Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books tells the story of what happens in the small town of Troy, Georgia when Lula Dean takes a stand against "controversial" books and puts a little free library in her front yard filled with books she deems appropriate. Little does she (or the town know) that one night, two residents take it upon themselves to switch the books with banned books with the "appropriate" dust jackets on to cover them. 

This reads like a series of connected short stories as we learn how different books from the little library impact citizens of Troy. Troy has a reckoning coming as the politics of book banning and conservative ideals butt up against more moderate and liberal view points, and of course as hearts and minds are changed by reading outside of their own personal experiences. 

I really enjoyed this book, although I did at times feel overwhelmed by the long character list and similar names like Beverly and Betsy. I thought the ending was a little too saccharine, and this book was like stepping into an echo chamber for my personal beliefs. Sometimes it's nice to be in that echo chamber, but it makes me wonder if this book will find its way into the hands of those that really need it. Or will it only appeal to people who already oppose book bans?  

The best YA title I've read so far this year, Shut Up, This is Serious is the coming of age story of two teenage girls who flip societal expectations around.  Belén Dolores Itzel del Toro is smart and just wants the normal teenage experience, she's desperate to feel love and lose her virginity, and she's in danger of not graduating from high school. Meanwhile her best friend Leti is very, very Catholic, a little bit nerdy, and pregnant. 

Surrounded by their families in Oakland, CA,  Belén and Leti struggle with their personal situations and secrets while being forced to grow up by their environment and the ticking clock of high school ending. This is one jam packed, beautiful novel that feels so emotionally resonant and perfectly balanced. While it tackles so much and I did just call it jam packed, it never felt over the top to me. It was such a great representation of how overwhelming life can be as a teenager especially as societal pressures and -isms compound already difficult life transitions. 

I cannot recommend this enough and writing more wouldn't do this book justice. Just read it! 

Interesting Facts About Space captivated me and I'm so glad I read it. Our main character Enid is neurodiverse and she loves space. She can rattle off incredible facts about the universe and she's terrified of bald men. She spends most of her time listening to true crime podcasts and dating women she meets online. And she's also trying to build relationships with her sisters after their father's death. 

This book is low on plot until the final third, which worked so well for me as I enjoyed spending time with Enid. As the story progresses, Enid wants to dive into her phobia and memories she fears she may have repressed. What results is a slight mystery to be solved and a wonderful journey of self discovery that manages to be serious and respectful without being overwhelming for the reader. This book manages to stay funny and lighthearted while weaving in some serious content. 

Such a fun read and with a lovely narrator, I highly recommend! 

The Princess of Las Vegas highlights the wide range of Chris Bohjalian's writing talent. I read his most recent book, The Lioness, when it came out and it was such a fun read about Hollywood elite going on a safari in the 1950s. This book brought similarly interesting characters in a very different story. Crissy is a Princess Diana impersonator, and she has taken method acting to an extreme. She's been barely in touch with her sister, Betsy, since their mother died a few years ago. Betsy lives back in the Northeast where she works as a social worker for troubled youth. Betsy looks almost identical to Crissy, but they are a little over a year apart. 

When Betsy's new relationship brings her to Vegas, the sisters reluctantly reunite. And at the same time, management at Crissy's casino start dying. Tied up with cryptocurrency, potential mob connections, and secrets Crissy and Betsy are holding, this book is a character driven story with a mystery, not the other way around. There is some action and tension towards the end, and I feel that this would be a great fit for readers that don't want to feel scared or grossed out and enjoy characters that are messy whose stories slowly unfold. 

I went to read this title after enjoying Burnham's sophomore novel, Wait. It is Wood, It is Stone is the story of three women in Brazil. Linda is from the US, and has recently moved for her husband's new professorship. Linda is struggling to adapt to her new surroundings, which seems to be made more apparent with the addition of a maid named Marta. Linda is not used to sharing her life with household staff and struggles with comparing herself to Marta and stepping on Marta's toes. One day, Linda meets an artist named Celia who will change how all the women feel. 

This story fell flat for me because I didn't feel truly connected to the characters until near the end. I wish we'd had more access to the emotionality of the characters and their vulnerabilities earlier on. While those topics were discussed, they felt hands off until the final quarter of the story. While this one didn't quite hit for me, I thoroughly recommend Wait. 

Lisa Fipps delivers again with another emotional and important novel in verse. And Then, Boom! is the story of young boy living in poverty, being raised by his grandmother. There is often not enough food and they scrape to get by, but there is lots of love between them. This powerful book tackles a lot of tough topics- dysfunctional families, absent parents, and poverty. And it also showcases resilience, community, and found families. 

I encourage you to dive into this incredible book with your tissues at the ready! 

I really liked the first two Elle(s), and while this third installment had the best art and powerful storytelling, it also contained some really negative representation of DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder). DID was formerly known as multiple personalities and that is how it is referred to here, and I really doubt those with DID would appreciate this depiction. 

Acts of Forgiveness is a character driven story about one family and their experience when the Forgiveness Act passes, issuing reparations to citizens who can prove a direct relation to someone who was enslaved. This story combines aspects of historical and literary fiction to tell an emotionally resonant story in an unspecified future, making it very relatable and poignant as the impacts of chattel slavery cannot and will not dissipate without large scale reckoning. 

The novel primarily focuses on Willie Revel, a woman in her thirties who gave up a budding journalism career ten years ago to help her father with the family construction business. Now she is a single mother living with her parents and the business is again at a serious juncture- it seems their only option to remain financially solvent is to take a large project with a white man who vocally opposes reparations. Willie spends much of the story grappling with her morals and the financial necessities, as she also undertakes the significant task of tracing her families roots when it seems her parents and grandfather have nothing helpful to tell her. 

There is an aspect of family secrets and unraveling that hidden thread, but the focus of this story is the Revel family. From Willie's parents to her fifth grade daughter, Maura Cheeks creates depth in these characters that really highlights what reparations could mean for different generations. This book is full of powerful and beautiful writing that often made me pause and even gave me goosebumps. The Revels will be in my heart for a long time to come, and I hope you'll pick up this beautiful and important novel.