First of all, apologies to anyone who's upset by hearing that historical fiction is set in the 90s now. Second of all, I read this all in one setting and had a lot of fun with it. Yes, I do think it's something that millennials will enjoy for the nostalgia, but I do think a lot of today's teens are interested in the 90s and will be able to get most of these references. And I think the core story, about a high school overachiever overcoming her snobbishness about fashion and her "not like other girls" attitude, is one that is still relevant to today. I also really loved that Bethany lost a bunch of weight from having mono, briefly experienced life at that weight, and then gained back all the weight but felt better about herself because she was more confident from the next experiences she was trying. Just a nice light summer read!

A lot of folks raved about this last year and recommended it to me, but tbh there was a really long wait list for it and I had other stuff to read so I didn't prioritize it, but WOW y'all were right! My skin is healed, my crops are flourishing, etc etc. This is so sweet and charming and sexy and honestly also just soo nice to spend some time in a world where most of the people in power actually like, give a shit about the people they're governing?? Wowww

I do not like it when bad things happen to animals and I do not like thinking about how these mice acquired so many dairy products :/

https://www.frowl.org/worstbestsellers/episode-154-redwall/

The Once Upon a Con series is SO charming. I wish the first one weren't called Geekerella because I just think that title sounds so much worse than the book itself is, but anyway, I'm glad I eventually picked it up. I love that Ashley Poston just unapologetically knows what tropes she likes and is here to deliver them. The premise here I think is a bit weaker than the previous two books but the book is just too much fun to think too hard about the exact string of events leading to Rosie having to work off her debt to a mysterious homeowner for chasing a dog and knocking a valuable book into a pool.

Also, it's fun to read all of these and see the references to characters from other books, but they all really stand alone.

This is a great collection with a strong variety of voices and stories. I am extremely hung up on one particular story in which a Black girl is secretly obsessed with Friends (which, I get it, Friends is having a renaissance and all the teens are into it) even though it's a show about white people and her other Black friends don't get it. Sure, sure, but, BUT, she has a crush on ROSS?!??! Her favorite is ROSS?!?! IS ANYONE'S FAVORITE ROSS???? this is where I draw the line of believably!!!!

ahem but for more positive examples, I loved Renee Watson's story about a teen girl encountering her half-sister at summer camp and not JUST because I love all stories about summer camp, but I loved the initial prickliness of the relationship and the difference in economic class and appearance between the sisters and the way (spoiler?) they gradually overcome those differences. And Coe Booth's story about Black teen nerd love at Hackathons (which are like summer camp but for nerds)?

A great variety of stories here, will make it easy for readers to find new favorite authors to check out.

I mean it's basically a coffee table book. Fun to look through, some gorj photos, some genuinely funny weird bits, not too much substance.

I LOVE Courtney Summers and I love cults so when I got an ARC of The Project I was super stoked to check it out. It's definitely a fast-paced thriller--I'd like to re-read this because I was flipping (e)pages so fast to get through it that I would sometimes miss jumps in time and have to circle back. I might wish it had been told a bit more chronologically actually? I hate 2 say it but I think some character development/relationship development was missing in lieu of mystery-building. STILL: extremely engaging!! aaa!

When I went to check out The Westing Game I noticed Holes nearby on the Newbery shelf and I said you know what, let me also re-read Holes while I'm here. And? It also holds up so good, damn. This book about race and class and the juvenile justice system still hits HARD while managing to not be completely bleak. And again, its lack of reliance on technology makes it seem un-dated.

I loveee when books have 2 narrators and they're both so compelling that at the end of each chapter you're like "nooo" but then at the start of the next one you're like "oh good I missed you!" and I definitely felt that with Claire and Dani. I loved the way they gradually came to understand each other and to understand that their real enemies are the PATRIARCHY and RACISM. Super engaging contemporary fiction; indeed "Gossip Girl meets Speak" is a good comparison for this, and if you don't wanna read Gossip Girl meets Speak, well, I just don't know about you.

https://www.frowl.org/worstbestsellers/episode-155-ground-zero/