Tag: young adult romance

ARC Book Review: Brielle and Bear (Once Upon a Time Vol. 1) by Salomey Doku

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA Magical Realism Romance
Length: 178 pages
Author: Salomey Doku
Publisher: Harper Fire
Release Date: April 22nd, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A stunningly illustrated and brilliantly told love story perfect for teen readers – the first in an exquisite full-colour graphic novel series

(This ebook is optimised for Kindle tablets and the Kindle App. It is not suitable for e-Ink kindle devices, such as the PaperWhite. We recommend you download a sample to your device before purchase if in doubt.)

Fairytale Rule No. 1: All the best fairytales start with ‘Once upon a time . . .’

First-year student Brielle, a daydreamy book lover, knows everything there is to know about fairytales. Returning to the city of Rosebridge four years after moving away, she attends Once Upon a Time University, with the intention of living her fairytale dream. And when she meets Bear, shy vice-captain of the Princes rugby team, at the bookshop where she works, Brielle’s dream is off to a good start.

Determined to forget the past, and with an unexpected new relationship blossoming, Brielle feels she’s finally living the dream. That is, until she discovers that she’s not the only one hiding something .

Thank you Get Underlined for the gifted ARC.

SO STINKIN’ CUTE.

I did not have plans to read this 5 months before release but when I picked it up, I inhaled it (my ARC copy had black/white print but the final will have full color). I can’t wait to see the full color version because I loved the artwork and set-up for this story.

It’s light-hearted and made me smile multiple times. I loved the cute flirtations and deep talks. You can see the essence of Beauty and the Beast without being a copycat. I loved the introductions to all of the characters that I hope to see in future volumes. This is an easy read and an utter delight. I can’t wait for more!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Graphic Novel
  • Language: none
  • Romance: flirting
  • Content Warnings: mentions of bullying (MMC has dyslexia)

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Book Review: With a Little Luck (Fortuna Beach #2) by Marissa Meyer

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: YA Romance + Magical Realism
Length: 368 pages
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: February 13th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

After being magically gifted with incredible luck, a boy discovers this gift just may be a curse when it comes to love, in this YA novel by #1 New York Times -bestselling author Marissa Meyer.

Jude is determined to fly under the radar. He just wants to draw his comics, host regular D&D night with his friends, work at his parents’ vinyl record store, and escape high school as unscathed as possible. That is, until the night he comes across a mysterious twenty-sided dice and finds himself inexplicably gifted with a bout of supernatural good luck.

Suddenly, everything Jude has ever wanted is within reach. His first art submission is accepted to his favorite fanzine. He helps his friend’s song become a finalist in a songwriting competition. And he’s the 100th caller to a local radio contest, winning him a pair of coveted concert tickets, which he uses to ask out the popular girl he’s been crushing on since elementary school. For a few blissful weeks, he feels invincible.

But when he loses the magic dice at a local music festival, his luck takes a turn for the worse. He struggles to reclaim his good fortune while fighting off long-buried feelings for his best friend―who is definitely not the girl he’s supposed to be in love with. Can Jude risk stepping into the spotlight long enough to win the true girl of his dreams? Or is he doomed to be unlucky in love forever?

IT WAS ALRIGHT.

Friends to lovers is a hit or miss trope for me. And this was my least favorite way of handling the situation. Jude spent most of the book focused on another girl and dating her, etc. rather than his long time best friend where there’s clearly something there.

I adored Jude’s family and all of his sisters. Even more so that there were active parents here. The clueless/no consequence parent trope feels kind of old to me and I appreciate seeing parents who participate in their children’s lives. The setting is great, I loved all of the music content. There’s also a bunch of D&D matters too. I liked it, but the tangents into “fantasy stories” that Jude had created as dungeon master took me out of the book and didn’t add to the plot.

The magical realism aspects were good, subtle and worked well within the story. I liked the overall themes and it’s a good read for a younger audience.

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult contemporary romance + magical realism
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses

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Book Review: We Will Be Heroes (The Vigil & Ante Files #2) by Megan McCullough

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Sci-Fi Romance
Length: 312 pages
Author: Megan McCullough
Publisher: Whimsical Publishing
Release Date: July 23rd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Make a movie. Fool the public. Save the world.

After VIGIL & ANTE Studios’ latest publicity stunt, Agent Rosemary Collins and former supervillain Ironfall must maintain their cover by starring in a film of their own. This calls for a precarious truce, one rife with suspicion. But with ANTE remnants still at large, the pair must set aside their feelings, join forces again, and hunt the enemy down.

Following their only lead, Rosemary and Ironfall barely escape ANTE’s latest secret weapon: a brutal villain with a tranquillizing touch. The VIGIL team now has more questions than answers, sending them on a twisted ride of challenged loyalties and revenge. Rosemary and Ironfall must figure out who is a hero, who is a villain, and whether or not they can trust each other before this new threat destroys everything they care about.

ANTE was always prepared to lose. Now they’re about to rise again.

Thank you to Whimsical Publishing for the gifted audiobook.

GOOD CONCLUSION.

I enjoyed this follow up a lot! It’s a charming read and the whole concept and plot is fun and perfectly young adult. This is a great duology for younger audiences.

The side plot romance was charming and I loved the banter and connection Rosemary and Ironfall created. Learning to trust, making hard decisions and saving the world. It’s fast paced and is an easy book to read in an afternoon.

I look forward to more books by this author! Definitely a charming writer.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Sci-Fi Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: mild

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Book Review: The Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: YA Paranormal Romance
Length: 366 pages
Author: Rachel Moore
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: September 5th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Radcliffe Prep. The third most haunted school in the country, where a student disappearance isn’t uncommon and no one dares stay in the library after dark. And Este Logano enrolls with the hopes of finding her dead father.

Not literally, of course. She doesn’t believe in ghosts. Going to her dad’s school just seems like her best hope at figuring out who he was.

But then Este meets Mateo, who is maybe—probably—definitely—a real ghost. And an annoying one at that.

When Mateo frames Este for the theft of a rare book from the library’s secret spire and then vanishes, Este will have to track him down or risk being expelled and leaving Radcliffe early just like her father did.

Except following her father’s footsteps might be more dangerous than Este ever anticipated. As she investigates the library with its secret passageways, hidden tunnels, and haunted halls, she learns that the student disappearances aren’t just myth. And if she isn’t careful, she’ll be next.

UNBALANCED.

I couldn’t decide where this book was trying to go or trying to be. It young adult, and written in a younger YA style, yet the language and make-out content would be considered somewhere in the older side of the spectrum. This constantly pulled me out of the book because I could never find the right vibe.

Mostly I thought the idea was intriguing. A haunted school, and a mysterious book, etc. I never felt like all of the pieces clicked together though. It was gratefully a quick audio listen and I never hit a hate reading status, just a this isn’t working mode.

Can’t even tell you if this is one to give a try regardless of my rating. If you’re looking for a paranormal (not fantasy) young adult read, hey, maybe this one?

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Paranormal
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: some clothes removed make out
  • Violence: moderate-high

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