper isn't looking for love when she finds it--or slams into it, rather--during rush hour traffic. But her heart, like her car, is a total loss the moment West Adler steps out of his truck to inspect the damage.

West truly is the perfect guy: handsome, funny, rich. The benefactor of not one, but two children's hospitals. And he's the main sponsor of the Music City Rollers, Nashville's championship roller derby team.

When Lucy discovers the Rollers are actively recruiting "Fresh Meat," she puts her life on the line to catch West Adler's attention. But will accident-prone Lucy skate off with the heart of Nashville's Most Eligible Bachelor? Or will she get herself killed in a sport that promises, "It's not a matter of if you'll get hurt--but of how bad and when."

Alright, I'm going to get one thing out of the way before we get into what I loved about this book. Coaches for skaters new to roller derby should not treat their new girls the way they did in this book. Holy shit, no. Just no. Is roller derby badass, yes. Are skaters tough, obviously. But is it ok to be total assholes to each other? Fuck no. New girl coaches should be nice and supportive and patient, and if you start at a league with coaches who yell at you, call you bitches, and generally behave like some of the coaches in this book...find another league to skate with. That's a red flag. Now that we've got that PSA out of the way, moving on!

I enjoyed the balance in this book between work, dude interactions, and roller derby practices. It drives me crazy when books present characters as working in whatever field, being crazy busy or successful, and then proceed to not ever have that character go to work. In this case, the book starts off with Lucy heading to work, where she is doing well but stressed about her boss...and then throughout the book we see her work, kick ass, and navigate her relationship with her intimidating boss. Say what, women can have careers and hobbies and romantic relationships? I love it!

I also enjoyed the relationships between all the fresh meat skaters. Lucy and Olivia were wonderful, as I knew they would be from early on, but then seeing the two of them bond with some of the other new skaters from practice was lovely. The community you join and the friends you make are far and away the best part of being involved in roller derby for me, so seeing that emulated in the book was heart-warming. Also, shout out to Zoey, the toughest skater in this book, fresh meat or otherwise!

Finally, the relationship arc between dreamy West Adler and Lucy was overall adorable and, at times, laugh out loud hilarious. I legitimately stopped a few times while reading to send my husband quotes that had me cracking up. Watching their relationship develop after their...can you call it a "meet cute" if it's a car accident?...was heart-warming, and it felt a little like seeing a friend fall in-like with someone and then watching it become more. Warmed my icy little heart. If you like solid friendships and sweet love connections, this book might be for you. If you want all of that combined with roller skates and a kickass sport, what are you waiting for? Read it.

Empress of All Seasons - Emiko Jean

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Each generation, a competition is held to find the next empress of Honoku. The rules are simple. Survive the palace’s enchanted seasonal rooms. Conquer Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Marry the prince. All are eligible to compete—all except yōkai, supernatural monsters and spirits whom the human emperor is determined to enslave and destroy. 

Mari has spent a lifetime training to become empress. Winning should be easy. And it would be, if she weren't hiding a dangerous secret. Mari is a yōkai with the ability to transform into a terrifying monster. If discovered, her life will be forfeit. As she struggles to keep her true identity hidden, Mari’s fate collides with that of Taro, the prince who has no desire to inherit the imperial throne, and Akira, a half-human, half-yōkai outcast."

Mari is an animal wife, a yōkai who has been sent to the palace to compete for the chance to marry the prince. 

Akira is a half-human, half yōkai who calls himself the Son of Nightmares. Akira and Mari have been friends for years, and while she may not love him, he is in love with her. Terrified at the thought of her risking her life at the palace, Akira tries to convince her to run away with him--when she turns him down, he decides instead to follow her, learn what he can about fighting, and try to win her heart.

Taro, the cold prince, lives a secluded, lonely life. His father, the emperor, is heartless and unfeeling, and Taro finds peace only in his workshop, where he creates mechanical creatures to keep him company. He keeps himself closed off, close with no one, until he unexpectedly runs into Mari and finally finds someone he might be able to open up to.

The lives of these three characters will intertwine in unexpected ways as Mari battles her way through the seasonal rooms, falling in love with Taro along the way, as Taro falls in love in return and struggles to decide who he can trust, and as Akira makes connections with the yōkai resistance and learns how to be a warrior. Snippets of tales about the Gods who created the yōkai and the humans are interwoven with the story, and these stories enrich the narrative by offering insight into what the Gods have in store.

Overall, while I found the story intriguing and enjoyable, there was a lot going on, and the pacing and transitions were clunky at times. Also, I didn't love the ending--lots of hasty wrapping up, when I would have loved to see more detail. Complaints aside, this is a solid read, and I especially think that anyone interested in Japanese folklore will enjoy it.

When Dimple Met Rishi - Sandhya Menon

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways."

Rishi and Dimple meet at Insomniacon, a summer program dedicated to coding and app development. The catch--Rishi is there specifically to meet Dimple, since their parents have arranged their marriage, but Dimple has no idea Rishi even exists. As you can imagine, their relationship gets off to a rocky start. Fortunately, it improves from there, but the pair are so different, is a real, successful relationship even possible for them?

I was pretty split on this book, and ultimately I think it's only meh. I liked Dimple, Rishi, and especially enjoyed reading about Rishi's brother, but most of the characters were pretty one-note, stereotypical, and not terribly well-developed. I loved the premise of a teenage girl being interested in coding and pursuing her career over romance, but the execution fell flat for me, especially since virtually the entire book is her being starry-eyed over Rishi. If you're going to tell me someone has no interest in a romantic relationship, you can't have her bowled over by some dude she barely knows with almost no build-up.

More than anything, the book was just too long. I was into it at the beginning, but after Dimple starts enjoying Rishi's company a few days into Insomniacon, nothing really happens. It's just chapter after chapter featuring more of the same until you get to the end of the book and suddenly things get exciting again and are hastily wrapped up. I wish there had been more character development, more time devoted to Dimple actually working on her app and developing her coding skills, and a little less time devoted to how their hearts beat harder when Dimple and Rishi looked at each other. I wouldn't discourage someone from reading this, but there are definitely more compelling stories out there.

The Reader - Traci Chee

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Once there was, and one day there will be. This is the beginning of every story.

Sefia lives her life on the run. After her father is viciously murdered, she flees to the forest with her aunt Nin, the only person left she can trust. They survive in the wilderness together, hunting and stealing what they need, forever looking over their shoulders for new threats. But when Nin is kidnapped, Sefia is suddenly on her own, with no way to know who’s taken Nin or where she is. Her only clue is a strange rectangular object that once belonged to her father left behind, something she comes to realize is a book.

Though reading is unheard of in Sefia’s world, she slowly learns, unearthing the book’s closely guarded secrets, which may be the key to Nin’s disappearance and discovering what really happened the day her father was killed. With no time to lose, and the unexpected help of swashbuckling pirates and an enigmatic stranger, Sefia sets out on a dangerous journey to rescue her aunt, using the book as her guide. In the end, she discovers what the book had been trying to tell her all along: Nothing is as it seems, and the end of her story is only the beginning."

If it hasn't already become clear, I'm a sucker for pretty book covers. I mean, realistically, who isn't? That's the point of a cover, to make you want to read the book! This cover...ohh boy, it made me want to read this book. Look at it. Feast your eyes. It's gorgeous.

Then read the words, "This is a book. You are the reader. Look closer. There's magic here."

I couldn't not be tingling with anticipation after that. I wanted to love everything about this book. It's such an intriguing concept, after all. In a world where books are not allowed and no one (or mostly no one) even knows how to read, Sefia is on her own, on the run from the unknown assassins who murdered her father and kidnapped her aunt Nin, protecting a mysterious rectangular object...The Book. She rescues a young man from a group of men who kidnap boys to brutalize them and force them to battle others in fighting rings, and the two of them team up to discover who is behind the kidnapping of her aunt and uncover the man they have been told is behind these horrific fighting rings. What's not to love about this premise?

As it turns out, the fact that this is all laid out by about page 65, and then nothing much new happens until roughly 350 pages later. It wasn't bad...there was enough to keep me reading, even if I wasn't dying to pick up this book over some of the others I'm working on. There was some excitement and intrigue, and I really enjoyed some of the characters. I just wish things had moved a little more quickly. The pacing of the book felt off, and the transitions between Sefia's story and her reading of The Book weren't always the smoothest. 

That being said, Chee did manage to reel me back in. Just when I was getting to a point near the end of the book where I had decided if it didn't grab me soon, I wasn't going to be reading the next book, I got to a chapter titled, appropriately, "answers." Those answers weren't much, but they were enough to convince me to give The Speaker a chance. I'm hoping now that most of the world-building is done and characters have been established, the pace of the next book will keep me more engaged. If not...at least there are plenty other books in the sea. Or something.

Leah on the Offbeat - Becky Albertalli

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Leah Burke—girl-band drummer, master of deadpan, and Simon Spier’s best friend from the award-winning Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda—takes center stage in this novel of first love and senior-year angst.

When it comes to drumming, Leah Burke is usually on beat—but real life isn’t always so rhythmic. An anomaly in her friend group, she’s the only child of a young, single mom, and her life is decidedly less privileged. She loves to draw but is too self-conscious to show it. And even though her mom knows she’s bisexual, she hasn’t mustered the courage to tell her friends—not even her openly gay BFF, Simon.

So Leah really doesn’t know what to do when her rock-solid friend group starts to fracture in unexpected ways. With prom and college on the horizon, tensions are running high. It’s hard for Leah to strike the right note while the people she loves are fighting—especially when she realizes she might love one of them more than she ever intended."

Leah Burke is my filthy-mouthed high school BFF soul mate. I started this book after I came home from work a couple days ago and finished it before I went in for work the next day. It was hard to put down, and honestly I would have finished it faster, except I kept stopping to text my sister my favorite Leah one-liners. This book is hilarious. 

Those of you who weren't fans of Leah in Simon Vs. may not dig this one, but if you were down with her in the first book and want more of their world, pick this up. It had its flaws--mainly, for me, dragging out the drama between Leah and Abby too long and then hastily wrapping all the conflict in an epilogue--but hot damn, it will hook you and keep you giggling. It's a good read.