This is essentially a short excerpt of the lives of three girls at a rundown boarding school on...the Moon? (I think?) They have to avoid angering the robot teachers, the mysterious Student Council and the various gangs that make up the student body. 

The art style is most definitely unique and conveys the rather derelict state of the school and the defeated atmosphere that surrounds the students. 

This volume definitely feels like a prologue to the actual story -- it serves mostly to set up the setting and the future of the plot. It feel cut short because of this. However, I am still excited to see the future volumes. 

Overall, a great basis for future volumes -- short, fun and creates an interesting world!

Honestly, I had not expected to truly enjoy this book -- it's a bit out of my comfort zone, now. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I not only did not hate it but also was actively invested in the story!

The writing style does at times veer just a smidge too close to mid-2010s Tumblr, but that effect is immediately cancelled out by the sincerity and honesty with which it is written. 

The story focuses, in a way, on acceptance. On inclusion, yes, but mostly acceptance. The way in which Jess lives with her biological mother's mental health situation and the impact that being a foster kid has had on her is immensely empathetic and well written. Not to mention what an important story this is! The focus on body positivity and diversity within the cosplay community is also very much appreciated. 

Motherhood and friendship are highly important here as well. I liked Barbara and the way her relationship with Jess developed -- it was all very sweet. Oscar, too, was a wonderful character. Although he is a love interest, romance is very much a subplot, which was refreshing. 

Overall, a refreshing and wholesome story!

 When a volcano eruption sends a tsunami that wrecks havoc on Mun'dai, the Kelly-Lees, along with two of the island's caretakers, are trapped there for six weeks. The time away from their lives forces them to confront themselves and what they truly want.

To be honest, this is another book that was, at least at first, mis-marketed. It's not really a cute sapphic island romance, it's more of a... Liane Moriarty novel without the mystery element.

We follow seven different characters and either six distinct plot lines. There is just too much going on, in theory. However, this book struggles with pacing which means that, somehow, despite the volcanic eruption, the plot doesn't pick up until past the 50% mark. It's a little impressive how so much and simultaneously so little is going on in this book.

Here's the thing: I can see how all of the different plot lines are supposed to connect together. However, I just don't think that it was necessary to do all of those. I liked the romance plot line -- I thought it was a bit more original than the standard romance plot. I, also, liked Matty and Parker's joint-but-not plot line, they also had quite interesting issues. Because these plot lines were also made to share space with three others, we never got to see them fully flourish. Although Jules' plot line was, personally, my least favourite, I can see the value it could have had to someone else, but, again, the fact that all of these interesting plot lines were forced to share air made them all suffocate.

The fact that there was a mini-geography lesson/history lesson whenever we switched perspectives, frankly, was quite irritating. There just really was no need for that, it added to the laggy feeling this book largely had. Past the 50% mark, the book did actually become quite entertaining and enjoyable. The conclusions were all satisfactory and the writing, generally, was quite good and even funny at times.

Overall, a rather interesting book about figuring out what you want that struggles rather badly with pacing. 

A quintessential literary novel: follows all of the trade marks of the genre, which, in this case, work to the book's advantage and were masterfully executed.

Beautiful, impactful writing that makes you want to reread the book immediately after finishing it. There are many things this book said that will stay with me for some time.

Lou is a sympathetic main character -- it is easy to like her and to emphasize with her experiences. The way in which her experiences are shown to affect her is incredibly realistic. Lou is complex and she doesn't know herself fully -- watching her slowly discover more about herself is truly a special experience.

I have never been a model, have no experience within that world but the modeling world portrayed within this book is magnetic; you can't look away from it, it draws you in and then reveals it's darker sides.

The side characters are all incredibly vibrant, impossible to forget. Each of them has their own, unique story happening off the page, something we never get to see fully. The way in which different identities are casually represented within this book is refreshing.

Overall, most definitely a book to check out if you enjoy literary novels and stories about feeling lost. 

 I've read Meryl Wilsner's debut, and the improvement from Something To Talk About to this book is clear!

At times, especially in the beginning, the book gets rather depressive-ish, a bit confusingly, but other than that the pacing of the book is quite good. The passage of time is always clearly established and you're never really confused as to what is happening or why.

This book is a very character driven story -- there isn't really a secondary plot to Cassie and Erin's romance, so if you aren't a fan of character focused stories, then this probably won't be for you.

What the characters are feeling is always expressed on the page and the book no longer focuses on the gap between the characters: the main barrier to their love is the fact that Cassie is Erin's daughter's friend.

Cassie and Erin have great chemistry, but also align as people quite well, which was really sweet to see. Their relationship has believable and not overly fast growth and you cannot help but root for them.

The friends and family relationships are a large focus of this book and their importance is never really undermined by that of romantic relationships, which is still rather rare to see in romance novels.

We never really get to see a lot about some of the events in the characters' past that are established to be very important to who they are. It would have been nice to see a little bit more development in that area but it isn't a major drawback.

Overall, a sweet and steamy romance that I enjoyed immensely.