Tag: Book Review

Book Review | The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

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The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger

Published by Poppy on September 7, 2010

Genres: Young Adult, New Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley

Goodreads: ★★


Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face. 

But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him. 

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.
REVIEW

I went into The DUFF not knowing what to expect. Reviews from my Goodreads friends are all over the map, but when I got the opportunity to review the book in celebration of the movie being released, I was excited to dive right in. Unfortunately, while The DUFF was a quick and easy read for me, it is not one that I enjoyed much at all. I have a lot to discuss, so let’s begin with my thoughts on Bianca, the book’s first-person narrator.

Bianca is one of the most unlikeable characters I’ve ever encountered. While I can understand that she is going through a lot in her teenage life, with her parents’ relationship failing and with her being labeled the DUFF by one of the most popular guys in school, her negative attitude really got to me. It was horrible for Wesley to call Bianca the DUFF, but Bianca bullies him just as much, if not more. She’s constantly telling him how despicable he is and saying how much she hates him. This negativity was annoying to me as a reader, and didn’t make me want to root for Bianca. Instead, I wished she would just grow up and stop being so horrible to everyone around her. The fact that Bianca constantly lied to everyone around her, including her best friends and family, only made me despise her even more.

Moreover, even getting past the protagonist’s many faults, the writing of The DUFF was lackluster as well. I found the dialogue to be quite awkward, with characters speaking long passages to each other. It was unrealistic, and really hyped up the teenage melodrama I felt while reading.

Similarly, this is one of those novels where all of the serious issues discussed throughout the story somehow wrapped up nicely with a big bow to tie everything together. In order to avoid spoilers I will not explain this critique much more. However, as an example, Bianca’s father relapses in an addiction he has struggled with for years, and seemingly gets over it instantaneously. Not only did this scene in particular rub me the wrong way (it gives young readers the idea that addiction is just a quick sickness that can be overcome in a day), but when I put it together with all the other aspects of this book that worked out perfectly in the end, it was quite damaging to the book’s credibility.

I was also very shocked with the content of this book. The DUFF is labeled as young adult, but it is definitely new adult. There is obscene language in the entirety of the book (I think the F word is Keplinger’s favorite), and there are several explicit sex scenes. While there was nothing wrong with the subject matter of the novel per se, I felt very uncomfortable thinking that so many young people have read this book and loved it. This book takes place in a high school with a protagonist who is only 17-years-old. I would feel much differently if the story played out between adults, and not between young people who are on the borderline of being able to legally consent.

In the same way, while I appreciate that The DUFF is taking on a “girl power” attitude, the feminism portrayed in the novel was quite unsettling. I whole heartedly agree that women should not be called sluts and whores, but while this book celebrates womanhood, it does so at the expense of bashing men. Male gender roles are completely upheld (in fact, there is a line commenting on how all teenage boys are obsessed with sex), and the author suggests that it’s okay to call Wesley a manwhore. This double standard was very aggravating, and not what I would want today’s youth to read. This is true with The DUFF’s moral, if you will, at the end of the story, though I will hold off on critiquing that in the interest of not spoiling the ending.

Finally, I want to quickly mention some of the serious issues brushed over in this novel that are clearly present yet not flushed-out. First, Bianca is clearly going through some mental anguish and needs to talk about her issues with a professional. Her obsessive clothes-folding routine and several comments regarding how “messed up” she is leads the reader to the conclusion that there is something wrong that needs to be addressed in ways other than casual sex. Unfortunately, we never see Bianca reach out for that help. In addition, I was very disappointed with the flippant comments marginalizing suicide in this book. Suicide is a serious issue that should never be used as a joke.

Overall, I’m not sure that I would recommend The DUFF to anyone, as I find it inappropriate for its target, young adult audience, and anyone older would probably not enjoy it. If you’re a contemporary lover who doesn’t mind some teenage angst and friends-with-benefits relationships, perhaps you’ll give The DUFF a try. Otherwise, it’s fine to go without reading this popular book. I don’t think you need to worry about missing out on anything!

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Book Review | The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordon (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2)

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The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2) by Rick Riordon

Published by Disney Hyperion on January 1, 2006

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Adventure

Format: Paperback

Source: Giveaway

Goodreads:★★★★


The heroic son of Poseidon makes an action-packed comeback in the second must-read installment of Rick Riordan’s amazing young readers series. Starring Percy Jackson, a “half blood” whose mother is human and whose father is the God of the Sea, Riordan’s series combines cliffhanger adventure and Greek mythology lessons that results in true page-turners that get better with each installment. In this episode, The Sea of Monsters, Percy sets out to retrieve the Golden Fleece before his summer camp is destroyed, surpassing the first book’s drama and setting the stage for more thrills to come.

REVIEW

After completing The Lightning Thief, I decided to continue on with the Percy Jackson series right away and picked up The Sea of Monsters. If you’ve read my review of The Lightning Thief (LINK), you’ll know that my main issue with the book was how closely it paralleled my beloved Harry Potter. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the characters and the adventure, so I hoped the series would adopt more of its own voice as the story continued.

Unfortunately, The Sea of Monsters started off on the wrong foot. There was a syntax error in the first few pages, and a scene at the beginning that closely mirrored the Knight Bus in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I couldn’t believe the similarities, but kept powering through, and I’m so glad I did!

The Sea of Monsters introduces readers to a new character named Tyson, who is a young cyclops. In Percy’s world, cyclopes are very dangerous and thus mistreated by half bloods. I absolutely loved the role Tyson plays in the story, and am impressed with Rick Riordon’s decision to include him. Percy’s journey with Tyson is so touching. It teachers readers about acceptance, and how someone who is a bit different is not necessarily bad. I think it’s amazing that children who read this book will get to see how important it is to be kind and understanding of everyone.

Moreover, The Sea of Monsters is a fast-paced and exciting read. This second book jumps right into the action from the start, and readers are along for the ride without hesitation. While I do wish there was a bit more set-up at the beginning, once I adjusted to the new storyline I was fully invested. Percy is such a great narrator, and his voice makes the book so much fun to read.

Finally, I loved the cliffhanger at the end of The Sea of Monsters. It was a bit predictable, but it was still exciting, and made me want to pick up the next book in the series right away. I was surprised at how short The Sea of Monsters was, but I enjoyed it a great deal, and it was a definite improvement over the first book in the series. I’m excited to continue on and see where Percy’s adventures take him and his friends next!

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Book Review | Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

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Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Published by Delacorte on September 1, 2015

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: 240

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley

Goodreads: ★★★★


This innovative, heartfelt debut novel tells the story of a girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world. When a new family moves in next door, she begins a complicated romance that challenges everything she’s ever known. The narrative unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, texts, charts, lists, illustrations, and more.

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

REVIEW

Everything, Everything is the story of Madeline, an 18-year-old girl who has lived in the bubble of her home since infancy because she has a disease called Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (aka “SCID”) that requires a sterile environment at all times. At the beginning of the novel, a new family moves next door, and Madeline is immediately drawn to Olly, a good-looking guy whose bedroom is directly across from hers. The two quickly begin an online friendship, and Madeline wants more than anything for their relationship to exist in reality as well. What follows is an emotional and thought-provoking novel about young love, family relationships, and health, both physical and emotional.

I thoroughly enjoyed Everything, Everything, but definitely have some critiques. First and foremost is the language used in the book. For the most part, the story flowed well and Madeline’s first-person narration was easy to read. However, every once in a while the word choice was very awkward and disrupted the rhythm of the story. For instance, in a scene where Madeline was talking about her body, she uses the word “derriere,” which seemed extremely out-of-character. This small interruption in the reading flow occurred every so often, and while the incidents were alone quite small, they amounted to a regular, noticeable pattern in the book. Similarly, religion did not play a role in the novel, but there was one, odd sentence about God that seemed out of place. I reread the line several times, but couldn’t figure out its purpose.

Moreover, Everything, Everything was a novel that tried to do too much in too few pages. In other words, the author discussed many serious topics in this short book. While some of them were well-developed and made a substantial contribution to the story, others felt forced, and as if they were thrown in just to score points with readers. For example, a side character who only appears in one scene mentions he is gay and struggling with whether or not he should come out to his parents. Though it is admirable that the author chose to include such diverse characters in Everything, Everything, I wish she stuck to the core themes of the novel instead of trying to include everything (pun intended).

Finally, Everything, Everything does include instalove, a trope which has truly come to annoy me as a young adult contemporary reader. I won’t go into details regarding the romance in this book so as to avoid spoilers, but instalove is definitely at the forefront of the novel, and I found it quite uncomfortable at times. I also want to mention that the romance in this book does include an explicit scene that may not be appropriate for younger readers, which is something you may want to take into consideration before purchasing this book for yourself or your child.

Despite these criticisms, I truly did find Everything, Everything to be a great read and a solid debut novel for Nicola Yoon. The characters felt real, and the world is extremely well-detailed. I loved how the reader gets to see instant message conversations between Madeline and Olly, as well as other documents such as medical charts and internet purchases. These additions help to make the book even more developed and quite believable.

Though I did predict the ending of the book, I was still affected by it nonetheless. I spent hours thinking about the outcome after finishing the novel. Everything, Everything is definitely a book I will remember for a long time, and one that I think is perfect to discuss with friends or book clubs. I recommend it for fans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars and E. Lockart’s We Were Liars, and for fans of young adult contemporary more generally. Add this to your wish list now so you’ll be ready for it’s release this September!

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Book Review | Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

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Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

Published by Aladdin on September 1, 2000

Genres: Middle Grade, Historial Fiction, Survival

Pages: 272

Format: Paperback

Source: Purchased

Goodreads: ★★★★★

It’s late summer 1793, and the streets of Philadelphia are abuzz with mosquitoes and rumors of fever. Down near the docks, many have taken ill, and the fatalities are mounting. Now they include Polly, the serving girl at the Cook Coffeehouse. But fourteen-year-old Mattie Cook doesn’t get a moment to mourn the passing of her childhood playmate. New customers have overrun her family’s coffee shop, located far from the mosquito-infested river, and Mattie’s concerns of fever are all but overshadowed by dreams of growing her family’s small business into a thriving enterprise. But when the fever begins to strike closer to home, Mattie’s struggle to build a new life must give way to a new fight-the fight to stay alive.

REVIEW

Growing up I was a regular at my local library, and one book that I specifically remember checking out on more than one occasion is Fever 1793. It wasn’t until recent years that I discovered it is written by the same author of the acclaimed young adult contemporary Speak – a book I didn’t love despite the hype surrounding it. I’ve been wanting to reread Fever 1793 ever since that discovery, and when I found a used copy at the Strand for $1 I just had to pick it up.

Fever 1793 is the story of young Mattie Cook, a teenager growing up in Philadelphia and helping her widowed mother run a coffeehouse. The story opens with one of Mattie’s childhood friends suddenly dying from the yellow fever, which erupts into a full epidemic throughout her city. Readers follow Mattie as she attempts to escape the disease by leaving Philadelphia for the countryside with her beloved grandfather. Of course, things do not go as planned.

I am very impressed with how deep and emotional Fever 1793 is, especially for a middle grade novel. I grew to love each and every character, and found myself reaching for the tissues on more than one occasion. Mattie is an excellent first-person narrator, and while some of the dialogue in the book can be considered corny by today’s standards, the language stays true to the time period.

In the same way, it is clear the author did substantial research on yellow fever in order to write a historical fiction novel quite focused on the history.  I really liked how each chapter opened with a quotation from primary source material, whether it be a book from the 18th century or a letter from a politician of the time. It added a lot of credibility to the story, and also made the fictional characters seem more real. I also thought it was smart that the novel concluded with a few pages describing the history of the yellow fever. It’s always nice to know precisely what parts of historical fiction are true to history versus created by the author.

All in all, I have nothing but praise for Fever 1793. While my opinion may be biased due to me loving this book as a child, I’m so happy I still enjoyed it as an adult. If you’re looking for a great historical fiction novel, I highly recommend this one. Whether you’re at the middle grade reading level or not, Fever 1793 is bound to be a great read for you.

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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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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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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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Book Review | This Side of Home by Renée Watson

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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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Book Review | My Best Everything by Sarah Tomp

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My Best Everything by Sarah Tomp

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on March 3, 2015

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: 400

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley

Goodreads: ★★★★


An Appalachian summer walks the line between toxic and intoxicating in this debut novel about first loves, broken hearts, and moonshine.

 
Luisa “Lulu” Mendez has just finished her final year of high school in a small Virginia town, determined to move on and leave her job at the local junkyard behind. So when her father loses her college tuition money, Lulu needs a new ticket out.
 
Desperate for funds, she cooks up the (illegal) plan to make and sell moonshine with her friends. Quickly realizing they’re out of their depth, they turn to Mason, a local boy who’s always seemed like a dead end. As Mason guides Lulu through the secret world of moonshine, it looks like her plan might actually work. But can she leave town before she loses everything?
 
My Best Everything is Lulu’s letter to Mason–but is it a love letter, an apology, or a good-bye?
REVIEW

When I received an email from NetGalley describing My Best Everything as a debut novel for fans of Rainbow Rowell, I knew I wanted to pick it up. The plot summary really intrigued me – how could a girl who worked so hard to stay on the straight and narrow suddenly put her morals aside and begin an illegal business selling moonshine? I had to know how this story panned out.

The writing style of My Best Everything is quite unique. Our main character Lulu is writing a letter to Mason, the love interest in the story. Thus, readers are placed into the role of Mason, and whenever Lulu speaks to “you” she is speaking to Mason. This style was a little difficult to get into, since I’m not used to playing the role of a teenage boy, but once I settled into it I really liked the flow and rhythm of the writing. In addition, this format added a lot of mystery to the story, because I had no idea why Lulu was writing to Mason, and had to keep reading to find out.

Moreover, I really enjoyed the characters in My Best Everything. Each character has a well-developed story, even if he or she is not in the spotlight. For instance, Lulu’s best friend Roni faces some difficult challenges, and grows substantially throughout the novel. I really liked this attention to detail, and I thought the smaller plotlines added a lot of depth to the book.

There are, however, some things I did not like about My Best Everything. First, the pacing in the novel was off for me. The first 75% of the story moved very slowly. I was never bored, but I did stop and think to myself, “Wow, nothing has really happened yet!” at several points in my reading. The last quarter of the book is definitely rushed, and I would have preferred a more balanced pace. A lot of information was dumped on the reader right at the end, and while I did like the ending, the information dump did take away some credibility for me.

Similarly, I did not like the lack of consequences for Lulu in this story. I will be vague in this criticism as to not spoil the book, but Lulu is constantly breaking the law and finding herself in dangerous situations, yet for some reason she gets away with it. Her parents do a terrible job of supporting her, and even the other adults in her life, like her boss and local priest, do not keep tabs on Lulu or provide guidance for her. The lack of consequences for Lulu’s actions was really aggravating for me, and definitely took away some of the believability in the story.

All in all, I gave My Best Everything a four star rating because I thought the writing was very well done and overall enjoyed the story. While there are a few aspects with the story that I wish were different, My Best Everything is still a great young adult contemporary, and a solid debut novel for author Sarah Tomp. I look forward to seeing what she comes out with in the future, as I know her strong writing skills will lead to even better books.

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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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