A poignant middle grade novel in verse about a Hmong girl losing and finding home in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. For fans of Jasmine Warga and Veera Hiranandani.
For eleven-year-old Gao Sheng, home is the lush, humid jungles and highlands of Laos. Home is where she can roll down the grassy hill with her younger siblings after her chores, walk to school, and pick ripe peaches from her family’s trees.
But home becomes impossible to hold onto when U.S. troops pull out of the Vietnam War. The communists will be searching for any American allies, like Gao Sheng’s father, a Hmong captain in the Royal Lao Army who fought alongside the Americans against the Vietnamese. If he’s caught, he’ll be killed.
As the adults frantically make plans – contacting family, preparing a route, and bundling up their silver and gold, Gao Sheng wonders if she will ever return to her beloved Laos and what’s to become of her family now. Gao Sheng only knows that a good daughter doesn’t ask questions or complain. A good daughter doesn’t let her family down. Even though sometimes, she wishes she could be just a kid rolling down a grassy hill again.
On foot, by taxi and finally in a canoe, Gao Sheng and her family make haste from the mountains to the capitol Vientiane and across the rushing Mekong River, to finally arrive at an overcrowded refugee camp in Thailand. As a year passes at the camp, Gao Sheng discovers how to rebuild home no matter where she is and finally find her voice.
Inspired by author V.T. Bidania’s family history, A Year Without a Home illuminates the long, difficult journey that many Hmong refugees faced after the Vietnam War.
My Review
My knowledge of the Vietnam War is pretty thin, so learning about the Hmong soldiers from Laos who helped the American forces was new to me. The story includes some of what happened in Laos in and around 1975, especially for the Hmong people, such as Gao Sheng and her family.
I love that the author showed Gao Sheng’s frustration with her family role. (As the oldest daughter, her job is to take care of the younger siblings and cousins, whereas her brother is allowed more unstructured play time. Her feelings were easy to understand, and I think they’ll resonate with young readers today as well. I also thought it was cool that she learned embroidery and felt a connection to her mom and aunties through that activity. It captured that in-between feeling of adolescence, where sometimes she wanted to be a kid and other times she wanted to do things considered more adult.
At the end of the book, the author shares her personal connection to the story. Her family had an experience similar to Gao Sheng’s when she was a baby. I liked how she incorporated her family’s history into the story.
A Year Without Home reminded me a little bit of Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai. I think readers who enjoy realistic fiction in verse will like this one.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.
Profanity/Crude Language Content None.
Romance/Sexual Content Reference to cultural norms. A boy wants to speak with Gao Sheng, but it isn’t proper for them to speak directly, so his cousin passes the message to her.
Spiritual Content None.
Violent Content Gao Sheng hears rumors that people have been arrested and possibly tortured. In the refugee camp, her family hears stories of people who died in the airport bombing. Some families were robbed as they tried to escape Laos.
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.
2025 was a frustrating one for me as a book blogger, if I’m honest. Like, I read some amazing books. That was great. But I also faced some health challenges that left me feeling way behind schedule for most of the year. Not so great.
By the time I hit September/October, I was months behind, struggling to get caught up reading the books I’d promised publishers that I’d get to by release dates that had long since swept past me. I finally caught up in mid-December and finished the year reading a few 2026 titles. Better late than never, I guess!
I set my overall reading goal for 2025 at 200 books, which is very achievable for me, and I exceeded it by almost 50 books. So, overall, I think it was still a good year, reading-wise.
And, my family finished the year with everyone doing okay health-wise, which is also a huge win! I’ve enjoyed the look back at the past year. It has helped me understand some ways I need to pivot in 2026 so that I feel a little less pressure and a little more joy in my reading life.
Last year, I posted a recap with charts, which was kind of fun. I’ll post them here again. I thought about doing some side-by-side comparisons from this year to last year, but it got weird because I didn’t name the charts consistently, so I decided not to do that. I’ll still note some comparisons for my fellow chart/trend people.
Books I Read by Age Group
Perhaps predictably, my 2025 reading by age group is very similar to my 2024 numbers. Essentially, I read the exact same percentage of YA this past year and slightly more middle grade/slightly fewer adult books.
The bulk of my reading is still young adult literature. I feel pretty good about my selection process with young adult books, but I’d like to get better at finding and selecting middle grade titles. I still sort of stumble over those rather than deliberately campaign for review copies of certain titles. A better process might help me balance my reading between the two age groups.
Types of Books I Read in 2025
Most of what I read are full-length novels (167 books). I read a LOT more anthologies this year (21) compared to last year (1), which was interesting. I’m finding that I really enjoy that format and the chance to read short stories by new authors. I also read a few anthologies this year where the authors connected the stories in interesting ways. That was a lot of fun.
I still read a lot of nonfiction (45 books), which is great. Years ago, I set a goal to read at least one nonfiction title per month, so it’s really cool to see that number at almost 4 per month on average.
Some of the poetry books were part of my reading a poem a day goal, but some are novels in verse. Graphic novels are still a bit of a new thing for me. I found some illustrators that I love, and my daughter started reading middle grade graphic novels, so both of those bumped up my reading this year.
Frontlist vs. Backlist
This year, like last year, I read a lot more backlist titles than I thought. Some of this happens because one of the groups I review for runs a little behind, so I end up reading some 2024 releases in 2025. But most of this is me fitting in books from my TBR and catching up on titles I missed for whatever reason. This year, I read some incredible backlist titles, so I hope to share those in a separate “Best of 2025” list, since I don’t get to talk about those all that often.
I also surprised myself by reading five whole 2026 titles before the end of 2025. It felt great to catch up on the books I agreed to review for 2025 and move forward into 2026 before the year’s end.
Format Breakdown
My format choices for 2025 are very similar to 2024. Nearly half of my reading is ebooks or eARCs (pre-release copies from publishers). A fair number of the hardbacks are from publishers as well. A few send me finished copies, which is so cool.
A little more than a quarter of my total books read come from audiobooks, which I mostly listen to in the car. Most of those come from the library.
Genre Breakdown
This breakdown kind of surprises me. I didn’t realize how much fantasy as a genre dominates my reading. If you asked me what percentage of my reading is contemporary versus fantasy, I would have guessed it’s about 50/50. Ha! Not even close.
I’m also surprised that I read so few romances. I think this is in part because if a book had a romance subplot, I didn’t consider it a romance. Some of those are labeled fantasy or contemporary. So there are quite a few titles that had romance in them but aren’t categorized as romance.
I read more mystery/suspense/thriller books than I thought, and fewer horror novels. Horror is a relatively new interest for me, too, but it seems to be something I enjoy, especially if it is thoughtful and not too gory.
Goals Recap
I’m a little discouraged about my reading challenge results this year. Not because I expected to read more backlist titles, but because I kind of filled out the prompts in reverse (trying to find a prompt that fit a backlist title I’d read rather than choosing a title based on a prompt). It’s fine– the reading challenge police are not on their way or anything. It simply wasn’t a very satisfying way for me to tackle my backlist reading this year.
Read Harder 2025 Challenge
This year, I completed 20 out of 24 reading prompts for Book Riot’s Read Harder 2025 challenge. One of the reasons I like this challenge, alongside the Beat the Backlist Challenge, is that it allows you to count books that release in 2025. The whole point is to challenge yourself to read more inclusively. The challenge has helped me recognize some holes in my reading choices. That’s a direction I intend to continue, whether or not I continue the challenge.
Beat the Backlist 2025 Challenge
I managed to satisfy 46 out of 52 reading prompts this year for Austine Decker’s Beat the Backlist challenge. A few of those prompts never had a chance. One was for reading a book that was over 600 pages. I am just not a person who can read long books like that. I start to sweat when we get over 350 pages. Needless to say, I skipped right over that one!
I’m not unhappy with 46 completed prompts, though. I liked reading through the list of prompts and thinking of books from my TBR that would satisfy a particular prompt, even if I didn’t end up reading that book for the challenge.
Poetry and Classics
One of my goals this year was to read one poem per day. This came from a suggestion in Why We Read by Shannon Reed. She struggled to read poetry and felt bad about it, but discovered that one poem per day was a really sustainable pace for her. I tried this method this year, and though I took a bit of a break this fall, it was very successful for me. This year, I managed to read several poetry anthologies, and I found some poets that I really enjoy.
On the classics front, my experience was less satisfying. I wanted to read The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, but picked it up at the wrong time. Between the news and the intensity of some of the scenes in the book, I had to put it down. I want to give it a try again once I’m in a better headspace, though. I reread The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi and finished Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume for the first time. I also reread Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor.
Community Goals
I continued meeting up with KidLit Bloggers this year and sharing middle grade reviews on Mondays with the crew at Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays. Both of those things have been a lot of fun. A few of the KidLit bloggers and I now do a quarterly book club. Right now, we’re reading Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout for discussion in January.
In 2025, I only posted two Top Ten Tuesday lists, which is so sad. I love doing those lists, but I struggle to do them when I’m behind on posting reviews. It always feels like I should catch up on those reviews before working on other things, but I’m not sure how true that is. I want to revamp my process for next year to allow me some space to prioritize lists. They’re such a great way to draw attention to underhyped books, and they’re a lot of fun to put together. Lists are also a great way to feature books that I want to read, but realistically may not get to before that publication date.
Process Goals
My goal this year was to take more breaks and feel less guilty. This was very challenging in 2025 because I was far behind my predicted calendar schedule. The good news is that once I realized that catching up was a long-term strategy, not something I could do in a week or two, I was able to let go of some of the guilt and move forward the best I could.
I do not feel satisfied with the amount of space I left myself for mood reading or taking breaks. This is still very much a work in progress for me. I’ve got some ideas for how to change this up in 2026 that I’m excited about.
Did you meet your reading goals for 2025?
Did you start the year with any reading goals? How do you think you did at meeting them? Whether or not you set any goals, leave a comment and let me know about your reading experience this year. I hope you have a safe, happy New Year, and a 2026 filled with wonderful literary adventures!
About This is Not a Test: The Definitive Edition with Please Remain Calm
It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High, but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self.
To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed, and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live.
But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways, and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside.
When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?
My Review
This is Not a Test is one of the only Courtney Summers novels I hadn’t yet read. (The only one I still haven’t gotten to at this point is Fall for Anything.) This version includes both This is Not a Test and Please Remain Calm, a novella from the love interest’s perspective that takes place after This is Not a Test.
This book was so intense that I literally read it in one session. The threat of zombies is everpresent, but that’s not the only threat the characters face. The tension between members of the survivors Sloane hides with just keeps going up. One group blames a person for the deaths of others. The group disagrees on how to treat a new survivor discovered within the compound. Sloane herself begins the story intending to end her life, so she is a danger to herself for quite a stretch of the narrative.
Throughout the story, Sloane thinks about her missing sister and her father, who abused her. I had a theory about where that thread of the story was going, but I was wrong. I do appreciate that the author wraps up the unanswered questions there in a way that allows Sloane to move on. I also like that she finds a connection to Rhys, a boy from the group of survivors she was with in the school.
As you’d expect from a Courtney Summers novel, this story is sharp, smart, and deeply moving. I don’t even know if I blinked through some of the chapters. I didn’t want to miss a single second.
If you’re looking for a zombie story packed with social commentary and exploring the connection between sisters and girl friends, definitely do not miss this one.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 16 up.
Profanity/Crude Language Content Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.
Romance/Sexual Content Kissing. Vague reference to someone walking in on a couple having sex. A couple starts making out, intending to have sex.
Spiritual Content None.
Violent Content Mentions of and brief descriptions of domestic violence and child abuse. Suicidal ideation and a vague attempt. One scene shows a character ending their life. Several scenes show zombies attacking one another and anyone still alive. Some members of the group blame another group member for the deaths of others. One person essentially sends others into a fatal situation, hoping it allows the others to escape.
Drug Content Teens 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.
Well, it took me all the way until December, but I finally got caught up on the reviews I promised to write for this year! I feel like I spent all year in a desperate scramble, and it feels so good to now look ahead rather than behind. The bulk of the catching-up efforts happened in October and November. By the middle of December, I was able to move on and start reading books coming out in 2026. Imagine!
This month, I focused on finishing up the 2025 releases I agreed to review, but I still managed to slip a few backlist titles into my reading, too. One of the books I read is The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich, which has been on my reading list since 2023, when it came out. I also reread Vanya and the Wild Hunt with my littlest, who LOVED it. She is going to be on pins and needles until the second book comes out, which isn’t until 2027.
At any rate, here is a full recap of the books I read this month —frontlist, backlist, and beyond.
Note: This post contains affiliate links that do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. Thanks for using them to do your shopping.
December 2025 Reading Recap
The Demon and the Light by Axie Oh (The Floating World #2)
My thoughts: This is the second half of a duology that began with The Floating World, released earlier this year. Lots of romance and Final Fantasy vibes. Really enjoyable read.
My thoughts: A sweet, blended-family-oriented story with a reverse Parent Trap plot filled with unexpected friendship. I love the cruise ship setting. Definitely a great book to pick up when you’re missing the sunshine this winter.
My thoughts: Kind of a companion novel to The Starlet’s Secret to a Sensational Afterlife, featuring Henny’s sister Genevieve, a girl determined to make her mark on science, and a boy running from a cult. A super fun romp through 1890s Chicago.
My thoughts: My first holiday read of the season! This book really got me in the mood to celebrate love and Christmas. I especially appreciated Juniper’s “song of the day” choices.
My thoughts: This is December’s read-aloud with my daughter. I worried at first that the danger and intensity of the scenes with the Old Ones would be too much for her (she’s 7), but she LOVES it. She’s enjoying getting lost in the descriptions of Auramere and asking questions about Vanya’s experience with ADHD. I read the book earlier in the year, so it’s fun to re-experience the story this way.
My thoughts: The first book in this series won me over with its realistic portrayal of ballet life and the intense, horrific unraveling of the main character. I love the way Shea uses dance in this book. I’m really in awe.
My thoughts: This is the book you’d give today’s teen who’s curious about Twilight but wants something more modern. A creepy gothic boarding school. A slow-burning romance between a girl and a vampire.
My thoughts: This playful story is perfect for those cold nights when it seems winter will never end. A sweet tale of friendship between a girl and a snowman.
My thoughts: A historical novel about a girl who must hide her identity or risk losing her job in an earl’s garden. Perfect for readers who want a story like The Secret Garden but with modern style and sensibility.
My thoughts: This might be my favorite Kasie West title yet. It’s got a little more tension and angst than her other books, but still has the banter and fun that you expect from her.
My thoughts: A reimagining of Little Women as a murder mystery (who killed Beth March?) in a contemporary setting. I’m so glad I read this. If you liked Belittled Women by Amanda Sellet, do not miss this!
My thoughts: I had a great time reading this upbeat, sweet romance. All the characters’ names and places are cheese-related. I love the use of the grilled cheese. Perfect for fans of The Prince and the Dressmaker.
My thoughts: I’m seriously blown away by this book. I love that the blackbird narrates the whole story and that art is so important to the tale. Really nicely done.
My thoughts: OMG, reading this was so stressful! Haha. The tension —from the threat of the zombies and the erratic relationships with uninfected people— never stops. I had to read this in one sitting.
My thoughts: This novel in verse is set over a year, from 1975 to 1976, in Laos and then Thailand, and follows the journey of an oldest daughter and her family as they flee turmoil in Laos to a refugee camp in Thailand. It’s a gripping story that explores family roles and the meaning of home.
My thoughts: I love the homage to early 2000s Goth fashion in this endearing graphic novel about a best friendship between two girls. So relatable. I loved both main characters.
Published February 18, 2025 | My Review to Come
A Barista’s Guide to Love and Larceny by Caroline Bonin
My thoughts: A magical heist with some romance thrown in? Yes, please! I really enjoyed this book about a girl in a magical college who becomes embroiled in a quest to stop a company from releasing a new dream-based product with dangerous side effects.
My thoughts: A mysterious box containing inexplicable power changes the lives of everyone who encounters it, killing some and driving others mad. Winnie and Apollo, teens whose ancestors have ties to the box, must figure out how to destroy it before it’s too late. Shea’s signature insightful, unsettling writing shines in this eerie story.
My thoughts: I love the way this book shows how powerful a community is and how connecting to your family and your history can be different from what you expected. This graphic novel made a great note to end my reading for the year.
Published June 11, 2024 | My Review to Come
What did you read in December 2025?
What books were on your December 2025 reading list? I’d love to hear about them. Have you read any of the titles I listed? Leave a comment and let me know if you enjoyed them.
From the critically acclaimed author of Sunkissed comes a new swoony YA romance. Indy and Beau’s friendship is shattered, but getting accidentally locked in a bathroom together just might be what’s needed to reconnect.
When the walls close in, the truth comes out.
When Indy’s life came crashing down, she made a rule: no one could know. To the world, she’s still the same Indy—cool, calm, unshaken. But behind the scenes? It’s chaos.
Her tight-knit crew—Beau, Caroline, and Ava—were once her everything. Now they’re strangers she can’t seem to reach—especially Beau. And the only person she talks to these days is Cody, a skater-boy she used to think was so not her type. Funny how everything changes when your world flips upside down.
And then, as if things couldn’t get weirder, Indy finds herself literally stuck in a school bathroom with Beau. After months of silence, and there’s no escape. If they want out, they’ll have to face the messy truth about what happened between them and find a way back to what they once had. Or maybe even more…
My Review
Kasie West is a go-to author for me when I need a sweet, fun, light romance. Room to Breathe deals with some heavier themes than West’s previous titles. Indy faces a family crisis that shakes her parents’ marriage and leaves her uncertain about her relationship with her dad. Her parents make her promise to keep the crisis secret, and Indy obeys. The pressure makes her implode, and her closest friendships become casualties.
The setup is really cute. Indy gets locked in a staff bathroom on a Friday afternoon when she ventures inside without realizing that the door locks automatically. Shortly after, Beau walks in without realizing she’s there, and before she can warn him, he lets the door close behind him.
The story alternates between the present, when Indy and Beau are locked in a room together, and the past, where we watch Indy’s life come apart and gradually understand why her friendships ended. Of course, the tension between Indy and Beau ratchets up, and I couldn’t help hoping they’d finally be honest with themselves and each other about how they felt.
Room to Breathe is packed with the kind of silliness and sweetness you expect from this author, but it also has a more serious core. I thought those two elements worked really well together and deepened Indy’s emotional journey. This might be my favorite of Kasie West’s books so far.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 14 up.
Profanity/Crude Language Content None.
Romance/Sexual Content Kissing.
Spiritual Content None.
Violent Content Brief references to bullying. Two teens break into a school chemistry classroom. Law enforcement searches a home, seizing potential evidence of a crime.
Drug Content In one scene, teens attend a party where they 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.
At her lowest point, a teen girl finds solace and a potential crush in her local theater’s mascot’s DMs, sparking a quest to uncover the true identity of this mysterious figure. From the bestselling author of The Magic Fish comes a new fairy tale romance with a twist.
What do you do when you’re the girl who can do it all, and suddenly you can’t?
After burning out last year, Angelica is ready to get her life back together. Thankfully she has amazing friends to support her…including Peri the Bear, the mascot of her town’s local theater. At her lowest moments, Angelica found comfort in private messaging Peri’s social media account, and well, she might have a bit of a crush. Now, Angelica is interning at the local theater in the hopes of finding the person beind the account and thanking them. Who was this mysterious stranger and why did they help her out? Was it just caring for a stranger…or did they feel the same connection that Angelica felt?
My Review
At its surface, this is a story about estranged childhood friends who reconnect through a local theatre group. Much like he did in The Magic Fish, the author tells a fairytale alongside a contemporary story. The Bear Prince fairytale is based on the story “East of the Sun and West of the Moon,” which I’d never read. The plot is a little similar to “Beauty and the Beast”.
Angelica and the Bear Prince hints that Gable is a transgender character, but the narrative doesn’t focus a lot on pronouns or identity. I found an interview with Trung le Nguyen where he talks about why he chose to both include a nonbinary character, and why he did not focus the story on identity. He mentioned that he has nonbinary and transgender people in his life who simply exist without announcement, and he wanted the novel to reflect that reality.
What does take center stage is the relationships between characters, especially the way they resolve conflicts. At one point, Angelica and her best friend, Christine, get into an argument. Christine tells Angelica that she needs her to listen without trying to solve her problems. This is such a relatable moment. At another point, Angelica’s dad, who is very comfortable sharing his feelings, notes that Angelica and her mom aren’t easily vulnerable in that way. There’s a funny moment where something happens and he asks if they’re going to talk about it, and both Angelica and her mom decline.
Grief is also a theme that runs throughout the book. Angelica and Gable both grieve over the loss of grandparents. Another character grieves when a romantic relationship unravels. The characters lean into one another and learn new ways to cope, which I loved.
One thing I will say is that this story is a lot sassier than The Magic Fish, which I think worked well as an upper middle grade read. Angelica and the Bear Prince has more swearing and a couple of sexual references that make it a solidly young adult read.
Conclusion
All in all, this is a perfectly cozy winter romance. Readers looking for a more mature book like We Could Be Magic by Marissa Meyer will definitely want to grab a copy.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 14 up.
Profanity/Crude Language Content Strong profanity used infrequently. One character makes brief racist comments to another.
Romance/Sexual Content One panel shows a kiss. A couple of brief sexual references.
Spiritual Content Alongside Angelica’s story is a fairytale in which a character transforms and is under a curse.
Violent Content A person on ice skates knocks Angelica down by accident. A girl confronts her boyfriend, who is on a date with someone else.
Drug Content None.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I purchased a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
