Introducing Guest Post Thursdays!

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Thursday! I can’t believe tomorrow is May 1st – this year is flying by! As you might know I am graduating from law school in just a few weeks, and will then be in a very intensive study course for the bar exam this summer. Because I’ll be hitting the law books twelve hours a day every day for the next few months, I’ve recruited some of my fellow nail polish and beauty bloggers to ensure you’ll still have amazing content to read while I’m off studying.

So, what’s the deal? Every Thursday on Adventures in Polishland you’ll see a guest post from a fellow blogger. I hope that you will enjoy the content each blogger has put together for you! I am so thankful these wonderful women have taken time out from their busy schedules to help me out, and I hope you will enjoy each post. Please make sure to support each blogger by following her blog and social media profiles – each guest post will have links at the end for you, so you can easily connect with the bloggers on the web.

As always, thank you all so much for being a part of my Adventures in Polishland! I really appreciate the continued support, and look forward to revamping my blog after the bar exam. I’ll be back full time in August! I can’t wait to see you more then!

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Want to be a guest blogger? I still have spots for guest bloggers! Please email me at adventuresinpolishland@gmail.com with your blog URL.

Manicure Monday | Julep Jennifer + KBShimmer Cotton Candy

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Happy Manicure Monday! I’m a bit behind on the Alphabet Challenge now, but I’m going to catch up! This week I’m showing off two polishes for the letters J and K. I decided to grab a KBShimmer I’ve never tried, and a favorite from Julep. Let me show you this pink manicure!

Manicure Monday | Julep Jennifer + KBShimmer Cotton Candy Manicure Monday | Julep Jennifer + KBShimmer Cotton CandyI began my manicure with two accent nails of KBShimmer Cotton Candy. This is a glitter polish with a pink base filled with blue, purple, and pink glitters. The formula was great, but a bit on the sheer side so I layered on three coats. On my other nails, I added three coats of Julep Jennifer, which is a sheer pastel pink that I absolutely love. I finished up with my Essie Good to Go Top Coat, and I’m obsessing over this pink goodness! I can’t believe I’ve never used this KBShimmer before – it’s been hiding in my collection for a couple of years now!

All in all, I’d say this was a very successful Manicure Monday! I’m definitely impressed with this KBShimmer. It is discontinued now, but you can buy other polishes from this indie brand online HERE. KBShimmer is one of the few indie brand’s with an Amazon shop (HERE), which I love because you can buy the products with Amazon gift cards! Of course, be sure to check out Julep’s website HERE for Jennifer. Please let me know your favorite KBShimmer polishes in the comments so I can check them out!

Julep Beauty Inc.

This post includes affiliate links. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Book Review | The Martian by Andy Weir

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The Martian by Andy Weir

Published by Crown Publishing on February 11, 2014

Genres: Adult, Science Fiction, Survival

Pages: 369

Format: Paperback

Source: Giveaway

Goodreads: ★★★★


Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him & forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded & completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—& even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—& a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

REVIEW

I was beyond excited when a won a giveaway for a copy of The Martian by Andy Weir. This science fiction novel has quickly been gaining recognition and gathering hype in the book community. If you haven’t heard of it yet, you will soon. A movie starring Matt Damon is set to be released in November of this year. I knew I had to read this as soon as possible to avoid spoilers, and to be prepared for the film adaptation’s release.

First of all, how awesome is the premise of this book? Astronaut Mark Watney is stranded on Mars. Everyone thinks he’s dead, he has no contact with Earth, and he has to figure out if there is any way possible to survive on the red planet. I was instantly sucked into this survival story, and truly amazed at Watney’s ability to stay calm under dire circumstances. Plus, the guy is extremely hilarious and a lovable character. I was rooting for him from page one. Suffice it to say The Martian is an inventive and captivating story.

The writing style, however, was a bit too inventive for me. Much of the book is written by Watney in log entries detailing his days and his plans. The book starts out this way, and suddenly after fifty pages, the reader is provided with a third person narrative overlooking NASA and how they discover Watney is still alive. This jump was a bit surprising, but quite manageable. Then, things get even more unique – there are random passages that don’t fit with either point-of-view. They are thrown in sporadically, and as a reader it was jarring to the cadence of the book. At times, I had to reread passages to even understand their purpose. While I can see how this experimental writing could work for some readers, I was not a fan of the passages that didn’t fit within the book’s writing pattern.

In the same way, the pacing of The Martian was a bit off for me as well. At first, readers follow Watney at a steady pace. Then, all of a sudden, the story has skipped forward 150 Sols (Martian days). It was almost as if a huge chunk of the story was edited out so the publisher could shorten the book. The author does explain this time jump through Watney’s log entries, but it took a bit of credibility away from the story for me – are we supposed to believe that Watney just doesn’t log anything for half a year when he wrote regularly before?

My last critique is difficult for me to even believe – I got bored. Yeah, Watney was stranded on Mars figuring out how to live and I got bored! Somewhere around the 250 page mark I was wishing the story would pick up again. I’m not sure how this happened, but for some reason the action died down in the middle. Luckily, the ending started picking up, and I raced through the last hundred pages.

Putting those gripes aside, The Martian really is a remarkable novel. It sparks a great discussion on how far humans will go to remain alive even when things look hopeless, and how the cost of one human life is truly priceless. I loved the sappy moments throughout the story to show Watney’s emotional struggle that he often tries to hide in his log entries. I also thought the ending was perfect, but you’ll have to read it to see if you agree.

In the end, I do highly recommend The Martian. Don’t be afraid to pick this up if you’re not a science fiction fan. I know absolutely nothing about science and found the story easy to follow even with all the technical jargon involved. In fact, I felt as if I was learning a lot while reading an entertaining book – that’s a win-win right there. I look forward to more work by Weir in the future (another Watney novel would be great!).

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When you buy a book through the Amazon or Book Depository links above, I earn a small commission through each website’s affiliate program. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes | #WipeforWater

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Happy Thursday! Today I am here to review some new makeup remover wipes from the brand Neutrogena Naturals. You all know that I love cleansing wipes, and I am constantly on the hunt for the perfect brand for me. I was so excited when I was chosen as a part of the #WipeforWater campaign with Neutrogena and Influenster! I got a pack of the new Purifying Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes to test out so I could participate in the #WipeforWater campaign Neutrogena is currently hosting. Let me go ahead and share with you my thoughts on the product and what the #WipeforWater campaign is all about!

ABOUT THE #WIPEFORWATER CAMPAIGN

Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes | #WipeforWaterAs you may know, April is Earth Month. In fact, we celebrated Earth Day yesterday! In order to show its support for water conservation, Neutrogena is partnering with The Nature Conservatory to save water. Every day, you can use up to 5 gallons of water just by washing your face. So, to help reduce the amount of water we use per day, Neutrogena is challenging us to #WipeforWater and use cleansing towelettes instead of water to wash our faces. I pledged to go three days in the #WipeforWater campaign, and you can pledge as well by signing up on the #WipeforWater website HERE. Make sure to check out the website for a lot of information regarding water conservation!

PRODUCT REVIEW

Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes | #WipeforWater

Now it’s time to talk about the wipes themselves! The Purifying Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes are designed to remove dirt, oil, and makeup, and claim to even remove waterproof mascara without leaving a greasy residue. The wipes are also designed to be ultra-soft and 97% naturally derived. I love that Neutrogena includes a thorough ingredients list on the back of all the products in its naturals line. I also think it’s great this this product is not tested on animals.

Unfortunately, these wipes do not live up to the claims for me. First and foremost, they did not remove all of my makeup. I had a lot of leftover mascara that would not come off using the towelettes. In addition, I found these wipes do not contain a lot of moisture. Because of this, they felt very rough and abrasive on my skin. I much prefer wipes that are wetter, because they remove all my makeup and are soft to the touch. I will say that I do really like how my skin feels after using the wipes – it is soft to the touch and feels really clean. However, I will not be repurchasing these wipes due to how rough they are on my skin and because they don’t remove all my makeup.

All in all, I’m so glad I got to test out the Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Makeup Remover Towelettes. The #WipeforWater campaign is such a great idea, so I definitely recommend participating with whatever makeup remover wipes you currently use. You can find the new Purifying Makeup Remover Towelettes at the drugstore for around $6.50 for a pack of 25 wipes. Please let me know in the comments what you think of these wipes if you’ve tried them, and if you’re joining the #WipeforWater challenge!

The product in this post was provided for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

 

Book Review | Shutter by Courtney Alameda (Shutter #1)

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Shutter (Shutter #1) by Courtney Alameda

Published by Feiwel & Friends on February 3, 2015

Genres: Young Adult, Horror, Paranormal

Pages: 384

Format: Hardcover

Source: Goodreads Giveaway

Goodreads: ★★★★ 1/2


Horror has a new name: introducing Courtney Alameda.

Micheline Helsing is a tetrachromat—a girl who sees the auras of the undead in a prismatic spectrum. As one of the last descendants of the Van Helsing lineage, she has trained since childhood to destroy monsters both corporeal and spiritual: the corporeal undead go down by the bullet, the spiritual undead by the lens. With an analog SLR camera as her best weapon, Micheline exorcises ghosts by capturing their spiritual energy on film. She’s aided by her crew: Oliver, a techno-whiz and the boy who developed her camera’s technology; Jude, who can predict death; and Ryder, the boy Micheline has known and loved forever.

When a routine ghost hunt goes awry, Micheline and the boys are infected with a curse known as a soulchain. As the ghostly chains spread through their bodies, Micheline learns that if she doesn’t exorcise her entity in seven days or less, she and her friends will die. Now pursued as a renegade agent by her monster-hunting father, Leonard Helsing, she must track and destroy an entity more powerful than anything she’s faced before . . . or die trying.

Lock, stock, and lens, she’s in for one hell of a week.

REVIEW

If you are a lover of young adult paranormal, run to the nearest bookstore and pick up Shutter. This horror novel is the first in a new series by Courtney Alameda, and features a great cast of characters as they go on an epic adventure to kill the ghost who has infected their bodies and is literally killing them from the inside out. I raced through this novel, and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a dark and thrilling tale.

My favorite thing about Shutter is Alameda’s writing style. She is able to create a dark aura surrounding her words that evokes a real sense of eeriness for the reader. The tone reminded me a bit of the Blood of Eden Series by Julie Kagawa, though the stories are quite different, of course.

Alameda also excels in character development. Shutter has four main characters – our narrator is Micheline Helsing, a descendant of Van Helsing who is trained to hunt the undead. Her reaping team is made up of three young men, Ryder, Jude, and Oliver, who each have a distinct personality. These four characters work so well together, and each is likable both individually and as a team unit.

My critiques of the novel are very few, and they are quite trivial. First, there are a few instances in the novel where traditional gender roles are accepted. However, these moments are fleeting one-liners, and probably only stick out to someone like me who is keenly aware of gender relations in all that I read. I also found the beginning of the novel to be a bit complicated, as the world building threw a lot of vocabulary and technology my way all at once. Luckily, as the novel progressed, I quickly grew to understand the world.

Other than those small issues, I loved everything about Shutter, and I cannot wait for the next book in the series to be released. Whether you love ghost stories, or perhaps you’re looking to break into the young adult horror genre, I highly recommend Shutter. It’s a dynamic read that is sure to keep you turning pages to the very end.

 
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When you buy a book through the Amazon or Book Depository links above, I earn a small commission through each website’s affiliate program. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Create Your Own Bingo Nail Art | From Simple to Skillful Designs

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SPONSORED EDITORIAL

Written by: Julie Smalling

Inspiration for nail art designs can sometimes come from the strangest places, from internet browsers to video games, from Marilyn Monroe to Super Mario. It’s amazing what kind of designs people can come up with, and if you ever find yourself inspired by a classic game like bingo, it’s good to know that there are some models that you can look at.

It’s all thanks to the popularization of bingo on the internet, which made it much more accessible to all sorts of people. Although the game had seen a sharp decline in participation after its heyday in the 60s, it’s seen a rapid resurgence in recent years, with the BBC reporting that while there were less than 20 online bingo portals in 2004, there were over 350 in 2013. It has gotten to the point that even the UK’s iTV Network has launched their own bingo portal, and Betfair, a company more known as an online sportsbooker, also entered the online bingo market in 2013. There are various themed bingo games available now, and they offer a whole range of possibilities for your bingo-inspired manicure.

However, this doesn’t mean that you have to go above and beyond to create nail art inspired by the classic game. Even though there are now hundreds of different variations of bingo, much of its elements remain the same, and you can draw from these to create your designs.

Most bingo-inspired nail art focuses on the colorful bingo balls that the game has become known for, and you can do the same thing by creating a design that has circles or bubbles. A great example by Courtney Rhodes shows how to make bubble nail art, and with some experiments on color, you can really make an eye-catching design.

(Image Credit: Courtney Rhodes via Flickr Creative Commons)

While bingo balls are a prominent feature of the game, bingo cards are also quite important, and you can draw inspiration from them in two ways. The first is by using their linear patterns in your designs, creating various simple, yet elegant patterns such as the one used by Noel Giger in this golden criss-cross.

(Image Credit: Noel Giger via Flickr Creative Commons)

Another way is by using the classic color themes of these bingo cards. While the bingo balls came in a variety of colors, bingo cards usually came in the same monochromatic colors of black and white. Use these to create great nail art, and maybe add in some circles like Joana Afonso does in this pattern:

(Image Credit: Joana Afonso via Flickr Creative Commons)

About the Author: Julie is a mother of five, who after what seemed like an eternity studying journalism began her life as freelance writer. Now she writes for a host of online and print publications while trying to raise five challenging children. Outside of work, Julie enjoys reading and relaxing with a glass of red wine.

This is a sponsored editorial. I was compensated for posting it on Adventures in Polishland. I only post sponsored editorials that I think my readers will enjoy. Nonetheless, I do not endorse, nor am I affiliated with, the content of this editorial. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Messy Mansion Stamping Plate MM38 Review & Giveaway | #3YearsinPolishland with Beautometry

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! On April 10, I celebrated my 3rd Blogiversary! I decided to host three giveaways, and here is giveaway number three! Beautometry is helping my celebrate my Blogiversary by sponsoring a giveaway for all of you. Not only does the shop carry awesome indie nail polishes, but there are nail art tools as well. I’m still a stamping newbie, but I couldn’t wait to test out this plate from Messy Mansion. Make sure to stay tuned to the end of this post for a giveaway, and winner announcements for the other two #3YearsinPolishland giveaways!

REVIEW

Messy Mansion Stamping Plate MM38Beautometry sent me Messy Mansion stamping plate in MM38. It is so cute! It includes owls, trees, birdhouses, and other cute forest designs. I snapped a picture with the protective plastic still on the plate so you can clearly see the designs. You can purchase this plate on Beautometry’s website for $7.00 HERE.

Owl Nail Art Owl Nail Art I decided to do some nail art with owls in trees. I began with a white base, and then used a green polish to add on the background. I’m so happy with how the first stamping layer turned out! It looks vintage and was easy to apply. Once that dried, I added on a few owls with a brown polish. They turned out well, too, but got a bit lost on the busy background. I will go ahead and say these owls are camouflaged, just like they would be in nature! Next time I will do the owls on a plain background so you can really see how cute they are!

The polishes I used for this look:

GIVEAWAY

Beautometry is generously giving away two stamping plates from Messy Mansion! This giveaway is for those in the United States and Canada only. Please read through the Terms & Conditions in the Rafflecopter widget before entering.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now it’s time to announce the winners of my two other #3YearsinPolishland giveaways! Congrats to Sandra Li (eliminated) Julie Waters on Facebook and MissMazariegos on Instagram! Please contact me via email at adventuresinpolishland@gmail.com to claim your prize within 48 hours or new winners will be chosen!

THANK YOU

Thank you all so much for supporting me these past three years! I really love blogging, and I’m so glad to have such a great community here in Polishland. Good luck if you’re entering the giveaway!

Book Review | Beyond Orange County: A Housewives Guide to Faith and Happiness by Lydia McLaughlin

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Beyond Orange County: A Housewives Guide to Faith and Happiness by Lydia McLaughlin

Published by Worthy Publishing on March 31, 2015

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Christian

Pages: 208

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley

Goodreads: ★★★


When Lydia McLaughlin made the controversial choice to walk away from her popular role on The Real Housewives of Orange County, she had two good reasons: faith and family 

In Beyond Orange County, Lydia writes about the strength and grace it takes for each of us to choose a life of purpose. She also shares behind-the-scenes insights from Hollywood, lessons she has learned both on and off the screen, and what her life looks like now that she’s following God on His next adventure for her. Most importantly, she inspires us to examine our own lives and live out boldly the unique calling God has for each of us.

REVIEW

As someone who was once fully addicted to all things Bravo, I knew I had to request Beyond Orange County as soon as I saw it on NetGalley. I really enjoyed Lydia’s “character” on The Real Housewives of Orange County. Her personality is refreshing and uplifting, and even though I’m not a Christian, I was interested to read her book. Now, before I jump into my review I want to mention that this is not a memoir, and it’s not a book for someone simply looking for juice on the Housewives. Beyond Orange County, as the title suggests, is a guide to Christian faith aimed at married women. Thus, I recommend it for those wanting to learn more about Christianity, especially women in Bible study.

Beyond Orange County is a good book if you are looking to become a Christian, or if you are hoping to strengthen your faith. As someone who is not Christian, I still enjoyed learning about Lydia’s spiritual journey, and I liked how she included personal stories along the way to illustrate how God fits into her life. Beyond Orange County includes several Bible passages throughout the book, and I found these to be well researched as they fit well into each chapter’s theme. I also thought it was great that each chapter concludes with a discussion guide featuring questions that can be used for self reflection or group discussion. It’s a practical book to keep on hand if you need some guidance with your Christian faith.

My main issue with Beyond Orange County, however, was the treatment of women in relation to their husbands. In Chapter 8 entitled “Love, Love, Love,” Lydia discusses the love she has with her husband. I was quite disturbed when she recounts the time directly following the birth of her first baby with her husband, Doug. Lydia mentions she did not feel ready to be intimate with her husband again, but her doctor encouraged her to do so because, “You are first and foremost his bride, and then you’re a mother.” Not only was I shocked that a doctor would tell a patient how to act in her martial relationship, but the fact that Lydia was seen as property to her husband and is there to please him is unacceptable to me. This theme of women being beneath men circulated a few times throughout Beyond Orange County, and was very disappointing to read.

Moreover, the writing style in Beyond Orange County was a bit weak. I never expect much from celebrity books, but there were several grammatical errors, and some of the sentence structures were quite awkward. I did receive this book from NetGalley, so I’m hopeful some of these issues were edited out in the final edition. I did take the grammatical errors into consideration when rating the book, but they did not weigh too heavily on my three star rating due to this being an eARC.

Overall, I’m glad I had the opportunity to review Beyond Orange County. At just over 200 pages, this is a quick read and I think any reader can get something out of it whether or not she is a Christian. However, I do recommend this for the suggested audience, as it truly is a guidebook for Christian housewives. With Mother’s Day coming up soon, this might be the perfect gift!

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When you buy a book through the Amazon or Book Depository links above, I earn a small commission through each website’s affiliate program. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 
 
 

OMGNailStrips Nail Polish Strips Review | In the Navy & Jelly Beans

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! Today I have a review of two sets of nail polish strips from the brand OMGNailStrips. I recently heard about this brand of more affordable nail strips, and was excited when I got the opportunity to review them for all of you. I think nail strips are a great option for travel, or for those of us (like me!) who aren’t nail art masters but still want a fun nail design. Let me go ahead and show you the two designs I got to test out.

OMGNailStrips – In the Navy OMGNailStrips – In the NavyFirst up is In the Navy, a set containing a mix of blue, white, and black themed strips with a nautical theme. I followed the application instructions to apply the strips (you can read them HERE). Unfortunately, I did not have a good experience. First, these strips have a very strong skunk-like smell as soon as I opened the package, and it lingered even after I took a shower. I do not want to go around with smelly nails! I also had found that these strips did not fit my nails well, with the smallest strip being too big for my pinky. In addition, I also experienced substantial tip wear and chipping after one day of wear.

OMGNailStrips – Jelly Beans OMGNailStrips – Jelly BeansNext, I tried Jelly Beans. I hoped to wear these strips for Easter, since I loved the fun design. Alas, I had even more issues with this set. Thankfully, there was no smell to these strips, but there was a stickiness problem. The strips broke upon application, and they did not want to stick to my nails. I thought that they would stay put after I applied top coat, but a few hours after application I washed a few dishes and the strips literally slid right off my nails when I dried my hands. You read that correctly – the strips slid off hours after application. I couldn’t believe it!

I also want to mention that with both sets of nail strips I experienced an odd issue after applying a top coat as suggested by OMGNailStrips. When I would apply top coat, the edges of the nail strips would stick up right off my nail! You can see it pretty clearly in the photos, especially with the In the Navy set.

It’s always difficult for me to write a less than positive review, but of course I want to share my honest feelings and experiences with all of you. I did reach out to OMGNailStrips last week with my issues before posting this review, but have not heard back. I’m very disappointed in both the quality of the nail strips and the lack of customer service I received after contacting them with questions about the problems I had. If I do hear back, I will be sure to update you both in this blog post and on social media. OMGNailStrips retail for $7.99 each, but have specials for 5 packs for $25 or 10 packs for $45. They can be purchased with free shipping on the brand’s website HERE. Unfortunately I cannot recommend this brand from my experience.

Have you tried OMGNailStrips?! Please share your thoughts in the comments!

The products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Book Review | This Side of Home by Renée Watson

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

This Side of Home by Renée Watson

Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens on February 3, 2015

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary

Pages: 336

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley

Goodreads: ★★★★ 1/2


Identical twins Nikki and Maya have been on the same page for everything—friends, school, boys and starting off their adult lives at a historically African-American college. But as their neighborhood goes from rough-and-tumble to up-and-coming, suddenly filled with pretty coffee shops and boutiques, Nikki is thrilled while Maya feels like their home is slipping away. Suddenly, the sisters who had always shared everything must confront their dissenting feelings on the importance of their ethnic and cultural identities and, in the process, learn to separate themselves from the long shadow of their identity as twins.

In her inspired YA debut, Renée Watson explores the experience of young African-American women navigating the traditions and expectations of their culture.

REVIEW

I’ve been on such a YA contemporary kick lately, and This Side of Home is a great addition to the list. The story chronicles the life of twins Nikki and Maya as they finish up their last year of high school. Maya is our first-person narrator, and lets readers into her life in Portland, Oregon. The neighborhood in which she grew up is changing – new businesses are popping up everywhere, new families are moving in across the street, and Maya feels as if her culture and friends are being forced to leave. 

This Side of Home is the perfect combination of a contemporary YA story and a discussion on race relations.As Maya and Nikki take on their senior year of high school, they go through numerous struggles both at home and school. Nikki refuses to attend her best friend’s birthday party because she is afraid the guests will call her “white” due to her straight hair and love for vintage clothes. Maya, on the other hand, is the student body president at Richmond, her notoriously dangerous high school. Maya takes on her new principal as he tries to focus on diversity, and not on the black history that Maya craves to feature at school events.

While This Side of Home takes on a variety of serious issues, it is also a quick read that I flew through in just a few hours. I grew to love the characters, and I loved the balance between a realistic teenage love story, and the fight to overcome racism in a public high school. I was thoroughly impressed with the writing in This Side of Home, as it flowed easily and was at a steady pace throughout. If this is what a debut novel from author Renée Watson looks like, I’m excited to see what comes next!

At a time when the We Need Diverse Books campaign is at the forefront of readers’ minds, This Side of Home begins many important conversations. I was truly impressed with Watson’s ability to write characters that battle with the same struggles that we as readers have. There are no right answers to these questions, but This Side of Home helps us to open up and become comfortable with discussing these issues. I recommend it for all readers of contemporary young adult, and those craving a diverse book. This Side of Home is a refreshing and thought-provoking read.

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When you buy a book through the Amazon or Book Depository links above, I earn a small commission through each website’s affiliate program. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.