Category: Teen/YA Fiction Review

REVIEW: Zits: Chillax by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

REVIEW: Zits: Chillax by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Jeremy, star of the Zits comic strip, and his best friend Hector bought two concert tickets to hear their favorite rock band, Gingivitis, from Tim, the bass player in their band. At first, their only concern is how to convince their parents to let them go to the show. Then they find out why Tim sold his tickets. His mom has cancer, and the day of the concert, he’s having surgery to give his mom some bone marrow.

Fitting the teen boy stereotype, Jeremy doesn’t know how to relate to Tim or to the situation. After talking to his parents and his girlfriend, Jeremy decides that he and Hector will get Tim a gift at the show as a sign of support. But nothing that night goes like they plan.

Review

This is an illustrated novel like a Dork Diaries or a Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Fans of the Zits comic strip will recognize all the major players. And the usual humor over teen stereotypes and parent interactions are present as expected. The cancer story could be heavy for a book with this format, but it’s balanced well with the humor.

I have enjoyed the Zits comics for years. While this was a new format, I enjoyed it.  The story felt familiar, but I can’t pinpoint what came from a previous comic and what might have been changed or added for this book.

I think this could be a bridge book from middle grade to teen, maybe a good fit for readers in the 10-15 year old range. There’s a lot of fun music/band stuff that musicians might enjoy. But compared to contemporary teen fiction and graphic novels, this skews younger in my opinion. Might be a good fit for teens who don’t want the heavier or more mature YA themes.

Rating: ♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Where You'll Find Me by Natasha Friend

REVIEW: Where You’ll Find Me by Natasha Friend

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Anna can’t believe she’s living at her dad’s house. He had gotten engaged to Marnie before her parents’ divorce was even final. And their baby appeared soon after their wedding. She’d done a careful job of avoiding sleeping there. Daytime visits only. Anything else felt disloyal to her mother. But that was before.

Before her mother tried to kill herself and ended up in the hospital.

And when it rains, it pours. Anna has also lost her best friend. She’s stuck at school hanging out with the weird kids. It seems like everyone – other parents, teachers at school – is talking about Anna’s mom. And Marnie’s trying too hard with Anna, making her feel suffocated.

It all leaves Anna feeling lost and adrift. But help will arrive from places she least expects.

Review

I pulled this from a middle grade pile on my bookshelf, but when I looked the book up, the publishing information says this is for teens. I was confused. Anna is only 13 in this story – young for a teen book. And while her processing of all the things feels appropriate for 13, it also feels young for a teen/YA book. It might be a good fit for the new “Older Middle Grade” category for readers 10 to 14. But there’s some mature content – some swearing, Anna hears her dad and step-mom having sex, etc. – things you don’t generally find in middle grade books. All of this made it hard for me to get a good grasp on this one. Who exactly is this book for?

That aside, I loved the story. My heart broke for Anna. The near suicide is a huge stressor, but there’s so much MORE going on:

  • The unspoken things between Anna and her dad and the ways she has felt abandoned by him, left to care for her mom on her own.
  • Anna’s fears of finding her mother dead.
  • Anna’s memories of her mom’s manic episodes as she learns about Bipolar 2.
  • Anna’s shame about her mom’s illness.
  • The loss of her best friend.

All of these things are conveyed SO well. I was rooting for Anna through the whole book – that she would make new and better friends, that she would see her step-mother as an ally, and that she would share the burden of her mom’s illness with someone. There’s a great happy-for-now wrap up to this that was so satisfying.

Find the right audience and this will be a hit with readers. I loved it! (Language, sexual references, references to Wicca, CW: Suicide)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Crying Laughing by Lance Rubin

REVIEW: Crying Laughing by Lance Rubin

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Winnie loves comedy. She grew up watching I Love Lucy and Abbott and Costello sketches. She even thought about doing stand up, but that was before her bat mitzvah. After bombing at her own party, Winnie has sworn off performing ever again.

Winnie’s dad is her comedy idol. He’s been having some weird symptoms lately like randomly dropping things and some slurred speech that has her concerned. Then her parents tell her – the doctors think her dad has ALS.

A cute guy and the need for a distraction from her dad’s health lead Winnie to a meeting of the school’s improv group. Even though she is clueless about many of their routines, when a sketch clicks, she starts making people laugh. Winnie begins to feel at home on stage and in front of an audience again. But at the same time, so many other things start to fall apart. Suddenly she finds herself all alone with more questions than answers and more crying than laughing.

Review

This is a solid contemporary YA story. There are friend pieces and boyfriend/crush pieces. Winnie’s dad’s illness and the impact on their family is of course a huge piece of the story. And then the comedy pieces – from the improv group to using humor to mask fear and pain – work in as well. Through it all, Winnie shines.

The core of the book is the family story. From hiding the initial diagnosis to shielding Winnie from the grim prognosis to a big blow up in a public spot, the family is struggling. Hurts from the past get drawn in, and the whole thing shakes Winnie’s foundations. And while she’s dealing with all that, her relationships at school change too, leaving her feeling alone and lost.

Winnie is remarkably resilient through it all. I loved that she wasn’t immediately amazing at improv. She struggled. Everyone knew it. Some people took advantage of it. I liked the layers that added to the story. Ultimately her improv group has her back, which might have been my favorite part of the whole story.

There’s some humor here, but also a ton of heart! (Language, LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: It Started with Goodbye by Christina June

REVIEW: It Started with Goodbye by Christina June

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

It starts when Tatum’s best friend asks for a ride. Before Tatum really knows what’s happening, she’s being arrested because her best friend’s boyfriend decided committing grand larceny was a terrific idea. While Tatum was only there to keep an eye on her friend because she didn’t trust the boyfriend, she now has a record, a fine and community service. And she’s completely lost the trust of her dad and step-mother.

At home, Tatum’s punishment is a loss of most of her freedom. Her step-mother checks her mileage before and after she drives to work. She also denies Tatum any chance to socialize outside of her community service hours. Her step-mom even called her own mother to stay with them for the summer to help watch Tatum while she works and manages her daughter’s dance career. And Tatum’s father leaves the country for work right after everything falls apart, leaving her at the mercy of her critical, demanding, helicopter “step-monster.”

Tatum has a lot of time this summer for contemplation. And she has a lot to consider – her relationship with the people in her house, her friendship with the “best friend” who got her into this mess, and questions of who she even wants to be. One saving factor for her summer is the graphic design business she starts. Not only is the work a nice, creative distraction that will help her pay off her fine, but it also puts her in touch with a talented, flirty musician in need of a website. His emails definitely make her summer more enjoyable!

Review

This was so sweet! I loved it. The family and friendship pieces of this Cinderella-esque tale are terrific. The dynamics between Tatum and her step-mother and step-sister are fascinating. There’s a lot to overcome here, but also some things that maybe Tatum isn’t seeing or reading correctly. There are issues with Tatum’s dad, too, frankly, but those are more in the background since he’s gone for most of the book. Tatum’s step-grandmother, though, is a breath of fresh air in a tension-filled home where control, authority and propriety are the name of the game.

But the romance is what delighted me. It’s warm and sweet and builds perfectly. I loved every moment of it! I would have read five more chapters of just the happy couple together – along with the two other potential couples from the story. They were adorable.

I have really enjoyed the books published by Blink YA in the past. I read this author’s book No Place Like Here earlier this year and loved it. But it wasn’t until I finished this that I realized No Place stars Tatum’s best friend from this book and is the third book in a collection. Now I’m going to have to read that book again to put it in its proper context. And I have to track down the second book, Everywhere You Want to Be, that stars Tatum’s step-sister. I need to get the full story on these young women!

So far, this is my favorite of the two Christina June books I have read. But I recommend both of them for readers who love contemporary YA with some romance. Obviously the books stand alone, which is good for clueless readers like me. But I am eager to read them in order to get the full picture of the teens and their lives as things develop for all three of them.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Deadly Little Scandals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

REVIEW: Deadly Little Scandals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Freeform in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Sawyer is still reeling from the things she discovered about her family when she, Lily, Campbell, and Sadie-Grace worked together to make sure Campbell’s father was held accountable for his crimes (Little White Lies). She finally knows who her biological father is, and it changes everything – her relationship with her mother, her grandmother, and with the rest of the family she lived with for her debutante year.

But now that it’s summer, and the family is spending time at their lake property, there’s a new distraction. The White Gloves is a secret society that takes in a select number of young women from the best families each year. And Sawyer, Lily, Campbell and Sadie-Grace have all received invitations. The timing couldn’t be more perfect. Sawyer’s recent discoveries make things awkward at her grandmother’s house. Campbell’s mother is in a downward spiral after the fallout from her husband’s arrest.  Sadie-Grace knows her step-mother is faking her pregnancy, but she doesn’t know if she should confront her or let the charade play out. And Lily has her up-in-the-air relationship with Walker to figure out. The White Gloves are a perfectly timed distraction.

But the Gloves’ competition also gives Sawyer a chance to dig into one more mystery from her debutante year. Whatever happened to her mom’s best friend Ana who also got pregnant when Sawyer’s mom did – and who disappeared almost twenty years ago?

Review

This was absolutely stunning – dizzying! The twist and turns in this left me in knots – and I loved every minute of it. I couldn’t stop thinking about this for 24 hours after I finished the final page – I even had dreams about the book! When I think about where the book starts vs where it ends, it’s almost like two whole books. What a wild ride! Masterful plotting in this one!

I missed some of Sawyer’s sass and spunk from the first book. In Little While Lies, she’s an outsider; she uses her words as armor to protect herself. In this book, that edge isn’t as sharp. She’s found family to a degree, and she has her crew of friends. It’s a necessary evolution to the character, but I missed the snark. I also missed the fellas. Walker and Boone are absent for a lot of this since the White Gloves is only for the ladies. Again, necessary, but I missed them.

I love the core group of girls in this. They have distinct, fascinating personalities and family situations. And I loved seeing them as more of a team than they could be in book one.

The structure of this is similar to Little White Lies. In that book, the story starts with the girls in jail and then goes back in time around a year to fill in the story. Periodically there’s a paragraph, or a few sentences, from the jail timeline so you don’t forget where everything is headed. This time there are three timelines. This book starts again with Sawyer and a friend in some danger. Then it goes back a few months to the start of the story. The third piece is from 25 years ago, and that is also threaded into the larger story. The author does a great job of cuing where the timing changes so just watch the headings and you’ll be fine. I loved trying to figure out how the three pieces would come together in the end.

As I said, the plot of this is dizzying. I can think of six major twists/revelations without even trying hard, and I’m sure there are more. I had to write them all out when I finished the book just to help my mind take it all in. WOW! I loved it. So many great surprises. I’m not sure there are unanswered questions to prompt a third book, but if Jennifer Lynn Barnes writes one, I am here for it! She is still one of my favorite YA authors.

These books definitely need to be read in order. If you love suspense and mysteries, or if you love books with some unexpected twists, be sure to check out the Debutantes series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Slay by Brittney Morris

REVIEW: Slay by Brittney Morris

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Kiera Johnson may seem like a typical teen – high school senior, math tutor, gamer. But she’s also the creator of the video game SLAY. After a lifetime of experiences of being in the minority, including being one of four Black kids at her high school, Kiera wanted a place where she didn’t feel like an outsider. So she built the game.

She doesn’t want anyone to know she is the developer. She’s always on her guard, hiding the game from her family and friends. If he knew, her boyfriend would probably dissect SLAY to see if it is authentic enough, and that’s only if he could get past the idea that gaming is a distraction to keep Blacks from achieving all they can in the world. Her sister would probably antagonize everyone in the game with her questions and opinions about every little thing. In a way, even in the world she created to celebrate Blackness, Kiera can’t just be completely herself when it comes to SLAY.

Then a kid is killed over something that happened in the game. The whole world learns about SLAY. Kiera, as her character Emerald, is under fire as the developer for creating this “violent” place with “gangs” and other misconceptions from outsiders, both White and Black. Reporters are debating the “racist” nature of SLAY because only Blacks are invited to join. And Kiera’s being harassed inside her own game by a new player who wants to tear down everything she has built. How does a 17-year-old high school student stand up under a firestorm like this?

Review

“All I ever wanted to do was escape into this magical world where for once I don’t have to act a certain way because I’m Black, and where I don’t have to answer certain questions because I’m the Black authority in the room, and where if I do something that’s not stereotypically Black, I’m different…. I think I love SLAY so much because we’re a mutually empathetic collective. As we duel, as we chat, there’s an understanding that ‘your Black is not my Black,’ and ‘your weird is not my weird,’ and ‘your beautiful is not my beautiful,’ and that’s okay.” pg 108-109, e-book

Oh my goodness, I loved this book!! I decided to share these quotes because I thought only Kiera’s words would do when talking about why she built SLAY and what it meant to her. I adored Kiera. And I felt her longing for a place where being Black was celebrated and not debated, where she could shed the tightly controlled facade she maintained in ALL her face-to-face relationships. My favorite thread of this whole book is this idea of finding (or in Kiera’s case, creating) and defending a space where you can be yourself. And I think that became extra special because I loved Kiera and wanted that space to be safe for her.

The gaming pieces of this are cool! Nothing too technical for a non-coder or non-gamer like me. I loved how the uninitiated adults discovered the richness of Black history Kiera built into the game. The dueling style was also fantastic. I have no clue if a dueling-style VR game exists now, but I enjoyed the fictional game play. But really, the game is just a vehicle for telling a richer, deeper story.

While tragic, the murder that pulls SLAY into the public eye isn’t the main story either. Kiera wrestles with her responsibility as the game developer, but ultimately those questions take a back seat to the racial and discrimination questions that are more central to the story.

The obvious question at the center of Slay is is it racist for Black gamers to have their own game, their own forum, where White folks aren’t allowed? And I was happy to see there weren’t any easy answers offered to this question. Readers will have to wrestle with that on their own. But there were just as many hard, nuanced questions about the Black community from within their own ranks. And that was part of the magic of this book for me. It showed me questions I couldn’t possibly know to ask as a white person. And it let me learn and question and wrestle as I read. And I loved every minute of it. This was engrossing and engaging and something I won’t soon forget! (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥+++

REVIEW: Conceal, Don't Feel by Jen Calonita

REVIEW: Conceal, Don’t Feel by Jen Calonita

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Elsa is the 18-year-old princess of Arendelle, and she is being trained to someday take over the running of the kingdom. As an only child, there were no other kids in the castle to play with when she was growing up. She’s lonely, focused always on her studies and the work of the kingdom.

Anna is the 15-year-old adopted daughter of the village baker in Harmon, a small town up the mountain from Arendelle. She’s an energetic, talkative girl who makes amazing snowman cookies. And she longs to head to the city for an adventure. When her mom’s best friend, Freya, comes to visit every couple of months, she tells Anna about the city. At her last visit, she said it might be time for Anna to visit Arendelle and meet Freya’s husband and 18-year-old daughter.

After Elsa’s parents die in an accident, she discovers magic hidden in her hands that is leaking out because of her grief. She’s been trying to control it for a few years, but in a moment of panic before her coronation, her life and kingdom are changed forever. And while Elsa’s world is icing up and falling apart, Anna can’t help feeling like someone in Arendelle desperately needs her help.

Review

This is book 7 in the Twisted Tale series, but it’s the first one I have finished. The story is maybe 75-80% the original Frozen movie. But one moment in the story, one thread of the tale, is changed. That leads to a small set of changes in how and where the girls are raised. That in turn changes how Kristoff, Olaf, and Prince Hans figure into the story.

I enjoyed this version of the story. I’m not sure it fundamentally changes anything. The twist doesn’t have any impact on Hans or Kristoff of course, so their characters are consistent with the movie. I don’t feel like I walked away from this book with new insights into the characters or Elsa’s magic. Frankly, I think the movie is stronger in the ways it addresses the emotions of the conflict – Elsa’s trapped feelings, her struggle for control, Anna’s desperation to help her sister, etc. This may present a stronger case than the movie for how essential Anna is to Elsa and to her control of her magic.

Fans of Frozen may enjoy spending time with the characters again or debating the merits of each version of Elsa’s story – I did. But readers looking for NEW content about Elsa and Anna, or new dimensions to their relationship might be disappointed. It seems like the folks at Disney didn’t give the author a lot of wiggle room to change the movie plot in any significant way. Readers might instead find something new to enjoy in some of the Frozen II books that released earlier this month.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Suggested Reading by David Connis

REVIEW: Suggested Reading by David Connis

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Clara Evans has always been something of a reading fanatic. As a kid, she could only read books AT the library. Money was super tight, and her parents wanted no risk of overdue fees. When Clara found an abandoned library card, she used it to secretly check books out – and she never earned a fine!

Books were what got Clara admitted to her fancy school, Lupton Academy. They’re also what prompted her to start a nonprofit that runs Tiny Little Libraries around town and gets grants for school libraries in need. In fact, Clara’s night-before-school-starts tradition is called the “Evans Highlighter All-Nighter” which involves her staying up all night to read. And this year – before her last high school first-day-of-school – she stays up to read a new book from her favorite author. And it’s amazing.

Clara’s tired, but walking on  a post-book high when she gets to the school library for her volunteer shift. That’s when she discovers the school is puling 50 books from the library collection. And they’ve done it before. Students didn’t notice, thinking the books were just checked out when they couldn’t find them on the shelves. But now Clara is aware. And she’s ready to do something about it!

Review

This was fascinating! There have been a few other banned books/start-a-secret-library-in-your-locker sort of stories in the last couple years (Ban This Book, Property of the Rebel Librarian), but this stands in a category by itself. Part of the reason is that this is YA rather than middle grade. With the older audience, the author can explore some more mature content, reasoning and emotions. The other reason is how the protagonist is challenged and changed by this journey. At one point she feels like books – in some ways her most faithful companions through life – have betrayed her or failed her. She also wrestles with significant risk for her protest. All of these pieces made for a fantastic reading experience for me.

This would be a tremendous book for class reading or for book groups. You have all of the book related material, but you also have other teen issues like underage drinking, sexual identity, depression and suicide for discussion.

While the ending didn’t punch all the buttons I was looking for, I was pleased with how everything wrapped up for Clara and her friends. Be sure to check this one out! (Language, LGBTQ+, Trigger Warning: suicide)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston

REVIEW: 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Sophie is happy to let her parents leave town for Christmas to go help her pregnant older sister. She’ll spend the holiday with her grandparents and large extended family. In fact, she’ll be heading there after her parents leave. Although maybe not as quickly as they assume.

Sophie is hoping to spend a few hours with her boyfriend, Griffin, before going to her grandparents. This is a perfect time for them to have quality alone time. If only she can find him! He doesn’t answer his phone when she first calls. Sophie finally finds him at a party. And overhears him say he was glad when he thought she would be gone for Christmas break because he thinks he wants to break up with her.

Sophie is devastated. She cries most of the way to her grandparents’ house. And she tells her Nonna all about it. By the next day, her whole extended family knows. and before the humiliation even sets in, her grandmother has gotten the bright idea to have the family set her up on some blind dates over the holiday to help her shake off this bad break up. The humiliation knows no end!

Review

A delight from start to finish! This is now the book I am telling everyone about. I absolutely adored this. The premise is fantastic and funny. Sophie’s extended family is a hoot with all these blind dates. I loved the four main characters as well as the larger, quirky crew. The family pieces of this – Sophie’s sister’s complicated pregnancy, checking in with her parents who were several hours away during the story, etc. – were a great B-story to complement the blind date/break up part of the book.

I laughed SO MUCH with this! The blind dates, the family betting, the social media sharing and so many other things. I didn’t want the reading experience to end because it was so fun! I will definitely be buying my own copy of this and reading it again. I would personally pair this with Prince in Disguise for two fantastic, funny holiday romcoms.

I can’t recommend this highly enough. Don’t miss this one! (One of the dates may be on the risque side for younger readers.)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Skyjacked by Paul Griffin

REVIEW: Skyjacked by Paul Griffin

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Michelle Okolo was completing an internship at the National Air Traffic Investigation Center (NATIC). She was a rising high school senior hoping to attend the US Air Force Academy after high school. The NATIC tracked air travel around the country to be sure planes stayed on course. Michelle’s first big test – a preparedness drill – didn’t end well for her, or for the passengers on the pretend plane. She had to wonder if she’d ever be good enough for the Academy.

Cassie, Brandon, Tim and Emily were best friends. And they were in Idaho on a camping trip. Jay was new to their school, but Emily adopted him like a stray and insisted he join them. The flight from New York to Idaho was Jay’s first trip on a plane. The return trip would be his second. They were chaperoned by someone from Cassie’s dad’s company. They were travelling on his private plane, too. And other than some risky choices on Cassie’s part during the camping trip, it was mostly an uneventful vacation.

When the kids get to the airport, they discover their co-pilot is out with food poisoning, so they are getting a sub. Frankly, Cassie has been on enough of these flights, she could probably co-pilot the plane herself!

After take off, the kids notice they are flying west instead of east. Then the plane climbs much higher that it’s supposed to, supposedly because of weather. At NATIC, Michelle and her co-workers watch the plane disappear from the radar. It’s been skyjacked.

Review

This was terrific. The short chapters and the tension and danger of the story made this a fast read. It played out like a TV movie with the folks on the plane speculating about what’s going on and trying to make a game plan while the authorities on the ground dig into the background of everyone on board to see who could be involved.

Plenty of twists and perilous moments drive the reader to keep turning the pages – I finished this in one sitting. There’s not a ton of depth to the characters due to the speed and intensity of the story, although there is some character development in the beginning before they get on the plane. It all comes together in a satisfying way. Don’t miss this exciting, action-packed story! (Violence)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥