CW: Voter suppression, racism and microagressions, death (off page), grief, pet goes missing, anxiety attack (on page), gun violence (off page/ brief mention)

I loved this soooo much! It reminded me of The Sun is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon - I think I say this mainly bc it's a YA set in one-day. This is such a great read to introduce teens (especially BIPOC) to what to expect on election day and it will help with Election Day jitters. Marva is such a great, complex character. I loved how passionate she was about politics and advocacy. I also just love seeing protagonists who are nerdy and her having a viral Instagram account for her cat was such a fun addition to the story! Both characters are fleshed out and have personalities. You really get to see their personalities shine through the book as you learn about Duke and Marva's passions, likes, and dislikes plus their families. The Voting Booth also has conversations about voter suppression, prejudice, and white privilege when it comes to voting. Brandy Colbert is excellent and I'm so glad I got to read this. 

A sweet, sapphic romance with magic, chaos, a pet snake, and doughnuts! 

This is a great read for the Fall season as it covers Cherokee New Year and how the Cherokee people celebrate each season. In addition, there's also vocabulary included. 

could've been a duology 

CW: Ableist language, drug use, SA, alcohol, alcoholism, fatphobia.

Thank you to Libro.Fm for a copy of the audiobook through the ALC program. 

Jasmine is in limbo after college working at her family’s donut shop and trying to make the next step toward her career but doesn’t know what she wants to do. So relatable for twenty-somethings to experience after college, especially just going to college to fulfill their parents wishes. I liked the incorporation of social media marketing! 

There's a lot of expectation on Jasmine and her brother, Pat from their Chinese-Cambodian parents; especially for Jas to get a job but also get married. Mandarin and English are spoken, Jasmine does not speak Mandarin. 

Jasmine struggles with confidence and self worth due to the pressures from her parents and their comments. So she may be frustrating to read at times since she doesn't take accountability for her actions and also has a double standard. 

Jas having a double standard. She doesn’t tell her parents that she is going out with Alex, but then when Alex’s mom calls him and he doesn’t mention he’s with her, she gets mad. Though, she’s doing the same thing.

 

Overall, I think this would be a good movie! It was a relatable book and I liked how unique the setting was and the incorporation of marketing. But, the love triangle was tired and I didn't like how Jasmine didn't take accountability for her actions.

Jas hid her white bf from high school from her parents, Michael and Alex gets jealous. Though, Jas challenges him on it and tells him to stop being jealous of nothing. I do hate the jealousy tropes like that bc it shows they aren’t trustworthy or have trust issues.

 

I devoured this book like I was eating a plate of poutine. Kiss & Tell is an excellent commentary on sports injuries, kids being thrown into the public eye with no support or resources, and the way the public scrutinizes young queer celebrities; especially gay men. But it doesn’t shy away from the important topics of the way POC are treated in the music industry.

 

Our main character, Hunter Drake is a 17-year-old boy from Vancouver, BC, a Canucks fan, and a drummer. While on tour with his band, Kiss & Tell, made up of his best friends; Ian, Ashton, Ethan, and Owen, and grieving the loss of his dead and fresh heartbreak, Hunter quickly realizes he’s taking on too much. As he agrees to stage a fake dating with Kaivan, a boy in their opener, PAR-K; an Iranian-American band of brothers, in an attempt at damage control after a controversy strikes. 

 

Hunter is in over his head when The Label demands he dress a certain way and act more feminine to sell the image. The book is a great commentary on how intense the music industry can be. Hunter is a messy character who is self-centered but as his racial biases are checked, he begins to grow. I love how Khorram shows Hunter as a messy boy who holds in his feelings until he explodes and doesn’t give him a pass when his privilege is showing. 

 

Kiss & Tell hit all the right chords and doesn’t shy away from the reality of being a teenage boy. The book is sex positive and open about gay sex and men’s mental health. I had such a fun time reading this book. I highly recommend it! I do hope this isn’t the last we see of Kiss & Tell because I would love to read more books about the other characters because the boys were so much fun to read. 

 

 

As a hockey fan and someone who grew up in the One Direction fandom era, this was such a treat!  

 

 

 

This book was such a ride for me. I listened to the audiobook and I haaaated the narrator. Though I could tolerate their voice as I listened, it really took me out of the story. I do think it could've been executed better because I'm still left with some questions and in total confusion about how the royalty system works. However, in the end, I really enjoyed the romance between Ruben and Cherry. Cherry is a great protagonist and I liked the progression of their slow-burn romance. There is some miscommunication which I dislike in romance but it all made sense in the end. The ending was so satisfying! 

This was my first time reading Taila Hibbert and I'm excited to read her other books but I'll be reading them physically. I really enjoyed how well written and detailed her sex scenes were - very positive and consensual!