Tag: ya

ARC, contemporary, three star book, ya

Cursed ARC Review

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  • Title: Cursed
  • Author: Karol Ruth Silverstein
  • Book Form: E-ARC
  • Pages: 320
  • Publisher: Charlesbridge Teen
  • Genre: YA, Contemporary
  • Rating: ★★★.5

A debut novel for fans of The Fault in Our Stars that thoughtfully and humorously depicts teen Ricky Bloom’s struggles with a recent chronic illness diagnosis.

As if her parents’ divorce and sister’s departure for college weren’t bad enough, fourteen-year-old Ricky Bloom has just been diagnosed with a life-changing chronic illness. Her days consist of cursing everyone out, skipping school–which has become a nightmare–daydreaming about her crush, Julio, and trying to keep her parents from realizing just how bad things are. But she can’t keep her ruse up forever. 

Ricky’s afraid, angry, alone, and one suspension away from repeating ninth grade when she realizes: she can’t be held back. She’ll do whatever it takes to move forward–even if it means changing the person she’s become. Lured out of her funk by a quirky classmate, Oliver, who’s been there too, Ricky’s porcupine exterior begins to shed some spines. Maybe asking for help isn’t the worst thing in the world. Maybe accepting circumstances doesn’t mean giving up.

– Goodreads

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Cursed definitely got better for me as time went on. It follows the story of Ricky, short for Erica, who has a chronic illness. She’s been skipping school for SIX WEEKS and finally gets caught. 

We follow Rickey as she goes back to school, tries to connect with her crush, and tries to find acceptance. 

The writing seemed juvenile at first – but that was just Ricky. She had a lot of growing up to do. She did it with the help of her most-hated-turned-favorite teacher. 

You don’t discover what illness RIckey has until about halfway through the book. I started picking up on it pretty early on. I had some knowledge of it being a nurse, but my best friend’s sister also has the disease. 

I loved that it was own voices. It’s nice to see representation of someone with this “mystery illness”. This is the first book that I’ve read that featured that illness. 

Also, shoutout to whoever designed the cover! It’s a nice nod to the pain scale we use in healthcare for patients to rate the amount of pain they are in.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading about kids with illness or loves YA contemporary.

Warning: this book does contain swearing!

Until next time…

fantasy, Five Star Book, Sci-Fi, ya

Memento Review

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  • Title: Memento
  • Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
  • Book Form: Physical
  • Pages: 82
  • Publisher: Knoph Books for Young Readers
  • Genre: YA, Fantasy
  • Rating: ★★★★★

December, 2574. Forty-three days before the BeiTech attack on Kerenza IV.

This is the story of my first friendship.

This is the tale of my first murder?

Some monsters are born.

But I?

< ERROR >

I was made.

– Goodreads

Wow. I mean. How can a book wreck me in 82 pages?

Amie and Jay have done it again. I was instantly sucked in by the format, as it’s been with this whole series. I was so quickly engrossed and just cared about these people. I loved learning more about AIDAN and his backstory. Yes, the AI has a backstory and it’s insane. 

What struck me most was the letter that was sent at the very end by AIDAN. I. Was. SHOOK. I think I just stared at the last page with my mouth open for five minutes. 

Did I laugh? Yep. Did I cry? Yes. This book makes you care so much you cry in 82 pages. I’m still kind of in awe of that. 

If you didn’t pre-order Aurora Rising to get this, I’m so sorry. It might be a decision you will regret forever. Sorry!

Until next time…

ARC, fantasy, three star book, ya

The Lost Coast ARC Review

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  • Title: The Lost Coast
  • Author: Amy Rose Capetta
  • Book Form: E-ARC
  • Pages: 352
  • Publisher: Candlewick
  • Genre: Fantasy, YA, LGBT
  • Rating: ★★★ .5

The spellbinding tale of six queer witches forging their own paths, shrouded in the mist, magic, and secrets of the ancient California redwoods.

Danny didn’t know what she was looking for when she and her mother spread out a map of the United States and Danny put her finger down on Tempest, California. What she finds are the Grays: a group of friends who throw around terms like queer and witch like they’re ordinary and everyday, though they feel like an earthquake to Danny. But Danny didn’t just find the Grays. They cast a spell that calls her halfway across the country, because she has something they need: she can bring back Imogen, the most powerful of the Grays, missing since the summer night she wandered into the woods alone. But before Danny can find Imogen, she finds a dead boy with a redwood branch through his heart. Something is very wrong amid the trees and fog of the Lost Coast, and whatever it is, it can kill. Lush, eerie, and imaginative, Amy Rose Capetta’s tale overflows with the perils and power of discovery — and what it means to find your home, yourself, and your way forward. 

– Goodreads

** Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

I wanted to love this book. I did. The premise sounded amazing. And part of the book was amazing. It just took too long to get there. 

I thought The Lost Coast was very… wordy? Like just so many words that it was hard to follow. It took me a while to really get into it. 

The last 40% was great. I couldn’t put it down. But getting through the first 60% was hard for me. And I so wish it wouldn’t have been. 

Now. What I loved most was the LGBTQIA+ rep. There were so many different sexualities represented. Also so many nationalities and body types! I think everyone can find a little of themselves in The Greys.

Until next time…

ARC, contemporary, Four Star Book, Historical Fiction, ya

Emmie and the Tudor King ARC Review

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  • Title: Emmie and the Tudor King
  • Author: Natalie Murray
  • Book Form: E-ARC
  • Pages: 304
  • Publisher: Literary Crush Publishing
  • Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, YA , Time Travel
  • Rating: ★★★★

One moment, Emmie is writing her high school history paper; the next, she’s sitting with a gorgeous 16th century king who vacillates from kissing her to ordering her execution.

Able to travel back to her own time, but intensely drawn to King Nick and the mysterious death of his sister, Emmie finds herself solving the murder of a young princess and unraveling court secrets while trying to keep her head on her shoulders, literally.

With everything to lose, Emmie finds herself facing her biggest battle of all: How to cheat the path of history and keep her irresistible king, or lose him–and her heart–forever.

– Goodreads

Thank you to Literary Crush Publishing for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this quick, time travel romance.

Emmie is a high school student with dreams of becoming a jewelry designer. She finds an old ring at a yard sale and gets it for inspiration to create her own ring. Little does she know this ring has magical powers. She finds out soon enough.

This book travels back and forth between the present time and when the Tudors ruled England. Emmie meets Nicholas the Ironheart and they start t spend more time together. Of course, romance ensues.

This is a great YA romance. Emmie won’t just settle for Nick’s time and customs. She won’t agree to anything that SHE doesn’t want to do. I ended up rooting for them in the end, even though I wasn’t sure I would.

Some of the side characters got a little annoying – like Mia, Emmie’s best friend in present time. Even though the people in the Tudor era had old ideals (obviously), I liked those characters much more. Everyone in the present was just…. eh. Overly obnoxious and like a caricature of present teens.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick, easy to follow read. I loved the romance. I won’t tell you if there’s a HEA, though, since I was left guessing until the end. Definitely pick this up if you’re into romance, time travel, or the tudor era.

Until next time…

ARC, contemporary, Romance, three star book, ya

Beau and Bett ARC Review

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  • Title: Beau and Bett
  • Author: Kathryn Berla
  • Book Form: E-ARC
  • Pages: 256
  • Publisher: Amberjack Publishing
  • Genre: YA, Romance, Retelling, Contemporary
  • Rating: ★★★.5
  • Release Date: June 25, 2019

After Beau LeFrancois’s mother wrecks Bett Diaz’s luxury SUV, his family faces an impossibly large bill—with no car insurance to help pay it. To pay off the debt, Beau spends his weekends working at the Diaz Ranch.

Beau’s prepared to work, but he’s definitely not prepared for the infamous temper of Bett Diaz, also known as “The Beast” at school. As Beau learns the secrets behind Bett’s tough exterior, he finds himself falling for her . . . until he catches Bett in a lie.

A contemporary twist on a classic fairy tale, Beau and Bett is a timely story of family, friendship, and the power of speaking out and standing up for yourself.

– Goodreads
Thank you Netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

“There’s a little bit of beast in every person. And in every beast, there’s a human heart with a story of how it got to that place. A story waiting to be changed with understanding. A story waiting to be changed with just a kiss.”

I enjoyed this gender swapped Beauty and the Beast retelling. Beau’s mom stopped to pick an avacado on her way home. Bett the Beast ran into her, saying it was her fault. Beau’s dad isn’t working because of an injury, so he volunteers to work at Bett’s dad’s ranch to pay off the deductible for the damage to Bett’s car. 

Over the course of two months, Beau starts falling for Bett. He sees her for who she really is, not the Beast everyone thinks she is.  Toward the end there is a betrayal, but in typical fairy tale fashion, there is a happily ever after. 

I liked that this book was such a quick, easy read. It’s a nice, sweet, teen-aged romance. At times I felt the writing and dialogue was a little juvenile, even though these kids were 16 years old. The main characters were likeable enough, but not so much that I really felt connected to them.

If you want a quick, easy romance, this is the book for you. This is really one of those slump-breaker books. You know, you can get in, read, and get out fast – but the story is interesting enough to keep you engaged.

Until next time..

ARC, contemporary, Four Star Book, ya

Symptoms of a Heartbreak ARC Review

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  • Title: Symptoms of a Heartbreak
  • Author: Sona Charaipotra
  • Book Form: E-ARC
  • Pages: 304
  • Publisher: Imprint
  • Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
  • Rating: ★★★★

Fresh from med school, sixteen-year-old medical prodigy Saira arrives for her first day at her new job: treating children with cancer. She’s always had to balance family and friendships with her celebrity as the Girl Genius—but she’s never had to prove herself to skeptical adult co-workers while adjusting to real life-and-death stakes. And working in the same hospital as her mother certainly isn’t making things any easier.

But life gets complicated when Saira finds herself falling in love with a patient: a cute teen boy who’s been diagnosed with cancer. And when she risks her brand new career to try to improve his chances, it could cost her everything.

It turns out “heartbreak” is the one thing she still doesn’t know how to treat.

– Goodreads

Thank you Netgalley for a free copy of this book In exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own. 

Omg. Love this book. 

It’s contemporary. It’s ya. It’s medical. It’s romance. It’s everything! 

I’m a nurse, so I love me a good medical story. This follows Saira, the United State’s youngest doctor. 16 years old. Okay. I’ll roll with it. 

Her first day on the job she meets a boy. A patient. And love ensues. Obviously. 

She has her ups and downs on the job. People are hard on her. They don’t think she should be there because of her age. And it shows, as it should. A 16 year old doctor will still have a 16 year old’s feelings. 

I loved the ups and downs of her career and life. It felt real even though it’s kind of unheard of. And honestly, I’d be scared of a 16 year old doc too. I know I wouldn’t have been as amazing as the nurse practitioner in the story. (One complaint though. He acted more as a nurse than a nurse practitioner, but most people not in the medical field wouldn’t pick up on that.) 

Would I recommend this book? Yes. 100%. Will you like it even if you aren’t in the medical field? Yes. Think of it as a YA Grey’s Anatomy with a little doctoring and a lot of drama.

Until next time…

ARC, contemporary, Four Star Book, ya

Standing Sideways ARC Review

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  • Title: Standing Sideways
  • Author: J. Lynn Bailey
  • Book Form: E-Arc
  • Pages: 318
  • Publisher: J. House Publishing
  • Genre: YA, Contemporary
  • Rating: ★★★★

When Livia Stone suddenly loses her twin brother, Jasper, she must learn to navigate her new life alone. As she faces tragedy and starts down a road toward 
self-destruction, Daniel enters Livia’s life—at a moment when she needs it most. 

Standing Sideways is a poignant, relevant, and touching story of survival, courage, and compassion that will have readers crying, laughing, and most of all, debating the issues affecting the lives of parents and teens alike on a journey of hope and forgiveness.

– Goodreads

Wow. May was INSANE. It was my son’s second birthday. My mom moved and had a garage sale. We were just generally much busier than normal. I’m so sad my blog got neglected! My reading did, too. I only read 12 books this month. Eek. But more on that tomorrow, hopefully!

The plan is to do my May wrap up on June 1, then my June plan on June 2! Crossing my fingers.

Alright. Lets get into this review.

Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours and the publisherfor a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

This was such a good read. Although quick, it definitely wasn’t easy. This was definitely a page turner. I kept wanting to read to find out what happened to Livia’s brother and how her life would end up.

Standing Sideways follows the story of Livia, who just lost her twin brother. The better twin, as she says.  You see all had decisions after the death. The bad, and good, decisions. It shows how everyone deals with grief differently. Not all ways are good. 

This book took a few twists and turns. Some parts surprised me. I keep rooting for Livia to make the right decisions and to follow who she ‘used to be’. A bit toward the ending got a little muddled for me, but it ended up nicely!

At the end of the book, I was surprised to learn this is based off a true story. It made it that much more real, heartbreaking, but also joyous. Also— all proceeds of this book go to charity so how great is that?! 

I would definitely recommend this book. It gave me all the feels.

Until next time…

fantasy, Historical Fiction, three star book, ya

An Affair of Poisons Review

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  • Title: An Affair of Poisons
  • Author: Addie Thorley
  • Book Form: E-Book
  • Pages: 391
  • Publisher: Page Street Kids
  • Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, YA
  • Rating: ★★★.5


No one looks kindly on the killer of a king. 

After unwittingly helping her mother poison King Louis XIV, seventeen-year-old alchemist Mirabelle Monvoisin is forced to see her mother’s Shadow Society in a horrifying new light: they’re not heroes of the people, as they’ve always claimed to be, but murderers. Herself included. Mira tries to ease her guilt by brewing helpful curatives, but her hunger tonics and headache remedies cannot right past wrongs or save the dissenters her mother vows to purge.

Royal bastard Josse de Bourbon is more kitchen boy than fils de France. But when the Shadow Society assassinates the Sun King and half of the royal court, he must become the prince he was never meant to be in order to save his injured sisters and the petulant dauphin. Forced to hide in the sewers beneath the city, Josse’s hope of reclaiming Paris seems impossible―until his path collides with Mirabelle’s.

She’s a deadly poisoner. He’s a bastard prince. They are sworn enemies, yet they form a tenuous pact to unite the commoners and former nobility against the Shadow Society. But can a rebellion built on mistrust ever hope to succeed?

– Goodreads

I was so, so excited to read this book. The description was amazing. Then, only on page 1, was this quote:

Today I will kill a man.

– Mirabelle

So I’m like, hell yeah! I’m here for this girl who is so nonchalant about killing. But then, I just couldn’t get into it. I stopped and started this book multiple times throughout the month. It wasn’t that it was bad, it was just … slow.

The action was so slow to build. It took over half the book. But once the action hit, man it hit. Once they started making plans, acting them out, and creating potions for the right reasons, I was here for it! It just took a little too long to get to it.

I loved that it was set in Paris around the time of Versailles. I am in love with that time period in Paris. There was a little French here and there, but not near as much as Enchantee. I loved the premise of this book. A girl making potions for a society who gets caught up in things she doesn’t agree with, so she decides to make a change. Yes, please. It sounds amazing. I just think it took a little too long to get there.

Up until the end, I wasn’t invested in the characters. I didn’t care who lived or died. The last like, 25% though really changed my mind. But that’s a lot of book to get through before you start caring.

If you like old Paris, poisons, and political unrest, give this book a try. Maybe it will suck you in from the beginning. I hope it does, because the ending was great.

Until next time…

fantasy, Four Star Book, graphic novel, ya

Lumberjanes Vol 1 Review

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  • Title: Lumberjanes Vol 1: Beware the Kitten Holy
  • Author: Noelle Stevenson
  • Book Form: Ebook/Graphic Novel
  • Pages: 128
  • Publisher: BOOM! Box
  • Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy, YA
  • Rating: ★★★★


At Miss Qiunzilla Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s camp for hard-core lady-types, things are not what they seem. Three-eyed foxes. Secret caves. Anagrams. Luckily, Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley are five rad, butt-kicking best pals determined to have an awesome summer together… And they’re not gonna let a magical quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way! The mystery keeps getting bigger, and it all begins here.

-Goodreads

This graphic novel was adorable. I loved following the girls through their camping experience. Of course, they followed none of the rules. Stayed out late, snuck out, found boys. But not for the purpose you’re thinking. The boys were brainwashed and they had to save their camp!

I went to camp when I was a kid. Once. I did NOT have a great time like these girls did. All I remember is getting stung by a wasp and my bestfriend leaving me by myself because she got to go home because she had an ‘ear infection’. I still don’t believe her and I’m still salty she left me. haha!

If you’re into kick-butt girls who break all the rules in order to have a good time – and save the camp – I definitely recommend this book! It was so funny, and such a fast read. I’m thinking of adding Vol. 2 to my TBR this month! Maybe graphic novels are my thing. Who knows?

Until next time…

fantasy, Four Star Book, ya

Alanna: The First Adventure Review

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  • Title: Alanna: The First Adventure
  • Author: Tamora Pierce
  • Book Form: E-Book
  • Pages: 274
  • Publisher: Simon Pulse
  • Genre: YA, Fantasy
  • Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

From now on I’m Alan of Trebond, the younger twin. I’ll be a knight.

And so young Alanna of Trebond begins the journey to knighthood. Though a girl, Alanna has always craved the adventure and daring allowed only for boys; her twin brother, Thom, yearns to learn the art of magic. So one day they decide to switch places: Thom heads for the convent to learn magic; Alanna, pretending to be a boy, is on her way to the castle of King Roald to begin her training as a page. 

But the road to knighthood is not an easy one. As Alanna masters the skills necessary for battle, she must also learn to control her heart and to discern her enemies from her allies.

Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna’s first adventure begins – one that will lead to the fulfillment of her dreams and the magical destiny that will make her a legend in her land.

– GOODREADS

This month the modmins of Words and Whimsy were tasked with recommending a book to one another. This book was recommended to me by Kahla. Tamora Pierce is her favorite author, and after reading this book, I can see why.

Tamora Pierce is like, one of the OGs of YA and I can really see where he influence lies is modern YA books.

I instantly fell in love with Alanna. She was strong, she was sassy, and she knew what she wanted. She was not going to let anything stop her from being a knight, even her gender.

This book follows the first few years of her training to be a knight. You get to see all her successes and struggles – even her entry to womanhood, which I thought was amazing.

I enjoyed all the side characters and wanted to know more about them. I loved seeing their journey growing up. I can’t wait to read book #2!

Thank you, Kahla, for recommending this to me!

Until next time…