I was hesitant about this one, knowing the role Rick played in the previous book George but this was so sweet and excellent and necessary! I love seeing the ways this book was able to be different from George as it was written in a different time.

This is another short & sweet book by Alex Gino, this time following Rick as he starts middle school and learns that life is better when you get to be exactly who you are. He learns how to stand up to his previous best friend as he realizes he was a bully, gets to know his grandfather better, and makes new friends at his school's version of a Gay/Straight Alliance. He also learns about the terms "asexual" and "aromantic" and decides that one of those labels feels right, at least for now! I loved seeing Melissa, from the previous book George, a few years after we leave her, and in a super healthy and supported place! If you liked George, or are interested in queer middle grade, pick this book up!

"'Think carefully about who you spend time with. The right people - well, they can bring you great joy.'
'And the right people bring sadness?'
Grandpa Ray shook his head. 'Not even. Sometimes the right people bring sadness too. The wrong people are the people who keep you from being yourself.'"

Review to come, but I loved it! Thanks to Libro.fm for the complementary bookseller audiobook listening copy!

A fun read definitely in the spirit of Riordan's Percy Jackson series. Excited to see what comes next, and to try out the rest of the Rick Riordan Presents imprint!

I’d describe this book as a modern Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankenweiler with an alcoholic parent and queerness and trauma as central themes.

This book was a collection of slices of life of characters that I... never looked up to or wanted to be. They weren't great people, but they weren't awful, either, just very uncomfortably real and put in positions that made their uglier sides shine through. I'm still so glad this book is out there and being read by so many, as it bluntly, shamelessly, and very intentionally, addresses a myriad of topics around trans identity and community that can feel taboo. This book was not written as an educational guide for cis people, it doesn't address trans 101, it goes straight in and tells the story of these characters, of Reese, and Ames/Amy, and leaves gender, and Ames' gender most especially, messy. I loved that, and I may add to this review after my book club conversation because I'm excited to get into discussion around this book! I definitely want to read Peters' short stories after this.

My evolving relationship with this book was a little bit like Larissa/Lara's evolving relationship with Jasmine. At first, I was struggling to relate to Lara's social circle and their focus on popularity and football and cheerleading and parties and all of those things that were so, so far outside of my high school experience. I enjoyed the fast-paced, engaging plot and shifting character dynamics and the puzzle of switching back and forth between the present-day fall timeline and the flashbacks to Lara's summer on the beach with Jasmine. But something was missing, and I wasn't fully connecting with, or trusting, the narration or the arc of the story. 

And then, chapter by chapter, I found myself falling, because the truth started shining through the cracks of Lara's facade, her stubborn and real instinct to keep herself on the track she always thought she'd be on - to stay the person whose biggest dream was to stand on the stage at homecoming on Chase Harding's arm. She grows as a character so much throughout this book, but at least in the present-day timeline, a lot of her growth is in coming to understand who she's already become, and that it's okay to let yourself grow out of old dreams and into new ones. 

I loved that she got to be horny in a YA book, even if my high school experience (and honestly my life now too) was very much not full of parties and drinking I know that was happening, and getting to see a teenage girl have positive sexual experiences while discovering what she wants is just so good! As a new bookseller, I also loved that she works at an indie bookstore. And I loved the background aroace and nonbinary representation, as well as how those characters contributed to a message that there are many ways to come into queer identity, and all of them - no matter how "early" or "late" or clearly foreshadowed or totally surprising - are okay and valid and real. 

This book was a really fun and affirming read, and I'm excited to handsell its beautiful cover to customers!

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!