Category Archives: Romance

Review: The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

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The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang cover shows a girl with a measuring tape facing a boy in formal wear. She holds a measuring tape and looks into his face. In the background, there's a large image of a red-haired girl in a dress looking over her shoulder toward the couple.

The Prince and the Dressmaker
Jen Wang
First Second
Published February 13, 2018

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About The Prince and the Dressmaker

Paris, at the dawn of the modern age:

Prince Sebastian is looking for a bride―or rather, his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian is too busy hiding his secret life from everyone. At night he puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia―the hottest fashion icon in the world capital of fashion!

Sebastian’s secret weapon is his brilliant dressmaker, Frances―his best friend and one of only two people who know the truth: sometimes this boy wears dresses. But Frances dreams of greatness, and being someone’s secret weapon means being a secret. Forever. How long can Frances defer her dreams to protect her friend?

Jen Wang weaves an exuberantly romantic tale of identity, young love, art, and family. A fairy tale for any age, THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER will steal your heart.

My Review

Consider my heart stolen.

THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER has been on my reading list for a long time, but I finally picked it up after seeing it on a list of challenged books in Florida schools. I was able to borrow a copy from my local library, but I hope to add a copy to my bookshelves as well.

The relationship between Frances and Sebastian hooked me from their first scene together. I thought Frances was absolutely fantastic. Her artistic eye and her ability to translate what was unique about her clients and bring it to the clothes she designed was really cool. I liked that she and Sebastian became best friends, and that they both learned things from one another. Everyone needs that kind of friend who sees who you are and is with you no matter what.

While the story addresses some more serious conversations– Sebastian being outed to his parents and whole kingdom, for example– it also delivers some playful moments. The first meeting between Sebastian and Frances. The fashion show toward the end of the book. I loved that the book wove both those awful and wonderful moments together and connected them through people loving and supporting Sebastian for all he was.

I truly enjoyed reading this book, and I’d love to read more of Jen Wang’s books. Readers who enjoy fairytale stories or sweet romances will want to check this one out. I’m not sure I’ve read anything else like it– the closest might be TIDESONG, though I think that one is for a slightly younger audience than THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER.

Content Notes for The Prince and the Dressmaker

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Sebastian expresses that sometimes he identifies as a prince and other times he identifies as a princess and wears dresses to express that.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Another prince finds Lady Crystallia unconscious and realizes she is also Sebastian. He kidnaps and outs her to the king and queen.

Drug Content
A bartender gives Lady Crystallia a mood-altering drink.

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

Review: House of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig

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House of Roots and Ruin (Sisters of Salt #2)
Erin A. Craig
Delacorte Press
Published July 25, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About House of Roots and Ruin

A modern masterpiece, this is a classic Gothic thriller-fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Erin A. Craig, about doomed love, menacing ambition, and the ghosts that haunt us forever.

In a manor by the sea, one sister is still cursed.

Despite dreams of adventures far beyond the Salann shores, seventeen-year-old Verity Thaumas has remained at her family’s estate, Highmoor, with her older sister Camille, while their sisters have scattered across Arcannia.

When their sister Mercy sends word that the Duchess of Bloem—wife of a celebrated botanist—is interested in having Verity paint a portrait of her son, Alexander, Verity jumps at the chance, but Camille won’t allow it. Forced to reveal the secret she’s kept for years, Camille tells Verity the truth one day: Verity is still seeing ghosts; she just doesn’t know it.

Stunned, Verity flees Highmoor that night and—with nowhere else to turn—makes her way to Bloem. At first, she is captivated by the lush, luxurious landscape and is quickly drawn to charming, witty, and impossibly handsome Alexander Laurent. And soon, to her surprise, a romance . . . blossoms.

But it’s not long before Verity is plagued with nightmares, and the darker side of Bloem begins to show through its sickly-sweet façade. . . .

My Review

I read this immediately after finishing HOUSE OF SALT AND SORROWS (my review isn’t live yet), but I don’t think you would need to read one read the other. Verity is a minor character and very young in the first book of the series. There are a couple of references to what happened, but they’re pretty carefully explained.

I think the pacing of this book is a lot smoother than the first one. At least, that’s how it felt to me. The last several chapters are pretty intense, but they didn’t feel as rushed as the same part of the story in the first book.

I also really enjoyed Verity’s character and the relationship between her and Alex. They were so sweet together, which was really cool in contrast to the dark, intense plot of the story. I thought it was cool to see this book feature a love interest who uses a wheelchair. I am not qualified to evaluate the representation, but I enjoyed the inclusion.

Of the two Sisters of the Salt books, this one is easily my favorite. I think readers who enjoyed A FORGERY OF ROSES by Jessica S. Olson would like the romance and creepy gothic setting of this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Verity is white. Her employer, Dauphine and her son Alex are people of color. Alex is paralyzed from his thighs down and uses a wheelchair.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
One of Verity’s sisters has a secret romance with a woman. Kissing between boy and girl. Vague references to sex (Alex worries whether this will be possible for him.). Verity discovers a secret bookshelf filled with pornographic books. She briefly but explicitly describes what she sees. One scene shows a boy and girl having sex.

Spiritual Content
Verity sees ghosts, but she can’t tell which of the people she sees are ghosts and which are not. She encounters some creepy situations, like what appear to be screaming women.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Descriptions of torture. References to assault. Some graphic descriptions of murder and attempted murder.

Drug Content
References to social drinking. Someone drugs, others through the use of poisons, hallucinogens, and opium.

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 HOUSE OF ROOTS AND RUIN in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Cursed by Marissa Meyer

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

Cursed (Gilded #2)
Marissa Meyer
Feiwel & Friends
Published November 8, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Cursed

Before the Endless Moon, when the Erlking means to capture one of the seven gods and make a wish to return his lover, Perchta, from the underworld, Serilda and Gild attempt to break the curses that tether their spirits to Adalheid’s haunted castle. But it soon becomes clear that the Erlking’s hunger for vengeance won’t be satisfied with a single wish, and his true intentions have the power to alter the mortal realm forever. Serilda and Gild must try to thwart his wicked plans, all while solving the mystery of Gild’s forgotten name, freeing the ghosts kept in servitude to the dark ones, and trying to protect their unborn child.

Romance, danger, and Serilda’s journey to find her power as a woman, a mother, and a storyteller make this reimagining of Rumpelstiltskin one that Meyer fans—old and new—will treasure.

My Review

So I listened to CURSED as an audiobook from my library, and I had to return it mid-read and then wait for my name to come up in the holds list again. All that to say that my reading was a bit choppy, which might have affected how I feel about the pacing, so I’m not going to pass any judgment there.

When I finished reading GILDED, I knew I had to read the second book. I love the way the author took a simple fairy tale story and reimagined it into this whole complex world with history and mythology and bigger reasons for things to happen. And, of course, where the Rumpelstiltskin character isn’t the villain. I thought that was an interesting change.

In CURSED, all the pieces set up in GILDED begin to move toward their final positions. Gild and Serilda try breaking their curse. The Erlking puts his plan to change the mortal world forever into place. So much happens in this book. There is truly never a dull moment.

As with the first book, I liked both Gild and Serilda’s characters, as well as others in the story. I enjoyed seeing Serilda begin to think of herself as a mother and to experience the joy and grief that comes with that transition. Because of that and the fact that Serilda is kind of on her own through the whole book, behaving independently, I think this is really more of a crossover book rather than true young adult literature.

In any case, I enjoyed reading it a lot. I think fans of Marissa Meyer will love it, and I think readers who didn’t get into CINDER because of the sci-fi elements will enjoy this duology for its more traditional fairytale feel.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Major characters are white. Two women, minor characters, get married to one another.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to sex (Serilda is pregnant). Two women get married.

Spiritual Content
The story contains characters who are essentially ghosts, including five children who were murdered so the Erlking could hold their spirits captive to control Serilda. Other characters called Dark Ones, belong in the underworld as servants of the god who rules there.

The story also contains mythical creatures and monsters, some of whom become Serilda’s allies, and some of whom fight against her. Some of the monsters are pretty creepy, like the ones that dig talons into someone and transmit their worst nightmares into their minds to paralyze them.

During the full moon, the veil between the mortal and immortal world falls, and Dark Ones and ghosts have the ability to interact with humans and living creatures.

In Serilda’s world, there are seven old gods who were once prayed to and worshipped. She tells stories about them and eventually encounters them.

Violent Content
Battle scenes and some references to torture.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: Things I’ll Never Say by Cassandra Newbould

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

Things I’ll Never Say
Cassandra Newbould
Peachtree Teen
Published June 6, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Things I’ll Never Say

For fans of Becky Albertalli and Julie Murphy, this beautifully raw coming-of-age story follows bi, fat surfer girl Casey who turns to journaling to navigate what it means to crush on your two best friends at the same time.

Ten years ago, the Scar Squad promised each other nothing would tear them apart. They stuck together through thick and thin, late-night surf sessions and after school spodies. Even when Casey Jones Caruso lost her twin brother Sammy to an overdose, and their foursome became a threesome, the squad picked each other up. But when Casey’s feeling for the remaining members—Francesca and Benjamin—develop into romantic attraction, she worries the truth will dissolve them and vows to ignore her heart.

Then Ben kisses Casey at a summer party, and Frankie kisses another girl. Now Casey must confront all the complicated feelings she’s buried—for her friends and for her brother who she’s totally pissed at for dying. Since Sammy’s death, Casey has spilled all the things she can no longer say to him in journals, and now more than ever, she wishes he were here to help her decide whether she should guard her heart or bet it on love, before someone else makes the decision for her.

My Review

I have some really mixed feelings about this book. First, I think the way this book is written could serve as a conversation starter for some really big issues, such as recreational drug use. I love that the main character is plus-sized, and that she has so much love in her heart, for her brother, her family, and the other people she loves.

Honestly, though, I’m having a hard time deciding whether she’s a reliable narrator. I know that she claims to have this big plan to stop using opiates and Xanax to numb her pain. But she carefully controls the information, only ever telling people what she wants them to know. She breaks promises she makes to herself about her use.

All that makes perfect sense in terms of the behavior of someone who is struggling with addiction or drug use disorder. So I don’t say that to malign her character. I guess I just worry that though she claims the last thing she wants is to make the same decisions her brother made, she’s kinda doing exactly that?

Maybe that’s the whole point of the story. Maybe those are exactly the questions the author intends for readers to be asking.

At any rate, I read this book pretty quickly, and I think it raises some really good points and adds to some of the places where representation in young adult literature is still pretty small. I think readers who enjoy books by Crystal Maldonado should check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Casey is plus-sized, bisexual, and a twin. She also has anxiety and has suffered from panic attacks before. Her twin brother died of an opiate overdose. Their family is Sicilian American. Frankie is Latine and a lesbian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity and crude language used frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Kissing between two girls. Discussion about the meaning of a throuple and polyamorous relationships.

Spiritual Content
Casey writes letters to her brother in a journal and burns the journal at the end of the month. She believes/hopes the ashes of the words are carried to him and that way he knows what she wants to tell him. She wonders briefly about the afterlife and states she doesn’t not believe in God, but she doesn’t believe, either.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
Casey and her friends drink alcohol, smoke pot, and drop acid. Casey also abuses pills like Xanax and opiates. She claims she has a plan to stop using but carefully controls the information about her drug use and breaks promises she makes to herself about discontinuing use.

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 THINGS I’LL NEVER SAY in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Rana Joon and the One and Only Now by Shideh Etaat

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

Rana Joon and the One and Only Now
Shideh Etaat
Atheneum Books
Published July 25, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Rana Joon and the One and Only Now

This lyrical coming-of-age novel for fans of Darius the Great Is Not Okay and On the Come Up, set in southern California in 1996, follows a teen who wants to honor her deceased friend’s legacy by entering a rap contest.

Perfect Iranian girls are straight-A students, always polite, and grow up to marry respectable Iranian boys. But it’s the San Fernando Valley in 1996, and Rana Joon is far from perfect—she smokes weed and loves Tupac, and she has a secret: she likes girls.

As if that weren’t enough, her best friend, Louie—the one who knew her secret and encouraged her to live in the moment—died almost a year ago, and she’s still having trouble processing her grief. To honor him, Rana enters the rap battle he dreamed of competing in, even though she’s terrified of public speaking.

But the clock is ticking. With the battle getting closer every day, she can’t decide whether to use one of Louie’s pieces or her own poetry, her family is coming apart, and she might even be falling in love. To get herself to the stage and fulfill her promise before her senior year ends, Rana will have to learn to speak her truth and live in the one and only now.

My Review

At first I wasn’t sure when this story was supposed to take place. Some of the words used felt more modern to me– for example, lots of characters say “ya” instead of “yeah,” which I thought didn’t start until later. But Rana does learn about Tupac’s death in one scene, which pretty firmly anchors the story in the past. There are some other clues, too, like her watching the show FRIENDS with her mom.

The writing, especially the poetry Rana and Louie write, is absolutely beautiful. I definitely got swept away by those lines and had to slow down to savor them as I was reading. I love the way Rana’s writing represents her journey through grief and acceptance of her identity.

Through the scenes in the book, Rana navigates changes in her relationships with her parents, both of whom seem distant for different reasons. I love the moment in the garden with her dad, and the scene where she finds her prom dress with her mom.

Rana also grapples with complicated grief as she nears the one-year anniversary of her best friend’s death and begins to realize that there were things she didn’t know about her friend, things he didn’t or couldn’t tell her.

All in all, the emotional arc of the book is so well-crafted. I cried through her moments of loss, but more than that, I felt Rana’s triumph as she discovered her voice and finally spoke up for herself.

I think fans of MUSIC FROM ANOTHER WORLD by Robin Talley or YOU TRULY ASSUMED by Laila Sabreen should check out RANA JOON AND THE ONE AND ONLY NOW

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Rana is Iranian American and a lesbian. Her best friend and his twin brother are biracial.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between a boy and girl. Brief, graphic descriptions of sex between a boy and girl, references to sex, and brief, graphic descriptions of sex between two girls.

Spiritual Content
Rana’s friend had a tattoo of Buddha on his arm and followed a British philosopher. One of Rana’s friends is Muslim, and Rana identifies as Muslim to her dad.

Violent Content
Rana’s best friend died in a car accident. The accident is very briefly described. A boy torments Rana in class, and she slaps him in the face. One of Rana’s friends was expelled from school for fighting (before the story begins). The story briefly touches on Tupac’s death.

Drug Content
Rana and other characters smoke weed in several scenes. Teens drink alcohol in a couple scenes.

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 RANA JOON AND THE ONE AND ONLY NOW in exchange for my honest review.

All Alone With You by Amelia Diane Coombs

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All Alone with You
Amelia Diane Coombs
Simon & Schuster
Published July 25, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About All Alone with You

HBO Max’s Hacks gets a romantic twist in the vein of Jenn Bennett in this swoon-worthy novel about a standoffish teen girl whose loner status gets challenged by a dynamic elderly woman and a perpetually cheerful boy.

Eloise Deane is the worst and doesn’t care who knows it. She’s grumpy, prefers to be alone, and is just slogging through senior year with one goal: get accepted to USC and move to California. So when her guidance counselor drops the bombshell that to score a scholarship she’ll desperately need, her applications require volunteer hours, Eloise is up for the challenge. Until she’s paired with LifeCare, a volunteer agency that offers social support to lonely seniors through phone calls and visits. Basically, it’s a total nightmare for Eloise’s anxiety.

Eloise realizes she’s made a huge mistake—especially when she’s paired with Austin, the fellow volunteer who’s the sunshine to her cloudy day. But as Eloise and Austin work together to keep Marianne Landis—the mysterious former frontwoman of the 1970s band the Laundromats—company, something strange happens. She actually…likes Marianne and Austin? Eloise isn’t sure what to do with that, especially when her feelings toward Austin begin to blur into more-than-friends territory.

And when ex-girlfriends, long-buried wounds, and insecurities reappear, Eloise will have a choice to make: go all in with Marianne and Austin or get out before she gets hurt.

My Review

I can see the comparison to Jenn Bennett in the marketing copy– I felt like the vibes between Eloise and Austin were a little like the relationship between Bailey and Alex in ALEX, APPROXIMATELY. There’s not a rivalry, but there’s definitely a vested interest in dislike on Eloise’s part, especially at the beginning of the book. The romance blooms slowly, and everyone sees it coming before Eloise herself. In fact, sometimes she’s willfully blind to the signs that it’s there.

I really liked the exploration of friendship in the book, too. Eloise was burned pretty badly by her former friends during a personal crisis, so she’s got her defenses up sky-high when she’s introduced to Austin and Marianne. Her prickliness and Marianne’s take-no-prisoners attitude make for some really fun banter.

Between Marianne’s past and Austin’s present role as bass player in a local band, there’s quite a bit of focus on music in the book, too. Each chapter begins with a quote from a song by the Laundromats. One scene shows Austin’s band rehearsing for a gig. Another shows them playing the gig. I enjoyed the way those scenes played out and how they added a lot to Austin’s character beyond the goofy, Mr. Sunshine character we’d gotten to know.

All in all, I think if you’re looking for a prickly, slow-burn romance, with cross-generational friendship, ALL ALONE WITH YOU is a perfect fit and definitely worth checking out for Jenn Bennett or Jennifer E. Smith fans.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Eloise has depression and anxiety. Austin is Korean American and lost his dad. Marianne is a lesbian and struggles with alcoholism.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used pretty frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Very brief reference to the fact that Eloise struggled with suicidal ideation. She refers to Austin’s white van without windows as a “murder van”.

Drug Content
Marianne smokes cigarettes and drinks vodka in several scenes. Eloise notices a bong among Marianne’s things.

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 ALL ALONE WITH YOU in exchange for my honest review.