It’s a Whole Spiel uses its all-star lineup of Jewish YA authors to maximum impact, painting a nuanced, intersectional picture of the joys and pains of contemporary teenage Jewish identity.
Book Review: REBEL GIRLS by Elizabeth Keenan
Rebel Girls attempts to repackage nostalgia as a novel, substituting pop-culture references for thoughtful worldbuilding. The result is a poorly-paced, directionless story with a disturbing lack of empathy.
Book Review: FRANKLY IN LOVE by David Yoon
Frankly in Love isn’t the fake-dating romance you might be expecting. It is, however, an outstanding YA debut: a loving look at identity, family, and growing up.
Is FRANKLY IN LOVE’s hype setting it up to fail?
Penguin Teen’s huge marketing push could be setting expectations that the actual book won’t be able to meet.
Help us start a magazine of YA!
If you noticed that I’ve bene on semi-hiatus for the last two weeks (and I know you have. Hundreds of you have been hitting refresh on your WordPress, wondering why Katie has only posted two reviews in the past two weeks), this is why. I’m helping to launch a magazine devoted entirely to the world…
Book Review: THE LADY ROGUE by Jenn Bennett
The Lady Rogue is a clever, exciting bit of historical fun. I worry that it will fly under the radar, but pick it up if you’re in the mood for a treat.
Book Review: PERMANENT RECORD by Mary H. K. Choi
Permanent Record uses the success of Mary H. K. Choi’s bestselling debut as a springboard to reach an even more ambitious story, this time about self-ownership, direction, and love in the time of social media.
Book Review: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING WILDE AT HEART by R. Zamora Linmark
The Importance of Being Wilde at Heart tries way, way too hard. But then again, what better encapsulates the spirit of Oscar Wilde and teenagerdom than this messy, passionate exploration of the power of literature?
Book Review: SWIPE RIGHT FOR MURDER by Derek Milman
Swipe Right For Murder shoots high, aiming for satire, action, comedy, and drama all at once. Unfortunately, it falls short of all, ending up as an incoherent, unpleasant read.
Mini-Review: QUEEN OF RUIN by Tracy Banghart
I read the sequel to last year’s Grace and Fury mostly out of morbid curiosity and got exactly what I figured I was in for. Queen of Ruin makes a few improvements on the first installment but still doesn’t have the depth its subject matter demands.
Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag
I’m a few days late, but I can’t let the halfway mark of the year pass by without taking stock of what I’ve read in the first six months of 2019.
Happy Book Birthday: Three New YA Titles
Three YA titles are hitting shelves today that I’ve got my eye on: one ARC that I… uh… didn’t love, and two that look fantastic.
Book Review: ALL OF US WITH WINGS by Michelle Ruiz Keli
All of Us With Wings is a gorgeous, inventive work of magical realism. Unfortunately, the beauty and empowerment are marred by a romanticized relationship between a teen and her employer, 10 years her senior.
Book Review: THE KINGDOM by Jess Rothenberg
A tense, creepy descent into the dark underbelly of a glittering princess theme park.
Five stars for this coming-of-age sci-fi mystery.
Happy Book Birthday: Two Releases I’m Looking Forward To
Today, I’ve got my eye on one new release that looks wonderful and another for… other reasons.
July Wrap-Up: Blogging Recap feat. a ~special project~
What I Read In June I read fewer books than usual this month, but had a really high percentage of winners. I read seven in total, and four of those were five-star books! It’s so hard to pick a favorite, so I’ll cheat and pick two: I Like To Watch and The Kingdom. My least…
July Releases I’m Watching
July 2019 looks like it’s going to be a little quieter. Most summer books are already out. This is fine by me–I need all the time I can get to gear up for September.
Happy Book Birthday: 2 debuts I loved & a YA I can’t wait to read
Today isn’t one of 2019’s major hyped release dates (looking at you, September) but it’s a big one for me. I’m so freakin excited.
Book Review: ME MYSELF & HIM by Chris Tebbetts
An intriguing idea dragged down by flat characters and an unpleasant protagnist: a case of autobiographical fiction gone wrong. Two stars.
Book Review: EMERGENCY CONTACT by Mary H. K. Choi
Swoon. Emergency Contact was just what I needed this week. Smart, compassionate, and messy–everything a college romance should be.
Book Review: I LIKE TO WATCH by Emily Nussbaum
Decades in the making, this unassuming book represents the central thesis of one of the greatest television critics, Emily Nussbaum. I Like to Watch isn’t just a collection of TV criticism; it’s a defense of TV criticism and television itself, celebrating the medium’s unique power and charting its evolution throughout the post-Sopranos golden age. Five stars.