Review: Time Out by Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner, and Carlyn Greenwald

Time Out by Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner cover shows two boys, one in a basketball uniform and the other in long pants and a jacket sitting on the bottom row of the bleachers together. Items are scattered around them on the floor of the gym and on the bleachers.

Time Out
Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner, and Carlyn Greenwald
Simon & Schuster
Published May 30, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Time Out

Heartstopper meets Friday Night Lights in this keenly felt coming-of-age story about a teen hometown hero who must find out who he is outside of basketball when his coming out as gay costs him his popularity and place on the team.

In his small … Continue reading

Review: No Perfect Places by Steven Salvatore

No Perfect Places by Steven Salvatore

No Perfect Places
Steven Salvatore
Bloomsbury YA
Published May 30, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About No Perfect Places

From lauded author Steven Salvatore comes a YA about twins whose incarcerated father dies and leaves behind a life-changing secret.

When their father was imprisoned for embezzlement, twins Alex and Olly Brucke lost everything except their strong bond with each other. But after their dad dies unexpectedly, the twins start to fracture. Alex is spiraling, skipping classes to get drunk or high. Olly is struggling with a secret his dad ordered him to keep: they have a secret half-brother, Tyler.

So when Tyler shows up in their lakeside town for … Continue reading

14 Underhyped YA Books Worth Reading

14 Underhyped Young Adult Books Worth Reading

14 Underhyped YA Books Worth Reading

I was emailing with an author of one of my favorite books from last year, and I realized it’s been a while since I shared a list of the books that I loved that just didn’t seem to get the hype they deserved. Some of these were published during the early days of Covid, when authors canceled book signings, school visits, and other bookish events. A few of these underhyped YA titles are from the ancient days before the pandemic changed life as we knew it. Others were published more recently– perhaps a victim of Barnes & Noble’s switch to carrying mostly paperbacks? I’m not sure what the deal … Continue reading

Review: All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley

All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley

All the Dead Lie Down
Kyrie McCauley
Katherine Tegen Books
Published May 16, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

All the Dead Lie Down

The Haunting of Bly Manor meets House of Salt and Sorrows in award-winning author Kyrie McCauley’s contemporary YA gothic romance about a dark family lineage, the ghosts of grief, and the lines we’ll cross for love.

The Sleeping House was very much awake . . .

Days after a tragedy leaves Marin Blythe alone in the world, she receives a surprising invitation from Alice Lovelace—an acclaimed horror writer and childhood friend of Marin’s mother. Alice offers her a nanny position at Lovelace House, the … Continue reading

21 Underhyped Middle Grade Books Worth Reading

21 Underhyped Middle Grade Books Worth Reading

21 Underhyped Middle Grade Books Worth Reading

I recently realized it’s been a while since I shared a list of the books that I loved that just didn’t seem to get the hype they deserved. Some of these middle grade books were published during the early days of Covid, when authors canceled book signings, school visits, and other bookish events. A few of these underhyped middle grade titles are from the ancient days before the pandemic changed life as we knew it. Others were published more recently– perhaps a victim of Barnes & Noble’s switch to carrying mostly paperbacks? I’m not sure what the deal is, but I am sure these books deserve more attention … Continue reading

Review: Don’t Ask If I’m Okay by Jessica Klara

Don't Ask If I'm Okay by Jessica Klara

Don’t Ask If I’m Okay
Jessica Klara
Page Street
Published May 9, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Don’t Ask If I’m Okay

Heartfelt and bittersweet, this coming-of age story explores the tender space of healing where grief meets love

A year ago, Gage survived a car accident that killed his best friend, Hunter. Without the person who always brought out the best in him, Gage doesn’t know who he is. He likes working as a fry cook and loves his small-town friends and family, but they weren’t in the wreck and he can’t tell them how much he’s still hurting. He just wants to forget all … Continue reading