Category Archives: Romance

Review: Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite

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

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine
Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite
Inkyard Press
September 3, 2019

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About Dear Haiti, Love Alaine

Co-written by sisters Maika and Maritza Moulite, and told in epistolary style through letters, articles, emails, and diary entries, this exceptional debut novel captures a sparkling new voice and irrepressible heroine in a celebration of storytelling sure to thrill fans of Nicola Yoon, Ibi Zoboi and Jenna Evans Welch!

When a school presentation goes very wrong, Alaine Beauparlant finds herself suspended, shipped off to Haiti and writing the report of a lifetime…

You might ask the obvious question: What do I, a seventeen-year-old Haitian American from Miami with way too little life experience, have to say about anything?

Actually, a lot.

Thanks to “the incident” (don’t ask), I’m spending the next two months doing what my school is calling a “spring volunteer immersion project.” It’s definitely no vacation. I’m toiling away under the ever-watchful eyes of Tati Estelle at her new nonprofit. And my lean-in queen of a mother is even here to make sure I do things right. Or she might just be lying low to dodge the media sharks after a much more public incident of her own…and to hide a rather devastating secret.

All things considered, there are some pretty nice perks…like flirting with Tati’s distractingly cute intern, getting actual face time with my mom and experiencing Haiti for the first time. I’m even exploring my family’s history—which happens to be loaded with betrayals, superstitions and possibly even a family curse.

You know, typical drama. But it’s nothing I can’t handle.

My Review

For me, DEAR HAITI, LOVE ALAINE had two incredibly powerful parts: the first is the relationships between characters. The second is the description of Alaine’s time in Haiti.

Alaine has complex relationships with pretty much everyone. Haha. She’s a bit prickly and probably too smart for her own good, and that makes being close to her a complicated thing. She feels estranged from her mom, and that pain totally comes across in the story. The helplessness she feels and the frustration were heartbreaking.

On a lighter note, I love Alaine’s sense of humor (not going to lie– even the school project gone wrong made me laugh) and her quirky way of relating things. She made the story really fun to read.

The landscape of Haiti is beautifully described, but that isn’t even the whole of it. There’s really something magical in the way the Moulite sisters write about Haiti and what it’s like for Alaine to be there.

I guess the family curse surprised me a little bit in that I didn’t realize until maybe the second half of the book that the curse was going to be such a huge part of the story. It felt like a bit of a hard left turn to me, if that makes sense.

Still, I think the authors tied all the threads of the story together nicely, and stayed away from some of the predictable tropes. I enjoyed reading DEAR HAITI, LOVE ALAINE, and I think readers who enjoy books about narrators making a first visit to a homeland, like THE CAT KING OF HAVANA by Tom Crosshill would enjoy this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Most characters are Haitian. Much of the story takes place in Haiti.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Alaine’s family member believe her family is under a curse which can only be broken through some spiritual rituals.

Violent Content
A woman slaps a man.

Drug Content
A girl drinks a hallucinogenic drink as part of a ritual.

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

Review: The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young

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

The Girl the Sea Gave Back
Adrienne Young
Wednesday Books
Published September 3, 2019

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About The Girl the Sea Gave Back

The new gut-wrenching epic from the New York Times bestselling author of SKY IN THE DEEP.

For as long as she can remember, Tova has lived among the Svell, the people who found her washed ashore as a child and use her for her gift as a Truthtongue. Her own home and clan are long-faded memories, but the sacred symbols and staves inked over every inch of her skin mark her as one who can cast the rune stones and see into the future. She has found a fragile place among those who fear her, but when two clans to the east bury their age-old blood feud and join together as one, her world is dangerously close to collapse.

For the first time in generations, the leaders of the Svell are divided. Should they maintain peace or go to war with the allied clans to protect their newfound power? And when their chieftain looks to Tova to cast the stones, she sets into motion a series of events that will not only change the landscape of the mainland forever but will give her something she believed she could never have again—a home.

My Review

THE GIRL THE SEA GAVE BACK is told in alternating points of view from Tova, a Truthtongue living with the Svell as an outcast, and Halvard, a young warrior destined to become leader of his tribe. I liked both characters immediately. Halvard is so eager to do the right thing and has a fierceness and yet this endearing core of self-doubt. Tova has this insatiable curiosity about her past and an unshakeable faith in the Spinners, who weave the fate of everyone.

I found it a little difficult to follow some of the story world and keep track of the broad cast of characters. I didn’t realize at first that THE GIRL THE SEA GAVE BACK is from the same story world as Young’s debut, SKY IN THE DEEP. If I had it to do over again, I think I would have tried to read SKY IN THE DEEP first so that I had a better understanding and more familiarity with the background, the tribes, and Halvard’s huge family.

The story has a very rich feel to it in terms of its history and culture. Each tribe has its own lore, its own gods and traditions, and its own way of doing things. The clash in those traditions created a lot of tension, too. That and the emphasis on the Spinners and their role in weaving together everyone’s fates created a sort of global feel in THE GIRL THE SEA GAVE BACK that I really enjoyed.

It does also have a lot of battles and battle violence. A couple chapters are mostly descriptions of one critical battle. It was a little much for me, but you probably know by now that I’m a sensitive reader, so factor that in and check out my content notes below for more specific details.

If you enjoyed SEA WITCH by Sarah Henning or CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL by Mara Rutherford then you should check out THE GIRL THE SEA GAVE BACK.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
I think the characters are all sort of Scandinavian-ish? Blond hair and pale skin, or dark hair and pale skin.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Each tribe worships a specific god and has rituals to honor that god. Tova believes in the Spinners, gods who weave the fates of everyone.

Violent Content
Extended descriptions of battle violence. Some descriptions of physical abuse of a child. Some descriptions of torturing prisoners. Situations of peril.

Drug Content
Tova breathes in a poisonous, hallucinogenic smoke in order to speak to the Spinners.

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

Review: Last of Her Name by Jessica Khoury

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

Last of Her Name
Jessica Khoury
Scholastic Press
Published February 26, 2019

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About Last of Her Name

Sixteen years ago, rebellion swept the galaxy known as the Belt of Jewels. Every member of the royal family was murdered–down to their youngest child, Princess Anya–and the Union government rose in its place. But Stacia doesn’t think much about politics. She spends her days half-wild, rambling her father’s vineyard with her closest friends, Clio and Pol.

That all changes the day a Union ship appears in town, carrying the leader of the Belt himself, the Direktor Eminent. The Direktor claims that Princess Anya is alive, and that Stacia’s sleepy village is a den of empire loyalists, intent on hiding her. When Stacia is identified as the lost princess, her provincial home explodes into a nightmare.

Pol smuggles her away to a hidden escape ship in the chaos, leaving Clio in the hands of the Union. With everything she knows threading away into stars, Stacia sets her heart on a single mission. She will find and rescue Clio, even with the whole galaxy on her trail.

My Review

Okay, wow. I really wanted to read this book after reading and loving FORBIDDEN WISH by the same author. It’s so different, though, that I kept hesitating to read it, but I’m glad I finally jumped into LAST OF HER NAME

I think my favorite part is the story world. The belt of planets named for jewels with different environments and different humans adapted to life on those planets made it seem really believable and unique. It felt like Star Wars meets Anastasia, and I loved that.

Some parts of the story felt a little slow to me, especially toward the middle of the book. I felt like it took a long time for Stacia to come into her own and begin to make strategic moves and become an active player in her story. Early in the story especially, she seemed to look to others a lot for what to do. I think I really got hooked on the book once she began to take charge and make decisions herself.

On the whole, though, I think the characters are really memorable and well-developed. I loved the way Stacia ended up with a team around her, and I loved each of those characters. I think fans of Claudia Gray’s DEFY THE STARS and Beth Revis’s ACROSS THE UNIVERSE will want to read LAST OF HER NAME.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Stacia is white and human. Other characters are adapted humans (some have horns or can manipulate gravity or have other abilities) and face prejudice from unadapted humans.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Intense kissing between a boy and girl while they lie side by side on a bunk. Two minor female characters appear to have romantic feelings for one another.

Spiritual Content
Space travel is based on the use of a prism, which contains energy. Each prism is connected to other prisms.

Violent Content
Some scenes show characters being executed by military personnel. Some scenes imply that torture or execution happens off-scene. Situations of peril occur throughout.

Drug Content
Some adults consume alcohol.

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

Review: Have a Little Faith in Me by Sonia Hartl

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

Have a Little Faith in Me
Sonia Hartl
Page Street Kids
Published September 3, 2019

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About Have a Little Faith in Me

“Saved!” meets To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before in this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy that takes a meaningful look at consent and what it means to give it.

When CeCe’s born-again ex-boyfriend dumps her after they have sex, she follows him to Jesus camp in order to win him back. Problem: She knows nothing about Jesus. But her best friend Paul does. He accompanies CeCe to camp, and the plan—God’s or CeCe’s—goes immediately awry when her ex shows up with a new girlfriend, a True Believer at that.

Scrambling to save face, CeCe ropes Paul into faking a relationship. But as deceptions stack up, she questions whether her ex is really the nice guy he seemed. And what about her strange new feelings for Paul—is this love, lust, or an illusion born of heartbreak? To figure it out, she’ll have to confront the reasons she chased her ex to camp in the first place, including the truth about the night she lost her virginity.

My Review

I love the voice in HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME. CeCe is perky and impulsive and lots of fun. The plot doesn’t really pretend to have big secrets– it’s a rom com, and all that goes with that– but it still kept me turning pages because I couldn’t wait to see what CeCe would get up to next.

It always feels a little dicey to me to read about Christian characters from the perspective of someone who feels like an outsider or belittles faith. While there are definitely some moments where Christian faith is treated like a joke or scam, for the most part, I feel like this book shows that some Christians are genuine, kind, loving people. One of CeCe’s conclusions, though, is that Christians (even the “good”, non-judgmental ones) use their beliefs to justify whatever they want to do. While she’s certainly not wrong about people doing that at times, it was kind of a blanket statement that didn’t get challenged even when she discovered she liked some of the other campers and believed them to be good people.

I also struggled with the idea in the story that modesty is about shame. This comes predominantly from one of the camp counselors who clearly doesn’t like CeCe and makes her wear a big ugly cover-up over her bikini bathing suit. CeCe’s takeaway from this and from a workshop taught by that counselor is that girls need to cover their bodies because boys can’t handle themselves if they see a bit of skin, and girls are responsible for any bad actions the boys take as a result of seeing female bodies.

While I think challenging that idea (that girls are responsible for bad choices boys make) is super important, what I felt was missing was any other explanation of modesty or any positive context for it. (Treating one’s body like it’s special and preserving privacy from a place of confidence, for example.) Instead, I felt like the story comes across with this message that modesty and shame are the same thing, and the only reasonable response is to bare it all to prove that there’s no reason to be ashamed.

Again, I believe it’s important to challenge any idea that makes girls responsible for someone else’s bad behavior. I just felt like the story didn’t leave room for any other conclusion besides making the choice to show off your body as much as possible, and I feel like that kind of shames girls who aren’t comfortable doing that.

Another big theme in the story is consent. I love that this topic is on the table and being explored in YA books so much. It’s super important and sometimes confusing. Showing examples of good consent is a great way to teach about the topic.

I liked that HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME shows both a good example of asking for consent and bad example of it. We see how CeCe feels in both situations, and we can understand why. One partner makes her feel valued and cared for, and the other partner makes her feel used and dirty. I thought it was a little weird that it’s a boy who’s educating CeCe about consent. Not that boys can’t be or shouldn’t be in the know on consent. I guess it just struck me as a little odd in a book that focuses so much on female empowerment that a boy is the one who shows her the way.

The relationships CeCe forms with her cabin mates were great. She didn’t expect to find the deep camaraderie and support from Christian girls that she found. Both learned things from the other. And it created a broader perspective on what it means to be a practicing Christian by showing that not everyone is the same.

On the theme of sexual exploration and encounters, some readers may find that there’s just too much explicit sexual content here for them to read comfortably. Like the issue of modesty, the story takes a pretty narrow position on sex. The message is that everyone is doing it or very soon will be, so explicit instruction is a must.

While I think it’s important for teens to have real facts and information about sex and to have safe spaces where they can ask questions, I felt like the story didn’t leave room for kids who aren’t ready or who would find themselves really uncomfortable discussing explicit things about sex in a crowd.

I guess all that to say that I had kind of mixed feelings about HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME. On the one hand, I enjoyed a lot of the adventure of the story and the humor and voice. And I’m a total sucker for the best-friend-to-boyfriend type of story, so I was pretty much hooked from the outset.

I do wish that there was better representation of alternative perspectives on modesty and sex, but I loved that the story explores and fosters conversations about consent and how important it is.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 17 up.

Representation
CeCe and Paul are both white/straight. They attend a summer camp with a lot of Christian kids. One minor character tells CeCe that she’s interested in both girls and boys.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently. Crude language used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to sex. Explicit descriptions of sex and one scene explicitly showing sex.

Spiritual Content
CeCe isn’t a Christian and Paul no longer has Christian beliefs, but both attend a Christian summer camp and pretend to share faith with the other campers. Some of the other campers show love and acceptance even when it becomes obvious that CeCe and Paul don’t share their beliefs, but others are judgmental and fearful.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Historical, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , ,

Salt to the Sea
Ruta Sepetys
Philomel Books
February 2, 2016

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About SALT TO THE SEA

World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to safety.

Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people—adults and children alike—aboard must fight for the same thing: survival.

My Review

Okay, so not that you’ve been clocking my reading lists the last few years, but SALT TO THE SEA has been on my list since 2016. I’ve heard amazing things about Ruta Sepetys, but this is the first book of hers that I’ve finally read.

The writing is super compelling. Each character is distinct, down to their priorities, and how they behave. For instance, one refugee is a former shoe maker. He views every problem in the world as one of shoes. Whatever problem you’re facing, having the right shoes will make a huge difference. It may seem silly, but in the context of the story, it creates several powerful moments, and he shows so much compassion for others through the way he looks after their shoes.

The story can be pretty brutal. Lots of the brutality happens in passing, which means it’s not long descriptions, but they still tend to be sometimes horrifying. War brings out the best and the worst in humanity, and SALT TO THE SEA shows both.

I think in some ways, that brutality makes the point that war is horrifying. That we sometimes look back at history remembering the glorious victories, but we do not want to remember the civilians who were brutalized by advancing soldiers or who starved or froze to death. Or in this case, the tragic death of more than nine thousand people.

Readers interested in World War II history will find this little-explored event compelling and detailed. Sensitive readers may find some descriptions too brutal. See below for further content details.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 15 up.

Representation
Characters are mainly German or Eastern European.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
No profanity used.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between girl and boy.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Sensitive readers, beware. References to some super dark things. Characters hear rumors of horrors committed by the Russian army as they advance through Germany. References to rape. Some scenes show the events leading up to an assault. Some brief descriptions of the desperate things people do to escape the Russians: murder/suicide of an entire family, desperate people ultimately killing their small children trying to save them.

When the ship sinks, some people make sacrifices so others may live. Other people refuse to help those around them, even harming them in their desperation.

Drug Content 
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links which cost you nothing but which help support this blog.

Review: The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais

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

The Silence Between Us
Alison Gervais
Blink YA
Published August 6, 2019

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About The Silence Between Us

Moving halfway across the country to Colorado right before senior year isn’t Maya’s idea of a good time. Leaving behind Pratt School for the Deaf where she’s been a student for years only to attend a hearing school is even worse. Maya has dreams of breaking into the medical field and is determined to get the grades and a college degree to match, and she’s never considered being Deaf a disability. But her teachers and classmates at Engelmann High don’t seem to share her optimism.

And then there’s Beau Watson, Engelmann’s student body president and overachiever. Maya suspects Beau’s got a hidden agenda when he starts learning ASL to converse with her, but she also can’t deny it’s nice to sign with someone amongst all the lip reading she has to do with her hearing teachers and classmates. Maya has always been told that Deaf/hearing relationships never work, and yet she can’t help but be drawn to Beau as they spend more and more time together.

But as much Maya and Beau genuinely start to feel for one another, there are unmistakable differences in their worlds. When Maya passes up a chance to receive a cochlear implant, Beau doesn’t understand why Maya wouldn’t want to hear again. Maya is hurt Beau would want her to be anything but who she is—she’s always been proud to be Deaf, something Beau won’t ever be able to understand. Maya has to figure out whether bridging that gap between the Deaf and hearing worlds will be worth it, or if staying true to herself matters more.

My Review

I don’t know why this sometimes happens, but I ended up reading three books almost back to back that focused on the Deaf community. It was cool seeing how all three authors handled Deaf characters and conversations in sign language in their books, too. I liked that THE SILENCE BETWEEN US included conversations in sign language. It kept the story connected to what was happening and reinforced some of the struggles/problems Maya wrestled with as she did things that a lot of us take for granted, like going to school or needing medical help.

I liked Maya’s relationship with her brother and mom. They made an unusual family, close-knit and loving but still fighting their own battles, too. The relationships felt pretty real to me. I also liked that Maya had different kinds of friends and had to learn how to navigate those relationships, which often took her outside her comfort zone.

I felt like the plot slowed down a lot around the 3/4 mark. Usually at that point a story is ramping up to its final battle or climax, but it felt like Maya kind of lost her focus at that point, and I wasn’t sure what her goal really was anymore. She cares a lot about going to college and focuses a lot on that goal, but I never felt sure whether that was the big plot or whether the romance was supposed to be the main plot.

THE SILENCE BETWEEN US is ultimately a sweet romance about a Deaf girl and a hearing boy who have to figure out how to love and trust one another despite their differences and goals for the future. Readers who’ve enjoyed books by McCall Hoyle, like The Thing with Feathers will like the strong-willed heroine and sweet romance in this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Maya is Deaf and her brother has Cystic Fibrosis.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between a boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

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