Tag: women in STEM

REVIEW: Christa Comes Out of Her Shell by Abbi Waxman

REVIEW: Christa Comes Out of Her Shell by Abbi Waxman

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Dr. Christa Barnet is a scientist living on the island nation of Violetta in the middle of the Indian Ocean studying bull raft snails.

Outside of scientific circles, Christa is somewhat famous for having a famous father – a TV personality with a national show – who went missing when she was two and has been presumed dead for decades. But he’s been found, and Christa and her family – and the world – are reeling from the news.

Most everyone is thrilled by the news. Jasper’s agent can’t wait to capitalize on all of the media and money making opportunities. And Jasper is on board for whatever. But everyone wants Christa along for the ride – the scientist daughter experiencing her father almost for the first time. If it means Christa can ultimately keep doing her research in Violetta, she’s reluctantly on board to stay in the States for awhile. It doesn’t hurt that she’s discovered white hot chemistry with an old friend.

But when Jasper’s story develops cracks, it raises questions Christa isn’t sure she wants answered. It might just be simpler to leave everything behind and go back to her snails.

Review

This was fantastic!! I was captivated by the story of the missing and presumed dead husband and father and the fallout for his family. But truly the best parts of this were Christa, her sisters, and their mother – not necessarily in relation to Jasper but as themselves. Their personal growth from what Christa remembers from her childhood to the reality she encounters when she gets home is fantastic. And I adored all of them and their fierce love, fierce anger, and fierce protection of one another.

I tend to associate a “no f-s to give” mentality to middle age, but Christa is already there, and I LOVED her for it! I absolutely adored this. Fans of Waxman’s other works – The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, Adult Assembly Required, I Was Told It Would Get Easier (♥♥♥♥) – should not miss this one! (Language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ = I loved it! Would re-read.

The Do-Over by Suzanne Park

The Do-Over by Suzanne Park

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Lily is on the verge of getting everything she wants, including the release of a second book (which she technically still needs to write), and her dream job. But the employee background check for the new job turns up a surprise – Lily never actually graduated from college.

Now she has to go back and pick up the last few credits she needs – plus a STEM class to meet the current catalog requirements – and then she can get back to her life.

But the TA in her Computer Science class was her college sweetheart. He’s there finishing a PhD, and Lily wants to pretend he doesn’t exist. But Jake is hotter than ever – and he wants closure on what happened between them. He’s going to be super hard to ignore.

Review

I enjoyed this  – the characters, the attention to mental health, and Lily’s journey through shame to pride in herself as she goes back to school. There are just enough challenges along the way to keep this interesting. And we do get a flashback of what happened way back when between Jake and Lily. I felt like the personal journey for Lily was more satisfying for me than the romance with Jake, but both were good.

The three women at the center of this story are a delight. I would read more books with these three at the center, so if this is going to turn into one of those series where each character gets a book, I am all in for more. You can see my reviews of more books by this author here – there are a couple I would absolutely read again.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good +

REVIEW: Just Wild Enough by Marta Magellan

REVIEW: Just Wild Enough by Marta Magellan

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary and Review

Marta Magellan tells the story of primatologist Mireya Mayor in this delightful new picture book. Mireya Mayor has loved animals and been fascinated by them her whole life. “Wild” was kind of her vibe. The book chronicles her quest for the “wild” as she moved from dancer to NFL cheerleader to scientist. The media has called Mayor “the female Indiana Jones.” And this book briefly tells the story of her discovery of a new species of mouse lemur and her efforts to preserve its home.

My husband met Mayor at convention recently and picked this book up for me. And it’s terrific! I loved how the author wove “wild’ through her subject’s journey from childhood to her work as a primatologist. The author includes just enough information to round out the story, but she never gets too lost in details that might cause her to lose her audience. And the illustrations are engaging and beautiful. Classrooms and libraries in need of more picture book biographies, especially ones looking to highlight women in STEM, should considering adding this to their collections!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ – Great! Might re-read

REVIEW: Harley Quinn: Reckoning by Rachael Allen

REVIEW: Harley Quinn: Reckoning by Rachael Allen

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Between Harley’s own experiences of abuse and misogyny and what happens to her friend, Bernice, at a frat party, Harley’s decided she’s not going to take it any more.

Her retaliation against Bernice’s attacker catches some attention, and other girls come forward wanting to punish some of the more egregious examples of sexism and abuse on campus. Together they become The Reckoning.

But when members of The Reckoning are targeted, including Bernice, who has become something more than just a friend, Harley is desperate to find out what is happening to the people who have become like family to her and protect them.

Review

Harley is not a character in the DC Universe I’ve read a lot about. I have mostly a passing familiarity with her. But I have enjoyed this DC Icons series for years, so of course I picked up the latest addition.

The author does an amazing job with teasing out Harley’s darkness while still keeping her endearing. You are rooting for her – to triumph over her family and living situation, to get to pursue her dreams. But at the same time you cringe at revenge (real or imagined) taken too far. I found myself torn between the visceral desire to see the misogynists and abusers brought low and the line between right and wrong in the eyes of the law. There’s a lot said here about what it’s like for women in STEM for readers to consider as well.

All of the things I know about Harley from previous encounters – her brilliance, her fascination with the Joker, her own penchant for violence, her sexuality, her interest in psychology – are all tucked into this story. Again, the author does this in such a natural way while still telling her own story. It’s really well done. My only complaint is that I feel the timeline could have been more clear. The book starts in one place, then jumps back in time, and then jumps a couple more times. Hopefully this will be more clear in the final published version of the story.

I didn’t realize until the end that this is launching a trilogy of books. I have my fingers crossed about the next subject after a teaser in the book. I’m not sure if “trilogy” means they will all focus on Harley, or if it is more of a Sirens trilogy – but I’m here for it no matter what. HQ fans and DC fans should be sure to pick this one up. (Some language, reference to sexual assault/child abuse and neglect/emotional abuse, grief and loss)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read

REVIEW: Lost and Found Family by Jennifer Ryan

REVIEW: Lost and Found Family by Jennifer Ryan

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Sarah Anderson is trying to hold it all together. She’s running the company she started with her husband while also being their top coder. She’s raising her two young sons alone after the death of her husband. The juggling of everything is leaving her exhausted.

And then she gets the letter from the lawyer.

Sarah’s mother-in-law has always assumed and believed the worst about Sarah. And now she’s threatening legal action to take Sarah’s boys away. So reluctantly, she agrees to a six-week visitation with her late husband’s family. Yes, their verbal abuse and hatefulness is hard to take. But she can endure it for six weeks to show her willingness to compromise.

Luke Thompson, the good-looking rancher next door to Sarah’s mother-in-law is the lawyer who sent the letter. And he’s guarded when it comes to Sarah, ready to see this awful person his neighbor has described. But Sarah is nothing like he expected. How does her mother-in-law see something so different? What is he missing in the story of this family? Who is really telling the truth?

 

Review

I picked this up because I was intrigued by the story. I also ADORED the author’s earlier book, The Me I Used to Be. I thought this would be something similar, and I couldn’t wait to dig in.

I enjoyed this sweet story of steadfast integrity and character in the face of cruelty and anger. Sarah is almost too good to be true.

While I enjoyed the story and the characters, the big climax with Sarah’s family happened mid-book. And unlike The Me I Used to Be, there was no other mystery to carry the rest of the story to the end. I spent the second half of this book waiting for a BIG new conflict or disaster to come, but it never did. The almost-too-perfect-to-be-believable character continued to be saint-like in response to the garbage her late husband had pulled and the fall out she faced through the end of the book.

I felt like the lack of a new challenge or conflict as well as Sarah’s perfection took some of the joy out of the reading experience for me. It was 100+ pages of resolution and happily ever after, which can be nice at times, but isn’t always satisfying. I mistrust books where there’s no challenge or mission – and this one only had a challenge for about half of the story.

These days, though, there is a place for reading an escape story where there’s not a ton of conflict and there’s a whole lot of happily-ever-after. If you are looking for a book like that, give this one a try!

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good +

REVIEW: Shuri: The Vanished by Nic Stone

REVIEW: Shuri: The Vanished by Nic Stone

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

As Shuri digs into her studies and training in order to earn a trip to a tech conclave with her brother, King T’Challa, she starts hearing rumors of missing teen girls. First, it’s someone she met on her last adventure. Then it’s someone her best friend K’Marah knows. Then Shuri is hacked by an American girl who also has a missing friend. And those three girls are just the tip of the iceberg. Girls from around the world between 10 and 15 years old, all with major STEM skills, have gone missing. But no one seems to have noticed.

When Shuri discovers coordinates in Ethiopia where the missing girls might be, she and K’Marah scheme for an opportunity to get away and check the place out. While they feel obligated to be sure the girls are safe, two more teenage girls on a rescue mission might not be the best choice. And what they find seems to raise more questions than it answers.

Review

This was fun! I loved the premise of the book – the missing STEM teens – and Shuri’s journey to solve the mystery. There’s nice development to Shuri’s relationship with K’Marah. And there are several fun appearances of folks from the larger Marvel universe. I would love to see the wrap up of this book become something bigger that gets explored more in a future story. Shuri seems well-positioned to make a difference for other bright young minds that don’t have the resources or support that she does.

Fans of the first book should NOT miss this one. Newcomers probably don’t need to have read that one to follow the action of this one, but it’s fun to see the full arc for Shuri in order. Readers should be aware that while there are some connections to the Wakandan world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this series does not line up 100% with the movie timeline. Also, this is a prose novel, not a graphic novel.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

BONUS REVIEW: Time Travel for Love and Profit by Sarah Lariviere

BONUS REVIEW: Time Travel for Love and Profit by Sarah Lariviere

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free 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

Once, during their freshman year of high school, Nephele’s best friend, Vera, said, “I’ll be right back,” and walked away. But she didn’t come back. She left Nephele, choosing a new best friend. Nephele was devastated. But finding Time Travel for Love and Profit in her parents’ used book store was the solution she needed to address her friendship woes.

Nephele is brilliant enough to configure the math and work out the code for her time travel app. She calls it Dirk Angus after the hero in a romance novel. And Dirk works! Mostly. Nephele was supposed to go back in time and repeat her freshman year and keep Vera as her best friend.

And she does repeat her freshman year. But everyone else has moved on in time. Nephele’s former peers are all sophomores. And none of them know or remember her. Her teachers don’t remember her either. And her parents seem to have holes in their memories for anything that doesn’t line up with Nephele being a freshman again – like her birth date or her birth certificate.

After a lonely second run through freshman year, Nephele is ready to tweak Dirk Angus and get it right this time. But it happens again. And again. And again. Nephele is about to start her 10th freshman year. But this time, something is different.

Review

I have mixed feelings about this one. I loved the twist on all of the traditional time travel/Groundhog Day/time loop stories. It’s a brilliant shift from the expected. It’s also terribly sad when you stop and think about how lonely Nephele must have felt time after time. Any time she invested in a relationship outside her family was lost when she started a new freshman year. And the situation with her parents was devastating.

I was deeply invested in seeing Nephele figure out how to break her loop. I wanted her to have everything she deserved – friends who get her, a mentor who encourages her thinking and her gifts, parents with full memories of their life together. While Nephele was sometimes hard to like, I was still rooting for her from start to finish.

In the end, Nephele didn’t get everything I hoped for her. While I don’t begrudge the author the right to finish her story in whatever way she chose, I was disappointed. Maybe it’s a function of my age, which is significantly older than the target audience. But the ending impacted my enjoyment of the book.

I would happily – and without reservation – hand this to teen and young adult readers. I’d love to hear their take on the ending. Science fiction fans, fans of stories centering women in STEM, time travel fans, and those intrigued by this clever premise should pick this one up and give it a try.

Rating: ♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥ = Good/solid/fine

BONUS REVIEW: A Lady's Formula for Love by Elizabeth Everett

BONUS REVIEW: A Lady’s Formula for Love by Elizabeth Everett

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Violet Hughes, Lady Greycliff, is finally free. Free from her controlling, disapproving husband and her disappointing marriage, and free to pursue her experiments. Free to operate her women’s club, Athena’s Retreat, a secret society for scientifically minded women, posing as a simple social club.

But Violet’s work, helping her step-son and the authorities with an antidote to a chemical bomb used by terrorists, has put a target on her back. So Lord Greycliff brings in Arthur Kneland, a bodyguard.

The attraction between Violet and Arthur is undeniable. But it is something neither can afford to give in to. Violet’s reputation is too shaky for a fling – or more – with a man below her station. And Arthur is running from his past, eager to retire into obscurity. Life would be simpler for both of them if he could just find the culprit causing all of Violet’s trouble. But the culprit continues to up the ante. And in the case of Violet’s work and Arthur’s assignment, distraction could be deadly.

Review

This was great! I enjoyed the romance as well as the mystery. And I was inspired by the idea of a place in the 18th century where female scientists could gather. The community of people connected to Athena’s Retreat desperately needed a haven from the world – abusive fathers, scandals, disapproval over sexuality and gender identity, etc.

I enjoyed the relationship between Violet and Arthur. Violet had been broken in many ways by her husband’s treatment of her. Arthur understood her and helped her find herself again. I especially liked watching Violet discover what she wanted for her own life and what she would and would not do to get it.

The mystery was secondary to the rest of the story, but still twisty and engaging. I can see where the author might be headed with future books in the series. And I’ll be eager to check them out! (Language, sex, LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read

REVIEW: The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss by Amy Noelle Parks

REVIEW: The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss by Amy Noelle Parks

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Evie and Caleb have been best friends since childhood. And Caleb has been in love with her for most of that time. But Evie has never responded to his hints – or his “almost kisses.” She’s not really been interested in any romantic relationship at all. Teaming up with Caleb, Evie has the chance to compete once again for a huge math/science award. Last year, a panic attack before she even got on the plane derailed her plans. But this year, with Caleb at her side, she has a chance to fully compete.

After 8 months with a therapist of her choosing, Evie is managing her anxiety and feeling more confident in general. And then Leo transfers in. He’s brilliant – someone who can compete in a lot of ways at Evie’s level. And he gives her fluttery feelings she’s never experienced before. Caleb has to reign in his jealousy when Leo and Evie start dating.

When Caleb has a chance to interact anonymously with Evie in the online forum for the award finalists, he jumps at it, hoping it will help Evie see him as a romantic option once she knows it is him.  Evie is left wondering how she went from complete disinterest in romance to juggling feelings for Leo and a new guy online. And wondering how this new layer to her life will work with everything else she has been working through so very carefully.

Review

Evie and Caleb were captivating from the first delightful chapter. I loved their friendship and what they meant to each other. I loved reading about Evie’s journey with anxiety and therapy, and the ways Caleb was part of that journey. Evie and Caleb were so fun, both as individuals and in their bantering friendship.

The arrival of Leo coincides with Evie maturing to a place where she is noticing romantic feelings and she’s ready to explore that part of growing up. Leo was good for her even if he was an obstacle for Caleb.

The math of the book was way over my head, but never a distraction or drag on the story. I loved all the ways the characters in this pushed back on assumptions about women in general and Evie in particular when it comes to math and science. While Evie’s mother is the most infuriating part of this book, the misogynistic pieces were a close second. But Evie and her friends stand up to it brilliantly.

This is a delightful character-driven book. I loved having Evie and Caleb tell their own stories. And the romance is sweet and complicated, but never over-the-top. And the book is funny! The side characters might have been developed a little more (Bex’s story was fascinating, but I wanted her to feel more fleshed out), but the spotlight here is really for Evie and Caleb. And they deserve it. Don’t miss this one! (Some language, TW: Anxiety/panic attacks)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥=Great! Might re-read