February Reviews

This month sure was. A Time. It had a lot of highs and a lot of lows, but the one consistent thing was that I read some great books!

So let's get right to it!

All The Impossible Things by Lindsay Lackey

This book had me feeling all the things. Middle grade books mess me up so bad, but also make my heart grow like three sizes, ugh.

Red has spent the last three years in foster care, bouncing from family to family, trying to control her winds. Tied to her emotions, she can control breezes and summon storms, a gift she inherited from her mother, who's finishing up a prison stint. Red's counting down the days until her mom gets out when she's sent to live with the Grooves at their strange and wonderful house. There, Red finds something she never thought she could: home, with friends and a very large turtle. But then Red's mom is released early, and it feels like a storm is brewing as Red tries to figure out where she wants to be, and if impossible things really are possible.

This book was pretty long for a contemporary middle grade novel, but every single page was full of powerful emotions. I nearly cried so many times in this book, and I was rooting for Red from the very beginning. Her growth in this book was so wonderful, and the way the Grooves allowed her to grow and make mistakes and explain herself while doing their best to make her feel loved was just so wonderful.

The descriptions in this book were so simple and effective, and it let the story drive itself, setting the scene with light layers and full of Red's feelings. It felt like every time I'd pause for a bit or finish reading for the night I was pulling my head out from underwater I was so immersed. The kids in the book were written like kids, and I loved Marvin's eccentric personality and unabashed love of his family and culture. He loved with his whole heart, and that was a testament both to him and his family/the Grooves. That's showing not telling, folks!

The use of magic in this book was so beautiful and poetically done, that sometimes I was convinced it was just a metaphor or all in Red's head, but then something would happen and I realized that, oh yeah, it's a metaphor AND a real thing. Celine's stars and Red and her mother's winds were so poignantly used that the emotion in those scenes was immediately amplified. And anything with the turtle, Tuck, was just, chef kiss.

This is a short review because I loved this book a lot and everyone should read it, thanks.

Similar to See You In The Cosmos by Jack Cheng and The Next Great Paulie Fink by Ali Benjamin

Going Off Script by Jen Wilde

I ended up with two of Jen Wilde's books at the same time, which was a fun coincidence, but this is the first one I've read.

Bex is delighted to be getting out of her tiny hometown and into LA, where an internship at her favorite TV show has put her one step closer to fulfilling her dream as a screenwriter, as well as her chance to live as her true queer self. But the internship and LA aren't quite what Bex expected, and after the showrunner at the TV show steals her script and attempts to straight-wash her new character, Bex is stuck wondering whether or not change is possible in a land of straight white men. But with the help of a beautiful actress and the support of silenced women in the industry, Bex may just find that change, and her dreams, are possible.

I'm not gonna lie, I spent a good chunk of this book fluctuating between feminine rage and queer delight. Shrupty, Bex's love interest, is adorable and the two of them are a sweet queer romance. But I was so, so angry at Malcolm, Bex's boss, that I almost couldn't enjoy all the sweet moments. I was so proud of Bex for standing her ground, though, especially after all the shit Malcolm put her through. Bex grew a lot over the course of this story, becoming comfortable with her queer identity and learning to stand up for her beliefs and morals, even if it meant risking her future.

There are a lot of really good moments in this book where Bex is thinking or talking about privilege in a variety of ways. Bex came from a poor background, and a lot of her internalized shame came from hiding her queer identity and trying to run away from the poverty she knew. She had to accept her past in order to move forward with her future, but it was really nice to see that the one things she never really doubted was her writing ability. Bex had balls of steel to hand the showrunner of a famous TV show a script she wrote the second week of being an intern. And the fact that he stole her character and episode ideas do validate Bex's ability, even if it was a wholly shitty situation (also, the edits Malcolm made to it were terrible and very much r/menwritingwomen). Straight White Men are the Worst.

The story itself was a quick read, and while I will admit that it took me like a week to finish it, the two days I spent actually reading in that time were enough to get through the book. Bex's journey to finding her safe queer space, coming to terms with her past, and trying to make it as a writer, hit a little close to home, and honestly it felt really good to witness her success story, even if I was enraged the whole time. The ending was very vindicating, though, and overall I was pleased with the book.

Similar to Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu and You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson

The Brightsiders by Jen Wilde

Okay, so I did read two Jen Wilde books back to back, but they were both really fun and queer so I have zero regrets.

Emmy King is a rock star, complete with a rather unfortunate alcohol related publicity nightmare. Swearing that she'll clean up her act and take better care of herself is way easier said than done, but luckily Emmy's friends and bandmates are there to help. But when a self care trip turns into a hookup with genderqueer bandmate, Alfie, Emmy's finding it harder and harder to keep a line drawn between work and love. It's a terrible idea, but she and Alfie continue to be drawn towards one another, even as the rest of the world tries to make it clear that bisexual Emmy is a train wreck waiting to happen (again).

I don't really swoon often for books, but whatever my version of swooning is was just about there for this book. Emmy's processing a lot of trauma between her teenage fame and her abusive parents, and so this book was quite the balance between facing and dealing with past issues and falling in love. Alfie is definitely swoon-worthy, and I loved his style and flair almost as much as Emmy did.

The queer rep in this book is fabulous. I don't think there was a single straight character, at least among the main characters. Emmy and Ryan (the third member of the Brightsiders) were bi, Alfie was pan and genderqueer, and all the other side characters were either not cis, not straight, or a lovely combination of the two. Having that sort of rep in teenage celebrities made for an interesting look at fame and publicity. I did spend a chunk of the book frustrated with Emmy's parents and ex, all of whom were gaslighting her and selling her secrets for money, and honestly Emmy, even with all her mistakes, deserved way better. I'm glad she had her friends and Alfie to help her transition into a happier adulthood.

I was also a tad frustrated with the miscommunication between Alfie and Emmy. I totally understand why it was there and that it's a commonly used tactic in romance stories, but I still wanted to reach into the pages and make the two characters actually talk to each other. When they finally did it solved a lot of problems! So! Also a common occurrence in romance stories!

There was a lot happening in this book, and while a good chunk of it was focused on the romance, the rest of it was navigating fame and being with friends and Emmy trying to figure out how to be both grateful and aware of her famous life. There were several songs either being written or performed during the book, and it was fun to read those as part of the story and the characters' growth. Music can be so important for a book about musicians, so I was glad it was included and fit these kids. It was also fun to see these characters because they had been mentioned in passing in Going Off Script as well, so this is definitely a fun world to be in.

Overall I enjoyed this story. It had a lot of angsty and upsetting parts, but they were balanced with some truly sweet romantic and friendship moments.

Similar to Permanent Record by Mary H K Choi and What I Like About You by Marisa Kanter

The Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate

This is the second book by Riley Redgate that I've read, and I really liked this one.

Following the viewpoints of seven teenagers during a high school scandal, The Seven Ways We Lie is about accepting your vices and learning to process other people's. When an announcement is made that someone has reported a teacher-student relationship, a witch hunt begins to try and figure out who's involved. The seven teenagers involved don't have much in common until suddenly they do, when they become the only ones who know the truth about the affair. Once they learn, they have to come to terms with how other people lie, including themselves.

Each perspective was written very well and with a very distinct voice. Sometimes I get lost trying to remember who's perspective I'm reading in books with multiple POVs, but this one I didn't doubt for a moment who's head I was in. There were different speaking styles, of course, but each student had little quirks as well. Juniper's chapters were all written in verse, while Matt's tended to run together a bit, dialogue clumped together. Olivia and Kat were similar, since they were twins, but still had distinct types of anger and grief.

I think each character was supposed to represent a specific kind of sin (you know, the seven deadly sins), so I did spend part of the book trying to match each person with their sin, which was a fun bonus activity for the book. I think I finally settled on: Claire as Envy, Kat as Wrath, Matt as Sloth, Olivia as Lust, Juniper as Gluttony, Valentine as Pride, and Lucas as Greed. I liked reading that many perspectives and getting to see what everyone thought about the events unfolding. I will say that I liked certain characters more than others, for example I hated Claire but really liked Valentine and Lucas, and not just because Valentine was asexual and how well Lucas handled it.

The rep was fun, with pansexual Lucas and asexual Valentine, and they dynamic was probably my favorite in the story. All the characters had really interesting perspectives and cool dynamics. The different relationships were so fun too, from sibling to friendship to romantic, and though it made me uncomfortable, even reading about the teacher-student relationship was interesting.

Overall, this was a neat book about a taboo topic, and I thought it was handled delicately while still telling a compelling story.

Similar to Little and Lion by Brandi Colbert and This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

Be Dazzled by Ryan La Sala

I'm not normally super into second chance, get together after a break up stories, but this one was really just a well-written and entertaining story.

Raffy loves to craft and he's good at it. His cosplay is popular and his crafting streams are gaining some traction, despite his mother's vehement disapproval of his art. Still reeling from a the break up with his ex-boyfriend and crafting partner, Luca, Raffy's trying to burying himself in cosplay, because if he can prove he's good enough to win alone, then maybe he'll stop feeling terrible. But when he and Luca are thrown together for the most important competition of Raffy's career, it'll take a lot of crafting supplies and trust to find a way to succeed. And maybe, just maybe, fix his relationship with Luca.

This story was told in alternating timelines, through the development and subsequent fall out of Luca and Raffy's relationship and the con weekend where they're forced together again. And that made for such a dynamic story, oh man, I went back and forth on loving Luca and Raffy together and being terrified of the inevitable end. And while their relationship fallout did piss me off and feel so sympathetic for Raffy, I did like that they were able to (spoiler alert) figure their shit out. The breakup being so close to the reconnect page-wise made it a little difficult, since it meant I was mad at Luca even after he and Raffy had made up, but I got over it.

Raffy's world of crafting and cosplay was so cool. I loved reading about the process of creating these costumes and pieces, and getting to see all the hard work that went into making something like that (and all the research that La Sala clearly put into writing this book). This book was full of nerdy and fun references, some of which I got, some of which I didn't, and a good chunk of which I am convinced were made up for the story.

The other characters in this book were well done in all their complicated glory. Raffy's anxiety and self-awareness made it feel like I not only got to know him, but that I could see and read the reactions of the characters around him. Inaya was complicated and I, honestly, did not like her, but I loved May. Luca felt performative, but that was used to disguise his anxiety and fears, and he was a complicated character to read about in the sense that he was the love interest and the heartbreaker all at once, so I got to both like and dislike him all at once.

The plot was such a fun time, and I honestly had such a good time reading it. La Sala's descriptions and ideas are fresh and fun, and I had a hard time putting the book down. I was hesitant to pick it up, since I have such a hard time with break up/make up stories (as previously stated), but I'm very glad I did. I love art and nerdy things and second chances, and it helped that it was wrapped up in a beautifully written queer bow.

Similar to Chaotic Good by Whitney Gardner and Reverie by Ryan La Sala

You Asked For Perfect by Laura Silverman

I struggled a lot with this book because it felt directly tied to my current job and that was not a great time. The book itself was well written and I liked it, I just perhaps should not have picked it up at this point in time.

Ariel has spent every moment of his life leading up to senior year preparing to be the best. He wants to go to Harvard, and if that means balancing a few too many AP classes, first chair violin, volunteering, and an active synagogue life, then he's going to do it. At least, until a failed calculus quiz puts it all in jeopardy. Enlisting the help of cute Amir, Ariel starts to put his life on track, as well as start to see how cute Amir is. As they get closer, all the things Ariel is trying to juggle start to fall apart, and he has to take a hard look at what actually matters to him.

Like I said earlier, a book about a teenager trying to apply to college and balance life around what is considered necessary to succeed is...well, let's just say that my job means I work very closely with about one hundred and thirty kids (give or take ten) exactly like Ariel every single year. And every single year is stresses me out. I want to shake these kids and tell them that, yeah, sure college matters and you should want to succeed, but is it really worth all this stress? Is it really worth crying with me or yelling at me over the phone? You will end up where you need to be, you will go to a good school even if that school isn't Harvard, please do not neglect yourself, your relationships, or your mental health in your pursuit of being the best. There is more to life than good grades or the best application.

So, yeah, clearly I have a Lot Of Feelings about this topic. And this book was good, it has an important message about work and life balance and recognizing what's important in life. I just for sure wasn't the target audience and cannot properly pass judgment.

I did really like the different characters in this book and the way they all struggled with both similar and different things. Silverman really went out of her way to show that every single person has something they are stressed and worried about, something that they are dealing with, even if you don't see it. Even the characters that Ariel dismissed as "having it easier than him" were struggling, and Ariel's empathy and sympathy for them increased when he finally took the time to look at something that wasn't himself.

The diversity was also great, from religion to race to sexuality, and I loved that a matzo ball soup recipe was included in the back of the book. I will be making soup and trying to not be stressed out about other people's college applications. Or, at the very least, I will have soup.

Similar to: Sprout by Dale Peck and The Dangerous Art of Blending In by Angelo Surmelis and my real life where I know this kid times one hundred

And that's it! That's all she wrote, folks! Tune in next month for more books and practically noncoherent reviews!

Keep writing!

Sam

Literary recommendation: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Media recommendation: WandaVision (2021) created by Jac Schaeffer