alltheradreads's Reviews (1.9k)

Jacqueline Woodson is a masterful writer. This Romeo and Juliet telling modernizes and age old story in a way that was really striking (and made me CRY) and I loved the big punch this little book packed.

This one was rich and unexpected, with incredible writing of food, cooking, and culture and with strong familial themes as the main character cared for both her ‘Buela and her toddler daughter while going through her senior year of high school and trying to pursue her dreams for her future. I loved Emoni and was cheering her on from the earliest pages, and loved the magic of her ability to weave flavors and foods together from such a young age. This was such a gem of a book. Acevedo’s writing is incredible and I can’t wait to read more from her!

This one is BEAUTIFUL. Written so poetically and earnestly, a story of twins who grow apart as they navigate high school and their identities in a city that’s rapidly gentrifying. So many rich and layered themes, in a compelling voice, with nuance and soul... I really liked it.

A Black teen who secretly builds her own video game celebrating Black culture and completely crushes it? WHAT A MAIN CHARACTER. This book is brilliant and has so many layers of goodness and heart and magic. It went to a place I didn’t expect, and I loved it. The ending had me beaming too! Big fan.

This was a #mmdsummerreading pick this year, and while I loved the premise, the writing style fell a little flat for me. It’s about an Asian American girl with dreams of being a dancer (while her parents want her to be a doctor) who gets sent to Taiwan to spend the summer in an immersion program that’s not quite what it seems. It’s fun, a cute coming-of-age story full of tension between obligations and dreams with added family pressure, and it has a sweet ending, but it just didn’t blow me away.

This was a cute one! Strong Prince and Me vibes, but with a strong and sassy Black girl lead (I loved her) and a fun supporting cast of characters. Definitely a great feel-good YA romance with a lot of heart and nothing scandalous (aka perfect for younger preteens/teens!).

I loved this book SO much. I highlighted the heck out of it and wanted to soak up so much of Natasha’s wisdom and grace and conviction — her story and her words are mighty and moving. She weaves teaching and Scripture and personal narrative together so well. High praise for this one!

This book is like if the movie About Time + TFIOS + a cute Netflix teen romcom + Five Feet Apart all had a baby and it was a boy and the characters were Black (