Girl Mans Up by M-E Girard

Girl Mans Up by M-E Girard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! Just when I was starting to feel like all the books I've been reading lately have blurred together, this one stands out in the best ways.

I've read a lot of LGBT YA in the past few years, and this one pointed out all these subtleties to gender identity that I still wasn't aware of or didn't quite understand. The story has a refreshing angle (Pen, the MC, is a girl who fully embraces her masculine side, despite the displeasure of her Portuguese parents).

I also enjoyed that Pen was Portugese-American, as it was an interesting look at the differences between two cultures, as well as what it's like to grow up caught between cultures.

As an added bonus, it was great to see a healthy relationship play out between two girls. This definitely offers something new and more to the YA LGBT Contemporary category.

Pages: 384

Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics

Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This would be the book baby of Laura Ingalls Wilder and William Peter Blatty. Bizarre, creepy, and demonic meets the prairie.

Pages: 231

Galgorithm by Aaron Karo

Galgorithm by Aaron Karo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is sweet, adorable, predictable, and yet still satisfying and unique. I enjoyed the characters and all of their quirks.

I also appreciated seeing a male character who is obsessed with love, matchmaking, and helping others be their best. It's nice to see a "regular guy" with so many nurturing instincts in a YA novel. It quietly defies some of the common gender stereotypes, and I really appreciate that.

Pages: 320

Phantom Limbs by Paula Garner

Phantom Limbs by Paula Garner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is truly a wonderful YA contemporary, coming of age story with a solid dose of the expected diversity, tragedy, grief, and romance. It's well-written, with characters that show a lot of depth and growth. Perhaps the most interesting part is the complicated relationships between different characters.

The reason I can't give this 5 stars is that I feel like I've read a hundred other different versions of this story, in this genre and category, in the past 2 years. That does not take away from the fact that this was still a beautiful and heartbreaking story, but it does raise the bar for stars.

I recommend it. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't pick it up and read it again. So 4 stars.

Pages: 368

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Summary: "Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map, the key to a legendary treasure trove, pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies. Now the only thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate Riden."

Um, can I have the next book right now...please?! 

Daughter of the Pirate King is exactly the kind of book I would have loved in high school. The adventures are grand and the love-hate main relationship is charming and swoon-worthy. I liked the fast-paced plot and pirate-lore. For once, I actually was craving a little more backstory and world-building, which is very unusual for me.

The ending is incomplete which leaves me hungry for the next book!

311

Cross the Line by James Patterson

Alex Cross is back, and chasing the latest serial killer(s). This time he is working two cases simultaneously; the murder of his very own Chief of Detectives, and a team of murderers killing drug dealers.

The two cases seem to have no connection, and yet....do they? As with all Alex Cross novels, the usual murder and mayhem ensue on the streets of Washington, D. C. - and around the country.


401 pages

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella (Books 1-4)

Summary: "Becky Bloomwood is bored to death writing for Successful Saving. So, with a handsome credit line from her bank, she liberates herself the best way she knows how -- by shopping! Think of it as an investment, she tells herself. But, soon she is buried in bank notices and cursed VISA bills."

I had previously seen the Confessions of a Shopaholic movie, and wasn't sure if I'd like the book series. Turns out, as usual, the book series is much better than the movie! :) I'm so glad I picked these up, as they put a big goofy smile on my face no matter what.


310 pages












Summary: "With her shopping excesses in check- for now at least-and her new career as a TV financial adviser. But now Becky's business minded boyfriend needs to move to New York and he wants her to move with him!"

Becky's spirit, creativity and imagination are often the best bits of this series. Becky's daydreams are vivid and wild and most importantly, something we can all relate to! 

However, Becky can be a very frustrating character as she often lies to her loved ones and continues to make repeated mistakes. But in these books, the good ultimately outweigh the bad!

323 pages







***SPOILERS***


Summary: "Becky Brandon (nee Bloomwood) returns from her honeymoon only to discover she has a half-sister-who hates to shop."

Surprisingly, this is my favorite of the series so far! It had more drama and heart in it than the previous two installments. Becky faced down some tough situations with grit and determination. I could hardly put it down!


352 pages










Summary: "Becky is pregnant! She couldn't be more overjoyed, especially since discovering that shopping cures morning sickness. Everything has got to be perfect for her baby. But when her must-have celebrity obstetrician turns out to be her husband Luke's glamorous, intellectual ex-girlfriend, Becky's perfect world starts to crumble."

I enjoyed this installment of the Shopaholic series, but it wasn't as good as Shopaholic & Sister. Becky's foray into the baby shopping world was funny, but alarming. I enjoyed certain parts very much, and found others to be frustrating and upsetting. I did not enjoy Luke's storyline at all because he is such a great character who deserves much better treatment!

358 pages

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The fans for this book series are wild and devoted and fill up my twitter thread on a daily basis. I wanted to love this to the extremes that they do, but I’m not quite there yet. It’s possible it is something that will creep up on me in time. I'm hopeful for that.

I do adore the story and characters, and the world is fascinating. I listened to this on audiobook, and I think perhaps I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to read this book (maybe to read any book), as I was continually distracted and had to rewind a lot. That might have curbed my overall enjoyment, so I’m willing to suggest that if I reread this in print, my stars might increase.

I’ll definitely read the next two books, once I get my hands on those.

Overall, this is a good YA fantasy with creative magic, solid world building, and quirky, lovable characters. Two thumbs up and four sparkly stars.

Pages: 400

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This YA contemporary novel has two unique characters. Libby, who due to extreme weight gain, had to be cut out of her own home a few years before, and Jack, who has Prosopagnosia (Face Blindness), cross paths due to a very poor choice that ended up having one good side-effect.

Initially, I was a bit --shall we say—ruffled?? by what felt like two extremes coming together for this story, because some part of me just found it all to be too unlikely. Then I reminded myself that I was reading a fiction novel (well, duh), and that I needed to suspend disbelief and check my reality at the door.

Honestly, Libby and Jack helped me get over it, with their unique voices and interesting situations.

Also, I had never heard of Prosopagnosia before, though it is apparently more widespread than I would have even guessed, so this definitely created awareness for me. It’s a reminder to be patient and helpful in social circumstances, because you never know what’s happening with the person on the other end.

Pages: 391

The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

The Restorer by Amanda Stevens
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As a taphophile and history-lover, I can't get enough of this series. Better yet, it is set in one of my favorite places, Charleston, SC.

368 pages

A Colder War by Charles Cumming

A classic old-school espionage novel, with some intriguing plot twists.  Tom Kell, an out of favor British agent is sent to investigate the suspicious death of another British agent in Turkey.  Kell is tasked with searching out a potential mole in the British or American services in Turkey - and the plot begins its twists and turns.  Cumming is great at bringing us into the world of spies, where nothing can be accepted on its face.  382 pages

Some Like It Hot: Food, Genes, and Cultural Diversity by Gary Nabhan

Ever wonder why some people love hot peppers, and others can't tolerate even mild ones?  Or why some ethnic groups have a greater propensity to certain diseases like diabetes? Nabhan explores some of the recent research behind the interaction of genes and foods, and how sometimes a food may cause not only unwanted harmful reactions but also helpful ones.  For example, fava beans cause an allergy type reaction among many people living in the Mediterranean/North African area, but also help to protect from malaria.  Nabhan also explores how genes, diet, ethnicity and place can influence how we interact with different diet types.  He explains why more attention should be paid to each culture's traditional food sources, as the foods to which people from that area and culture are best adapted in complex ways.  This also helps to explain why the latest diet fad will fail many people, because it is not well suited to their body's genetic predispositions.  210 pages

Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart

Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This middle grade novel is about Lilly, a trans girl who is still attending 8th grade as a boy, while trying to figure out how best to express to the world that she’s a girl, and Dunkin, a boy with bipolar disorder who just moved to the neighborhood with his mom after something mysterious occurred with his father. The story is told in alternating POVs.

I really wanted to finish this book and give it 5 stars, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that. And it’s really bothering me. In fact, for the past 30 minutes, my mind has been whirling, and I have been interrogating myself, much like this:

Was this a good book: YES

Was it well-written: YES

Did it address important topics: YES

Do I appreciate the diversity: YES

Were the characters interesting: YES

Does the world need more books like this: DOUBLE YES

So I’d recommend this to everyone:
*hesitates*
*lectures self*
*reviews previous questions*
*hesitates and lectures self some more*

What? WHY NOT?
*shrugs and cowers*

Is it the (probably unintentional) gender stereotyping: Maybe

Was that hard to swallow: Yeah, sometimes.

Did it bother me how some of the plot points and subplots seemed unnecessary and distracted from the story more than they added to it: Kinda. . . sorta. . . yes, okay.
Definitely.
*sigh*

What about the friendship between the two main characters: It didn’t feel as authentic as I wanted it to.

Whoa! That was quick. Who are you to judge their friendship: Well, I’m nobody….except the reader. So I kind of showed up to judge, in a non-judgey sort of way. . . right?

How about that ending: Acceptable but lacked a certain resolution and stirred up more cans of worms

Um, is that an appropriate use of that idiom: *rolls eyes*

But really, are any of these issues solid reasons not to love and promote the book: Probably not. . . but maybe? I don’t know! Stop pressuring me!

Okay, fine. Calm down. What’s the real problem here? Are you just hating on middle grade, because you prefer YA: No, that’s not it. I like how middle grade it is.

Are you letting stupid little things take away from your complete enjoyment of this story: Potentially

Are there better stories out there on being transgender and on bipolar disorder: Yes, but maybe not for this age level . . .?!?!?

So should an almost great story be labeled as satisfactory, considering that’s better than no story at all: I want to say yes, because it seems like any representation should be better than no representation. But my heart keeps thudding, may-be-not. May-be-not. May-be-not. . . Po-ten-tially? Per-haps? Pro-ba-bly?

Then what in the world is your problem: I DON’T KNOW.
*holds book at arms length*
*despairs*
*reconsiders for far too long*
*shakes head*
*sighs again*
*facepalm*

*Whispers into the void:*
Unmet potential leaves me twitchy.

Conclusion: Any book that leaves me with this much internal struggle is probably worth reading and discussing.

Pages: 352

Prayers the Devil Answers by Sharyn McCrumb

Prayers the Devil Answers by Sharyn McCrumb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Prayers the Devil Answers is inspired by the true story of a female sheriff and the role she played in the last public hanging in Kentucky history. The book is well-researched and includes storylines centering on the Great Depression, Appalachian folklore, and the WPA. I would like to read another book by this author.

353 pages

Beast by Brie Spangler

Beast by Brie Spangler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a captivating Beauty and the Beast retelling (and I use retelling lightly, as there were only a few parallels) that captured my full attention from the first moment.

POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD: YOU'VE BEEN WARNED! [Dylan is a hairy, hulking “beast” of a 15-year-old brainiac, and Jamie, the “beauty,” is a smart, stunning trans girl with a love of photography.

The catch is that Dylan is so busy feeling sorry for himself in his first group therapy session that he doesn’t listen when Jamie talks about being trans. Then when the rest of the girls in group ask what he thinks about that, he covers up the fact that he wasn’t listening by saying it sounds great. That’s the beginning of a miscommunication spiral that winds itself tight, as the two fall into a sweet romance. The last 1/3 of the book is what happens when the spiral unravels. (hide spoiler)]

Dylan is a hairy, hulking “beast” of a 15-year-old brainiac, and Jamie, the “beauty,” is a smart, stunning trans girl with a love of photography. 

The catch is that Dylan is so busy feeling sorry for himself in his first group therapy session that he doesn’t listen when Jamie talks about being trans. Then when the rest of the girls in group ask what he thinks about that, he covers up the fact that he wasn’t listening by saying it sounds great. That’s the beginning of a miscommunication spiral that winds itself tight, as the two fall into a sweet romance. The last 1/3 of the book is what happens when the spiral unravels.
Pages: 305

Pages: 305

Monstrous by MarcyKate Connolly

Monstrous by MarcyKate Connolly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is an unusual MG fantasy novel that has both an innocence and depth that I found fascinating. Basically, it's the love child of a dark fairy tale and a Halloween horror story.

It's also a novel of contradictions. The story is dark but with just enough rays of hope to make the ugliness feel beautiful. The MC is indeed monstrous, with animal features, instincts, and a strong fight or flight mode, but she's also so desperately human that it almost aches to read about her wants and desires. There are good guys who do bad things and bad guys who do good things. All of this added such interesting textures and layers to the story.

Pages: 432

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a sweet, quirky middle grade story about loss and finding family in unexpected places. It's best if you don't overthink anything. Once you do, it's a downhill slide that you won't recover from, so I recommend you put on your fiction blinders and cinch them tight before you read this novel.

I finished this story 4 days ago, and I gave it 4 stars in the moment. Today, I couldn't even remember the story well enough to write this review without going back through to read a synopsis to prompt my memories.

After careful reconsideration, I have reduced my rating by a star.

This story has a few things that may be interesting or amusing in the moment, but that in reality, I didn't actually appreciate. There's a bad counselor, a strange relationship to money/wealth/poverty that lacks depth and truthfulness, some truly unbelievable moments and occurrences for a contemporary story, a lack of character development in most side characters, and a depiction of loss and grief that doesn't resonate as well as it could.

HOWEVER, there are these sentences and moments throughout that are so perfectly charming and touching, that I think it makes it really easy to look past the flaws of the storyline. My advice to readers is to not overthink anything, and to enjoy this book for what it is, without thinking too hard about what it could have been. Once you do the second, it will be impossible not to fixate on everything that just doesn't add up.

PAGES: 380

A Year in the World by Frances Mayes

A Year in the World: Journeys of a Passionate Traveller by Frances Mayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In beautiful prose, Mayes examines how place influence personality and character. Her practice of reading books by local authors while traveling is one I would like to adopt. Her practice of traveling the world is one I'd like to adopt! This is a great book for lovers of travel writing, food, and living the good life.

448 pages

Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner

Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Beautiful. Excruciating. Funny. Excruciating. Beautiful. Funny. Excruciating. Beautiful.

It’s strange how those so often go hand in hand, and that none of the 3 ever seems to exist without another lurking nearby.

Pages: 416

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an amusing set of short stories for the true HP fan, with commentary on the stories from Dumbledore. They're the HP version of fairytales. Ridiculously fun.

Pages: 128

Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender

Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is okay. It's kind of fluffy and obvious. If I had known it was a ghost story, I would have skipped it completely (not typically my cup of tea). However, it doesn't follow the pattern for a usual ghost story, in that there isn't much suspense, and it's never scary (which I found disappointing).

This is definitely not a thriller/horror. It's more of a contemporary story with a bit of a twist. I think that's the biggest mark against it. If you have a serial killer in the title (and the story), I should get the chills at least once while reading. My heart should beat fast, or I should get nervous about the fate of a character. Unfortunately, that did not occur. I felt like -- "Meh. Whatever"--so I think that was a missed opportunity. The book has only a very narrow range of emotions that it will make you feel, because everything is a bit superficial.

I don't hate it. I finished it. The writing isn't bad in a general sense, though there were too many characters, they didn't grow enough, and the majority lacked depth. The MC wasn't bad though, which is why I stuck with it.

Pages: 304

The Season by Jonah Lisa Dyer

The Season by Jonah Lisa Dyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Technically, this is a Pride & Prejudice retelling. It’s cute and sassy with the requisite drama and minimal heaviness. It was just what I was in the mood for after reading about a lot of complex worlds and characters this past month.

It has a YA voice, with NA characters, which is unusual, but I didn’t mind the disconnect.

Pages: 326