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.