Category Archives: Contemporary

Review: Being Toffee by Sarah Crossan

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Being Toffee by Sarah Crossan

Being Toffee
Sarah Crossan
Bloomsbury YA
Published July 14, 2020

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About Being Toffee

One is trying to forget. The other is trying to remember.

After running away from an abusive home, Allison finds herself taking shelter in a shed behind an abandoned house. But the house isn’t empty after all; an elderly woman named Marla, who suffers from dementia, lives there. And rather than turn her away, Marla welcomes her – she mistakes Allison for an old friend from her past named Toffee.

Allison is used to hiding who she really is, and trying to be what other people want her to be, so she decides to play along. But as their bond grows, and Allison discovers how much Marla needs a real companion, Allison begins to waver. They both deserve a home, a safe place, and a family – but at what cost?

My Review

Wow. It’s amazing to me that this novel in poetry hits so hard emotionally in far fewer words than a narrative novel. Like, a good writer always gets you hooked on their characters, right? But this… like, I’d read 100 words and feel my heart breaking, or my blood boiling with anger, or I’d be overwhelmed with the tenderness of the scene.

Like my whole review could be summarized to say: I felt things.

Honestly, this book is such an emotional ride. I loved Allie and Marla both in all their flaws and brokenness. I hated every time someone took advantage of or hurt them.

But I loved how they healed each other in these incremental ways, and how they found ways to be friends around and through the broken places in their lives. I loved that.

The story has some tough content in it, so please read with care. I’ve listed trigger warnings below under violent content. Allie also is befriended by someone who takes advantage of her– not physically or sexually, but emotionally, and that got kind of gross, too, so be aware if that’s something you’re sensitive to.

One the whole, I still feel blown away by this book. I’ve read others by Crossan before, but this one hit me hardest by far.

See my reviews for:

MOONRISE by Sarah Crossan

WE COME APART by Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan

ONE by Sarah Crossan

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
All characters are Irish. (Takes place in Ireland.)

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used fairly frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content – TRIGGER WARNING
Multiple graphic descriptions of domestic violence and abuse and emotional trauma.

Drug Content
Smoking pot. Drinking alcohol.

Note: I received a free copy of BEING TOFFEE in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Review: What Unbreakable Looks Like by Katie McLaughlin

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

What Unbreakable Looks Like
Katie McLaughlin
Wednesday Books
Published June 23, 2020

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About What Unbreakable Looks Like

Lex was taken – trafficked – and now she’s Poppy. Kept in a hotel with other girls, her old life is a distant memory. But when the girls are rescued, she doesn’t quite know how to be Lex again.

After she moves in with her aunt and uncle, for the first time in a long time, she knows what it is to feel truly safe. Except, she doesn’t trust it. Doesn’t trust her new home. Doesn’t trust her new friend. Doesn’t trust her new life. Instead she trusts what she shouldn’t because that’s what feels right. She doesn’t deserve good things.

But when she is sexually assaulted by her so-called boyfriend and his friends, Lex is forced to reckon with what happened to her and that just because she is used to it, doesn’t mean it is okay. She’s thrust into the limelight and realizes she has the power to help others. But first she’ll have to confront the monsters of her past with the help of her family, friends, and a new love.

Kate McLaughlin’s What Unbreakable Looks Like is a gritty, ultimately hopeful novel about human trafficking through the lens of a girl who has escaped the life and learned to trust, not only others, but in herself.

My Review

I found this book really addicting. It’s intense– Lex is recovering from being trafficked, and some scenes show her in a recovery program and then transitioning to a life with her aunt and uncle. Some chapters open with memories from her past. Most focus on her relationships with the girls and her early relationship with Mitch, the man who trafficked her.

Trafficking is a really grim topic, and the scars that life left behind on Lex are obvious. Her mistrust, her tendency to disassociate, her ability to use her body to try to control others, all of that comes through on the page without apology.

But I felt like the story is almost this love letter to recovery, and to hope. What if a girl got out and found a community who supported her through her recovery? What if she found the courage and strength to speak about what happened to her?

WHAT UNBREAKABLE LOOKS LIKE shows an incredible (at times perhaps unbelievable) transformation that belongs to Lex. While she has great support, this journey is about her, and her power to become the woman she wants to be. It’s an empowering story, packed with hope and courage.

There are definitely some potential triggers, though, involving sexual assault and trafficking as well as physical abuse. See my notes below for more details.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 17 up.

Representation
Most characters are white. Lex’s uncle is Black. Her friend Zack is half Hawaiian.

I read another review of the book in which the reviewer commented on the use of AAVE (African American Vernacular English), especially when Lex was talking about her life while she was being trafficked. I sort of noticed it, but hadn’t really thought about how that might be offensive. It sounded like the author was trying to model the character’s speech after girls she’d interviewed and the way they talked, and maybe she didn’t think about how it would sound to Black readers. A note of explanation may have been helpful.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity and some crude sexual language used throughout the book.

Romance/Sexual Content – TRIGGER WARNING
Explicit scenes leading up to and referencing sexual assault. References to and brief descriptions of sexual trafficking.

Some scenes showing sex and referencing or leading up to oral sex.

Spiritual Content
Lex doesn’t believe in God. She and her friends watch Jesus Christ Superstar and talk about the rumor that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married. She also really has a connection with Mary’s song in the musical about how she feels about Jesus but isn’t able to act on those feelings or feels a disconnect between her feelings and actions.

Violent Content
References to self-harm and suicide. Several references to girls being beaten to death or physically abused. References to a man beating his wife and son.

Drug Content
Lex is a recovering drug addict. She attends a party where pot and alcohol are consumed, but she doesn’t participate.

Note: I received a free copy of WHAT UNBREAKABLE LOOKS LIKE in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Review: Take Me with You by Tara Altebrando

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Take Me with You
Tara Altebrando
Bloomsbury YA
Published June 23, 2020

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Take Me with You

Eden, Eli, Marwan, and Ilanka barely know each other beyond having a class or two together. But when they are all summoned via messaging app to an empty classroom after school, they find a small cube sitting on a desk. Its sides light up with rules for them:

Do not tell anyone about the device. Never leave the device unattended.
And then, Take me with you . . . or else.

At first they think it’s some kind of prank or a social experiment orchestrated by the school administration. Still, they follow its instructions until the newly-formed group starts to splinter. Nobody has time for these games–their lives are complicated enough. But the device seems increasingly invested in the private details of their lives. And disobeying its rules has scary–even life-threatening–consequences . . .

My Review

You know you’re in for a wild ride when an author creates a simple black cube and makes it creepy as all get out. I had no idea what I was in for when I started TAKE ME WITH YOU.

As soon as Eden took the cube, I knew I was hooked. I sneaked in a few pages between things I had to get done. Anytime I had a couple minutes, I was right back in the pages of the book.

Eden and Marwan are my favorites. I loved the fact that we got to see what they were each thinking about each other but not brave enough to say. And I loved that even though the cube opened up a nightmare for all the people involved, it also forced people who were isolated in different ways to take risks and form friendships. That part was really cool.

I think I stayed on the edge of my seat with this book all the way until the end. It’s definitely the kind of book where you just want there to be another chapter that really, finally, explicitly says what you’ve hoped will happen. But all the possibilities are there, and there’s something really sweet in leaving the story with that kind of open doorway to something great.

I really enjoyed TAKE ME WITH YOU. I’m not usually a big suspense reader, but I definitely enjoyed this book a lot. I think fans of WE DIDN’T ASK FOR THIS by Adi Alsaid or THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS by Marieke Nijkamp will like this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Marwan’s famiy is culturally Muslim. His parents are from Egypt. Ilanka’s family is Russian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Description of kissing between boy and girl. He asks for her to send him a “fun” picture. She takes a picture of herself in a bra and considers sending it to him.

Spiritual Content
Marwan and his family are Muslim but not practicing.

Violent Content
Someone throws eggs at and a rock through the window of Marwan’s family’s restaurant. A racial group name appears in spray paint on the sidewalk near the restaurant.

Drug Content
Parents drink alcohol socially.

Note: I received a free copy of TAKE ME WITH YOU in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Review: P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

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P.S. I Like You
Kasie West
Point Publishing
Published July 26, 2016

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About P.S. I Like You

Signed, sealed, delivered…

While spacing out in chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk and added a message to her. Intrigue!

Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters—sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she’s kind of falling for this letter writer. Only, who is he? As Lily attempts to unravel the mystery and juggle school, friends, crushes, and her crazy family, she discovers that matters of the heart can’t always be spelled out…

My Review

I. Loved. This. Book. I can’t believe it took me so long to actually read it. I’ve had it since I got it signed at a book con in 2016. Usually I tend toward more angsty books rather than lighthearted, funny books, but lately I’ve been needing a little Rom Com in my life. P.S. I LIKE YOU was exactly the book I needed.

Lily has a big, loud, crazy family, but they’re warm and open to outsiders, which I love. They’re the family that invites others to Thanksgiving dinner. I enjoyed the chaos and warmth of those characters and getting to see Lily with her guard down and feeling open and at ease.

When she’s not with her family, Lily tends to be ridiculously awkward and says the wackiest things. I couldn’t help laughing at some of the situations she lands herself in and some of the banter between her and other characters.

The letters between her and her mystery pen pal were great (I guessed who it was early on and that did not ruin anything for me) and kept me turning pages. I couldn’t wait to get to the next letter. I might have been as eager as Lily. Ha!

While I was reading the book, my husband commented that I looked happier than usual. And he was right! I definitely needed this fun book with its sweet romance. My only dilemma now is which book by Kasie West to read next!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Lily’s best friend is Mexican-American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between girl and boy.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Review: Finally, Something Mysterious by Doug Cornett

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, , , , , , , , ,

Finally, Something Mysterious
Doug Cornett
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published April 14, 2020

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About Finally, Something Mysterious

Paul Marconi has always thought that Bellwood was a strange town, but also a bit of a boring one. Not much for an 11 year old to do. Fires are burning nearby, Paul’s parents are obsessed with winning a bratwurst contest, his best friend, one of the founding members of their only-sibling detective club, The One and Onlys, is about to have a younger sister, sort of undoing their whole reason for existing. But then! Hundreds of rubber duckies have appeared on the lawn of poor Mr. Babbage without any explanation. Finally! There is something that Paul and his friends can actually investigate.

In the face of all these strange occurences, Paul is convinced that solving who put the duckies on that lawn will finally bring some sense to what has become an upside down world. Soon the three friends have a long list of suspects, all with their own motives, but no clear culprit. When everything comes to a head at the town’s annual Bellwood Bratwurst Bonanza, Paul discovers some that some things don’t have an easy explanation and not everything can be solved.

A perfect summer story about friends, amateur sleuthing and a whole lot of rubber duckies.

My Review

You can probably guess from the title that FINALLY, SOMETHING MYSTERIOUS is going to be a funny book, and you’re right! These three friends won’t back down in the face of weird alibis, scary teachers, or midnight tuba solos. I had so much fun reading this book. I loved the friendship between Paul and the One and Onlys. His small town is packed with quirky people sharing interesting connections.

I love that the mystery they’re solving involves loads of rubber ducks. It’s random and strange and a great representation of the kind of goofy humor that fills the pages of the story. If you’re looking for a good laugh, this book delivers.

It reminded me a little bit of THREE TIMES LUCKY by Sheila Turnage and Lemony Snicket’s All the Wrong Questions series. If you liked either of those, or you just need a good laugh, you’ll want to check out FINALLY, SOMETHING MYSTERIOUS.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
I think all three main characters are white kids.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Review: My Life as a Potato by Arianne Costner

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , ,

My Life as a Potato
Arianne Costner
Random House Books for Young Readers
Published March 24, 2020

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About My Life as a Potato

For anyone who has ever felt like a potato in middle school, this hilarious story about a boy forced to become the dorkiest school mascot ever will have readers cheering!

“A grade A, spudtastic (not to mention FUNNY) debut. Arianne Costner sure knows middle school and middle schoolers!” –Chris Grabenstein, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library

Ben Hardy believes he’s cursed by potatoes. And now he’s moved to Idaho, where the school’s mascot is Steve the Spud! Yeah, this cannot be good.

After accidentally causing the mascot to sprain an ankle, Ben is sentenced to Spud duty for the final basketball games of the year. But if the other kids know he’s the Spud, his plans for popularity are likely to be a big dud! Ben doesn’t want to let the team down, so he lies to his friends to keep it a secret. No one will know it’s him under the potato suit . . . right?

Life as a potato is all about not getting mashed! With laugh-out-loud illustrations throughout, hand to fans of James Patterson, Gordan Korman, Jeff Kinney, and Chris Grabenstein!

“A hilarious, relatable story for any kid who has ever felt out of place.” –Stacy McAnulty, author of The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl.

My Review

This book is full of all the right kinds of silliness. Ben fumbles his way through one hilarious disaster and right into another, always thinking he can fix it all by himself. He’s a hard worker– and even when he’s punished by being forced to serve as the school mascot, he tries his best to do it well. I loved the ways he challenges himself– to learn more about mascots, to examine his behavior toward a kid who seems to be a bit of an outcast.

He doesn’t do it all the right way, but he has a good heart, and that makes him so easy to love. His relationships with his family members were sweet, and his friendships felt very much like those ports of safety we all needed in middle school.

MY LIFE AS A POTATO is a super fun read. It does show Ben transitioning toward dating and having relationships, so it might be best suited to readers who are thinking about those transitions themselves. It has a lot of humor and friendship issues in it, too, which make it a great story for upper elementary school readers.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Ben’s friend Ellie is Latina.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
One boy accidentally trips another with a hot dog. A boy knocks some girls over accidentally. One boy plans pranks against another boy. Kids get into a food fight.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.