Pretty much the same review as for the first installment of the Gallagher Girls series. Great concept, meh execution. AND YET, I'll probably keep reading. 

I love the premise--a spy school for girls. The main character is the headmistress's daughter, Cameron, whose father died under classified circumstances. The main takeaway for Cammie the fall semester of her sophomore year, when she meets a boy from the town, is that spying is hard, but being a girl is harder. 

Cammie and her friends are overly starry eyed and heteronormative, and Cam's best friend, who is Black is referred to as exotic looking, so, it's not a perfect novel or anything, but it's fun enough. 

A girl gets sent to a therapeutic boarding school after she punches her stepmother (and has a history of sex, drugs, and rebellion), and of course she finds herself, but not in a predictable way. 

The lives of four upper class Saudi girls are revealed by a friend of theirs, via viral, anonymous emails. We have Gamrah, the first to be married; Sadeem, the first to be divorced; Michelle, the first to flee the country; and Lamees, the first to marry for love. The stories are mostly depressing because Saudi Arabia isn't the best place for a woman. Girls aren't necessarily consulted about whom they'll marry, once they are married, their husband have all the power, and if they're not married, they're worthless. 

The tale moves quickly, and it's not hard to keep track of who's who. 

Journalist Maura Cheeks turns to fiction to explore the idea of reparations. Her protagonist, Willie (for Wilhemina) Revel had also been a journalist, but family obligations forced her to choose a different path, helping her father, Max, run his construction business. An old professor of Willie's, now president of the country, has introduced legislation called The Forgiveness Act, which will grant adult descendants of enslaved Africans $175,000 each to help make good on centuries of inequity. Willie's own grandfather, Marcus, suffered when the GI Bill failed to secure him a home loan or access to education because of redlining, and VA douchery. 

But guess what? Reparations are not that simple, not even including the stupid name. Forgiveness? How about Apology?!? White people are not happy with Black people getting a handout, especially Black people who aren't poor. And guess what again? Only people of means are able to fund trips to southern historical societies to search for documentation to prove their ancestors' enslavement. It's a mess! 

It's a heartbreaking concept that is well explored via Willie and her daughter, parents, grandparents, and friends. Highly recommended!

My sister recommended this book to me, and I've been recommending it to others. Thanks, NetGalley for the free ARC. 

Spears's family and conservatorship are beastly. I think she probably did (does?) have some stability issues, but she was done wrong by the people who should have cared, rather than profited, off of her. 

The book is a decent read and feels true to Spears's voice. Her ghostwriter did a good job, though she doesn't name Sam Lansky in her acknowledgments "my collaborators (you know who you are)" which is like not tipping at a restaurant. 

She is relatable

and this is a devastating revelation

Graciela and Park, who is new to town, have a terrible secret in common that unfolds throughout the narrative. Ciela works in a pastelria and has an inherited gift--the ability to know what pastry people want even before they know themselves. Only after the Bad Thing happens, Ciela can only see shards of glass, rather than customers' sugary desires.

Ciela and Park, who defies the perfect YA boyfriend trope by being broken himself, repel and attract each other as they discover in greater clarity what was done to them, what they were forced to do to one another.

I didn't find The Mirror Season to be the most compelling read, but there is definitely something to the magical and mortal elements of their tale--and some lovely language, like "...the kind [of girl] with a laugh so buoyant it sounds carbonated."

Pony is new at his Texas high school. He has fled his old school where everyone knew him by a different name and gender. On his first day he locks eyes with cheerleader Georgia, who is recovering from a betrayal by her football player boyfriend. The two strike up a friendship and maybe a something more-ship, and Pony has to risk telling Georgie who he is. His BFF, Max, from an LGBTQIA+ group wants Pony to stand up for his queer and trans community, but Pony isn't ready. The truth inevitably comes out. 

Pony's is a heartwarming, aspirational story with with Good Cis People, and of course bad ones. It's a little annoying that Georgie gets to be a hero, but I guess the reality is that trans people can't make change all on their own. They need real allies, even if it takes them a while to get there. 

Max is funny

Just wasn't my cup of tea right now. Relentlessly depressing.