Oh I wanted to fall in love with this because it has such an amazing color palette (I am a sucker for that), and I don't think I've seen a YA graphic novel set during Ramadan. It fills a hole, and I appreciated those aspects of the book. 

However, the writing definitely could have been tighter. A lot of the story was difficult to follow, not just with the Djinn story, but also with the Nayra's story. I think part of it is the fact that it happens over a fairly large expanse of time, but it doesn't feel like time is really passing? I'm not sure I can really explain it, but the feel of the pacing was odd.

I think if the story had the chance to breath a little more, it could have been so successful! The artist has potential, and I think maybe working with a different writer might allow them to add more detail to their artwork, because I really loved their art style. The writing just didn't seem to match it.

I'll be honest, even though I read the first one in this series only last year, I had a hard time remembering exactly what happened at the end of that one. There's a bit of summary that helps with that, but it still made it a bit difficult to get into this one.

I think the concept of these books is really interesting, and I enjoyed the underlying plot of the story. There were, however, a lot of different characters introduced in this one and I found it difficult to keep track of who was who. Maybe that's because I listened to it on audio? I don't know.

I also sometimes forgot that this was set in an alernate version of the 1980s. ust adding a few world building details might have helped with that.

All in all, this is an enjoyable story, even if the overall story wasn't perfect. If you're into alternate histories with a little bit of sci-fi, this one is probably for you!

Mal and his friends are from hell. When a soul escapes and they're on lockdown for the majority of their school break, they start to get a little antsy. So, they find themselves in the forest when the veil between hell and Earth is thin. And suddenly, they're on Earth. With a dangerous escaped soul. It's up to them to return the soul to hell before something else bad happens.

This middle grade read would absolutely make the perfect Halloween read. Mal and his friends find themselves in Salem, Massachusetts on Halloween when they come to Earth, not quite ready for the adventure they find themselves in. The characters were well-rounded, even the side characters that we meet while on Earth. I loved the intertwining with some Salem history, and it just made an overall fun Halloween adventure. 

My only complaint is that the pacing is off at some points, making the book feel a little longer than it needs to be. But I think there's a sequel coming soon, and I'm definitely interested in reading more about Mal's adventures with his friends.

Tommy has been working at Sunset Estates, a retirement community, in order to gain experience to get into culinary school. Which means he also needs a letter of recommendation from his manager. In order to get it, he has to complete three tasks--including training the new hire.

But it just so happens that the new hire is someone Tommy knew. An old crush from childhood named Gabe. However, it appears that Gabe doesn't remember Tommy. And training him proves difficult when old feelings start to resurface for Tommy. Will he be able to push those aside and finish his tasks to get into culinary school? Or will his feelings overcome him?

Thanks to NetGalley and Balzer + Bray for an advanced copy of Lose You to Find Me by Erik J. Brown to review! My second food themed rom-com in a row--maybe it's a trend for May? Either way, this is a different direction for Erik J. Brown, and I loved it. Once again, he has created great characters with witty banter that you're going to love from the beginning.

Of course, Tommy and Gabe are the highlight of the book. That childhood friends to possible lovers thing is a great trope, even if it appears only one of them remembers. Brown does a good job of creating that romantic tension right from the beginning, punctuating it with a great cast of side characters who are also rooting for them. Plus, using the setting of the restaurants adds to the tension, having to always work together. It really is a fantastic premise for a book.

Not necessarily a fan of the fake that Tommy makes moves when Gabe has a boyfriend, but you know. They're teenagers. It happens. The story overall is pretty character-driven, with some twists that might make you gasp. I also appreciated that not necessarily everything works out the way Tommy wants, and that's okay. It's a great message to have a book for teens, because no matter how much you plan, not everything works out the way you want it to.

All in all, this is another great book to put on your summer TBR if you're looking for another fun rom-com!

 Thanks to NetGalley and Underlined for an advanced copy of Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee to review! Being pitched as Crazy Rich Asians meets Heartstopper, I knew I had to read it. I will say, didn’t quite see the Heartstopper connection, but definitely the connection to Crazy Rich Asians. If you love rom-coms with fake dating, centered around baking/cooking, this is definitely the book for you!

This book has a lot of the classic rom-com tropes, and honestly, I loved it. Dylan and Theo are adorable together; from the first moment they meet, you can tell they have chemistry. Fake dating? You know that someone is going to develop feelings. If not both. They had an easy kind of relationship. Plus, food! We get to see a lot of Chinese culture through Dylan, especially with food, and it just makes the book even better in my opinion.

Outside of Dylan and Theo, there are some fantastic secondary characters as well. Especially Dylan’s family. They are so supportive of Theo and his dreams, and we love to see it. We also get to see the contrast in Theo and Dylan’s relationships with their families, even with somewhat similar backgrounds. Honestly, it’s part of the reason they feel so connected.

There’s cuteness, there’s the fluffiness you expect from a rom-com, and it will make a great spring read when it comes out in May! 

Quite honestly, you never really know what you're going to get when you read a Mindy McGinnis book. This one features a podcast; an unsolved murder in a small town, and two girls are trying to solve it. But maybe they don't really want to know the truth.

I appreciated the podcast sections, they added to the story, especially in an audiobook format. The characters were well-developed, even if they're not always the most likeable. The pacing was good, hooking you in with the mystery and adding to it as the main characters learned more. Definitely enjoyed this one overall!

This is really such an accessible look at living in Iran during the war in the 1980s, which honestly not a lot of YA lit really covers. It's a realtively simple art style, but there are panels that really get the emotions across. Marjane feels a lot of things, and props to her parents for encouraging the freedom she desired. 

There are parts of this that are also hard to read, given the subject matter. It would make great required reading for a social studies class in high school. It will definitely make for good discussion tonight at our book club.

I highly recommend checking out content warnings before jumping into this one, as it delves a lot into suicide and depression and anxiety. I believe it deals with these topics effectively, but this book does get very emotional at parts, and if those things are triggering for you, I'd probably recommend skipping this one.

Brynn is a strongly developed character, sent to live with her dad in Florida after something that happened online. Her mom wants her to have a detox of sorts from social media and from the internet. The main storyline about Brynn struggling with her mental health, about her trying to figure out how to move forward, is probably the strongest aspect of the book overall.

Soem of the other elements of the book, and some of the side characters, needed a bit more development, but overall, this is a strong examination of mental health, social media, and just being a teenager.

An adorably sweet middle grade fantasy about moving, making new friends, and first crushes. Loving the queer representation that seems to have exploded in the middle grade realm recently, and Varela does a great job with that in this. Juniper and Galatea are adorable, and definitely in that awkward middle school thing where they don't know what to do about their crush.

There's also anxiety rep in here, and Juniper has a sweet conversation with her mother about crushes, in that her mom explicitly says she'll love her no matter who she likes. Adorable and funny and a great inclusion for a middle grade book. Already can't wait to read the sequel!

Oh this is absolutely adorable! Focused a little more on family dynamics than I was expecting, but the characters are well-rounded and the art was just beautiful. Grace leaves her mom at the space station for a fun adventure with her other mom, but it doesn't quite turn out the way she expected. Not as much of an adventure as she wanted.

There is great representation in this book, and I loved that Grace is constantly learning more about the planet she's traveling to. You get to learn space facts along with Grace, and you can feel her conflicting emotions throughout the story. It's not only well illustrated but well written as well.

Not only is this great for kids that love sci-fi graphic novels, but it's also great for kids navigating different living situations. All in all, I absolutely loved this and read it entirely in one sitting!