I loved this! The art style was fantastic, especially the way that Fung depicted anxiety throughout the book. It felt so realistic and there are middle grade readers who will connect with Livy. I especially appreciated the fact that her parents took notice about what was going on and got her the help she needed. It's portrayed in a way that's normal, and I love that middle grade readers will get to see that.

Livy's friends are also struggling with various things, and they realize that maybe they need each other. It feels like such a middle school friendship, from the art to the writing, and I think it just was so well done.

The format at first was a bit confusing, even though I knew it was a series of short stories, I didn't realize how short the stories were. Most of them are just a page long, which was a bit disorienting to me. But I got the feel for it a little into the book and the stories are such fun! Especially if you own a cat/kitten yourself. The girls get into fun adventures with their friends and I thoroughly enjoyed their adventures.

I mean, this was fine for me, if you enjoy basic sports stories. A lot of the storyline was predictable, though honestly I was kind of hoping for a rivals to lovers situation. Maybe it would have made the story a tad more interesting?

There's a lot of bullying in here, and Titan, the bully, never really faces any consequences for his actions. Which is kind of weird, since his actions are directly affecting the soccer team. Like, for how involved the coach seemed, he also seemed pretty oblivious to this. It was just a weird contrast.

The art wasn't bad, though, I really enjoyed that aspect of the book. It's a quick read, and a great one if you're looking for a sports action story in graphic novel format. Just probably not my favorite.

 Thanks to HarperCollins for an advanced copy of Private Label by Kelly Yang to review! I feel like most people know Yang from her middle grade work, but this is her second YA novel and she's not afraid to delve into difficult topics. We saw that in Parachutes and it's just as true in this book.

Yang excels at writing emotions. We see Serene's struggles with her mom's cancer, all the while trying to figure out how to save her business. We see Lian struggling with his parents expectations and what he really wants to do with his life. Both characters need each other as they try to figure out how to move forward, and the way their relationship evolved felt very realistic.

Not only do we get to see the emotions playing out between Serene and Lian, but we also get to see both of their different family dynamics. They are complicated and ever evolving and conflicts that a lot of teens deal with. There are so many emotions in play in this book, and Yang nails every one of them.

My only complaint is that the book feels a bit long at times. In the middle, it felt like the pacing lost itself a bit. But other than that, this is absolutely a strong, emotional read that you'll want to have on your radar for summer! 

I love this as a follow up to Stepping Stones. Lucy Knisley's writing is so relatable for middle grade readers. Jen's noticed that everyone is starting to pair up, to have crushes on boys, and she just doesn't get it. She doesn't want to change like her friends seem to be, and she also doesn't want to be caught in the middle.

From the writing to the art, there is so much to love about this book. Lucy Knisley is a gem for middle grade readers and I can't wait to get this into their hands!

This fantasy novel in verse weaves magical realism, hitting on the dark history of Prague and the Nazi invasion. Becasue of that, it deals with a lot of Jewish trauma, and Ilana helps to the ghosts to work through that and fight against the monsters that kept them trapped.

At first, the story was a bit difficult to get into as it moves slowly right at the beginning. But, once Ilana meets Benjamin she's opened to the world of ghosts. The way Romero weaves this mythology into the world worked really well and made the story interesting to read. 

Apparently, 2022 is the year of Jewish YA fantasy, and so far, I ahve been here for it. Let's keep them coming!

This might be my favorite volume thus far. There's a lot about art in here, but also deeper discussions about gender, identity, and the future. There are definitely some emotional moments towards the end of the volume, and I'm interested in seeing where it goes next.

There's a lot to love about this contemporary fantasy with Jewish culture at its core. Right from the beginning, we get a sense of mystery and intrigue, and the way Podos crafts the story just adds more as we go along the way. I especially appreciated the way that she uses flashbacks to give the readers Hannah's full family history and adds context to what is going on in the present day.

Even though there is a lot going on plotwise in this story, Podos doesn't sacrifice the development of her characters. I especially liked the relationship between Hannah and her brother, Gabe. They just supported each other, and the way Gabe was willing to go to such lengths to make Hannah feel more comfortable? It was adorable.

The budding romance/relationship also felt realistic and flowed really well with the plot. I enjoyed Ari as a character, and the way they all teamed up to solve the mystery. The fact that Hannah doesn't 100% know her identity by the end of the book will also be relatable to so many teenage readers.

This book is also packed with so much Jewish culture and mythology that I learned a lot while reading it as well. Though a lot of this was new to me, I didn't feel lost at any point in the story. It was a good balance of history, mythology, magic, character, and plot.

All in all, if you're looking for a new contemporary fantasy to pick up, I'd definitely recommend this one!

There's nothing that really stands out about this particular volume for me. There were some high stakes fighting scene, and Peter has to deal with the fact that he has a job as paparazzi, and of course we finally get to see MJ. We also still get some of the famous Spider-Man banter, which is probably one of my favorite things about the comics. But I wasn't necessarily sold on the overall story in this volume.

The art wasn't really my favorite thing here either, especially in one of those later issues. I just don't think it was the best of Spider-Man art, and I wanted a little more from the story overall.

Hana has always been a huge fan of K-dramas, so she knows exactly what to avoid when she gets to star in one. Especially when she's forced to start fake dating her co-star, Brian Yoon, to help create media buzz for the show. Her co-star who might just be starting to fall in love with her. But Hana is just going to keep to the script.

At least, that's her plan until a new star is brought into the show. A star who might just be taking Hana's place. What Hana doesn't plan on is possibly falling for her new co-star. And their romance is definitely forbidden by those that run the show. Will Hana be able to keep her place in the show, even if she has feelings for her new on screen rival?

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for an advanced copy of Flip the Script to review! I absolutely loved I'll Be The One when I read it last year, so I was excited to get my hands on Lee's newest YA. And I am so happy to say that it definitely did not disappoint!

Even though I have never watched a K-drama in my life, I have seen clips and know that Lee nailed that aspect of this book. Lee shows how difficult it can be for these stars to have their own personal lives when the show runners basically make all of their decisions for them. This book really touches on the expectations that Korean culture places on these stars, and I liked that Hana was able to fight against these a bit.

And the characters! Hana, Minjee, and Brian absolutely stole the show. The way they support each other through everything that was going on was so sweet. They also had a few adult characters behind them cheering them on, and I just loved that dynamic. Hana and Minjee's budding relationship felt realistic and adorable and I would read another book about them for sure.

I think the only thing I wanted more of was some of the behind the scenes regarding filming the show. Other than that, you should absolutely add this book to your summer TBR!
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Such a fun read! from the characters to the K-drama, there's a lot to love about this one. Stay tuned for a full review to come soon!