There is a lot going on at the beginning of this book, but definitely hang on because it's worth it. On its surface, it's a book about a group of teens trying to save a pizza place. But it's also so much more than that. It's about community, about friendship, about learning to ask for help when you need it. 

This is Ferguson's second novel, but it's pack just as much of a punch as the first. Not only does she create incredibly well-rounded characters, but she deals with tough issues with such care. This book in particular focuses on the disappearance of Native women and the way many people look the other way. There's some hard stuff in this book, but it's definitely worth the read.

Percy Jackson is back! And this time, his quest isn't focused on the world ending: it's focused on getting him into college. Honestly, the fact that the stakes were pretty low in this one (not that there isn't any imminent danger, this is Percy we're talking about), made this such a fun read. Reading from Percy's perspective is alwasy fun because he has some of the best commentary, but just the overall tone of this one was less serious than some of the other series set in this world.

Riordan already announced another book after this one, and I'm betting is going to be a trilogy (3 quests to get into college and all). It's great seeing Percy, Annabeth, and Grover get back together for quests, and I'm sure we'll see more of that in the next books!

If you're just staring your Percy Jackson journey and wonder where this one fits in: it takes place after the Heroes of Olympus but before the Trials of Apollo. Once this trilogy is done, I think it will be a nice little bridge between the two series! 

A novel in verse, this is a fairly quick read but it definitely packs a punch. From the get go, Cerulean's voice captures you. They're struggling to be seen at school, constantly feeling like a target and like nobody respects them. So, when a teacher lashes out, it's the last straw. But when family tragedy strikes, Cerulean struggles with balancing their family and their freedom.

Fair warning, this book ends quite abruptly. There isn't much resolution and you're left wondering. However, this feels true to the story and true to the overall tone of the book. So many of Cerulean's struggles have to do with capitalism and the way that infects the school system. Especially when it comes to race and queer identities. 

If you want a thought-provoking novel in verse, this is definitely the book for you!

Jude is a cupid, meaning that they’ve been studying love their entire life. Naturally, they think they have a better understanding of it than most people. Despite that, Jude currently finds themselves on probation because of a mistake they made with a human. Now they’re desperate to prove themselves through success on their next mission.

Instead of setting up adults, Jude is sent to high school to bring two teenagers together. Teenagers that used to be friends, but have had a falling out. As Jude works to bring them together, they think they have everything under control. But as Jude is about to learn…love is complicated. 
 

Thanks to PUSH and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Okay, Cupid by Mason Deaver to review! I’ve loved Mason Deaver since reading I Wish You All the Best, and if you’re looking for rom-coms featuring trans characters, they are definitely the one to go to.

One thing that Deaver always excels at is well-rounded characters. Right from the beginning, you’ll fall in love with Jude (who is destined to fall in love with people they’re not supposed to). Throughout the book, they’re conflicted because they’ve only known being a cupid, but they kind of want the freedom of being human. The freedom of loving whoever they want, the ability to make strong friendships. It’s a conflict that plays out nicely throughout the story, through the characters and the overall plot.

The overall concept of the cupids is a fun one as well. I love this idea that there are people out there trying to orchestrate meet-cutes, helping love to spark and giving it a chance to grow. While the idea of cupid is necessarily a new concept, I enjoyed the way that Deaver re-imagined it. 

This isn’t getting a full five stars because of the ending, honestly. No spoilers, but the ending isn’t wrapped up in a neat bow, if that’s what you’re looking for. It’s left for the reader to decide what happens next. Which normally I don’t mind, but I was in the mood for more of a happily ever after.

All in all, if you’re looking for a cute rom-com to start out your 2024 with, definitely check this one out! 

I basically listened to this entire book in one day; I was hooked by Sam as a narrator. That's part of the reason I love Alexis Hall books so much; he sure as a knack for writing good characters. It's a rom-com, so you can kind of guess what's going to happen in the plot, but I didn't really care because I loved the characters so much.

Honestly, the last book set in this universe ([book:Husband Material|58323892]) was a bit of a miss for me, so I'm glad this one wasn't. My only complaint, really, was that I wished we could have gotten a bit more of Sam's background. It's briefly mentioned at the end, but I wanted a bit more. I guess this is going to be a series, though, so maybe we'll get more in a future book!

All in all, if you're looking for a fun rom-com with the fake amnesia plot and the grumpy/sunshine trope, definitely pick this one up!

Narrative nonfiction is always more engaging to read, and Sheinkin has an excellent writing style in that aspect. WWII is covered a lot when it comes to YA history, but this was a story I wasn't familiar with. It's told with suspense and really lays out everything that was going on in Europe at the time. A fairly quick read, but still just as powerful.

The overall tone works well for its target audience, And I can see teens interested in the subject matter definitely picking this one up.

One of the first things I thought in the first section of this book was "Oh, the book banners would have a field day with this." Haha. Because the tone is set from the first page; this is a book that isn't going to flinch away from the hard stuff in US history, the stuff that they don't want kids to learn about. The fact that the first section is about how they censored history books in the south like that isn't still happening at this very moment? So relevant.

The combination of text and images make this an engaging read as well as an educational one. I think I learned something new in each section, and it really all connected back to what's currently happening in the United States. Pair this with something like Stamped (the YA edition) and you'd have a really solid US history class. It has that appeal for teens while packing in a lot of excellent information. And I hope it can make it to where it needs to be.

A dual timeline novel that still has a lot of relevance to today, especially in light of rulings the Supreme Court has made in the last year. It's about education and race and equality, and it's a really powerful story. The way that the two timelines reflect each other, one in the 60s and one in the 90s, and the way they eventually connect is well done. 

I also appreciated the author's note at the end to give context to the story, and I learned a bit more about history through reading it as well. Definitely an important story to be added to the YA historical fiction catalog.

Was this the best written book I've ever read? Not necessarily, no. But I couldn't put it down for the last half of the book. I loved how Nico and Will were able to work and grow throughout their journey, especially with Nico's past trauma and subsequent PTSD. Part of the core of the story is them learning how to open up to each other, how to work with both of their pasts and move forward as a couple. 

The care taken with the mental health rep overall in this book is wonderful. Will is learning that Nico doesn't need to be fixed, and Nico is trying to learn how to move forward with his darkness. They are so wonderful together. I am so happy they got their own book, and that Nico finally got his time to shine. I would definitely read another book with them at the center!

Tilly has been roped into a scheme by her best friend, Teddy, to help him land the girl he currently has a crush on: Katherine Cooper-Bunting. Thus, Tilly helps Teddy prepare an audition for the local play. Sincer Katherine is an aspiring actor. Too bad Tilly doesn’t consider herself creative.

What TIlly also doesn’t bank on is developing feelings for Katherine Cooper-Bunting. And have those feelings reciprocated. To top it all off, Tilly also has to help out as her Grandfather, who has Alzheimers’s, moves into their house. 
 

Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus, and Giroux for an advanced copy of Cupid’s Revenge by Wibke Brueggemann to review! I am officially into reviewing 2024 books, which feels both weird and exciting. And it looks like there are some great books coming out this January you’ll want to keep your eyes on! 

This is a very character/dialogue driven story. Though I’m not an English teen, the tone and the pace of the dialogue did feel accurate to teens, and Brueggemann overall does a great job of capturing that teen feeling. There’s some love drama, some trying to figure out where your future is going, some trying to figure out family drama. It all works together pretty well.

At times, however, the story did feel a bit repetitive to me. I think that’s due in part to the miscommunication trope, which isn’t my favorite in rom-coms. Just talk to each other already! Especially when it came to Teddy and Tilly. I know grief partly factored into it, I just wish they had been able to work things out sooner.

Despite that, there are some well developed relationships throughout, and the characters were pretty well rounded. It’s a light, fun read which will be great to start out the year 2024 with!