Dana

I don't think I've ever felt this disappointed in a book before. I had heard amazing things about it and eventually got roped in by that fabulous premise. I was actually expecting a very cool (and semi-philosophical) sci-fi adventure story with a bit of a Hunger Games flair to it. However, this book just takes a completely wonderful concept like reincarnation and somehow manages to ... cheapen it. I was shocked and disappointed by the lack of originality in both writing, plot and character viewpoint.

Ultimately, I decided to DNF the book rather than continue reading it, only to give it a negative review in the end.

Actual rating: 2.5 stars, rounded down

I really, really wanted to like this book. But guess what? The universe decided to conspire against me, and there was nothing I could do about it.

- First of all, this book isn't actually terrible. I mean, it features a very unique protagonist — a Filipino-American teenager, which is something you don't see a lot of in contemporary young adult fiction. Plus, it has a super interesting premise, which revolves around the manic-pixie-dream-girl trope, it's effects, possible connotations and the way it caters to the men around us.

- But here's the thing: it doesn't handle either of the two things I mentioned above very well. Right from the start, Bea is a hard protagonist to root for. I found her obliviousness and lack of good decision-making skills particularly grating, and I thought there was little to no nuance in it's supposed deconstruction of said trope. At times, the whole book just felt completely over the top and silly, in a way that made me cringe.

- And lastly, I really didn't appreciate the romantic “win the guy back” plot. I didn't understand what she saw in Jesse, I didn't understand what made her even want to bring Toile down ... which is probably why I spent the rest of the book going “whyyyyyy” as Bea tried to re-invent herself into the perfect girl, just to get him back.

But, of course, don't let this stop you from picking this book up >~< It's gotten loads of rave reviews + it's diverse (not a lot of problematic rep, as far as I saw), so you might enjoy it, as long as you approach it with the right sort of mindset!

Actual rating: 3.5 stars, rounded up

I wasn't entirely sure what this was about but still picked it up anyway because two of my favorite bookish people absolutely loved it (yes, they basically suckered me into this). It ended up being a pretty addictive read — I mean, it's definitely BIZARRE but I ... liked it?

- Che is adorable. He's a wonderfully normal teenager with acne problems (I mean, when do we ever see that in YA?), and I loved him all the more for it. He really struggles with his identity, in connection to his sister (who's an undiagnosed psychopath), and I loved how he had all these complex emotions and thoughts about what being human actually means.

- The “psychopath” thriller aspect was handled really well! I literally flew through the pages because I wanted to know what Rosa was going to do next. Plus, they actually discussed the diagnosis in detail, which delighted me to no end. Since I love characters who are smart and wickedly evil to boot, I liked how it explored Rosa's lack of motivations and the different ways in which she sees and interprets the world!

- Che has such interesting dynamics with Sojourner, his Christian girlfriend. Sojourner was fantastic; her religious beliefs were totally on point, and I loved how she never forced Che into anything! Also, she's African-American and she has two moms, which was just plain awesome. Totally not cool with the way she broke up with Che in the end though.

- AND THE PLOT TWIST AT THE END?? The whole conclusion was fantastic and awesome and completely blew me away. I totally didn't see it coming. BUT it was great, freakishly disturbing and absolutely brilliant. I loved it.

I really quite liked this this book — it's brilliant and unsettling, in a way that makes my skin crawl. (Which, I'm sure, was entirely the point.)

However, I did have a few issues with it. First of all, the characters (or more importantly, the relationships between the characters) — I felt as if Jack and Alex's relationship progressed too fast. Alex has a lot of baggage (re: her father, her mother & her dead sister + Comstock) and so does Jack, but the author doesn't really address these issues, aside from giving us this little tidbit:

“I hold my phone tightly, too aware that the present is all we have if I can't mention the past and she won't talk about the future.”

And while Alex does end up telling Jack parts of her story, they never really open up to one another, even towards the end of the book.

Secondly, I definitely had issues with how Branley was portrayed. Yes, Alex and Claire do stand up for Branley —

“You shouldn't be that way about her,” Alex says. “I hear what people say and I bet half of it isn't even true. And even if it is - fine. She's no different from you and me; she wants to have sex. So let her...She likes boys, and she can get them. You were hurt by that, but it wasn't Branley who hurt you. It was Adam.”

nuanced

might

The Female of the Species

a lot

Actual rating: 2.5 stars, rounded down.

I had a lot of mixed feelings about this book; some aspects of it were absolutely amazing, but it just frustrated me to no end. (Let's talk about the good bits first though, shall we?)

- It's bitingly honest and true to the teenage experience. The author doesn't spare us any of the nitty-gritty details, which I found absolutely refreshing. I've never read a book that dealt with teenage sex so openly, and still managed to portray the situation in a semi-realistic way.

- I love how it featured a lesbian (f/f) romance in such a positive light! It was so cute and heartwarming and all kinds of wonderful sighs dreamily (Emma and Savannah for the win!)

- BUT it was so slow. I found the plot awfully predictable because it only ever talked about their romantic entanglements! We're never given any context as to the emotional aftermath of their actions (concerning the sex pact), which was also quite disappointing.

- Also, I really wanted to see more of the friendship aspect of things! I found certain things problematic, like the way Zoe reacted to Layla's decisions, and I would have loved it if the book gave more thought to developing the group dynamics between the four main characters.

Radio Silence is super-duper cute. Reading this book felt like one long, extended cuddle session with the cutest little puppies ever. Which, by the way, would have been absolutely fantastic IRL if I didn't live with two asthmatic children (AKA my sisters) cries

- The beginning was a little hard to get into. I remember thinking the main character sounded horribly pretentious, but I did warm up to her as the story progressed! She really comes into her own & shatters the whole nerd-girl-“I only care about getting in Columbia” attitude by the end of the book.

- Gaaaah, can I just fangirl about how much I loved the whole Universe City concept? I thought seeing Frances and Aled collaborate in videos was super cool + it actually addressed “fandom” culture & it's effects on their work! (Also, all the social media and pop-culture references were handled in an A++ way. Props to you, Alice Oseman.)

- Frances' and Aled's friendship. Undeniably the best part of the whole book <3 just give them all the love, guys.

- It's refreshingly diverse! Frances is both mixed race AND bisexual, Aled is a demisexual and his best friend (and boyfriend), Daniel, is gay. There's a lot of healthy discussion about gender identity, coming to terms with who you are and how your actions affect your relationships with others, and I found that aspect super interesting!

- Things I thought were cliché: Aled's mom. While I disliked her, I definitely thought that she came off as a bit one-dimensional. She often struck me as one of the evil, cackling villainesses typically featured in Disney movies, which did not help me sympathize with Aled, because I found the whole thing laughable, if not utterly ridiculous.

okay, so The Fixer was just suuuper twisty and lots of fun, overall. I thought I wouldn't like it because the goodreads summary hinted at a lot of cliche tropes (boarding school filled with rich, privileged kids! love triangles!) but it's actually a pretty decent YA mystery/thriller with tons of political intrigue

some other good things:

- the main character, tess, is a total badass. she really reads and sounds like an authentic teenager (in a good way imo). yes, she makes quite a few mistakes but she always tries her best to fix them, instead of spending 18298297 hours angsting about everything

- NO LOVE TRIANGLES. I do not know who made that blurb but there was barely even a hint of romance in the book !! it's def more focused on family and friendship and just <3333 I love tess' relationship with her sister or mother, ivy, and how much she cared about her grandfather, even after he'd been sent away to an inpatient care facility. I mean, usually in YA, the mc always forgets about her family once she's hooked up with the New Guy. but nope, not here. this book is better than that.

so, to sum it up, while this wasn't exactly the kind of thing that ~changed my life~ or anything, it's a fast-paced, addictive read with a KILLER ENDING. def pick this up if you like:
a) the tv series, scandal
b) very twisty political machinations
c) books with a family/friendship focus

Chilling, heart-wrenching & absolutely beautiful. It's basically all of my favorite things — intelligent and nuanced discussion of faith and religion, self-discovery + the concept of grief & despair & the ways in which it impacts our daily lives — put together in one book. Suffice to say, I completely fell head-over-heels in love with it. Pick any one quote from this book, and it is probably somewhere on the list of tattoos I'll never get. Case in point: “all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”

Honestly, nothing I could say / write would do this book any justice at all. BUT if you need more convincing, please know that I decided to read this for three hours, instead of studying for my über important science exam tomorrow. All I can say is, I'm definitely going to be reading this again after finals is over. (Just to let the whole thing sink in, y'know ;) also YES, that is how much I adore it. Y'all know I don't do re-reads.)

what this is: a sapphic girls murder mystery with really good writing—writing that'll keep you on the edge of your seat, desperate for more

that being said, i couldn't completely get into it bc some parts were kinda cliché,,, and i realized i'm not very into /mean/ characters who have no vested interest in trying to be better

“They killed my mother. They took our magic.They tried to bury us. Now we rise.”

Actual rating: 3.5 stars, rounded down

Told in multiple perspectives, CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE follows the story of:

。Zélie, an angry maji who can bend dead souls to her will,
。Amari, a princess who wants to undo her family's terrible legacy,
。and Inan, the boy tasked to hunt them down and put an end to his sister's treason

It's a very driven, courageous, and brilliant debut—one with so many twists and turns that I almost felt dizzy reading it. Tomi Adeyemi does not shy away from the beauty and violence of her world, and it shines through every single page. Inspired by Western Africa, she paints a bewitching picture of Orïsha, bursting with old gods and wild magic.

Like Amari herself would say, this book is “mesmerizing, a wonder like no other”. Although it does occasionally suffer from insta-love and some very convoluted plotting, it's still the kind of read that will leave you aching for more even after you turn the final page.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Lesson learned, Universe: I'll stop hyping books so much in my mind, so I won't feel crushed when they turn out to be monumental disappointments ...... kind of like THE HAZEL WOOD.

“When Alice was born, her eyes were black from end to end, and the midwife didn't stay long enough to wash her.”

THE HAZEL WOOD follows the story of two teenagers, both desperately trying to fight their way into fairyland—a magical place whose inhabitants are literally the stuff of nightmares. But while the concept sounds positively chilling, Melissa Albert fails to deliver on almost all counts. This book isn't even half as creepy as it promises to be & too many of the scenes in it were stretched out for absolutely no reason. Alice and Finch just keep bickering with each other (in a misguided attempt at sexual tension??) & driving around the woods without any real gameplan. Even the gorgeous prose couldn't make up for the lackluster plot & I quickly found myself skimming through the book just so I could finish it already, damn it.

Overall, THE HAZEL WOOD just wasn't for me. If you're craving fairy tales with dark twists, I'd probably suggest Seanan McGuire's EVERY HEART A DOORWAY, or SLASHER GIRLS & MONSTER BOYS (an anthology, spearheaded by April Genevieve Tucholke) instead.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

FAR FROM THE TREE weaves together important issues like adoption, alcoholism, & teenage pregnancy with an almost heartbreaking honesty. There's romance too (from all three characters !!!!) & it's very adorable, but never the full focus of the plot. Instead, this book builds on quieter, more subdued themes, like family (obviously) & finding your way back to the people you love & learning to accept them.

“You can't just push family away. You're always going to be connected to them.”

Robin Benway is great at characterization & she manages to successfully bring all three of them to life, as well as the numerous minor characters that step in & out of the story

amazing emotional depth

“Grace didn't think she could handle seeing them, hearing them shout about the water, without thinking of what Peach might look like at that age. Just seeing a baby on TV made her change the channel. It was like her heart was being stabbed with the most immense kind of love, and regardless of its source, the pain was still too much to handle.”

Grace's kindness, her steely inner strength, & courage after giving her baby up for adoption still makes me want to cry

real

true

“You're my big sister. I don't care where you came from and I don't care what you look like. You're mine, you know? I don't have anyone else except you.”

f/f relationship

“To call Linda and Mark Mom and Dad on purpose would mean that Joaquin's heart would form into something much more fragile, something impossible to put back together if it broke, and he could not—would not—do that to himself again. He still hadn't managed to pick up all the pieces after last time, and one or two holes remained in his heart, letting the cold air in.”

also

I love how he has such a positive recovery arc in the end, especially one that makes sure to cast therapists in a positive light

deep breath

unexpected and tender, full of emotional heart

“It's always been fascinating to me how things can be simultaneously true and false, how people can be good and bad all in one, how someone can love you in a way that is beautifully selfless while serving themselves ruthlessly.”

look at that premise

It's about Monique, a biracial reporter trying to get her big break, as she unravels the secrets of an aging Hollywood star & her seven husbands. Interspersed by Monique's reflections on her own life & career, the story takes us through Evelyn Hugo's past as a Cuban actress in 1960s Los Angeles & refuses to hold anything back—not the scandals, the sex, or the bitter realities of show business.

such

one of the most heartbreaking f/f romances

”You imagine a world where the two of you can go out to dinner on a Saturday night, and no one thinks twice about it. It makes you want to cry, the simplicity of it. The smallness of it. You have worked so hard for a life so grand. And now all you want are the smallest freedoms. The daily peace of loving plainly.”

have

It's an in-depth study of one of the most morally gray women in Old Hollywood & has a lot of heart, in addition to being able to address the racist, sexist, & heteronormative boundaries of society with such frankness & sincerity.

“I should have apologized and sent roses and stood on top of the Hollywood sign and shouted, ‘I'm in love with Celia St. James!' and let them crucify me for it. That's what I should have done. And now that I don't have her, and I have more money than I could ever use in this lifetime, and my name is cemented in Hollywood history, and I know how hollow it is, I am kicking myself for every single second I chose it over loving her proudly.”

THE BEST WE COULD DO is a poignant graphic novel & memoir by Thi Bui, tracing her family's escape from war-torn Vietnam, their new life as American immigrants, & the effect of both of these experiences on her identity as a first-time mother.

The writing is beautiful & hits you right in the gut:

”Being my father's child, I, too, was a product of war. And being my mother's child, I could never measure up to her.”

gorgeous

”But maybe being their child simply means that I will always feel the weight of their past.”