may i just say: this book was AMAZING. i was really really excited for it to come out, and it exceeded all expectations almost immediately. tashie bhuiyan has created characters that are so lovable and lifelike, i genuinely felt every moment of their happiness, anxiety, pain or love as my own. karina is such a lovely MC—she’s anxious, a people pleaser, a book nerd, but she’s also a fighter and can handle her banter. i love her and her counting. ace was a perfect love interest, especially for a YA novel. it was so nice to see him be a supportive, understanding and respectful person no matter what (i am tired of toxic male characters now and forever). from the premise to the characters to the tiny little details, this book was perfect. please read it and then talk to me about it.

this book was such a lovely read—honest, a bit heartbreaking, funny, and just perfectly genuine. charlie was a character that i found myself endlessly enamored with and was so grateful to witness her growth and journey throughout the story. i loved amelia and brian, too, but the firm focus on charlie was what i really appreciated about this story—it all comes back to her, whether it be joy or anger or humor or frustration or love, love, love. not every high school coming-of-age novel does that, and this one felt like a breath of fresh air that i don't want to lose. more books like this in 2021, please.

big thanks to netgalley and bird upstairs for sending me an ARC! all thoughts are my own.

daddies and daughters stick together was a fun, colorful read that shows kids all the different ways families interact and take care of each other! i thought it was really important that the father in the story is shown not only taking good care of his daughters without the mother present, but enjoying it. the two daughters, diari and fatima, are shown saying affirmations, taking care of their natural hair, learning several new languages and overall having a great day with their dad. the dialogue feels a little bit over-exaggerated, but i can hear it working well in a storytime setting. the illustrations are very bright and warm, too, and it was a great, diverse story that should be shared.

big thanks to netgalley and kind world publishing for sending me an ARC! all thoughts are my own.

a great way to help young children visualize and accept their hardships and rough days! by taking readers through the main characters's hard time start to finish, the struggle bus shows kids that bad days aren't linear, and that there are things to help -- but letting yourself feel what you feel is good, too. the rhyme schemes flow really well and will make for fun readalouds, and the prompts at the end gives kids and their caretakers easy ways to talk about bad days, along with some tips to feel better when you're on the struggle bus.