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claudianeureads
The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert is an incredible representation of voting and its importance that young adults will be able to relate to. This book takes place over the course of one day, voting day. As the reader, you are unaware if the day is for the primary or mid-term elections, however, that does not make a difference because voting in every election is just as important. On this voting day, we follow Marva and Duke, two young adults who have entirely different reasons for being at the polls that morning, but for both of them this is an important election because it is their first one as newly turned 18 year olds. As Duke is turned away from the polls, Marva takes it upon herself to make sure Duke votes and although they are complete strangers, a friendship is created with each conflict they face on election day.
As a reader, I love young adult novels. In my opinion they can be some of the most powerful books written because they are able to share serious topics in a way that is relatable to people of all ages. Brandy Colbert is one of my favorite young adult authors, as Little and Lion is a book I always recommend as an incredible novel about identity, mental health, and friendship. The Voting Booth is no different with its incredible portrayal of first time voters and their anxieties around a system that is not made to represent the public, but a select few. Brandy Colbert takes on the “difficult” topics that keep coming up time and time again such as racism and gun violence which are driving factors for many voters.
Brandy Colbert writes The Voting Booth to be accessible for all readers while also asking them to reflect on their privilege and how the outcomes of elections can leave many people’s, specifically white people’s, lives unchanged. However, for young adults and people who reflect Marva and Duke, two Black teens, the outcome of an election can determine what their future holds and how the systems of oppression are sustained.
The Voting Booth is a quick read (or a quick listen!) and is one that will ask you to think before you cast your vote in November. Brandy Colbert writes love-able and well rounded characters in this book set over the course of one day so make sure you pick this book up before November 3rd!
As a reader, I love young adult novels. In my opinion they can be some of the most powerful books written because they are able to share serious topics in a way that is relatable to people of all ages. Brandy Colbert is one of my favorite young adult authors, as Little and Lion is a book I always recommend as an incredible novel about identity, mental health, and friendship. The Voting Booth is no different with its incredible portrayal of first time voters and their anxieties around a system that is not made to represent the public, but a select few. Brandy Colbert takes on the “difficult” topics that keep coming up time and time again such as racism and gun violence which are driving factors for many voters.
Brandy Colbert writes The Voting Booth to be accessible for all readers while also asking them to reflect on their privilege and how the outcomes of elections can leave many people’s, specifically white people’s, lives unchanged. However, for young adults and people who reflect Marva and Duke, two Black teens, the outcome of an election can determine what their future holds and how the systems of oppression are sustained.
The Voting Booth is a quick read (or a quick listen!) and is one that will ask you to think before you cast your vote in November. Brandy Colbert writes love-able and well rounded characters in this book set over the course of one day so make sure you pick this book up before November 3rd!
In case you are living under a bookstagram rock, Take a Hint, Dani Brown is the second book in the Brown Sisters series by the incredible romance author, Talia Hibbert. I read Get a Life, Chloe Brown in July of this year and it really sparked the beginning of my reading of romance. Prior to reading Chloe Brown, I really never read romance because I was not sure how I would like it and I usually gravitate more towards contemporary fiction or young adult novels for my taste of romance in novels. But thanks to @beckyreadsitall and @theliteraryheroine I picked up Get a Life, Chloe Brown and the rest is history.
Take a Hint, Dani Brown is a sweet book about Dani, a professor at the University, and Zaf, the security guard for the building. After an encounter in an elevator that goes viral, Dani and Zaf are forced to fake a relationship for the media in order to help them reach their goals.
When diving into this book I was not aware this had a fake lovers trope, but I definitely was into it. As you probably can imagine, with their fake relationship growing in the media, Dani and Zaf grow closer to one another and find that they can bring the best out in each other. I really loved the character development for both Dani and Zaf and how they realize that they truly make each other exceptional. Dani and Zaf also had quite the chemistry so there was a great deal of steam to guide you through this book.
I really loved Take a Hint, Dani Brown but I am actually surprised that I loved Get a Life, Chloe Brown more. Both books have amazing representation of characters of color, characters with chronic illness, characters who are bisexual, and more, but for me Chloe Brown takes up more space in my heart because of how it made me begin to love reading romance. Chloe and Red are also just the sweetest characters and the way they care for each other and make each other better warms my heart.
Talia Hibbert is an exceptional author and I am so excited to read Act your Age, Eve Brown when it hits shelves on March 9th. I also will definitely be picking up some of her backlisted titles.
Take a Hint, Dani Brown is a sweet book about Dani, a professor at the University, and Zaf, the security guard for the building. After an encounter in an elevator that goes viral, Dani and Zaf are forced to fake a relationship for the media in order to help them reach their goals.
When diving into this book I was not aware this had a fake lovers trope, but I definitely was into it. As you probably can imagine, with their fake relationship growing in the media, Dani and Zaf grow closer to one another and find that they can bring the best out in each other. I really loved the character development for both Dani and Zaf and how they realize that they truly make each other exceptional. Dani and Zaf also had quite the chemistry so there was a great deal of steam to guide you through this book.
I really loved Take a Hint, Dani Brown but I am actually surprised that I loved Get a Life, Chloe Brown more. Both books have amazing representation of characters of color, characters with chronic illness, characters who are bisexual, and more, but for me Chloe Brown takes up more space in my heart because of how it made me begin to love reading romance. Chloe and Red are also just the sweetest characters and the way they care for each other and make each other better warms my heart.
Talia Hibbert is an exceptional author and I am so excited to read Act your Age, Eve Brown when it hits shelves on March 9th. I also will definitely be picking up some of her backlisted titles.
Running is a look that greatly surprised me! I had not been aware of this new release back in July until I saw all of bookstagram, the bookish corner of the instagram, raving about Natalia Sylvester’s debut. I immediately went to my favorite audiobook bookstore, Libro Fm to pick up a copy to read in the car because that is where I am spending a lot more of my time recently. Right away I was blown away by the audiobook narrator Frankie Corzo. Seriously, I think one of the reasons I loved this book so much and the narration could be one of the reasons because the narrator changed their voice with the dialogue the emotion of the characters. It also helps that Natalia Sylvester wrote one amazing debut.
As a big reader of young adult novels, I am always on the search for books that activate young readers and other readers of young adult novels alike to use their voice to make a change. Natalia Sylvester’s Running is definitely a novel that makes you think. Our main character, Mariana is the daughter of the GOP candidate who is running for the presidential nomination from the Republican Party. Mariana, a Cuban American, tries to stay out of her father’s politics even when her classmates criticize Mariana’s father, Senator Anthony Ruiz. After Mariana begins to see now different policies her father worked on are affecting the people around her, Mariana looks to an outspoken classmate to help her find her voice and to be able to go against her family’s image+0 fight for justice.
I thoroughly enjoyed Running not only for the incredible message of activating for social justice but also for the representation. The book centers around the Cuban American Ruiz family who firmly root themselves in their heritage. Additionally, this book looks to accurately represent the Latinx population of Miami which can be seen within all of the characters you meet within the novel. I do not want to spoil the book for anyone but there are diss some amazing and supportive LGBTQIA+ characters which I always love to see.
Although it is a young adult novel, Running, explores heavy topics of politics and family, finding your identity while being told who you should be, and advocating for what you believe in. Running was a book I really enjoyed and will recommend to everyone because it was really unique. Although I felt that Mariana’s character could be very self -centered at times, I understand that Mariana is written as a teenager and it is typical for teenagers (and adults alike) to not understand the privilege they hold.
Overall, young adult readers who enjoyed Red, White, and Royal Blue and With the Fire on High will love this book. If you are looking for another review of this smashing debut, check out FBC founder Renee’s podcast episode with her mini review
As a big reader of young adult novels, I am always on the search for books that activate young readers and other readers of young adult novels alike to use their voice to make a change. Natalia Sylvester’s Running is definitely a novel that makes you think. Our main character, Mariana is the daughter of the GOP candidate who is running for the presidential nomination from the Republican Party. Mariana, a Cuban American, tries to stay out of her father’s politics even when her classmates criticize Mariana’s father, Senator Anthony Ruiz. After Mariana begins to see now different policies her father worked on are affecting the people around her, Mariana looks to an outspoken classmate to help her find her voice and to be able to go against her family’s image+0 fight for justice.
I thoroughly enjoyed Running not only for the incredible message of activating for social justice but also for the representation. The book centers around the Cuban American Ruiz family who firmly root themselves in their heritage. Additionally, this book looks to accurately represent the Latinx population of Miami which can be seen within all of the characters you meet within the novel. I do not want to spoil the book for anyone but there are diss some amazing and supportive LGBTQIA+ characters which I always love to see.
Although it is a young adult novel, Running, explores heavy topics of politics and family, finding your identity while being told who you should be, and advocating for what you believe in. Running was a book I really enjoyed and will recommend to everyone because it was really unique. Although I felt that Mariana’s character could be very self -centered at times, I understand that Mariana is written as a teenager and it is typical for teenagers (and adults alike) to not understand the privilege they hold.
Overall, young adult readers who enjoyed Red, White, and Royal Blue and With the Fire on High will love this book. If you are looking for another review of this smashing debut, check out FBC founder Renee’s podcast episode with her mini review
Read my full review on the @feministbookclubbox blog. Link in my bio!
“Machado writes about her relationship with an unnamed woman. Her partner throughout the novel is referred to solely with the use of pronouns which adds to the elusiveness of Machado’s detrimental relationship. However, the most chilling moments is when Machado recognizes how unoriginal her story is but how she was stepping into an abyss that is far too common but never spoken about.
Machado's story is a difficult read, but a necessary one. It truly is a story that is written for everyone to find meaningful pieces to take into their world moving forward because queer relationships deserve to be embraced in all forms, which includes support for those relationships that are characterized by abuse. Machado's story is one representation of many that need to be heard to help make meaningful changes to how we as a society view and protect those around us.
With all of this in mind, In the Dream House is a memoir best read in pieces, however, it takes a great deal of restraint to be able to put this book down to savor Machado's honest and gut wrenching story, so when picking up this breathtaking memoir, be cognizant of what you are about to read but lean in with few expectations.”
Read my full review on the @feministbookclubbox blog. Link in my bio!
“Machado writes about her relationship with an unnamed woman. Her partner throughout the novel is referred to solely with the use of pronouns which adds to the elusiveness of Machado’s detrimental relationship. However, the most chilling moments is when Machado recognizes how unoriginal her story is but how she was stepping into an abyss that is far too common but never spoken about.
Machado's story is a difficult read, but a necessary one. It truly is a story that is written for everyone to find meaningful pieces to take into their world moving forward because queer relationships deserve to be embraced in all forms, which includes support for those relationships that are characterized by abuse. Machado's story is one representation of many that need to be heard to help make meaningful changes to how we as a society view and protect those around us.
With all of this in mind, In the Dream House is a memoir best read in pieces, however, it takes a great deal of restraint to be able to put this book down to savor Machado's honest and gut wrenching story, so when picking up this breathtaking memoir, be cognizant of what you are about to read but lean in with few expectations.”
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