Tag Archives: Romance

Review: 16 Forever by Lance Rubin

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16 Forever by Lance Rubin

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

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

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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: Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung le Nguyen

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Angelica and the Bear Prince
Trung le Nguyen
Random House Graphic
Published October 7, 2025

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About Angelica and the Bear Prince

At her lowest point, a teen girl finds solace and a potential crush in her local theater’s mascot’s DMs, sparking a quest to uncover the true identity of this mysterious figure. From the bestselling author of The Magic Fish comes a new fairy tale romance with a twist.

What do you do when you’re the girl who can do it all, and suddenly you can’t?

After burning out last year, Angelica is ready to get her life back together. Thankfully she has amazing friends to support her…including Peri the Bear, the mascot of her town’s local theater. At her lowest moments, Angelica found comfort in private messaging Peri’s social media account, and well, she might have a bit of a crush. Now, Angelica is interning at the local theater in the hopes of finding the person beind the account and thanking them. Who was this mysterious stranger and why did they help her out? Was it just caring for a stranger…or did they feel the same connection that Angelica felt?

My Review

At its surface, this is a story about estranged childhood friends who reconnect through a local theatre group. Much like he did in The Magic Fish, the author tells a fairytale alongside a contemporary story. The Bear Prince fairytale is based on the story “East of the Sun and West of the Moon,” which I’d never read. The plot is a little similar to “Beauty and the Beast”.

Angelica and the Bear Prince hints that Gable is a transgender character, but the narrative doesn’t focus a lot on pronouns or identity. I found an interview with Trung le Nguyen where he talks about why he chose to both include a nonbinary character, and why he did not focus the story on identity. He mentioned that he has nonbinary and transgender people in his life who simply exist without announcement, and he wanted the novel to reflect that reality.

What does take center stage is the relationships between characters, especially the way they resolve conflicts. At one point, Angelica and her best friend, Christine, get into an argument. Christine tells Angelica that she needs her to listen without trying to solve her problems. This is such a relatable moment. At another point, Angelica’s dad, who is very comfortable sharing his feelings, notes that Angelica and her mom aren’t easily vulnerable in that way. There’s a funny moment where something happens and he asks if they’re going to talk about it, and both Angelica and her mom decline.

Grief is also a theme that runs throughout the book. Angelica and Gable both grieve over the loss of grandparents. Another character grieves when a romantic relationship unravels. The characters lean into one another and learn new ways to cope, which I loved.

One thing I will say is that this story is a lot sassier than The Magic Fish, which I think worked well as an upper middle grade read. Angelica and the Bear Prince has more swearing and a couple of sexual references that make it a solidly young adult read.

Conclusion

All in all, this is a perfectly cozy winter romance. Readers looking for a more mature book like We Could Be Magic by Marissa Meyer will definitely want to grab a copy.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently. One character makes brief racist comments to another.

Romance/Sexual Content
One panel shows a kiss. A couple of brief sexual references.

Spiritual Content
Alongside Angelica’s story is a fairytale in which a character transforms and is under a curse.

Violent Content
A person on ice skates knocks Angelica down by accident. A girl confronts her boyfriend, who is on a date with someone else.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: I Shall Never Fall in Love by Hari Connor

Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Historical, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

I Shall Never Fall in Love
Hari Conner
HarperAlley
Published November 19, 2024

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About I Shall Never Fall in Love

George has major problems: They’ve just inherited the failing family estate, and the feelings for their best friend, Eleanor, have become more complicated than ever. Not to mention, if anyone found out they were secretly dressing in men’s clothes, George is sure it would be ruination for the family name.

Eleanor has always wanted to do everything “right,” including falling in love—but she’s never met a boy she was interested in. She’d much rather spend time with her best friend, George, and beloved cousin Charlotte. However, when a new suitor comes to town, she finds her closest friendships threatened, forcing her to rethink what “right” means and confront feelings she never knew she had.

Inspired by Jane Austen and queer history, I Shall Never Fall in Love shines a light on what it means to be true to yourself and rewrites the rules for what makes a happily ever after.

My Review

Elisabeth at The Dirigible Plum recommended this book during a KidLit chat recently, and I immediately requested a hold on it through my library. After reading Renegade Girls: A Queer Tale of Romance and Rabble-rousing by Nora Neus, I craved more historical graphic novels, so this fit perfectly into that need for me.

I didn’t spot the connections to Pride & Prejudice and Emma by Jane Austen right away, but once I saw the parallels, I found them delightful. There are certain scenes that can’t help but call to mind moments from Austen’s novels. I love that.

I also loved the evolution of the characters, especially Ellie and George. At the start of the book, Ellie assumes that she simply doesn’t want to marry anyone. As the story progresses, she begins evaluating her feelings more closely and discovers that she has romantic feelings for someone unexpected.

George always seems to walk this tightrope line in which they know they’re unusual and make uncompromising choices regardless of societal norms. At the same time, they hide parts of themselves that they worry are “too much” or too far outside the expectations of others. As they find a supportive community, they grow more comfortable being their true self.

The romances develop in such a sweet way, too. I loved Charlotte’s romantic story, and especially the backstory about her family and their desires for her. Ellie’s romance really shows the giddiness that comes from finding your person, someone who truly sees you and being able to celebrate that wholeheartedly.

If you like regency-era fiction and graphic novels, don’t miss this fabulously fun story.

Content Notes for I Shall Never Fall in Love

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
mild profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
I think there’s a brief reference to drinking alcohol, but nothing on-scene, if I’m remembering right.

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 library. All opinions are my own.

Review of Sense and Sensibility and Happy Birthday Jane Austen

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Sense and Sensibility
Jane Austen
Puffin Books
Published February 13, 2024 (Orig. 1811)

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About Sense and Sensibility

Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby, she ignores her sister Elinor’s warning that her impulsive behavior leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. Meanwhile Elinor, always sensitive to social convention, is struggling to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her.

Through their parallel experience of love– and its threatened loss–the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love.

Happy Birthday, Jane Austen!

Today (December 16) is Jane Austen’s birthday. She was born 249 years ago on this day in 1775 and was the seventh of eight children in her family. Sense and Sensibility was Austen’s debut novel and was first published anonymously.

Her books have inspired many movies and reimagined stories, including Northranger by Rey Terciero, The Jane Austen Murder Mysteries by Tirzah Price, and For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund.

My Review

It took me far too long to read what is perhaps arguably Austen’s most sister-focused novel, which is only weird considering how much I love sister books. As I’m writing this, I’ve only ever read Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, so I don’t know how her other four novels are structured. This one follows both Marianne and Elinor’s points of view in a narrative that often keeps both girls’ thoughts and actions close at hand. Pride and Prejudice, by contrast, focused almost exclusively on Elizabeth Bennet’s point of view.

What Happens to Those Wild Women

A few things about this book stand out to me as very interesting. One is in the way that Austen treats characters who behave differently than the roles the society of the day expects. For example, Marianne doesn’t hide her emotions or her affection for a particular man. For much of the story, her strong feelings about ideas and people determine how she behaves, even when that behavior departs from the norm.

Two very minor characters, who never appear on scene, have babies while unmarried. In one case, the woman lives a hard life and dies of an illness. Someone cares for her at the end of her life. The second person, a girl of fifteen, is abandoned by her lover, but cared for by a family member who does not appear to blame or shame her for her situation. Instead, the family member blames the lover who abandoned her. Even the lover’s family blames him for leaving her. I found this interesting since so often historical stories focus on women being shamed and “ruined” when they behave outside of the conventions of their society and often consequences seem to ignore the men involved.

The story still generally reflects the values of its time. For example, Marianne and Willoughby treat one another familiarly, which people take to mean they are secretly engaged. A man declaring his intention to marry a woman without social standing or fortune is cut off from his inheritance. Another man is cut off from his inheritance for not marrying a young woman who has had his child.

Subtle Storytelling

I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve seen the movie version of Sense and Sensibility so many times, but I found the storytelling in the book to be a little more subtle than I expected. Sometimes, what constituted a pivotal moment would be related in a sentence or two. For example, Marianne becoming ill after her walk through wet grass to continue grieving over a lost love begins a pretty intense chain of events. But it’s kind of related in passing.

I found myself having to read closely in several passages because the specific words Austen used to convey emotional progression really mattered. I didn’t mind this, but it’s something that we’re not used to doing with modern fiction.

Conclusion

Pride and Prejudice is still a favorite of mine, but having read Sense and Sensibility convinces me that I need to read more Austen. I love the idea of publishing a review of one of her books to remember her birthday, so maybe I’ll keep that up until I’ve read all six of her novels.

Content Notes for Sense and Sensibility

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Reference to love and marriage.

References to sex outside of marriage. Two young women have babies while unmarried. In one instance, the girl’s lover has abandoned her, even after promising to return. Neither of these women appear on scene.

Spiritual Content
One character becomes a clergyman at a small parish.

Violent Content
Very brief (like, one line) reference to a duel fought between two men who both survive.

Drug Content
References to social drinking.

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

Review: The Last Vampire by Romina Garber

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

The Last Vampire
Romina Garber
Wednesday Books
Published December 2, 2025

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About The Last Vampire

Pride & Prejudice meets Crave when Austen-loving Lorena Navarro attends a new boarding school expecting to find her own Mr. Darcy, but accidentally finds the world’s last vampire instead!

Pride comes before the fall.

When a boarding school opens in a once-condemned Victorian manor buried in the woods of New Hampshire, Austen-loving Lorena Navarro enrolls in hopes of finding her own Mr. Darcy. Instead, she stumbles across a coffin and accidentally awakens the world’s last vampire.

After hibernating for nearly three centuries, William Pride is desperate to find his family—and clueless about the modern world. Relying on Lorena for more than just blood, he enrolls at the school to catch up on all he’s missed.

Soon, William uncovers a chilling truth: He is the last hope for his kind’s return to power. Torn between protecting the humans around him and fulfilling his fate, William must make a choice that could change everything. Will he sacrifice his species for love . . . or will he embrace his dark destiny at last?

My Review

I like a lot of things about this book. It draws on some of the vampire tropes found in other popular vampire novels and presents them in a fresh (more consent-conscious) way. William respects Lorena’s personal space and doesn’t show up in her room uninvited. Though at first he feeds on Lorena without her consent, he quickly realizes how wrong this is and changes his behavior.

The Pride and Prejudice references come up as Lorena shares her love of the novel. She makes side comments comparing the school to Pemberley and William to the character Mr. Darcy. Her literature class reads and discusses the story (along with several others). I think the strongest connection is Lorena’s initial disgust with William and his subsequent transformation. She doesn’t pester him about changing, and her romantic feelings don’t really develop until he proves himself a better person.

That said, I wouldn’t at all call this a reimagining of P&P or anything like that. The reference is there, and the story explores some themes about pride and prejudice, but those are more subtle. I didn’t really think of William and Lorena as Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet as I read the story. I don’t think you have to make those connections to enjoy the story, either.

I picked this book up primarily because I enjoyed the “Wolves of No World” series by this author. It’s a story about werewolves and witches and Argentinian folklore. The Last Vampire is set at an elite boarding school in New England, so it has a different feel to it. If you’re looking for a modern take on a vampire story, it’s worth checking out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used fairly infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Touching over and under clothes. A couple of scenes show sexual contact.

Spiritual Content
Some characters are vampires and are immortal.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Scenes show a vampire biting and feeding from a human, sometimes with consent and sometimes without it. Murder and brief graphic violence.

Drug Content
References to alcohol use and smoking pot.

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.