Category Archives: Romance

Review: Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,
Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating
Adiba Jaigirdar
Page Street Kids
Published May 25, 2021

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About Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating

Everyone likes Humaira “Hani” Khan—she’s easy going and one of the most popular girls at school. But when she comes out to her friends as bisexual, they invalidate her identity, saying she can’t be bi if she’s only dated guys. Panicked, Hani blurts out that she’s in a relationship…with a girl her friends absolutely hate—Ishita “Ishu” Dey. Ishu is the complete opposite of Hani. She’s an academic overachiever who hopes that becoming head girl will set her on the right track for college. But Ishita agrees to help Hani, if Hani will help her become more popular so that she stands a chance of being elected head girl.

Despite their mutually beneficial pact, they start developing real feelings for each other. But relationships are complicated, and some people will do anything to stop two Bengali girls from achieving happily ever after.

My Review

If you know me at all, it won’t surprise you to learn that I love the relationship between Ishu and her sister in HANI AND ISHU’S GUIDE TO FAKE DATING. I won’t spoil anything, but it definitely hooked me and really added a lot to the story, I thought.

I also liked that Hani and Ishu were really different from each other and had really different approaches to their lives and their connection to each other. At first I thought Hani’s relationship with her friends didn’t make a lot of sense– and then as I thought about it more, I started to see why it made sense. I liked the way that Ishu and Hani help each other see the holes or unhealthy parts of the relationships they have with the other people in their lives. That felt so real to me and totally drew me into the story.

Another thing that I liked was that it’s a faith-positive story. I feel like it’s easy to focus on negative experiences that people have with faith, and those stories are valid, those experiences do happen for sure. But I love that there are stories featuring teens who value their faith and ascribe to be better people because of what they believe. I think we need those stories, too.

Of course, fans of THE HENNA WARS will find lots to love in this book. I think it will also appeal to readers who enjoyed SAINTS AND MISFITS by S. K. Ali and MUSIC FROM ANOTHER WORLD by Robin Talley.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Hani is bisexual, Muslim, and Bengali. Ishu is a lesbian and Bengali. The story is set in Ireland.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls.

Spiritual Content
Islam is really important to Hani. She references going to services and waking up to pray. Her father, who’s running for election, becomes more involved in their mosque, and Hani wonders if he’s doing it for the right reasons.

Violent Content
Some instances of bullying and racism.

Drug Content
Hani and Ishu attend a party where the girls are drinking alcohol. Hani doesn’t drink because of her faith.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog. I received a free copy of HANI AND ISHU’S GUIDE TO FAKE DATING in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Don’t Hate the Player by Alexis Nedd

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Don’t Hate the Player
Alexis Nedd
Bloomsbury YA
Published June 15, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Don’t Hate the Player

By day, Emilia is a field hockey star with a popular boyfriend and a mother obsessed with her academic future. But by night, she’s kicking virtual ass as the only female member of a highly competitive eSports team. Emilia has mastered the art of keeping her two worlds thriving, which hinges on them staying completely separate.

When a major eSports tournament comes to her city, Emilia is determined to prove herself to the male-dominated gaming community. But her perfectly balanced life is thrown for a loop when a member of a rival team—Jake—recognizes her . . .

From an exciting new talent, this sweet and charming YA romance will win the hearts of gamers and non-gamers alike.

My Review

Okay, to start with, the voice in this book is simply fantastic. The dialogue is funny and nerdy and I absolutely loved it. It was a super entertaining read.

DON’T HATE THE PLAYER follows two points of view: Jake’s and Emilia’s. Emilia’s chapters are all in first person, and Jake’s are a combination of third person narrative or chat logs from online conversations with his teammates. I liked that format a lot. The only time it felt a little strange to me was in the prologue, because it’s kind of recapping something that happened in the past between Jake and Emilia. Once I realized that all of Jake’s narrative sections were going to be written that way, I think it made more sense, but it was maybe just not what I expected from the opening? Like I said, once I got into the book, that opening made a lot more sense.

I liked a lot of the characters. They were each so unique that I could tell who was talking, and I loved that. I also loved the way their relationships with Emilia changed through the story. There’s a scene toward the end with her parents that I just LOVED.

One of the things I noticed is that I don’t think there are any good white girls in this book. It’s possible that I only noticed this because I read DON’T HATE THE PLAYER right after reading HANI AND ISHU’S GUIDE TO FAKE DATING and I noticed this same thing in that book, too.

That’s not a criticism. I think books are allowed to have zero good white girls. It was just a thing I noticed and wanted to sit with, you know? To think about what it’s like to read and enjoy a book that doesn’t include/feature a positive representation of myself. I think that’s a good thing to think about. I tried to think about how I’d feel about books if the only girls who looked like me acted like mean girl bullies. (Which is not the case for white characters by any stretch of the imagination, of course.) Anyway, it gave me some time to think about how critical good representation is when there aren’t a huge ton of stories featuring a particular community.

Another thing that I felt like this book did really well was to dive into some of the conversations about gaming behavior, specifically predatory and cruel behavior toward girls and female-presenting players. It doesn’t get deep in the gross stuff, but the story does not shy away from what it’s like to be a girl gamer. Additionally, I loved the way DON’T HATE THE PLAYER showcased the different relationship dynamics between players on team Unity and players on team Fury.

All in all, this book has a LOT to love. Reader who enjoy witty banter and rich characters will definitely want to give this one a read.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Emilia is Puerto Rican. Her best friend is Black. One minor character is transgender and a couple more are gay.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency.

Romance/Sexual Content – Trigger warning for sexual bullying.
Kissing between boy and girl. Emilia recalls receiving unwanted sexual pictures in her messages. She also received messages saying people wanted to rape her.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
See above for bullying content. Most of the violence described in the book is video game violence. Emilia and Jake each play on a team of five who battle each other, trying to guard treasure and kill the opponent’s players using weapons and magic attacks.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

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

Ruin and Rising (Shadow and Bone #3)
Leigh Bardugo
Henry Holt & Company
Published June 17, 2014

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

About Ruin and Rising

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova’s amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling’s secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

My Review

It took me a really long time to read this series, which is odd, because I LOVED Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. Once I got into the first book, Shadow and Bone, I had no trouble reading all the way through. I loved the story world and the inspiration from czarist Russia. I loved the magic and the struggle for and against power that would allow Alina to defeat the Darkling but also possibly lose her soul in the process of acquiring that power.

Through the whole series, I had kind of mixed feelings about Mal and Alina. I like them individually more than I liked them together, I think. Which is weird, I guess? Maybe I just liked Nikolai (the outlaw prince) more than Mal? I mean, I did like him more than Mal, but I’m not sure that was why the romance sat oddly with me.

I liked the plot of RUIN AND RISING, and especially the way things built up to the climax of the story. The final battle had that no holds barred, everything we’ve got, completely desperate, so weird it just might work sense to it that really drew me in. I loved every minute of it, even all the heartbreaking ones.

All in all, I feel like this was a fierce conclusion to a great story. I’m both sorry that I read SIX OF CROWS first rather than this series, but also glad I read them in this order so that I can jump straight into KING OF SCARS and get more of Nikolai’s journey. I’m definitely going to read that as soon as I can!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
The story setting is inspired by tsarist Russia. There’s a great interview with Leigh Bardugo about this in the Atlantic. Two minor female characters are in a romantic relationship.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A couple instances of mild profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl, references to sex. Kissing between two girls.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have supernatural abilities referred to as small science. These can be things like gathering light or darkness or causing someone’s heart to explode without touching them.

Violent Content
Some battle violence and situations of peril. References to torture. Some brief, graphic descriptions of battle. The Darkling controls monsters made of darkness that can only be killed by Alina’s abilities. Two people are stabbed in the heart.

Drug Content
Some social drinking.

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

Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

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

Siege and Storm (Shadow and Bone #2)
Leigh Bardugo
Henry Holt & Co.
Published June 4, 2013

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

About Siege and Storm

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her—or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

My Review

I have some complex feelings about this book. I really like Alina and her internal struggle over her power and the pull toward more versus her fight to stay herself. I love the way Nikolai kind of mentored her and teased her. I like his character a lot. I’m not such a huge fan of Mal, to be honest. I feel like he keeps disappointing me, so I’m not super invested in the relationship between him and Alina other than that it’s her true self who loves Mal, and as long as that love is still there, she’s still her, if that makes sense.

In terms of plot, SIEGE AND STORM takes an interesting route. Alina finds another amplifier near the beginning of the story and then spends the rest of the book rallying people to try to fight the Darkling. So that was different than the first book, for sure. I loved watching Alina learn to navigate politics and some of the back and forth between her and some of the other characters.

I enjoyed reading both SIEGE AND STORM and SHADOW AND BONE, though, and I definitely want to finish the series before Netflix releases the show later this month.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
The story setting is inspired by tsarist Russia. There’s a great interview with Leigh Bardugo about this in the Atlantic.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A couple instances of mild profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing and tension between a boy and girl. In one scene, a boy kisses a girl without consent. She kicks him. At one point, a girl brings someone into her bed, kissing him.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have supernatural abilities referred to as small science. These can be things like gathering light or darkness or causing someone’s heart to explode without touching them.

Beyond that, though, a powerful Grisha has used forbidden magic to unleash a swath of darkness across Ravka. Alina hopes to find a way to use her sun summoner ability to destroy that darkness.

Violent Content
Some battle violence and situations of peril. Alina and her team face enemy soldiers and deadly monsters made of darkness. Some of the battles are described in detail.

Drug Content
Some social drinking.

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

Review: Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau

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Kisses and Croissants
Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau
Delacorte Press
Published April 6, 2021

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

About Kisses and Croissants

Seventeen-year-old Mia, an American girl at an elite summer ballet program, has six weeks to achieve her dreams: to snag an audition with one of the world’s best ballet companies. But there’s more to Paris than ballet—especially when a charming French boy, Louis, wants to be her tour guide—and the pair discover the city has a few mysteries up its sleeve.

In the vein of romances like LOVE AND GELATO, this is the perfect summer adventure for anyone looking to get swept away in the City of Love.

My Review

I couldn’t resist this book on so many levels: a summer in Paris, ballet dancing, mysterious rumors about a Degas painting, and of course a whirlwind romance. It didn’t take me long to read through the whole thing. In fact I ended up staying up far too late one night, telling myself, “just one more chapter” all the way until the end. I loved the way the relationships developed– especially the friendship between Mia and Audrey. But I also loved the relationship between Mia and her teacher (not a romantic relationship) as well as the one between Mia and her mom.

Reading about ballet was also super fun. One summer when I was a teenager, I went to a professional ballet camp, so it brought back a LOT of memories and I found myself nodding along with some of the things Mia goes through. I felt like it really nailed the whole ballet camp experience. I also loved the way the search for a Degas painting pulled the story forward and tied a lot of the individual pieces– her relationship with ballet, her mom, and her relationship with Louis– together.

The romance between her and Louis was really sweet, too. Having the adventure of finding the painting helped it feel really big and more essential than just hanging out and falling in love. I thought that was super clever the way that played out.

On the whole, I think fans of Jenna Evans Welch, Jennifer E. Smith, and fans of ONE PARIS SUMMER by Denise Grover Swank will love this book.

Content Notes for Kisses and Croissants

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
One of the instructors gives harsh criticism to the students.

Drug Content
Mia and her friends (who are around 16 years of age) drink alcohol several times.

More Books Like Kisses and Croissants

One Paris Summer by Denise Grover Swank

My Review | Goodreads | Bookshop

A young pianist is forced to spend the summer in Paris with her dad and his new wife and unexpectedly finds love.

Love and Olives by Jenna Evans Welch

My Review | Goodreads | Bookshop

Liv travels to Greece to help her estranged father film a documentary about Atlantis myths and finds love along the way.

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

My Review | Goodreads | Bookshop

After one night spent on the rooftops of Manhattan, Lucy and Owen go separate ways, traveling the world but longing to find their way back to each other.

In a Perfect World by Trish Doller

My Review | Goodreads | Bookshop

When her mother moves the family to Egypt to open an eye clinic, the last thing Caroline is expecting to find is love.

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

Review: Fragile Remedy by Maria Ingrande Mora

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,

Fragile Remedy
Maria Ingrande Mora
Flux
Published March 9, 2021

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

About Fragile Remedy

Sixteen-year-old Nate is a GEM—Genetically Engineered Medi-tissue created by the scientists of Gathos City as a cure for the elite from the fatal lung rot ravaging the population. As a child, he was smuggled out of the laboratory where he was held captive and into the Withers—a quarantined, lawless region. Nate manages to survive by using his engineering skills to become a Tinker, fixing broken tech in exchange for food or a safe place to sleep. When he meets Reed, a kind and fiercely protective boy that makes his heart race, and his misfit gang of scavengers, Nate finds the family he’s always longed for—even if he can’t risk telling them what he is.

But Gathos created a genetic failsafe in their GEMs—a flaw that causes their health to rapidly deteriorate as they age unless they are regularly dosed with medication controlled by Gathos City. As Nate’s health declines, his hard-won freedom is put in jeopardy. Violence erupts across the Withers, his illegal supply of medicine is cut off, and a vicious attack on Reed threatens to expose his secret. With time running out, Nate is left with only two options: work for a shadowy terrorist organization that has the means to keep him alive, or stay — and die — with the boy he loves.

My Review

So much happens in this one story that I’m having a hard time knowing where to begin.

I loved Nate’s character. He’s young and inexperienced and fierce and hopeful and a little bit self-loathing. I also loved the characters in the gang. Reese is loyal and true, always sticking to his values. Pixel is adorable. And the rest of the girls made it feel like such a little family.

Nate also has a relationship with Alden, a curio shop owner, drug addict, and man with connections. And Remedy, which Nate needs to live. It’s a complex relationship. I feel like I’d need a psychology degree to pick it apart. There are some really unhealthy elements to it, and yet somewhere in there is a protectiveness and loyalty and maybe even friendship? But it’s pretty enmeshed with the other elements, too.

The story itself moves forward pretty quickly. In Nate’s dystopian city, it’s dangerous to stay still too long, and that sense came through in the plot. Though it’s not a story about addiction, the story explores some of the damage that addiction causes, not just to the individual with the problem, but to the family and community. It also explores darker ideas, like using drugs to create dependent people and maintain control.

It’s been a while since I read a good dystopian story, and FRAGILE REMEDY definitely hit a lot of good notes for me. It made me uncomfortable sometimes, but usually in a way that made me think more deeply about the issues at hand. I think readers who enjoy books that explore addiction or dystopian stories will want to add this one to their shelves.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Nate and several other characters are gay. One member of the gang is transgender.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used maybe once or twice per chapter on average.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys. References to arousal.

Spiritual Content
Some people worship the Old Gods. Others have no spiritual beliefs.

Violent Content
Scenes show kidnapping and a mob attacking someone. Other scenes show the aftermath of characters injured by others.

Drug Content
One character is a drug addict. Others find the properties of GEM blood addicting.

Note: I received a free copy of FRAGILE REMEDY in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. All opinions are my own.