Reboot Rereads Recap

I wasn't sure when to post this, because I was writing reviews for my rereads and it seemed weird to post a recap and then post some reread reviews...so anyway, mid-June recap, here we are! Emotionally, I declare Operation Reboot Rereads a success. Even if the quantity of time I read or total number of books finished didn't go up, I found myself wanting to read more, and that's a victory.  That said...

Emotionally and statistically, Reboot Rereads was a rousing success. I reread a total of seven books, which surpassed my goal, and I also finished Not "A Nation of Immigrants," which I had been working on for quite a while, and read three* other Read Harder books, plus At the End of Everything for my book club. (Very good book, by the way, so many emotions). And now it's summer break, so hopefully this new reading energy carries over into June and July - think of all the books I can enjoy! Delightful.

*I wrote this after my last day of work, a few days before the end of May. Since then, I've read two more Read Harder books, so even MORE impressive!

Belladonna - Adalyn Grace

Initial Draw: ☆☆☆
Character Development: ☆☆
Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆
Overall: ⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Nineteen-year-old Signa Farrow, orphaned as a baby, has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being - and each has met an untimely end. Her last remaining relatives are the Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at the glittering and gloomy estate of Thorn Grove. Thorn Grove's patriarch, Elijah, mourns his late wife, Lillian, through wild parties and drink, while eldest son Percy grapples for control of the family's waning reputation and daughter Blythe suffers from the same mysterious illness that killed her mother. And when Lillian's spirit confronts Signa and claims she was poisoned, Signa realizes that Blythe could be next to die.

Signa's best chance of uncovering the culprit and solving Lillian's murder is an alliance with Death himself - the very man she hates most. And Death, that fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side, shows her that their connection may be more powerful than she ever dared imagine."

Remember when I joked about starting a series where I reviewed books that are not YA but get classified that way because they're fantasy, written by a woman, with a female MC? Seriously, I need to do it. Because again, I find myself typing a review of a "YA" book that IS 👏 NOT 👏 YA. Truly, begging publishers to stop calling things YA just because women are involved.

Now that that's out of the way...I put this audiobook on hold at the library because I got something in my Owlcrate subscription box that referenced it, and I figured hey, if I have things that quote books, maybe I'll try to read some of them! (Sidenote: Maybe Owlcrate choosing this book to reference should have tipped me off that it was FauxYA, since Owlcrate so clearly loves curating a selection of not-actually-YA books). The premise sounded interested, so why not give it a shot? I'll tell you why not...

It's kind of boring. 

Like, I'm three-quarters of the way through and the narrative has not progressed past the information provided in the synopsis. I know it's the first in a sequel, so there's some world-building that has to happen, but GOOD LORD, pick up the pace. I kept waiting for a reveal or for some actual action, but...no. Lots of outfit descriptions though - not that I don't love a good gown description, but I like them more when they're balanced by actual things happening. I finally gave up on it, I just did not care enough to slog through another several hours of story in hopes that maybe something would happen.

The one good thing I'll say about this book is that I enjoyed the audiobook narrator, Kristen Atherton. She did such a great job that sometimes I got lost in her narration, even though nothing was really happening. Sadly, a great narrator wasn't enough to drive me to finish the book, but snaps to her for being such an engaging narrator anyway!

Reboot Rereads - To All the Boys I've Loved Before

I've never written an individual review for this book/series, but BOY OH BOY have I included it in an excessive number of book lists! I mentioned it in one (as a case for polyamory over love triangles), and I've featured it in at least four, including my top ten favorite series, books to read if you like Animal Crossing, easy to read books (hello, reboot rereads!), and books that feel like a hug. This series is so cozy and comforting, and I continue to adore it. (Also the movies, although I don't know why, but it endlessly bothers me that they decided in the movie series to change the setting to the Pacific Northwest instead of Virginia. Just, why? And I wish they had left it being Peter that got the video taken down.)

Lara Jean, so sweet, so firm in her standards. Kitty, possibly the best character ever written. Margot, eh. But everyone else...wonderful. It's low stakes that feel high stakes, because who amongst us doesn't remember when minor teen dramas ruled our lives? Lovely series to revisit, and I recommend it to anyone looking for something low-stakes and comforting to get into.

Reboot Rereads - Alex, Approximately

I reviewed this book way back when, in 2020, and gave it five stars. I also mention in the review that reading it back then got me out of a reading slump, so what a coincidence that I chose it this time around for the same reason! I still love it - there are serious moments, but you know when things get rocky that it will all turn out okay, so it's such a comfort read. My appreciation for Grace grows every time I read this, and I really love her dad and how supportive and encouraging he is, as well as Porter's parents, who are both so wonderful. In my first review, I gave bonus points for modeling consent in a very natural way, which I still greatly appreciate, and I also give bonus points for the inclusion of roller derby, even if Jenn Bennet does refer to it as "the derby," which in all my years of roller derby participation I have never heard it referred to as.🤣

Anyway, if you're looking for a light, feel-good read, stop sleeping on Jenn Bennett. Her writing is delightful. Three rereads down, baby! And I've been making fairly steady progress on Not "A Nation of Immigrants," so it seems like the reboot is working!

Reboot Rereads - Foolish Hearts

It's been six and a half years since I first read and reviewed Foolish Hearts, and I'm happy to report that it holds up, and I still adore it. For anyone who doesn't want to go back to 2017 to find the original review, here's the summary from the cover:

"The day of the last party of the summer, Claudia overhears a conversation she wasn't supposed to. Now on the wrong side of one of the meanest girls in school, Claudia doesn't know what to expect when the two are paired up to write a paper—let alone when they're both forced to try out for the school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

But mandatory participation has its upsides—namely, an unexpected friendship, a boy band obsession, and a guy with the best dimpled smile Claudia's ever seen. As Claudia's world starts to expand, she finds that maybe there are some things worth sticking her neck out for."

This book has everything. Pining over a new crush, online roleplaying games, rock climbing even?! What more could you ask for from a book, jokes that make you laugh out loud, maybe? Because it has those too - I read this out loud to Joel a while back, and there were at least two exchanges that I was laughing too hard to get through. And I laughed just as hard reading those exchanges this time around.

Also, Gideon continues to be a perfect love interest and one of the sweetest characters that has ever been created. I'll never stop loving him. And it isn't just him! It's everyone! Claudia is excellent, her whole family is so good, Zoe is amazing, don't even get me STARTED on Noah...Emma Mills knows how to create a lovable character, it's possibly one of her greatest strengths. Definitely what I love the most about her books.

So, anyway, two rereads done! The brain reboot is working!

Reboot Rereads - Emergency Contact

Hahaaaaaaa, I checked to see if I had reviewed this before and was like "whoa, I haven't?!" And then I read the blurb that I wrote when I included it on a book list:

"I double checked whether I had reviewed this book on the blog before, and at first I was a little surprised that I hadn't. Then I realized that of course I haven't reviewed it here, because I don't know what to say. This book is hard to describe, but perfect to read. It's Penny's first year of college, and...that's what it's about. Navigating somewhere new. Learning how to live with roommates, making new friends. Managing your anxiety. It's a book about real life. If you read this one and don't like it, I'm begging you, please don't tell me, because it is probably in my top three favorite books of all time, and I love it so much that it makes me nervous even recommending it."

It's great that after 38 years together, I continue to surprise myself. Anyway, yes, I have not written an actual review of Emergency Contact before, but I have included it on not one but two recommendation lists, so there's that. As quoted above, it's a great story about new experiences, figuring out how to handle anxiety (and depression), and navigating life. While I will note that it came out in 2018 and consequently suffers from an overuse of ableist terms that many of us have since learned are words you shouldn't use, overall the book is still solid and I still greatly enjoyed the story. Do what I do and substitute a different word in your head, and then it totally holds up.

While there's a lot that I adore about this book, one thing that jumped out at me more upon this read than it did in prior reads is the way that our perception of ourselves differs from the way others see us. Sam, for example, hates his body and has a ton of self talk about how ugly he is. Meanwhile, both Penny and Mallory are falling over themselves at how hot he is. Penny tells herself how weird and boring she is, that she's short and her thighs are too big, et cetera. But Sam finds her quick-witted, funny, and beautiful, and a classmate is also into her and asks her out, so clearly her perception of herself isn't true. Watching that all play out is a great reminder that we often are our own harshest critics. It can be easy in a world where we're being inundated with messages about not being good enough to pick ourselves apart, compare ourselves to others, and constantly look for things that are "wrong" with us...but damn, wouldn't it be more fun and a lot less burdensome to try to see the amazing things in ourselves that other people see in us?

Anyway, just something the book made me think about. For the record, if you're reading this, know that I think you're incredible.

Reboot Rereads

May has arrived, and it's time to reboot my brain! My goal is to reread four books, so roughly one per week. First up, because it's one of our book club books for the month, is Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi. I love this author, I love this book, and I've been wanting to reread it for a while, so this seems like a good one to start off with! So far, I'm about 85 pages in and going strong.

Other books I plan to reread:

• Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett: I've reviewed this before, several years ago, and reread it a few times since, most recently in one night when I had insomnia and couldn't sleep. It's a big comfort read for me and one that I usually fly through, so it seems like a solid option to kick me out of a slump!
• Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills: I reviewed this one too, long, long ago! Another one that I really love and typically get through quickly, and I can't wait to get into it again.
• To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han: I haven't actually reviewed this, but I did include it on a First Page Friday list of books that are easy to read. I'm obsessed with this series, and the movies are a huge comfort watch for me as well. Plus, if I do really get into them, that means three books read. 

I've been debating rereading Fangirl too, it seems like the most obvious choice, given my love of it and the number of times I've reread it already (thirteen, for anyone not keeping track). Including it in the list of choices almost seemed like...does it even need to be said? 😂 Look, let's keep it mysterious. Maybe I'll reread it...maybe I won't. Only time will tell.

Anyway, here's hoping these Reboot Rereads do indeed help reboot my brain and get me out of this months-long slump!