Tag: simon teen

Book Review: Catching Feelings (Varsity #2) by Emily Charlotte

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Sports Romance
Length: 304 pages
Author: Emily Charlotte
Publisher: Simon Teen
Release Date: September 1st, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The first rule for a drama-free senior year? Don’t fall for the mysterious new football transfer. A swoony young adult romance full of undeniable chemistry and school spirit perfect for fans of Lynn Painter and Friday Night Lights, from the author of Heart Check.

When Sabrina and Tyler meet by accident outside (okay, inside) the football locker rooms, it’s not a big deal. After a rocky summer, Sabrina is focused on leading the Spirit Committee to its best year ever, while Tyler is eager to leave behind the mess from his old school with a second chance playing football as a transfer. Neither is looking for romance.

But as the team’s newest (and most eligible) varsity athlete, Tyler is suddenly the center of attention. And Sabrina is busy dodging Ryan, her longtime flirtationship who is determined to take her to the homecoming dance. Ryan is exactly the kind of chaos Sabrina doesn’t need, so she asks Tyler to go as friends instead. Eager to fend off other unwanted advances, Tyler is happy to accept.

Of course, this was before Sabrina realized Tyler is Ryan’s cousin. But as long as they’re just friends, everything should be fine. Tyler is less willing to ignore the connection he feels toward Sabrina, but he’s also desperate to keep his past buried. When the chemistry between them becomes impossible to deny, can their carefully laid plans survive the fallout, or will secrets and social pressure threaten everything they’ve built?

Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook.

THIS WAS CUTE.

A quick little romance read I flew through the other day. I love reading sports books based on the season and football season is heeeere.

I loved the emphasis on acts of service. Tyler was so sweet in the way he tried to show Sabrina he cared. It was sincere and I adored it. They had a lot of good moments together. There was plenty of football content that capture the essence of those Friday night football games.

Both of these characters had some things to work through. It felt relatable to the age group and I liked how both learned that they needed to accept help and trust others with the truth. The nostalgic quality of high school and the insecurities that come along with it are absolutely relatable.

I wasn’t a big fan of the multiple moments of underage drinking. It’s not in your face, but present enough that I wish it would have been more cut from the plot. Otherwise I do think this fits into the young adult category well. I’d lean towards the upper age pocket though.

Overall audience notes:

  • Upper YA Sports Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: heated make-outs
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: divorced parents (recounted, infidelity involved)

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: The Fast Track by Angelica Cheng

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Sports Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Angelica Cheng
Publisher: Simon Teen
Release Date: August 4th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

An ambitious racer who dreams of becoming the first female F1 champion finds her plans going off track when she catches feelings for her biggest competition in this dishy, delicious contemporary romance for fans of love, Lynn Painter, and Lewis Hamilton.

Justine Kwong has always dreamed of becoming a Formula 1 champion. There’s just one problem: no female driver has ever done it before. So when she’s offered a coveted chance to race in Formula 3, she leaps at the opportunity. Sure, half the fans think she’s just there to fill a diversity quota, and her teammate—the infuriatingly cute Cameron Evans—mistakes her for an intern, but Justine knows her talent will leave them all in the dust.

But driving well isn’t the only prerequisite to getting noticed, and Justine’s forced to fend for herself in a sea of prejudice, paparazzi, and petty backstabbing. There’s a lot riding on her ability to navigate the complicated trackside hierarchy—like the open F2 seat that could be her ticket to the big leagues.

Except…when Justine and Cameron’s bickering gives way to unexpected chemistry, the boy she’s falling for may be the one person standing in the way of her dreams—because while they may be teammates, they are also each other’s biggest competitor. And with her only shot at glory on the line, this race could break more than just hearts.

Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook and Simon Teen for the gifted book.

A GOOD YA.

Y’all know I love when a young adult novel is actually meant for young adults. And this one was! It’s also the first F1 romance I’ve read that I have genuinely liked so good things all around. It’s a fast paced and short novel that you could read in an afternoon kind of thing.

Justine can be a bit frustrating but in that I’m an adult with a fully formed front cortex reading vs. actually bothersome. I liked her overall character arc and the way she worked through issues and moved forward when life threw her backwards. Combining that with a sweet rivals to lovers-esque romance and it made for a wonderful read. I really liked Justine and Cameron together and the push and pull as they figured out how to communicate with each other.

🎧: Great audiobook! I loved the narrator and can’t recommend this format enough.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Sports Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

ARC/ALC Book Review: Armor for Liars by S.E. Grove

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: YA Historical Fantasy
Length: 432 pages
Author: S.E. Grove
Publisher: Simon Teen
Release Date: July 21st, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A brilliant girl risking it all to infiltrate a secret society of enchanters gets unexpected help from one of their victims—now a vengeful spirit—in this historical dark academia novel by New York Times bestselling author S. E. Grove.

In a world where magic is drawn from the realm of the dead, enchanters—always men—go to great lengths to steal it. Voyaging to the spirit realm, an enchanter will claim a dead woman’s spirit as his own and make her a servant, a tool for his own magical ends. Enchanters maintain great secrecy around their practices, so only a wealthy elite have access to this members of a secret society shrouded within Commonwealth University, the nation’s premiere institution for the study of enchantment.

When Sam—the son of islander immigrants of modest means—dared to use magic to blend into the blueblood world of Commonwealth, it cost him his life. Now a spirit, he’s determined to avenge his murder and uncover the secrets of the Cisneros Society from beyond the grave.

When Sam encounters Clementine Quinn, a young woman disguised as a male student at Commonwealth, he quickly sees that Clem is putting herself in grave danger at the school. But as he tries to warn her of the peril, it becomes clear that his past and her fate are inextricably entwined. To avenge his murder and prevent hers, they’ll need to help one another and thereby prove, ultimately, that friendship and love can transcend everything, even death.

Thank you to Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook and Simon Teen for the gifted ARC.

NOT FOR ME.

I kept trying to get into this and nothing ever GRABBED me.

I think the point of view was an intriguing idea but kind of lost me in connecting with the other characters. Maybe the beginning was a bit more confusing than I’m remembering? It was more clear as things went on what the situation was so that at least made for an easier read.

The mystery worked for me on some levels though I think if the pacing/page count was tightened up a bit things would have moved better. There’s a lot of meandering and trying to combine Sam’s story with Clementine took a long time. Then to add a “romance” in the epilogue? Not quite what I was expecting. And I’m still not sure how that works.

There’s some dark academia, secret societies, and a historical fantasy vibe. Things that usually work for me but might work for you with this book. I also did like the characters. They weren’t part of the issues I was having with the overall plot.

🎧: I do think the audiobook narrator was great. If you’re going to try this book out, that can be option for format! I liked the narrator.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Historical Fantasy
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: racism, sexism, loss of a parent

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

ARC Book Review: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before the Graphic Novel by Jenny Han

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance Graphic Novel
Length: 168 pages
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon Teen
Release Date: May 5th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is now a major motion picture on Netflix and the inspiration for the spin-off series XO, Kitty—now streaming on Netflix!

In this sparkling graphic novel adaptation of the Time Best YA Book of All Time selection and New York Times bestselling first book in the beloved series, Lara Jean’s love life gets complicated.

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them…all at once?

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed and, suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

Experience Lara Jean’s story all over again in an all-new graphic novel format!

Thank you Simon Teen for the gifted eARC.

A GOOD ADAPTATION.

I have read and enjoyed the original trilogy, I have watched and enjoyed the movies, and now to see a graphic novel adaptation is wonderful! I really love graphic novels and I thought that overall, this held the core of the story + movie.

The art was beautiful and I LOVED the colors. I feel like the softness of the art lined up with the characters and story line. It’s easy to read and does follow the storyline well while hitting the necessary plot points. I do think some of the flow was missing though. I’d turn a page and there would be a new scene and that often felt a bit disconnected.

Still a fun read and mix to my usual hefty fantasies. I look forward to seeing book two and three in this style as well. PETER K FOREVERRRRRR.

Overall audience notes:

  • Upper YA Contemporary Romance Graphic Novel
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: kisses; low innuendo
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: loss of a parent [recounted]

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph