Category Archives: Contemporary

Let's Get Together by Brandy Colbert

Review: Let’s Get Together by Brandy Colbert

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Let’s Get Together
Brandy Colbert
Clarion Books
Published September 9, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Let’s Get Together

Boston Globe–Horn Book Award–winning author Brandy Colbert gives The Parent Trap a fresh, funny, and delightfully unexpected update in this story of two girls—one raised by her single father, the other in the foster care system—who meet by chance . . . only to discover they’re identical twins.

Kenya Norwood likes things just the way they are. She’s lived all her life in Pasadena with her dad and grandmother, she’s attended the same school with the same friends since pre-K, and whether it’s at outdoor club or her own lunch table, she loves being the center of attention. Even as she’s about to start middle school, she knows one thing for sure: none of that is going to change.

For Liberty Perry, change is all she’s ever known. Her mother disappeared when she was a toddler, and ever since, she’s never stayed in one place for very long. But her new foster mother, Joey, seems different. Maybe in this home, in this school, change won’t come so quickly.

Except everything changes the day the girls meet—and Kenya and Liberty discover they are identical.

Neither Kenya nor Liberty is ready to find out she has a twin sister (in fact, they’re both unsure if they even want one), and when the girls learn the truth of how they were separated, it’s clear that no one else in their lives was ready for this, either. But soon, they realize that the connection they share might be even stronger than the things that kept them apart—and that teaming up might be the only way to set everything right.

My Review

I must be especially vulnerable to earworms because all it takes is seeing this title to get the song from the 1961 movie, which I haven’t seen since elementary school. The power of music.

This novel is based on that original idea: twins separated as babies, with no memory of one another, who reconnect unexpectedly and decide to set their parents up to fall in love. Some elements have been updated to be more modern and more believable. For example, Liberty lives with a foster mom. Kenya lives with her dad and grandmother. Neither girl knows where her biological mother is. (They find out in the course of the story.)

While the truth about the girls’ mom comes out, the story doesn’t center her experiences. Their grandmother and father tell the girls that their mother was sick and that the illness led her to make very painful choices. They acknowledge her drug addiction as part of her illness, but the explanation stays fairly neutral. They tell Liberty that they tried very hard to find her and her mom. The girls ask some questions and briefly discuss feeling angry at their mom, but again, it’s not a central focus of the story, and the narrative moves forward pretty quickly.

While Liberty hasn’t always had a positive experience with foster care, she loves her new foster mom, Joey (short for Josephine), and it’s easy to see why. The two have a great rapport. Joey offers stability and emotional support at a time when Liberty really needs them. I really appreciated that even though foster care wasn’t a focus of the book, Colbert made space for nuance and didn’t oversimplify or overly demonize the foster care experience.

Fans of the original story will note that these identical twins do not switch places as the characters in the earlier work did. I actually like that the story sidestepped what I imagine actual identical twins get tired of seeing/being asked about. A character jokes that the girls could swap places, and that’s about as far as that idea goes.

All in all, this is a charming, upbeat, family-focused story celebrating both biological bonds and bonds made purely from love.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Vague reference to the romantic status of adults.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Reference to kidnapping and abandonment of a young child. (Happens long before the story begins.)

Drug Content
Mention of a character with drug addiction issues. Nothing shown on scene.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Change of Plans by Sarah Dessen

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Change of Plans
Sarah Dessen
Simon & Schuster
Published May 5, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Change of Plans

From acclaimed and #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah Dessen comes a “sweet, nuanced, and reflective coming-of-age love story” ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review) about an unassuming girl who learns to stand on her own while falling in love during a life-changing summer.

Finley has always felt most comfortable in someone else’s shadow. Fortunately, she’s got Colin, her magnetic boyfriend, who sweeps her along for activities, friendships, and future plans. Then she goes on a last-minute trip with her distant mom to a family vacation house that Finley didn’t know existed and is now about to be sold.

Her mom was estranged from her own parents and siblings since leaving home for college, and it’s a novelty for Finley to see her aunts and cousins. There’s also the handful of teens who work at the Egg, her aunt’s diner, and make up a found family of their own—including undeniably handsome guitarist Ben.

Then her relationship with Colin goes into freefall, and Finley’s roadmap for life after high school is gone. She has no choice but to live, for the first time, without plans. The longer Finley stays, the closer she gets to the truth about why her mother stayed away—and why she’s brought Finley here now.

And the closer she grows to new friends at the Egg, the more she starts to fall for charmingly awkward, soulful Ben and to realize how much of herself she’s been missing. By the end of the summer, nothing will be the same—for this community or for Finley herself.

My Review

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a Sarah Dessen book, but this one took me right back to all the reasons I’ve loved them. Finley begins the story in desperate need of a shake-up. Though her relationship with Colin is sweet, it’s clear she’s clinging to him as much for the security and stability the relationship brings as her feelings for him. The unexpected trip with her mom forces Finley to reevaluate all her careful plans. For the first time in a long time (maybe ever), she makes new friends and makes new choices. From forging connections with estranged family members she barely knew to committing to a summer job and exploring the possibility of a new romance, Finley explores a lot of new things and what each means to her.

I love the balance of introspection to adventure in this book. Finley does a lot of soul-searching, but she also engages in what’s happening around her. As a former restaurant worker, I totally appreciated the scenes describing restaurant work. Those scenes capture the rush and chaos of food service and the way that you bond with coworkers in those roles.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It makes me want to go back and reread some of the other titles by Sarah Dessen that I’ve read in the past and try out the ones I missed. (Looking at you, Saint Anything, still sitting neglected on my shelf.)

While it’s probably too late to make this one a 2026 summer read, I think it’s a perfect summer nostalgia book to pick up as we head into the fall.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A few instances of strong profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to an unsafe home life for one character. Nothing happens on scene. One character behaves (off-scene) in increasingly erratic and worrisome ways. One character learns that their parent is facing a serious illness.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol at home and at a party. Reference to one character’s parent being an alcoholic.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

MMGM Review: When You’re Brave Enough by Rebecca Bendheim

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When You’re Brave Enough
Rebecca Bendheim
Viking Books for Young Readers
Published April 7, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About When You’re Brave Enough

A heartfelt, gorgeously written debut middle grade novel about best friends, first crushes, and coming out—perfect for fans of Kyle Lukoff and Jake Maia Arlow.

Before she moved from Austin to Rhode Island, everybody knew Lacey as one half of an inseparable duo: Lacey-and-Grace, best friends since they were toddlers. Grace and her moms were practically family. But at school, being lumped together with overeager, worm-obsessed, crushes-on-everyone Grace meant Lacey never quite fit in—and that’s why at her new middle school, Lacey plans to reinvent herself. This time, she’s going to be cool. She’s going to be normal.

At first, everything seems to go as planned. Lacey makes new friends right away, she finds a rabbi to help her prepare for the bat mitzvah that got deprioritized by her parents in the chaos of the move, and she even gets cast in the lead role of the eighth-grade musical. Which is when things start to get stressful, because it turns out the students at her new school have a long-standing, unofficial tradition: No matter what the show is, in the final performance, the leads always kiss for real.

Lacey’s never kissed anyone before—she’s not even sure she’s ever had a crush. And in Bye, Bye, Birdie, there are a few different co-lead kiss possibilities for Lacey to choose from. There’s confident, cocky Andre. There’s sweet, friendly Jaden. And then there’s the other new girl at school: dryly funny, impossibly cool Violet.

But while her new friends and older sister create whiteboard wall charts and botched field trip schemes to help her decide, suddenly Lacey can’t stop thinking about Grace, who she was so sure she wanted to leave behind. When Grace comes back into her life, Lacey needs to decide if she’s brave enough to be who she really is, in front of the person who matters most.

My Review

I enjoyed so many things about this book. Lacey’s quest to reinvent herself was nicely done. I’ve seen a lot more middle grade books that focus on the friend who is being left behind instead of the friend who is plunging ahead, wanting to embrace a new middle school identity.

Bendheim allows readers to realize Lacey’s feelings gradually, almost as if we figure things out right along with Lacey. I also like that Lacey is at a different school, far from Grace. This creates a buffer between the girls and gives Lacey space to try out her new identity without hurting or rejecting Grace. I think it might have been harder to admire Lacey and root for her if she was unkind to Grace in order to fit in with new friends.

Lacey also has to navigate her feelings about her role in the family. Sometimes her family feels like too much. Sometimes what she wants gets pushed to the side. Part of reinventing herself involves figuring out how to support and celebrate her family while speaking up when they hurt her, too.

I also enjoyed that the story explores Lacey’s preparation for her bat mitzvah and what that means to her. Lacey reads Anne Frank’s diary as she tries to figure out what she believes and who she is. She lingers on certain passages and rereads sections that stand out to her. I liked the way that the author included this experience and related it to Lacey’s faith journey.

All in all, I absolutely agree with the comparison between this book and books by Kyle Lukoff. I also think readers who enjoy books by Claire Swinarski will enjoy this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Lacey prepares to celebrate her bat mitzvah. She memorizes a part of the Torah and writes a speech about what the passage means to her.

Violent Content
Brief homophobic comments. Some brief bullying or meanness.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Library or Lattes? by Lila Hazell

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

Library or Lattes? (Love in Oak Falls #1)
Lila Hazell
Pixel + Ink
Published August 25, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Library or Lattes?

A cozy, swoony autumn romance with a Sliding Doors twist, perfect for readers of Jenny Han and Lynn Painter. Like Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice for this fall!

One season, two choices for love…

Willa’s small town is at its best in the fall. Think crisp air, golden leaves, bonfires, hayrides, and pumpkin spice. It’s cozy and comforting, pretty much perfect, but sometimes Willa wonders if she’s destined for more.

Then she’s left some money by a distant aunt, with one condition: It must be used to see the world. The rest of the book unfolds in alternating chapters where she makes one choice or another about this inheritance.

In one strand, Willa decides to study travel journalism, but she has to hit the books if she wants to be accepted into a program. That why she spends her weekends in the library, where Theo, a grumpy out-of-towner, also hangs out. He may think everything in this town is beneath him, but… there’s something irresistible about him when he smiles.

In the other strand, Willa begins planning a perfect round-the-world trip. Meanwhile, she’s working at her favorite coffee shop… where she suddenly gets a new boss, monosyllabic James, who’s back in his hometown to nurse a broken heart.

Each potential choice leads Willa to love, and the final chapter is classic happily ever after.

My Review

This sweet fall romance follows two possible paths that Willa’s life could take, leading her to two different romances. In effect, we get to watch her fall in love twice.

The chapters alternate between “Library” and “Lattes” timelines. The Library timeline shows what happens when she gives in to her feelings for the surly architect research student who shows up at the library just when Willa needs extra study time. The Lattes timeline follows Willa’s adventures when she winds up working with her boss’s son to save their coffee shop.

Some elements remain largely the same between the two timelines. Willa’s quirky best friend Lennie appears in both timelines, and both are set in the same small town over the same time period. Willa and Lennie’s friendship faces challenges in both versions of the story as well.

I was surprised that both stories take place in the same town. For some reason, I expected at least one to be about Willa traveling, since a letter from her aunt challenging her to travel beyond the small town she’s always known is what sets the whole story in motion. It might have been easier to differentiate between the two timelines if they were set in different places as well.

That said, I thought both romances were compelling. I liked the fact that the story treated both relationships as equal possibilities for Willa.

One thing that gave me pause is Willa’s reaction when she outs someone. She makes a comment in public about a relationship that’s not public because she got flustered and forgot for a moment. She really wants to pass this off as a mistake, which I found hard to stomach. Yes, it was absolutely a mistake, but she had been told that one person in the relationship did not feel safe coming out. The choice to remain closeted wasn’t about preference; it was about safety. I didn’t feel like Willa really grasped what she’d done. Late in the story, the person she outed confronts her about it, and I think she seemed to realize the gravity of her mistake then. So, eventually, she understands and apologizes to the person she hurt.

Overall, this is a sweet romance that will make a cozy read this fall.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Willa outs someone (accidentally).

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Leak by Kate Reed Petty

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The Leak
Kate Reed Petty
Illustrated by Andrea Bell
First Second
Published March 16, 2021

Amazon | Goodreads

About The Leak

In this middle-grade graphic novel, Ruth, a young journalist, is determined to uncover a secret that threatens her town.

Ruth Keller is brash and precocious; she argues with her dentist, her parents, and her teachers. So, when she discovers a strange black slime in the man-made lake of her suburban neighborhood, she decides to investigate. Fortified by the encouragement of those around her, Ruth seeks the truth at all costs, even if it means taking on the rich local country club owner, who she believes is responsible for the pollution.

Between the teasing of former friends, and a sudden viral spotlight, Ruth discovers how difficult it is for a journalist to take a stand for what’s right in the face of critique and controversy.

My Review

The fact that this book was inspired by the Flint water crisis intrigued me. My daughter picked up this book at the library and really wanted me to read it, so that also helped. Ha!

Ruth is a middle school student and an aspiring journalist. She writes her own newsletter, which had only a few friends and family members as subscribers at first. As she develops her skills as a journalist, her readership grows. An older journalist mentors her, encouraging Ruth to keep her personal biases out of her writing, to gather important research, and to ask questions rather than lob accusations.

In the midst of this adventure, the girls at school pressure Ruth about a boy she likes. They push her to define their relationship, to kiss him, and to prove that the two are dating. At first, Ruth is not interested in changing who she is or what she wants to gain the approval of these girls. She doesn’t always make the best choices in response to the pressure (which seems pretty realistic to me), but she ultimately strives to be true to herself and honor her values.

Give this book to aspiring journalists, young readers interested in ecology, or high achievers who march to the beat of their own drums.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 9 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Reference to a graffiti drawing of male anatomy.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Some of Ruth’s friends pressure her to show more interest in a boy than she feels, so he doesn’t “lose interest” in her.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed this book from my public library. All opinions are my own.

Review: Rolls and Rivalry by Kristy Boyce

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Rolls and Rivalry (Gaming and Romance #3)
Kristy Boyce
Delacorte Romance
Published May 5, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Rolls and Rivalry

Roll the dice, strike up the band, and get ready for a swoon-worthy summer! A charming gaming romance that blends the magic of D&D with the camaraderie of band camp—from the bestselling author of Dating and Dragons!

Questing for love . . .

Hazel Buchanan has her senior year mapped out: Win respect as color guard captain, kick off her first D&D campaign, and steer clear of distractions. But her plan takes a critical hit when Max—her former best friend and longtime crush—returns to town with drumsticks in hand and an unexplained chip on his shoulder.

Hazel and Max can’t help bickering every time they’re together, and thanks to meddling parents, he’s invading her D&D game too. As Dungeon Master, she’s ready to shut him down, but D&D has a way of bringing people together like nothing else. Is this rivalry masking something more? With dice rolling and emotions spinning, Hazel might be in for more than she planned . . .

My Review

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, so I absolutely had to read this one. Each of the books in the series is pretty self-contained, so you could start with this one or go back to book one and enjoy them all in the order they were published. This one does have a brief cameo of a couple from book two.

All the marching band content was a lot of fun in this book. I like the way that the D&D elements and band elements intertwined. For example, Hazel invites her team to create D&D characters as a team-building exercise. It ends up becoming a long-running experience for the team, which really showcases the power of inside jokes and shared memories.

Having both D&D and marching band could have proved too many elements to bring together, but I think that the author did a great job balancing those things with the romance.

This is another book that draws on the friends-to-enemies-to-lovers trope, too. I liked getting to see Hazel and Max reconnect. I was on the edge of my seat as we learned why their friendship frayed in the first place and watched them navigate the obstacles that drove them apart.

At the beginning, I worried that the pranking was going to be too much for me. The percussion section and the color guard have an ongoing rivalry that gets kind of ugly. Like, not thriller-level ugly, but the percussionists do some pretty mean stuff to Hazel’s team. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to like Max after some of that.

The story does address the meanness, and Max takes steps to repair his relationship with Hazel and earn back her trust. Ultimately, I felt good about that because it felt like there was course correction, not just shrugging and insisting the pranks were funny.

All in all, I enjoyed the book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very rarely.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some brief instances of bullying and mean pranks.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.