Tag: young adult contemporary

Book Review: Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Contemporary + Romance
Length: 350 pages
Author: Yamile Saied Méndez
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Release Date: September 15th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

An #ownvoices contemporary YA set in Argentina, about a rising soccer star who must put everything on the line—even her blooming love story—to follow her dreams.

In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life.

At home, she is a careful daughter, living within her mother’s narrow expectations, in her rising-soccer-star brother’s shadow, and under the abusive rule of her short-tempered father.

On the field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, Camila gets the chance to see just how far those talents can take her. In her wildest dreams, she’d get an athletic scholarship to a North American university.

But the path ahead isn’t easy. Her parents don’t know about her passion. They wouldn’t allow a girl to play fútbol—and she needs their permission to go any farther. And the boy she once loved is back in town. Since he left, Diego has become an international star, playing in Italy for the renowned team Juventus. Camila doesn’t have time to be distracted by her feelings for him. Things aren’t the same as when he left: she has her own passions and ambitions now, and La Furia cannot be denied. As her life becomes more complicated, Camila is forced to face her secrets and make her way in a world with no place for the dreams and ambition of a girl like her. 

AMAZING.

Wow did this book hit me. It was amazing. I love a great sports book and this ranks up there.

Furia covered so many topics. Camila is immersed in a world where she isn’t as valued as she should be. Wanting to play soccer, fall in love, and escape from her situation. She was incredibly strong and I love her passionate nature. Camila had resiliency that brought me to tears and I felt like this book taught me a lot too.

Getting into a deep dive of Argentina and the way that soccer is tied to many lives and the issues that continually plague the country was intense. Reading about missing and murdered girls and domestic abuse were tough subjects to cross but I love how Méndez approached it all. And I love how Camila and her mother were able to lean on each other. When Camila brought up breaking the [domestic abuse] cycle it was powerful.

The little romance was so sweet. A bit of second chance + childhood friends. I wish the ending didn’t feel so rushed with the romance and everything else that had happened. I wanted a little more epilogue-ish rundown of how Camila’s family was doing, etc. I do love that Camila’s love of soccer and wanting to continue to play was clearly the forfront of the story. Besides the hurried ending I did love where Camila ended up.

A book that will easily resonate with many. I can’t recommend this enough. The audio was great too if you’re interested in reading it in that format!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary + Romance
  • Language: some
  • Romance: kisses/make-outs
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: domestic abuse (physical, verbal & emotional), teen pregnancy, mentions of kidnappings and murder of young girls

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ARC Book Review: When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Contemporary + Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Emma Lord
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: January 4th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Nothing will get in the way of Millie Price’s dream to become a Broadway star. Not her lovable but super-introverted dad, who after raising Millie alone, doesn’t want to watch her leave home to pursue her dream. Not her pesky and ongoing drama club rival, Oliver, who is the very definition of Simmering Romantic Tension. And not the “Millie Moods,” the feelings of intense emotion that threaten to overwhelm, always at maddeningly inconvenient times. Millie needs an ally. And when a left-open browser brings Millie to her dad’s embarrassingly moody LiveJournal from 2003, Millie knows just what to do. She’s going to find her mom.

There’s Steph, a still-aspiring stage actress and receptionist at a talent agency. There’s Farrah, ethereal dance teacher who clearly doesn’t have the two left feet Millie has. And Beth, the chipper and sweet stage enthusiast with an equally exuberant fifteen-year-old daughter (A possible sister?! This is getting out of hand). But how can you find a new part of your life and expect it to fit into your old one, without leaving any marks? And why is it that when you go looking for the past, it somehow keeps bringing you back to what you’ve had all along?

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an eARC.

ABSOLUTELY LOVED.

New favorite of Emma Lord’s books!!!

I in no way, connect with Millie and her expressive, extrovert self. But wow did I enjoy the ride. This was everything I could’ve hoped for when I got this book and refreshed my love of young adult contemporaries.

Millie is a force to be reckoned with. I love her wild sense of self and how slowly over the chapters, layers were peeled back and I was able to see the true heart of what Millie was trying to prove and accomplish. She’s a teen searching for more, trying to forge a path for her future, while not wanting to lose the connections she already has.

I adore a great Dad/daughter dynamic and this had it. Along with a wonderful Aunt/Niece relationship too. Even her best friend, Teddy was a dream. All of these characters were well conceived and I felt like I knew and wanted to cheer for them alongside Millie.

The ROMANCE. It’s one of the many plots here and it was perfect. A dash of enemies to lovers that moved at a beautiful pace. I was full on grinning whenever the kiss scenes finally arrived and looooove Oliver and Millie so much. Shipping them was the easiest move.

Millie finding her Mom tore at many heart strings. I was tearing up at some deep, needed conversations between Millie and her Dad, and then Millie when she met her Mom. There was plenty to unpack and I was completely enthralled by how everything was going to work out.

Enter a little epilogue that gave closure to many avenues. Absolutely precious and what was needed. Wow do I love Emma Lord’s books. I can’t wait to see what she writes next. I love the combination of coming of age, first love, and finding your truth.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary + Romance
  • Language: little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: parental abandonment

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Book Review: All I Want for Christmas by Wendy Loggia

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Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 240 pages
Author: Wendy Loggia
Publisher: Underlined
Release Date: November 3rd, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

This sweet and magical romance about a girl who has just one wish–someone to kiss under the mistletoe–is the perfect holiday escape!

Bailey Briggs is counting down the days to Christmas: she lives for holiday music, baking cookies, going on snowy sleigh rides, and wearing her light-up reindeer ears to work at Winslow’s bookstore. But all she really wants this year is the one thing she doesn’t have: someone special to kiss under the mistletoe. And she’s 100 percent certain that that someone isn’t Jacob Marley–athlete, player, and of questionable taste in girlfriends–and that Charlie, the mysterious stranger with the British accent, is the romantic lead of her dreams. Is she right? This will be a December to remember, filled with real-life Christmas magic . . . and, if she stays on Santa’s nice list, a wish that just might come true. 

DEFINITELY CHRISTMASY.

Welllllll. I’ll give it points for bringing out every Christmas vibe possible. It did have me wishing I could whip out a sweater in the 100 degree heat outside my window.

This turned out to be a love triangle and we allllll know I tend to not love them. This was another case of that fact. Bailey came off as really whiny most of the time and was focused a lot on looks rather than character/personality of the two boys. Quickly it became clear who was going to choose and when that reveal came out I found myself not too keen on it all. Magical realism thrown into a story to finish it off, isn’t a great finisher in my mind.

Super cheesy and I do think younger audiences would enjoy all of the holiday atmosphere. It’s overall sweet and charming. I loved all of the activities that Bailey got to go do and I just wish the love triangle was taken out of it.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: minor car accident

Book Review: Glimpsed by G.F. Miller

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Young adult contemporary romance
Length: 374 pages
Author: G.F. Miller
Publisher: Simon Schuster
Release Date: January 5th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Perfect for fans of Geekerella and Jenn Bennett, this charming, sparkly rom-com follows a wish-granting teen forced to question if she’s really doing good—and if she has the power to make her own dreams come true.

Charity is a fairy godmother. She doesn’t wear a poofy dress or go around waving a wand, but she does make sure the deepest desires of the student population at Jack London High School come true. And she knows what they want even better than they do because she can glimpse their perfect futures.

But when Charity fulfills a glimpse that gets Vibha crowned homecoming queen, it ends in disaster. Suddenly, every wish Charity has ever granted is called into question. Has she really been helping people? Where do these glimpses come from, anyway? What if she’s not getting the whole picture?

Making this existential crisis way worse is Noah—the adorkable and (in Charity’s opinion) diabolical ex of one of her past clients—who blames her for sabotaging his prom plans and claims her interventions are doing more harm than good. He demands that she stop granting wishes and help him get his girl back. At first, Charity has no choice but to play along. But soon, Noah becomes an unexpected ally in getting to the bottom of the glimpses. Before long, Charity dares to call him her friend…and even starts to wish he were something more. But can the fairy godmother ever get the happily ever after?

NERDY AND ADORABLE.

This was such a cute YA read. On the lighter side with a fun twist on the classic fairy godmother play. I really enjoyed this one and yay for Bookstagram putting it on my radar!

One of the little things I loved was how often Charity changed the color of her hair and how I desperately wish I could do the same. I love how quick she was to help others and was truly a nice person. Her flaws were there, but so was her growth and acknowledgement that maybe things could go a different way.

Charity’s relationship with Noah was ADORABLE. Totes adorbs. A bit of enemies to lovers, lots of Star Trek discussions and more. They had instant chemistry and I thought the banter was fantastic. Noah was incredibly sweet and I really fell in love with these two.

I didn’t find the conflicts and teenage drama frustrating. It worked well into the story and I had a hard time putting this down. A great read, loved it.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary romance
  • Language: little
  • Romance: kisses

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