After being benched for an entire swim season, Ty is feeling all types of ways about getting back in the water. Plagued with new body image struggles, his confidence plummets. We watch as he navigates summer camp where everyone expects certain things of him, but his anxiety and newfound eating disorder hold him back every time, impacting the way he shows up in his friendships. Readers experience Ty’s struggles with mental health, body dysmorphia, and queerness (though queerness is widely accepted and less of an actual issue throughout this story).

An absolutely adorable graphic novel that propelled me right back to the struggles of middle school. Written as diary entries, we follow along as Tuva makes goals before 7th grade starts and, ultimately, how many of those goals fall apart or come to fruition in ways she didn’t anticipate. Challenges include navigating first crushes, feeling like you’re not mature enough, and having to pick sides when your best friends are fighting. If you love Heartstopper or The Girl from the Sea, this graphic novel just might be for you!

Continuing my journey of rereading middle grade fiction from my middle school/early high school years, I dove back into the Shadow Children series. I’m thrilled to say these books (so far) still hold up over 20 years after publication. The first book introduces us to Luke who is a third child in a world where families are not allowed to have more than two children. We watch as his freedom to be outside and to socialize with his family in normal ways slowly dwindles over the years until he is forced to stay in his room (in the attic) 24/7. Luke grows lonelier by the day and starts to question how the rest of his life will pan out until one day, he encounters another third child in the neighborhood. His world is cracked open and he is forced to stand face-to-face with hard truths as he decides whether to fight for his right to exist or to live life as he’s always known.

Too violent and graphic for me to finish. Love Emezi’s writings and previous works, but this one was simply not for me. 

Not much to say about this one other than I loved it! I’ve been anticipating Beau’s backstory before she joins the Mighty Nein and this one packed one hell of a punch (POP! POP! POP! IYKYK.) I already hated her dad based on campaign two, but this graphic novel really lays out why he was an absolute POS and it was awesome to see Beau fighting back in her own way in the early years. As always, I can’t wait for the next one!

Another wholesome installment of the Wild Robot series. Roz is back home on her island with her family and friends, and all seems right in the world. Until they start hearing about a mysterious new threat known only as ‘the poison tide’. Creatures of the sea and sky are seen evacuating their homes because of this strange substance that is poisoning the oceans. When hope grows dim and resources grow scarce, Roz takes it on herself to travel the ocean floor in search of the ancient shark who can supposedly help rid the ocean of this poison tide. Roz risks her life and wellbeing, yet again, to help those she loves and learns a lot about the state of the world along the way.

Cleo and her friends sneak on board a spaceship on a mission to figure out why everyone aboard the Providence disappeared into thin air 20 years ago. The original crew had been tasked with traveling to Proxima Centauri in hopes of finding a new planet for Earth dwellers to call home. However, this group of present-day young adults manage to accidentally fire up the spaceship and the course is set for the same destination as the original Providence crew 20 years ago. Fortunately Cleo and her friends all seem to be capable of operating this spaceship and finding ways to survive the 7+ year trek to Proxima Centauri, though it helps that the ship’s hologram has taken on the form and memories of Billie (the previous captain). They must work together to problem-solve their way out of this long journey while also locating the missing crew and passengers.

Hamilton’s debut is a wild journey through space packed with queer, snarky characters that readers will instantly adore. (Seriously, the banter is SO GOOD.) This book is very character-driven and it focuses a lot more on the relationships between the current crew members and the burgeoning romance between Cleo and our ship’s hologram, Billie. If “insta-love” and “literally-cannot-touch-her” sapphic romance vibes are your jam, this is a great time! This book is marketed as both a space odyssey and sapphic rom-com, but it felt very much like a YA space romance for me (minus the one very spicy intimate scene near the end that was definitely adult). Overall, I enjoyed this read! The writing felt a bit immature at times (RE: the YA-feel of our new adult characters) and the first half was a bit of a drag for me, but the pacing picks up after a fun plot twist and there’s a tidy resolution by the end of the novel. If any of this sounds like what you’re looking for, check out this book! I’m looking forward to seeing what else Hamilton comes up with in the future.

Samantha Shannon does not MISS! The second book in the Bone Season series picks up right where the last book left off. Paige has escaped Oxford and is back in London, but has been marked as a fugitive. On the run, she returns to the Seven Dials and chaos follows her. A Mime-Lord (Hector) and his crew are brutally murdered and Paige is the number one suspect. A new Underlord must be chosen from the Syndicate, and Jaxon is intent on claiming the crown for himself. The clock is ticking as Paige rushes to uncover a plot that runs deeper than she imagined while also trying to warn members of the Syndicate the dangers of the Rephaim that have crept into London after the fall of Oxford.

We return to London and the Seven Seals as Paige begrudgingly admits she must go back to Jaxon and remain under his employ to also have his protection. He refuses to address her concerns about the Rephaim and Scion’s impending Senshield technology, so she is left to her own devices - plotting and scheming about ways to reveal the impending danger that voyants in London will face in the near future. As is so often the case in Paige’s life, she juggles multiple challenges at once, just hoping her luck will hold out long enough to help other people.

I had a little down time between finishing The Bone Season and starting The Mime Order (shout out AGAIN to the awesome discord read-along for this series!!!!), but Shannon is so good about completely immersing her readers in her books that it didn’t take long for me to bring myself back up to speed with the plot and characters. She writes political plots, intrigue, and YEARNING like no other!!! I’m trying my hardest to not get too far ahead in the read-along for the next book (The Song Rising), but I make no promises. ALL I want to do is tear through the rest of these books!

THIS IS BEAUTIFUL. If you’ve read Alice Wong’s other collection of essays, Disability Visibility, this new collection is a must-read. These essays are all first-person accounts, recollections, joys, sorrows...YOU NAME IT! All centered on diverse disabled experiences. Things get messy and vulnerable in the best ways possible, and I absolutely cannot recommend this collection enough if you’re looking to expand your views on the intersections of intimacy with disability, race, gender, and so much more than can be briefly captured here.

I love a messy contemporary romance and this one starts off with a BANG! Our female main character, Daphne, was previously engaged to Peter who very recently cheated on her with his childhood best friend, Petra, after “realizing” he had feelings for her. So now Daphne has been kicked out of Peter’s house and is resigned to live with Miles, who just so happens to be Petra’s ex-boyfriend. Their living situation is convenient, if not a little weird, as they’re both recovering from their partners leaving them for each other. The only thing that’s keeping Daphne going at this point is her job as a children’s librarian and the planning of a huge end-of-summer readathon that she’s organizing.

Life gets a little more complicated when Daphne and Miles receive a wedding invitation for Peter and Petra’s hastily organized nuptials. They decide it’s time to bond and get absolutely hammered, ultimately deciding to RSVP to the wedding. When Daphne gets a surprise call from Peter about her RSVP, she lies and tells him that she and Miles are dating now and planning on attending the wedding together as a couple. And thus, the great faking dating scheme begins. News spreads fast in a small town, so they both commit to the bit and start spending more quality time together.

As contemporary romances tend to progress, unexpected feelings come to the surface, there’s plenty of personal exploration, lots of miscommunication, and a fabulous third act breakup (with bonus drama from Peter and Petra). It resolves itself neatly in the end in the convenient ways of your standard romance novel. I loved it, I loved the readathon that Daphne organized, and I loved watching these two characters grow both independently and with each other. If you’re an Emily Henry fan or you love your romance very plot-driven – check this one out!