Valentine’s Day used to be Valentina’s favorite holiday–until she learns the truth about what happened between her parents. Now, she believes in the idea that her family is cursed with unlucky love, reinforced by Saint Valentine. She’s ready to completely give up on love, until she receives a paper heart from a mysterious lion dancer. Maybe she can change her fate.

On the other hand, lion dancing is the only refuge Jae has had since his dad passed away. He can’t explain why he gave Val that paper heart, only that he feels some sort of connection to her. But when she starts dating his cousin instead, maybe he has missed his chance. 
 

Thanks to NetGalley and First Second for an advanced copy of Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang to review! This is kind of a YA rom-com graphic novel, with a sprinkling about family, grief, and loss. The story really illustrates how your perspectives change as you grow older, and I appreciated that kind of storyline for a teen graphic novel.

Of course, the art was beautifully done throughout the story. Color is used in a way to illustrate different aspects of the story, as well as different text to illustrate different voices and characters. It all worked well together to tell Val and Jae’s story.

Additionally, the characters were also well developed. They’re all struggling with different family things, but they’re all able to relate to each other in different ways. There’s also plenty of nods to Korean and Vietnamese cultures, with a lot of small details included to pull you into the story.

All in all, this is a lovely graphic novel you should definitely pick up when it comes out in January! 

I wanted to love this because the art is so, so gorgeous, but the writing and the world building just fell a little flat for me. We're dropped right in the middle of the action, which is normally fine for me, but I didn't feel like there were enough details in the rest of the story to fill in what was going on. I still felt quite confused by the end of the book.

It seems like this might be a series, though (maybe?), so perhaps we'll get more details later on. The concept was interesting, and I loved the magical elements woven throughout the text. The characters were also great! We just needed those world details to really put the reader on the same page.

A novel-in-verse about a teen's survival of sexual assault, this is a masterfully written book. The verse/transcript/journal entry format works well for this story and gives us context of what's happening with the trial while also putting us in Amina's head. The audiobook, which is read by the author, is wonderfully done, really pulling you into the story.

As the protagonist, Amina is well-developed, but so were the side characters. She has arguments with her best friend and her boyfriend, and both of them are also fully realized characters. We also get to explore her complex relationship with her dad, which has just grown strained after her mother's death. There are so many emotions explored and packed into this book, which just goes to show that novels-in-verse can be just as impactful.

Chelsea Grant has been trying to distance herself from her father’s ghost hunting business. It always put a target on her back and made her an outcast. But when a night of trouble lands her in jail, she finds herself required to work with her dad for the summer as punishment.

While out on a job at an historical manor in New Orleans, Chelsea discovers that she can see ghosts. It’s there that she meets a friendly spirit, Oliver, who her dad is trying to get rid of. As Chelsea gets to know Oliver, she realizes that there’s more to the story than they realize. And in order to get to the bottom of it, she has to save his afterlife. 
 

Thanks to Versify and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Ghost Roast by Shawneé and Shawnelle Gibbs to review! You know I’m always on the lookout for new graphic novels to read, and this one caught my eye! If you like ghost hunting mixed with hidden history, this is definitely the book for you.

Let’s start with the art because the art in this is gorgeous. I loved the way that the ghosts were incorporated, and the way that emotions were portrayed with simpler drawings throughout. It all worked so well together to portray the story and to bring these characters to life. Emily Cannon (the illustrator) does an excellent job throughout, and I’d definitely read other stuff she works on.

And the story! At the surface, you have a ghost hunting story, but with a little bit of history and mystery added in. The characters are all well-developed, even the ghostly ones. Oliver’s backstory reflects the history of the south, and it was nice to see him get some recognition. Chelsea gives him a moment to shine.

There’s a bit of light romance in the story, as well as a focus on Chelsea’s bonds with both her dad and mom. We get to see growth in both throughout the story, and their interests are intertwined with Chelsea’s own story. They all connected by the end, and it all worked so well together overall.

If you’re looking for a YA ghost hunting book to start your 2024 off with, definitely check out this graphic novel! 

This series is such an entertaining one, putting Greek mythology in a more modern setting. The art style is maybe one of my favorite things about it, with the bright colors and the overall formatting. It works well for the subject matter and brings the characters to life.

There's drama, there's romance, what more could you want in a book about Greek mythology honestly? It in itself is all about drama. Definitely will keep reading because it's just entertaining.

I enjoyed that this is kind of combination graphic novel with large chunks of prose that, at times, read like poetry. It worked well for the subject matter and balanced out the story overall. The story itself is more of a quiet one, taking you through the feelings of first love. It's very much a character drive story, and I definitely appreciated it for that. 

The ending is abrupt, and not really what I was expecting for this particular story. There were times that I wished some of the details were more developed, which would have helped me get a little more invested in the story. Overall, not a bad graphic novel, but probably not a standout for me for the year.

I am not sure how to feel about this, in all honesty. The concept is fascinating, and the art is beautiful. There are some really goregous panels, and I loved the way that color was used. It worked really well together. 

The premise of the book is interesting, I'm just not sure it was executed to its full extent. There were definitely holes to poke in a lot of the plot, and the ending was just...strange to me. I think the world just needed to be more developed with more details because there was just something that felt like it was missing overall. A kind of middle of the road read for me for sure.

I'm not going to lie, I had to sit with this book for a while before figuring how to rate it. This story is...a lot. It's an important story, but it's a lot. Like most Deb Caletti books, she doesn't shy away from topics that affect teen girls today, and this book takes on the abortion issue head on. Yes, some of the heaviness is balanced out with Ivy and Lorenzo's road trip fun, but you know that there are many women who find themselves in the same place Ivy is. And the fallout for most of them is just as bad as it is for Ivy.

In addition to the abortion issues, Ivy spends a lot of the book thinking about Christianity and the way that religion had turned all of her best friends against her. One quote that stuck out to me in particular:

"I'm just not sure I trust him [God] when the people that love him the loudest can be so cruel."

Just oof. So much weight in just that quote. I'm not sure that this will be the most popular book with teens, but I hope that it makes it to the teens that need it. Or the not teens that need it. Because, like Ivy learns on her own journey, women aren't alone. 

Honestly, I knew before starting this that this book just wasn't going to be for me. I read [book:My Dark Vanessa|44890081] earlier this year, and I knew the subject matter of this book, and I knew it was going to be difficult for me to get through. And I definitely wasn't wrong.

There's a part of me that understands that this is a culturally significant book, that it's making a commentary on society, etc. etc. There's just something about a man writing a story about a pedophile that really just doesn't sit right with me. With My Dark Vanessa, I feel like we got more of a nuanced conversation about the power imbalance in a relationship like this. This book...definitely was not that.

Either way, I can at least say I've read it! And it will make an interesting conversation tomorrow at book club!

This isn't necessarily the best written YA book this year, but the representation in this book is so, so important. There are so many teens that will see themselves in Effie, and so may other teens that will think differently about disability and accessibility. I especially appreciated the focus on applying to college and the point that a lot of colleges, especially older colleges, aren't accessible for an entire population of people.

The romance at the center of the story was also sweet. I loved Effie and Wilder and their changing relationship. There's a pretty good cast of characters overall, with Effie's friends and family. They all have their ups and downs, but are still so supportive of each other. 

All in all, this is a lovely book with some much needed representation in YA, and I'm glad that it exists.