Category Archives: By Genre

Review: Nav’s Foolproof Guide to Falling in Love by Jessica Lewis

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Nav's Foolproof Guide to Falling in Love by Jessica Lewis

Nav’s Foolproof Guide to Falling in Love
Jessica Lewis
HarperCollins
Published April 29, 2025

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About Nav’s Foolproof Guide to Falling in Love

Giving the new girl lessons in romance so she can woo your best friend couldn’t possibly go wrong…right? Perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Casey McQuiston, this romantic comedy from Jessica Lewis is packed with heart.

Nav knows how to flirt, but she also knows love is a messy, losing proposition. She doesn’t need her best friend, Hallie, the serial monogamist, to demonstrate it to her over and over. So when shy new girl Gia asks Nav for help getting Hallie’s attention, Nav makes sure she seems genuine—she doesn’t want to add another heartbreak to Hallie’s never-ending list. They strike a bargain, and Nav agrees to give Gia lessons in romance. If it works, maybe Hallie can date someone decent for a change.

Except…Gia’s not just bad at flirting, she’s terrible. She’s too anxious to even speak to Hallie, never mind date her. But somehow, every awkward joke and catastrophic practice date makes Nav like Gia a little bit more. And not in a friend way. As the three girls’ feelings get spun around, Nav will have to question if she’s as much of an expert as she thought…or if love might be worth every bit of trouble after all.

My Review

It took me a little while to get into Nav’s character. At first, she seemed pushy and negative. As I got to know her, though, I started to see past her quicksilver moods and high defenses. The story mainly explores her relationships with her best friend, Hallie, and her new friend, Gia.

Both relationships have lots of layers. Hallie and Nav have been best friends since they were babies, and that means they know each other well. But, it also means sometimes they get stuck in patterns that aren’t good for either of them. By contrast, Nav’s friendship with Gia is a new relationship and has all the fresh feelings of discovery and newness. And while it starts out as an endeavor meant to set Gia up with Hallie, it isn’t long before Nav starts having more-than-friend feelings for this nerdy, anxious girl.

I enjoyed the sweet scenes between Nav and Gia. Nav carries some unresolved feelings about her mom’s abandonment, and that comes into play at different points in the story, too.

All in all, this will make a great summer romance to read by the pool or sitting next to a sunny window. Becky Albertalli fans will definitely want to check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used here and there.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. References to hooking up. Two people spend the night together (sleeping).

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
One character experiences panic attacks due to an anxiety disorder.

Drug Content
References to using marijuana and drinking alcohol. (Not 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: The Notorious Virtues by Alwyn Hamilton

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The Notorious Virtues (The Notorious Virtues #1)
Alwyn Hamilton
Viking Books for Young Readers
Published April 1, 2025

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About The Notorious Virtues

A glamorous media darling, a surprise heiress, and the magical competition of a lifetime.

At sixteen, Honora “Nora” Holtzfall is the daughter of the most powerful heiress in all of Walstad. Her family controls all the money–and all the magic–in the entire country. But despite being the center of attention, Nora has always felt like an outsider. When her mother is found dead in an alley, the family throne and fortune are suddenly up for grabs, and Nora will be pitted against her cousins in the Veritaz, the ultimate magical competition for power that determines the one family heir.

But there’s a surprise contestant this time: Lotte, the illegitimate daughter of Nora’s aunt. When Lotte’s absent mother retrieves her from the rural convent she’d abandoned her to, Lotte goes from being an orphan to surrounded by family. Unfortunately, most of them want her dead.

And soon, Nora discovers that her mother’s death wasn’t random–it was murder. And the only person she can trust to uncover the truth of what happened is a rakish young reporter who despises everything Nora and her family stand for.

With everyone against her, Lotte’s last hope is hunting for the identity of her father. But the dangerous competition–and her feelings for Theo, one of the Holtzfalls’ sworn protectors–turns her world upside down.

My Review

The story world in this book feels a little bit like “The Gilded Wolves” series. It’s fancy, and the magic feels high-tech. There’s a lot of classism happening in the story. There’s not exactly a heist, but there is a contest and a powerful magical object up for grabs.

The story follows the point of view of several characters. First, there’s Nora, who was the default Holtzfall family heir until her mother (the actual heir) was murdered. That murder set off a new magical contest among Nora and her cousins to see who the rightful heir would be.

The narrative also follows Lotte, a girl raised in a small town convent with the ability to read minds. Her ability becomes a pretty powerful asset in the attempt to solve a notorious murder and stop a vigilante group from dismantling the Holtzfall legacy.

We also meet August, a young journalist who desperately needs a big story in order to break into the business and provide for his mother, and Theo, a young knight sworn to serve the Holtzfall family.

Primarily, those voices tell the story, but there are a few scenes from other points of view spliced in here and there. I enjoyed all three main points of view, though. Nora is very analytical and figures things out quickly. Lotte is more of an intuitive person. August and Nora have great banter back and forth.

At first, I was nervous about reading this 500+ page book, but the complexity of the plot really demanded that many pages. The story is pretty tightly wound, packing in a lot of drama and intrigue in those pages. The ending left me desperate for more of the story.

I think readers who enjoy books like Six of Crows or Gilded Wolves will want to check out this book. I think it’ll also appeal to readers who enjoyed Lies We Conjure by Sarah Henning will love the family intrigue and magic in The Notorious Virtues.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
One character was raised in a convent and told that she steals people’s thoughts because she’s a sinner. One family holds a magical contest based on demonstrating virtues to determine the family heir. Some characters have magical abilities or use devices that contain magic.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Mechanical creatures kill and injure people in a couple of scenes. Brief battle scenes include fatalities. References to torture. One family is bound by an oath to serve another family. If they try to disobey direct orders, they’ll die.

Drug Content
Characters drink alcohol.

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: All the Stars Align by Gretchen Schreiber

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

All the Stars Align
Gretchen Schreiber
Wednesday Books
Published April 1, 2025

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About All the Stars Align

All the Stars Align is the magical love story that is Taylor Swift’s Enchanted meets Cyrano, from the author of Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal.

All the women in Piper’s family know their true love at first sight, complete with butterflies, heart eyes, and a gut instinct. The kind of fated love that lasts forever. Piper grew up with her ancestors’ epic love stories repeated like fairy tales, and yearns for the day she’ll start her own. Already singled out in her family due to her physical disability, Piper collects a second strike against her when her parents announce their divorce, which convinces her family that she’s doomed.

When she finally finds her true love at a party, she’s more determined than ever to attain her love story and earn a spot in her family. But after completely botching their first meeting, she realizes that she’ll need help from her best friend Leo, who is sort of a love expert. The catch—he and Piper haven’t talked in six months, since he needed a “break” from their friendship.

To win over the love of her life and a place in her family, Piper must convince Leo to teach her his ways. And it’s all going as planned…until Leo confesses his own love for Piper. Now, she must decide which fate to follow.

My Review

This book started a little slowly for me. It’s pretty clear from the beginning that Leo has feelings for Piper, and she’s too deliberately oblivious to see it. Just as he’s about to confess how he feels, she meets the person she’s been waiting for: a boy named Forest, whose presence makes her feel a tug in her heart.

The biggest thing that elevates what would be a simple love story is the subplot about Piper’s parents, who, despite the family Blessing identifying them as true loves, have recently divorced. At first, Piper is committed to her aunts’ campaign to reunite her parents. After all, it’s clear the two still love each other.

As Piper explores her feelings for Leo and Forest, she begins to question whether letting Fate choose her romantic destiny is the right choice. Is it what she truly wants, or is it a safe way to ensure her place in her larger family?

Piper has some physical disabilities, including scoliosis. Her feelings about being a disabled child and possible love interest also come into play as she explores her family relationships and romance.

Diana, Piper’s best friend, is easily my favorite character. I liked the way that she navigated the mess between Piper and Leo and adored that she had her own unexpected love story in the mix as well.

If you liked The Charmed List by Julie Abe, then definitely check out The Stars Align.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used periodically.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Some people believe in the goddess Fate, Piper’s family among them. Members of Piper’s family have been gifted a Blessing that allows them to know their true love when they meet them.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol at a party.

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: Renegade Girls by Nora Neus and Julie Robine

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Renegade Girls: A Queer Tale of Romance and Rabble-Rousing
Nore Neus
Illustrated by Julie Robine
Little, Brown Ink
Published April 1, 2025

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About Renegade Girls: A Queer Tale of Romance and Rabble-Rousing

A swoonworthy queer romance set against a riveting story of social change in the 1880s, this historical graphic novel reimagines the life of America’s first stunt girl—a young undercover reporter—and her whirlwind summer of romance and fighting injustice. 

Seventeen-year-old Helena “Nell” Cusack came to New York this summer looking for a story—a real story. She dreams of one day writing hard-hitting articles for the New York Chronicle, but so far she’s only managed to land a job as a lowly society reporter. That is, until Alice Austen strolls into her life, an audacious street photographer who encourages Nell to shake up polite society…and maybe also take a chance on love.

When her best friend, Lucia, is injured while working in a garment factory, Nell is determined to crack the story wide open. Posing as a seamstress, she reports on the conditions from the inside, making a name for herself as the Chronicle’s first-ever stunt girl. But as Nell’s reporting gains momentum, so do the objections of those who oppose her. Will Nell continue to seek justice—even if it hurts her in the end?

Based on real-life stunt girl Nell Nelson and photographer Alice Austen, this tenderly drawn narrative is about bringing buried stories to light and the bravery of first love.

My Review

What a fun book! I loved the historical setting and the focus on “stunt girl” reporting. I think the adaptation to graphic novel worked well here, though it meant that some scenes needed to be simplified. The story was very cohesive and the characters felt very real.

As a person with Italian immigrant ancestors, I loved that this is something Neus included in the book, too. It definitely left me feeling with a little more of a personal connection with the story. My great-grandmother worked in a factory during the 1930s/40s after her husband passed away, which is later than when this story is written, but it gave me a chance to reflect on that part of her life a little bit.

The main characters in the book are inspired by real people, though Neus takes some artistic liberty with some elements. The book includes a detailed author’s note that explains which elements are historically accurate.

All in all, I had a great time reading this book, and I would love to see more graphic novels like this one. (Another historical graphic novel on my reading list is I Shall Never Fall in Love by Hari Conner.)

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Nell sneaks into a factory and poses as a worker while working as an undercover reporter. She could get in a lot of trouble if caught. Someone shows Nell an injury that resulted from high-pressure factory work.

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.

MMGM Review: Ollie in Betwee by Jess Callans

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Ollie in Between
Jess Callans
Feiwel & Friends
Published April 8, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Ollie in Between

As endearing as it is humorous, this debut middle grade novel by Jess Callans is a tender, queer coming of age story about the courage it takes to find your own voice and choosing to just be.

Puberty, AKA the ultimate biological predator, is driving a wedge between soon-to-be 13-year-old Ollie Thompson and their lifelong friends.

Too much of a girl for their neighborhood hockey team, but not girly enough for their boy-crazed BFF, Ollie doesn’t know where they fit. And their usual ability to camouflage? Woefully disrupted.

When a school project asks them to write an essay on what it means to be a woman (if anyone’s got an answer, that’d be great), and one of their new friends is the target of bullying, Ollie is caught between the safety of fleeing from their own differences or confronting the risks of fighting to take their own path forward.

My Review

Okay, wow. This book. The authenticity of the voice. The raw, aching tenderness with which Callans tells this story. I’m tearing up even reflecting back on the book.

As I read the story, it felt very focused and very linear. It’s easy to follow. Ollie speaks directly to the reader sometimes, which I found endearing. Like, we’re in this together. I loved that.

Upon reflection, though, so much happens in the 244 pages of this book. Ollie grieves over their mom and unborn baby brother, whose deaths resulted from a pregnancy complication. Ollie and their sister, Lila, talk about PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) which runs in the family, and which Ollie may have.

They experience changes in friendships that seem common to middle school years. When their best friends sense pressure to assimilate into other friend groups to avoid being considered weird, they leave Ollie behind. The loneliness and confusion Ollie feels are so authentic. I felt like I was re-experiencing those moments myself. I couldn’t have expressed it nearly so well as Callans does.

Additionally, Ollie wrestles with questions about what it means to transition from girlhood into womanhood. While the people they interview often contribute thought-provoking or poignant answers, they never explicitly answer the unspoken question Ollie is really asking. Only through continuing to ask questions and explore what resonates authentically with Ollie do the answers begin to be apparent.

I also love the way that Ollie’s dad and sister respond to them. It’s not perfect. They make mistakes along the way, which stinks, but also felt so relatable. Oof. I know I’ve been there.

I think fans of books by Alex Gino and Nicole Melleby need to read this one. Ollie in Between also reminded me of Just Lizzie by Karen Wilfrid, another fabulous queer middle grade debut.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
References to the F-slur. (The full word does not appear on the page.) Bullying/homophobic/transphobic words do appear. Other characters condemn those words (though not always out loud).

Romance/Sexual Content
References to dating and kissing. Some discussion about puberty (breasts growing, periods beginning) and what it means to be a woman.

Spiritual Content
Ollie’s mom’s Iranian family stopped speaking to her when she married a white man in the US and had their first child baptized in a Christian church.

Violent Content
Reference to the death of a parent. Some instances of bullying (see above) and homophobic/transphobic behavior. Sometimes, this is perpetrated by people who may be well-intentioned and simply aren’t leaving room for people who don’t fit a gender binary. At other times, it’s clear that people mean to cause harm. Often, those harmful words are challenged or condemned.

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.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

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

Review: Meet Me at Blue Hour by Sarah Suk

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Meet Me at Blue Hour
Sarah Suk
Quill Tree Books
Published April 1, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Meet Me at Blue Hour

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets Past Lives in this gripping, emotional story of two childhood friends navigating the fallout of one erasing their memory of the other, from acclaimed author Sarah Suk.

Seventeen-year-old Yena Bae is spending the summer in Busan, South Korea, working at her mom’s memory-erasing clinic. She feels lost and disconnected from people, something she’s felt ever since her best friend, Lucas, moved away four years ago without a word, leaving her in limbo.

Eighteen-year-old Lucas Pak is also in Busan for the summer, visiting his grandpa, who was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. But he isn’t just here for a regular visit—he’s determined to get his beloved grandpa into the new study running at the clinic, a trial program seeking to restore lost memories.

When Yena runs into Lucas again, she’s shocked to see him and even more shocked to discover that he doesn’t remember a thing about her. He’s completely erased her from his memories, and she has no idea why.

As the two reconnect, they unravel the mystery and heartache of what happened between them all those years ago—and must now reckon with whether they can forge a new beginning together.

My Review

It was easy to see the parallels between The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and this book. The storytelling is more linear in the book than that movie, though. For the most part, the story alternates between Lucas’s and Yena’s viewpoints. Periodically, short scenes show erased memories from unusual perspectives. For example, one memory is told from the viewpoint of a windchime that one character gives another for a birthday present.

One of my favorite elements of The Eternal Sunshine is the way that the movie explores different facets of a memory loss procedure and how it might be used in harmful ways. While Meet Me at Blue Hour doesn’t follow that thread, it does explore the impact of memory loss on the community surrounding the person who has had memory alteration. The narrative leads us to think not only about the ramifications of erasing memory but of preserving it as well. Pretty fascinating stuff!

In addition to the thoughtful exploration of those ideas, the author delivers a compelling romance between two people with past connections. The pacing of their relationship is perfect– I felt like I was on the edge of my seat hoping for them to find the answers they were looking for.

Additionally, I loved the South Korean setting. It’s been a long time since I visited Seoul, and I have never been to Busan, but I found some of the descriptions of the markets and stuff triggered fond memories for me, too.

If you like thoughtful stories or sweet summer romances, add this one to your reading list! Adam Silvera just announced that he will be hosting a speculative romance book club, and this book will be the first pick for the group to read.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Very infrequent use of profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Characters discuss the social and communal implications of a person’s memory loss.

Violent Content
Nightmares and a brief panic attack. References to the loss of a parent and other repressed trauma.

Drug Content
Lucas and his uncle drink an alcoholic drink together.

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.