I picked this up on a whim at the library and for the first 50 pages, I wasn’t so sure about it. By the end of this first volume, I was smiling and really enjoying the read.

I Think Our Son is Gay is a very well illustrated manga that does not overly rely on exposition. The story is told from the point of you of the mother, which I really enjoyed. For the first half, the characters felt very flat and simple. I was unsure about reading. 

In the second half, the character development improved and we saw more depth from the mother and the eldest son. There was also significant development of the father’s perspective. I am hoping for more development of the younger brother in future volumes.

I mean if you’re looking for queer positive representation in manga  and a fun read, this is a good choice.

Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl is possibly the best YA contemporary that I’ve read. It is certainly amongst the best. 

The story focuses on Monique, a Black teenage girl, who is trying and failing to have sex with her boyfriend of two years. She’s also the daughter of a preacher and lives in a socially conservative community, or so she believes. To make matters worse, Monique’s older sister, Miracle, was disowned when she had premarital sex. 

When sex doesn’t happen, Monique gets dumped by her boyfriend and the story kicks into gear as she searches for answers to her problem. Along the way, she finds new friends and discovers more about who she is, separate from the expectations of her parents. 

I absolutely loved how this book did not shy away from anatomical language and medical conditions. I also loved the friendship dynamics and the dive into complicated family situations; it all felt very sincere and realistic. 

I have no complaints about this book. I think this an exemplar of what a YA contemporary in 2022 should be, diverse, heartfelt, educational while fun, and not afraid to hit the hard topics. 

I have read all of the graphic novels in the Click series and this might be my favorite. Clash is about Olive’s experience with a new girl at school named Nat. 

Olive is asked to help show Nat around. If you’ve read the previous books, you may remember that Olive is a kind person who wants to be friendly but she’s also just a human in middle school. Nat starts treating Olive poorly in subtle ways, and that clash is the focus of the story. As the plot progresses, the kiddos face social challenges both in and out of school. My favorite part was the Halloween party, which highlighted the great illustrations and the tension between Olive and Nat. 

I loved the way Kayla Miller handled this important experience in a way that let Olive be true to her kind self and also let her stand up for herself. I think this is a great middle grades read, with lots of fun and realistic and healthy problem solving. 

This poetry collection is absolutely perfect. I was immediately lost in Black Girl Call Home, hooked into the verses that came alive with emotion and scenes that felt so vivid, even with such few words. 

Black Girl Call Home is a collection about the experience of Black women, but the individual poems vary significantly in that broad topic. There are poems about mother/daughter dynamics, poems about slavery and unethical medical experiments, poems about having a female lover. Every poem was so strong, and they were woven together with explanations occasionally but always with poignant quotes. The style that brought the poems together was just as brilliant and impactful as the poetry itself. 

I cannot name a single thing I disliked about this book. The content is heavy, the mood is not always uplifting, but every minute I read was an exceptional experience. Please, please read this. 

The Days of Afrekete begins with Liselle Belmont preparing for a dinner party. Her husband Winn, has lost his bid for the state legislature, and the party will be to thank his supporters. Even more awkward, Liselle thinks he might be arrested by the FBI during the party.  Liselle was never too excited about her husband‘s attempt at entering the political world but she’s also using this time to reflect on how the two of them have changed and grown apart during their marriage.

Across town, Selena Octave is trudging through the same day. Struggling with problems Liselle can’t even imagine, Selena is remembering the intense connection they shared years ago. 

Inspired by Mrs. Dalloway and Sula, as well as Audre Lorde's Zami, Asali
Solomon's The Days of Afrekete is a
subtle but rich look at two women and how time has changed them, but also a look at what hasn’t changed at their core. It is a gentle nudge to consider how even brief connections with other humans change us forever. It really is a beautiful novel, a small story about what happens when we grow apart from our truest self. 

Does My Body Offend You? is a novel that brings together two very different teenage girls in the context of a discriminatory dress code. 

Malena is a recent transplant to North Florida after Hurricane Maria destroyed much of Puerto Rico. She is living with her mom, abuela, and extended family. Malena’s family is Catholic and socially conservative. Malena gets a bad sunburn and goes to school without a bra, and she is sent to the principal’s office. 

While in the bathroom crying about the situation, she meets Ruby, a sassy affluent white girl from a liberal family. Ruby is passionate about social change and encourages Malena to stand up to the biased dress code. 

As the story continues, we see the flaws and strengths of these characters and their friends. At first I was annoyed when the story focused more on typical teenage issues like romance and crashes and navigating new experiences like drinking. As the story went on I saw this as a positive, because when teenagers are facing these challenges in the real world it doesn’t occur in a vacuum from the rest of their life. 

At times I was also frustrated with the characters as they made mistakes and messed things up, but this is also realistic and I enjoyed reading about flawed characters in a Y a novel that have to learn from their mistakes. This also brought up issues of intersectionality in a real way, something I think many teenagers and adults could learn from. 

If you’re looking for a YA read that is not only culturally diverse and sensitive but also speaks to what it’s really like to make an impact, I think this is a great choice. 

The Island is tense from the first few pages. In this adventure thriller, a father, his two kids, and his new younger wife, go on vacation to Australia. Nearing the end of the vacation, the kids are disappointed that they haven’t seen koalas or other local wildlife. So their dad pays some money to take a ferry yo a private island to see koalas. Within minutes of arriving, things have taken a deadly turn and tensions continue to build as the family tries to escape the all of the dangers. 

This is nonstop action and tension in a similar style as No Exit, but with completely opposite atmosphere. The Island is hot and sweaty; you can feel the Australian sun oozing from the page. For the genre, the character development is strong. I really appreciated the character arc of the stepmother and the progression that was shown for the kids, especially the son. There is one character who I wish had been more well developed, but that character died early on. Since this novel did not use flashbacks, I understand why the character wasn’t further developed but I would’ve appreciated more information. The end had both predictable and unexpected twists, and as usual I recommend going in knowing as little as possible. 

Finally, I have to add that the audiobook was just phenomenal. The narration wise top notch, the Australian accents were well done, and there were a variety of sound effects that really added to the ambience. For example we would get sounds of car engines just before it would be mentioned in the text, there were also gunshots, rain sounds, and a handful of other noises that were tastefully done and really added to the experience, they did not read as cheesy at all. 

I think if you like a fast pace thriller this is definitely one to pick up. If you are looking for some thing to get you out of a reading slump, this might be a good pick for that too. 

While technically a collection of essays, Wow, No Thank You. reads much like a memoir. It’s in the vein of A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost. If you liked that book, you should definitely try this one from a bisexual black female author. 

This book made me laugh so hard and think about big stuff. There is a place for Very Serious books about racial and sexual discrimination but there’s also value in books like this one that approach these issues with truth and levity. It’s really a delight to read and I recommend it.