Tag Archives: Romance

Review: Evamar by Margarita Engle

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Poetry, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,
Evamar by Margarita Engle

Evamar
Margarita Engle
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published September 8, 2026

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About Evamar

From award-winning author Margarita Engle comes a “spellbinding”(Publishers Weekly, starred review) novel in verse about first love, hidden cultures, and ancestral connections that follows a teen’s journey to uncover her late grandmother’s roots in Cuba.

Just before she was transformed
into an invisible spirit
my grandmother whispered her last wishes
into my ear:

Sprinkle my ashes in a patch of girasoles,
wait patiently, harvest the seeds,
fly to la isla, find el jardín,
plant las semillas.
Then and only then—
read my diaries.

Evamar has arrived in Cuba with her abuela’s ashes and her mother’s warnings: Don’t talk politics, boil the tap water before you drink, y por favor absolutamente, don’t fall in love. But then she meets Río, a captivating drummer whose music and presence she can’t ignore.

Río bears his own scars, separated from his family in the United States. As their bond deepens, Evamar discovers an ancestral treasure that could change her future—and the lives of millions of Caribbeans.

My Review

One thing I loved about this book is how it blended languages in the lines of the poems. English, Spanish, and Taíno words and phrases appear side by side. Sometimes the text reveals what the phrases or words in other languages are. Other times, the reader must use context clues or look up the meanings. I read this book as an ebook, so it was easy to look up different words and translate them.

The book made me feel like I know more Spanish than I realize, yet there’s still so much I don’t know. I didn’t have trouble keeping up with what the author was saying, and I felt like the way she used words across multiple languages made perfect sense and added to the story’s atmosphere. It also kept Evamar’s identity as American, Cuban, and Taíno very present in my mind as I read.

The story does contain a romance, and it’s a little bit of an instalove tale. I wasn’t crazy about that, but it didn’t bother me. I think I found other parts of the story much more compelling than the romance. I don’t know if the goal was to use a romance to pull together both Evamar and Río’s perspectives and better contrast their lives and experiences. If so, it does accomplish that goal.

Near the end of the story, Evamar realizes she must do something that will connect her to a part of her history and family she didn’t previously connect to. I wish that more of that quest appeared on the page.

Like great novels in verse, Evamar tells a lot of story in spare, lyrical writing. I loved the inclusion of the music and drums and the rich descriptions of Evamar’s experience in Cuba. This is definitely worth a read!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
References to some cultural and spiritual beliefs about a drum that only men can play or listen to.

Violent Content
References to war and forced military service at 16. Russian military recruiters try to get Río and his cousin to join them. Desperate people break into a garden, planning to steal its fruit. The story explores the effects of terrible poverty and a high-control authoritarian government on its people.

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: Survival Show by Juno Dawson

Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , ,

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: Under a Carnivore Sky by Brianna Jett

Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Horror, Poetry, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Under a Carnivore Sky
Brianna Jett
Page Street YA
Published August 18, 2026

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About Under a Carnivore Sky

I’m the only one left hunting the monster, the only one left with a chance of saving us all.

Raised in a town surrounded by a labyrinthine, man-eating swamp, Lili craves nothing more than to track down the monster lurking in its depths and kill it. 


The monster’s curse claims the flesh and bone of every adult in town, stealing them away, piece by piece. For generations, people have tried to kill it or escape the town altogether, but every path out of town leads them right back in.

Caleb, a bookish boy with dreams of freedom, is hungry to escape. He thinks that with Lili’s help and knowledge of the swamp, he can make a map to freedom. And Lili hopes that with a better sense of its territory, she might finally find and kill the monster.


Together, they chart the swamp’s shifting terrain. Sharing in the danger and the beauty
of the landscape sparks a friendship between them—and then something more. However, what they discover disrupts everything Lili thought she knew about the town, her father, the monster—even herself. The truth at the root of the curse could devour them all. And Lili must decide if risking her life to be the town’s savior is worth sacrificing her own chance of escape.

My Review

This verse novel is dark and intense. The setting reminded me a little of They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran or The Forest of a Thousand Eyes by Frances Hardinge, in that nature itself has become dangerous. Lili talks a lot about the danger of being hungry, or acknowledging hunger or longing in herself, as something that puts her at risk. But she isn’t like the complacent townspeople who squabble over what little the community has and blame the swamp and its monster for their troubles. Like every good protagonist, she wants more.

I think my favorite part of the story is Lili’s evolving relationship with the swamp monster. She wants desperately to understand why it feeds on people and where it came from. Is killing it the only way to make it go away? She wrestles with some feeling of kinship or understanding that she has with this creature that has literally been eating her father.

I struggled with the disdain that Lili has for depression. Her feelings about her situation make sense, and I think being angry when she discovers some of the things she does is pretty reasonable. I just didn’t like that her emotional processing kind of stopped there.

I wasn’t a big fan of the ending. Again, I think it makes sense for her character, and sometimes the path she takes is the only one possible. I think this was a really hard story to tell in verse. So much of the story happens between the lines in a verse novel, and I think I wanted more information and more scenes showing her fight to help her community.

On the whole, I think readers who enjoy eco-horror will connect with the story and its dangerous, creepy setting. Give this to fans of dark dystopian stories.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used twice.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. References to arousal. References to sex.

Spiritual Content
A monster lives in the swamp near the town and literally feeds on the bodies of the townspeople, leaving them without limbs or with holes in their necks and faces.

Violent Content
Carnivorous plants try to catch and eat characters. Strange, mimicking monsters attack. Lili is tasked with killing the monster in the swamp and freeing the town.

Drug Content
None.

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: 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

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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.