Do you like hiking? Because I do! I went hiking a few weekends ago up on a nearby mountain (it was a glorious escape from the blazing heat) and brought a hammock and book with me for some relaxing mountain reading time. Sugar Town Queens was the book I brought along, hence the photo above of me and Sugar Town Queens chilling in a hammock. Anyway, I'm here today with my review of the aforementioned book by Malla Nunn! Honestly, I don't have anything else to say (I've already used up all my words on school assignments today), so let's just dive into it! Special thanks to Penguin Teen for providing me with an eARC of Sugar Town Queens in exchange for an honest review! Synopsis and Book Information
My ReviewI didn't really know what to expect going into this book, but it turned out to be a pretty good read. The plot was compelling and I didn't want to put it down! The pacing was a little odd at times and the characters were pretty undeveloped, but overall it was enjoyable and had a nice mystery element. I loved the main character, Amandla. She was brave and strong, and she didn't let other people push her around. She was protective of the people she loved, especially her mother, and was willing to fight to discover the truth about her family. Her character arc was wonderful; you could really feel her coming into her true self. Her mom, Annalisa, was an interesting character too. Her presence was important, but she was more of a catalyst in the plot. I didn't feel much of an emotional connection to her until the end when we learned more about her past. Amandla's friends, Lil Bit and Goodness, felt a bit one-dimensional; however, I liked how they were always there to support Amandla. I'm still interested in learning more about Lil Bit, and I think another book starring her would be great! I feel like there's a lot more to her story. The romance was a minor plot point, but it was cute! I do question how old the romantic interest was supposed to be, though; the book made it seem like he was around 18 or 19 (he was seemingly done with school and working), but Amandla just turned 15 at the beginning of the book, so that would be a pretty wide age gap. In order to keep this review spoiler-free I won't mention any other characters specifically by name, but let's just say that one of them annoyed me throughout the entire book, I wanted to banish two others to the depths of Mordor, and the others were just bland. Overall, I wasn't very impressed with the characters in this book. I did enjoy the mystery in this book! The mystery vibes were subtle, but they added a lot. However, I would categorize this as more of a coming-of-age contemporary than a mystery. This book was very heartwarming, too, and I liked the focus on friends and family. The descriptions were also really vivid and made me feel like I was with the characters in Sugar Town! Thanks for reading my review of Sugar Town Queens by Malla Nunn! I gave this book Three Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️. Have you read this book? What did you think of it?
I hope y'all are having a great week!
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Happy weekend, bookworms! Have y'all been up to anything exciting lately? The most exciting thing that's happened to me recently was watching the Loki season finale, and I am not okay, I repeat I am not okay. That ending was just cruel...but season two! Just have to, you know, wait a year or two for it. *starts sobbing* Anyway...today I have for you my review of Curses by Lish McBride! I'm super excited to be sharing this review with y'all because I absolutely adored this book. Also, please note the fladgers (flying badgers, obviously) which I've lovingly edited into the photo above. I'm very excited about them, and I hope they bring you the same joy they bring me. Special thanks to Penguin Teen for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! Synopsis and Book Information
My ReviewOh my gosh this book was fantastic. I was expecting something a bit more dark, but I really loved the humorous, romantic vibes of this book. There were so many unique elements, too: flying badgers (or fladgers, because of course), a support group for people who've been cursed (honestly, brilliant), and a giant cat-like creature named Hob (aka my new favorite character ever). Plus so much more. The complexity of this world was fantastic! The writing style and characters were delightful. I absolutely adored Merit and Tevin; their characters just popped right off the page and came to life so vibrantly in my mind. Merit in particular was fierce and determined, courageous and plucky, and I was inspired by how she never gave up trying to get rid her curse. As for Tevin, I'm pretty sure I fell in love with him from the first page: he's so charming and handsome, and he turned out to have a winning personality, too! The slow burn romance was glorious perfection and I was there for every second of it. It inched along beautifully and I really wanted to shake them and scream at them to admit their feelings PLEASE FINALLY. The side characters were all wonderful too, and I was invested in all of them; I can tell the author put lots of effort into crafting their unique personalities. Ellery, Val, and Amaury were so spirited, amusing, and fun to read about. This book also had some great nonbinary and lesbian rep--it's great to see some LGBTQ+ representation in a retelling! Overall, I loved how, while this was most certainly a Beauty and the Beast retelling, it had so many creative twists. I did feel like some parts were a little slow (and this book is 288 pages, but it felt more like 400?? Is this just me or is the page count wrong? Seriously I'm confused), but that's honestly my only complaint. This is hands-down the best Beauty and the Beast retelling I've ever read! I can't wait for the world to be dazzled with its brilliance. That's a wrap on my review of Curses by Lish McBride! I gave this book Four Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. This book releases in three days (THREE DAYS!) so make sure to grab a copy the moment it hits the shelves! And if you read this book, tell me--I want to nerd out about it with you, and maybe we can start a Hob fan club...
Thanks for reading, y'all! I'll see you around. Isn't summer just made for relaxing inside in the cool AC, curled up with a good book, all the free time in the world just gravitating around you? Well...maybe, but apparently not for me. Yours truly, in a moment of regrettable academic aspiration, signed up for summer courses to get some extra credits out of the way. Genius in theory, right? In reality, I've been plopped in front of my computer trying to make sense of sociological imagination and the scientific method and a whole bunch of other stuff that's turning my brain to mind mush and sucking away my reading timing. Me of Two Months Ago, why did you ever think summer courses were a good idea?? Anyway, that's my explanation for why I've been very inactive in the book community lately. Sorry, everyone--blame school, not me! However, I'm finally stopping by again with my review of When All the Girls Are Sleeping by Emily Arsenault! This book releases tomorrow, so I'm wishing it an early happy book birthday. Now let's get into this review! Huge thank you to the author, Emily Arsenault, for providing me with an eARC and finished copy in exchange for an honest review! Synopsis and Book Information
My ReviewI honestly wasn't too sure what to expect going into this book, but I ended up absolutely loving it! It's one of the best mysteries I've read in a while, and the paranormal aspect of it added to the mysterious vibes. It was packed full of detective investigating, interviews, written excerpts, and all the wholesome detective-y stuff I love in a mystery novel. Also: boarding school! It's a boarding school mystery, and y'all know how obsessed I am with those. Haley was an interesting main character. Despite this being primarily a mystery novel, we got tons of character development and history about her throughout the book. She herself was a bit of a mystery from the start, so I enjoyed learning more about her along with the larger mystery. Plus there was also tons to learn about her dead ex-best friend, Taylor. Even though Taylor was technically dead for the entire book, she felt very alive to me since I got to read about Haley's memories of her. I also found all the side characters captivating to read about because they were so packed full of character. The author did a great job of giving all the characters unique and vibrant personalities, not just the main characters. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but I didn't have too many issues remembering who was who. The mystery itself couldn't have been better. It kept me guessing through the entire book, and I was totally shocked by the answer at the end. Never saw it coming! But I actually loved the answer, too; it was perfect and fit so well with this book. My only complaint is that some scenes did feel a bit drawn out and dull. Some of the research Haley did in the school archives, while important to the investigation, was just a little boring to read about. However, most of it was very compelling and I didn't want to put the book down! Overall, I really loved When All the Girls Are Sleeping and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, especially to mystery fans! I gave it 4.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨.
What are some of your favorite boarding school mysteries? Let me know in the comments! Happy weekend, y'all! I hope you're soaking up these glorious weekend vibes just the same as I am. It's actually been a bit rainy where I am these past couple days, and everyone knows that rainy weather is made for reading. I'm hoping it'll start pouring today so I can snuggle up with some tea and a good book. Fingers crossed! On this day, Saturday the 3rd, I hereby present to you my review of The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass! I'm so sad because I really wanted to like this book, but I just didn't. There was a lot of stuff that didn't sit well with me. There's nothing quite like the despair of a book not living up to your expectations 😭. Anyway, read on, I'll hash it all out in my review! Thank you to Penguin Teen for providing me with an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review! Synopsis and Book Information
My ReviewI really wanted to like The Taking of Jake Livingston, but it just wasn't for me. I do think it's awesome that it's a horror novel featuring a queer, black protagonist. It has a ton of great representation. Unfortunately, horror novels just aren't my cup of tea, and there were some really disturbing scenes that bothered me. Overall, it was very dark, and I wish I'd been aware of the heavy content present in this book before requesting an ARC of it. There is a lot of potentially triggering stuff in there, so please check out the content warnings before picking up this book! I was also quite confused about a lot of what happened and why things were happening; I would have loved to know why, exactly, Jake can see ghosts, or what even is the ectomist? I felt like many elements of this book were half-baked, just there without any explanation as to why, seemingly just to heighten the creepy vibes. I'm also not sold on including Sawyer's diary entries, told in his own POV, being a good choice; they were deeply disturbing and made me very uncomfortable, and they also had the potential to make readers sympathetic toward him--which, I know he went through a lot of terrible stuff, but he also did many truly horrific things, and the author left me in a place where I was unsure of whether to sympathize with him as a victim or despise him as a villain. I honestly felt like Sawyer was a more dimensional character than Jake, though, which was rather disappointing. Jake honestly didn't have much character at all; he was mainly described as being black, queer, and capable of seeing ghosts, with no other characteristics really being described. His relationship with his family was also rather strange, and there was an awkward explanation for his family's tension tossed in at the end, which just felt forced and sudden. Additionally, the romance felt oddly paced and pretty unnecessary to the plot. So overall, I feel a bit let down by The Taking of Jake Livingston. I'd been really hoping to love it, but there were a lot of elements that I just didn't enjoy or found very uncomfortable or disturbing to read about. However, I do think it's exciting that there's a horror novel with such diverse representation out in the world, and I hope other people will enjoy this book more than I did! That's all for my review of The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass! As I unfortunately did not like this book, I only gave it 1 Star ⭐️. I hope that, if you decide to read this book, you'll enjoy it more than I did...although, once again, please check out the content warnings before reading!
Do you like horror novels? What are some of your favorites? Let me know in the comments! Have a fabulous day, y'all! See you around! Picture this: I'm having a relaxing night at home, just finished watching an episode of Shadow and Bone, and I'm deciding what to do before bed. Even though I'm already currently reading two books, I somehow wind up scrolling through my unread ARCs downloaded on my Kindle. My eyes land on Both Sides Now; it calls to me with its enchanting bookish force, saying Read me, Rose!! And who am I to deny the book's request? I open it up and start reading. Fast forward three hours and there I am, curled up in bed reading the last page of this book even though I should've been asleep an hour ago. I literally could not put this book down. You know those books that have some mystic magnetic force that keeps your eyes glued to the page, unable to be drawn away? The ones that you simply cannot stop reading even though you know you were supposed to be asleep an hour (or two) ago and have to be up early for an exam or coffee date but who cares because I need to keep reading?? Yeah, Both Sides Now is one of those books. Be warned: if you pick up this book, you will not put it down until you've reached the last page. Honestly, it should come with a disclaimer that says that. Anyhow, today I present my review of this charming, unputdownable book! Special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Now let's dive in! Synopsis/Book Information
My ReviewThis book was an absolute delight to read! There were so many great elements to it that combined to make one inspiring, unputdownable story. The writing style and characters really pulled me into this book and I adored every page of it. This book discussed some deeply important issues like transphobia, homophobia, and racism in a way that was both touching and intimate while still providing learning moments for readers unfamiliar with these issues. There is really so much you can learn from this book; there were many eye-opening moments that will certainly help educate readers on many various issues. Both Sides Now is also a brilliant coming-of-age story with lots of self-growth and a healthy dose of teenage angst. I love this book so much, and I can't wait for it to be released into the world for everyone to read. One thing central to this book was debate--Finch is part of the debate team at his school and this story focuses on his nationals debate tournament. For some reason, even though I myself have never been part of a debate team before and don't really even like casual debating with friends or family, debate in books always calls to me. Why? Who knows, really. Perhaps it's because they tend to center around important topics, like this book did with trans rights. But whatever it is, I really enjoy reading about characters participating in debate and speech competitions. The high stakes and and competitiveness ran throughout this book and made it so compelling to read: I needed to know what happened...which resulted in me reading waaaay late into the night. Finch himself was such a great main character. He had all the stuff you want from a protagonist: solid character arc, good self-growth, some flaws and mistakes made to make him seem nice and realistic, and a charmingly perfect personality to top it all off. He had a rough time throughout the book, what with questioning his sexual orientation, dealing with heated parental conflicts, worrying about not getting into his dream university, and being trans and not feeling very supported by his family. I wanted to give the poor guy a hug so many times! I loved watching him learn and evolve throughout this book. He was truly inspirational, and I felt so proud of him by the end of the book. Seeing him stand up for his beliefs and opinions was really touching and heartwarming. The other characters in this book were wonderful, too. Jonah in particular was honestly just the best. I can't even express how much I'd love to have him as my friend. He was just so sweet and I loved how passionate he was about conserving the environment, with his reusable water bottles and timed showers. I also liked Lucy for the most part (although she did annoy me occasionally), and it was nice to read about a character who's vegan, which I feel like we don't often see in YA literature. Unfortunately the romance was the one element of this book that I wasn't a fan of. It just felt weird. It seemed like everyone around Finch was screaming, YOU LIKE THIS PERSON!! ADMIT IT!! and when he did finally admit it, it was more because other people thought he should feel that way? Not because he actually discovered it for himself? I don't know, I had just been expecting it to go a different way, and when it didn't it was a bit disorienting for me. It was cute in the end, but I didn't enjoy the romantic discovery/growth process as much as I would've liked. The end of this book especially hit me so hard. Literally, that last debate scene nearly brought me to tears. It was just so touching and inspiring and the emotions were off the charts. A masterpiece of a scene, there. So good. You'll know it when you read it. Well, that's a wrap on my review of Both Sides Now by Peyton Thomas! I gave this book Four Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I hope you'll pick it up when it releases on August 24! Personally, I highly recommend binge-reading it in one night. You won't regret it (even if you do wake up bleary-eyed and sleep-deprived the next morning).
Have a fabulous day, and I'll see y'all later! Happy Friday, bookworms! I hope you're all having a great week and are ready for the weekend. This week was my last before my summer classes start, so I've been soaking up my last bits of free time for all they're worth: reading, listening to SOUR on repeat, bingeing The Great British Baking Show...you get the idea. I'm hopeful that my summer classes won't busy up by schedule too much; I still need time for some relaxing summer reading!! Okay, so today I have for you my review of They'll Never Catch Us by Jessica Goodman. Huge thank-you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! Synopsis/Book Information
My ReviewHaving enjoyed They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman, I expected to like They'll Never Catch Us just as much, if not even more. Unfortunately, my hopeful expectations were let down. My main problem was that it didn't feel like a murder mystery to me. For one thing, the murder didn't happen until nearly 50% of the way through the book, which left me just waiting for it to happen for about 100-and-some pages. I was also disappointed that we didn't get to read about any of the murder investigations aside from when Stella or Ellie was being interviewed. I wish that Stella or Ellie had done a bit more investigating on their own, but they both seemed too focused on their cross-country training to bother digging further into the murder case. I was pleased by the conclusion to the mystery; at first, I thought the murderer was going to be the person I'd suspected since the beginning of the book, but then I ended up being shocked by a last-minute twist. One thing that bothered me throughout this book was how similar the voices of Stella and Ellie's POVs were. Their characters were supposed to be starkly different, yet their narrations sounded exactly the same. It was hard for me to keep track of whose POV I was reading from since they sounded so similar, which detracted from my enjoyment of the book. Overall, I felt like this book focused more on the cross-country elements of the story than the mystery ones which was a bit disappointing to me. I went into this hoping for an engrossing murder mystery and unfortunately it didn't deliver. Paired with the confusion of the POVs, this book just wasn't it for me. I gave it 2.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️✨. That's a wrap on my review of They'll Never Catch Us by Jessica Goodman! Thanks for reading. Even though I wasn't a fan of this book, I hope you'll enjoy it if you decide to pick it up when it hits the shelves July 27!
Hey, bookworms! *waves enthusiastically* On this lovely Monday morning, I do declare that it is review time! I'm so excited about the book I'm reviewing for you today (maybe a bit too excited, tbh): Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon! I don't mean to skyrocket anyone's expectations for this book, but I personally think that this is Nicola Yoon's best book yet. Yes, better than The Sun is Also a Star; better than Everything, Everything. You didn't think it could ever actually happen, but it did. This book is tangible proof. Before starting in on this review, let's just take a moment to gaze in wonder and awe at the masterpiece which is the cover of Instructions for Dancing. Ahhhh it's so amazing I can't stop staring at it and I really think I'm going to have to buy myself a physical copy of this book when it releases to display proudly and beautifully on my shelves. Okay, has everyone fully soaked in the complete and utter glory of this cover? Great. Now let's get into the review! Special thanks to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis/Book Information
My ReviewThis book was absolutely spectacular! I devoured it in under 48 hours because I simply could not put it down. Every time I picked it up, it would suck me in and then spit me back out an hour and a half later. I love Nicola Yoon's writing style; it's so beautiful and heartfelt, lyrical with the occasional adorably witty line. Honestly, the emotions this book evoked in me, too. I very rarely cry while reading, but multiple scenes in Instructions for Dancing had me sniffling and teary-eyed. This book also rendered my heart feeling vaguely broken by the end. I'm still a bit distraught over one element of the story. I generally liked Evie Thomas as a protagonist. There were some times when I felt mildly annoyed with her, but overall I enjoyed living in her head for 304 pages. Sometimes she came off as a little too stubborn in regard to her "love never lasts" belief, but I do understand why she had that opinion. It was interesting to watch her stance on love evolve over the course of the book. This evolution had an impact on every aspect of her life, so we also got to see her relationships with family and friends change, which I found both heartwarming and inspiring. Okay, let's talk about X. X. Ugh, I love him so much. This probably should have been prefaced with a book boyfriend alert!!! because I am absolutely head-over-heels for him. I mean, he's insanely attractive and has an amazing personality, plus he plays the guitar and dances. How can you possibly get any better than that?! His character was deep and genuine, and I adored how adorably quirky he was sometimes, especially with his "always say yes" philosophy. I'm pretty sure he was called or described as sexy 20+ times throughout the book, which, I mean, there are synonyms for "sexy," but it also was an accurate way of describing him and it added a bit of humor, too. Evie and X's relationship was so cute. I loved how they weren't afraid to be truthful and brought out the best in each other. Their dates were fun and creative, and I also liked how X got along so well with Evie's friends--it always makes me happy when the protagonist's friends get along with their romantic interest. It was also enjoyable to watch Evie's relationship with her family change throughout the book; I especially liked seeing her grow closer to her sister. I appreciated how Evie's family was authentically complicated in a way that didn't feel forced. It was enlightening to see Evie come to better understand her parents, their reasoning, and their love. I really liked how, despite the this book's romantic elements, it was truly a journey of growth and development for Evie herself. She had a beautiful character arc and gained many valuable insights throughout this book. Never once did she fail to feel like a genuine, real person, which really enhanced my reading experience. This book was absolutely stunning and I cannot recommend it enough! Fans of Nicola Yoon will not be disappointed by this one. Thanks for reading my review of Instruction for Dancing by Nicola Yoon! I hope you'll grab yourself a copy of this book when it releases June 1--you won't regret it! This was definitely one of my favorite reads of this month, and I gave it 4.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨.
Have you read Instructions for Dancing? And if not, are you planning on reading it? Let me know below in the comments! Have a fabulous start to the week, y'all! Howdy, readers! How are you doing on this charming Thursday? I hope you're all doing fabulously. My day has been lovely--I mean, it involved a trip to the library, so how could it be anything but that? I've also been reading like crazy on my brand-new birthday Kindle Paperwhite! I started my ARC of Instructions for Dancing last night and am already 56% of the way through it; I'm loving it so much, the writing and the characters and the plot and the everything. I'm so excited to finish it and start writing up my review. I know there'll be a lot of gushing and screeching about my favorite parts, so prepare yourselves. I apologize for how review-centric my posts have been lately. I'm pretty sure it's been almost a solid month since I've posted anything but a review, and that's only counting my April Wrap Up from last month. I'll try to remedy that soon enough (what kinds of other posts besides reviews would y'all like to see from me?? Let me know), but for know I'm here with...another book review! I know, what a surprise. But I'm so excited to tell you about The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons. This book was adorable and heartwarming, and I hope you'll pick it up when it hits the shelves on June 1. Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! Now let's dive into this review... Synopsis/Book Information
My ReviewThis book was really enjoyable to read! It was a quick read that immediately sucked me in, and I couldn't put it down till I'd finished it. The main character, Spencer, was my favorite part of this book; he was such a delight to read about, heartfelt and humorous and sweet. He had a great character arc and lots of growth. I admired his persistence and determination to do what he loved: play soccer. He was also an amazing older brother to his younger brother Theo, and I applauded his bravery in standing up for his beliefs and opinions. He's a character who's impossible to not love and cheer for all the way. I also loved how inspiring and uplifting this book was. While discussing important topics, especially in regard to discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals, this book held a positive tone and placed an emphasis on trans joy rather than suffering. This made for a heartwarming, encouraging read. The author also did a wonderful job of bringing current issues into focus and explaining the problems with them in ways that will help all readers become more understanding and open-minded. The romance in this book was quite adorable. I really enjoyed reading about Spencer and Justice's interactions and was rooting for their romance the whole time. It was also wonderful to watch Spencer make new friends who accepted him exactly how he is. I especially loved his friendship with Riley; they both helped each other become more comfortable and accepting of themselves and were supportive friends all the way. I don't want to say that the ending was too easy, necessarily, because Spencer did risk a lot in the end. But it did go quite a bit smoother than I expected. However, it was a very happy and heartwarming ending, and for that I liked it. Thanks for reading my review of The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons! I enjoyed this book so much and would definitely recommend it to fans of Kacen Callender or Robbie Couch. I gave The Passing Playbook Four Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
Happy Monday, y'all! How's your day going? Mine's been just lovely, seeing as how it's been school-free (yay, summer break!) and has also involved me playing Olivia Rodrigo's new release 'good 4 u' over and over and over again so as to fully allow it to seep into every crevice of my brain. I also started watching The Great British Baking Show last week and I am so obsessed; it's a strange mixture of therapeutic and with a dash of stressful (like omg don't do that to your bread that's such a bad idea!!!) and I'm here for every second of it. Today I'm here with my review of We Are Inevitable by Gayle Forman. I'd like to thank Penguin Teen and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! Now let's get talking about this book! Synopsis/Book Information
My ReviewI started this book with hopeful expectations (I mean, it centers around a bookstore), but unfortunately I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I would've liked to. Don't get me wrong: the bookstore element of this book was fabulous. But...that was kind of the only thing I enjoyed about it. All of the characters (aside from the carpenters, especially Ike, and maybe Chad?) annoyed me a lot; I can't say I liked any of them very much. They all seemed very wrapped up in themselves and couldn't see things from anyone else's perspective. If there had been a bit of empathy thrown around, that would've been nice, but nope. Aaron in particular aggravated me with how judgmental and prejudiced he was of most people. Like, buddy, there's such a thing as second chances. People change. Don't immediately discount them because you think they're trying to screw you over even though they're actually doing nice things for you!
I did really enjoy reading about the bookstore renovation. Ike and his band of carpenters were really amusing characters, and I thought it was so sweet that they wanted to help fix up the bookstore. Ike in particular was actually quite the complex character; it was interesting to learn more about him throughout the book. His funny little sayings were hilarious and definitely one of the best parts of the book. I also liked Chad's character for the most part. I felt like he had some nice character development and was a generally nice guy. He was so invested in the bookstore, and I really liked what happened with him and the bookstore in the end. I honestly felt like Aaron wasn't anywhere near a good enough friend for him; Chad kept trying to do good things for him, and Aaron didn't seem to appreciate it much. Also, whatever the romance was in this book...I didn't like it. I mean, Aaron was so fixated on the fact that he and Hannah were inevitable, and after hearing about their inevitability one too many times I was completely over it. The first time, it seemed rather iconic; the fifth time and counting just my brain feel like melting out. Their romance was just a bit too dramatic for my liking. Too much angst and turmoil and whiny longing. Not my cup of tea. Overall, I think it's a shame that it took 250ish pages for Aaron to be insightful and realize that he's the one messing up his own life and hurting the people around him. It seemed pretty glaringly obvious to me from the start, but alas. I sadly wasn't a fan of this book and gave it Two Stars ⭐️⭐️. Have you read We Are Inevitable? And if so, what did you think of it? Let me know in the comments! Happy Tuesday, bookworms! How's the beginning of the week going for everyone? My week has been off to a great start: I finished my last assignment of the school semester (yay!) and went to Barnes & Noble for the first time in over a year. It was so nice to actually browse through a bookstore again, and I got three books that I can't wait to dive into: Kate in Waiting, A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, and Heartstopper Volume 3. Today, I have for you my ARC review of From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn! This book actually releases today, so make sure to grab yourself a copy. Special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review! Synopsis/Book Information
My ReviewFrom Little Tokyo, With Love is one of those books that has so much good stuff packed into it. Humor, important messages, adorable romance, diverse characters, some unexplainable force that makes you feel all warm and tingly inside. People, this book has it all, and I am here to tell you all about it in rambling text for the next several hundred words. One thing that stood out to me the most about this book was the main character, Rika. She's a really complex character who struggles with anger issues and often feels inadequate. She's often discriminated against because she's biracial and doesn't feel like she truly belongs anywhere, causing her to feel resentful and fueling her temper. It was really interesting to read about a character with anger issues because that's not something you see frequently in YA literature. I liked how Rika eventually came to see her temper in a more positive light, realizing that her anger often lashed out at people who were trying to harm the family and friends she cared deeply about, showing her strong love and devotion to those close to her. I also appreciated how there was an emphasis on Rika needing to believe that she deserved her own happy ending instead of continuing to think she wasn't good enough for one. She had a beautiful character arc as she came to see her own good qualities and realize that she was worthy of love. Prime character development! Honestly, all of the characters in this book were so well written. All of the characters, even side characters, were complex and unique and seemed like genuinely real people. Rika's cousins, Belle and Rory, were especially interesting characters who had their own personalities, flaws, insecurities, and opinions. I enjoyed watching Rika's relationship with the evolve throughout the book. I was also really interested in Rika's friend, Eliza, and would have liked to read more about her (may I suggest a book starring Eliza in the future??). I also would have liked to see more of Rika's aunts, Aunt Suzy and Auntie Och. They weren't in a whole lot of the book and I would've enjoyed seeing a bit more character development from them. I absolutely adored Henry, who at first glance seemed to be a stereotypical cute actor guy but actually had some unique, heartwarming qualities. He was swoon-worthy and charming, and I totally fell in love with his character. After initially being introduced to his perfect actor persona, it was interesting getting to know the hidden personal side of him. I felt like the depictions of his anxiety were very realistic, and I appreciated the anxiety representation in this book. One thing I loved about this book was how, despite it being somewhat of a love story, it had such a strong emphasis on self-growth and learning to love oneself. The messages about belonging and self-acceptance were touching and beautiful. One thing I wasn't a huge fan of was Grace Kimura. Like, I know she was the catalyst for everything that happened in this book, but I just didn't like her character very much. Her character seemed a bit underdeveloped and bland, and I just couldn't get very passionate about wanting Rika to find her. I also felt like Grace she wasn't trying hard enough to be a part of Rika's life. Things seemed to get resolved too easily between her and Rika in the end, and I just wasn't very invested in her. While the romance was pretty insta-love, it didn't really bother me for some reason, maybe because it wasn't the main focus. Rika and Henry were adorable together, and I loved how they saw the good in each other. They were so honest and supportive of one another, which was heartwarming to read about. Overall, very cute and swoon-worthy! That's all for my review of From Little Tokyo, With Love! I gave this book Four Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Have you read Form Little Tokyo, With Love? And if so, what did you think of it? Let me know in the comments!
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Hey there, bookworms!My name is Rose (she/her) and I'm the creator of Books of Magic and Mystery. I love reading YA books, especially fantasy and mystery. When I'm not reading, you can find me baking, studying, or cuddling with my super-furry pets. Visit me on Instagram @booksofmagicandmystery! Archives
November 2021
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