The Shadows Between Us was a little predictable, but I had such a great time reading it, that I didn't care! So this star rating is purely based on how this book made me feel and not how well-written its storyline is. Tricia Levenseller never fails to capture my attention with her books. The characters she creates are so loveable and you just can't help but root for them! I also have to add that I appreciated the focus Levenselller put on female friendships and female empowerment throughout the story. It was in no way "preachy" and the representation was so well done. Finally, the romance. Oh, the romance. For a YA book, the romance was so beautiful and perfectly timed. If you are looking for a YA  novel that does not have the "instant love" trope (something that is prolific in this genre), this is the book for you.

I enjoyed Only Mostly Devastated, another book by the same author, and had pretty high expectations for this title going in. Perfect On Paper lived up to those expectations and then some. I absolutely loved Darcy, the protagonist, and her unlikely new friend, Brougham. Both of these characters were really well developed and I was not ready to say goodbye to them when this book came to an end. One topic that Gonzalez, the author, makes sure to convey within this story is biphobia/bi-erasure. Being in a relationship with someone of a different gender does not disqualify a person's bisexual identity. As this is a YA book, I was really excited to see this topic being addressed because it is important that teens and other young readers are conscious of this bias.

How It Blew Up is an interesting book. The protagonist, Amir, flees to Italy after his classmate blackmails him with some private information. He fears what his conservative, Iranian family's response will be if they find out the truth about their son. His secret is that he's gay (this isn't a spoiler, it's revealed in the very first chapter). I had seen some mixed reviews about this title, but I actually really liked it. This may have been because I listened to it on audio and there were different voice actors for all of the main characters (something I am a big fan of) and the format was so unique. This title has received criticism for being promoted as a story of a gay, Muslim teenager even though religion is barely discussed in the story. Those criticisms are valid and I understand how other readers may have felt mislead by that kind of marketing. With that being said, I picked this book up on a whim and didn't know about the controversy until after I finished it. Overall, I thought it was a strong YA novel that had important representation amongst its characters.

How have I not read this title before? And Then There Were None is one of the most famous murder mystery novels of all time and I am happy to say that I really enjoyed it! It is a quick read (I binged it in a single day) and my only issue was keeping all of Christie's characters straight. Next time I tackle a mystery novel from her, I will make sure to keep a written list of who is who. I did NOT figure out the ending but loved how the epilogue brought it all together for the reader. Overall, if you are like me and this title has somehow slipped past you, make this one a priority on your reading list! It does not disappoint!

This collection of stories by Shirley Jackson was unsettling and really made me think about what is evil in this world. Many of her tales have women as protagonists and there is a very common theme amongst them of society driving the characters to their demise/mental breaking point. Going into this title, I had not read anything by Jackson before, but I am now a fan. I am sure I will not forget the eeriness of her writing any time soon.

I had really high expectations for this book solely because it was written by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, another title by Reid, is one of my favorite books of all time and I hoped that I would enjoy this one too. Unfortunately, I just could not get over my dislike for the main character in this story. I thought she was whiny and irresponsible which made reading her two storylines not pleasant. Having two concurrent storylines based on the consequences of one choice the protagonist makes is an interesting idea for a novel, but it just was not executed well. Others may enjoy Maybe In Another Life more than I did if they are not so put off by the main character's personality. 

Three teenagers, Jasmine, Quadir, and Jarrell, come together to honor their friend/brother after he is killed. Before his death, Steph wrote and recorded a lot of music inspired by his celebrity icon, Biggie Smalls. But can this trio successfully get him a record deal even if he is no longer alive? Let Me Hear A Rhyme is a fantastic YA novel. I really enjoyed reading it and Jackson, the author, did a remarkable job developing the setting for this piece of work. I felt like I was in Brooklyn, NY in the late 90s right alongside the characters. The essence of hip hop and the injustices that inspire it were thoughtfully touched upon in this fictional story and overall contributed to the quality of this novel. I cannot wait to read more of Jackson's work in the future

While I pride myself on reading books from all genres, I admit that I do not read a ton of graphic novels. However, since I take part in a monthly reading competition and one of the prompts this month was to read a graphic novel, I decided to pick this one up from my library. First and foremost, the illustrations for this book were beautiful. I read through a couple of the reviews for this title after finishing the story and I do not think the artist is getting enough recognition for their work. With that being said, I thought the story felt a little bit disjointed. It was hard to follow what was happening in each scene and I sometimes got the characters confused (especially while they were testifying in court). I've come to the conclusion that while I appreciate the graphic novel genre because they make stories more accessible to a wider audience it is just not for me.

Julie Murphy's Dumplin' series is a gift. Each book has been special in its own way and Pumpkin is no exception. I would love to see this book and its predecessor get a film adaption like Dumplin' because they are both THAT GOOD. Going into this novel, I was unsure how Pumpkin would fit with the other books in the series. I knew it was set in the same location, Clover City, but I did not know that Waylon, the protagonist, was actually in the same grade as Willowdean, Millie, and Callie (the protagonists from the previous books). So yes, the characters we have all fallen in love with are in this story as well. If you have not read anything by Julie Murphy before, you are missing out. She is one of the most talented writers in YA fiction at this point in time.