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MMGM Review: A Year Without Home by V. T. Bidania

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A Year Without Home by V. T. Bidania

A Year Without Home
V. T. Bidania
Nancy Paulsen Books
Published January 13, 2026

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About A Year Without Home

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.

Review: Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , ,

Beth is Dead
Katie Bernet
Sarah Barley Books
Published January 6, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Beth is Dead

Beth March’s sisters will stop at nothing to track down her killer—until they begin to suspect each other—in this debut thriller that’s also a bold, contemporary reimagining of the beloved classic Little Women.

When Beth March is found dead in the woods on New Year’s Day, her sisters vow to uncover her murderer.

Suspects abound. There’s the neighbor who has feelings for not one but two of the girls. Meg’s manipulative best friend. Amy’s flirtatious mentor. And Beth’s lionhearted first love. But it doesn’t take the surviving sisters much digging to uncover motives each one of the March girls had for doing the unthinkable.

Jo, an aspiring author with a huge following on social media, would do anything to hook readers. Would she kill her sister for the story? Amy dreams of studying art in Europe, but she’ll need money from her aunt—money that’s always been earmarked for Beth. And Meg wouldn’t dream of hurting her sister…but her boyfriend might have, and she’ll protect him at all costs.

Despite the growing suspicion within the family, it’s hard to know for sure if the crime was committed by someone close to home. After all, the March sisters were dragged into the spotlight months ago when their father published a controversial bestseller about his own daughters. Beth could have been killed by anyone.

Beth’s perspective, told in flashback, unfolds next to Meg, Jo, and Amy’s increasingly fraught investigation as the tragedy threatens to rip the Marches apart.

My Review

This is such an interesting way to reimagine this story. I’ve read the “Jane Austen Murder Mysteries” series by Tirzah Price, which reimagines some of Austen’s novels as murder mysteries set in the time period in which the originals took place. Beth is Dead takes that idea a step further by reimagining the story in a modern setting.

The story contains many subtle and overt nods to the original, as well as some elements that seemed to reference Alcott’s real life. (I haven’t seen the author state that as an intention, so it could be a coincidence.) As events unfolded and I connected the dots from this novel to the original, I found myself nodding along or celebrating the parallel’s inventiveness.

I will admit that the modern setting and the way that some components from the original story were stretched to heighten the suspicion about potential culprits challenged me a bit as a fan of the original. For instance, Laurie and Amy hooking up while Amy was fifteen was a lot for me. Yikes.

I will say that I appreciate a lot of how Bernet modernized the March sisters. Jo, in the original, is always getting in trouble for using slang, so it’s not hard for me to imagine her swearing today or posting personal essays online and cultivating a social media following. That feels like a reasonable parallel to the kinds of short stories she published in the original novel.

I have mixed feelings about the fact that, in this book, her dad has written a novel called Little Women. It’s a novel about the girls, which has started a lot of drama. The story does interrogate whether he had any right to novelize the girls’ lives without their permission. It certainly picks apart his choice to write Beth’s (fictional) death in his novel. I think I would have preferred the novel be written by Jo rather than draw to much focus and attention to her dad’s character and whether or not he’s a good person because of this choice. It felt like it drew the story away from the sisters a lot.

Conclusion

On the whole, I am really glad I read the book. I like the clever way that the original elements reappear here. For the most part, I appreciated the modernized versions of the characters, too. I think fans of Belittled Women by Amanda Sellet will not want to miss this clever reimagining of Little Women.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Reference to two people (a fifteen-year-old and a seventeen-year-old) who kissed, undressed, and got into bed together before stopping. Another couple makes out in a couple of scenes.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Brief descriptions of a dead body.

Drug Content
Reference to teens drinking alcohol at a New Year’s Eve party. Several teens wake up with awful hangovers. A girl drinks alcohol at school and is suspended. She continues drinking at home, where an adult serves her another glass of wine.

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: 16 Forever by Lance Rubin

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

16 Forever
Lance Rubin
Publisher
Published January 6, 2026

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About 16 Forever

It’s the morning of Carter Cohen’s 16th birthday, and everything’s going his way.

He’s psyched and ready to get his driver’s license, his little brother’s not hogging the bathroom, and, man, something smells good for breakfast…

But when Carter bounds downstairs, Mom bursts into tears. It happened again. It’s Carter’s 16th birthday—for the sixth time. Every time he’s supposed to turn 17, he loops back a year. His memory gets wiped clean, his body ages backward—the rest of the world moves on, just not him.

Maggie Spear, on the other hand, has been dreading this day ever since she and Carter started dating. When she spies him in the halls, and he doesn’t seem to know her at all, it’s obvious that it’s over between them. She can’t be in a relationship with someone who is just going to forget her again and again. Since Carter doesn’t remember that they’re together, then it’s probably better if she just pretends that they never were.

Except Carter senses that there’s more to their story than Maggie’s letting on, and Maggie’s keeping secrets of her own—but in the process of trying to let the other go, they find themselves falling in love all over again.

With Maggie soon leaving for college and Carter’s birthday quickly coming around again, will they be able to find a forever that isn’t stuck at 16?

Filled with tender moments, silly banter, and lots of teenage angst, 16 Forever is the latest YA page-turner from New York Times bestselling, award-winning author Lance Rubin.

My Review

It’s not unusual for me to spot a twist coming before it hits the page of a book, but the reveal of the secrets in 16 Forever totally took me by surprise. I suspected one secret that a character was keeping from Carter. But I really didn’t see some of the other stuff coming.

I don’t read a ton of books written by men these days, but I really enjoyed reading a teen romance written by a man. I just finished reading Room to Breathe by Kasie West a few days ago, so contrasting those two has kind of fascinated me. The tone in 16 Forever and the humor are different. I love that our shelves are big enough to include both approaches to romance.

The story shows scenes from three different perspectives: Carter, his brother Lincoln, and Maggie, his former girlfriend. Lincoln’s scenes are mostly written in second person, directed at Carter, and share memories Lincoln has of each of Carter’s 16th-birthday mornings and significant moments from the months that follow. The chapters from Maggie and Carter’s perspectives show the present-day scenes unfolding.

Including perspectives outside Carter’s makes this book really interesting. Lincoln used to be Carter’s younger brother, but now he has surpassed him and become the older brother. This made me think of some stories I’ve read about characters who’ve lost a sibling, and the feeling that the sibling remains stuck at the age they died or disappeared. For Lincoln, though, Carter is still alive and present, though just as stuck.

I liked the way the ending unfolded, though I wonder if it will be too subtle for some readers. Ultimately, Carter has to chase down the clues and learn why he got stuck before he can have a chance to move forward again. I love how Rubin pieces all those elements together to lead to a meaningful conclusion.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 15 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Some references to touching under tops. Characters discuss if and when to have sex.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Someone says cruel things to another character, embarrassing them in front of another person.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol at a house party. Carter makes use of his driver’s license, which shows his date of birth and implies that he is over 21, to purchase alcohol, vape juice, and edibles for kids at school.

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: Room to Breathe by Kasie West

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

Room to Breathe
Kasie West
Delacorte Romance
Published January 6, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Room to Breathe

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.

Review: The Demon and the Light by Axie Oh

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

The Demon and the Light (The Floating World #2)
Axie Oh
Feiwel & Friends
Published October 21, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Demon and the Light

Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone in The Demon and the Light, the hotly anticipated follow-up to Axie Oh’s The Floating World.

The battle is over, but the war is just beginning…

With the help of her friends and allies, Ren managed to topple the General’s insurrection, but the Floating World and its territories are still under threat of attack from the rival Volmaran Empire. And far worse, she was powerless to save Sunho from being overcome by the monstrous power in his blood. Now he’s gone, transformed into a feral, deadly creature that doesn’t even recognize her anymore, and her heart aches for the sweet boy she’s grown to love.

But the escalating war will not pause for her grief. Seen by some as a heavenly savior and others merely a figurehead to be manipulated, Ren must use all her courage and cunning to survive the royal court’s game long enough to find Sunho and bring him home before he loses himself to the Demon forever.

My Review

The Demon and the Light is the second part of a duology that began with The Floating World, which came out last spring. This book is a lot more focused on the romance between Sunho and Ren than I remember the first book being. Ren faces some uncertainty about her future as queen, and a powerful enemy rises to destroy her people, so she and Sunho have more going on than the question of whether or not they’ll be together. Their feelings for one another are never far from their thoughts, though, which keeps the romance a central focus.

The story also follows Jaeil, Ren’s childhood friend and now military adviser, who relates some of the political turmoil and observes Ren and Sunho’s relationship. A romance blooms between him and Ren’s adopted uncle (he’s one year older than Ren) as well.

Just like the first novel in the duology, this book is packed with Final Fantasy vibes. We learn more about the experiment that led to Sunho’s demon transformation. Ren learns more about her ancestry and her mother’s life and death. A powerful villain rises, intent on destroying the world in revenge. All we need are wild hairstyles and a super giant sword.

I remember racing through the first book in the duology, so eager to read every chapter. I enjoyed this second book a lot, too. It’s awesome that we got both books in the duology in the same year.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Ren is descended from a goddess and has some supernatural abilities. By entering a dreamlike state, she revisits her ancestors. Some characters transform into beings with monstrous characteristics and violent natures, referred to as demons.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Reference to execution. Some battle scenes.

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: I’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends by Kylie Lee Baker

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

I’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends
Kylie Lee Baker
Feiwel & Friends
Published November 18, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About I’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends

A teen descendant of a Japanese dragon god must team up with a cute rogue agent to subvert a corrupt time travel organization and find out the truth of what happened to her missing sister in acclaimed author Kylie Lee Baker’s magical new YA romance, I’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends.

When you’re ready, come find me. I will keep you safe. -Hana

Descended from a Japanese dragon god, Yang Mina was born with the power to travel through time, and has spent her life training to take her place in the Descendants, a secret organization whose purpose is to protect the timeline. Then Mina’s world is uprooted when she moves to Seoul and finds a note from her sister–a sister who no one remembers, as if she had been erased. The only people who could have made her sister vanish so completely are part of the very agency that she’s been working so hard to join. So now Mina has a new mission, infiltrate the agency as quickly as possible to find her lost sister.

And, as if things weren’t complicated enough, a strikingly handsome rogue agent has determined that Mina is the only person who can help him put an end to the Descendants’ corruption. Placed in an impossible situation, Mina must decide how much she’s willing to risk to find the truth.

My Review

At first, this story might look like a love triangle between Mina, Jihoon, the boy she’s supposed to seduce into a kiss, and Yejun, the rogue agent desperate for her help righting a wrong in the timeline. It becomes clear pretty quickly, though, that poor, sweet Jihoon really doesn’t stand a chance against the unpredictable Yejun.

It took me a long time to invest in the Mina-Yejun connection. He seemed too pushy, and too determined that she should just take orders from him, no questions asked. That didn’t sit well with me. It seemed like it was exactly the same way that her superiors within the organization treated her. He was asking her to go rogue, risk her life, and just trust him that it would all be okay. Seemed like a big ask to me.

I’m glad I stuck with the story, though. I don’t want to give spoilers. But I will say that by the time I reached the end of the story, I understood why certain things happened the way they did. It’s a pretzel-y story, which I enjoyed. For example, both Mina and Yejun encounter future versions of themselves in the present taking action to alter what happens. Later, we see those same scenes, and they make a lot more sense from the vantage point later in the story.

Time travel stories have got to be hard to write. I love that this one plays with some of the common tropes and elements of time travel. I also grew to appreciate the love story as the full landscape of what was going on became clear.

If you’re looking for a time travel romance, check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Some characters are descended from the gods and have magic abilities. They use these abilities to navigate to different parts of the timeline and make changes.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Brief gun violence. References to tragedies that caused deaths, such as a bridge collapse. One character witnesses allies punishing a woman by “erasing” her from the timeline. (They force her to eat her own magic and she disappears.)

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.