#contemporary YA

[franticvampirereads]

This was such a sweet story! I loved the focus on family, cooking, and finding happiness is unexpected places. I loved Dylan, he was so kind. Especially when he was dealing with an asshole customer or his boyfriends (very rich and slightly obnoxious) family. And Theo, the fake date/boyfriend was such a sweetheart. I loved that he just wanted to hangout and be around Dylan and his family. I also loved how close Dylan’s family was and that they actually acted like a family with all the teasing and jokes and working together. It was just so nice to see in a YA book!

Honestly, I think this is gonna be one of my favorite books I’ve read this year! It felt like home, even though I’ve never been to Brooklyn or had the chance to eat some of the foods mentioned in the story. It was just that good. Fake Dates And Mooncakes is getting five out of five stars!

Reading Challenge Prompt Fills:

Alphabet challenge: F

Romance Readathon: a romance with one of the colors of a sun on the cover (orange), a romance set in your favorite season, a romance by a BIPOC author

[haileygonzales]

Aro rep in my books:

Take Me to Your Nerdy Leader (Bowden Anime Club): main character Paige is alloaro. A coming of age YA novel about friends, first times, anime, finding your confidence, and art.

Strange Worlds (Jensen in the Multiverse): The main character is aroace. He vaguely thinks about it in book 1 (where he learns about the identity) and confirms it in book 2. There’s other aro and ace characters. A portal fantasy: Jensen used to be a thief. Now he’s on a quest to save the multiverse from the evil Overlord.

Ancient Magic (Gray Stone Witches): Side character turned main character, Rachel, is alloaro and bisexual. This is confirmed in book 2. In book 3 and onwards she has her own POV. An urban fantasy novel about college witches who struggle to survive in a dangerous magical world while an enemy lurks in the shadows.

Luvian Code: main character, self-love Cupid, Theodosius is aromantic. A cozy urban fantasy novella about him reluctantly mentoring a fledgling Cupid, Kai, and teaching him the equality of the seven loves.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

❤ New Romance Books Coming Out This Fall

🍁 The leaves are changing, the air feels crisp, you have a pumpkin spice latte in hand...all that's missing is a swoon-worthy romance that gets your heart racing! Save this list to add these fall romance releases to your autumn TBR!

🍁 Hot Hex Boyfriend - Carly Bloom ❤ Fall for Him - Andie Burke 🍁 The Royals Upstairs - Karina Halle ❤ The Slowest Burn - Sarah Chamberlain 🍁 Love and Sportsball - Meka James ❤ Adam & Evie’s Matchmaking Tour - Nora Nguyen 🍁 Deja Brew - Celestine Martin ❤ Make the Season Bright - Ashley Herring Blake 🍁 The Holiday Honeymoon Switch - Julia McKay ❤ Love You a Latke - Amanda Elliot 🍁 The Wedding Witch - Erin Sterling ❤ Bull Moon Rising - Ruby Dixon 🍁 Sleeping with the Frenemy - Natalie Caña ❤ Pickleballers - Ilana Long 🍁 The Co-Op - Tarah DeWitt ❤ Puck & Prejudice - Lia Riley 🍁 The Muse of Maiden Lane - Mimi Matthews ❤ To Kill a Badger - Shelly Laurenston 🍁 Golden Lord - Mary Jo Putney

[wahlpaper]

The No-Girlfriend Rule Review

The No-Girlfriend Rule by Christen Randall - 5/5 - Contemporary YA WLW

One of my best friends discovered Christen Randall's The No-Girlfriend Rule and knew I was meant to read it. I put it on hold as soon as she told me about it and it was my turn before the month was up. It was 100% up my alley! D&D, a fat main character, struggles with anxiety, basically being raised by a single mom, struggles with money, figuring out one's queer identity at the end of adolescence. The only thing I couldn't relate to was the main character's drawing skills, but even that I'm practicing! 

At the start of The No-Girlfriend Rule, Hollis is looking for a Secrets and Sorcery game (fictionalized Dungeons and Dragons) to join. It's her boyfriend's favorite thing and she enjoys the art in the manuals. She would join his game, but the leader has a no-girlfriends rule. After a really bad session in a game store, she spots a flier for an all-girls game. She takes a chance on it and falls in love with the game. One of her fellow players is Aini, a girl playing a suave bard. As Hollis and Aini's characters flirt in-game, real feelings start to arise for the players. Hollis will have a lot to figure out about herself, should she choose to.

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[andiree]

The arcs have arrived 💗😭

[goddessofwisdom18]

POV: You're a basic white girl in 2014 and you just moved into your new NYU dorm only to find out your roommate is a tomboy minimalist philosophy major

[ismahanescorner]

Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating | Book Review

Author: Adiba Jaigirdar

Genre: YA Contemporary, Queer YA

Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books

Release date: 25/05/2021

Rating: 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:

Everyone likes Hani Kahn—she’s easy going and one of the most popular girls at school. But when she comes out to her friends as bisexual, they invalidate her identity, saying she can’t be bi if she’s only dated guys. Panicked, Hani blurts out that she’s in a relationship…with a girl her friends absolutely hate—Ishita Dey. Ishita is the complete opposite of Hani. She’s an academic overachiever who hopes that becoming head girl will set her on the right track for college. But Ishita agrees to help Hani, if Hani will help her become more popular so that she stands a chance of being elected head girl.  Despite their mutually beneficial pact, they start developing real feelings for each other. But relationships are complicated, and some people will do anything to stop two Bengali girls from achieving happily ever after.

Review: TW//: islamophobia, racism, biphobia. 

I had high hopes going into this one cuz I’ve already read this author’s debut and loved it dearly; and guess what? this book didn’t disappoint!  I really liked the story! It’s a well done fluffy sapphic YA romance that featured two amazingly flawed characters!  I had my personal gripes with both of the mcs at times and their decisions; however, I understand they’re teens and they’re supposed to make plenty of mistakes!  What made me dock a star from my rating is that I wasn’t satisfied with how the conflict at the end was resolved, or rather swept under the rug. I wish if Hani gave us a little glimpse and spoke about her friendship status! 

Definitely recommend it!

[prose-mortem]

When It All Syncs Up ARC Review

Rating: 5/5 Stars

When It All Syncs Up was so good, I was shocked to learn that it is a debut! Sixteen-year-old Aisha is experiencing racism and bullying at her ballet school in Alberta, so when she is given the opportunity to audition at a new school in Toronto and be closer to her best friend (Neil), she leaps at the chance. She is forced to reconcile with Neil's hardships while holding space for her new love interest (Ollie) and her own mental health issues. Aisha has a complicated relationship with her body and food thanks to an abusive mother and previous dance teacher who pushed her to conform to the standard, "ideal" ballerina body. When she and Neil have a difficult time connecting during their dance duos, her estranged mother starts contacting her again, and Aisha starts noticing that her mental health is spiraling, she is forced to choose between who she has been told she has to be to seem worthy to others and how to find her worthiness in who she naturally is.

This book made me cry, and it gives some valuable insights into how harsh the ballet world can be, specifically for Black people. We've heard plenty of stories about white ballerinas and the struggles they face in the industry, but this narrative adds many more layers and delineates how much harder it is for Black ballerinas just to exist in the same spaces as their white peers. The mental health journeys in the book are relevant and relatable, and the author did a fantastic job of representing them. As someone who experienced depersonalization a lot in my teen years due to abuse, I really resonated with that precinct of Aisha's story. I am not flippantly saying this because it is Black History Month (this book came to me unexpectedly)- When It All Syncs Up is truly one of my favorite books so far this year, and I think it is a staple in contemporary YA readership. Buy it for yourself, buy it for your age-appropriate teens, and take the time to really digest it. (The author has clear content warnings at the beginning of the book for those who want to make sure they can read it safely.)

I will read anything Maya Ameyaw writes in the future. These characters were so real and well-developed. When It All Syncs Up should be required reading for any dance school's students in order to cultivate awareness, acceptance, and allyship of/for Black people's experiences in the industry. High school libraries should have this on their shelves as well. Thank you to Netgalley, Maya Ameyaw, and the publishers at Annick Press for sending me an e-ARC of this gem. I will be recommending it to everyone!

[meagankimberly]

If You Could Be Mine Review

Disclaimer: Some of the links in my review for If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan are affiliate links. If you click them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. The decision of whether or not to buy something is completely up to you. A version of this book review first appeared in The Lesbrary. Summary of If You Could Be Mine Childhood friends Sahar and Nasreen are desperately in love,…

[tracyerler]

Fearless-inspired Flash Fiction

Taylor Swift and my Leah Novel crossover in this installment of #flashfictionmagic September, Junior Year Leah closed the front door behind her, the smile on her face growing. “Well, how was it?” her mom asked from her favorite chair in the living room. Continue reading Fearless-inspired Flash Fiction

[the-worlds-between-pages]

Dungeons and Drama by: Kristy Boyce

Published by: Random House Publication Date: January 9 2024 Firstly, as always, a big thank you to NetGalley and Random House. I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Let’s get into it. I DNF’d this book. Early too. Why? A few reasons actually. The characters felt a little flat which made it hard to really care about them and their motivations. And when describing a…

[flaviathebibliophile]

The Blackwoods by Brandy Colbert (ARC Review)

Title: The Blackwoods Author: Brandy Colbert Type: Fiction Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Historical Publisher:Balzer + Bray Date published: October 3, 2023 A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by Harper Collins Canada in exchange for an honest review. Paid ad. Ad. Sponsored. The Blackwoods. Everyone knows their name. Blossom Blackwood burst onto the silver screen in…

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

[wahlpaper]

Forget Me Not Review

Forget Me Not by Alyson Derrick - 5/5 - Contemporary YA WLW

Having recently met Alyson Derrick at a Rachel Lippincott event (pictures of me and the couple below!), I was made aware of a book Derrick had written without her wife. That book is called Forget Me Not. It's an amnesia love story for two young adult women in a small town. I had assumed it would be too serious for my liking, but I was hooked from the very start. I'm happy to report that this story is not a tragedy! 

Stevie and Nora are going to get out of their bigoted small town, escape to California, and leave their past completely behind. Except, just a few months before, Stevie falls and hits her head. When she wakes up in the hospital, she can't remember the last two years! When she starts trying to fill those gaps, she's shocked to find how many secrets she's been keeping and how much life has changed in just 2 years. Stevie doesn't remember her relationship with Nora or discovering that she isn't straight, but she's drawn to her anyway. Will Stevie get all the answers she's looking for or will she be stuck in that town forever? 

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[hollymbryan]

Blog Tour: Top 5 Reasons to Read THESE BODIES BETWEEN US by Sarah Van Name! #tbrbeyondtours

Welcome to Book-Keeping and my stop on the TBR and Beyond Tours blog tour for These Bodies Between Us by Sarah Van Name! I've got all the details on the book below, plus my top 5 reasons to read this YA magical realism novel. Read on!

About the Book

title: These Bodies Between Us author: Sarah Van Name publisher: Delacorte release date: 12 March 2024

Four girls. Four girls skating home, both sides of the road, fearless. Four girls at the mouth of an infinite ocean, sugared and salted with sand and seawater, the tide licking their sunburned feet. This summer, they’re going to disappear. For seventeen-year-old Callie and her best friends Talia and Cleo, every summer in their small North Carolina beach town is as steady as the tides. But this year, Cleo has invited enigmatic new girl Polly to join them, creating waves in their familiar friendship. And Cleo has an idea, gleaned from private YouTube videos and hidden message boards: they’re going to learn how to make themselves invisible. Callie thinks it’s a ridiculous, impossible plan. But the other girls are intoxicated by the thought of disappearing, even temporarily—from bad boyfriends, from overbearing families, from the confusing, uncomfortable reality of having a body altogether. And, miraculously, it works. Yet as the girls revel in their reckless new freedom, they realize it’s getting harder to come back to themselves… and do they even want to? Content Warning: eating disorder, death, abusive relationship

Add to Goodreads: These Bodies Between Us Purchase the Book: Amazon | B&N | Bookshop

About the Author

Sarah Van Name grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina and now lives and works in Durham with her family and dog. She is the author of two young adult novels, The Goodbye Summer (2019, a Junior Library Guild pick) and Any Place But Here (2021).

Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram | Goodreads

Top 5 Reasons to Read

She's a hometown author! I was so excited to see a book from an author who actually lives in my town (Durham, NC).

The book explores the unique pressures of being a teenage girl through the use of magical realism, with the girls learning how to turn themselves invisible.

There is an unflinching look at an abusive teen relationship, one that's important for teens to read about because it doesn't involve (*yet*) being physically abusive. It's important for teen girls especially to recognize the signs of a toxic relationship and to have the strength to get out.

There is also a sensitive look at eating disorders, and how being invisible would appeal to a girl who hated her body and had body dysmorphia.

While a lot of YA (and adult) fiction often involves toxic female friendships (which, don't get me wrong, I also love reading about!), I love the fact that this book focuses on the purity and strength that actually exist in most friendships between girls and women. These girls would do absolutely anything for each other, and in the end that is truly put to the test.

I encourage you to read this, and to put it in the hands of the teen girls you know. I think it will speak to them, as it has done for me even at my way-past-teen-years age!

Rating: 5 stars!

**Disclosure: I received an early e-copy of this book for purposes of this blog tour. This review is voluntary on my part and reflects my honest rating and review of the book.

Make sure you check out the Instagram tour too! You can find the full schedule here, and my post can be found here.

[thinks-to-thought]

hi

just wanted to say,, i have a bookstagram account,,,

if anyone is interested

or likes books

particularly YA fiction, contemporary n thrillers

if u follow me i will love u forever /lh