howlinglibraries's Reviews (1.85k)

This is pretty basic: it's just a collection of possible scenarios you might face, and things you could say to get out of those situations. Some of them are amusing, but mostly, they're repetitive and generic, like saying "I have to go pick up (insert name of person nobody at party knows) from (insert far-away location), bye!"

I definitely expected more comedy from this and I thought it would be... well, cuter? Sigh.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

DNF @ 80pg

I'm not rating this one because it's definitely just a case of a book not being what I was looking for, but this book is marketed as a dark and fast-paced psychological thriller, which is not what I've gotten so far. Instead, I've gotten two perspectives: one being Corrine, whose only ongoing thought process is her struggle with infertility, and the other being her sister, whose chapters are all solely revolving around her cranky infant daughter and the fact that her husband seems to be having an affair. I'm just very bored, and I don't particularly enjoy the writing voice, so I'm going to move on to something else.

I'm not going to bother with giving this a full, in-depth review, and I apologize for that, but this book uses a tremendous re-occurrence of a slur ("g*psy", a common slur against Romani peoples) and makes no apology for it. There's even an author note in the back of the book in which the author tries to justify and make excuses for her insistence to add this book for the sake of "historical accuracy". That's not an excuse that flies with me, and when I skipped ahead and saw this justification, I DNFed the book. There are many other terms that could've been used to ensure accuracy, that wouldn't have been so potentially hurtful.

Besides the slur usage, the writing in this story felt rather poor right off the bat and the plot was not compelling in the least. I was hoping for a dark, creepy historical fiction, but I was merely bored.

Thank you to HarperTeen for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

DNF @ ~150pg

If it tells you anything about how severely I disliked this book, I only got a little over 100 pages into it and I had a literal full PAGE of bullet points for things that I found to be nonsensical, annoying, or downright unhealthy.

I wanted so, so badly to love this book. There are so few own-voice gay books in the world that, when I saw this on NetGalley, I immediately requested it and was ecstatic when I got my approval. Plus, the fact that it was a thriller, and judging by the title, had some relation to an Alice retelling? Yes! This book was supposed to be perfect!

Unfortunately, it completely bombed for me, right from the beginning. It starts off with an incredibly unhealthy portrayal of a relationship, as the main character gushes and raves about how his ex-boyfriend (of a whopping month-long relationship) completed him:

“I was like a violin—an object that hasn’t much purpose until someone touches it, fills it with resonance, draws things from it that it can never produce on its own. Sebastian had been the one to draw music from me, and it’s why the end was so bad; before him, I’d never actually realized how painful the silence was.”

Can we please stop writing YA books that tell teens - of any sexuality or gender identity - that their significant others should complete them and bring meaning into their previously dismal, hopeless lives? It's like Twilight all over again, I swear.

The unhealthy portrayals continue as we learn that the ex-boyfriend/love interest is a black bisexual teen boy who is depicted in some of the worst possible lights. He not only flirted incessantly with other people while dating the protagonist and remained best friends with a group of kids who constantly beat Rufus up, but he then proceeded to ghost the poor kid so that he could go crawling back to his ex-girlfriend. The entire character arc for Sebastian (the ex-boyfriend) is gross. Not to mention, in the first 1/2 of the book (which is roughly what I read), his entire purpose is just a plot device - there's very little dialogue on his end at all, and he honestly just feels like a prop.

The final straw for me, however, was how unrealistic many of the events (past and present) were. Rufus is abused constantly at school, to the point of broken bones over and over again, but nobody ever steps in, including his mother (which would make more sense if she was written as a neglectful parent, but she's actually a very loving figure). There are discussions of legal matters between Rufus' parents that make no sense at all and make it very evident that no substantial research went into the laws behind these topics.

If you're looking for a queer YA thriller and don't mind complete suspension of disbelief while you read it, I would say maybe check this out, but otherwise, there are many better books in the world for you to spend your time and money on.

All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to Feiwel & Friends for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

You can find this review and more on my blog, or you can follow me on twitter, bookstagram, or facebook!

DNF @ page 49

I am absolutely not the ideal reader for this book. I was sent an unsolicited ARC of this book and despite having a really busy schedule of review copies I requested lately, I wanted to give it a try because I was incredibly appreciative of the publisher sending this to me, but I think I'm past the age of being able to deal with cranky YA contemporary protagonists being hateful to their families. I get that she's shocked by learning about this big "twist" in her family, but the way she reacts is honestly just irritating.

DNF @ 50pg

I DNFed this one so fast that I won't be rating it, but I think I'm doing the book a mercy in this decision, because if I'd read enough of it to justify a star rating, I'm pretty sure it would've been a measly 1 (maybe 2, at most).

I received this as an ARC from the publishing house without requesting it, but it sounded like an interesting premise, so I decided to give it a try (plus, the cover is kinda gorgeous, and I'm a sucker for a pretty cover). Unfortunately, the writing is a disaster. It's jumpy, feels unnatural and stilted, and every action feels utterly inconsequential. Even in the first few pages, events occur that should be a really big deal, but they just get tossed aside and breezed past for no apparent reason.

On top of that, the sexual aspects of this book... oh, boy. I have no issue with sex in books. In fact, I think it typically adds a lot to the development of the story, if done well. This, however, is not a book that does it well. In the first few chapters, there's a "fake" sex scene that gave me what might have been the worst case of secondhand embarrassment any book has given me in years. Unfortunately, I don't think it was meant to be as funny and awkward as it turned out.

If it tells you anything, this book has me strongly considering creating a Goodreads shelf titled "interesting-ideas-with-terrible-execution".

Thank you to Page Street for offering me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

All Lacey has ever wanted is to become a successful actress, and she’s done everything she can to get there—working hard, neglecting her social life, and even swearing off love altogether. It seems like her work has paid off when she lands a leading role in a horror film alongside a superstar, until her father’s over-abundance of concern forces her to work with a tutor, Donavan Lake. It seems like Donavan’s presence will only drag her down, until someone begins to sabotage her on set, and the tutor is the only one who will help her track down the culprit—and, worse yet, he’s making her question all of her own rules about love and business.

I’m pretty new to the world of Kasie West fans, admittedly; I read the first novel in this little ‘universe’ last year (Love, Life, and the List) and thought it was cute, but I wasn’t “wowed” until one of Kasie’s short stories this past Christmas became my favorite romance short of all time and put her solidly on my radar. With that track record, I went into this novel feeling like it would be the dealbreaker. Thankfully, Fame went above and beyond to convert me, and I feel pretty comfortable saying now that I’m adding Kasie West to my “auto-read” list.

→ L I K E S :

I’d never had to win anyone over like this and I had to admit, it made the small victories more satisfying.

First of all, her narrative voice itself is wonderful; like I feel every sweet romantic contemporary should be, it’s quick-paced, light, and fun without being shallow. She gets a lovely and nuanced story across without any extras or unnecessary add-ons, which makes books like Fame perfect for busting a reading slump or binge reading in one day.

Happiness was not the right word to describe how I felt. Maybe euphoric or alive. Like everything I had worked for my entire life had led me to this.

On top of that, her characters? You gotta love ‘em. They’re fun, witty, complex, and interesting. Lacey is such an enjoyable protagonist; she’s arrogant and spoiled in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way—she knows she’s a pain, but she rolls with it, and it works for her character so well. Donavan is a grouchy little fluff and I loved watching him slowly open up; plus, it was nice to see a budding romance where they communicated fairly easily instead of it being a book full of back-and-forth miscommunication.

Next to his own name he added, ‘Revenge for all the math Lacey makes him explain.’ I smirked. “I’d want revenge for that, too.”

Of course, Fame isn’t just a romance; it’s also a mystery story, and a pretty good one at that. The book flies by because you’re kept in solid suspense for who the saboteur is, and when the big reveal happens, it wasn’t the character or motive I assumed it would be, so that was a nice surprise.

→ F I N A L THOUGHTS :

Overall, Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss was a knockout YA romance for me—it was cute, fun, a quick read, had enjoyable characters, didn’t rely on overusage of tropes, and the main character is acting in a horror movie, which was such a fun detail to the story.

→ RECOMMENDING TO… :

Anyone who enjoys fluffy, cutesy romances without problematic content or overusage of tropes, as well as anyone who’s already a fan of Kasie West or similar authors.

All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to HarperTeen for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I look like I've been through a battle and lived to talk about it.

Out of all of the important sociopolitical topics covered in YA over the last few years, one thing I have constantly wished to see more portrayals of in literature is pro-choice discussions about women doing what needs to be done to retain control of their own bodies. In the last few months, there has been so much going on here in the US regarding reproductive rights that Girls on the Verge is exactly what we needed to see burst onto the scene, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

Girls on the Verge has so many fantastic points fit into this powerful little story, such as:

• The discussion revolving around the fact that birth control isn't flawless and the "just use protection!" argument isn't always enough

• The overarching theme of girls supporting girls and learning how to look past their own biases to take care of each other (because supporting a woman's right to choose doesn't have to mean you'd make the same choice yourself)

• The delightfully well-crafted references to current political goings-on (I died a little of joy every time Wendy Davis was mentioned!)

On top of all of that, though, it's just such a fun story to read. Sure, it tackles very heavy and tough topics, and it definitely made me emotional a few times (mostly just enraged by the ridiculous state of our society right now), but I also laughed so hard at so many of the exchanges between Camille, Bea, and Annabelle. These girls are hilarious and feel so real and genuine; even in little ways, they just feel human, like the way one of them always piped up with "I'll Google it!" when they were curious about the tiniest little thing — that's a very 'me' thing and I loved it. Their friendships are so delightful and lovable and I honestly, truly cherished every single page of Girls on the Verge and hope that it gets the attention it deserves. ♥

P.S. Can I just say this would make an AMAZING teen film adaptation? Get on it, Netflix!

All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to Henry Holt and Co. for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Cobain thought everything was going great with his girlfriend Molly, until she goes missing. Until everything he thought he knew about her and their relationship comes crashing down around him. Until he sets out on a mission to find her all on his own—because the police are too busy trying to pin the crime on Cobain himself.

Oof, this is a tough one to rate and review. On one hand, it was kind of addicting and I flew through it; on the other, there’s a lot to unpack here that might make this one a tough sell for a lot of readers.

→ L I K E S :

The truth is, I want to talk about her. I need to go back through every moment we shared and figure out where things went wrong.

Let’s talk about the pros first: most notably, the writing here is great. Victoria Scott is a talented storyteller and I was easily captivated by the characters and setting she laid out. The mystery was suspenseful (and, while not shocking to me, would probably draw gasps from quite a few readers), and I liked the twist at the end, even if it wasn't very fleshed-out. Overall, it’s a pretty decent thriller.

I’m thinking about Molly’s hands. How small they were in mine. Not nearly large enough to hold my heart inside them, and yet they did. But now she’s gone.

There’s also the matter of the characters, who I liked, though I don’t think I was supposed to? They’re problematic, toxic, manipulative, and flawed as hell, but I kind of enjoyed how gritty and awful they were. Granted, I have mixed feelings about recommending this book based on that fact, which I’ll get into more later. Mostly, I was stunned by how unapologetically manipulative and conniving Molly is—I don’t feel like most YA authors are willing to go there when writing a love interest.

→ D I S L I K E S :

Was there anything I wouldn’t have done for her from that moment forward? I was easy. One act of kindness and I belonged to her.

Unfortunately, I had two major problems with this book:

1) There are several plot threads that don't get tied up in the end, leaving me wondering why they were introduced to begin with.

2) The main character's viewpoint on romance and his relationship with Molly is kinda terrifying. He's super toxic and borderline abusive (maybe more than borderline, tbh). It seems at points like it's being addressed, but in the end, I didn't feel like progress was made. While it was interesting to read, it’s hard to really recommend to the target audience for this book, because I have a lot of weird feelings about encouraging teens to read this ‘romance’.

There’s also a lot of talk of mental health struggles and suicidal ideation in this story, and it’s thrown about pretty casually, so if that’s a major trigger for you, PLEASE be aware ahead of time!

→ F I N A L THOUGHTS :

Despite how quick and fun of a read it was in the moment, those two drawbacks were enough to stop me from giving this a more positive rating. I'd probably check out more work from Victoria Scott in the future, but don't think I'll recommend this one too highly.

→ RECOMMENDING TO… :

Fans of the mystery/thriller genre who don’t mind questionable endings and aren’t turned away by the underlying themes of problematic/controlling/potentially abusive relationships.

Content warnings for kidnapping, controlling/manipulative partners, mental illness, suicidal ideation, violence.

All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to Entangled Teen for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

When Joe intervenes as a young mother abuses her toddler in a gas station parking lot, he thinks he’s doing the right thing — he has no idea that he’s setting into motion a plot of revenge from a local cult, whose members will stop at nothing to punish Joe for his good deed.

Another Jonathan Janz title, another highly anticipated horror release for me — or re-release, as it were, since The Nightmare Girl was originally released years ago, but fell out of print when the original publishing house closed. I’m so glad that Flame Tree Press decided to add it to their list of Janz re-release titles, because I would have been so sad to miss out on this creepy, suspenseful tale.

As usual when it comes to Jonathan’s works, I knew I could go into this story expecting a healthy dose of creep factor, a protagonist worth rooting for, some really cringe-inducingly awful side characters/villains, and probably a little merciless genocide. Naturally, I was right, and this story hit the mark on all counts.

Something that sets The Nightmare Girl apart from the other books I’ve read of Jonathan’s, though, is just how easy it is to love Joe Crawford as a protagonist. He’s flawed and human, sure, but he’s got a heart of pure gold and his number one goal at the end of every day is just to take care of his family. There are scenes between Joe and his baby girl that totally made me melt because they feel so genuine (and, knowing how much Jonathan Janz loves his own kids, I knew it was coming from an honest place in his heart).

While The Nightmare Girl wasn’t the scariest book of Jonathan’s I’d picked up, it was one of the most quickly paced and entertaining (the police chief Joe befriends, Daryl Copeland, is a riot who made me laugh constantly — especially with that sneaky Daryl Dixon reference), and I genuinely enjoyed it so much and was sad when it came to an end. I also loved the way all bets were off in the end as the violence and murder cranked all the way up, and left me on the edge of my seat, internally panicking over who would be left standing.

If you couldn’t gather from what I’ve already said in this review, The Nightmare Girl was just one more opportunity for Jonathan to remind me why he’s become my favorite horror author, and why I keep reaching for his stories over and over again, and genuinely believe I always will.

I’d happily recommend The Nightmare Girl to anyone who enjoys horror (or even particularly dark and bloody thrillers), cult stories, and suspense.

Content warnings for graphic violence, murder, child abuse

Thank you so much to Flame Tree Press for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!