Category Archives: Romance

Review: The 9:09 Project by Mark H. Parsons

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The 9:09 Project by Mark H. Parsons

The 9:09 Project
Mark H. Parsons
Delacorte Press
Published November 15, 2022

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About The 9:09 Project

A thoughtful exploration about finding oneself, learning to hope after loss, and recognizing the role that family, friends, and even strangers can play in the healing process if you are open and willing to share your experience with others.

It has been two years since his mom’s death, and Jamison, his dad, and his younger sister seem to be coping, but they’ve been dealing with their loss separately and in different ways. When Jamison has to be reminded of his mother’s birthday, on the day of her birthday, he worries that his memory of her is slipping away, and he is forced to reckon with the passing of time. To help make sense of it, he picks up his camera—the Nikon his mother gave him a few years back.

Jamison begins to take photos of ordinary people on the street, at the same time and place each night. As he focuses his lens on the random people who cross his path, Jamison begins to see the world in a deeper way. His endeavor turns into a school project, and then into something more. Along with his new outlook, Jamison forges new and unexpected friendships at school. But more importantly, he’s able to revive the memory of his mother, and to connect with his father and younger sister once again.

My Review

I talk a lot about how much I love sister books, but I’m not sure I talk much about how much grief processing books mean to me, too. There’s something really powerful about a story that peels back the layers and reveals truths about love and loss that we don’t talk about. This book does that so well, and so many of the statements about loss and grief really resonated with me.

So, full disclosure, the ARC that I read opens with a note from the author, so I read that first. Which means before I even read the first line of the book, I was crying. The letter is about how the author was editing this book as he was saying goodbye to his mom, who was dying of the same type of cancer Jamison’s mom died from. I can’t even imagine how incredibly difficult that must have been. Absolutely heartbreaking.

I think one of my favorite things about the story, though, is that though it’s about grief, it doesn’t take the course that I have seen some other YA novels take. Meaning, it doesn’t focus on Jamison’s former friendships and how they’ve changed because of his grief, whose fault it is, or whether they can be repaired.

We don’t really know who his friends were before his mom’s death. He’s so totally disconnected from the Before time of his life that it never comes up. What we do get to see is the fresh growth of new friendships, what those mean to him, and how he learns to trust other people with his grief and share in theirs, too.

A fair amount of the story focuses on Jamison’s photography, which I loved. I especially loved the way that the Dorothea Lange quotes at the beginning of each chapter encapsulated something that happened in that chapter. I loved seeing those connections. Jamison shares some of the technical aspects of editing photos, but context clues were enough for me to follow along. I know the photography side, so that was familiar to me, but I think it’d be easily accessible to someone who didn’t have the knowledge.

I really liked the characters, too. Not just Jamison, but his sister, Assi, and Seth, too. They each bring really interesting elements to the story, and I liked that his relationship with each of them is different.

On the whole, I would call this one a win. I think readers who enjoy books by John Green should really check this one out.

Content Notes for The 9:09 Project

Some racist and sexist statements.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Jamison is white and has synesthesia.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
A girl hints that she would like to have sex with Jamison. A girl suggests that Jamison take nude photos of her. Later she shares nude photos with him. (Pictures are not described in any detail.) A boy and a girl spend the night together. Later it’s mentioned that they had sex.

Spiritual Content
Jamison mentions that he feels his mom’s presence at times.

Violent Content
A group of boys at school create a list where they rank girls according to their looks on a scale of 1 to 10. Jamison and others are pretty grossed out by the whole thing. More than one student confronts them about it. Students refer to a Lebanese American girl as “AK-47”, a covert way of saying they think she’s a terrorist. Several students call this out as offensive as well, but it does happen throughout the story.

Drug Content
Jamison and others drink alcohol at a party. In one scene, Jamison’s father offers him a beer. (Jamison is 17.)

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 THE 9:09 PROJECT in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Salt and Sugar by Rebecca Carvalho

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

Salt and Sugar
Rebecca Carvalho
Inkyard Press
November 1, 2022

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About Salt and Sugar

The grandchildren of two rival Brazilian bakeries fall in love despite their families’ feud.

Trust neither thin-bottomed frying pans nor Molinas.

Lari Ramires has always known this to be true. In Olinda, Brazil, her family’s bakery, Salt, has been at war with the Molinas’ bakery across the street, Sugar, for generations. But Lari’s world turns upside down when her beloved grandmother passes away. On top of that, a big supermarket chain has moved to town, forcing many of the small businesses to close.

Determined to protect her home, Lari does the unthinkable—she works together with Pedro Molina to save both of their bakeries. Lari realizes she might not know Pedro as well as she thought—and she maybe even likes what she learns—but the question remains: Can a Ramires and a Molina truly trust one another?

My Review

This book made me want baked goods so badly. The descriptions of the process of baking were absolutely tantalizing. Everything seemed like it would be absolutely delicious.

My favorite thing, though, were the Romeo and Juliet themes or references. I loved that there was so much more to the feud than fighting between the families. I also loved the pacing of the romance between Pedro and Larissa. They were adorable and sweet, and I loved rooting for them to figure out their feelings and finally get together.

In the story, Larissa has just lost her grandmother, a super important person in her life. Her grief felt so real and palpable. There’s a scene in which she visits her grandmother’s graveside, and I cried through the whole scene. It really struck me and made me remember those feelings about my grandma’s death, too. A good grandma is a really tough loss.

I also loved that the story is set in Brazil. The food, the culture and celebrations were all so present in the story.

All in all, it wasn’t love at first sight with this one for me– it took me a few chapters to really get into the book. Once Larissa gets talked into joining the cooking club, I was pretty much hooked, though, and that happens really early on.

I think readers who enjoyed WE CAN’T KEEP MEETING LIKE THIS by Rachel Lynn Solomon would enjoy this fun, sweet romantic book.

Content Notes for Salt and Sugar

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
All characters are Brazilian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between 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 this blog. I received a free copy of SALT AND SUGAR in exchange for my honest review.

Review: If You Could See the Sun by Anna Liang

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If You Could See the Sun
Anna Liang
Inkyard Press
Published October 11, 2022

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About If You Could See the Sun

Alice Sun has always felt invisible at her elite Beijing international boarding school, where she’s the only scholarship student among China’s most rich and influential teens. But then she starts uncontrollably turning invisible—actually invisible.

When her parents drop the news that they can no longer afford her tuition, even with the scholarship, Alice hatches a plan to monetize her strange new power—she’ll discover the scandalous secrets her classmates want to know, for a price.

But as the tasks escalate from petty scandals to actual crimes, Alice must decide if it’s worth losing her conscience—or even her life.

In this genre-bending YA debut, a Chinese American girl monetizes her strange new invisibility powers by discovering and selling her wealthy classmates’ most scandalous secrets.

My Review

I think one of my favorite things about this book is actually that Alice never learns to control or perfectly predict her ability to become invisible. She knows about how frequently it happens, so she can kind of hope and loosely plan, but that extra tension made every job she took risky because she couldn’t guarantee she’d become or stay invisible when she needed to.

In other teens-with-superpowers books that I’ve read, I’m pretty sure all of them learn to control their ability at least to a certain degree, so I also liked that Alice never having dominance over her ability set this book apart and made me feel like it added a new type of story to the supernatural ability book list.

Alice is driven and smart, but not in a prodigious way. I liked that though she is used to keeping to herself, her ability and decisions about it forced her to open herself up to others in a way she hadn’t before. It made her realize how lonely she’d been and that people weren’t always who she initially thought them to be. I really liked Henry and Chanel, and I was glad that she formed bonds with them.

IF YOU COULD SEE THE SUN explored a lot of themes that resonated with me, including friendship and family. I’m super glad I read it. I think readers who enjoyed HOW WE FALL APART by Katie Zhao or BOYS I KNOW by Anna Gracia definitely need to read this one.

Content Notes for If You Could See the Sun

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Main characters are Chinese.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Alice follows a man accused of having an affair to find out if he’s meeting another woman. Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Alice has an uncontrollable ability to turn invisible.

Violent Content
One student plots harm against another student and requests Alice’s help. A man injures a student.

Drug Content
None.

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 IF YOU COULD SEE THE SUN in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera

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The First to Die at the End
Adam Silvera
HarperCollins
Published October 4, 2022

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About The First to Die at the End

In this prequel to #1 New York Times bestselling phenomenon THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END, two new strangers spend a life-changing day together after Death-Cast first makes their fateful calls.

It’s the night before Death-Cast goes live, and there’s one question on everyone’s mind: Can Death-Cast actually predict when someone will die, or is it just an elaborate hoax?

Orion Pagan has waited years for someone to tell him that he’s going to die. He has a serious heart condition, and he signed up for Death-Cast so he could know what’s coming.

Valentino Prince is restarting his life in New York. He has a long and promising future ahead and he only registered for Death-Cast after his twin sister nearly died in a car accident.

Orion and Valentino cross paths in Times Square and immediately feel a deep connection. But when the first round of End Day calls goes out, their lives are changed forever—one of them receives a call, and the other doesn’t. Though neither boy is certain how the day will end, they know they want to spend it together…even if that means their goodbye will be heartbreaking.

Told with acclaimed author Adam Silvera’s signature bittersweet touch, this story celebrates the lasting impact that people have on each other and proves that life is always worth living to the fullest.

My Review

As soon as I heard about THE FIRST TO DIE AT THE END, I knew I had to read it. My daughter and I STILL talk about THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END, so I couldn’t wait to tell her about the prequel.

When I started thinking about the idea of a prequel to Rufus and Mateo’s story, I couldn’t figure out how that would work. Like, how do you elevate a story that happens first? We had all these iconic moments with Rufus and Mateo and all these interesting intersections of characters because of the Death-Cast system. How would a story breathe new life into those things so they’re not repetitive?

Well. Let me say that one of the things I think this book does the best is to breathe fresh life into the idea of a Death-Cast world, and to create new twists and connections. It broke my heart all over again, and I loved every minute of it.

Two tiny notes: I’m not usually a fan of stories with lots of points of view. It gets easy to lose track of characters and their connections to each other. Though there’s a big cast, I kept track of everyone pretty easily. I loved the way that the different viewpoints added depth to the story.

Also, I loved the cameos from little Rufus and little Mateo! I was totally not expecting that, and it was fantastic.

Of the two books, I have to admit this one is my favorite, though. I remember feeling sad at the end of THEY BOTH DIE, but I fought back sobs at the end of this one. If you read and enjoyed Mateo and Rufus’s story, you do not want to miss THE FIRST TO DIE AT THE END.

Content Notes

Content warning for gun violence, domestic violence, assault, and homophobia.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Both Orion and Valentino are Puerto Rican and gay.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used pretty frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys. They have sex. There’s a one line description and a couple references to it.

Spiritual Content
Valentino was raised Catholic and has been told that being gay is a sin which will condemn him to Hell. Orion’s mom says God wouldn’t come between a mother and her children.

Violent Content
Orion’s parents were killed on 9/11. He describes nightmares about seeing them afterward. One brief scene shows a shooting. Reference to and brief description of someone shot to death. References to Valentino’s sister’s car accident and some brief descriptions of it. References to and depictions of domestic violence and assault.

Valentino’s parents reject him for being gay and have said some homophobic things to him. Orion worries about walking home and people identifying him as gay and that being a problem in his neighborhood.

Drug Content
None.

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 THE FIRSTS TO DIE AT THE END in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Wishtress by Nadine Brandes

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

Wishtress
Nadine Brandes
Thomas Nelson
Published September 13, 2022

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About Wishtress

She didn’t ask to be the Wishtress.

Myrthe was born with the ability to turn her tears into wishes. It’s a big secret to keep. When a granted wish goes wrong, a curse is placed on her: the next tear she sheds will kill her. She needs to journey to the Well and break the curse before it claims her life–and before the king’s militairen track her down. But in order to survive the journey, she must harden her heart to keep herself from crying even a single tear.

He can stop time with a snap of his fingers.

Bastiaan’s powerful–and rare–Talent came in handy when he kidnapped the old king. Now the new king has a job for him: find and capture the Wishtress and deliver her to the schloss. But Bastiaan needs a wish of his own. When he locates Myrthe, he agrees to take her to the Well in exchange for a wish. Once she’s fulfilled her end of the deal, he’ll turn her in. As long as his growing feelings for the girl with a stone heart don’t compromise his job.

They are on a journey that can only end one way: with her death.

Everyone seems to need a wish–the king, Myrthe’s cousin, the boy she thinks she loves. And they’re ready to bully, beg, and even betray her for it. No one knows that to grant even one of them, Myrthe would have to die. And if she tells them about her curse . . . they’ll just kill her anyway.

My Review

I remember that I really enjoyed ROMANOV by Nadine Brandes, so when I saw that she had a new book coming out, I wanted to read it. I really liked the way that she incorporated magic into her version of the story about Anastasia Romanov and her family.

The magic system and its origins also proved to be something I enjoyed in WISHTRESS. Basically, there are two possible sources of magic in the book. The Well can only be approached through completing four dangerous trials and may or may not grant a Talent or magical ability. And the Nightwell can be much more easily approached. Submerging oneself in the Nightwell guarantees that you’ll receive a Bane, a destructive magical ability such as poisonous blood or the ability to curse others.

The initial idea was that the trials would protect the Well from access by unworthy applicants, but in reality, it keeps the poor from accessing it. The rich hire warriors to complete the trials so they may approach the Well. Rather than truly being a test of character, the trials become a test of wealth. That metaphor certainly resonated– there are lots of systems touted as being meant to bring fairness but which really only amount to controlling access. And money buys access to a lot of things.

At any rate, some of the tension in the story comes from characters deciding whether they should attempt the trials even with the odds stacked against them or whether they should take a “shortcut” to accessing magic and visit the Nightwell. I liked that dynamic and the way different characters made those decisions and how that worked.

If there’s a place the story was a little thin for me, it was the character relationships. I didn’t understand Myrthe’s interest in Sven. Even to some degree her awe of Bastiaan didn’t resonate with me. Yeah, I liked him, too, but there seemed to be a kind of awe that felt… off? I don’t know if it was that it didn’t feel anchored in her body? Like, I don’t know if I was looking for more reactions to him being close or more of a spark between them? I’m not sure. I guess I didn’t sense a chemistry between them, and I wanted that.

Despite that, I loved the ending, and I want to see where the story goes. I will be on the lookout for the sequel.

Readers who enjoyed MERLIN’S BLADE by Robert Treskillard or UNBREAKABLE by Sara Ella will enjoy this book. I think the story is a little bit more like Brandes’s debut, A TIME TO DIE, so if you’re familiar with that one and liked it, definitely check out WISHTRESS.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Myrthe is disabled and has difficulty walking after having the pox as a child.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between man and woman.

Spiritual Content
The Well offers Talents (magical abilities) to those to drink from it, and a few others. The Nightwell offers Banes (ability to harm others) to those to submerge themselves in it.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Battle sequences. Brief scenes showing torture.

Drug Content
None.

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 this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Three Kisses, One Midnight by Roshani Chokshi, Sandhya Menon, and Evelyn Skye

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Three Kisses, One Midnight
Roshani Chokshi, Sandhya Menon, and Evelyn Skye
Wednesday Books
Published August 30, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Three Kisses, One Midnight

New York Times bestselling authors Roshani Chokshi, Evelyn Skye, and Sandhya Menon craft a spellbinding novel about discovering the magic of true love on one fateful, magical night in THREE KISSES, ONE MIDNIGHT.

The town of Moon Ridge was founded 400 years ago and everyone born and raised there knows the legend of the young woman who perished at the stroke of twelve that very same night, losing the life she was set to embark on with her dearest love. Every century since, one day a year, the Lady of Moon Ridge descends from the stars to walk among the townsfolk, conjuring an aura upon those willing to follow their hearts’ desires.

“To summon joy and love in another’s soul
For a connection that makes two people whole
For laughter and a smile that one can never miss
Sealed before midnight with a truehearted kiss.”

This year at Moon Ridge High, a group of friends known as The Coven will weave art, science, and magic during a masquerade ball unlike any other. Onny, True, and Ash believe everything is in alignment to bring them the affection, acceptance, and healing that can only come from romance—with a little help from Onny’s grandmother’s love potion.

But nothing is as simple as it first seems. And as midnight approaches, The Coven learn that it will take more than a spell to recognize those who offer their love and to embrace all the magic that follows.

My Review

I read a pre-release version of THREE KISSES, ONE MIDNIGHT. I loved the stories and the ways they connected together. The formatting was a little strange, but I feel like that’s something I’m hesitant to assume is the way the published version of the book will be.

The story gives us the point of view of Onny, Ash, and True, but each in turn. So the first third of the book is Onny’s story. Then Ash’s. Then True’s. I recently read another book written that way, and I really enjoyed it, so it was fun to read another book written with the point of view split up that way.

I wish each section had individual chapters, though. Each point of view section is probably close to 100 pages. In the ARC, each point-of-view uses scene breaks (little stars across one line), but each section reads as one long chapter. That wasn’t my favorite. It feels weird to me to stop reading at a scene break instead of a chapter break. I don’t know if the final version reads that way. The sample section available on Amazon shows some scene breaks but not any chapter breaks.

Anyhow. One of the big reasons I wanted to read this book is because I’ve read other books by Roshani Chokshi (pretty much an auto-buy author for me at this point) and Sandhya Menon, whose books have been so much fun! I’m not totally caught up on her backlist, but I’m sure I will at some point. The only one of the trio that I hadn’t read before is Evelyn Skye, and I’ve got a couple of her books on my To Be Read list. So I was excited about getting to read something by her, too.

THREE KISSES, ONE MIDNIGHT delivered all the things I hoped for from the authors. It’s fun and romantic, but I felt like the characters were deep, too. I loved all three stories. Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite romance tropes, so I especially loved seeing that one in there.

I thought the party and the town’s lore about love were really great elements, too. All in all, I probably enjoyed this book more even than I expected to, and I expected it to be a fun read.

I think fans of Sandhya Menon’s other books or books by Kasie West will love the sweet tales of romance in THREE KISSES, ONE MIDNIGHT.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Onny is Filipino American. Ash is Asian American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Kissing between two men.

Spiritual Content
Onny believes in magic. She makes a love potion from a recipe her grandmother gave her. In one scene, a group of teens use a Ouija board. Some characters experience encounters with a ghost or spirit.

Violent Content
Boys steal a mannequin that True was supposed to guard. She confronts them, and the situation escalates to a physical confrontation.

Drug Content
Some jokes about the party’s punch being eventually spiked.

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 THREE KISSES, ONE MIDNIGHT in exchange for my honest review.