Tag: family conflict

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: Alice Fleck's Recipes for Disaster by Rachelle Delaney

REVIEW: Alice Fleck’s Recipes for Disaster by Rachelle Delaney

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

To celebrate her last day of elementary school, Alice’s father gives her a phone. Sure, it’s a hand-me-down from his girlfriend, Hana, but a phone is a phone when you are about to start middle school.

Hana also has a gift for Alice. She entered Alice and her dad into a contest to win a spot on Culinary Chronicles, a TV cooking show. And they won.

Alice has learned the hard way that kids her age aren’t interested in the history of food and cooking, Victorian recipes, and the other things Alice and her dad love. But she doesn’t feel like she can say no to her dad or to Hana. Thankfully, Culinary Chronicles is on an obscure network, so no one will see her on TV. And it’s the nicest of the reality cooking shows with a lot of comradery on set. That’s the saving grace of this whole thing.

But when Alice and her dad get to the set, they discover Culinary Chronicles has been bought out by the most popular reality TV station. And they’ve changed the sweet format to something more cut throat. The judge is awful, and none of the contestants are having any fun. And it starts to look like someone is deliberately sabotaging the show. Alice and some new friends are determined to figure out what is really going on.

Review

This was fun. I wish the mystery elements and Alice’s team up with the other sleuths had started sooner and carried through the book. That was my favorite part of the story, but it cropped up late making the story feel a little uneven for me. The story begins with a focus on Alice and the drama of her dad having a girlfriend as well as her mixed feelings about her passions since it made finding friends at school so difficult. And those threads run from start to finish, but the mystery takes over for the last third or so.

I enjoyed all the ways Alice grows during the book – from her relationship with her dad and Hana to her shame over loving the things she loves. There’s a nice piece here about finding your people and embracing who you are rather than being ashamed of it. I loved that piece of the story.

Kids who love cooking shows and books about cooking (A Place at the Table, The Donut Fix and The Donut King, The World’s Greatest Chocolate-Covered Pork Chops, Summer of a Thousand Pies, From the Desk of Zoe Washington, etc.) should definitely pick this one up! The publisher’s information says this is for readers 10 and up.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = 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: The Dating Plan by Sara Desai

REVIEW: The Dating Plan by Sara Desai

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

Ten years ago, Liam destroyed Daisy’s fragile teenage heart when he stood her up for the prom and disappeared from her life. Good riddance!

But now he’s back. Just when her family is pressuring her with yet another fix up. And her ex is still hooking up with her ex-boss. Introducting Liam as her fiancé, in the heat of the moment, was… temporary insanity.

If Liam wants the chance to inherit the business that has been in his family for generations, he has two months to get married. If not, his brother will raze it to the ground. Even though Daisy hates him, maybe she’d be willing to take this pretend engagement to the next level.

Liam and Daisy are both getting something out of this fake relationship. Thanks to their upbringing, each of them has significant relationship baggage that keeps them from making a real commitment to anyone. And they both are perfectly fine keeping this fake relationship purely business. But what happens when their feelings about each other become all too real?

Review

This was fun! I thoroughly enjoyed the main characters, both alone and together. Their work, their families, and their history were fascinating. And I was absolutely invested in seeing how they pulled things off. But I would have liked a little more time spent on dealing with the last “secret” Liam was keeping. (It was pretty obvious in the reading, but I expected it to have a bigger punch in the reveal.) After waiting so long for it to be revealed, I wanted a meatier scene or response for it. The ending, though, was supremely satisfying.

This is the first book I have read by the author even though this is the second book in the series. I don’t feel like I was missing anything having not read the first book. I do have book 3, The Singles Table, on my wish list though. It sounds fantastic!

This was fun and funny and sexy with a happy ending – everything a reader could want from a romcom. I love fake relationship stories, and this is a great example of the trope. Don’t miss this one! (Language, sex TW: domestic violence, child abuse/neglect, abandonment)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Get a Clue by Tiffany Schmidt

REVIEW: Get a Clue by Tiffany Schmidt

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Huck’s intentions were good. He can’t help his highly observational nature. With so few people in the class, it was obvious the instructor was refusing to call on girls in the class. Huck offered to speak up, but the instructor’s primary target said no. So Huck took the video as proof to share with his friends from his old school.

He never meant to post it.
He never meant for it to go viral.
He never meant for a picture of one of his classmates to be turned into a slew of unflattering memes.

So Huck is learning from his mistake. He’s keeping his mouth closed and his observations mostly to himself. He’s doing extra work with Ms. Gregoire and also reading Sherlock Holmes. And he’s pining for his crush, Win, who goes to another school. Any excuse he can find to hang out with Win’s older brother Curtis, Huck takes so he can maybe see Win.

Huck’s observational skills get a workout with Win’s family. There are a lot of unspoken things in the family that are practically screaming at Huck. He saw what happened last time he tried to fix something.

But when Huck discovers someone is pulling a smear campaign on Win that is costing him friends, the trust of his family, and a chance to transfer to Huck’s school, he promises Win he’s going to figure out the mystery. Just like Holmes would. Although that means Huck needs to stay objective about the case. No dating Win until the mystery is solved.

Review

I was devastated to read this would be the last of the Bookish Boyfriends series, “at least for now” according to the author. I have adored this series from the first book. Each new book is my “series fave” – until the next book is released. Books 2 and 3 were in my most favorite of favorites lists for the years when I read them. I adore the premise of the series, the characters, the humor, the charm, the books, and the romances.

Huck feels like a young Shawn Spencer (from the show Psych) although with more emotional insight and self-awareness. His observational skills are (usually) brilliant and on target. He’s also charming like Shawn (and unlike Sherlock Holmes), so he’s adorable, someone you are cheering for from the beginning.

I loved the mystery in this. It was a pretty intense situation for such a fun and funny series. It made for a lovely contrast. And the severity really highlights some of the issues Win is dealing with. Huck learns some good lessons about boundaries as he wrestles with the best course of action to both solve the mystery and protect Win.

The emotional and relational pieces of the story are excellent as always. All of my favorite series characters are here. The interplay is great; the chemistry between Win and Huck is delightful. And I loved watching what it meant to Win to have someone who really sees him and believes him in his corner, fighting with and for him.

If every teenager named in this book was given a story of their own, I would buy every last one. This series is such a breath of fresh air for me. It always makes me laugh and always leaves me with warm feelings about the main couple. These are perfect examples of comfort books – the ones you go back to time and time again because you know they will provide the perfect escape. Do not miss the fourth book in this incredible series.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding

REVIEW: You Have a Match by Emma Lord

REVIEW: You Have a Match by Emma Lord

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

When Abby takes a DNA test to be supportive of her best friend (and crush) Leo, she never expects it will shake every foundation of her life. But when the results come in, it says she has a sister. A full-blooded, older sister.

When Abby and Savvy meet up in secret, it’s obvious the results are accurate. The questions start piling up – why did Abby’s parents place Savvy for adoption? How are they connected to Savvy’s adoptive family? Why have they kept this secret from Abby her whole life?

Abby decides to meet Savvy at Camp Reynolds for the summer. It meets her parents’ insistence on academic recovery work, but it will also let the girls dig into this mystery and get to know one another for the first time.

Review

Emma Lord is now a must-read author for me. Last year I fell in love with her delightful debut, Tweet Cute. And now I have fallen again for Abby and Leo and Savvy and Mickey and Finn and the rest. This was a start-to-finish read for me. It’s funny, suspenseful, and emotionally touching. It’s everything I want when I sit down with a YA novel. I can’t wait to read it again. And again. (In fact, the minute I finished reading the ARC, I pre-ordered my own copy.)

The family story was the hook for me. There are other things happening in the story – Abby’s feelings for Leo, the pressures from her parents regarding school, the camp, her reluctance to share her photography with others, her grief over the loss of her grandfather, and her questions about the future. And every one of those pieces was beautifully handled and part of the joy that is this book. But I was all in on the relationship between Abby and Savvy and on finding out the truth of their story. And it was so satisfying! There were moments when I couldn’t read fast enough to take in everything as quickly as I wanted to.

“Comfort reads” are a real thing, especially in these weird days. These are the books you know you love and you go back to them over and over to enjoy sinking into a great story with great characters. I have many YA comfort reads – Tweet Cute, 10 Blind Dates, Prince in Disguise and more. And now You Have a Match. The writing, the characters, the story, the humor, the heart – all of it was fantastic. YA fans do not want to miss this one! (Language, LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

REVIEW: Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone

REVIEW: Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the middle school years are some of the toughest years of childhood. Hormones, friend drama, and family issues converge with academic stress and bullies and extreme self-consciousness. For the girls at Fisher Middle School, one of the added stressors is the dress code.

A few members of the school administration take the dress code very seriously. In fact, recently, one of Molly’s friends was humiliated by the dress coding practices at the school. And, since the principal had used the dress code as the criteria for a year-end camping trip for the 8th graders, he cancelled the trip and blamed the girl, which made many of the other kids turn on her without the full story.

Molly has plenty of her own middle school drama to deal with. Her brother’s vaping has gotten so out of control that her mom quit her job so she could supervise him more closely. This means money is super tight for things like a camping trip or a graduation dress that meets the dress code. But Molly refuses to let her friend take the fall for the camping trip – or let anyone else be humiliated by the dress code policies at school. So Molly starts a podcast. And soon everyone is talking about the dress code.

Review

I was simultaneously horrified and delighted by this dress code story. The stories told in Molly’s podcast were so upsetting! But I was cheering the students on the whole time as they were brave and shared their stories. I loved that Molly refused to back down because she was going to graduate and move onto high school where no one enforced the dress code. She could not abandon her 7th grade friends or the next classes moving up. Her passion was inspiring.

The other threads here – vaping, family strife, friend drama, crushes, etc. – filled in around the dress code story. It was realistic in that the dress code obviously would not be the only thing going on in Molly’s life. I enjoyed the dress code story so much, though, that these other things – especially the vaping – felt at times like distractions. But the main thread got to be the main focus in the end. And all the pieces together helped Molly find and use her voice, both at school and at home. And I love a good story about a character finding her voice!

This would be a great story for young activists as well as for talking about dress codes, body shaming, sexism, puberty, and the rest. Young podcasters might also enjoy reading about how Molly uses her podcast to elevate the voices of the voiceless. Don’t miss this one! (LGBTQ+ and disability representation in the larger cast, TW: Bullying)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥=Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Notorious by Minerva Spencer

REVIEW: Notorious by Minerva Spencer

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Secretly, Drusilla Clare has been in love with her best friend’s step-brother, Gabriel Marlington, for years. He makes her pulse race – and her temper flare. He goads her, and before she knows it, they are bickering. She never expects him to end up challenged to a dual over her honor.

When Drusilla’s aunt fell sick at the party, Gabriel became the responsible chaperone for Drusilla and his step-sister Eva. When he went looking for the women after an absence, he found Drusilla alone with the foul Lord Visel. And he was NOT acting like a gentleman. Things only went down hill from there.

In the end, though, the only way to salvage the situation for Drusilla – besides the duel – was for Gabriel to marry her. But each of them bring burdens and expectations to this new marriage. Assumptions and Lord Visel piled on top could derail their relationship before it even has a chance.

Review

This is the first book in a new Rebels of the Ton series. (Book 2, Outrageous, is scheduled to release in the summer of 2021.)

This starts primarily with Eva, Drusilla, and Gabriel. The villain is more of an annoyance than a true threat until after Drusilla and Gabriel become engaged. I expected a bigger, larger story to start the novel, and then for that larger story to carry all the way through the book. The larger story eventually comes, but in the second half of the book.

I struggled to feel connected to the characters and the story early on. I didn’t have a good feel for Drusilla or Gabriel. And in some ways that made sense for the story. They had serious trust and communication issues. And as they slowly worked through those, I got a better sense of both of them. But that meant for the first 1/3 or so, I wondered why there wasn’t “more.” I loved Eva, but she shifted into the background (probably in part because of the set up for book 2), which left me with Gabriel, who I didn’t really like, especially early on, and Drusilla. It took longer than in some other books for me to get a good feel for them.

By the second half of the book things clicked into place. The larger story took center stage, and Drusilla and Gabriel started to thaw towards one another. And at that point I was engaged in seeing what would happen in the end.

If you enjoy historical romance with brooding heroes and an antagonists-to-lovers story line (They are never really “enemies.”), be sure to check this one out. There’s a nice teaser in the end for the next book! (Language, sex, LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥=Good/Fine/Solid

 

REVIEW: Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade

REVIEW: Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Marcus Caster-Rupp has just finished shooting his final season of Gods of the Gates. His public persona has always been on the “pretty but dim” side, and as an actor he can play that role convincingly. But now that shooting is done, maybe he could be something… more.

No one knows Marcus is Book!AeneasWouldNever!. He writes Gods of the Gates fanfiction. He loves the book version which is so much better than what the show runners have done lately with the characters. His favorite person on the fanfiction sites is UnapologeticLaviniaStan. She gets him and gets these characters. She will flip when she sees what the show runners have done in this next season. And not in a good way.

April, UnapologeticLaviniaStan on the fanfiction sites, is ready for serious life change. She kept her cosplay and fandom life secret at work in order to be taken seriously. And she’s never posted pictures of herself online in her cosplay because she doesn’t want to deal with fatphobic trolls. But she’s ready to take a stand and be 100% herself both in person and online.

When a beautiful cosplayer is trolled on Twitter, and Marcus is pulled into the conversation, he takes the high road, asking the woman out on a date (rather than eviscerating the trolls, which was his first instinct). But Marcus has no idea April is his fanfiction best friend, UnapologeticLaviniaStan. And if anyone finds out about his alter ego, Book!AeneasWouldNever!, Marcus’ career will be over.

Review

This was fantastic! It includes a fandom as well as a convention, which I always enjoy. (You can read my post from earlier this year about fandom and fan convention stories here.) There’s a You’ve Got Mail piece to this too where April and Marcus meet in real life while also having an online relationship hidden behind screen names. At first, neither one knows about the connection. The main difference here is that they are not antagonists in real life like in the movie.

But the real life relationship means Marcus has to break the online relationship and keep the connection a secret for the sake of his job. While he likes April, it’s too soon to know if she can be trusted or if she would even understand the risks he has already taken by writing fanfiction – and talking about the show- in ways that could jeopardize his job.

I loved April and Marcus, together and separately. They have fantastic chemistry together. They also have depth. The author does an exceptional job with the emotional pieces of this – the personal insights, the empathy, the descriptions of toxic family relationships, etc. I adored this layer to the characters and to the larger story.

There’s a secondary relationship that was teased in this book, but mostly took place off-page. I had hoped it would get it’s own book. It seems like that relationship will be the focus of the next book, out next year. I am absolutely here for that story. This is my first book by this author, although I own one of her e-books – Desire and the Deep Blue Sea – and its sequel is on my wishlist. I’ll be bumping her books up on my TBR.

If you enjoy fanfiction and fandom stories like I do, do NOT miss this one! It feels like an adult version of the Geekerella/Once Upon a Con series, which I love. (Language, sex, CW: fat shaming, disability shaming, toxic families/trauma)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥=Great! Might re-read.

BONUS REVIEW: Recommended for You by Laura Silverman

BONUS REVIEW: Recommended for You by Laura Silverman

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Shoshanna adores her job at the mall bookstore, Once Upon. Her boss is a mentor, and she loves her co-workers. And it’s a good thing she loves it because it’s the holiday season which means the mall is crazy busy, and she is working double shifts until Christmas.

Shoshanna needs those double shifts. Her car has become unreliable, and the repair is expensive. Her moms don’t have the money, and they are fighting enough already. She doesn’t want to add any stress to their household. But then her boss offers a holiday incentive. The person who sells to the most customers leading up to Christmas will earn a bonus. That extra money would go a long way toward helping her fix her car.

The biggest roadblock to Shoshanna’s success is the new guy, Jake. He doesn’t even read, except for things assigned at school! But he’s charming and clever, and customers like him. He’s bonded with Shoshanna’s work friends and leveraged technology to help him make recommendations. He is serious competition. In all of their interactions he has come across as a jerk to Shoshanna, so she is determined to beat him. She’ll get the money she needs AND show Jake that being a bookseller is about more than doing an online search.

Review

This was fun! I loved the bookstore pieces in this as well as Shoshanna’s enthusiasm about her work and about books/reading in general. The author does a good job of keeping Shoshanna endearing, even when she’s a bit much. There’s some immaturity at play, which makes sense for her age. In fact, it’s been awhile since I read a YA novel where the main character felt like a genuine teenager. Shoshanna really feels genuine. Here, she has a lot to learn about boundaries. She wants everyone to be happy, get along, and feel good about themselves, even if that means she meddles in things she shouldn’t. The other great thing about this is that Shoshanna learns from her mistakes. She is intentional about making different, better choices as the book goes on. She lets her failures instruct her for the future.

The bookstore pieces are balanced by the women in Shoshanna’s life and the problems they are experiencing. Shoshanna’s moms are fighting and it makes home feel unsettled and tense. Then, when Shoshanna alienates her best friends, she can’t even go home for comfort because things there are so on-edge. There are nice holiday pieces woven in, too – Hanukkah celebrations for Shoshanna and Jake as well as the Christmas festivities at the mall.

The romance here is sweet and gradual. It’s a low key enemies-to-lovers story. And in reality it’s probably more bickering-rivals-to-crushes, but the usual features of the trope are there. I warmed up to Jake pretty quickly and loved watching his relationship with Shoshanna thaw over time.

While the cover doesn’t show it, this is definitely a holiday story, so librarians and booksellers should keep this title in mind for holiday displays. Readers who love sweet teen romances, books about books and bookstores, and stories about personal growth should check this on out! (Some language, LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥=Great!