Category: Young Adult

Fiction · Romance · Young Adult

Leah on the Offbeat

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Title: Leah on the Offbeat

Author: Becky Albertalli

Performer: Shannon Purser

Length: 7 hr, 11 min, 21 sec

Series: Creekwood, Book 2

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2018 by Harper Audio

Format: eAudiobook

Review: I thoroughly enjoyed Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, so I was thrilled when I found out the author was publishing a book highlighting another character introduced in the first of the Creekwood series.

Leah was a character I enjoyed very much in Simon’s book, and I was excited to get to know her better.  Leah’s character is self-assured and opinionated, and she loves her appearance, despite the fact that her body type does not adhere to traditional standards of beauty.  She is confident in just about every aspect of herself, except her sexuality and her art.  Leah is a very talented artist, but she is reluctant to show her deeply personal work to the people in her life.  Perhaps she is worried that it will be revealing of the secret she has been harboring from her friends…her bisexuality.

Based on the description above, I should love Leah, but once inside her head, I actually found her to be a bit obnoxious.  To make matters worse, many situations in the book made me cringe, because Leah was outright rude or inconsiderate to the people around her.  By the end of the book, I was not her biggest fan.

The romance between Leah and another character was also very problematic.  Her love interest came off extremely flat and the chemistry just wasn’t there.  The story also does not address any blowback that would have undoubtedly occurred if the romance progressed the way it did in the book.  It was extremely unrealistic and disappointing when the author jumped over any inevitable falling out and just included a “happy ending” epilogue to gloss it all over.

Despite my disdain for this book, the performer did a great job with her narration.  I would give her a higher star rating than the book itself if I could.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

All_Star_GoldAll_Star_Gold

Fiction · Romance · Young Adult

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda

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Title: Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda

Author: Becky Albertalli

Performer: Michael Crouch

Length: 6 hr, 45 min, 6 sec

Series: Creekwood, Book 1

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2015 by Harper Audio

Format: eAudiobook

Review: This love story is adorable.  Simon is adorable.  Everything about this book is adorable.

In all seriousness though, this is an excellent coming-of-age/teen romance.  It’s angsty and endearing and you just want to reach through the pages and give Simon a big hug.  It is hard for me to relate directly to his experiences coming out to his family and friends, but many of Simon’s struggles to accept himself are universal.  The supporting characters in this story are, for the most part, also very likable.  Simon’s friends and family are so accepting of who he is, that at first it seemed silly to me that he is so reluctant to come out to them. As the story progresses, however, I really got a better grasp of how scary this step is to a teen, regardless of whether or not they have a strong support network.

I enjoyed this story in audiobook format.  I have listened to other audiobooks performed by Michael Crouch, and his voice is very well suited to books told from the perspective of a teenage boy.  It’s a very generic “young man” voice, and his even cadence makes his performances very easy to listen to.

After reading this book, I was very excited to rent the movie adaptation Love, Simon.  My expectations for book-turned-movie adaptations are always low, but the movie was extremely well cast, and they captured the feel of the book very well.  This can be difficult to do, especially when so much of the book is introspective.

Both the book and the film were very heart-warming, and I highly recommend both to fans of this genre.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

All_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_Gold

Fantasy · Fiction · Historical · Romance · Young Adult

The Bird and the Blade

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Title: The Bird and the Blade

Author: Megan Bannen

Performer: Emily Woo Zeller

Length: 10 hr, 17 min, 3 sec

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2018 by Harper Audio

Format: eAudiobook

Review: This book surprised me.  I checked it out on my OverDrive app on a whim because it was available.  I gave the brief synopsis attached to it only a cursory glance, so I knew very little diving into it.  Very quickly into the reading, I knew that the story sounded vaguely familiar.  As I listened a bit longer, I realized that it was an adaptation of a story I had heard before.  Although I had some inkling of how it would end, I was intrigued to hear the story from the point of view of a slave girl.

What immediately drew me into the story was how cleverly the author organized it.  Each part of the tale peeled back a new layer, and details that had at first seemed minor carried greater significance as more back story was revealed.  By the end my heart was pounding and although I knew the outcome, I was still eager to see exactly how it played out.

My favorite part about the novel was how carefully the relationships were developed.  The story is told from the point of view of Jinghua, a slave girl with a mysterious past.  Jinghua is plain in appearance, but others value her for her intellect and spirit.  She is beautiful on the inside, if not on the outside, and her actions throughout the story reflect that.

If I were to read this book again, I would probably read it in a different format.  The performer had a tendency to exaggerate the waviness of her voice during dramatic scenes.  I found this distracting, so I think I would have enjoyed the story even more if I had been reading it in a physical format.

I was so impressed with this book.  It is a story of loss and love and sacrifice.   It contained all the elements of a great story, and it was beautifully written.  It is hard for me to believe that this was a debut novel.  I look forward to whatever else the author has in store.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

All_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_Gold

Fiction · Young Adult

Picture Us in the Light

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Title: Picture Us in the Light

Author: Kelly Loy Gilbert

Page Count: 361

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: April 10, 2018 by Disney-Hyperion

Format: Hardcover

Review: If I could sum up this story in one word it would be heart-wrenching. Gut tightening, tear duct prickling, chest aching, I will never be the same, heart-wrenching. 

The most astonishing thing about this author’s writing style is how she can touch upon extremely sensitive, hot button issues without seeming like she has any sort of political agenda.  The emotions and pain she conveys through her characters is so real and so raw, you truly feel like you are glimpsing into their souls.

The ending of this story is going to haunt me, and it is almost hard to recommend this book because it demands a lot of emotional investment.  In some ways, it is like watching a train wreck.  You can’t stop it, you just have to watch it unfold. Just when you think the story cannot get any sadder, the author surprises you with another tragic twist.  So with this one I say, read at your own risk…and with a box of tissues.

As a  final note, this is coincidently the third book I have read recently that takes place near my hometown.  The issues the author sheds light on are all too real and all too common.  I hope this story finds itself in the hands of the right people, because it might just save a life.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

All_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_Gold

Fiction · Romance · Young Adult

One Small Thing

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Title: One Small Thing

Author: Erin Watt

Page Count: 299

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: June 26, 2018 by Harlequin Teen

Format: Hardcover

Review: For me, books written by Erin Watt fall under the category of guilty pleasures.  I was hooked after Paper Princess and will probably read just about anything written by them, for better or for worse.

I certainly enjoyed this read, but I would not go shouting from the rooftops about it.  It was better than some of their other more recent publications, and I was invested until the end, but at times it just seemed repetitive.  Even so, the authors touched upon some very relevant themes.

The main character, Beth, is struggling with the loss of someone important in her life, and I think it is really admirable how the authors handle her coming to terms with that loss.  The underlying message I received from the story is that everyone grieves differently and at their own pace.  You should never assume you understand how someone is coping by the way their grief is outwardly manifested.  This book also touches upon the damaging effects of mob mentality.  People make their own assumptions about a situation and are quick to jump on the hate bandwagon driven by a few toxic people.  Sadly, I think this happens all too commonly, and people are quick to mete out punishment to satisfy their own sense of self-righteousness.  This prevents people from moving forward and traps them in a cycle of bitterness and pain.

Ultimately, this is a story about forgiveness, and I wish we could see more of that in real life.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

All_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_Goldhalf star

Fiction · Romance · Young Adult

Alex, Approximately

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alex, approximately

Title: Alex, Approximately

Author: Jenn Bennett

Performer: Amy Melissa Bentley

Length: 10 hr, 4 min, 45 sec

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2017 by Tantor Audio

Format: eAudiobook

Review: When I first read reviews about this book I was ecstatic.  A YA novel retelling of one of my all time favorite rom coms?!! YES PLEASE.  Perhaps I am at fault for building it up too much in my head, but I was rather disappointed by this adaptation.  For some reason, I just really did not care for the character of Bailey, and it is hard to articulate why.  Perhaps the best way I can describe it is, if I met her in real life, I do not think we would be friends.  She just has one of those personalities that I find completely bland, and even as a reader, I had no desire to get to know her.  The character of Porter was a bit more likable, but still a little flat.  He constantly made comments to Bailey about having baggage, but when his “baggage” was revealed, it was highly anticlimactic and hardly what I would consider to be baggage at all.

Another thing to note is that I listened to this book in eAudiobook format, and I was not a fan of the performer.  I personally found the voices she created for the characters to be annoying, and at times she sounded robotic, especially at the beginning of the book.

The one thing I did appreciate about this book is how the author responsibly handled the love scenes.  It’s all about that consent, baby!

In summary, I didn’t love it, I didn’t like it, I didn’t hate it.   If you are pining for an archenemies turned lovers plot, just save yourself some time and watch You’ve Got Mail.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

All_Star_GoldAll_Star_Gold

Fantasy · Fiction · Young Adult

Children of Blood and Bone

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Title: Children of Blood and Bone

Author: Tomi Adeyemi

Performer: Bahni Turpin

Length: 17 hr, 51 min, 58 sec

Series: Legacy of Orïsha, Book 1

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2018 by MacMillan Audio

Format: eAudiobook

Review: Let me start off by saying, this book deserves all the accolades it has been receiving.  The world building in this story is truly phenomenal, and the African mythology woven into it is masterfully done.  Although lengthy, the pacing of the book moves rapidly and by the end, the reader is left wanting more.  Luckily, this book has been announced as part of a series, and there will certainly be more to come.

When I first started this book, I was convinced that I would be rating it with five stars; however, as the plot progressed, I found myself becoming increasingly disenchanted by the romantic angle that suddenly emerged midway through the story.  The romance not only seemed unprecedented, but rather forced.  Although I could see what the author was trying to do, it just did not seem to fit right with what I knew about the characters.  I think a romance such as this would need a lot more build up to be plausible, but it was sped along in the interest of furthering the plot.  It is not necessarily that I did not want the characters to end up together, but that I think it could have been done better.  For this reason, I lowered my rating to four stars.

Regardless of how I feel about the romantic subplot, I found this to be a complex and well-written story.  As a history major, I could appreciate the parallels to real life events such as apartheid, colonialism, segregation, etc.  There are many layers to this story, and many layers to each character.  It will be exciting to see where this story goes.

As an additional note, I HIGHLY recommend enjoying this book in audiobook format.  Some stories are just meant to be shared orally, especially those with deep roots in traditional mythology.  Bahni Turpin does an excellent job creating personas for each character, and the accents she created really bring the story to life and lend a little something extra to the listening experience.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

All_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_Gold

Fantasy · Fiction · Young Adult

Passenger

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passenger

Title: Passenger

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Page Count: 496

Series: Passenger, Book 1

Publishing Date/Publisher: January 5, 2016 by Disney-Hyperion

Format: Paperback

Review: Passenger by Alexandra Bracken was a thoroughly entertaining read. I can quite honestly say I loved every minute of it. The plot is engaging and unique, and the mystery has a way of keeping you guessing well into the second and final book (which I am still reading, review to follow). Without giving anything critical away, the book revolves around Etta, a girl from the 21st century, and Nicholas, a sailor from the 18th. They are tasked with a mission for a man who wants to control time travel, which leads to interesting aspects that have rarely (in my experience) been dealt with in issues concerning time travel. Nicholas is black, which means that he is always acutely aware of the colour of his skin and the attitudes towards it in various times. It was not an awareness I was expecting from a book written by a white author and it was incredibly refreshing. Bracken has a way of writing that invokes confusion at times, but only when necessary. She writes the jumbled thoughts of her characters in a way that puts you there with them, figuring everything out and feeling all of their emotions. It was a captivating read.

Reader: Kymberly

Rating:

All_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_GoldAll_Star_Gold