Category: Teen/YA Fiction Review

REVIEW: I Am Not Starfire by Mariko Tamaki

REVIEW: I Am Not Starfire by Mariko Tamaki

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Mandy marches to the beat of her own drum – something that can be hard to do in high school. It’s even harder to do when you live in a spotlight like she does. Mandy’s mother is Starfire, one of the Titans. A superhero. Mandy wants to get through school, maybe go out with a girl like her current crush, and get far away from her mother’s shadow. But Mandy’s peers, the press, and Starfire’s family won’t let her fade into the background.

Review

There are elements of this graphic novel that reflect typical superhero stories – secrets, powers, and battles with evil-doers.

There are also elements that are typical of a coming-of-age story. Mandy feels like the opposite of her mother – and often misunderstood. She wants to be indifferent to it – to the ways people use her for her famous connections – but she’s not. She still feels hurt.

I enjoyed the story. It wasn’t all I was hoping for, though. There were no real surprises. I thought Mandy’s angst was well-conveyed. The budding romance feels more like another arena for conflict rather than a substantial plot thread on its own.

DC fans and Titans fans might enjoy this take on the Titans and the daughter of Starfire. YA fans may enjoy this for the identity and coming-of-age pieces and the exploration of the mother-daughter relationship. I’m not convinced the story does any of those things especially well, and maybe that’s the issue. Maybe it was trying to be too many things, and they all were too shallow for a truly great story. (Language, LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥ = Good/Solid/Fine

REVIEW: Better Together by Christine Riccio

REVIEW: Better Together by Christine Riccio

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Siri was certain her back injury would heal up and she’d be back to dancing by now. So when the doctor tells her she can’t dance ever again, she’s devastated. Her mom ships her off to a “Rediscover Yourself” retreat in Colorado where she’s supposed to somehow “find her way.” Like that could happen after everything has fallen apart.

Jamie’s launch to independence didn’t quite go as planned. So she’s back home with her dad and Grams. One of her dad’s conditions to her moving home is that she either go to therapy or go to a “Rediscover Yourself” yoga retreat her grandmother mentioned.

While Siri sees Jamie as an annoyance at the retreat where she doesn’t want to be anyway, Jamie is stunned to see her little sister there. It’s been 14 years. And apparently Siri has no memory of Jamie. Siri thought “Jamie” was an imaginary friend and has spent those years apart trying to not feel crazy because she was so attached to this imaginary friend. A real-life, in-her-face Jamie is unfathomable at first.

As the two try to make sense of their past as well as their present reality, they decide they want to switch places after the retreat so they can get some closure on the mess their parents have made of things. They figure they will pretend to be one another – they look enough alike to be twins – and then bamboozle their parents into a big meet up. What could go wrong?

How about a magic glitter bomb that somehow causes the girls to switch bodies?

Review

So, I wanted to like this. I stuck with this one FAR longer than I usually do for a book I’m just not feeling. I was intrigued by the whole “How could Siri’s mom lie to her so egregiously like that?” plot line. But in the end, I gave up at about 65%. I didn’t like Siri or Jamie, although Siri was more tolerable once she got to California. The girls were both abrasive and hard to like. Siri’s weird not-swearing thing got old really fast. (Instead of “S***” she says “Excrement,” for example – you can imagine what she does with the f-word.) The most likeable character, Dawn, is a side character who doesn’t get much development because she is not the focus. But I would have liked either more of her, or a more direct story about the imaginary friend lie. The fact that both girls have grandparents who went along with this ridiculous thing is, I guess, something that should have bothered me more in the original Parent Trap. But the “twins” were so endearing in those movies, I didn’t stop to ask. The magical switching complicated this rather than making it more fun. (I’ve read complaints online not unlike the ones for Wonder Woman 1984 about what right a person has to use someone else’s body/face for their own purposes.)

If you are super into the whole premise, or you have a higher tolerance for abrasive characters than I do, or if you like the author’s other work, you might give this a try. But it was a bad fit for me.

Rating: ♥

*♥ = Problematic, did not finish.

REVIEW: Kind of Sort of Fine by Spencer Hall

REVIEW: Kind of Sort of Fine by Spencer Hall

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

After a monumental moment at school at the end of her junior year, Hayley is pushed into “pulling back at school.” This includes dropping tennis and putting a low key elective into her senior year schedule – TV production. At first it feels like a punishment – a limitation. But after enough comments about her “break down,” Hayley decides she is going to use her determination and ambition to make the best of this hand she has been dealt.

Lewis is the senior producer in the school TV studio this year. He’s partnered with Hayley and can’t help being concerned about the quality of her work considering what happened last year.

As Hayley and Lewis work together and get to know one another as more than “the girl who had the breakdown” and “the fat, funny kid in TV production,” they realize there’s more to each of them – and more to their peers – than people see at first glance. And they decide to turn that idea into a set of mini-documentaries to share with their school.

Review

I enjoyed this exploration of senior year for these two characters. Hayley’s journey to reclaim her life and identity after her “breakdown” does a great job of showing progress without quick, trite resolutions. And I enjoyed Lewis and the other teens in the story.

I would have liked a stronger problem-resolution thread, but that’s a matter of personal preference. I like my stories to have more drive to them than this did. This is more focused on this period of time – senior year – for these characters, and on the journey rather than the destination. The wrap up to the story is good. I enjoyed this one. (Language, sexual references)

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good+

REVIEW: Don't Hate the Player by Alexis Nedd

REVIEW: Don’t Hate the Player by Alexis Nedd

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Bloomsbury YA in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book releases on June 15, 2021.]

Summary

Emilia and Jake met in 4th grade at an arcade birthday party. They bonded over video games. And every year or so for a little while they would run into each other and hang out.

As a junior in high school, Emilia has carefully crafted her life. During the day, she is a diligent student and the captain of the field hockey team. She’s running for VP of the Junior class. If an activity could look good to a college, Emilia is doing it. But at night, she’s a member of Team Fury on Guardian League Online. No one in her real life knows about her gamer life. Her parents would have a fit that she’s wasting so much time that she could be putting toward her college prep. Her friends wouldn’t understand. So it’s a secret, and Emilia wants to keep it that way.

Jake has transferred to Emilia’s school, but she has no idea. She obviously doesn’t remember him because when she sees him, she looks right through him. He’d love to reconnect, but he’s just not sure how to approach her. All of his friends on Team Unity in Guardian League Online are shipping the two of them and urging him to talk with her.

When Wizard Games announces a huge in person GLO tournament, Team Unity and Team Fury are all in. But a public tournament will put everything in Emilia’s gaming life out in the spotlight if anyone finds out who she is. Considering the secrets she is keeping from her friends and family – not to mention the issues women put up with in the gaming world – publicity means nothing but trouble.

Review

What a delight! After a darling opener about Emilia and Jake as kids, there were a few chapters that were slow-going for me. I wasn’t vibing the game at the center of the story. But once Jake and Emilia re-connected, I was sold. The game descriptions made more sense to me as the book went on (I am not a gamer.). But it was the characters and their relationships that made this story special.

I am completely in love with Jake and Emilia – both the kid versions and the high school versions. Jake is the perfect guy for Emilia. He accepts her as she is without expectations. She can be fully herself, and he gets her. It’s lovely.

I adored the humor in this – and the great Marvel/Avengers/MCU references in the book. This was a FUN story, and I would definitely read it again. Readers who enjoy YA romance, gaming stories, and stories dealing with sexism – like Moxie, or Slay, or Don’t Read the Comments – should run right out and pick this one up! (Language, LGBTQ+, TW: online harassment, doxxing, etc.)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ = I loved it! Would read again!

REVIEW: The (Un)Popular Vote by Jasper Sanchez

REVIEW: The (Un)Popular Vote by Jasper Sanchez

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Mark and his mother are living in Santa Julia, away from his congressman father. The deal was they’d officially, publicly, stay married. But she and Mark could move 40 miles away where Mark has the freedom to transition out of the public eye. In fact, only two kids at his school even know Mark started life as Madison Tegan.

Mark is in the International Baccalaureate program, and he’s obsessive about political science. But he can’t join Junior Statesmen of America at his new school because someone might recognize him. The deal with the congressman was that Mark would cut ties with his old life and stay under the radar in exchange for this move. And he’s passing; no one seems to have any idea that Mark is transgender. All he has to do is stay quiet and blend in.

But when a younger kid Mark knows strikes back at the football players who bully him for being gay, Mark knows he’s supposed to stay quiet, but he doesn’t feel good about it. When the school chooses to punish Mark’s friend, one of the football players uses the incident to spew hateful rhetoric in the race for student body president. Now Mark has to decide if he can actually stay on the sidelines, or if it’s time to make some noise.

Review

This was a fascinating story. This might be the first book I have read starring a transgender main character, written by a transgender/transmasculine author. So this was enlightening for me. I learned a lot, and it gave me a lot to think about. I felt for Mark as he was confined by the deal he made with his father and also confined by his secret. He also was learning and growing in his understanding of politics and leadership. I enjoyed his West Wing references. Mark even has a “cathedral” moment which was sad spiritually, but enlightening considering the character’s journey.

I thoroughly enjoyed the romantic relationship that starts for Mark in this book. It’s a sweet relationship, and it really adds to the story and the complexities between the characters.

Readers who are interested in politics – and in allyship – should give this a try. The characters have some interesting things to say about being queer in their community and about the Gay/Straight Alliance group at their school (which seems to have no LGBTQ+ members). This would be a meaty book for a book club or discussion group, too. Don’t miss this one. (Language, pot use/underage drinking, LGBTQ+ TW: coming out stories, parental disapproval)

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good+

REVIEW: Sixteen Scandals by Sophie Jordan

REVIEW: Sixteen Scandals by Sophie Jordan

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Primrose Ainsworth has finally made it. After years of watching her older sisters enter Society and entertain suitors, it’s finally Prim’s turn. She’s turning 16, the magical age when she can finally stop waiting and start living.

But Primrose’s parents are consumed with final details for her sister’s wedding. And with another sister already out looking for a husband, their parents have decided that Primrose needs to wait another year. Or more.

With her birthday essentially ignored and her debut postponed, Prim decides to take advantage of the family’s distraction. She and her friend, Olympia, sneak out to Vauxhall for a night of fun.

When things in a tavern get out of hand, Prim is separated from Olympia, but she is rescued by a young gentleman. When his chivalry turns to criticism, she’s ready to ditch him as quickly as possible. But when she has to rescue him in turn, it seems as though they are better off together. While Prim should be focused on finding Olympia and getting home before either of them are caught, she finds herself distracted by this young man. But she must keep reminding herself that even if the touch of his hand makes her heart flutter, all she truly has is this one night of freedom.

Review

This was so sweet! I loved Prim and Jacob together. (And I despised Primrose’s mother. She’s the worst!) I was heartbroken for Prim as she was ignored and shunted aside, essentially a commodity for her parents to wheel and deal to Society whenever it was in their best interests. To them she seemed only to be a means to an end, and it was awful. I loved her plan to have one night of freedom that she could always hold onto that was hers and hers alone, even if it was super risky. The ending/resolution of all this was perfect.

Anyone who routinely reads Victorian fiction/romance will find some familiar pieces here. I don’t know that there was anything super original in the story, although there wasn’t any of the usual “she’s ruined for being unchaperoned” that I often find in books like this. But the characters are a delight! Their banter and bickering, flirting and pining, was right on target for me. I loved every bit of the relationship.

Readers who enjoy historical fiction and sweet love stories should give this a try!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Black Canary: Breaking Silence by Alexandra Monir

REVIEW: Black Canary: Breaking Silence by Alexandra Monir

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a print copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

The heroes of Gotham’s past are dead and buried. The Court of Owls reigns with ruthless oppression, especially over women and girls. They are forced to follow a strict public dress code, and they are barred from college and from various occupations. They aren’t even allowed to sing or play sports.

But Dinah Lane once heard a girl sing, and she’s never gotten it out of her mind. No one else believes her, but she knows what she heard. It’s what drove her into the overgrown park to find the old opera house. Rumors say there’s a hidden vault there of recorded voices. Dinah wants it. The Owls want to destroy it.

The Owls are watching Dinah since that night in the park. They find her secret stash of contraband, and she’s routinely searched. But if they discover what else she’s capable of, they will do everything in their power to destroy her.

Review

This was a fun version of the Black Canary/Green Arrow origin story. I was fascinated by the oppressive system that has taken over Gotham. I would have liked a stronger explanation of how the Silencing worked – why only singing and not also speaking voices, why was the loss of singing/music such a big deal? It sounds cheesy when you try to explain it to someone who hasn’t read the book, but the metaphor is clear and it works in the story.

There’s not a ton of character development. But I enjoyed the main characters. The villains – and their mouth pieces and minions – were as awful as you’d expect. There’s a bit more blood and violence than I was expecting, but it fit with the darkness of the Owls.

Fans of the DC Icons series – Wonder Woman: Warbringer (prose – ♥♥♥♥ and graphic novel), Batman: Nightwalker (prose and graphic novel), Catwoman: Soul Stealer (prose; GN releasing soon), Superman: Dawnbreaker (prose only – ♥♥♥) – should definitely pick this up to continue the line. All of the books stand alone, so new readers can start here and go back and pick up the rest of the series. I have thoroughly enjoyed these stories (well, the Superman book was a disappointment) and characters, and I’d love to see more in the future. (Violence)

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good +

REVIEW: Lucky Girl by Jamie Pacton

REVIEW: Lucky Girl by Jamie Pacton

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Fortuna Jane Belleweather has a secret. Well, actually, she has 58 million secrets. Jane bought the sole winning lottery ticket for a prize of $58 million.

Jane’s first problem is that she’s 17 for 2 more weeks. So she can’t turn the ticket in by herself yet. And it’s stressful to leave it hidden in random places in her house.

Second, Jane’s mom is a hoarder. It seemed to start when Jane’s dad died, and it’s progressively getting worse. She should never have access to this much money.

Third, Jane lives in a small rural community in Wisconsin. Everyone knows everyone else’s business. And they all know someone bought the ticket. So everyone is obsessing over it.

The more Jane learns about her situation and about the pitfalls of winning the lottery, the more panicked she feels about it. It might be better to tear up the ticket and let the town always wonder who the winner was.

Review

Woah, this was more stressful than I expected! Every time Jane left the winning ticket somewhere, I felt the panic of what might happen. Ugh.  Jane is really in a pickle (and it only gets worse). I found it fascinating that the community would be so hateful and resentful over the unclaimed money. They seemed to feel entitled to know who won – or entitled to criticize anyone who would keep it a secret.

I was relieved by the author’s solution in the end. It was the best outcome I could have imagined – better that the solution I exclaimed out loud when things got progressively out of control.

I didn’t love any of the characters in this. I had a lot of sympathy for Jane and her mom, though. And I despised the ex. There’s a great epilogue to show the reader what happens next that was satisfying. If you like lottery stories you might also check out Windfall or Too Lucky to Live. (Language, LGBTQ+, references to sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥ = Find/solid/good

REVIEW: Counting Down with You by Tashi Bhuiyan

REVIEW: Counting Down with You by Tashi Bhuiyan

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Karina’s parents are traveling for a month to Bangladesh to visit family, leaving her and her younger brother with their grandmother. And it’s just the break Karina needs. She never realized the anxiety she carries every day until she mentioned to her parents she might not want to go to medical school. She never even mentioned what she might study instead – English – before they completely freaked out. Their rules are plentiful and strict and not open for discussion.

Karina’s English teacher is her favorite, of course. So when she asks Karina to tutor another student, she agrees in order to not disappoint the woman. But she had no idea the student was Alistair Clyde. Ace is an enigma around school. His family is super rich, and his brother is super popular as well as being president of the student body. Ace on the other hand skips class and seems like a bad boy and a loner. Getting him to actually do any work in their tutoring sessions will take a miracle.

Karina has barely gotten Ace to engage in their study sessions when he announces to his family that they are dating. He doesn’t want anyone to know he needs a tutor. But if Karina’s parents find out she is spending any time with a boy, much less a white boy, they will explode. She will lose even the barest bit of freedom she currently has. She should just say no and make Ace deal with his family honestly. But she’s seen the dynamic with his dad and his brother. And she has a bit of understanding of what it’s like in a complicated family. So Karina agrees to go along with things until her parents get back. But as she counts down the days until their return, her heart doesn’t seem to remember that this is all supposed to be pretend.

Review

This. Was. FANTASTIC! Wow! I didn’t expect to be captivated by this so quickly. But the characters are phenomenal! One minute I wanted to hug all of them, but the next I wanted to just stand back and admire the heart and the strength and the fierceness of them.

The book ran me through the full range of emotions. There were tons of laugh-out-loud moments, but there were also tearful ones. And there was one piece that made me want to stand up and cheer. I am so in awe of this story. The minute I finished, I wanted to pick it up and start all over.

Karina and Ace are magical together. I can’t get enough of them. There are some tough family moments here – hurtful, devastating conversations. But as painful as those moments are – for Karina and for Ace – they also shine a spotlight on the inner strength of these teens. There’s a LOT to discuss here. This would be excellent for a book club or a discussion group.

Do not miss this story! (Language, TW: panic attacks, parental shaming)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥+++*

*♥♥♥♥♥+++ = Best of the best!

REVIEW: 10 Truths and a Dare by Ashley Elston

REVIEW: 10 Truths and a Dare by Ashley Elston

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Disney/Hyperion in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book will release next week on May 4th.]

Summary

Olivia and her cousins are a week away from graduating when she finds out she is short half a credit of PE. She did an outside course – golf – but didn’t finish all the hours needed. She’s supposed to be salutatorian, but now she might not even graduate.

Olivia has one shot to fix things, but it’s going to be complicated. She has to spend the week working on a golf tournament for the coach to make up her hours. But she’s supposed to be going to a bunch of graduation parties all week – and she doesn’t want anyone to find out about this hiccup in her situation. Her parents are away for the week due to work, but Olivia’s mom is obsessively tracking her phone while they are gone.

So Sophie, Charlie, and Wes agree to swap phones with Olivia and hit the parties so her parents don’t find out about her screw up. But their always-present, over-involved, tightly-knit family will be hard to dodge.

Review

I absolutely adored the first book about the Messina family, 10 Blind Dates, when I read it in 2019. In fact, it was number three in my list of favorite reads of the year – 3 out of 400 is a big deal! I was thrilled at the news that there would be a sequel!

This was far more stressful than the first book. In 10 Blind Dates, Sophie’s family is “helping” her over a break up in a bizarre way. Olivia’s situation has far more serious stakes, which changes the tone of the book. There are still funny moments, but this is not the laugh-riot that Dates is for me.

The characters are my favorite part of this series. The core four are back, and it’s delightful to spend time with them again. There’s less time spent with the larger family group in this one. But Uncle Michael was solidified as my favorite extended family member thanks to this book. (Don’t get me started on Olivia’s mom and her tracking app, though. Yikes!) I would love to see Charlie get a book to round out the series. I will jump at any chance to spend more time with these characters in the future.

Newcomers should be able to follow this story without difficulty even if they haven’t read 10 Blind Dates. But trust me – you will absolutely want to pick that one up asap! (Some language, LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.