This book is a quick read, but I really didn’t like it. It’s about a boy named Adam who gets sent to a Christian camp by his parents after he comes out. It’s really stereotypical and the characters are really bad. There’s rampant homophobia, racism and slut shaming throughout the whole book. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Almost, Maine starts off with a girl named Ginette going to see her best friend, Pete, whom she likes. When their date doesn’t go as planned, she walks home and we get a side story set in each place that she passes on the way.
At first, I really liked the writing style. It flows well and I love the author’s descriptions. I felt I could see the people and places. By the 3/4 way point, it started feeling a bit repetitive. I get it. It was 19 degrees.
Some of the situations seem almost possible and others are pretty far fetched. It’s not something I’d read again, but it was pretty good. If you like romance with some magical scenarios and the northern lights as a backdrop, this could be the book for you.
I won this book in a First Reads giveaway on Goodreads. All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed this book. I found myself laughing out loud a few times and I smiled quite a bit while reading the emails between Simon and Blue. They’re funny and cute. I love Simon’s interactions with his friends too, especially Abby.
Even though some things in the book suck (being blackmailed, being outed, not always knowing what’s going on with your friends) they are handled well with not so horrible side effects here. Albertalli has a very good grasp on what it’s like to be an adolescent on the cusp of adulthood. It reminded me of that time in my life. *Whooshing senior year flashback sounds* It was nice to read a book where nobody dies and there’s a happy ending for once.
Mine is the Movie Tie-In version, so it has an interview with the director and the actor playing Simon, a little bit of the script and previews of two of the author’s other books.
I would recommend this book to lqbtqia teens and to anybody who likes young adult love stories with a happy ending.
I won this in a First Reads giveaway. Unfortunately, I didn’t really like the book.
Being Exposed is told from the alternating points of view of three friends (Jackie, Tonya and Garrett) who are dealing with the aftermath of their other friend, Tracy, revealing Jackie and Garrett’s secrets at a party. Honestly, the way these people talk is ridiculous and unrealistic. I wanted to quit this book three different times, but I finished it anyway.
Jackie is self-centered and thinks only her issues matter, that she’s the only one with issues and it only matters that her secret was exposed. She also randomly goes off on the popular girl (for checking on her when she’s crying) and the other girls count this as some kind of victory. Ok?
Tonya is stuck up and judges everyone and everything around her. When Ryan, the nice guy she meets, takes her to a park to get her mind off of things she weirdly decides that, even though he took her there, she’s responsible for her happiness because she made the swing move. Then she compares him to her dad. Not weird at all.
Garrett does photography and photo shows. He wants his friends, especially Jackie, to be more serious about college. He’s upset when Tracy exposes him for being gay and keeps trying to be a “regular guy.” He even mentions his insecurities to his friends and they let him know that he sounds like a “guy’s guy.” I think him talking about his insecurities and worrying about his spot on his baseball team in the aftermath of his attack were the most realistic parts of the whole book. After the attack, his outlook is mostly positive.
I honestly got nothing from this book. Most of the characters are useless and Tracy and her sister Stacy are almost one character. I really think the author needs to spend time in a mall and observe how teens talk and interact. Going on weird rants isn’t it.
I honestly thought this would be better than it was. The book was mostly about the author’s college years, which she spent working at her father’s travel agency, going clubbing and going out for drinks (with potential lovers, friends and family, especially her dad).
There’s a deeper story about the weight of secrets and the damage they cause, but it’s buried under everything else. Allen talks about the inappropriate relationships she’s had through out her life, but sees nothing wrong with it. I honestly felt bad for her mother. The poor woman is treated horribly and the author mentions how heavy she is every time she’s in a sentence. It’s like she really wants you to know this woman was not skinny. At one point I felt like yelling “I get it! Your poor mom’s fat. Shut up!”
The book ends kind of abruptly with the last chapter jumping to 2005 when the author’s father has died. She mentions that she has a partner, worked in fashion and left that to act, and that’s it about her life now.
I won this book through a First Reads giveaway on Goodreads, but all opinions are my own.
A Hard Day’s Night is about a Beatles obsessed high school senior named Lennon who spends a “gay day” with his best friend Fin. They do all the stereotypical stuff that gay guys like based on a google search and hilarity ensues. It’s a really quick read and the characters learn about who they really are in the process of doing these ridiculous (and expensive) things. I know it’s supposed to be a fun story, but I just kept thinking about how much money Lennon must have spent on everything and how ridiculous that was. It could’ve gone towards his college education. Some parts are sad and others are angsty. I don’t want to give much away. I liked the ending. I’ve read other books from this author and enjoyed them as well.
I got this for free from Reading Deals in exchange for an honest review and they hounded me relentlessly even before the review was due and even after I explained that I’d had a seizure and had to go through a month of tests and appointments.
Love Spell was a fun, quick read about a high school student named Chance who lives in a small, New Hampshire town. Chance doesn’t have many friends and his parents are pretty absent in his life. That part was sad because being lonely isn’t fun. He manages to have a good outlook on life and is usually confident in himself.
The book focuses on his senior year of high school, which consists of school, work, trying to decide which college to apply to, looking for love, and trying to ignore the fact that he’s not entirely sure which gender box he fits into. I love his relationship with his best friend! Parts of it remind me of my best friend and I, especially the making up our own words part.
I thought the ending was sweet and it made me smile. I would recommend this to high school kids, especially those who identify as lgbtqia+.
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
This book is one that I found at the thrift shop and I chose it based off of the description and author. I’ve read Howe’s Bunnicula books, but I didn’t know that he wrote young adult books as well. This one might technically be considered “middle grade fiction” since the characters are 12 and in middle school.
The book is written from the perspective of Bobby Goodspeed and it’s about him reflecting on the time in seventh grade when him and his friends (Addie, Joe and Skeezie) ran for student council as the No Name Party. I honestly feel that their platform (name calling hurts) and slogan (“Sticks and stones may break out bones, but names will break our spirit.”) is really good. The book talks about each character and what their home life is like. Our narrator, is an overweight kid working in a tie store to try to help his dad out after his mom passed away from cancer, Addie is an over achiever, Skeezie is sloppy kid with divorced parents and Joe is gay and artsy.
I think the character were well rounded and the story was well written. I like the bit at the end that tells the reader what each character became when they grew up. I would recommend this to middle and high school students.
Without You is a very emotional book. It covers some of the happiest times in Anthony Rapp’s life (being in the musical Rent) and the saddest moments (watching his mother fight cancer). I felt bad for him because I can’t imagine how hard it is to watch anyone, let alone your mother, waste away.
I liked learning more about Anthony’s start in show business and I loved the parts about Rent. It’s one of my favorite musicals. You can tell how much he loves singing and performing. His joy radiates off the pages. It was great to learn more about the other people in the cast and the director too.
The parts about his mother and what it was like seeing her so sick were really sad. There are also some unresolved issues between them. He’s really hard on himself for expressing any kind of emotion and that often leads him to fits of rage or to snap at people. I’m happy that he found someone to talk to about that. It’s just not healthy for anyone.
Ultimately, the book is a celebration of his time in the play and of his Mom’s life. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Anthony Rapp, Rent or biographies.
Blood Moon is about two friends, Noah and Zack, who grew up together after meeting at Harper’s lake where Zack’s family stays in the summer. When the book starts, Zack’s family is heading back to the lake and it will be his last trip before he goes off to college. He’s not really able to enjoy himself because he’s sad that he hasn’t talked to Noah since last year when they shared a kiss. The day after Noah said they couldn’t be friends or anything else. Then they reconnect and get back together, but Noah is hiding something.
I enjoyed the relationship between Zack and Noah and I think it was sweet, even if their reunion was a bit too easy. *shrug* I thought I had Noah’s secret figured out before it was revealed, but I only had part of it right. I thought both of their characters were really well written and Zack is pretty funny.
The story mostly takes place in New York City and I was able to picture all of the places that Zack and Noah visited from the nightclubs and bars to their friends’ house. Their friends are an interesting bunch and it was great that they were so accepting of the boys’ relationship. Of course there were some characters that weren’t.
A lot of things happened in this book and it was all entertaining and well written. Unfortunately, I can’t go into much detail without spoiling things. I want to read the other two books in the series. The only thing that took away from the story for me is that most of the chapters had some kid of sex scene and they are explicit, which makes this a “new adult” book instead of a “young adult” one. It’s not suitable for younger teens.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Tanie's Reviews 