Category Archives: Contemporary

Review: This is How You Fall in Love by Anika Hussain

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This is How You Fall in Love by Anika Hussain

This is How You Fall in Love
Anika Hussain
Hot Key Books
Published February 2, 2024

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This is How You Fall in Love

Zara and Adnan are just friends. Always have been, always will be. Even if they have to pretend to be girlfriend and boyfriend…

Zara loves love in all forms: 90s romcoms and romance novels and grand sweeping gestures. And she’s desperate to have her own great love story. Crucially, a real one. So when her best friend Adnan begs her to pretend to date him to cover up his new top-secret … Continue reading →

Review: Call Me Iggy by Jorge Aguirre and Rafael Rosado

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Call Me Iggy by Jose Aguirre cover shows a girl with a cross-body bag and a boy with a hoodie and backpack.

Call Me Iggy
Jorge Aguirre
Illustrated by Rafael Rosado
First Second
Published February 13, 2024

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About Call Me Iggy

Ignacio “Iggy” Garcia is an Ohio-born Colombian American teen living his best life. After bumping into Marisol (and her coffee) at school, Iggy’s world is spun around. But Marisol as too much going on to be bothered with the likes of Iggy. She has school, work, family, and the uphill battle of getting her legal papers. As Iggy stresses over how to get Marisol … Continue reading →

Review: The Boyfriend Wish by Swati Teerdhala

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The Boyfriend Wish by Swati Teerdhala

The Boyfriend Wish
Swati Teerdhala
Katherine Tegen Books
Published February 13, 2024

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About The Boyfriend Wish

A charming romantic comedy about a South Indian American teen girl who makes a wish upon a flower for her perfect boyfriend…and then a new boy moves in right next door. With love triangles, prank wars, and a sizzling sweet romance—this is perfect for fans of Sandhya Menon and Jenny Han.

Deepa’s a hopeless romantic. And even though Deepa’s checklist for the perfect boyfriend is a mile long, her mom and dad’s fairy-tale love story makes her feel like romantic success ought to … Continue reading →

Review: With a Little Luck by Marissa Meyer

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With a Little Luck by Marissa Meyer

With a Little Luck (Fortuna Beach #2)
Marissa Meyer
Feiwel & Friends
Published February 13, 2024

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About With a Little Luck

After being magically gifted with incredible luck, a boy discovers this gift just may be a curse when it comes to love, in this YA novel by #1 New York Times -bestselling author Marissa Meyer.

Jude is determined to fly under the radar. He just wants to draw his comics, host regular D&D night with his friends, work at his parents’ vinyl record store, and escape high school as unscathed as possible. That … Continue reading →

Review: A Bit of Earth by Karuna Riazi

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A Bit of Earth by Karuna Riazi cover shows a girl looking back over her shoulder toward the camera. In the background is a tall tree whose leaves form a path, winding around the tree and swirling around the girl.

A Bit of Earth
Karuna Riazi
Greenwillow Books
Published March 14, 2023

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About A Bit of Earth

Maria Latif is used to not having a space of her own. But what happens when she feels the sudden urge to put down roots in the most unexpected of places?

Growing up in Pakistan, Maria Latif has been bounced between reluctant relatives for as long as she can remember–first because of her … Continue reading →

Review: Drawing Deena by Hena Khan

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Drawing Deena by Hena Khan

Drawing Deena
Hena Khan
Salaam Reads
Published February 6, 2024

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About Drawing Deena

From the award-winning author of AMINA’S VOICE and AMINA’S SONG comes a tenderhearted middle grade novel about a young Pakistani American artist determined to manage her anxiety and forge her own creative path.

Deena’s never given a name to the familiar knot in her stomach that appears when her parents argue about money, when it’s time to go to school, or when she struggles to find the right words. She manages to make it through each day with the help of her friends and the art she … Continue reading →