Tag Archives: Romance

Review: The Leak by Kate Reed Petty

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The Leak by Kate Reed Petty

The Leak
Kate Reed Petty
Illustrated by Andrea Bell
First Second
Published March 16, 2021

Amazon | Goodreads

About The Leak

In this middle-grade graphic novel, Ruth, a young journalist, is determined to uncover a secret that threatens her town.

Ruth Keller is brash and precocious; she argues with her dentist, her parents, and her teachers. So, when she discovers a strange black slime in the man-made lake of her suburban neighborhood, she decides to investigate. Fortified by the encouragement of those around her, Ruth seeks the truth at all costs, even if it means taking on the rich local country club owner, who she believes is responsible for the pollution.

Between the teasing of former friends, and a sudden viral spotlight, Ruth discovers how difficult it is for a journalist to take a stand for what’s right in the face of critique and controversy.

My Review

The fact that this book was inspired by the Flint water crisis intrigued me. My daughter picked up this book at the library and really wanted me to read it, so that also helped. Ha!

Ruth is a middle school student and an aspiring journalist. She writes her own newsletter, which had only a few friends and family members as subscribers at first. As she develops her skills as a journalist, her readership grows. An older journalist mentors her, encouraging Ruth to keep her personal biases out of her writing, to gather important research, and to ask questions rather than lob accusations.

In the midst of this adventure, the girls at school pressure Ruth about a boy she likes. They push her to define their relationship, to kiss him, and to prove that the two are dating. At first, Ruth is not interested in changing who she is or what she wants to gain the approval of these girls. She doesn’t always make the best choices in response to the pressure (which seems pretty realistic to me), but she ultimately strives to be true to herself and honor her values.

Give this book to aspiring journalists, young readers interested in ecology, or high achievers who march to the beat of their own drums.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 9 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Reference to a graffiti drawing of male anatomy.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Some of Ruth’s friends pressure her to show more interest in a boy than she feels, so he doesn’t “lose interest” in her.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed this book from my public library. All opinions are my own.

Review: My Killer Family Reunion by Dinesh Thiru

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My Killer Family Reunion
Dinesh Thiru
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published August 11, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About My Killer Family Reunion

Knives Out meets Never Have I Ever in this hilarious and twisty young adult mystery-comedy about an Indian American teen whose family reunion at a lavish manor falls into chaos after her grandma is attacked.

Nothings brings family together like attempted murder.

There are three things Jayshree Devi can count on happening at her annual family 1) her cousins will forget she exists, 2) her aunts will try to set her up, and 3) her uncles will get into a fight. What she doesn’t expect? An accident that lands her grandmother in a coma, throwing the family—and their matriarch’s sizeable fortune—into chaos.

When Jay discovers Grand Mom’s “accident” might not have been so accidental after all, she’ll have to dig through decades of secrets to find the truth. With the help of her (annoyingly perky) cousins and one of their (annoyingly hot) friends, Jay finds herself knee-deep in a mystery that’s even more tangled than her family tree.

But the closer Jay gets to answers, the closer she gets to finding her place amongst the relatives who once felt so distant. With Grand Mom’s life and fortune hanging in the balance, can Jay save her family and maybe hook up with a hottie while she’s at it?

My Review

I like that this story is a mystery set on finding the person trying to kill someone before the would-be-murderer actually succeeds. Not only did it keep the tension in the story high (because Grand Mom’s life remained in danger), it also kept the mood a bit lighter. It fed into the high drama and dark humor of Jay’s family, too.

The book has a large cast of characters. I’m not sure I was keeping some of the peripheral cousins or aunts and uncles straight in my head, but for the most part, it didn’t seem to matter. There’s a helpful graphic showing the family tree in the front of the book, too. That helps with keeping all the connections sorted correctly.

The balance between the mystery and romance elements is nicely done here. The romance is more of a minor plot thread. Sometimes several scenes pass without Jay really thinking about Hernando, but when the two cross paths, there’s loads of blushing and awkward flirting to enjoy. I found that to be a lot of fun.

The tension ratchets up a lot in the last few chapters of the book. I’d started to wonder if Jay and her cousins were imagining things. Just then, the story started to get really wild.

All in all, this is a really upbeat, fun summer mystery about a big family with a dark sense of humor and lots of secrets. I’m adding the author’s debut novel to my reading list, and I’ll be on the lookout for his next book, too.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
List.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Jay’s dad and some of her other family members encourage her to pray and practice Hinduism. Jay at first rejects the idea, but later realizes that she’s made some unfair assumption about her family’s faith practice.

Violent Content
Atruck nearly runs over a woman, leaving her injured and in the hospital. A man slaps a woman in front of the whole family. This is treated as a domestic violence incident and the famiy supports the woman and the couple’s children. Someone tries to arrange for a person to be treated with antibiotics they’re allergic to. Someone manipulates and tries to control other family members. Someone uses a gun to threaten and hit another person. Drivers use vehicles to ram one another. A trio kidnaps someone, tying them up.

Someone makes homophobic comments. Other characters condemn the behavior. The family members all make dark jokes about killing Grand Mom.

Drug Content
References to teen drinking.

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: Rolls and Rivalry by Kristy Boyce

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Rolls and Rivalry (Gaming and Romance #3)
Kristy Boyce
Delacorte Romance
Published May 5, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Rolls and Rivalry

Roll the dice, strike up the band, and get ready for a swoon-worthy summer! A charming gaming romance that blends the magic of D&D with the camaraderie of band camp—from the bestselling author of Dating and Dragons!

Questing for love . . .

Hazel Buchanan has her senior year mapped out: Win respect as color guard captain, kick off her first D&D campaign, and steer clear of distractions. But her plan takes a critical hit when Max—her former best friend and longtime crush—returns to town with drumsticks in hand and an unexplained chip on his shoulder.

Hazel and Max can’t help bickering every time they’re together, and thanks to meddling parents, he’s invading her D&D game too. As Dungeon Master, she’s ready to shut him down, but D&D has a way of bringing people together like nothing else. Is this rivalry masking something more? With dice rolling and emotions spinning, Hazel might be in for more than she planned . . .

My Review

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, so I absolutely had to read this one. Each of the books in the series is pretty self-contained, so you could start with this one or go back to book one and enjoy them all in the order they were published. This one does have a brief cameo of a couple from book two.

All the marching band content was a lot of fun in this book. I like the way that the D&D elements and band elements intertwined. For example, Hazel invites her team to create D&D characters as a team-building exercise. It ends up becoming a long-running experience for the team, which really showcases the power of inside jokes and shared memories.

Having both D&D and marching band could have proved too many elements to bring together, but I think that the author did a great job balancing those things with the romance.

This is another book that draws on the friends-to-enemies-to-lovers trope, too. I liked getting to see Hazel and Max reconnect. I was on the edge of my seat as we learned why their friendship frayed in the first place and watched them navigate the obstacles that drove them apart.

At the beginning, I worried that the pranking was going to be too much for me. The percussion section and the color guard have an ongoing rivalry that gets kind of ugly. Like, not thriller-level ugly, but the percussionists do some pretty mean stuff to Hazel’s team. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to like Max after some of that.

The story does address the meanness, and Max takes steps to repair his relationship with Hazel and earn back her trust. Ultimately, I felt good about that because it felt like there was course correction, not just shrugging and insisting the pranks were funny.

All in all, I enjoyed the book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very rarely.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some brief instances of bullying and mean pranks.

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: Hollow Magic by Mars Lauderbaugh

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Hollow Magic
Mars Lauderbaugh
Feiwel & Friends
Published August 11, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Hollow Magic

Seventeen-year-old Rosefinch has been traveling along the weather-beaten coast for two years on a quest to find a witch strong enough to help her control her magic. Her magic is volatile, hard to wield, and Rosefinch is tired of the pain of magical backlash. When she’s directed to the sea-side village of Harp, she discovers the ancient castle of a long-lost Witch Queen with the inhabitants long gone; the only remaining soul is a knight encased in solid ice guarding the door.

When she attempts to lift the curse, she frees Thierry, a human with no memory of who they are, wrapped in cursed magic so strong that they cannot leave the castle. Thierry is soft spoken, strong, and in possession of a fey sword that should be impossible for them to have. But they have secrets of their own, as do other members of the Harp family still hidden within the walls.

Harp castle was left in ruins for a reason, and Rosefinch must find a way to cure the curse or lose Thierry—and the chance to learn the truth about the Witch Queen—forever.

My Review

I’m really enjoying the fantasy graphic novels that I’ve read this year. Hollow Magic is another great example of a story that creates really interesting fantasy landscapes for its characters. The illustrations are really immersive.

I loved the mystery of the curse that Rosefinch tries to break to free Thierry. Following that thread led to many situations and revealed connections I hadn’t expected. I devoured the second half of the book. I really wanted to find out what happened.

The story reminds me a little bit of graphic novels by K. O’Neill. The style is a little bit different (and doesn’t have as many cute fantasy animals), but something about the pacing and the way the characters interacted reminded me of A Song for You and I by K. O’Neill.

I can definitely see fans of O’Neill or maybe Hari Conner enjoying this one. If you like stories about the Fae and a quest to break a magical curse, put this one on your reading list!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Some characters can perform magic. The story includes some lore about moonbeams becoming fae and other creatures.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to curses.

Drug Content
Rosefinch drinks a powerful potion and eats herbs to enhance her magic.

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: Alchemy of Souls by Adriana Mather

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

Alchemy of Souls
Adriana Mather
Feiwel & Friends
Published August 4, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Alchemy of Souls

From New York Times-bestselling author Adriana Mather, comes the next big YA dark academia Alchemy of Souls, following two magically bound teens as they race to solve the mystery of an ancient magical key before it’s too late.

Grayson Stone is no stranger to deception. Under the watchful eye of his uncle, the High Chancellor, he has been well-trained in all four types of magic, all while secretly working against his uncle’s corrupt rule. Years of plans depend on him being marked Gifted during his University entrance exam, proving that he is the perfect heir and gaining his uncle’s trust. Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned, and he has only one person to blame: Eloise Belrose.

Raised by a family of Laborers, Eloise is the most unlikely student to become a Mage, but through her hard work and long hours spent practicing, she is finally admitted to the prestigious Mage University, guaranteeing safety and security for her whole family. Until things go very wrong, and she somehow becomes magically linked to Grayson Stone, the school’s arrogant, annoyingly attractive golden boy, putting not only her University acceptance but also her and her family’s lives at risk.

Eloise and Grayson are given less than two weeks to solve an impossible mystery—one that will give the High Chancellor even more power and control—or face the consequences. Forced to room together, with all the same classes, while pretending to date to hide their secret quest, sparks definitely fly. As their feelings grow more real it becomes harder to live the lies they’ve had to tell to survive. With time running out, will they be able to trust the bond between them or will their lies tear them apart forever?

My Review

I think this book does a good job not letting its romantic elements totally run away with it. It’s definitely got that Romantasy vibe, so there’s a lot of focus on the intense feelings blooming between Eloise and Grayson, but the quest to call the key and save its power from corruption also carries weight throughout the story.

I also appreciate that Grayson has a complex history and that his connection to Eloise forces him to grapple with his privilege in more than a superficial way. He makes plenty of mistakes, and Eloise doesn’t just forgive him because she can’t resist the mysterious pull toward his manly manliness. She actually refuses to give him the time of day unless he earns it.

The plot to claim the key and all that means moves fairly quickly. Again, much of the focus is on the romance, but the other elements are well integrated into it. The characters are strong, and their motivations make sense.

Readers looking for a well-balanced romantasy will want to check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Characters have the ability to perform magic.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to torture. References to fighting between soldiers and civilians.

Drug Content
Teen characters consume alcohol at a party.

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: Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn

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

Bloodmarked (Legendborn #2)
Tracy Deonn
Simon & Schuster
Published November 8, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Bloodmarked

The shadows have risen, and the line is law.

All Bree wanted was to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death. So she infiltrated the Legendborn Order, a secret society descended from King Arthur’s knights—only to discover her own ancestral power. Now, Bree has become someone new:

A Medium. A Bloodcrafter. A Scion.

But the ancient war between demons and the Order is rising to a deadly peak. And Nick, the Legendborn boy Bree fell in love with, has been kidnapped.

Bree wants to fight, but the Regents who rule the Order won’t let her. To them, she is an unknown girl with unheard-of power, and as the living anchor for the spell that preserves the Legendborn cycle, she must be protected.

When the Regents reveal they will do whatever it takes to hide the war, Bree and her friends must go on the run to rescue Nick themselves. But enemies are everywhere, Bree’s powers are unpredictable and dangerous, and she can’t escape her growing attraction to Selwyn, the mage sworn to protect Nick until death.

If Bree has any hope of saving herself and the people she loves, she must learn to control her powers from the ancestors who wielded them first—without losing herself in the process.

My Review

While I really enjoyed continuing Bree’s journey, I think this book’s pacing is much slower than the first. We learn a lot of background information and witness rituals and scenes from King Arthur and the original knights.

There’s a lot more political intrigue here, too. Bree learns about the Legendborn’s leadership and how the regents operate. She also learns more about how the cycle began through her visits to the past.

Bree’s relationships with Nick and Sel also advance, but very slowly. She speaks to Nick periodically, and it’s obvious where the relationship is headed long before either of them acknowledges what’s happening. Bree and Sel avoid each other for much of the story, which heightens the tension. I was really ready for them to talk to one another by the time they finally did!

All in all, I think this book added a lot of interesting context to the overall story. I like where the relationships are heading, and I’m very interested to see what happens in book three.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Several different branches of magical ability exist and are conducted in different ways. One group borrows power from ancestors, repaying it with their own energy or sacrifices. Another group steals power from elsewhere, accruing a debt that will someday come due. Some characters can communicate with the dead.

A line of magic wielders descended from King Arthur and his knights continues to use magic to fight demons who slip through gates from other worlds.

Violent Content
Brief racist statements and microaggressions. Situations of peril. Battles against creatures called demons made of dark magic from another world. References to assault (not shown on scene).

Brief battle scenes showing injuries and fatalities.

Drug Content
The team goes to a bar looking for an ally. A server brings alcohol and a drink with magical power.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of this book from the library. All opinions are my own.