Category Archives: Contemporary

Review: Artifacts of an Ex by Jennifer Chen

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Artifacts of an Ex by Jennifer Chen cover shows a girl on the left standing with one leg bent and a boy on the right with one hand in his pocket. They hold up a broken heart between them.

Artifacts of an Ex
Jennifer Chen
Wednesday Books
Published November 14, 2023

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About Artifacts of an Ex by Jennifer Chen

When Chloe Chang gets dumped via USPS after moving across the county from NYC to LA, her first instinct is to throw her box of memories in the garbage. Instead, she starts buying other teenagers’ break-up boxes to create an art exhibit, Heartifacts. Opening night is going great, until she spots Daniel Kwak illicitly filming his best friend’s reaction to his ex’s box. When she tries to stop him, an intense discussion ends up launching a creative partnership and friendship… and a major crush for Chloe.

There’s just one problem: Daniel is dead set on not being another rebound.

Five times he’s been the guy who makes the girls he’s dating realize they want to get back with their ex. And he refuses for there to be a sixth. She insists she’s over her ex, but when he shows up unexpectedly with his new girlfriend, it turns out Daniel was right. She isn’t ready for a new relationship.

She throws herself into making Heartifacts successful, but flashy influencers threaten her original vision of the exhibit. To create the exhibit she’s always wanted, Chloe needs to go back to basics, learn to work with artists in a more collaborative way, and discover what love can be. Only then will she convince Daniel she’s truly ready for everything they could be to one another.

In the tradition of Jenny Han and Emma Lord, Jennifer Chen’s ARTIFACTS OF AN EX is a story of love, art, and finding your way when everything you know has changed completely.

My Review

The whole story is told from Chloe’s point of view, which makes this a little different than some of the other contemporary YA romances I’ve read lately. I liked it that way, though. I felt like there was a good balance between the romance and Chloe’s family relationships and her investment in her exhibit, and I had no trouble figuring out what Daniel was thinking or doing because he appeared in a lot of scenes and was a pretty straightforward guy.

I liked Chloe’s friends, especially Vincent and Francesca, friends Chloe meets in Los Angeles. I felt like they contributed the right amounts of truth and humor in all the right places. Chloe’s grandmother has dementia, and watching Chloe and her family navigate the stages of that loss took me back to my own grandmother’s battle with Lewy Body dementia. I loved that Chloe’s Ahma still had moments of clarity and was able to connect with her, but it broke my heart every time her illness prevented her from being able to do that.

All in all, I loved reading this sweet romance peppered with strong side characters and full of art and life in Los Angeles. I can definitely see fans of Jenny Han and Emma Lord liking this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Chloe and Daniel are Asian American. Chloe’s best friend is bisexual. Daniel’s best friend is gay. Chloe makes another friend who is a lesbian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used a few times; mild profanity used more frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between a boy and girl. Chloe notices Daniel’s butt in one scene. In one scene, Daniel answers the door in a towel. References to sex. Brief touching on top of clothes in one scene.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything but help support this blog. I received a free copy of ARTIFACTS OF AN EX in exchange for my honest review.

Review: I’ll Stop the World by Lauren Thoman

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

I’ll Stop the World
Lauren Thoman
Mindy’s Book Studio
Published April 1, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About I’ll Stop the World

The end and the beginning become one in a heart-pounding coming-of-age mystery about the power of friendship, fate, and inexplicable second chances.

Is it the right place at the wrong time? Or the wrong place at the right time?

Trapped in a dead-end town, Justin Warren has had his life defined by the suspicious deaths of his grandparents. The unsolved crime happened long before Justin was born, but the ripple effects are still felt after thirty-eight years. Justin always knew he wouldn’t have much of a future. He just never imagined that his life might take him backward.

In a cosmic twist of fate, Justin’s choices send him crashing into the path of determined optimist Rose Yin. Justin and Rose live in the same town and attend the same school, but have never met―because Rose lives in 1985. Justin won’t be born for another twenty years. And his grandparents are still alive―for now.

In a series of events that reverberate through multiple lifetimes, Justin and Rose have a week to get Justin unstuck in time and put each of them in control of their futures―by solving a murder that hasn’t even happened yet.

CW: I’LL STOP THE WORLD contains depictions of emotional abuse, alcoholism and excessive drinking, underage drinking, smoking, racism, discussions of homophobia, and violent bullying.

My Review

I picked up this book for its Back to the Future vibes, and definitely found myself intrigued by the premise. I’ve enjoyed other books set in the 1980s and even another 1980s time-travel one called SPIN ME RIGHT ROUND. (Another book title that gets a song stuck in my head.)

What I Expected

I thought from the back cover copy that this book would be a romance with scenes alternating between the points of view of Rose and Justin. And the book does have a lot of scenes from their perspectives. There’s obviously some attraction between them, but the story never really centers a romance between the two of them.

I liked that the time-travel component does have a puzzle to it, and it’s not easy for Rose and Justin to solve. It’s a scavenger hunt mystery, where they unearth clues all along the way but only realize how those clues fit together at a critical moment in the story.

Not What I Expected

One of the things I did not expect about this book, though, is the number of point-of-view characters it contains. There are at least seven different characters with scenes from their points of view. Some only have a few scenes, but others, like Rose’s sister, appear more regularly.

There are also multiple timelines represented in the book, which makes sense since it’s a time-travel story. In the beginning, the most recent scenes chronologically were told in the present tense, while the scenes in the 1980s were told in the past tense. I expected the last scene, which returns to the present again, to be told in the present tense, so it was a little unexpected that it was in the past tense again.

I also didn’t expect a romance plot centered around Rose’s sister Lisa. I liked that the story explored what it was like for her to navigate her feelings for her friend and find the courage to speak up about her identity.

Conclusion

Overall, I think there’s a lot to love about this book. It’s got a diverse cast of characters and explores different kinds of relationships and complex characters. I love the 1980s time travel and 80s music vibes. I do wish that a few of the peripheral scenes from some of the minor characters had been trimmed in favor of having Rose or Justin discover information in an active way, but I still enjoyed the story with its broad cast of characters.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Lisa and Charlene are lesbians and in a secret romance with each other. Lisa is also Black. Rose is Asian American. References to sex, specifically that a boy and girl aren’t having it.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls.

Spiritual Content
Justin inexplicably travels back in time to 1985.

Violent Content
Some scenes show a parent/guardian saying hateful or abusive things to their child. A few scenes show a group of kids bullying another child. In a couple of scenes, the kids beat up another kid. In one scene, they make a boy eat something they’ve dropped into a toilet.

Drug Content
A couple of adult characters are alcoholics. Justin drinks alcohol at a party and tries to drive himself home while intoxicated. Two adults take a drink of alcohol to celebrate something.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of I’LL STOP THE WORLD in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Every Time You Go Away by

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

Every Time You Go Away
Abigail Johnson
Inkyard Press
Published December 5, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Every Time You Go Away

Perfect for fans of Jennifer Niven, Abigail Johnson draws a searing and lyrical portrait of grief, forgiveness, and the kind of love that blooms in the aftermath.

Eight years ago, Ethan and Rebecca met, two trouble-making kids sharing secrets and first kisses in a treehouse, until Ethan’s mom returned to take him away. Each and every visit, his only goodbye was a flower on Rebecca’s windowsill.

Three years ago, Ethan left for the last time to take care of his mother, who’s struggled with addiction his whole life.

Two years ago, Rebecca was in a car accident that killed her father. She’s been learning to navigate life as a wheelchair user ever since.

Now, they discover if their hardships have torn them apart…or will bring them closer than ever.

My Review

The story alternates points of view between Ethan and Rebecca, with some chapters taking place in the present (labeled now) and some in the past (labeled before). While the timeline is never as clearly laid out in the narrative as it is in the book’s cover copy, I didn’t have any trouble putting things in some kind of order. I’m not sure I was always completely right about how I assembled the events together, but I think it was close enough that everything still made sense.

I loved the scenes in which Rebecca describes making jewelry. It was easy to feel her love for her craft and to picture some of the pieces she worked on. I thought it was cool the way her work played into the story with the different pieces creating or representing connections to other people.

Ethan’s interest in plants was cool, too. It didn’t really ever become as central a thing as Rebecca’s jewelry-making did, but it was still a cool, not often explored area of interest.

Rebecca is a wheelchair user and has been since the car accident that killed her dad. Because of the straightforwardness of the narrative, I found it easy to picture moments like transferring to a car or what it was like when someone touched her leg, and she couldn’t feel it. Her paralysis was present in the story, but it isn’t a story about paralysis, if that makes sense. I felt like the author did a perfect job crafting the balance between helping readers picture Rebecca and her environment and the impact it would have on her experience without making it seem intrusive or artificial.

I also really appreciated that there was more than one wheelchair user in the story. Amelia, Rebecca’s friend, mentor, and employer, also uses a wheelchair. This created moments in which two people could talk about their lives and experiences and offer two different perspectives. I loved that.

All of that is kind of background to the central story here, which is the romance between Rebecca and Ethan. While they both came to the relationship with barriers of trauma, it was cool watching them figure out how to navigate those things. I loved watching their feelings blossom and rooting for them to find their way to each other through the miasma of hurt and grief around them.

Conclusion

All in all, this is absolutely the kind of book I would have loved myself in high school. It’s sweet but pretty real about the fact that life deals hardships to teens just as much as anyone else. I really enjoyed this one, and I think fans of THE GEOGRAPHY OF YOU AND ME by Jennifer E. Smith or LOVE AND OLIVES by Jenna Evans Welch will want to check it out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
I think the main characters are white. Rebecca and another character are wheelchair users. Ethan’s mom has alcohol/drug use disorder. Ethan is a neglect and abuse survivor.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between a boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Brief references to neglect and abuse of a child. Two boys get into a fight and fall into the mud.

Drug Content
A teenager drinks alcohol in a couple of scenes. An adult gives alcohol to a child in one scene, and that behavior is also referenced in other scenes. References to a boy witnessing drug use and even being given drugs himself by an adult (doesn’t happen on scene). An adult smokes cigarettes.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Learning to Fall by Sally Engelfried

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Learning to Fall
Sally Engelfried
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published September 6, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Learning to Fall

Twelve-year-old Daphne reconciles with her father, who left her stranded three years ago and learns forgiveness one fall at a time in this heartwarming debut by Sally Engelfried. For fans of The​ First Rule of Punk.

Daphne doesn’t want to be stuck in Oakland with her dad. She wants to get on the first plane to Prague, where her mom is shooting a movie. Armed with her grandparents’ phone number and strict instructions from her mom to call them if her dad starts drinking again, Daphne has no problem being cold to him. But there’s one thing Daphne can’t keep herself from joining her dad and her new friend Arlo at a weekly skate session.  When her dad promises to teach her how to ollie and she lands the trick, Daphne starts to believe in him again. He starts to show up for her, and Daphne learns things are not as black and white with her dad as she used to think. The way Daphne’s dad tells it, skating is all about accepting failure and moving on. But can Daphne really let go of her dad’s past mistakes? Either way life is a lot like it’s all about getting back up after you fall. 

My Review

I’ve been struggling a bit with reading lately, but you’d never know it if you watched me read this one. I read the entire story in a single sitting because I simply couldn’t stop.

Daphne has so many powerful experiences and is so easy to identify with. She quit skateboarding after an accident left her physically and emotionally bruised. Then, she has to move in with her dad, the person who got her interested in skating to begin with. She’s got a lot of doubts and bad feelings about him since he all but disappeared from her life for a few years. As she gets to know him again, she has to decide whether she can trust him. She also gains some new perspective on his disappearance, and sees her relationship with her mom in a new light, too.

This story expertly balances a young narrator and complex adult issues. Daphne’s dad is an alcoholic in recovery, and while he never drinks alcohol on-scene, he does get real with Daphne about his past struggles, how he feels in difficult moments, and his regrets. Daphne also realizes that her relationship with her mom, whom she idolizes, isn’t as simple as she once thought. Though it’s not the central point of the story, the narrative does an excellent job of showing how it feels to grapple with complex relationships and realize that people aren’t simply one thing or one way.

All in all, I loved this one both for its girl skater rep and its brave exploration of complex emotions and relationships. Give this one to fans of Gillian McDunn.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Daphne and her family are white. Her dad is an alcoholic in recovery. Daphne’s neighbors are Latino.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Daphne’s neighbor’s girlfriend and son move in with him.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Daphne recalls falling and getting hurt after some boys say cruel things to her. She hears a loud bang, and discovers that her dad threw something in the other room. He apologizes.

Drug Content
Daphne’s dad used to drink a lot of alcohol and talks frankly about mistakes he made while he was drinking, such as making promises he’d forget.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything but help support this blog. I received a free copy of LEARNING TO FALL in exchange for my honest review.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays. Check out other blogs posting about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle with Greg Pattridge.

Review: Ruptured by Joanne Rossmassler Fritz

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Ruptured
Joanne Rossmassler Fritz
Holiday House
Published November 14, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Ruptured

The sensitive, suspenseful story of a family coping with a life-changing tragedy, told in stunning verse.

Is it wrong to grieve for someone who is still alive?

Claire’s mom and dad don’t talk to each other much anymore. And they definitely don’t laugh or dance the way they used to. Their tense, stilted stand offs leave thirteen-year-old Claire, an only child, caught in the middle. So when the family takes their annual summer vacation, Claire sticks her nose in a book and hopes for the best. Maybe the sunshine and ocean breeze will fix what’s gone wrong.

But while the family is away, Claire’s mother has a ruptured brain aneurysm–right after she reveals a huge secret to Claire. Though she survives the rupture, it seems like she is an entirely different person. Claire has no idea if her mom meant what she said, or if she even remembers saying it. With the weight of her mom’s confession on her shoulders, Claire must navigate fear, grief, and prospects for recovery.

Will her mom ever be the same? Will her parents stay together? And if the answer to either question is yes, how will Claire learn to live with what she knows? This beautifully written novel speaks to kids’ fears and credits their strength, and stems from the author’s incredible experience surviving two ruptured aneurysms.

My Review

I devoured this entire novel in one sitting. Claire’s frustration with her parents, the pressure she feels at her mother’s secret, it all felt so real and raw. Then, after her mother had the brain aneurysm rupture, Claire’s fear and grief were palpable. I’ve never been through something like what she went through with a parent, but the author brought me with her through that experience.

Another thing that I really liked was the way that Claire built a community of support for herself and her family. It isn’t something she does intentionally, but she does make choices that help her to create those connections. From making friends with a boy at the hospital to joining a support group and attending counseling at school to leaning into her relationship with her aunt, Claire finds ways to connect with others.

I love that there are books about these experiences not only for kids who will go through them or have been through them, but also for kids who haven’t. Reading about a child whose parent has a brain aneurysm rupture and recovers can help someone respond with more compassion and understanding if someone they know has a loved one going through this.

I think this is actually the second book about a brain aneurysm rupture that I’ve ever read. In Cammie McGovern’s JUST MY LUCK, which is also wonderful, I think the dad has a rupture and a long recovery that impacts the family.

I loved Rossmassler Fritz’s debut novel in verse, and this one must be shelved right beside it. What an emotional journey! Whew. And bravo to a fabulous writer for finding the courage to share such a personal story.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Claire’s family is white. She befriends a Black boy whose mom has also had a brain aneurysm rupture. Claire’s best friend is Latine.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
People mention praying for Claire’s mom and her family.

Violent Content
Claire’s mom collapses after experiencing terrible head pain. Claire calls 911 and waits at a hospital to hear whether her mom will survive.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

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Clap When You Land
Elizabeth Acevedo
Quill Tree Books
Published May 5, 2020

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Clap When You Land

In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.

Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people…

In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.

Separated by distance—and Papi’s secrets—the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered.

And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other.

My Review

CLAP WHEN YOU LAND is the third book by Elizabeth Acevedo that I’ve read, and she just wows me every time. Some of the lines in this novel in verse were so achingly beautiful. They crafted tender images of grief, the strength of the bonds of family, and the beauty of the beach.

I loved both Camino and Yahaira’s stories, and I am so glad the book told both. I loved the way their connection developed, even though it was under such difficult circumstances.

My favorite scene is one late in the book, in which a man has attacked a female character. Three other women, all family members by blood or choice, stand together and force the man to leave. There was so much power in that scene. I loved the way that they lent one another strength and that because they joined together, their strength was multiplied. There was something truly beautiful and fierce about it that I feel like I’m going to remember for a very long time.

CLAP WHEN YOU LAND was a deeply compelling story of sisterhood and grief and a beautiful tribute to the Dominican Republic. I think fans of DEAR HAITI, LOVE ALAINE by Maika and Maritza Moulite or NEVER LOOK BACK by Lilliam Rivera will love this book.

Content Notes for Clap When You Land

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Yahaira is Dominican American, living in New York. She’s in a relationship with a girl. Camino is Dominican and living in the Dominican Republic.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls. A man stalks a girl as she goes to and from the beach. He obviously has sinister intentions, and she feels she can’t escape him. Brief description of a man assaulting a girl on a train. She’s shaken and traumatized afterward. In one scene, a man attacks a girl in the dark, tearing open her blouse.

Spiritual Content
Families gather and pray after Yahaira and Camino’s dad’s death and attend church services. Camino’s aunt also consults the saints using other spiritual practices.

Violent Content
Some details about the plane crash

Drug Content
References to drinking alcohol.

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