Category Archives: Romance

Review: Wrecked by Heather Henson

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Wrecked by Heather Henson

Wrecked
Heather Henson
Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Published on March 22, 2022

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About Wrecked

For as long as Miri can remember it’s been her and her dad, Poe, in Paradise—what Poe calls their home, hidden away from prying eyes in rural Kentucky. It’s not like Miri doesn’t know what her dad does or why people call him “the Wizard.” It’s not like she doesn’t know why Cal, her one friend and Poe’s right-hand man, patrols the grounds with a machine gun. Nothing new, but lately Paradise has started to feel more like a prison.

Enter Fen. The new kid in town could prove to be exactly the distraction Miri needs…but nothing is ever simple. Poe doesn’t take kindly to strangers. Fen’s DEA agent father is a little too interested in Miri’s family. And Cal isn’t satisfied with being just friends with Miri anymore. But what’s past is prologue—it’s what will follow that will wreck everything.

Shining a klieg light on the opioid crisis coursing through this country, WRECKED will have readers on the edge of their seat right up until the explosive ending.

My Review

First, let me say that this book is an incredible, wild ride. I love Fen and Miri! Clay broke my heart. For a short book (272 pages) it packs a huge punch in emotions and action.

So I’m not generally the biggest insta-love fan, but I think the whole, “Fen and Miri have just met, but they share this instant connection” actually worked for me in this book. In part it worked because it felt like an emotional connection between outcasts and oddballs, not a connection based on their physical attraction for each other. It wasn’t even overtly romantic at first. That definitely hooked me.

The secrets Miri keeps are huge. Just being friends with Fen could blow her whole life apart. Fen is used to people’s eyes glazing over when he tries to explain his love for his soundscapes, so he’s kind of given up on anyone understanding him, ever, when he meets Miri.

The third POV character is Clay, a boy in love with Miri. A childhood friend of hers who has been brought into the family by Miri’s dad. I liked his character, too. He has such a tragic past. He’s fiercely loyal to Miri and her family. He needs to be recognized as valuable to someone.

All that comes together in a high-intensity story set just outside a meth lab. I’m a little confused because the cover copy talks about this story bringing attention to the opioid epidemic, but I didn’t think meth was an opiate? I thought it was a stimulant? So I don’t know if it’s been reclassified (a quick google search seems to indicate no?) or if that’s kind of a marketing thing. Connect the book to the opioid crisis because it’s higher profile right now than meth addiction? I don’t know.

Conclusion

All in all, I enjoyed the story and read it really quickly. I didn’t want to stop because it felt like all the dominoes were always about to fall. I think fans of books by Ellen Hopkins will like the gritty writing (though this isn’t written in verse) and the gripping characters.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. At one point they both take tops off.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
More than once a boy is threatened at gunpoint. A boy walks into a burning building because his friends are inside.

Drug Content
Several characters abuse crystal meth and/or drink alcohol.

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 WRECKED in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Great or Nothing by Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, and Jessica Spotswood

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

Great or Nothing
Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, and Jessica Spotswood
Delacorte Press
Published March 8, 2022

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About Great or Nothing

In the spring of 1942, the United States is reeling from the attack on Pearl Harbor. While the US starts sending troops to the front, the March family of Concord, Massachusetts grieves their own enormous loss: the death of their daughter, Beth.

Under the strain of their grief, Beth’s remaining sisters fracture, each going their own way with Jo nursing her wounds and building planes in Boston, Meg holding down the home front with Marmee, and Amy living a secret life as a Red Cross volunteer in London–the same city where one Mr. Theodore Laurence is stationed as an army pilot.

Each March sister’s point of view is written by a separate author, three in prose and Beth’s in verse, still holding the family together from beyond the grave. Woven together, these threads tell a story of finding one’s way in a world undergoing catastrophic change.

A reimagining of Little Women set in the spring of 1942, when the United States is suddenly embroiled in the second World War, this story, told from each March sister’s point of view, is one of grief, love, and self-discovery.

My Review

I think the idea of this book is really cool. It seemed (I have zero experience to back this up) pretty thoroughly researched– there were lots of descriptions of clothes, food, and common words or phrases that either fit with other things I knew about the 1940s or felt pretty on point for what I expected from a story set in that era. There were also lots of references to historical facts and events, from the attack at Pearl Harbor to women working in factories and flying planes (not in combat).

So all that made the story feel really immersed in the time period, and I liked that. What I struggled with, though, is that sometimes I felt like the atmosphere or the setting dominated the story. This happened to me especially with Amy’s character, I think, but not exclusively. Her way of thinking and speaking was so steeped in lingo from the period that sometimes I just felt like I didn’t connect with her.

I thought the decision to tell the story beginning after Beth’s death but still include her as an observer was really interesting. Her chapters are written in verse, and often they add something to what’s happening with her sisters. Sometimes they reveal more things about who she was and her own hopes and dreams. I liked those moments a lot.

One of my favorite things about the book is that in this story, Jo finds another writer, a woman who’s goal is to be a war correspondent. They bond over challenges in their relationships with their sisters, writing, and being dissatisfied with what they’re told are the conventional roles of women. I think seeing the connection between those two as writers and women finding where they belong in the world made for a powerful story to read.

On the whole, I’m not sorry I read the book as there are several things I really enjoyed. It wasn’t what I expected, though.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Jo and Charlie are lesbians. One minor character is Japanese American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

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

Spiritual Content
Joe, Meg, Amy, and Beth’s father is an Army Chaplain.

Violent Content
Some racist comments toward a Japanese American girl and about Japanese Americans. Some racist comments about Black soldiers. Two men get into a fight in a hotel ballroom.

Drug Content
Characters often drink champagne. Amy is underage at sixteen.

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 GREAT OR NOTHING in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Summer We Forgot by Caroline George

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

The Summer We Forgot
Caroline George
Thomas Nelson Publishing
Published March 8, 2022

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About The Summer We Forgot

Some memories are better left forgotten.

Darby and Morgan haven’t spoken for two years, and their friend group has splintered. But when the body of their former science teacher is found in the marsh where they attended camp that summer, they realize they have more questions than answers . . . and even fewer memories.

No one remembers—or no one is talking.

The group of reunited friends begins to suspect that a murderer is stalking the coastal highway 30A, and they must try to recover their memories as quickly as possible . . . before the history they can’t remember repeats itself.

Everyone has a secret.

As tensions rise and time runs out, Darby and Morgan begin to wonder if they can believe one another… or if they can even trust themselves.

Caroline George once again transports readers with lush, evocative prose, leading them to ask the question: what happens when we can’t even trust ourselves?

My Review

Going in, this book reminded me of something in the realm of R. L. Stine books. I liked the small beach town and all the descriptions of how things smelled and felt. That made me feel really present in the story.

The simmering romance between Darby and Morgan was also really well done. I liked that it drove the story forward, though a couple times I was like omg, figure this out already, guys! Haha. Looking back I feel like it was pretty well done, though.

I think one of my pet peeves with mystery/suspense books is when adults do all the heavy lifting and kids solve the mystery in conversations with them. There were a couple of moments in the book where I would have liked to see Darby and Morgan play a more active role in collecting clues and piecing things together. They did make some major moves, though, so all the solving didn’t happen in dialogue.

I also thought the cast of friends was kind of big. There were a couple characters that I kept getting confused, and I wonder if it would have been better to combine two of them?

On the whole, though, I felt like the dynamics between the members of the group felt pretty realistic. I enjoyed reading the banter between them and the goofy things they did together.

All in all, I think this book was enjoyable. I think fans of ONE OF US IS LYING by Karen McManus will enjoy the murder mystery and friend dynamics of the book.

Content Notes for The Summer We Forgot

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
A teacher’s body is found in a march and police begin a murder investigation. Someone appears to be following Darby and her friends. Darby has a traumatic memory of her brother holding her underwater when she was ten years old. A masked person attacks two boys, beating them up. Another person throws a girl into the trunk of a car. Someone jumps from a moving vehicle, injuring themselves.

Drug Content
Teens consume alcohol at a party in several scenes. Reference to smoking pot.

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 SUMMER WE FORGOT in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Forward March by Skye Quinlan

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

Forward March
Skye Quinlan
Page Street Press
Published February 1, 2022

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About Forward March

What’s worse? Someone using your face for catfishing or realizing you actually do have a crush on the catfished girl?

Harper “Band Geek” McKinley just wants to make it through her senior year of marching band—and her Republican father’s presidential campaign. That was a tall order to start, but everything was going well enough until someone made a fake gay dating profile posing as Harper. The real Harper can’t afford for anyone to find out about the Tinder profile for three very important reasons:

1. Her mom is the school dean and dating profiles for students are strictly forbidden.
2. Harper doesn’t even know if she likes anyone like that—let alone if she likes other girls.
3. If this secret gets out, her father could lose the election, one she’s not sure she even wants him to win.

But upon meeting Margot Blanchard, the drumline leader who swiped right, Harper thinks it might be worth the trouble to let Margot get to know the real her.

With her dad’s campaign on the line, Harper’s relationship with her family at stake, and no idea who made that fake dating profile, Harper has to decide what’s more important to her: living her truth or becoming the First Daughter of America.

My Review

I liked a lot of things about this story. It’s the second marching band story that I’ve read recently, and I really enjoyed dipping into that world again. I also thought that, for a story about a girl whose father is running for president, the politics stayed sidelined, except for where they impacted Harper personally. It kept the story about her instead of being about politics, which I think is great.

I liked Harper as a character, too. She’s timid, especially at first, but she grows a lot through the story. She learns a lot about taking ownership of what she wants and deciding what she will do about it.

The story also explores different kinds of toxic relationships, some more obliquely, and others much more up close. Apologies if this next part is confusing– I’m trying to avoid spoilers.

So. Toxic relationships. This is where my feelings about the book are really split. On the one hand, I thought the way the story explored Harper’s relationships with her parents (and her brother’s history with them) was great. Parent relationships are complicated, and Harper’s relationships with hers are no exception. She has to learn when to challenge, when to find outside support, and when to do what they say until she graduates. Those aren’t always easy decisions. I felt her conflict, anxiety, and hurt so much through the book in those scenes with her parents.

I kind of had a problem with some of the peer relationships in FORWARD MARCH, though. Harper, especially at the beginning of the story, is a really passive character who does a lot of dangerous things to self-sabotage. She doesn’t carry her Epipen or her inhaler, instead depending on others to anticipate her need for them. And she surrounds herself by people who do exactly that and more. One girl searches Harper’s lunch plate for rogue seafood (which Harper is allergic to). While Harper thinks it’s a bit much, she’s also touched at what she feels is this girl’s protectiveness.

Conclusion

As much as Harper grows through the story, I felt like this codependent/passive behavior on her part and the controlling or hypervigilant behavior on the part of the people around her doesn’t really get addressed. She has other conflicts with her friends which also end in an unsatisfying way for me. It felt like instead of really working through an issue, she avoids her friends for a while until she feels bad that they’re still sad and then decides to be friends again.

While I think that makes sense in a high school age character, I wish there had at least been an acknowledgement of the unhealthiness of some of Harper’s actions and relationships.

All in all, I both enjoyed and struggled with things in FORWARD MARCH. I’m kind of split on this one. Readers who enjoyed GET IT TOGETHER, DELILAH by Erin Gough may like this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Harper is ace and a lesbian. Margot is a lesbian. Other LGBTQ+ minor characters.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls. Reference to explicit text messages (the content of the messages isn’t revealed).

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some homophobic and transphobic comments and behavior. Harper worries that her parents will throw her out or force her to go to conversion therapy if they learn that she’s queer. The dean of the school does not acknowledge or respect a nonbinary student’s identity. Some mentions of self-harm.

Drug Content
Some students drink beer at a bonfire. Two people (one student, one not) talk about unhealthy parts of their lives in which they drank too much alcohol and needed to get help.

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 FORWARD MARCH in exchange for my honest review.

Review: A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

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

A Far Wilder Magic
Allison Saft
Wednesday Books
Published March 8, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About A Far Wilder Magic

When Margaret Welty spots the legendary hala, the last living mythical creature, she knows the Halfmoon Hunt will soon follow. Whoever is able to kill the hala will earn fame and riches, and unlock an ancient magical secret. If Margaret wins the hunt, it may finally bring her mother home. While Margaret is the best sharpshooter in town, only teams of two can register, and she needs an alchemist.

Weston Winters isn’t an alchemist–yet. Fired from every apprenticeship he’s landed, his last chance hinges on Master Welty taking him in. But when Wes arrives at Welty Manor, he finds only Margaret and her bloodhound Trouble. Margaret begrudgingly allows him to stay, but on one condition: he must join the hunt with her.

Although they make an unlikely team, Wes is in awe of the girl who has endured alone on the outskirts of a town that doesn’t want her, in this creaking house of ghosts and sorrow. And even though Wes disrupts every aspect of her life, Margaret is drawn to him. He, too, knows what it’s like to be an outsider. As the hunt looms closer and tensions rise, Margaret and Wes uncover dark magic that could be the key to winning the hunt – if they survive that long.

In A FAR WILDER MAGIC, Allison Saft has written an achingly tender love story set against a deadly hunt in an atmospheric, rich fantasy world that will sweep you away.



My Review

I really, really liked Allison Saft’s debut, DOWN COMES THE NIGHT, so my expectations for A FAR WILDER MAGIC were set pretty high. For the most part, I think the book delivered on my hopes. The setting feels raw and strange and a bit like a fantasy version of a tiny seaside English town.

Margaret’s character is tragic and closed, but so full. She is a closet full of emotions. Wes is awkward and charming and sometimes a bit doofy, but in a lost puppy kind of way that I found endearing. I loved his sisters, especially Mad and Colleen.

Probably the thing that I struggled with most– which is totally a me issue– is that the book is written in third person, present tense. I don’t know why I tripped over that so much, but I know it slowed me down in my reading because I kept translating it to past tense in my head and then confusing myself. It took a long time for my brain to get with the program on that one, unfortunately.

Other than that, I was pretty easily swept away by the story and characters. I liked the mythical, magical hunt, though I think I kept waiting for something else to happen with the hala, for it to turn out to be not what they expected. And I guess in some ways it wasn’t, but not in the ways I thought it might.

I thought the way the author set up different religious groups/cultures and the animosity between them was really interesting, too. It took me a long time to interpret some of the representation, but some of the clues are pretty obvious. I like the way this reviewer explains it on her Goodreads review.

On the whole, though, I really enjoyed reading it, especially for the moments of banter between characters and some of the sweet, awkward exchanges between Wes and pretty much anyone else. Ha.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up

Representation
Margaret is a Jewish-coded character, called Yu’adir in the book. Wes and his family are Banvish immigrants (kind of a fantasy version of Irish Catholic). Both experience racism and prejudice.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief reference to two men being married. One of Wes’s sisters dates girls. Kissing between a boy and girl. References to oral sex. One scene includes nudity and sex.

Spiritual Content
Margaret remembers Shabbos dinners and celebrations with her father, and longs to learn more about her heritage. Wes has been raised to believe that the hala are holy, created by God and containing part of God’s divinity, so that they should not be killed. Both their belief systems are at odds with the majority culture and religion.

Violent Content
Violence against animals and animal death. Situations of peril. Some reference to racist slurs. Two boys get into a fight more than once. Some animals are injured and killed by a magical creature. A boy is also pretty severely injured by the creature.

Drug Content
Characters drink alcohol socially.

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 A FAR WILDER MAGIC in exchange for my honest review.

Review: And They Lived by Steven Salvatore

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

And They Lived . . .
Steven Salvatore
Bloomsbury YA
Published March 8, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About And They Lived . . .

Chase Arthur is a budding animator and hopeless romantic obsessed with Disney films and finding his true love, but he’s plagued with the belief that he’s not enough for anyone: he’s recovering from an eating disorder and suffers from body dysmorphia fueled by his father, and can’t quite figure out his gender identity. When Chase starts his freshman year of college, he has to navigate being away from home and missing his sister, finding his squad, and contending with his ex-best friend Leila who is gunning for the same exclusive mentorship. If only he can pull together a short for the freshman animation showcase at the end of the semester.

Then Chase meets Jack Reid, a pragmatic poet who worships words and longs to experience life outside of his sheltered world. But Chase throws everything into question for Jack, who is still discovering his sexual identity, having grown up in close-knit conservative family. Jack internalized a lot of homophobia from his parents and childhood best friend, who unexpectedly visit campus, which threatens to destroy their relationship. Chase will have to learn to love–and be enough for–himself, while discovering what it means to truly live.

My Review

Y’all, I’m so humbled by this book. I started writing my review yesterday, but I really needed more time to let this story soak in and think about how and why it impacts me like it does.

So, at its core, AND THEY LIVED is a romance. But I think what’s really incredible about it is that it’s really about the journey of learning to love yourself. It’s about finding the courage to face shame that we carry, and to dare to be vulnerable, not just through finding a wonderful relationship or great friends, but to be vulnerable with ourselves. To own how painful it can be to look at certain parts of ourselves and process that pain and learn to love anyway.

If any of that sounds cheesy or weird, just know that’s my poor communication. It doesn’t come across that way in the book. The book is packed with these incredible, rich characters and this whole spectrum of emotions. Hilarious antics between friends. Heartbreaking disappointment and hurt. Breathtaking love.

I feel like it’s a rare thing to see someone dare to put so much of their heart on the page in a novel like this, and it come through in such an achingly powerful way. Steven Salvatore is not only wildly, amazingly talented, but brave and wise. It’s not unusual to hear someone (I’m sure I’ve even said it before) describe a book as “necessary”, and I know this book won’t be for everyone (why do I know so many people who only read fantasy?). But what this author does so well, and what we desperately need more of in books, is storytelling that is this honest, this courageous, and this hopeful.

I didn’t even realize it was possible to be blown away by a book the way this one has blown me away.

This is Steven Salvatore’s second novel. Their first, CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY came out last year, and I really enjoyed that one as well. To be honest, I might have skipped over this book because it’s set in college, and I tend to focus on books set in high school, but I’m so glad I’ve had a chance to read AND THEY LIVED. It’s definitely a book that will stay with me for a long time, but also challenges me as a person and a writer.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Chase is genderqueer. Multiple other characters are gay. Some minor characters are Black or Latinx.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between Chase and another guy. Kissing between two boys. A few scenes show explicit sex and nudity.

Spiritual Content
Jack’s family regularly attends a Christian church.

Violent Content – Trigger Warning for homophobia and bullying.
One use of a homophobic slur. Some descriptions of other homophobic behavior and bullying.

Drug Content
Some scenes show college freshman (and others) drinking alcohol and smoking pot.

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 AND THEY LIVED in exchange for my honest review.