Review: Four Days of You and Me by Miranda Kenneally

Title: Four Days of You and Me
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release date: May 5th 2020
Pages: 352
Genre: Young Adult contemporary
Source: Purchased
Add to Goodreads | Puchase from Bookshop

Every May 7, the students at Coffee County High School take a class trip. And every year, Lulu’s relationship with Alex Rouvelis gets a little more complicated. Freshman year, they went from sworn enemies to more than friends after a close encounter in an escape room. It’s been hard for Lulu to quit Alex ever since. Through breakups, make ups, and dating other people, each year’s class trip brings the pair back together and forces them to confront their undeniable connection. From the science museum to an amusement park, from New York City to London, Lulu learns one thing is for sure: love is the biggest trip of all.

I absolutely love Miranda Kenneally's Hundred Oaks novels; every single book in that companion series is fantastic, and I've gotten used to knowing exactly what to expect when opening a Kenneally novel. So I was excited to see what she would write next, but also a little apprehensive about how this novel wouldn't have some of the elements I've grown to love of the Hundred Oaks novels, like the setting, the sports, and the cameos of previous novels' characters. I'm not sure if it was just because my expectations were so high because of my love for this previous series, but unfortunately I did not enjoy this one as much as the Hundred Oaks series.

I liked the sound of the format of this novel in theory, but I didn't end up being the biggest fan of the execution. In theory, it sounds super cute to follow a couple on just four individual days over four years and to see them grow and change over those years. But the novel actually intersperses the chapters on those four days with chapters about the previous year, so we actually get to read about highlights from the couple's life throughout the whole four years, just with the main emphasis being on their school trips. This isn't necessarily an issue for the story, but it felt a little strange when this book is explicitly presented to just be about four days--I think I would have preferred if the previous year's events had just been included in flashbacks and things like that rather than getting their own chapters and quite this much attention, because it took away from the originality of just narrating these four days. Additionally, this is super nitpicky, but two of the school trips last more than one day, so even just the chapters about the school trips weren't only about four days. And also, more fundamentally, do any high schools really have their students go to both New York City and London for their school trips!?? 

The characters in this novel are alright. They are decent characters, but I didn't love them as much as I loved the Hundred Oaks couples. One of my favorite things about the Hundred Oaks series is reading about each main character's passion for their respective sport and learning so much about their sport and the life of someone who dedicates their childhood to something like that. Lulu is definitely also passionate--she is a very driven graphic novel writer, and she is a vegan who advocates for animal rights--but for some reason I didn't feel her passion as much as I did the Hundred Oaks characters'. Maybe this is just because I always loved learning so much about their respective sports that I usually knew nothing about, while Lulu's passions are ones I am already much more familiar with? But for some reason, I just felt like Lulu wasn't as fleshed-out and didn't have as much personality as Kenneally's previous characters. I did, however, really like the secondary characters, and it was great to see how Lulu's friendships and relationships shifted and solidified over the four years. 

Miranda Kenneally knows how to write some great romance, and the chemistry between her characters was always one of the best things about her Hundred Oaks books. But the chemistry in this one fell flat for me. Other characters in the novel make comments about how it is clear that Lulu and Alex are destined to be together, but I just couldn't see anything like that. I actually feel like we didn't get to know Alex well enough as his own person, and that we didn't get to see enough banter or flirting between Lulu and Alex to really feel their chemistry. Maybe this is just because of the format and because the novel spanned such a long time period (by YA standards) that there wasn't enough space for these every day-types of interactions, but I just felt like something was missing. Lulu and Alex were cute together, sure, but this novel didn't have me as emotionally invested in the protagonists' relationship and rooting for them to be together as much as the Hundred Oaks novels did.

I feel bad for how negative my review sounds since I love this author, and maybe I'm not being fair by comparing this book to the Hundred Oaks novels so much. If I hadn't come in with such high expectations and the hope that this would be similar to the Hundred Oaks novels, I think I would have enjoyed it more; this novel is definitely still a cute romance with a unique format. But because of my love for Kenneally's previous books, this one just wasn't up to par. But of course I'll still read whatever Kenneally writes next, and am hoping I'll connect more with her next book again.

Review: The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sánez

Title: The Inexplicable Logic of My Life
Author: Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Publisher: Clarion Books
Release date: March 7th 2017
Pages: 452
Genre: Young Adult contemporary
Source: Purchased
Add to Goodreads | Puchase from Bookshop

Sal has always been certain of his place with his adoptive gay father and their loving Mexican-American family. But now his own history unexpectedly haunts him, and life-altering events force him and his best friend, Samantha, to confront issues of faith, loss, and grief.

Suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and discovering that he no longer knows who he really is—but if Sal’s not who he thought he was, who is he?  

I really appreciated Saénz's Aristotle and Dante for all the important contributions it made to YA, even if I was a little bored by the lack of plot at times, and it seems like writing really beautiful, important novels that nonetheless drag a little bit is Saénz's thing. His writing is beautiful, straight-forward but lyrical, and the characters and relationships he explores are really powerful. But even though I understand this isn't a plot-driven novel, there were points where I had to push myself to keep reading because it just felt like nothing was happening, so I have mixed feelings about this one as well.

Like in Aristotle and Dante, Saénz beautifully explores friendship and family. I loved reading about Sal's relationship with his dad, who is literally the most perfect YA dad that has ever existed. They not only have a father-son relationship but also a great friendship, and they talk about almost everything with one another. This was especially powerful in relationship to this novel's exploration of queerness and masculinity; the set-up of having Sal figure out how to stand up for and defend his father against his peers' homophobia in a way that doesn't resort to masculinist violence is really well-done. The novel also does a fantastic job of decentering biological family relations and demonstrating the importance of non-biological kinship, both between Sal and his adoptive dad and between his dad's relationship to his friends Sam and Fito, neither of whom have supportive parents and for whom he becomes a father figure. I also loved Sal's friendship with Sam and Fito, and I was especially glad that the novel showed a heterosexual guy being platonic friends with both a heterosexual girl and a gay guy that actually stays platonic. Asides from Sal's dad's storyline, there is absolutely no romance in this novel, which was great to see because of the way it allowed us to focus on family, kinship, and friendship.

While the novel does a great job of discussing masculinity and homosexuality, its discussion of race is somewhat lacking. The premise of a white boy who was adopted by a Mexican family could have opened up a lot of important conversations, and I thought the exploration of Sal's anger at being called a gringo because it limits his ability to fully feel like a part of his family is well-done. However, the message that Sal is Mexican because his family is Mexican forecloses any meaningful conversations around whiteness. Sal being culturally Mexican does not mitigate his white privilege, which is never acknowledged. Additionally, Sal's family's race is never really addressed, i.e. we know nothing about their relationships to whiteness, indigeneity, and Afro-Latinidad. This premise could have made for some important discussions of whiteness by exploring the racial anxieties of a white character who doesn't identify with whiteness, but the implications of this are left unexplored.

***This paragraph has some spoilers (but none about the main plot).***
I wish Sam's character had had some more development over the course of the novel, and that her experience of sexual assault had been explored in more detail. Even though Sam and Sal's friendship is really beautiful, Sam can be a little irritating. She has no female friends and keeps talking about how annoying other girls are, and even though her desire for male attention is problematized throughout the novel, her disregard for other women is never discussed, and I wish we had seen some character development there. Additionally, I was really frustrated with how this novel handles sexual assault. Sam's boyfriend Eddie attempts to rape Sam at a party, and she escapes and calls Sal to come to her rescue. Later, Sal sees Sam talking to Eddie at school, and comes up to them to tell him to leave Sam alone, but Sam slaps Sal for interfering in her conversation and explains that Eddie was apologizing for "hurting" her. The message ends up being that Sal was wrong for trying to protect Sam from her attempted rapist since Eddie was apologizing, as if he obviously deserved forgiveness or as if "apologizing" for sexually assaulting someone somehow made it okay. The book also never refers to the attempted rape as attempted rape or sexual assault, but just calls it Eddie "hurting" Sam, and Sam does not at any point struggle with moving on from this experience. This might've just been because the novel is written from Sal's male perspective, but I really wish Sam's experience of sexual assault was actually addressed as such and explored as the traumatic event that it is.

Asides from these more political critiques, I just found myself a little bored at times while reading this novel. I feel a little strange calling this a character-driven and not plot-driven novel because there is actually a LOT that happens over the course of this novel, but the actual events aren't the focus; they're more so just catalysts to explore these characters and their relationships. I usually like character-driven novels, but at times this novel just dragged a little. It's 450 pages long, and even though admittedly, the chapters are really short and there's not actually as much text as you'd expect from that amount of pages, it still felt like a little much. In hindsight, I appreciate every element of the novel and wouldn't want to cut anything, but while I was reading I frequently had to push myself to keep going because it just felt slow at times.

My review is ending up sounding really negative because there were definitely some things that bothered me about this book, but I did really like it overall. It's a beautifully written story that explores family and friendship in new and important ways, and I'm really glad I read it. This might just be one of those books that you're a little bored by while reading it, but that you really appreciate once you've finished it. Regardless, if you liked Aristotle and Dante, you should definitely check this one out as well--but if Aristotle and Dante was already too slow-paced for you, this one probably isn't for you either.

Review: You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour & David Levithan

Title: You Know Me Well
Author: Nina LaCour & David Levithan
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release date: June 7th 2016
Pages: 248
Genre: Young Adult contemporary
Source: Purchased
Add to Goodreads | Puchase from Bookshop

Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed.

That is, until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way.

When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other—and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.

Told in alternating points of view by Nina LaCour and David Levithan, You Know Me Well is a story about navigating the joys and heartaches of first love, one truth at a time.

I wanted to love this book, since both of these authors are fantastic writers, and I loved the premise. And it was definitely a decent book; but I was kind of bored by parts of it, and it just wasn't anywhere near as great as either of these authors' individual books.

One thing that I did really enjoy was the depiction of Pride and of queer spaces, and the different explorations of queer intimacy. Every single character (except for the main characters' parents) in this book is queer, which was awesome. Most of this novel is set during SF Pride, and we get to see a lot of different elements of Pride, which were super fun to read about. I really appreciated the exploration of queer intimacy; while there is definitely romance and heartbreak, at the heart of the story is queer friendship/platonic queer intimacy, primarily through Kate/Katie's and Mark's friendship, but also through both of their friendships with their respective also gay best friends. Queer friendships, platonic queer intimacy, and queer mentorship and community is something we rarely get to see due to the focus on romance, so this depiction is really important.

But unfortunately, I couldn't really get into the story or connect with the characters. Mark was an endearing character, but I was honestly kind of annoyed by Kate/Katie (I was very confused by the way she insists on being called Kate, yet the book itself refers to her as Katie...) throughout the novel. Her inability to communicate was super frustrating, and her whole identity crisis about not wanting to go study art anymore just seemed really random because we never get any insight into why. It kind of felt contrived, as if we just needed some kind of conflict for her so that Mark wouldn't be the only one in need of help from a new friend.

I also found the instant friendship between Katie/Kate and Mark to be unrealistic and overly emphasized-the concept of this new friendship was cool, but did they need to start doing *everything* together--including going on Kate's dates--as soon as they met!? I understand how it's necessary for the premise, but the whole concept of them immediately becoming best friends after spending one evening together felt a little forced to me.

Both romance storylines were lacking development, in my opinion. Katie's idealization of Violet felt very manic-pixie-dream-girl-esque and overdone, and Violet never felt like a real person to me. While I appreciate the focus on Mark's and Katie's friendship, it meant that the romance was under explored and never felt real. For example, we barely get to see Katie and Violet spend any time together without Mark also coming along, so how are they suddenly in love? Similarly, Mark's evolving relationship with Ryan just didn't seem realistic.

This one definitely had potential, and I appreciate this different approach to exploring queer spaces and queer intimacy, but the story and characters just didn't work for me. But of course I'll still read anything either of these authors will come out with. 

Review: As I Descended by Robin Talley

Title: As I Descended
Author: Robin Talley
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release date: September 6th 2016
Pages: 370
Genre: Young Adult paranormal
Source: Purchased
Add to Goodreads | Puchase from Bookshop

Maria Lyon and Lily Boiten are their school’s ultimate power couple—even if no one knows it but them.

Only one thing stands between them and their perfect future: campus superstar Delilah Dufrey.

Golden child Delilah is a legend at the exclusive Acheron Academy, and the presumptive winner of the distinguished Cawdor Kingsley Prize. She runs the school, and if she chose, she could blow up Maria and Lily’s whole world with a pointed look, or a carefully placed word.

But what Delilah doesn’t know is that Lily and Maria are willing to do anything—absolutely anything—to make their dreams come true. And the first step is unseating Delilah for the Kingsley Prize. The full scholarship, awarded to Maria, will lock in her attendance at Stanford―and four more years in a shared dorm room with Lily.

Maria and Lily will stop at nothing to ensure their victory—including harnessing the dark power long rumored to be present on the former plantation that houses their school.

But when feuds turn to fatalities, and madness begins to blur the distinction between what’s real and what is imagined, the girls must decide where they draw the line.  

This was a super cool premise, but I somehow couldn't get fully into it. In theory, I loved everything about it--a creepy queer YA retelling of Macbeth? A Southern boarding school built on what used to be a slave plantation and is now haunted by the ghosts of the slaves that died there? Not one but two gay couples as the protagonists? Latinx mythology? Yes please.  But for some reason, I kept waiting for things to really take off and for all of these elements to fit together, which unfortunately never happened.

The setting of this boarding school on what used to be a plantation and the creepy atmosphere were really well-done; the one thing that I did get out of this book was some really creepy vibes. The interactions these characters have with ghosts are fascinating and engaging, and I honestly liked them better than I liked the interactions the characters had with each other. However, I wish the history of the plantation was worked into the ghost story better; I was hoping to hear the stories of some of the enslaved people who lived on this plantation, but that unfortunately was not the case, and the story of why this school is haunted fell flat for me.

The characters were okay; they're definitely interesting, but I felt like we didn't get to know them well enough outside of the paranormal activities to actually care about all that much. Especially Maria and Lily were confusing because their motivations just didn't seem realistic. What sets off the events in this book is Maria's desire to win a prize that guarantees a scholarship to any university of her choice... even though she's the daughter of a prominent senator and didn't seem to really need a scholarship to be able to go to a fancy school. Lily pushes Maria towards committing less-than-moral acts because she wants Maria to win a scholarship to Stanford, where she has already been accepted, so that they can stay together. Asides from being very confused about the timeline of these college admissions and this prize and scholarship, I just didn't buy that Maria and Lily would be be willing to cause this much harm to other people just to get Maria, who doesn't need a scholarship, a scholarship to Stanford. And since this is a Macbeth retelling, you can assume the point was to show Maria's and Lily's descent into madness because of their selfish desires, but because the evil spirits were the main focus, that element seemed kind of forced, and I was confused by the overall message.

Even though the story and setting were intriguing, I had to push myself to keep going at times because I got a little bored and I was overall underwhelmed by the story. All around, a good atmospheric, creepy read, but an underwhelming story, characters, and message. I loved Robin Talley's debut but hadn't read anything else by her, so I will have to check out her other ones to see if they're more up my alley.

Review: This Too Shall Pass by Milena Busquets

Title: This Too Shall Pass
Author: Milena Busquets
Publisher: Harvill Secker
Release date: May 12th 2016
Pages: 164
Genre: Young Adult contemporary romance
Source: Gift from publisher
Add to Goodreads | Puchase from Amazon

Blanca is forty years old and motherless. Shocked at the unexpected loss of the most important person in her life, she suddenly realizes that she has no idea what her future will look like.
To deal with her dizzying grief and confusion, Blanca turns to sex, her dearest friends, her closest family, and a change of scenery. Leaving Barcelona behind, she returns to her mother’s former home in Cadaqués on the coast, accompanied by her two sons, two ex-husbands, and two best friends, with plans to meet her married lover. Though she is haunted by both the past and the present, Blanca embarks on a new sort of journey alongside those she loves most, one of resilience and hope, teaching her to live on with the knowledge that even the most devastating pain will eventually subside.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

While definitely not my typical read or the type of book I would want to read a ton more of, This Too Shall Pass was an interesting reading experience for me. It's very literary, much more literary than I'm used to, and with that come both the things I like about literary fiction and the things that make me not want to read it all the time.

The writing is gorgeous. I don't know how much of this is Milena Busquet's writing and how much of it is excellent translation, but the words in this book are just so beautiful. It's the kind of writing that makes you stop and think after every other sentence. Saying this sounds so cliched, but I really think that this book is full of important life lessons, beautifully expressed and leaving a lasting impression.

I also loved the main character Blanca. I've read a lot of reviews complaining about how much they disliked Blanca, and I can see why - she's not the most likeable character. She's selfish, incapable of love, and makes terrible decisions most of the time. But I really liked reading about her. I related to her problems, and regardless of whether she's likeable, I think she's a very realistic character and her story is very honest.

However, as with a lot of literary fiction, it was hard for me to really get to know the secondary characters or become invested in the plot. We get short descriptions, but I don't feel like we really get to know any of the secondary characters in depth, and none of them really have their own storylines. To some extent, this could be attributed to Blanca's self-absorption and emotional distance from everyone around her. But I felt like at least Blanca's mother's character could have been explored in more depth, considering she was supposedly the most important person in Blanca's life. We read about Blanca's problems with her mother towards the end of her life, but I don't feel like we ever get to see the two of them in any kind of positive relation that would justify her being so important in Blanca's life. Because I felt like I didn't really know the characters, I felt somewhat removed from the plot for a good portion of the book.

Even though This Too Shall Pass is a very short read, it definitely packs a punch. Not necessarily the plot - not a ton of things happen, really, But the beautiful, thought-provoking writing makes it worth it. I would definitely recommend this for fans of literary fiction, or someone looking to give literary fiction a try, since this is a much quicker read than most literary novels. 

Review: You Before Anyone Else by Julie Cross & Mark Perini

Title: You Before Anyone Else
Author: Julie Cross & Mark Perini
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's
Release date: August 2nd 2016
Pages: 400
Genre: Young Adult contemporary romance
Source: NetGalley - I received a free eGalley of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!
Add to Goodreads | Puchase from Amazon

New York City model Finley is fed up with hearing the same feedback at castings: she needs to take some serious action to wipe the "good girl" stamp from her resume if she wants to launch to stardom.
Enter Eddie Wells. He's shallow, predictable…and just as lost as Finley feels. Deep down, Finley is drawn to Eddie's bravado, his intensity. Except Eddie is hiding something. A big something. And when it surfaces, both loving and leaving Finley will become so much harder.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I liked You Before Anyone Else right from the start. The writing is great; even though the book is 400 pages long, it reads super quickly because the writing flows so well and really absorbs you in the story. The characters are easy to like: they're not the most unique characters, but they are fully-developed and make it easy to care about their stories. I especially liked how You Before Anyone Else blurs the borders between YA and NA, since Finley and Eddie are living on their own and have very adult responsibilities, but the themes of the book are still definitively YA. 

One thing I didn't find all that realistic is both Finley's and Eddie's success. Eddie just randomly decided to start modeling (we never even find out how and why he made that decision), and instantly, everyone loves him, and he gets all the jobs with all the big labels. I don't know all that much about the modeling world, but that just doesn't seem realistic. Finley struggles a lot more with getting modeling jobs, but, in the sense of the story, that's because her true passion is dance, not modeling, which she used to do but gave up a while ago. And when she suddenly shows an interest in dancing again, everyone is blown away by her talent and technique and she's immediately offered a job with a professional dance company. No matter how talented she is, I doubt that would happen if she hasn't practiced in a couple of years and is barely getting back into it. I wish we had seen some more actual struggle with the two of them succeeding because I think that would have made the whole story more believable.

I really loved the romance in You Before Anyone Else. Finley and Eddie have great chemistry, and I loved the unconventional (for YA) start to their relationship. The two of them manage to fall for each other quickly without it coming off as unrealistic or insta-love-y. In addition to the chemistry that makes them fun to read about, they actually have a really healthy, mutually supportive relationship, which I think is really important to see in YA. I also appreciated, though, that the focus isn't entirely on the romance: both characters' individual stories matter just as much, and the novel revolves around Finley and Eddie trying to combine their own passions with their romance.

And then, about half way through the novel, Eddie's secret is revealed and it steers the novel in a completely new direction. I'm still not really sure how I feel about this entire storyline, and I can't really talk about it without spoiling anything. It's definitely a surprising twist and it provides for an interesting story, but I just didn't really understand Eddie's motivation in all of this; he's such a good guy, but he's just being an idiot when it comes to this, to be honest. If the secret had more to do with his "bad boy" past, it would have made more sense to me, but his past struggles aren't really explored all that much, and it was more so his current decisions that I found confusing. And Finley's reaction is strange too, and also just really goes against what I wanted for her. I just don't know what to make of this storyline at all.

The ending is a veeery happy ending, the kind that generally makes me roll my eyes at how unrealistic it is. These types of endings always annoy me because, even if the characters were concerned with real-life issues over the course of the novel, in the end things turn out perfectly like they never would in real life. Finely and Eddie don't actually have to make any difficult decisions because, by coincidence, someone shows up or something happens that ensures that everything works out just the way they wanted, without them having to give up anything. The realistic conflict of needing to decide between pursuing your dream, doing the "safe" thing, and staying with the person you love just kind of... disappears. I understand that this probably makes a lot of readers happy, but to be honest, I feel like it discredits everything the characters went through before the ending.

I'm still not really sure what to make of You Before Anyone Else. It had a ton of potential: I loved the setup, the writing, and the characters. And I did really like parts of the story, like the initial romance and both characters' individual story arches. But the plot twist halfway through kind of threw me off, and it ended up dominating most of the novel from that point on. I do recommend You Before Anyone Else because it's a quick, entertaining read; just don't expect everything to be realistic.

Review: All We Have Left by Wendy Mills

Title: All We Have Left
Author: Wendy Mills
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's
Release date: August 9th 2016
Pages: 368
Genre: Young Adult contemporary
Source: NetGalley - I received a free eGalley of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!
Add to Goodreads | Puchase from Amazon

Interweaving stories from past and present, All We Have Left follows two girls, Alia and Jesse, who discover that hatred and love have the power to reverberate into the future.
Then: Alia is a proud Muslim, even if it makes high school more difficult. Grounded for a stupid mistake, Alia decides to confront her father at his Manhattan office, putting her in danger she never expected. When the planes collide into the Twin Towers, Alia is trapped inside. There she meets a boy who risks everything for her.
Now: Jesse is haunted by the past. Ever since her brother died in the September 11th attacks, her dad's rage and grief has overshadowed their lives. When one hate-fueled decision turns Jesse's life upside down, the only way to make amends is to face the past and find out the truth of her brother's last day.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I absolutely love the set-up of All We Have Left! I know there's a lot of 9/11 books out there, but I actually don't think I'd read any YA books about 9/11 before this one, and I do think the combination of these two stories from different time periods makes this a unique read. I loved the intertwined-ness of these two stories; it made them both feel more meaningful and made the whole book more suspenseful, since you're finding out what happened to Travis and Alia along with Jesse, but through Alia's eyes, All this being said, I did have some issues with the details and execution of the novel; I thought this story had a ton of potential to be an absolutely amazing novel, but because of some issues with the character and plot development, it turned out to be a pretty good book but nothing more.

While I loved the two stories in combination, individually, I did have some issues with both stories, especially Jesse's. While some parts of Alia's story are underdeveloped, but I didn't mind too much, since most of her story takes place in the towers, the imminent danger overshadowing the exploration of anything else going on in her life. Jesse's story is more ambitious in the sense that it tries to cover a longer time period and a number of storylines of what is happening in Jesse's life. We start out reading about Jesse's romance with Nick, the "bad guy" who leads her to the "hate-fueled decision" that works as a starting point for the entire story. While I thought that Nick's racism and anti-Muslim ideas that Jesse gets sucked into due to her infatuation with Nick were a great premise, the book doesn't really have enough time to explore this in any depth: their relationship is insta-love-y and underdeveloped, making it hard to believe that Jesse would actually go along with Nick's hateful actions, and then regret them so deeply later on. Jesse's relationship with her family, especially her angry and spiteful father, is interesting too, but also isn't explored in enough depth, and I felt like their issues are resolved much too smoothly in the end. Jesse's relationship with Adam, a Muslim boy she meets at the interfaith center where she's serving her court-mandated community service, has a ton of potential, but again, it isn't explored enough and reads kind of insta-love-y. To be honest, I think there's just too much going on in Jesse's story to explore any of it in enough depth, since all of it has to share the spotlight with Alias's story in this still relatively short novel. All of the storylines had a ton of potential, but none were fully developed or let me really get to know Jesse enough for her to feel like a real person.

One thing I did really enjoy is the writing. Wendy Mills's style is immersive and addictive; even when I had issues with the plot, I didn't want to put the book down. The descriptions are realistic and vivid, making you feel like you're there along with the characters. All We Have Left is the kind of book that you just keep reading without noticing the time passing, and, to be honest, that's the only thing that matters, since that's what I really love about reading. It also conveys emotions really well, making this book a very sad but hopeful read.

I really wanted to love this book, since it has such a great set-up with so much potential. And I did really enjoy parts of it, and the writing made all of it worthwhile. But I still thought the novel had a number of flaws, and tried to cover too much ground and ended up not exploring any one thing in enough depth. I do recommend All We Have Left because it's a unique and engrossing story, but it's not the masterpiece I was hoping for.

Review: The Tragic Age by Stephen Metcalfe

Title: The Tragic Age
Author: Stephen Metcalfe
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release date: February 16th 2016
Pages: 320
Genre: Young Adult contemporary
Source:  I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!
Add to Goodreads | Puchase from Amazon

This is the story of Billy Kinsey, heir to a lottery fortune, part genius, part philosopher and social critic, full time insomniac and closeted rock drummer. Billy has decided that the best way to deal with an absurd world is to stay away from it. Do not volunteer. Do not join in. Billy will be the first to tell you it doesn't always work- not when your twin sister, Dorie, has died, not when your unhappy parents are at war with one another, not when frazzled soccer moms in two ton SUVs are more dangerous than atom bombs, and not when your guidance counselor keeps asking why you haven't applied to college.
Billy's life changes when two people enter his life. Twom Twomey is a charismatic renegade who believes that truly living means going a little outlaw. Twom and Billy become one another's mutual benefactor and friend. At the same time, Billy is reintroduced to Gretchen Quinn, an old and adored friend of Dorie's. It is Gretchen who suggests to Billy that the world can be transformed by creative acts of the soul.
With Twom, Billy visits the dark side. And with Gretchen, Billy experiences possibilities.Billy knows that one path is leading him toward disaster and the other toward happiness. The problem is-Billy doesn't trust happiness. It's the age he's at. The tragic age.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The Tragic Age was a bit of an up and down for me. I started out wary of our main character Billy; he seemed like a pretentious know-it-all. But I warmed up to him pretty quickly, and I began to enjoy his voice; he's very funny, in a snarky, pessimistic, self-deprecating way, The writing style is rather unique, interspersing the story with explanations and facts that are entertaining to read (most of the time) and adding to the quirkiness of the story's voice. Billy is very clever and entertaining, and his voice engrosses you in the story. Even when there's not much going on, Stephen Metcalfe makes it interesting to read about with Benny's individual voice.

None of the other characters are developed with as much complexity as our narrator. They're pretty stereotypical, with the oversexualized latina, the bad boy, and the nerd. Gretchen isn't as much of a stereotype, but I wouldn't say that she's fully developed, either; I felt like we never really got to know her.

And then the ending turns the book into a complete mess. I don't even know what to say about the ending other than.... wtf. I would really like to hear the author's reasoning for ending the story this way because it makes absolutely no sense to me. Billy had been warning us all along that this would end badly, but I was never expecting things to end this badly; everything escalates so quickly and just completely blows up in the main characters' faces. And when things go wrong, common sense goes out the window, even for oh-so-smart Billy, and everything just turns into a huge mess from there. All of this is made worse by how much of an unrealiable narrator Billy is. I enjoyed this at first because I would believe everything Billy said and then be surprised when he tells us he had lied, but after a while I just stopped believing what Billy was telling the reader, and in the end I just assumed Billy was making something up and got really confused when parts of it turned out to be true (and I'm still not entirely sure about this). I can't explain this any more without spoilers, but this book has one of the bizarrest, messiest, least sense-making endings I have ever read.

I know my review sounds very negative, but that's not entirely accurate; there's a lot to criticize about The Tragic Age, but there are also many parts that I really enjoyed. I really liked the every-day parts of the story, being told in Benny's fresh and funny voice, and those made The Tragic Age a worthwhile read for me. But the lack of character development in the secondary characters, and the confusing, messy ending kept me from really loving this novel.

Review: The Secrets of Lake Road by Karen Katchur

Title: The Secrets of Lake Road
Author: Karen Katchur
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Release date: August 4th 2015
Pages: 309
Genre: women's fiction/mystery
Source: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!
Add to Goodreads | Puchase from Amazon

Jo has been hiding the truth about her role in her high school boyfriend’s drowning for sixteen years. Every summer, she drops her children off with her mother at the lakeside community where she spent summers growing up, but cannot bear to stay herself; everything about the lake reminds her of the guilt she feels. For her daughter Caroline, however, the lake is a precious world apart; its familiarity and sameness comforts her every year despite the changes in her life outside its bounds. At twelve years old and caught between childhood and adolescence, she longs to win her mother’s love and doesn’t understand why Jo keeps running away.
Then seven-year-old Sara Starr goes missing from the community beach. Rescue workers fail to uncover any sign of her—but instead dredge up the bones Jo hoped would never be discovered, shattering the quiet lakeside community’s tranquility. Caroline was one of the last people to see Sara alive on the beach, and feels responsible for her disappearance. She takes it upon herself to figure out what happened to the little girl. As Caroline searches for Sara, she uncovers the secrets her mother has been hiding, unraveling the very foundation of everything she knows about herself and her family. The Secrets of Lake Road by Karen Katchur is a riveting novel that is impossible to put down and hard to forget.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I was really excited for The Secrets of Lake Road, since it combines women’s fiction with YA crossover appeal with a mystery. The book started out strong, and I enjoyed the beginning, but over the course of the story I developed more and more issues with the book, and it left me feeling very underwhelmed in the end.

What pulled me in the beginning is the writing. Karen Katchur’s style immediately immerses you in the story and makes it impossible to put the book down. The writing is evocative, creating a palpably eerie atmosphere and really making you wonder about what could have happened in this town (and specifically the lake). Some scenes have a very peaceful beachy, summery feel to them, and they’re perfectly contrasted with the darker elements of the story. Regardless of my issues with this book, you can definitely tell that Karen Katchur is a great writer. 

What first started to annoy me are the characters. Most of them are not very likeable people, which doesn’t have to be a problem, but I found myself getting really frustrated with Jo and Kevin, especially, and also kind of bored by the repetitiveness of the mistakes they make. I enjoyed Caroline’s and Patricia’s chapters the most because they’re the only two characters I could empathize with, although sometimes Caroline’s parts frustrated me as well because is not always authentic to that of a twelve-year-old girl. Patricia, I wish we had gotten to know better – her story is fascinating but isn’t actually explored all that much. I also wish we had gotten Johnny’s perspective at some point; he seems to be the only major character who doesn’t get any of their own chapters, and I’m still not sure why that’s the case. I really just didn’t connect with the characters or care about their stories enough to really stay immersed in the plot.

The ending is what frustrated me the most. I was waiting for some kind of plot twist or major revelation, but we already know pretty much everything when we get to the end. There’s no resolution or big change in the family dynamic, so the book left me wondering what the point of the whole thing was. I wanted more of a resolution to Sara’s and Patricia’s story, too; with no resolution or further exploration at the end, their story just seemed like a device to show what happened with Jo and Kevin in the past.


The Secrets of Lake Road just left me feeling very underwhelmed. The novel had a ton of potential, with evocative writing, a great sense of setting and atmosphere, and a mystery that could have been taken in many different directions. But unfortunately, the characters fell flat, and the mystery doesn’t have any surprising twists or interesting resolutions. I might pick up Karen Katchur’s next book because I did really enjoy her writing, but I’m not sure if I can recommend this one.

ReviewL The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore

Title: The Weight of Feathers
Author: Anna-Marie McLemore
Publisher: Thomas Dunne
Release date: September 15th 2015
Pages: 308
Genre: Young Adult magical realism
Source: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!
Add to Goodreads | Puchase from Amazon

The Palomas and the Corbeaus have long been rivals and enemies, locked in an escalating feud for more than a generation. Both families make their living as traveling performers in competing shows—the Palomas swimming in mermaid exhibitions, the Corbeaus, former tightrope walkers, performing in the tallest trees they can find.
Lace Paloma may be new to her family’s show, but she knows as well as anyone that the Corbeaus are pure magia negra, black magic from the devil himself. Simply touching one could mean death, and she’s been taught since birth to keep away. But when disaster strikes the small town where both families are performing, it’s a Corbeau boy, Cluck, who saves Lace’s life. And his touch immerses her in the world of the Corbeaus, where falling for him could turn his own family against him, and one misstep can be just as dangerous on the ground as it is in the trees.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I'm kind of sick of Romeo and Juliet retellings, but The Weight of Feathers is a completely new take on the story and creates its own magical world to set it in, so I was intrigued from the first page on. While I had some issues with the story, the strangeness and the magic of The Weight of Feathers is what kept me turning the pages.

The writing is what carries the story. The style is very elegant and ornate, but not in an alienating way; the voice pulls you in and lets you become immersed in the world of the novel. It makes The Weight of Feathers feel kind of like a dream - I don't quite understand it, but it's beautiful nonetheless. The whole novel is very atmospheric and just has a certain energy to it which makes it impossible not to want to figure out the intricacies of the world its set in. I loved reading about both families, their shows, and their magical traits. Even when I had issues with the story or the characters, I kind of just accepted all of them to just be part of the intrinsic weirdness of this book, so I feel like I can't even criticize it. 

The romance is okay but not great, and I kind of wish it hadn't taken over so much of the book (which I know is a strange thing to ask of a Romeo and Juliet retelling). I liked reading about Lace and Click when they first meet and everything that happens before they get together. Once they're together, though, the romance got a little too idealized for my tastes; we're told that the two of them are so perfect together and they both talk about their love for the other, but I never really felt it. It wasn't quite insta-love, but I do think they fell for each other too quickly for the romance to work for me. And the plot twist towards the end that affects their relationship kind of weirded me out, to be honest.

Not just the romance but really, the characters themselves, just aren't that strong. They have interesting backstories and live in a fascinating world, but I don't feel like I ever got to know neither Lace nor Cluck as people. I had some smaller issues with the novel, too, like the unevenness of the pacing, and the randomness of what parts of the story are based in logic and the rules of our own world and which parts are simply explained by magic. 

I'm sorry that this review is so all over the place, but I'm still not really sure what to make of The Weight of Feathers. It's just really weird, but weird in an enthralling way that makes it impossible to put the book down. I didn't like everything about it, but I just kind of accepted that even these things that bothered me were just part of the uniqueness of this book. I'm still not sure if I actually liked this book, but if you're looking for a strange and unique read, you should definitely give this one a try.

Review: Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith

Title: Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Publisher: Poppy
Release date: September 1st 2015
Pages: 246
Genre: Young Adult contemporary romance
Source: NetGalley - I received a free eGalley of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!
Add to Goodreads | Puchase from Amazon

On the night before they leave for college, Clare and Aidan have only one thing left to do: figure out whether they should stay together or break up. Over the course of twelve hours, they retrace the steps of their relationship, trying to find something in their past that might help them decide what their future should be. The night leads them to family and friends, familiar landmarks and unexpected places, hard truths and surprising revelations. But as the clock winds down and morning approaches, so does their inevitable goodbye. The question is, will it be goodbye for now or goodbye forever?

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Jennifer E. Smith's books are reliably fluffy romances - they're never too deep, and the character development and writing aren't the best, to be honest, but they're always fun, and Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between is no exception. 

I really like the premise of Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between. I love when YA books are set in that in-between-space after graduating high school and leaving for college, and the situation in this book is definitely relatable. I found myself looking back on myself right before leaving for college, and also relating Clare's transitions back to my current transition, having just graduated college and heading off to grad school in the fall (especially because me and Clare will be going to the same school!). I also love the premise of a couple deciding whether or not to stay together - in comparison to all the books with drama about a couple trying to get together that end at the "happily ever after," it's refreshing to read a book that actually explores what happens after.

I've read some reviews that were annoyed by Clare's indecisiveness and complained that she spent the whole book going back and forth between breaking up and staying together. But I didn't mind that at all because, well, wasn't that the point of the book? I understood Clare's indecisiveness; it makes sense to struggle with this when you consider that that Clare and Aidan love each other but that Clare is very practical about how hard it would be to sustain a long-distance relationship as freshmen in college. I also love how Jennifer E. Smith decided to resolve this issue; I was scared that, this being a romance(-y) novel, the ending would be cliched and overly happy, ignoring the reality of the situation and making the whole book kind of pointless. But the way she decided to end this book works perfectly; it'll satisfy readers who want a happy ending without being too dramatic or unrealistic.

To be fair, this book isn't perfect. Like I said earlier, Jennifer E. Smith's writing and characters aren't always the strongest, and I found the characters in Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between to be a little underdeveloped. It's not that any of the characters are bad, necessarily; they're just nothing special. Clare is the typical studious YA MC, and Aidan is the typical jock that turns out to be a sweetheart. The secondary characters, like their friends Scotty and Stella and their parents, are also relatively typical with no unpredictable developments. But, as usual in Jennifer E. Smith's books, I didn't really mind this, because it's a fun, fluffy read nonetheless.

If you're looking for depth, unique characters, or stunning writing, Jennifer E. Smith's books probably aren't for you. But if you're in the mood for a fun, fluffy story that you can finish in a couple of hours, Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between, just like the author's author books, is perfect for you.

Review: Instructions for the End of the World by Jamie Kain

Title: Instructions for the End of the World
Author: Jamie Kain
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release date: December 8th 2015
Pages: 224
Genre: Young Adult contemporary
Source: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!
Add to Goodreads | Puchase from Amazon

When Nicole Reed’s father forces her family to move to a remote area of the Sierra Foothills, one without any modern conveniences, her life is completely turned upside down.
It’s not that Nicole isn’t tough. She’s learned how to hunt, and she knows how to build things—she’s been preparing for the worst-case scenario for what seems like forever.
But when she and her sister, Izzy, are left alone in this remote landscape to fend for themselves, her skills are put to the ultimate test. She’s fine for a while, but then food begins to run out, the pipes begin to crack, and forest fires start to inch closer every day.
When Wolf, a handsome boy from the neighboring community, offers to help, Nicole feels conflicted. She can take care of herself. But things have begun to get desperate, and there’s something about this boy she can’t shake.
As feelings develop between these two—feelings Nicole knows her father would never allow once he returns—she must make a decision. With her family falling apart, will she choose to continue preparing for tomorrow’s disasters, or will she take a chance and start living for today?

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Let me start by saying that if you're looking for a survivalist/apocalyptic novel, you're definitely going to be disappointed by Instructions for the End of the World. I was a little confused after reading the description and wasn't sure if there actually is an impending natural disaster or if this is just about Nicole and her family, and the latter turns out to be the case, but since I like either type of story, I didn't really mind. The story in Instructions for the End of the World is really weird, and I'm still not exactly sure what to make of it - Jamie Kain's writing is strong, and I really loved the originality of the novel, but there are some elements that are not developed enough to make this novel as impactful as it could have been.

I loved Jamie Kain's writing so much that I didn't even question the plot for maybe the first half of the novel. The writing style is so immersive that I finished the book within a day. The descriptions are very vivid and convey a great sense of setting: I felt like I was really there in the woods, the abandoned house, or the spiritualist camp. This writing really carried the novel for me, made me enjoy every part of it and not really notice until after I had finished reading that some of the other elements are lacking.

Even though elements of the characterization are flawed, all of the characters are intriguing to say the least. The story is told by Nicole, Izzy, Wolf, and Laurel, and all of them have very unconventional stories that are fascinating to read about. They're not really likeable (other than maybe Wolf), but I didn't mind because that didn't seem to be the point, and they all grow a lot over the course of the novel. Nicole is the obedient daughter who has always gone along with her father's obsession with survival, which makes for a very different main character; she might not be someone I can relate to, but she was fascinating to read about. Izzy is even more frustrating at the beginning of the novel: while of course her anger at the situation is understandable, her refusal to cooperate or help out Nicole makes her come across as a spoiled brat. But I actually really loved her storyline: the traumatic event that happens to her later on is handled with grace and made me really feel for her. I also loved how Izzy's and Nicole's developed over the course of the story. I just wish that we had gotten to know their parents more; both of them are fascinating people, and we do learn some of their secrets in their absence, but I wish that whole part of the novel had been elaborated on more. Then there's Wolf, who, albeit also living in very unconventional circumstances, is a bit easier to relate to. I really liked his story and the stories of the other people living on the reservoir. The fourth character whose POV we get to read from is Laurel, and I'm still confused about what readers were supposed to take from her story. I found the chapters from her perspective fascinating and really liked her character, but then she just kind of disappeared from the story. There are no chapters from her perspective in the second half of the novel and she just disappears to the peripheries of Wolf's story. I'm not really sure why Kain decided to do that; I wanted more development of Laurel's story because the way it is, I feel like it didn't really add anything to the novel.

The ending felt very underwhelming for me. I wasn't expecting a happy ending or anything, but I was expecting... something. The book just kind of ends with most things going back to the way they were before, with some minor changes, but that made it hard for me to see where the story was going. I especially wanted more of a resolution regarding Izzy and Nicole's parents, wanted a scene where the two of them could confront their mother, or something. The way it is, I couldn't really tell where the author wanted to take the story.

In a word, this book was different, in ways both good and bad. I really loved the writing, the unique setting, and the intriguing characters, but I wanted a lot more from some elements of the story. So if you're looking for a different type of YA novel to read, maybe give Instructions for the End of the World a try, just don't expect an entirely coherent story arc or anything like that. I do want to check out Jamie Kain's debut novel or whatever she publishes next, though, because I loved her writing style so much. 

Review: Don't Ever Change by M. Beth Bloom

Title: Don't Ever Change
Author: M. Beth Bloom
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release date: July 7th 2015
Pages: 368
Genre: Young Adult contemporary
Source: I received a free advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!
Add to Goodreads | Puchase from Amazon

Eva has always wanted to write a modern classic—one that actually appeals to her generation. The only problem is that she’s starting to realize she can’t “write what she knows” because she hasn’t really lived. So the summer before heading off to college, Eva is determined to live a life worth writing about.

But soon Eva’s story starts to go in unexpected directions, like growing apart from her best friends, working at a job she is completely unqualified for, and even falling for the last person she would have ever imagined. Like anyone, though, it will be up to Eva to figure out how she wants this particular chapter in her story to end.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I hadn't heard much about Don't Ever Change before picking it up, and it sounds more like quiet, character-driven novel than a big frontlist title, so I didn't go in with any set expectations. And even though there were lots of things about this book I didn't like or that were just kind of weird, I actually really enjoyed reading Don't Ever Change! Not all that much happens and I can't really put my finger on what it is that I liked about it, but this novel was a very character-driven, enjoyable read.

I was looking at other reviews of this book just now, and, as I was expecting, there are a lot of negative reviews talking about how they didn't like Eva, the main character. And I can see where they're coming from because in the beginning, I didn't like Eva either. She is very uptight, judgmental, and pretentious, and she has no tact or empathy for other people. The way she treats her friends and doesn't seem to care much about anyone else annoyed me to no end. Eva would not be someone I would like to be friends with in real life.

And yet, I still really enjoyed reading about her and reading from her perspective. The writing is kind of stream-of-consciousness-esque, so we get Eva's unfiltered thoughts most of the time. Even when she's being kind of a terrible person, her witty, sometimes judgmental thoughts are very entertaining to read; I don't even know what it is about her, but I just wanted to keep reading from her perspective. And of course, Eva does not stay this way for the entirety of the novel: people continue to call Eva on her hypocritical, judgmental behavior, and she grows up a lot over the course of the novel. She still sticks to her beliefs - she's a vegan and a feminist - but she learns how to voice her beliefs without being quite so pretentious about it. Eva is a definite break from the usual contemporary YA heroines, which made for a refreshing and immersing read.

I'm not really sure what to make of the secondary characters. They are nowhere near as fully developed as Eva, and I wish I had gotten to know Eva's parents and best friends Michelle and Stephanie a little better, as well as the love interests, which I'll get into later. But in a way, it makes sense that their characters wouldn't be explored as much - with the stream-of-consciousness writing style and Eva's self-absorption, it wouldn't have fit for Bloom to include lengthy explorations of secondary characters. While their personalities are never spelled out for us, the interactions Eva has with the secondary characters are very telling. I especially liked the dynamics between Eva and her older sister Chloe. None of the secondary characters really have their own fully-developed stories, but they do contribute to Eva's stories in significant ways.

I also wasn't really sure how to take the romance. There are two principal love interests, Elliott and Foster. Things with Elliott start off kind of strangely: Eva meets a drunken Elliott at a party, and I didn't think it was gonna go anywhere, but the two of them end up talking for most of the summer, even though Elliott is off touring with his band. Eva is very straightforward about what she wants, and she's not whiny or overly emotional like many YA characters: it's clear that things with Elliott are never going to be all that serious, and that's what both of them want, which is refreshing to read about. Then there's Foster, who is the good guy counterpart to bad boy Elliott. Foster, I wasn't really sure how to feel about - he doesn't seem to have much of a personality, to be honest. He doesn't even seem to like Eva for the majority of the book, and even though I liked Eva's straightforwardness with Elliott, it gets a little weird when she does it to Foster, who doesn't seem to want to do anything with Eva. I wasn't really sure what to make of their relationship, so I thought it was especially weird when it became such an important part of the story later on; I kind of wish we could have just seen Eva grow on her own, rather than focusing so much on the romance towards the end.

I'm still not sure how to gather my thoughts about Don't Ever Change, and whether or not to recommend it. Parts of the novel are very unconventional for contemporary YA, which a lot of readers didn't like but I think can be a nice change of pace. Some elements are definitely weird, but I really enjoyed reading Don't Ever Change. If you're looking for a fast-paced plot or unambiguous messages, this book probably isn't for you, but if you think you could like a character-driven novel that doesn't stick to all the YA conventions, give Don't Ever Change a try!