ACSDAL really, really grew on me. I've read a lot of beauty and the beast retellings and the first several chapters of this felt very similar to all the rest in kind of a boring way. But man, did it pick up. Harper was genuinely such a fun character, I loved that she was strong in a scrappy way. The plot after around 40% was original and period-drama-court-intrigue-y and stunning and full of adrenaline. I was reading this in between classes earlier today and I was so close to just saying screw it and skipping class to finish the book. (I didn't because I'm #responsible, but it was close) It reminds me a lot of ACOTAR, just because it starts out as a retelling of the same story, so there's obvious similarities there, and then branches out into more high fantasy elements.

Cool for the Summer is Dahlia Adler's spin on (idk if I can say this bc I haven't seen Adler herself say this I don't think, but oh well) a loose Grease retelling -- "summer fling transfers to my school" and all the chaos that ensues. There are obvious differences to the musical which I couldn't be happier about but mostly it doesn't matter that much, so I'm just going to move on.

I loved this book.

It spoke in no uncertain terms about a lot of the same thoughts I've had in my own journey of self-identity with regards to sexuality and reading them is always so validating. Larissa struggles with the idea that perhaps she's just had a girl crush and sometimes that's just something girls do -- that constant effort (because it takes effort) to convince herself of her own straightness reminded me so achingly of my own high school years.

Larissa herself was just such a fun interesting character -- I loved how at first she seemed like a vapid popular girl just as she seems to everyone else at her school but that as the book goes on we understand her more and more as she shows more of herself to her friends and her peers. I loved how much she loved Demi Lovato and how the song Cool for the Summer isn't just the namesake for this book but an actual plot point.

I've only read two of Adler's books so far but I fully intend to increase that number because both have been such delightful engaging reads! I highly recommend them to any who are interested.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

This book. This. Book.

The Sound of Stars follows main characters Janelle (human) and M0rR1S (Ilori) during the alien invasion of Earth by a race called the Ilori. Lovers of books, music, and art, Janelle and Morris meet and connect immediately. Embarking on a road trip to save themselves and humanity, the two bond over the universalities that connect them and the forms of expression they both love.

Right away, I loved this book. About seventy pages in, I preordered it. Janelle was a massive bookworm and having her reference the YA books I read was so fun. She was strong and brave and ace and loveable. I was slightly less attached to Morris, but I've always loved SciFi for the opportunities for the invention of wild and beautiful new worlds, and through Morris, Dow was able to do this in a fun way.

The book was also peppered with mini-chapters about Janelle's favorite band: The Starry Eyed. We get song lyrics, podcast episodes, and interviews about them, and I actually found that to be a delightful inclusion.

I think the stars just kind of aligned for me with this book. One of my absolute favorite childhood books was [b:The True Meaning of Smekday|1194366|The True Meaning of Smekday|Adam Rex|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442598983l/1194366._SX50_.jpg|1182420], and this book felt A Lot like that one, in the diverse, slightly older targeted way I've always wanted. I'm also the kind of person who not only always has to be listening to music while she reads, but the person who has to listen to The Right music, and I nailed it with this one (Dow even references the band I chose later as inspirations for The Starry Eyed (: So, like. Listen to M83 with this one just sayin).

The reason this book is four stars instead of five is the action. Dow did really well with the slower, more slice of life scenes. The action, though, felt rushed and half-baked, at times. Because of this, the climax of the book kind of fell flat for me, and the last 25% or so had me kind of losing the insane "Ilovethisbooksomuch" energy that I'd had for the entire book up until that point.

All in all, I highly recommend this book. I really, genuinely loved it, even despite its flaws. A big round of applause for our first entry on the "Favorite Books of 2020" list.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley

i just...

this level of slow burn is just not for me. and maybe its just that the slow burn of it didn't actually work and maybe its just me but there wasn't enough to sustain that slow of a burn. there needs to be more tension, there needed to be more moments to keep me interested. but there weren't and it ended too abruptly and i was left feeling just incredibly dissatisfied:(