Tag: young adult fiction

ARC Book Review: All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Contemporary + Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: March 1st, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sabaa Tahir comes a brilliant, unforgettable, and heart-wrenching contemporary YA novel about family and forgiveness, love and loss, in a sweeping story that crosses generations and continents.

Lahore, Pakistan. Then.
Misbah is a dreamer and storyteller, newly married to Toufiq in an arranged match. After their young life is shaken by tragedy, they come to the United States and open the Cloud’s Rest Inn Motel, hoping for a new start.

Juniper, California. Now.
Salahudin and Noor are more than best friends; they are family. Growing up as outcasts in the small desert town of Juniper, California, they understand each other the way no one else does. Until The Fight, which destroys their bond with the swift fury of a star exploding.

Now, Sal scrambles to run the family motel as his mother Misbah’s health fails and his grieving father loses himself to alcoholism. Noor, meanwhile, walks a harrowing tightrope: working at her wrathful uncle’s liquor store while hiding the fact that she’s applying to college so she can escape him—and Juniper—forever.

When Sal’s attempts to save the motel spiral out of control, he and Noor must ask themselves what friendship is worth—and what it takes to defeat the monsters in their pasts and the ones in their midst.

From one of today’s most cherished and bestselling young adult authors comes a breathtaking novel of young love, old regrets, and forgiveness—one that’s both tragic and poignant in its tender ferocity.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC.

MUST READ.

I’ve sat here in a struggle to put words together enough to explain how I think this should be a required reading type of book. Filled with some things I understand, but many more I never will. This is one of those stories that we need to hear, need to acknowledge and need to learn from.

The nuanced level at which the title, All My Rage, played out on page was impeccable. I saw the rage, I felt the rage. A complex emotion that stems from many different avenues was written out again and again in raw and deep ways. This isn’t a light-hearted read by any means. Yet with the discussion of religion and love for those around us and far from us, hope still stands like a pillar in dark times.

It was visceral and full of broken-hearted people trying to rise from the ashes. I loved the main characters, Noor, Salahudin, and Misbah. Each told their own story as they wove around each other. The strength of this story is immense. The writing was captivating and the pacing made the pages fly by. I loved the ending and these characters are going to stay with me for a long time.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary + Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: drug and alcohol addiction, mentions of repressed sexual assault, physical domestic abuse, Islamophobia, racism, death, tense exchanges with law enforcement

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Book Review: Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆ 
Audience: YA Contemporary + Romance
Length: 328 pages
Author: Ben Philippe
Publisher: Balzer + Bay
Release Date: October 13th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Henri “Halti” Haltiwanger can charm just about anyone. He is a star debater and popular student at the prestigious FATE academy, the dutiful first-generation Haitian son, and the trusted dog walker for his wealthy New York City neighbors. But his easy smiles mask a burning ambition to attend his dream college, Columbia University.

There is only one person who seems immune to Henri’s charms: his “intense” classmate and neighbor Corinne Troy. When she uncovers Henri’s less-than-honest dog-walking scheme, she blackmails him into helping her change her image at school. Henri agrees, seeing a potential upside for himself.

Soon what started as a mutual hustle turns into something more surprising than either of them ever bargained for. . . .

This is a sharply funny and insightful novel about the countless hustles we have to keep from doing the hardest thing: being ourselves.

ADORE.

This was so CUTE. I read this via book and audio version and both were great ways to take it all in.

I found myself laughing and smiling so much throughout. These characters were just lovable and felt realistically high school without the eye roll level drama. I felt the plight of trying to get into the college of your dreams and figuring out what the next step is after getting that diploma. I love that this wasn’t only a romance and added in elements of family, friendship, and more. Exploring the pressure of many topics in a light and sincere way.

BUT, the romance was too precious which is always a win. Henri and Cori were a MATCH. They hit it off beautifully and they clearly had chemistry. I liked the way they supported one another and were able to enjoy each other’s company.

The writing had great flow and storytelling. I loved the main characters, but the side characters/family members shown in their own way too. For a shorter read I thought everyone was incredibly devloped and made this book lovable.

Did I mention there’s also a lot of dogs? BECAUSE THEY’RE ALL ADORABLE. I don’t know how they didn’t steal the show (okay, maybe they did a little?).

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult contemporary + romance
  • Language: some storng
  • Romance: kisses/make-outs; brief innuendo

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Book Review: Amelia Unabridged by Ashley Schumacher

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Contemporary + Romance
Length: 304 pages
Author: Ashley Schumacher
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: February 16th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Sparks fly between two teens as they grapple with grief, love, and the future.

Eighteen-year-old Amelia Griffin is obsessed with the famous Orman Chronicles, written by the young and reclusive prodigy N. E. Endsley. They’re the books that brought her and her best friend Jenna together after Amelia’s father left and her family imploded. So when Amelia and Jenna get the opportunity to attend a book festival with Endsley in attendance, Amelia is ecstatic. It’s the perfect way to start off their last summer before college.

In a heartbeat, everything goes horribly wrong. When Jenna gets a chance to meet the author and Amelia doesn’t, the two have a blowout fight like they’ve never experienced. And before Amelia has a chance to mend things, Jenna is killed in a freak car accident. Grief-stricken, and without her best friend to guide her, Amelia questions everything she had planned for the future.

When a mysterious, rare edition of the Orman Chronicles arrives, Amelia is convinced that it somehow came from Jenna. Tracking the book to an obscure but enchanting bookstore in Michigan, Amelia is shocked to find herself face-to-face with the enigmatic and handsome N. E. Endsley himself, the reason for Amelia’s and Jenna’s fight and perhaps the clue to what Jenna wanted to tell her all along.

THIS WAS BEAUTIFUL.

I’m talkin’ made me tear up multiple times. Wanting to hug this book and give every ounce of love to these characters. Intensely poignant, yet hopeful and kind. Wow this is a read that I will be recommending to everyone!

The writing is what made me really love it. It was enchanting. Somehow taking the worst parts of someone’s life and combining them with the hopeful new beginnings of young love and starting over. The discussion of the healing powers of books/reading made me remember all too well how true that statement is for me.

I loved seeing Amelia grow through her trials and finding her footing in a new [to her] world. There’s many explorations of grief, loss, depression and more. I appreciated how these topics were discussed and how I was still able to love these characters and the story and not feel dragged down by the weight. Sometimes these types of reads can be too much for me, but this hit perfectly in many aspects.

This whole cast was top notch. Every character brought something to the story. Every character helped Amelia learn more about herself and her place in life. The romance was insta, but he way Schumacher portrayed it was everything I needed to enjoy such a quick intimate relationship. It was two people brought together through grief and the bond between them was tightly woven.

Read this book. I loved it all.

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult contemporary + romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: depictions of grief and depression after loss, losing a best friend, losing siblings, parental neglect, anxiety and panic attacks, drowning, car accident

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Book Review: A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Contemporary Fiction + Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Laura Taylor Namey
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Release Date: November 10th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

For Lila Reyes, a summer in England was never part of the plan. The plan was 1) take over her abuela’s role as head baker at their panadería, 2) move in with her best friend after graduation, and 3) live happily ever after with her boyfriend. But then the Trifecta happened, and everything—including Lila herself—fell apart.

Worried about Lila’s mental health, her parents make a new plan for her: Spend three months with family friends in Winchester, England, to relax and reset. But with the lack of sun, a grumpy inn cook, and a small town lacking Miami flavor (both in food and otherwise), what would be a dream trip for some feels more like a nightmare to Lila…until she meets Orion Maxwell.

A teashop clerk with troubles of his own, Orion is determined to help Lila out of her funk, and appoints himself as her personal tour guide. From Winchester’s drama-filled music scene to the sweeping English countryside, it isn’t long before Lila is not only charmed by Orion, but England itself. Soon a new future is beginning to form in Lila’s mind—one that would mean leaving everything she ever planned behind.

SMITTEN.

Absolutely loved this. What a gem. And to think I chose it at random because it was available on my library app and was less than 10 hours of a read (I listened on audio).

I connected with Lila on so many levels. Struggling with grief and loss. How she’s an avid baker. Loves to run (and also uses it as a coping mechanism). Many things just resonated with me.

Throw in a cute British boy and I became hooked. What I love about the evolution of their relationship was that it truly started out as a friendship. There wasn’t a dive into the romance. It was slow and progressive. It had room to breath as we found more about Orion’s history and Lila coping with hers. I found it beautiful and even more romantic for the way they came together.

Not to mention, all of the new friendships Lila made. This side cast solidified my love too. The way everyone took in Lila, as she was, and allowed her to be with them as she was ready. And all of the baking!! My mouth was watering every few pages. I desperately need to find some good Cuban food now.

This was a magnetic young adult contemporary. Highly recommend. A new favorite.

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult contemporary + romance
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a loved one(s), depictions of grief and depression

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