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Girls Like Us by Jennifer Dugan

Review: Girls Like Us by Jennifer Dugan

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

Girls Like Us (Some Girls Do #2)
Jennifer Dugan
G. P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Published May 5, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Girls Like Us

In this sequel to Some Girls Do , two girls struggle when long distance complicates their relationship.

Ruby and Morgan fell for each other during their senior year of high school, and now, almost a year later, they are fighting to keep their spark alive, even while they are Morgan is on a track scholarship at a university several hours away, studying public policy, while Ruby stayed in her hometown, exploring her love of mechanics in the automotive engineering program at the local community college.

Long distance weighs on the girls, with new friendships and flirtatious classmates adding complications, and the two are looking forward to a spring break getaway to Washington, D.C., and the bliss of a whole summer vacation together. But when Morgan discovers she’s a finalist for the perfect internship, and Ruby gets the shot to appear on her favorite automotive TV show, the trip schedule—and their summer plans—are thrown into question. With both girls unwilling to stand in the way of each other’s future, has the time come for them to go their separate ways?

My Review

As I sat down to write this review, I realized the book that I thought was the first in this series is actually a completely different standalone novel by Jennifer Dugan. For some reason, despite the clear use of totally different characters’ names, I still thought this book was a sequel to Summer Girls.

I remember being confused at a few points in Girls Like Us because I hadn’t remembered anything about the character from Summer Girls being a mechanic. I just assumed I was forgetful. Ha!

At any rate. While I think I would have enjoyed the story more if I’d actually, truly read the first book in the series, I still enjoyed this book a lot simply on its own merit. I had no trouble following the arc of Morgan and Ruby’s relationship. They face so many common obstacles in a long-distance relationship.

I really appreciated that the story didn’t cheat its way through hard things, either. For example, Morgan and Ruby both have things they need to learn, and I felt the narrative gave them space to explore those questions. It didn’t feel rushed or like we were hurrying through those challenges to shove the romance back into the center of the story.

I also like that things weren’t simple. Morgan wrestles with her budding feelings for another girl. Do the feelings mean she and Ruby are ending? Is she simply lonely living far from home? What is she supposed to do with those feelings? How much should she invest in her new college life, even if it risks leaving Ruby behind for good?

I love that the story lets the characters wrestle with hard relationship questions. I genuinely couldn’t tell which way the ending was going to go until I got there, and I love that, too.

Readers looking for a romance set after high school ends and featuring characters navigating the transition to college life will enjoy this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing and references to sex. Some brief details about sexual encounters.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Someone kisses another person without consent, treating them like they’re playing hard to get.

Drug Content
Characters (college-aged) attend a party where alcohol is served.

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: Out of Step, Into You by Ciera Burch

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

Out of Step, Into You
Ciera Burch
Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
Published May 20, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Out of Step, Into You

Out of Step, into You is a sapphic contemporary romance following childhood friends turned cross-country team rivals who are forced to work together to win the state championship – for fans of She Gets the Girl.

You can’t outrun love.

Taylor and Marianna were each other’s whole world – best friends, running partners, practically sisters – until Marianna moved away and Taylor promptly ghosted her. When the former best friends turned rivals end up on the same cross-country team three years later, everything is a competition… and a reminder of past feelings, as well as blossoming new ones.

Marianna runs because she’s angry. The oldest child of a single mother, she knows all about responsibility – for her siblings, at her part-time job. She just has to stay focused and be faster than the past nipping at her heels if she wants to secure a new, brighter future. With or without Taylor.

Taylor runs to prove herself. The only child of an almost-Olympian, she’s no stranger to high expectations. With enough effort, she knows she can immortalize herself with a state record and make her parents proud. Then, she can figure out her own passion. She definitely doesn’t have time to untangle her feelings towards Mari.

Can this pair figure out a way to work together before their past catches up with them?

My Review

A long time ago I saw someone posting that their favorite trope was friends-to-enemies-to-lovers, which I hadn’t thought much about. Since then, I’ve read several books that qualify, and I tend to enjoy them (as long as the reconnection and romance don’t seem forced). While Taylor and Marianna aren’t precisely enemies, they begin the story on rival cross-country teams after an estrangement in their friendship. So, just about as close as you can get to that trope in a contemporary romance.

The story alternates between each girl’s point of view, and I liked both right away. Marianna is under so much pressure at home with her mom needing her help with her younger siblings. Taylor’s dad has a serious health issue that she can’t always count on her parents to be honest with her about. They both have a lot on their plates in addition to competing on the cross-country team.

The romance develops tentatively, and it has several really sweet moments between the girls. They dance around whether they can be friends again (or even want to) while they each feel a growing warmth toward one another that is definitely more than friendship.

I’m also not super familiar with cross country as a sport, so it was cool reading something that informed me about it and helped me understand the stakes and celebrate the victories that each girl faced.

All in all, this is a fun romance read, perfect for summer.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
Characters attend a party where some of them drink alcohol. The next day, they perform poorly at cross country.

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 Long Run by James Acker

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

The Long Run
James Acker
Inkyard Press
Published February 7, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Long Run

“A boldly authentic new voice in queer fiction.” —Abdi Nazemian, author of Stonewall Honor book Like a Love Story and The Chandler Legacies

Two track and field athletes find an unexpected but powerful love in this unapologetically blunt and unforgettably real YA debut.
 
Sebastian Villeda is over it. Over his rep. Over his bros. Over being “Bash the Flash,” fastest sprinter in South Jersey. His dad is gone, his mom is dead, and his stepfather is clueless. Bash has no idea what he wants out of life. Until he meets Sandro.
 
Sandro Miceli is too nice for his own good. The middle child in an always-growing, always-screaming Italian family, Sandro walks around on a broken foot to not bother his busy parents. All he wants is to get out and never look back.
 
When fate—in the form of a party that gets busted—brings these two very different boys together, neither of them could’ve predicted finding a love that they’d risk everything for…

My Review

I was excited to pick up THE LONG RUN in large part because it’s the first time I can remember a big Italian family being featured in a young adult book. I’m from a big Italian family, so I was really excited to see that portrayed on the page.

It was a little disappointing that they were kind of the bad guys in the story. Like, it was very believable, though heartbreaking, that the brash, high volume, high intensity behavior was ultimately weaponized against Sandro. It left him feeling completely bowled over and like it would never be safe to be himself. Which made sense considering how the family treated him. I did like the conversation he had with his mom late in the story and the things she said to fill in some of the reasons behind why things happened the way they did.

I also really liked Bash’s emotional journey, going from someone who couldn’t seem to get through a conversation about his feelings, to someone who was learning to do it, and trying to build his own support network.

Sandro and Bash are both notorious athletes at their school. I thought the decision to feature two athletes in a M/M romance was cool, too– again something I haven’t often seen. Early in the story, during the time that Bash is standoffish and emotionally closed, I had a harder time getting into the book. It was hard to find things about his character that I liked at that point.

But as I read, and as I watched Sandro and Bash grow, not only in their exploration of a relationship together, but pursuing their own personal growth, I felt more drawn into the story.

On the whole, I would say I enjoyed THE LONG RUN, though it didn’t scratch the “big Italian family in YA” itch for me in a satisfying way. I think fans of BEATING HEART BABY by Lio Min or OPENLY STRAIGHT by Bill Konigsberg should check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Bash is biracial and bisexual. Sandro is gay.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used pretty frequently. Bash’s friend and Sandro’s family use the F-slur. Bash and Sandro talk about it at one point and use the word back and forth with each other, as though reclaiming it.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys. In more than one scene, they undress together. Some brief or vague descriptions of them having sex.

Spiritual Content
Bash adds a prayer bead to his necklace every year since his mother died. References to prayer.

Violent Content
Bash and another boy get into a fight.

Drug Content
Bash and Sandro go to a party where teens are drinking alcohol. Bash gets drunk and sick. Bash’s friend smokes pot, but Bash doesn’t join him. Bash and Sandro drink alcohol together in a couple scenes. Sandro’s mom and Bash’s stepdad both serve alcohol to them with a meal.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE LONG RUN in exchange for my honest review.

Review: MacKenzie’s Last Run by Gayle Rosengren

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MacKenzie’s Last Run
Gayle Rosengren
HenschelHaus Publishing
Published September 1, 2022

Amazon | Goodreads

About MacKenzie’s Last Run

Thirteen-year-old MacKenzie (Mac) Lawrence secretly blames himself for his father’s death in a mall shooting. In his grief and guilt, he has pulled away from everyone, even his twin sister Tessa. When their mother announces her plans to remarry barely two years after Dad’s death Mac is furious and runs away in an attempt to force her to break off the engagement.

Unfortunately, nothing goes as Mac plans. He ends up seriously injured, miles from home, unable to reach out for help, while clues he inadvertently left behind suggest he’s been kidnapped—possibly by Mom’s fiancé—and set his twin sister Tessa on a desperate search to find him. But she’d better hurry, because the clock is ticking, and Mac is running out of time.

My Review

The first thing I saw as I opened MACKENZIE’S LAST RUN to read it was the article from the paper reporting on his disappearance and police believed he was a victim of kidnapping. I thought it was an interesting choice from a writing perspective to start with that. So that, as a reader, I was kind of anticipating that event at some point. I worried that it would make the story anticlimactic.

But as I read, I found myself only more deeply hooked into what would happen to Mac and whether Tessa would be able to find him before it was too late.

I read the book in one sitting. I kept reading one more chapter all the way until the end, when I finally felt I could breathe again.

For me, not only could I not put the book down, but the story pulled me in despite its beginning. To overcome a reveal like that on the first page or use it in such a clever way made me feel even more like this book was worth reading.

I loved the way memories about Mac and Tessa’s dad were dropped in to critical moments in the story, and the way Mac’s adventure helped him face some of the things he’d been, well, running from. Both Tessa’s and Mac’s characters drew me in and had me rooting for them. Each chapter is told from Tessa’s or Mac’s point of view. I loved the balance that brought to the story and the exploration of their relationship as twins who’d lost their dad.

All in all, I very much enjoyed this book, and I hope the author writes lots more.

Content Notes for MacKenzie’s Last Run

Content warning for brief descriptions of gun violence. Some descriptions of injuries from a knife and a fall.

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Mac and Tessa are twins whose father was killed in a grocery store shooting.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Tessa’s mom makes her and her brother attend church with her. She says Mac “needs it.” Tessa is okay with church, but doesn’t seem to feel much of a personal connection to faith. In one scene she tries to pray for Mac, but worries she’s doing it wrong because she forgot to say, “Amen,” so she starts over.

Violent Content
Some description of the shooting that killed the twins’ dad.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of MACKENZIE’S LAST RUN in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Chase by Bradley Caffee

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

The Chase (The Chase Runner #1)
Bradley Caffee
Mountain Brook Ink
Published June 15, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Chase

Win the Chase. Be the hero. Or die trying.​

The chaos and anarchy following the Great Collapse nearly brought the world to its knees until the unchanging Law brought order and peace. Generations later, the twelve alliances of the World Coalition come together once a year to allow their best and brightest young people to compete in the Chase. The prize? A chance to pass exactly one new law.

The son of two former Chase runners, Willis Thomson is the top trainee in the Western Alliance. With the expectations of the world and his heritage driving him, he leads his elite Red Team as they prepare for his moment to become a coveted Law-changer.

Perryn Davis, the new leader of the Blue Team, struggles to survive as she competes as one of the designated losers. She knows that losing means genetic recoding, a process that cannot go on indefinitely, and longs to age out of the program before it kills her.

When a mysterious new racer with knowledge of the outside shows up at their orbiting training center, the natural order of the Western Alliance trainees is upended. In a world where too much knowledge is dangerous, Willis and Perryn find themselves in a race to save their lives and uncover the hidden underbelly of the peaceful World Coalition.

My Review

THE CHASE had some elements that I really enjoyed and some things that I struggled with, so I’m a little bit torn in writing my review.

I liked the concept of the race. It reminded me a little bit of THE HUNGER GAMES, where the hopes for the future are pinned on a chosen few of the kids, and the world is broken up into allied areas under one central government. It also reminded me a little bit of DIVERGENT in the way the runners were split up into teams caught in a high stakes competition.

One of the things I struggled with was the way the characters related to each other. There were some relationships that seemed nuanced and layered– like Jez’s relationship with Willis. It was clear that she had some feelings for him that he didn’t recognize, and that it caused a lot of tension. I loved that and the way it was present but not overly highlighted.

I kind of didn’t understand Willis and Perryn’s relationship, though. It’s clear he’s attracted to her, but I wasn’t totally sure I understood why? It kind of read like he felt sorry for her or was attracted to her as a damsel in distress? Their relationship seemed kind of simplistic or shallow to me. I wasn’t sure I understood the connection enough to invest in hoping they eventually got together.

On the whole, I think the concept of the race is interesting. I wish the relationships between characters and some of the characters themselves had more complexity. Some of the issues the story raised were unexpected and interesting. I could see fans of Andrew Klavan reading and enjoying this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Lots of name-calling and insulting. No profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some obvious attraction between a boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. One of the team leaders verbally and physically abuses other runners. The person in charge of the teams also verbally abuses runners. One runner threatens and hits another. Runners try to sabotage and even kill each other.

Runners who don’t perform well are forced to undergo a medical procedure.

Drug Content
A couple of runners are drugged against their will.

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

Review: These Vengeful Hearts by Katherine Laurin

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These Vengeful Hearts
Katherine Laurin
Inkyard Press
Published September 8, 2020

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About These Vengeful Hearts

Anyone can ask the Red Court for a favor…but every request comes at a cost. And once the deed is done, you’re forever in their debt.

Whenever something scandalous happens at Heller High, the Red Court is the name on everyone’s lips. Its members–the most elite female students in the school–deal out social ruin and favors in equal measure, their true identities a secret known only to their ruthless leader: the Queen of Hearts.

Sixteen-year-old Ember Williams has seen firsthand the damage the Red Court can do. Two years ago, they caused the accident that left her older sister paralyzed. Now, Ember is determined to hold them accountable…by taking the Red Court down from the inside.

But crossing enemy lines will mean crossing moral boundaries, too–ones Ember may never be able to come back from. She always knew taking on the Red Court would come at a price, but will the cost of revenge be more than she’s willing to sacrifice?

My Review

It took me a few chapters to get into this book. Revenge stories aren’t really something I typically enjoy, but this seemed like it might be more of a reckoning type situation rather than revenge, so I really wanted to give it a chance. Something about it reminded me of PANIC by Lauren Oliver, which I really liked.

Once I was a few chapters in, I started to get really into the story. I love the sisterly devotion between Ember and April. They respect each other’s autonomy, but they love each other and desperately want to protect each other, even when it hurts them.

I also found myself really drawn to Ember’s friendship (which I guess I use loosely?) with Haley. I liked that they have this transactional thing on the surface, but I totally sensed Haley’s loneliness and the potential for Ember and Haley to really bond over normal stuff.

As Ember gets in deeper and deeper with the Red Court, she faces some ugly truths about herself. I liked that she struggled with those parts of herself and even felt disturbed by some of the things that excited her.

On the whole, I felt like this was a pretty engrossing story– I read it in less than 24 hours– and though it explored some darker territory in terms of power and revenge, I didn’t feel like it glorified revenge.

I think fans of PANIC by Lauren Oliver or SOME GIRLS ARE by Courtney Summers should definitely put this one on their reading lists.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Ember’s best friend, Gideon, is Korean and gay. Ember’s sister is paraplegic.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Kissing between two adults having an affair.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Ember’s sister was injured in an accident which caused a broken femur and a broken spine and left her unable to walk. The story includes some brief descriptions of that accident.

Drug Content
Ember and a friend swipe glasses of wine at an art gala. Ember takes a sip of beer at a house party where other teens are drinking.

Note: I received a free copy of THESE VENGEFUL HEARTS in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

About Katherine Laurin

Website | Twitter | Instagram

Katherine Laurin lives in Colorado with her husband, two sons, and tiny dog. When she’s not writing, Katherine enjoys reading, traveling, hiking, and listening to true crime podcasts. These Vengeful Hearts is her first young adult novel.