Tag: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Book Review | When We Collided by Emery Lord

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

When We Collided by Emery Lord

Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens on April 5, 2016

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 352

Source: Library

Goodreads: ★★★★ 1/2

We are seventeen and shattered and still dancing. We have messy, throbbing hearts, and we are stronger than anyone could ever know…

Jonah never thought a girl like Vivi would come along.

Vivi didn’t know Jonah would light up her world.

Neither of them expected a summer like this…a summer that would rewrite their futures.

In an unflinching story about new love, old wounds, and forces beyond our control, two teens find that when you collide with the right person at just the right time, it will change you forever.

REVIEW

My love for young adult contemporary prompted me to pick up When We Collided by Emery Lord shortly after its release this year. This book chronicles two teenagers and is written in a dual perspective format. Readers follow Vivi and Jonah as they meet one summer in Jonah’s hometown, and begin a whirlwind relationship unlike any other. I absolutely loved this book, and the characters we meet in the pages.

When We Collided is very character driven, and there is not much of a plot whatsoever. We know that Vivi is struggling with something that happened in her past, which is the mystery that kept me engaged throughout the book. While I did feel like I was wandering around without direction for much of the book, the story worked in the end. I especially enjoyed Lord’s writing style. She does an amazing job at capturing the voices of both Vivi and Jonah at all times throughout the book. I was very impressed when the tone of the writing changed to match each character’s current mental state.

In addition, I absolutely adored Vivi and Jonah’s relationship. I know it is critiqued by other readers as insta-love, but for me it was very realistic. Both characters need one another in this moment, albeit in different ways. They cling to one another naturally, and their romance progressed quickly because of their unique situation. I think many of us can relate to relationships that form immediately, whether they be romantic or not. Vivi and Jonah come together at the perfect time, and I love how it is portrayed in the book.

Similarly, I also really liked how family plays a role in When We Collided. We see how important it is to care for those around us, even when it seems too difficult to handle. All of the side characters in this book really help to round out the story, too. For example, Vivi befriends a rough-around-the-edges police officer that many townies avoid. It is nice to see how Vivi is affected by this friendship, and how she then encourages others to see the officer differently as well.

Of course, I also appreciate the mental health aspect of the book. It appears to be very highly researched and written in a realistic and sensitive way. I learned a lot about Vivi’s particular disorder, which is revealed later in the story, and it helps me empathize more with people in real life. I think it’s great that fictional stories can help shed light on issues that aren’t talked about much in everyday life.

Overall, I really enjoyed When We Collided and highly recommend it. If you liked All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, you will like this one as well because it has a similar storyline but is executed in a new way. I know I now plan to read Emery Lord’s other books, and look forward to giving this one a reread at some point in the future.

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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. 
 

Book Review | Inherit Midnight by Kate Kae Meyers

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Inherit Midnight by Kate Kae Meyers

Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens on February 10, 2015

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Romance

Pages: 400

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley

Goodreads: ★★★★


Avery VanDemere says she’s lived her whole life in prisons—-one is a mansion, the others are private schools—-but prisons, still. That’s why, during the last couple of years, she’s perfected the ability of learning how to escape. On the brink of finally freeing herself from a hated boarding school, she is unexpectedly returned home and thrust in the middle of a competition. Her grandmother, the family matriarch, is now determined to discover the most worthy VanDemere to be named sole inheritor. With the help of Riley Tate, the handsome son of her grandmother’s lawyer, Avery sets out to do much more than prove she should inherit the massive family wealth. She has a secret mission of her own, and that’s to discover the truth about what really happened to the mother she never knew. Along the way she must pass difficult and sometimes perilous challenges, avoid treacherous relatives, and sort out her growing feelings for Riley. She’ll have to act quickly, though; the pressure is on and with each challenge, her competitors are more desperate to win—and to them that means getting rid of Avery.

REVIEW

I was drawn to read Inherit Midnight as soon as I heard it’s about a rich family competing against one another in a race around the world to inherit their grandmother’s estate. How awesome does that sound?! I love movies such as National Treasure, and this story is along the same vein. I absolutely loved the fast-paced adventure in this novel, and had a very difficult time putting it down. However, there are a few things I want to discuss.

First, the romance in Inherit Midnight is extremely cringeworthy and one of the worst cases of instalove I’ve experienced. I thought it was interesting that the author admits to the instalove, but that didn’t justify it. Instead, I felt extremely uncomfortable with the dialogue between Avery and Riley, and couldn’t get over how “in love” they were after just a few weeks of knowing one another. In fact, I would have enjoyed Inherit Midnight much more if the romance was put aside. I wanted to focus on the family competition, and not on the angsty teenage love.

Moreover, there were a few small details in Inherit Midnight that annoyed me. For example, the chapter titles were unnecessary and distracting. I’m not sure why they were included at all. In addition, I was a bit unnerved by how the lawyers were written in this story. As a law student, I didn’t like the portrayal of the lawyers and their behaviors, but I’m one of the few people who would actually pick up on that. Finally, the ending of the book was really unbelievable, but I cannot say more without spoiling you.

Putting those critiques aside, I really enjoyed Inherit Midnight. I loved following Avery as she and her family were tasked with the different challenges, all while traveling around the world and learning about their family history. The action never wavered, and once the competition began I didn’t want to stop reading. I also loved the character development in this book. Avery learns a lot about her family in Inherit Midnight, both her ancestors and those she’s competing against. The competition really showed each character’s true light, and Avery learns who she can trust and who she can’t.

I also really liked how the author included some subplots in the book, but I won’t get much into those because they are spoiler-filled. I will say that I predicted a huge plot twist right from the beginning, but I was excited to find out I was right towards the end. Because this particular twist was a subplot and not the main story, it didn’t detract from the overall book when I was able to predict the outcome. I also really loved the last scene of the book. It was sweet and touching, and filled me with hope for Avery’s future.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience of Inherit Midnight. In reality, this book probably deserves a three star rating because of the instalove and cringeworthy dialogue, but because it was so action-packed and exciting, I gave it a four star rating. I highly recommend Inherit Midnight if you love The Amazing Race or the National Treasure movies, or if you are looking to break into the thriller genre. Inherit Midnight is a ton of fun!

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If you but 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.