Category: Book Review

Review: Twelve Days of Dash and Lily by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

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Dash and Lily have been dating for nearly a year, but when Lily’s beloved grandfather falls ill, the repercussions take their toll on everyone. Even though they are still together, somehow the magic has gone out of their relationship and it’s clear that Lily has fallen out of love with life.
Action must be taken! Dash teams up with Lily’s brother and a host of their friends, who have just twelve days to get Lily’s groove back in time for Christmas.

I know, I know. It’s after Christmas, and here I am reading a Christmas book. Why? Because I found it on my shelf and knew if I didn’t read it now I’d have to wait another year! These books are pretty short and easy to read, so I knew I just had to do it.

And I actually really enjoyed this book. I’ve found other books by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan are not usually my favourites, but this is definitely the best I’ve read.

“The minute she left the apartment, I missed having her there.”

I like that this book was short, because I felt like I didn’t need any more. I love the Christmassy feel and Dash and Lily’s relationship. Emotions are explored and written about a lot, and I think the authors wrote about the sad situations in Dash and Lily’s lives were explained really well.

This book made me laugh out loud often, simply because it is so random sometimes. There were some very unexpected moments and it isn’t common for a book to make me laugh!

“But as with all loves, I supposed, the consolation was in the fact that she’d be back.”

I won’t say this book was without it’s problems, though. For a start, I kind of didn’t like Lily for parts of this novel. She’s just so…whiny. She seems so self-centered and really didn’t think about what was best for everyone else. I did feel like this improved throughout the novel, but it annoyed me at the start.

But I have to say, I enjoyed this novel. I felt that the authors talked about the progression of relationships in a relatable way, and although it was cheesy, it was just such an easy, enjoyable read.

★★★★
(3.5 stars)

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review3 Comments

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Before the asteroid we let ourselves be defined by labels:
The athlete, the outcast, the slacker, the overachiever.
But then we all looked up and everything changed.
They said it would be here in two months. That gave us two months to leave our labels behind. Two months to become something bigger than what we’d been, something that would last even after the end.
Two months to really live.

Happy New Year everyone! I welcomed in the new year with a quiet night in with my boyfriend, and honestly it was lovely. While we were away, I read We All Looked Up, one of the two books my good friend Pete gave to me for Christmas!

We All Looked Up follows four teenagers in the months before an asteroid hits Earth. It sounds unique, and I’ve heard good things. It’s a contemporary, with romance, and poetic words about the end of the world. What’s not to like?

Unfortunately, I found a few things to dislike. I wouldn’t go as far to say I’m not a fan of this book, or that I didn’t enjoy reading it, but it definitely wasn’t without its faults.

The good

Like I said, I did enjoy these books. I felt a connection to the characters and their ways and I loved the apocalyptic feel of the ever-changing world around them. Wallach explores the way the asteroid affects high school, shopping, eating out, prison and even gas stations. And it actually doesn’t seem unrealistic – because I think it’s grounded by the connection we have with our four narrators.

In some ways, I really liked having the viewpoint of four people – two women and two men. I think it gives every reader someone to relate to, and I definitely felt closer to one or two of them. I also really enjoyed Wallach’s writing, it’s so easy to read. I got through this book in a couple of days and I almost felt lazy reading it. The plot was steadily paced, and that made for a relaxing, laid back kind of reading.

“The best books, they don’t talk about things you never thought about before. They talk about things you’d always thought about, but that you didn’t think anyone else had thought about.”

The bad

Unfortunately, I did find faults with this novel. I may have liked the slow pacing of the plot, but it was just that – slow. I can’t overlook the parts that dragged without much happening at all. It’s the end of the world, let’s have some movement!

Even though in some ways I enjoyed having more than one narrator, you’re always at risk of having a little confusion. And I did feel confused in parts, because I don’t think Wallach defined his characters well enough. I realised around halfway through the book that I couldn’t actually picture any of them. I’m not looking for extensive descriptions, but just a bit of a mention would be nice. Something to help me imagine them – the only one I could describe for you would be Misery. However, I did like Eliza’s development and her interest in photography. It still doesn’t mean I can picture her, but at least she has some kind of defining feature. Something that makes her who she is.

I also have mixed feelings about the ending. I’m so conflicted, but it left me unsatisfied in some ways. I would have just liked something more definite. Something a little more solid and a little less mushy and poetic.

“You read them, and suddenly you’re a little bit less alone in the world. You’re part of this cosmic community of people who’ve thought about this thing, whatever it happens to be”

I don’t know if it’s worth mentioning, but something else stood out for me in this book. I wouldn’t say it’s a bad thing, because I don’t think Wallach really did a bad job…but I could tell this was written by a man. It just stood out to me when the female characters were talking about men, and it was nothing bad, but I just knew.

So there might be more bad than good here, but don’t read too much into that. The bad is always easier to write about, and even if there were faults, I can’t say I didn’t find this an enjoyable and interesting read.

★★★

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review6 Comments

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Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.

Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

As you may or may not know, I’m not a massive John Green fan. It’s not like I hate him or anything, I just have really mixed opinions about his books. For me, The Fault in Our Stars is overhyped, Will Grayson, Will Grayson and An Abundance of Katherine’s are not worth the read, Looking for Alaska is pretty good and Paper Towns is my favourite.

But nevertheless, Turtles All the Way Down got me intruiged. And the more of my friends that were reading (and loving) it, the more I wanted to find out what was so good. Before I continue, thank you to my lovely friend Pete for gifting me this book for my birthday!

I have to say, Turtles was a really pleasant surprise for me. Especially after struggling with Gemina, I really needed a good contemporary. And Green, for a change, didn’t let me down!

I’m not going to say this book isn’t niggle-free. It still niggled me in the classic way Green manages to get on my nerves. For a start, you can tell that these are his characters. The way he writes is still pretty pretensious, and the characters still talk like no person I have ever met – only seeming to have these big, important discussions about the sky.

But once I got past that this book is just unbelievably cheesy in some ways, I managed to accept it and enjoy it. And I enjoyed it a hell of a lot more than I expected to.

“We never really talked much or even looked at each other, but it didn’t matter because we were looking at the same sky together, which is maybe even more intimate than eye contact anyway.”

I have to appreciate the way Green wrote about mental health. Although it’s an extremely subjective topic, I really felt for Aza and her situation. I felt an emotional connection to her and I understood her invasive thoughts in the best way. I also love how Green included the very real and difficult parts of mental illness – personal struggles, mental battles and therapy sessions that were portrayed as a postive and helpful part of Aza’s life. We need more of that in YA!

I loved the plot and I felt the mixture of romance, contemporary and even hints of mystery were done really well. Green did a great job of (thank you), keeping the romance underlying and not letting it take over the book. Friendship and family realationships were also explored deeply and I really appreciate the balance he managed to find. I love how the romance didn’t ‘fix’ Aza’s mental illness – that can happen too much in YA and make it completely unrealistic and unrelatable.

“I mean, anybody can look at you. It’s quite rare to find someone who sees the same world you see.”

This may seem like a random point and isn’t something I’d usually mention, but I saw a review which mentioned the technology in this book and I completely agreed with them. The characters use technology as teenagers actually do, and I have to agree that Green got it spot on.

I also have to mention the ending before I go. I found it perfect for the book. Even though it’s not definite, it included a lot of hope and I really like that from an ending. It left things open but not too open. It had perfect balance.

So overall this book is a really easy but enjoyable read. I think it represents YA really well and it has a lot of really good points. And even though I might not be the biggest Green fan…I don’t think I can complain. This book just has to be awarded a solid 4.5 stars from me.

★★★★★

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Secret Heir (Dynasty #1) by M.J. Prince

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

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I have been provided with an Advanced Reader Copy by the author in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book a really pleasant surprise. It’s not something I’d dive for but I was quickly absorbed by the beautiful and twisted world Prince has created.

The plot drew me in straight away. Jazmine is a girl from Earth who is a member of a royal family from a planet she knows nothing about. The grandfather she has never met takes her back to this planet, where she’s shipped off to boarding school with royal teenagers from the other 5 dynasties. It quickly becomes apparent that the other teens have been spreading rumors about her and her life on Earth and make her life a living hell. But are all of these people really her enemies, and is there more going on behind the scenes?

I found the world of Eden very cleverly done as it mirrors life on Earth, but differs with Elements and the powers each person has. I understood Eden easily but found it’s differences enthralling.

Let’s talk about the characters! I adored Jazime and I felt a really close connection to her. She’s a badass and she fights for what she believes in, and I really admired her throughout the book. The pranks she pulls towards the start of the novel made me laugh out loud in parts!

Unfortunately, this book isn’t without a few faults. It could do with a little touching up on the spelling and grammar side and I did find a lot of sentences repeated themselves throughout the novel. I felt the book dragged a little in the middle but loved the beginning and especially the end! Oh my, that ending. It left me desparate for the next book and I definitely want to continue with this series.

Even though I had my suspicions about the twist at the end, I was still completely shocked and torn. It just proves how persuasive and enthralling Prince’s writing really is, and I really admire how tricked I was by the writing.

I think partly due to the romance in this book, I felt like this was a real guilty pleasure, but I loved it all the same. It may have not been perfect, but I really enjoyed it and it actually reminded me of A Court of Thorns and Roses in many respects. In fact I have to admit, I liked it more.

So overall, Secret Heir is a really good romance/fantasy which took me out of my comfort zone. A solid 4 stars from me and one I’d definitely recommend!

★★★★

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Spellsinger. Book Review #33

On By paperbackpeteIn Book Review, PeteLeave a comment

Hey guys!

First I would like to apologise for my lack of blog post last week! It snowed heavily where I live and it kind of messed with all the plans I made for the day (in a good way) which ultimately meant I didn’t have time to write a review.

I am back this week though and I want to talk about a book that has been on my radar for a while but has only recently become apart of my own collection.

Spellsinger is a Young Adult Fantasy book by Sebastien de Castell. The story follows Kellen, a young apprentice training to become a mage in a world where magic is held supreme. There is just one problem. He doesn’t have any himself. This book is a whimsical and enchanting adventure that follows card-wielding cow boy women, talking squirrel cats and an old, dark secret.

This novel was excitedly recommended to me by a fellow book worm who is always well informed on the good stuff and the positively bad stuff that is being released in the young adult world. As such, I trusted her opinion, and jumped at the chance to read Spellsinger. And I was not disappointed.

Right from the beginning this book possesses a steady kind of lighthearted banter and whimsy that holds true across the whole narrative. The writing style felt young and casual which, to me, was the correct choice coming from a narrator who was experiencing youth himself. Moreover, I felt that the pace and the style linked quite nicely to the subject matter of much of the plot itself: magic. The fact that almost all of the story was bordered with laid-back hilarity was important when exploring a force that innately does not take itself too seriously.

The characters were all generally very interesting. There were some questionable choices regarding the plausibility of Kellen’s parents and the situation he finds himself in at the end of the story (I will say no more). These must, to some degree, be overlooked when considering the context of the world that the events of the book existed in. My personal favourite was Ferius Parfax, for two reasons: her name is Ferius Parfax and that to me is delightfully intriguing. The second and more important reason being the fact that she was a total bad ass throughout the whole story and became a feminist icon to me by the end. As a main character Kellen possessed everything he needed not to be lost amongst the massive cast such as an interesting motive and an anti-power  but at times I felt he was just making random choices that did not feel natural in line with the plot that I was learning about.

The plot itself wouldn’t stop moving and undulating and pulsing. It felt sad and happy and rocky, just like real life is. It was this and the core focus on magic (which is always a big sell for me) that allowed me to genuinely enjoy Spellsinger immensely.

I would certainly recommend this book!

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars

Keep on reading!

And thanks again Beth.

Review: Gemina by Various Authors

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review3 Comments

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Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.
The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.
Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.
When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.
But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope.

I don’t know how to write this review. I’m so conflicted and confused right now. I loved it. I was bored. I was, overall, disappointed.

I know, I know. I adored Illuminae, and I’ve been singing it’s praises ever since. I found it broke the YA rule book and I loved the authors for it. And I did go into Gemina with very high expectations – so many people said it’s even better and Illuminae is so hard to beat!

“This tiny moment. In between the time you decide to pull a trigger and the time death arrives.”

So, I did like a lot about this book. For one, the suspense. I would be on the edge of my seat, to find out that the character I thought would die actually lives. I also liked the whole concept of multiverses and wormholes and I thought that was done really well. This book made me smile, and made me chuckle.

Also, Ella. Ella is the ultimate feminist and all around badass and I loved her for it. And as with Illuminae, there are some utterly beautiful poetic parts of this book that I can’t wait to share with you.

Anddd it’s time for the bad. Let’s start with Hanna, the typical spoilt-rich-girl-who-actually-is-pretty-badass. It was just so cheesy and predictable. I did like Nik, but I also found him a pretty typical bad boy. What happened to throwing out the rule book?

“There’s just you and it and everything you’re about to take away. It’s too big. It goes forever.”

I was constantly confused. For this entire book. And I distinctly remember not feeling like this for Illuminae. I mean, maybe this is because I read Illuminae so long ago. But I still think I should have understood even a little bit more than I did in Gemina. In some ways, this book was kind of too much. There was too many plot twists. Too many people to kill. Too many files, and way too many pages. I kind of felt like I was reading this book and only understanding about 10% of whatever-the-f*ck was going on.

So it turns out I loved and really didn’t like this book, all rolled into a massive mix of emotions. I could rate this book from one to five stars for a variety of reasons (I was bored, I was amused, I was utterly overwhelmed by an incredibly random part of beautiful poetry), so I guess I’m going to be settling in the middle.

★★★

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Touch. Book Review #32

On By paperbackpeteIn Book Review, PeteLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

Finally I was able to finish a book that I have been dying to talk about for some time.

Touch by the wonderful Claire North is an adult sci-fi mystery novel that follows Kepler, the being without a face or a body of their own. Kepler is not a male or a female, Kepler does not die and Kepler’s name is not Kepler. In this novel North imagines a world where a separate species of life is able to jump between human hosts by nothing more than a touch of skin. This book is a whirlwind race across the world through different lives, different loves and different faces.

If you know anything about me as a book worm you will also know that Claire North is one of my all time favourite authors without any shadow of a doubt. Seemingly effortlessly, she weaves fine tapestries of weird and whimsical tales into stories that feel bold and true. Touch did not fall short of my expectations.

Kepler, like all of North’s anti heroes, was both extremely intelligent and extremely interesting. The writer creates a wealth of nooks and crannies and corners of detail within the houses of her cast that stitch together and intermingle into words that become real people. From the multiple languages Kepler spoke to the past lives in past bodies she recalled it was fascinating to get inside the head of a character who is eternal and eternally lonely in their most unique set of circumstances.

I have always said that North has an enormous grasp on the world despite realistically never being able to have visited all of the places that we visit inside of her books. She is a purveyor of the small details. Like the smell of a train station in a French city or the colour of the trees in a German city. All of these rivulets of information, big and small, bind together into a more full and vivid image that feels nostalgic despite being the first time read.

Lastly, I’d like to comment on the plot. Obviously everything I have said so far has been positive and I would like to finish with a positive ending too which thankfully due to the stunning plot of this book I am able to do. I won’t give spoilers but North’s grasp on mystery and thrill is bespoke. She understands how to play with narratives and dance with time all within the confines of a couple hundred pages and for that I commend her greatly.

I largely enjoy the books I review because I always vet them out before starting but for this book I can’t say I enjoyed it. I can only say I loved it.

I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars.

Keep on reading!

And thanks again Beth.

My Name is Memory. Book Review #31

On By paperbackpeteIn Book Review, Pete1 Comment

Hi everyone!

This week’s post is about a VERY interesting book that looks at the concept of time

My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares is a young adult romance science fiction novel that follows Daniel, the boy who has lived many lives and has spent all of them falling in love with the same girl. This book spans multiple ages, multiple societies and multiple love stories. In a deadly race across time Daniel must save his love’s life and all of her lives so that maybe one day they can be together. But first she needs to remember him.

Firstly I would like to note that I read this book absolutely ages ago so my knowledge of it may be semi-shoddy however when I saw it on my shelf the other day I knew I had to talk about it.

The characters, specifically Daniel and Sophia are both very well written. One of the major strengths of this book, and one of the first things I felt upon reading it was how real their love felt. Brashares does a superb job at crafting Daniel in a way that shows how ancient and wise he is as one who ‘remembers’ but also how pure and innocent he is a perpetual teenager in love. Sophia and her lack of memory is both frustrating and also fascinating because as a reader we learn of what romance looks like from two perspectives: one that is fresh and one that is matured with time.

My favourite part of this book, without a doubt, is the role time plays in the plot. The fact that Daniel has lived multiple lives felt extremely cool to me and the concept of rebirth within My Name Is Memory felt very unique too. Unlike many of it’s contemporaries this book never over dramatises Daniel’s situation or makes it feel like he is some weird isolated godlike figure. Instead he is just a man who is very old which I found was both endearing and natural.

The only downside to My Name Is Memory has to lie in it’s ending. Due to the fact that the plot is so strong (notice I haven’t spoiled it because I want you to see for yourself) it only felt fitting that a strong ending should exist too however in this case there was a simple lack of one. In my opinion Brashares bit off more than she could chew in the time frame of the narrative and this led to a hasty and weirdly broken up ending that did not feel conceivable.

Would I recommend this book? Certainly. Just be aware that the ending is pretty horrible!

I give this book a 3.6 out of 5 stars.

Keep on reading!

And thanks again Beth.

Review: 36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You by Vicki Grant

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review2 Comments

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Two random strangers. Thirty-six questions to make them fall in love.
Hildy and Paul each have their own reasons for taking part in the psychology study (in Paul’s case it is the $40, in Hildy’s the reasons are significantly more complex). The study poses the simple question: Can love be engineered between two random strangers?
Hildy and Paul must ask each other 36 questions, ranging from “What is your most terrible memory?” to “When did you last sing to yourself?” By the time Hildy and Paul have made it to the end of the questionnaire, they’ve laughed and cried and lied and thrown things and run away and come back again. They’ve also each discovered the painful secret the other was trying so hard to hide. But have they fallen in love?

Thank you to Hot Key Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book has such an interesting concept! It’s based on The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness, which is a 1997 experiment where couples were set the task of asking each other 36 questions over the course of around an hour and staring into each others eyes for 4 minutes. Six months after the real experiment, two of the couples were married.

“I have to tell you to your face. That’s the only way I can and/or should do it. I’ve got to think of myself, too.”

I can totally see why Vicki wrote about this experiment. It facsinated me, and so did the book. I went into this book worried that it would be predictable and cheesy. Worried that it would be taking place just in one room with dialogue, and wondering how the author would portray this incredible experiment.

But I actually think that Vicki did an incredibly good job. I won’t say this book wasn’t predictable and cheesy – it was. But I couldn’t help but find it adorable and romantic. I loved both characters, and I found it so clever how Vicki made us fall for someone who originally came across as such an a**hole. I really loved Hildy and the way the book talked about her family life and her friends.

“Because, honestly, if you don’t want to see me, you probably don’t deserve to know the answer, in which case it’ll be my secret which I’ll take to death.”

This book was so fast paced and really easy to read, I literally sped through this book so quickly. I guess you could say I’m a big romantic, and because of that I really liked this book. But I think you do kind of have to be a romantic to love this book. It’s no bad thing, but I think you should go into this book prepared for cheese.

I found the mixture of texting/dialogue and prose actually worked and is part of the reason this book is so fast paced. Overall, I can safely say I enjoyed this book and I found it really well written. It also included some hilarious lines that actually made me chuckle out loud. I won’t be giving it the full 5 stars simply because it’s not perfect and didn’t completely blow me away, but it’s definitely one I’ll be recommending in the future for lovers of a good rom com. In fact, if this was a rom com movie, I think it’d do really well. And I’d definitely be queuing up to see it.

★★★★

P.S. If you like the sound of books based on The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness, I’m fairly certain it’s loosely mentioned in one of my favourite books, The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon.

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review4 Comments

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A wunderkind young set designer, Emi has already started to find her way in the competitive Hollywood film world.
Emi is a film buff and a true romantic, but her real-life relationships are a mess. She has desperately gone back to the same girl too many times to mention. But then a mysterious letter from a silver screen legend leads Emi to Ava. Ava is unlike anyone Emi has ever met. She has a tumultuous, not-so-glamorous past, and lives an unconventional life. She’s enigmatic…. She’s beautiful. And she is about to expand Emi’s understanding of family, acceptance, and true romance.

This book had everything. It has beautiful characters, a lovely romance, a great setting, an interesting focus and passages that left me reaching for tabs. To put it simply – I adored this book.

Let’s begin with the characters. I adored Emi immediately. She’s smart, creative, enthusiastic and good at what she does. But she’s also humble, grateful and has her own faults. Throughout the book she is growing up and learning, finding her feet in the world of film and work. She goes through difficult challenges but learns from them, and in turn teaches the reader.

“”The best things aren’t perfectly constructed. They aren’t illusions. They aren’t larger than life. They are life.”

I also loved Emi’s family and her best friend, Charlotte. I wish their friendship was explored in maybe a little more depth, but that is the only tiny fault I could pick out from this book.

Emi is a set designer, and I can’t think of a better thing for a book to focus on. I’m a creative media student, and I also love interior design. Emi had a brilliant understanding of her industry and job, and the book talked in-depth about her life as a set designer. This is just so awesome. This book is a romance with a different focus. It’s not entirely about Emi and Ava. In fact, the plot follows her working on a movie, and Ava is involved.

“Part of me knew that all along, but I got it wrong anyway. What I’m trying to say is that I just want to know you.“

This book is set in summer in LA, and I found the setting worked perfectly. I wouldn’t say this is exactly a ‘summer read’, but I felt the underlying tones of school breaks and summer jobs.

Nina LaCour is a great writer of LGBTQIA+ books, and I really love how she approaches Emi’s sexuality. It’s not a big thing, she’s not treated differently..she just fits in. This book does tackle the subject but it’s not a main focus, and that works incredibly well.

“You don’t have to be at your best. We can’t all be at our best all the time. But”, I say again, “I just want to know you”.”

I’m happy to tell you I don’t have a bad word to say about this book. I just loved it, I felt utterly absorbed and I’m still feeling sad about having to say goodbye to Emi’s world. This is definitely one of the most enjoyable and well-written books I’ve read recently!

★★★★★

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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