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Review: Survival Show by Juno Dawson

Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , ,
Survival Show by Juno Dawson

Survival Show
Juno Dawson
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published August 4, 2026

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About Survival Show

K-pop survival shows meet The Hunger Games in this “chilling, satirical dystopian adventure” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) about a teen betting her life that her singing talent can make her a star from the celebrated author of This Book Is Gay, Juno Dawson.

The world just seems to take and take from Taryn Beck, but there’s one thing it’ll never have: her voice. Only when she’s singing does Taryn feel like she can escape her reality—free from the aftermath of the War, free from the Scottish refugee camps where she and her family now live, and free from the responsibility of making ends meet for the sake of her sick brother.

Taryn’s voice is her one ticket out, and that’s why she enters to be a contestant on the world’s most-watched television program: Starmaker, where kids from the New Peace Global Alliance compete for the chance to join an all-singing, all-dancing pop group. Rise to the top, and a life of luxury, stardom, and money awaits.

There’s only one small catch. The lowest-ranking face a televised public execution. Starmaker thanks their participants for their noble sacrifice to Project Population.

Taryn’s about to sing for her life.

My Review

This book has definite The Hunger Games meets American Idol vibes. The power structure in the dystopian world Dawson has created is absolute and intense, and it would have to be to drive teen girls to enter a singing competition where the prize is stardom, but the cost of failing to win is one’s life.

I feel like it’s going to be tempting for people to comment on this and say that nobody would let their teenage daughter compete when there’s a risk that they’ll literally die if they don’t win. I had that thought as well, and I think the story could have gone further to show the desperation that drove contestants to enter the contest. Overall, though, I think the story asks readers to think about the desperation that a society with a drastic power imbalance creates. When access to medical care and healthy food is restricted to a select few with the insulation of generational wealth, it breeds desperation in the people who don’t have those choices but do face chronic health problems, such as Taryn’s family.

I enjoyed the predominantly girl cast and the commentary on both reality TV and the double standards in media about how it presents girls. I also liked how the relationships between contestants evolved through the competition. The story highlights the power of girls reclaiming their own voices and rewriting the narrative that others have written for them and the power of a sisterhood.

Taryn is a strong main character who was easy for me to root for. I loved the descriptions of her voice and the singing and dancing challenges. Overall, this was a fun read. I think it could make an interesting novel to read alongside something like Lord of the Flies to compare how the authors write about power structures and group social dynamics.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used fairly infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Lots of references to morality and fears of being slut-shamed. Taryn also calls out the way that the girls are required to abstain from relationships or sexual activity yet sexualized through their required wardrobe and activities.

Spiritual Content
Taryn briefly speaks about her personal spiritual beliefs: there’s a God, but He’s not on our side. Some other characters identify as Christians, but it sometimes feels performative or empty. Others also make fun of things like a character praying to be spared from elimination in the competition.

Violent Content
Several characters die on scene. Some die by inhaling some kind of poison cloud. Some scenes show gun violence and death. Homophobic and transphobic comments appear periodically. The main character condemns that behavior. The contestants also endure body shaming and abusive treatment with regard to their access to food.

Drug Content
References to having easy access to drugs and alcohol as a star. The girls drink alcohol at a party they must attend. References to a drug overdose.

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.

Review: The Pools by E. Lockhart

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

The Pools
E. Lockhart
Delacorte Press
Published October 6, 2026

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About The Pools

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the We Were Liars series comes a love story full of simmering darkness and astonishing twists, following two teenagers whose lives are shattered by a shocking transformation.

Once, in a small New England town known for its hot springs, something terrible happened. Something that should have been a warning to stay away from the pools, if the stories were to be believed.

But no one is afraid of the water anymore, even if they should be. 

When new girl Lexie meets golden boy Chester, their chemistry is undeniable. She’s running from a glittering life she won’t speak about. He’s hiding secrets of his own. Their connection feels bigger than both of them, despite their damage. 

One frigid winter morning in that small New England town, five people go for a swim in the pools. Five people, including Chester. What happens there sends shock waves through the town, changing life as Lexie knows it forever.

My Review

I’ve been a fan of E. Lockhart’s books since I first read We Were Liars. I’ve read several of her books since then, but this is the first novel in verse that I’ve read. I really like that some of the poems were written with really specific intentions or using specific types of poetry. Some are found poems made with phrases found on signs or menus. A couple of poems come from mashed-up song lyrics. The author also describes the story as being in conversation with the European fairy tale “Wild Swans.”

If you’re familiar with Lockhart’s work, you’ll come to this book expecting some angst and struggle. The story holds a lot of tension in its relationships. There are a lot of relationships where there’s something separating people, like an unresolved conflict, a secret, or other failure of communication.

I like how layered this story is. Beyond the relationship issues, there’s a whole conversation about what makes someone a person. Are there circumstances in which someone stops being a person? What if they wanted to stop being human? The book also explores what true love means and the impact it is supposed to have on the world. It looks at a small community trying to make sense of a senseless loss and the different ways people cope —some helpful and others not so.

Though I like how this story resolves, I also felt like there are some big threads left untended to. The second-most important relationship in the book kind of falls by the wayside. I found it hard to believe that Lexie wouldn’t have taken what she learned and tried to use it to change the outcome for someone else that she cared about.

That said, I think the story still works as is. There’s an open-ended feeling to the ending that leaves room to imagine what might come next.

I think readers who enjoy fairy tale-inspired novels in verse will like this one. I could see fans of The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R. M. Romero picking this one up.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Brief nudity and reference to sex.

Spiritual Content
Some characters experience a supernatural transformation.

Violent Content
Prejudice, bullying. Someone discovers a gruesome scene in which a cat has been killed. Two boys bring a rifle and shoot someone. Someone else kills a person in self-defense. References to a child star being neglected and used for money.

Drug Content
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.

Review: The Christmas Wish by Lee Heart

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , ,

The Christmas Wish
Lee Heart
Simon Spotlight
Published September 8, 2026

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About The Christmas Wish

A girl full of holiday spirit hopes to get her secret crush’s attention for Christmas in this latest installment in the acclaimed tween middle grade rom-com series, Spotlight Sprinkles—full of evergreen tropes like holiday parties and the magic of the season!

Joy Rudolph is convinced nobody loves Christmastime more than her. After all, she was born on Christmas Day! Joy’s birthday parties are always full of holiday cheer, but this year, she has an extra-special wish: for her secret crush, Kris Conrad, to be there. 

Kris is the cutest boy in their grade—and probably ever!—plus, he was born on Christmas Eve! Could they be any more perfect for each other? If Kris comes to Joy’s party, she can figure out if he likes her back…and maybe even share a moment under some mistletoe! Will the combined magic of a birthday and Christmas wish make her dream come true?

My Review

I needed a break after two angsty young adult novels in which the dads died, so I picked up this cute holiday story. It’s very upbeat. Joy’s immediate family members are all present, supportive (except for her older brother, who sometimes finds her annoying), and helpful. Joy has good friends who cheer her on when she does well and comfort her when she’s feeling discouraged. The big issues she faces are how to celebrate her upcoming birthday, which falls right on Christmas Day, and whether her crush feels the same.

The birthday dilemma is a familiar one in my family. One of my sisters and one of my girls were both born in December, and it can be hard to make space amid all the holiday hoopla to give their special days the attention they deserve.

The first crush experience is also pretty familiar– ha! I thought the author captured the excitement and anticipation really nicely.

This is a sweet holiday story perfect for readers who want an uplifting holiday story. Middle grade readers with December birthdays, or birthdays that often fall on a big holiday, will identify with Joy’s struggle to carve out space for her birthday.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages LIST.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
List.

Romance/Sexual Content
List.

Spiritual Content
List.

Violent Content
List.

Drug Content
List.

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.

Review: Holloway by Elana K. Arnold

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

Holloway
Elana K. Arnold
Clarion Books
Published May 5, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Holloway

“Elana K. Arnold paints prose like a master. A fascinating journey through time, love, and forgiveness.” – A.S. King, Printz Award-winning author of Dig

Award-winning author Elana K. Arnold returns with a boldly visionary, deeply felt story that crosses space and time to examine loss and love in a world on the brink.

It is the late summer of 2021, and a girl named Nora is on the Paris Metro.

Nora, whose mother loved her, even though Nora was broken.

Nora, who couldn’t help her mother when her mother needed her most.

Nora, from whom the pandemic has taken nearly everything, save the object she clings to: a cylinder containing her mother’s ashes.

With no family left, no friends to speak of, and no way to turn back time, Nora has come to France to keep a promise she never got to make: to spread the ashes in a place her mother never got to see. But instead, Nora finds herself on the run through a forest in the night, taking refuge in a dark holloway. And when she wakes, and tries to make her way back to something she recognizes, she realizes that is impossible. 

Because it is no longer 2021.

Questioning everything—including her own sanity—Nora sets out on a journey through a time and place completely foreign to her, and yet one that, much like the time and place she came from, is defined by death, loss, fear, and uncertainty. A journey in which she must find a way to honor her mother—and heal herself—in a world that feels irrevocably broken.

My Review

I read a short piece by Elana K. Arnold in the anthology, Banned Together. I’ve seen her name on banned book lists as well. Holloway is the first novel that I’ve read by her, though.

I think, weirdly, one of my favorite parts of the book is what happens after Nora is no longer in 2021. She reacts pretty reasonably to the news, first deciding someone is tricking her, then trying to evaluate whether she’s having some kind of breakdown, and ultimately wondering when to accept that the impossible has truly happened and she is somehow in another time.

I just really appreciated that Arnold put that whole mental progression on the page. More often, characters experience something unbelievable, like slipping through a portal to elsewhere, and they simply must accept it because the plot is moving forward. I am willing to suspend my disbelief and carry on, but I loved that this book made space for the protagonist to explore those questions and feelings.

Holloway is a bit dark, and it wrestles with some hard realities. Nora grieves both the loss of her mother, with whom she has a complicated relationship, and her grandmother, who cared for her in her mom’s absence and pressed Nora’s mom to make space for Nora’s neurodivergence. Nora’s mom says some ugly things about Nora’s need for extra processing or her stimming behavior. She also blames vaccines for causing Nora to have autism and frames the diagnosis as a negative thing.

Another thing I thought was really cool about this book is that having Nora experience two separate time periods gave the narrative room to explore how the broader cultural understanding of, and treatment of, neurodivergent people differs in each timeline. That exploration contains a lot of nuance and layers. Nora knows people in her present and the past who seem to accept her as she is without question. Other people in each timeline judge or restrict her in varying ways.

Initially, I wasn’t going to try to read this book this year because of the parental loss the story includes. It wasn’t actually too hard for me once I got into it. Nora’s experience with her mom was so different from my experience with my dad that I didn’t feel the same kind of connection to the book.

Conclusion

Holloway is a compelling, thoughtful read that I think fans of stories exploring complex relationships will enjoy. I’m really glad I read it, and I’ll definitely look for more books by Elana K. Arnold.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to sexual assault. Kissing. Nora unexpectedly notices two people making love.

Spiritual Content
Nora leaves one time period and steps into another.

Violent Content
Nora encounters prejudice for her autism. She compares the ways she was treated in 2021 to how people perceive and treat people with autism in the earlier time period.

Drug Content
At one point, Nora is sedated and taken to a facility.

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.

Review: Just the Good Parts by Robbie Couch

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

Just the Good Parts
Robbie Couch
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published September 29, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Just the Good Parts

From the New York Times bestselling author of If I See You Again Tomorrow comes a stunningly romantic, speculative novel about a teen looking for his missing dad, who keeps getting pulled into others’ memories and crossing paths with a handsome stranger who also doesn’t belong there.

Caspen Coolsby’s dad is missing. But even though it’s only been a few months, everyone has given up on finding him. Except for Caspen.

He finally gets a break in the case when he meets his new upstairs neighbors and discovers he can somehow transport himself into each of the college students’ memories using candle scents that remind them of important moments. No one loved candles more than his dad, so Caspen is sure there must be clues pointing toward where to find him hidden in the memories.

His thinking hits a snag, though, when a handsome boy named Lars keeps popping up in memories where he also doesn’t belong. As the lines between memory and reality begin to blur, Caspen can’t help but fall for the mysterious boy who keeps chipping away at the rose-colored lens he’s always seen life through. But will Caspen be able to find his dad and his crush outside of these stolen moments if it means reliving the hard truths of his past and not just the good parts?

My Review

This book manages to be both playful and serious at the same time. I loved the wacky whimsy of a boy disappearing into his friends’ memories when they light a candle. Why Lars appears in the memories is never explained, but that didn’t bother me too much. I think it would have been cool if there was a connection that Caspen hadn’t realized until the end, but I was okay with the open-ended storyline there.

The fact that his family owns a candle store is super cute. Between that and the paranormal elements of the tale, I think this book works really well as a cozy fall read with slight Halloween vibes. Nothing truly spooky happens during the story, but the fact that this strange situation is happening and all the references to fall leaves and candles made me really glad I was reading this book during the fall season.

A lot of pieces of the story do get explained, and Caspen learns a lot about himself and his family along the way. I enjoyed seeing those connections, even though the conclusion of the story is pretty emotional. I wasn’t prepared for that considering how goofy and lighthearted the rest of the book is. I think the story works; I just probably wouldn’t have read the last five chapters in a Starbucks if I’d known where things were heading.

Just the Good Parts is the first book by Robbie Couch that I’ve read, and I enjoyed it. I think fans of Lance Rubin will want to check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Brief profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Caspen experiences the memories of three other people when they light candles and he touches them. Someone else appears in the memories, too.

Violent Content
Caspen’s dad is missing. References to the death of a girlfriend and unresolved grief. Reference to an injury from falling.

SPOILER: (Select the text below to view.)

Death of a parent.

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.

Review: The Hyacinth Labyrinth by Jamie Pacton

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

The Hyacinth Labyrinth
Jamie Pacton
Peachtree Teen
Published June 2, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Hyacinth Labyrinth

A whimsical adventure full of magic, fantastical road trips, and a sapphic slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance—for fans of Sorcery of Thorns and Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries.


All magic begins in stories. That’s what Fae princess Hyacinth has always been told. As the unmagical daughter of Queen Mab, Hyacinth has never fit in at her mother’s court. She hopes that if she learns about her father, who disappeared fifteen years ago, she can finally learn more about herself. 

When Hyacinth and her friend Chloe—a human stablehand trapped in Fae—sneak off to a riverside night market, Hyacinth learns that her father was last seen heading to a library at the heart of a treacherous labyrinth. The problem: The labyrinth was built long ago by three goddesses, and no one has ever returned from it. 

Still, Hyacinth has to try. 

With the help of Chloe and a tiny dragon named Coffee, she defies Queen Mab and sets off into the wilds of the Moonshadow Kingdom. Along the way they face bandits, magical creatures, a centuries-old human who hosts an Endless Ball, and Hyacinth and Chloe’s growing feelings for each other. Meanwhile, an ancient power lies in wait at the center of the labyrinth, and it is eager to write the girls’ ending. 

A lush, fairycore, sapphic YA fantasy that returns readers to the Fae world introduced in Jamie Pacton’s bestselling novel, The Absinthe Underground! 

Perfect for readers who love Sapphic Slow-Burn, Friends-to-Lovers, Grumpy/Sunshine, Princess/Lady Knight, Bodyguard Romance, Fae/Human Relationships, Only One Bed, and Stories Are Magic!

My Review

I was already a huge fan of Jamie Pacton going into this book, so it was a sure bet that I’d like it. And I totally did! I loved Hyacinth’s optimism and hopefulness juxtaposed with Chloe’s grim, suspicious outlook. It made perfect sense, considering the differences in their backgrounds.

The romance develops slowly– in a good way– and kept me looking forward to the moment the girls realized their feelings were returned. I loved how Pacton incorporated fun tropes into the narrative without them feeling too heavy-handed. The story had a definite playful vibe to it even though the writing wasn’t silly or goofy. I found that a lot of fun.

It’s been too long since I read The Absinthe Underground, so some of the references to elements from that story may have gone over my head. Nothing made me feel lost or like I was unable to enjoy a scene or moment. I think this could be read independently without reading the other book first.

If you like stories filled with fae mischief and sweet romance, definitely put this one on your reading list!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Falling asleep together.

Spiritual Content
Some characters can use magic. Fae and other mythical creatures exist in the story.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Brief battle violence.

Drug Content
Chloe must be wary of Fae food, which can enthrall her and make her forget she’s a human from another world. Characters encounter someone who uses enchanted food to manipulate others and harm them.

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.