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Review: Love is in the Hair by Gemma Cary

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,
Love is in the Hair by Gemma Cary

Love is in the Hair
Gemma Cary
Delacorte Press
Published August 27, 2024

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About Love is in the Hair

A feminist coming-of-age comedy that follows the endless humiliations, unrequited obsessions, and all-consuming friendships of fifteen-year-old Evia Birtwhistle as she leads a body hair positive revolution at her school.

Fifteen-year-old Evia Birtwhistle can’t seem to catch a break. At home, she must deal with her free-spirited mom, and at school she’s the target of ridicule for stating basic truths: like that girls have body hair!

When her BFF Frankie—who has facial hair due to her PCOS—becomes the target of school bullies, Evia decides that enough is enough and creates the ‘Hairy Girls’ Club.’

Leading a feminist movement at school is not easy. Boys often look at Evia like she’s a total weirdo, and the self-proclaimed ‘smoothalicious’ girls start their own campaign in retaliation. As Evia struggles with feeling strong enough to lead, and questions how to be a good friend to Frankie, she falls back on the best thing she has—hope. Her message is simple: We CAN make this world a more accepting, less judgmental place for girls to live in…one hairy leg at a time!

My Review

This book delivers on its promises. It’s funny and deftly explores societal ideas about body hair as well as the reasons why someone would want to raise awareness and challenge norms versus wanting the choice to blend in with others.

I like Evia’s group of friends, especially Frankie, though she doesn’t appear a lot in the story. Frankie challenges Evia to explore nuances and understand that people may feel differently than she does about their bodies and to accept that. Her other friends, Karima and Lowri, round out the group.

Evia also has a crush on her friend’s older brother. I thought the way that played out in the book also showed a lot of depth and rang true as an experience from those early high school days. Evia is fifteen in the story, and Cary definitely nails that moment in adolescence in the way she writes about characters and relationships.

Overall, this book is well-positioned to reach readers aging out of middle grade and preparing for their own high school journeys. Give this book to readers looking for a smart, funny book about challenging societal norms and speaking up for yourself.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Frankie has PCOS. Two of Evia’s other friends are lesbians.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
A kiss between a boy and girl. Someone posts sexually explicit images on Evia’s social media account.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
A group of girls bullies another girl. They make a social media video showing them pinning down another girl and cruelly cutting her hair on one side of her head close to the scalp.

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: Ugliest by Kelly Vincent

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

Ugliest (The Art of Being Ugly #3)
Kelly Vincent
Publisher
Published

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About Ugliest

Life, academics, and activism. Facing hate and bigotry, can this agender teen make a difference in LGBTQ+ rights?

Oklahoma City. Nic Summers is equal parts excited and nervous. Determined to excel, the seventeen-year-old strives to find time to survive physics, build confidence, and enter a competitive art mentorship. But the principled teen’s stress skyrockets when a protest video results in them and a trans friend being forced by the school to move to the female dorms.

Burning with a strong sense of justice, the normally shy teenager summons the courage to speak out against damaging state legislation. But when the vision goes viral, they’re shocked when the authorities hand down an ultimatum: stop or be expelled. Can Nic dig deep and prevail against institutional bullies ready to erase their identity?

Sharing the plight of those too often silenced, author Kelly Vincent opens the door to understanding and empathy. Through the eyes of a big-hearted main character, Vincent leads the way toward accepting and appreciating each other’s differences.

My Review

Since I hadn’t read the first two books in this series, I was a little nervous about diving into the final book. Without knowing exactly what I missed, I think Vincent does an excellent job filling readers in on whatever relevant backstory without slowing down the narrative. I never felt like the story referred to things from earlier books in a way that was confusing, so that was great!

The writing style in the book is a little different than I’m used to. There’s a lot of dialogue, which I do enjoy, but the narrative reads a bit like diary entries in terms of the writing style. It centers on Nic reporting things that have happened and then moving into talking to their friends about what’s happened.

One of the things I struggled with in the book is how the characters express their (understandable) rage and frustration. Their feelings make total sense, and I’m sure they’re realistic. Sometimes, it just felt like the characters vented their hate over and over, and reading it was more draining than I expected.

I think my favorite part of the story happens when the characters take action toward the end of the book. There’s a scene that shows a rally and it has a lot of energy to it. I felt like I could picture it really well. Nic’s relationship with their mom and their younger sister were also really nicely done. I enjoyed seeing those.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Nic is nonbinary. Their best friend Mack is transmasculine and asexual. Another friend, Jenna, is a lesbian, and Jacob is bisexual. Mack is white and Latino. Jacob is Black.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently. A few F-bombs appear in the text.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to a past dating relationship and kiss.

Spiritual Content
Nic is leery of people who self-identify as Christians because they often coincide with people who bully or terrorize them. They acknowledge the need to work on making snap judgments but still want to protect themselves and be safe. One Christian character turns out to be an ally.

Violent Content
Some brief homophobic and/or transphobic statements or references to those statements.

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: A Whisper of Curses by J. Elle

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , ,

A Whisper of Curses (Park Row Magic Academy #2)
J. Elle
Bloomsbury
Published July 9, 2024

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About A Whisper of Curses

New York Times bestselling author J. Elle continues her magical middle grade series with our favorite witches from Park Row Magick Academy!

While the new Magick Academy is under construction, an invitation to Retreat Week arrives! Before the students leave Park Row, Kyana is grabbed by an Available and, even after she slips from the spirit’s grasp, can’t stop either laughing or crying. Ashley thinks whatever it is, Dr. Minzy, a famous teacher at the retreat, will know what to do. But when the portal to the retreat suddenly dissolves, trapping everyone, Ash Availables are involved. With Kyana acting weird and Russ live-casting everything to the MagickWorld, Ash must say something to the directors (even though she isn’t sure she’s right) or mind her business and trust that Dr. Minzy will fix it?

In this adventurous sequel to A Taste of Magic, can Ashely, Kyana, and Russ figure out what the spirits are up to and save the day?

My Review

I loved getting to visit this magic-infused world again. In the first book in the Park Row Magic Academy series, Kyana has only just discovered she’s a witch with access to a whole hidden world of magic. She enters a baking competition to try to help save her magic school.

Because baking and food featured so prominently in the first book, I expected to see some food or baking in the second book. There is some focus on food, but not baking, like in the first book. What’s really interesting is the way that different foods impact characters and events in the book. I thought the author’s use of them was pretty clever.

I also enjoyed the theme about leadership and what makes a good leader. Several characters position themselves as leaders, from a leading researcher to a camp director to Kyana’s role in student leadership at her magic school. As Kyana tries to figure out how to lead effectively, she learns surprising lessons about effective leadership from the people around her and her own experience.

The chapters alternate between Kyana and Ashley’s points of view. I liked getting to know both girls more and seeing what was happening in their minds as they tackled different problems and sometimes had different ideas about how to help each other.

On the whole, this is an excellent addition to a fun series. I’m excited to see where J. Elle takes the story and these characters next!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Kyana is Black. Ashley is Latine. One minor character wears a hijab.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Characters can perform magic and travel through portals to other realms. Some characters are not human but magical individuals called Availables who have different abilities than humans.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Someone grabs and holds characters with the intent to harm them.

Drug Content
Potions and charms have the ability to impact people around them. For example, a sleep potion makes someone go to sleep.

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 posting about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle with Greg Pattridge.

Review: Drawing Deena by Hena Khan

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , ,

Drawing Deena
Hena Khan
Salaam Reads
Published February 6, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Drawing Deena

From the award-winning author of AMINA’S VOICE and AMINA’S SONG comes a tenderhearted middle grade novel about a young Pakistani American artist determined to manage her anxiety and forge her own creative path.

Deena’s never given a name to the familiar knot in her stomach that appears when her parents argue about money, when it’s time to go to school, or when she struggles to find the right words. She manages to make it through each day with the help of her friends and the art she loves to make.

While her parents’ money troubles cause more and more stress, Deena wonders if she can use her artistic talents to ease their burden. She creates a logo and social media account to promote her mom’s home-based business selling clothes from Pakistan to the local community. With her cousin and friends modeling the outfits and lending their social media know-how, business picks up.

But the success and attention make Deena’s cousin and best friend, Parisa, start to act funny. Suddenly Deena’s latest creative outlet becomes another thing that makes her feel nauseated and unsure of herself. After Deena reaches a breaking point, both she and her mother learn the importance of asking for help and that, with the right support, Deena can create something truly beautiful.

My Review

One of the things I remember most from AMINA’S VOICE and AMINA’S SONG is the way that the author creates these rich family connections and still keeps the story centered on its kid characters. Deena has complex relationships with both her parents, where sometimes she feels like they don’t see or hear her, yet it’s clear they love her, and she loves them, and they have a good relationship in other ways.

In this book, Deena explores both her artistic style and talent, learning about other artists, especially Vincent Van Gogh, whose work she feels a connection with. She also wrestles with feelings of anxiety that build to a panic attack. Like lots of people, she can’t tell at first what’s happening to her body. She only knows she feels nauseated and tense. At first, she doesn’t even connect those feelings to any particular fears or worries.

I liked the way that process played out and the way people in Deena’s life responded to her once they understood what was going on. That part felt really realistic, and I couldn’t help celebrating with Deena as she finds her voice and speaks up for what she needs.

I also really enjoyed the descriptions of artwork in the story. It made me want to visit a museum– and especially to look up the names of the artists mentioned in the book.

Fans of Hena Khan’s earlier books will love this one, and readers who enjoy books about artists will also find lots to love here.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Deena and her family are Pakistani American. Deena has anxiety.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
References to prayer and Muslim celebrations.

Violent Content
Descriptions of a panic attack.

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 this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays. Check out other blogs posting about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle with Greg Pattridge.

Review: Going Dark by Melissa da la Cruz

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

Going Dark
Melissa de la Cruz
Union Square Co.
Published January 31, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Going Dark

“An intense rollercoaster of a thriller and a searing indictment of which victims get our attention and sympathy.”
–#1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Marie Lu

In this ripped-from-the-headlines GONE GIRL meets A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz weaves a white-knuckle YA thriller about a beautiful young influencer who vanishes after going on vacation with her boyfriend.

#WhereisAmeliaAshley

The Influencer
Amelia Ashley shares everything with her followers – her favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurants, her best fashion tips, and her European trip-of-a-lifetime with her hot boyfriend.

The Boyfriend
Josh has no choice but to return home without Amelia after she abandons him in Rome. He has no clue where she went or how her blood got in his suitcase. Why won’t anyone believe him?

The Hacker
To Harper Delgado, Amelia Ashley is just another missing white girl whipping up a media frenzy. But with each digital knot she untangles about the influencer, Harper wonders: who is Amelia Ashley?

The Other Girl
Two years ago, another girl went missing, one who never made headlines or had a trending hashtag.

The Truth
Amelia’s disappearance has captured the world’s attention. What comes next? Watch this space…

Told through a mixture of social media posts, diary entries, and firsthand accounts, GOING DARK is a gripping, suspenseful thriller about all the missing girls who fall off the radar, perfect for true crime fans and readers of ONE OF US IS LYING by Karen M. McManus.

My Review

I read this book really, really fast. I think I read the first 150 pages in under two hours? That’s unbelievably fast for me. It’s not easy to write in a way that can be consumed so quickly, so I feel like that in and of itself shows some big storytelling ability.

I can definitely see the comparison to ONE OF US IS LYING. GOING DARK had that same kind of danger-around-every-corner, clues-dropping-any-minute intensity. It was so easy to get swept away in the mystery and in trying to piece together all the clues. I loved that part of it.

The only thing I can say in terms of anything I wish had been different is that I wish the story hadn’t begun with Josh’s point of view. I can see why it had to, though. Once the story began introducing other perspectives, I was totally hooked.

I liked the thoughtful way the story explored how some missing persons cases can become big headlines while others don’t get enough attention from media and police. I also loved the relationship between sisters in the book. (You know I love sister stories!)

All in all, I really enjoyed reading GOING DARK, and I definitely think fans of Karen McManus or Courtney Summers would enjoy this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Harper is a Brown girl. Mignon and her sister are Chinese on their dad’s side.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
A girl sees and talks to another girl who isn’t there. She knows the other girl isn’t real but takes comfort in being able to speak with her.

Violent Content
Some descriptions of a boy acting possessively and in a controlling way. In one scene someone describes holding someone down against their will, killing them. A girl is stabbed in the stomach.

Drug Content
A group drinks wine at a house in Italy. They’re all of legal drinking age.

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 GOING DARK in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Review: No Filter and Other Lies by Crystal Maldonado

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

No Filter and Other Lies
Crystal Maldonado
Holiday House
Published February 8, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About No Filter and Other Lies

You should know, right now, that I’m a liar.

They’re usually little lies. Tiny lies. Baby lies. Not so much lies as lie adjacent.

But they’re still lies.

Twenty one-year-old Max Monroe has it all: beauty, friends, and a glittering life filled with adventure. With tons of followers on Instagram, her picture-perfect existence seems eminently enviable.

Except it’s all fake.

Max is actually 16-year-old Kat Sanchez, a quiet and sarcastic teenager living in drab Bakersfield, California. Nothing glamorous in her existence–just sprawl, bad house parties, a crap school year, and the awkwardness of dealing with her best friend Hari’s unrequited love. But while Kat’s life is far from perfect, she thrives as Max: doling out advice, sharing beautiful photos, networking with famous influencers, even making a real friend in a follower named Elena. The closer Elena and “Max” get–texting, Snapping, and even calling–the more Kat feels she has to keep up the facade.

But when one of Max’s posts goes ultra-viral and gets back to the very person she’s been stealing photos from, her entire world – real and fake — comes crashing down around her. She has to figure out a way to get herself out of the huge web of lies she’s created without hurting the people she loves.

But it might already be too late.

My Review

I had a hard time getting into this book. The writing and the voice are both strong– which I expected, since I loved Crystal Maldonado’s debut, FAT CHANCE, CHARLIE VEGA. I just didn’t really like Kat very much, especially at the beginning.

She knows she’s a liar, but she isn’t ready to face the ways her lies hurt the people closest to her. As she wrestles with love, including her own self-love, she does a lot of growing. By the end of the story, I liked her a lot.

Her family dynamics are complicated and messy, and I found I liked that element of the book. It made Kat’s character make a lot of sense. I think it was also a big part of what made her realize the harmfulness and ugliness of her own behavior.

On the whole, I think FAT CHANCE is still my favorite book by this author, but I did enjoy reading this one. I think fans of books like THE 9:09 PROJECT by Mark Parsons or TELL ME EVERYTHING by Sarah Enni should check this one out.

Content Notes for No Filter and Other Lies

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Kat is bisexual and Puerto Rican on her dad’s side. One of her friends is also Puerto Rican. Her best friend is Indian American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used pretty frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. In one scene they realize they are heading toward having sex and stop. Kissing between two girls.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
One of Kat’s friends makes fat jokes about her until she confronts him about it. One boy punches another boy in the face at a party.

Drug Content
Kat and her friends go to a party at her best friend’s house where teens drink alcohol. Kat and her best friend both drink too much and make some choices they regret later.

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 NO FILTER AND OTHER LIES in exchange for my honest review.