Jill lives in Toronto, Canada. She has studied English, Creative Writing, and Publishing. Jill is the creator and content producer of Jill’s Book Blog, where she has published a blog post every day for the last four years, including 5-7 book reviews a week. She can usually be found with her nose in a book.
This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.
The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed. The expected publication date is September 1, 2020.
Goodreads Synopsis:
Perfect for fans of The Hate U Give, this unforgettable coming-of-age debut novel explores issues of race, class, and violence through the eyes of a wealthy black teenager whose family gets caught in the vortex of the 1992 Rodney King Riots.
Los Angeles, 1992
Ashley Bennett and her friends are living the charmed life. It’s the end of senior year and they’re spending more time at the beach than in the classroom. They can already feel the sunny days and endless possibilities of summer.
Everything changes one afternoon in April, when four LAPD officers are acquitted after beating a black man named Rodney King half to death. Suddenly, Ashley’s not just one of the girls. She’s one of the black kids.
As violent protests engulf LA and the city burns, Ashley tries to continue on as if life were normal. Even as her self-destructive sister gets dangerously involved in the riots. Even as the model black family façade her wealthy and prominent parents have built starts to crumble. Even as her best friends help spread a rumor that could completely derail the future of her classmate and fellow black kid, LaShawn Johnson.
With her world splintering around her, Ashley, along with the rest of LA, is left to question who is the us? And who is the them?
Title: Date Me, Bryson Keller Author: Kevin van Whye Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT, Romance Publisher: Penguin Random House Source: Publisher Format: Paperback Release Date: May 19, 2020 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
What If It’s Us meets To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before in this upbeat and heartfelt boy-meets-boy romance that feels like a modern twist on a ’90s rom-com!
Everyone knows about the dare: Each week, Bryson Keller must date someone new–the first person to ask him out on Monday morning. Few think Bryson can do it. He may be the king of Fairvale Academy, but he’s never really dated before.
Until a boy asks him out, and everything changes.
Kai Sheridan didn’t expect Bryson to say yes. So when Bryson agrees to secretly go out with him, Kai is thrown for a loop. But as the days go by, he discovers there’s more to Bryson beneath the surface, and dating him begins to feel less like an act and more like the real thing. Kai knows how the story of a gay boy liking someone straight ends. With his heart on the line, he’s awkwardly trying to navigate senior year at school, at home, and in the closet, all while grappling with the fact that this “relationship” will last only five days. After all, Bryson Keller is popular, good-looking, and straight . . . right?
Kevin van Whye delivers an uplifting and poignant coming-out love story that will have readers rooting for these two teens to share their hearts with the world–and with each other.
Review:
At a New Year’s Eve party, Bryson Keller, the most popular boy in school, is dared to date a different person every week until Spring Break. The catch is that they have to ask him to date on Monday morning until Friday afternoon. When there are just a few weeks left to go in the dare, Kai Sheridan is paired up with Bryson for a drama project. On a whim, Kai asks Bryson to date that week. The rules said that a person had to ask him, not specifically a girl, though that was assumed. The problem is that no one knows that Kai is gay, so Bryson and Kai have to hide their fake dating for the week. Their new relationship becomes more than just a dare when they have to explore their identities.
I loved this story so much! Kai and Bryson were adorable together. The first two thirds of the story were filled with fun fake dating, where everyone was happy. In the last third, there was more conflict, but it was unavoidable with so many lies about the fake dating.
Kai and Bryson were so cute, but there was also a layer of lies since no one knew Kai was gay. He had to hide it from his friends and family, because he didn’t think they would accept him if they knew. He had a bad experience with a friend that he told when he was younger, so he was afraid to share his secret. The story addressed the way that everyone is automatically assumed to be heterosexual. Kai figures that any guy who he likes won’t like him back, because they are straight. Sexuality shouldn’t be assumed for anyone, but we often automatically make a decision based on how someone looks or who they date. Though Kai’s story is fictional and has a hopeful ending, it’s important to recognize that there are many people who don’t have such a positive life when coming out.
This is such a great story!
Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
Have you read Date Me, Bryson Keller? What did you think of it?
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Authors I’ve Read the Most Books By. Here’s my list:
1. Leigh Bardugo
2. Sarah Mlynowski
3. Marissa Meyer
4. Tahereh Mafi
5. Michelle Hodkin
6. Philippa Gregory
7. J.K. Rowling
8. Victoria Schwab
9. Maggie Steifvater
10. Raina Telgemeier
What’s your list of books on your Top Ten Tuesday?
Title: The Black Swan of Paris Author: Karen Robards Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: MIRA Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: June 30, 2020 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
A world at war. A beautiful young star. A mission no one expected.
Paris, 1944
Celebrated singer Genevieve Dumont is both a star and a smokescreen. An unwilling darling of the Nazis, the chanteuse’s position of privilege allows her to go undetected as an ally to the resistance.
When her estranged mother, Lillian de Rocheford, is captured by Nazis, Genevieve knows it won’t be long before the Gestapo succeeds in torturing information out of Lillian that will derail the upcoming allied invasion. The resistance movement is tasked with silencing her by any means necessary—including assassination. But Genevieve refuses to let her mother become yet one more victim of the war. Reuniting with her long-lost sister, she must find a way to navigate the perilous cross-currents of Occupied France undetected—and in time to save Lillian’s life.
Review:
Genevieve Dumont is a famous singer in Paris, known as the Black Swan. While she performs for Nazis at night, she works with the Resistance during the day with her manager, Max. Genevieve’s estranged mother, Lillian de Rocheford, is captured by Nazis. Lillian has information on an invasion, so they plan to torture her until she tells and then kill her. Genevieve has to use her secret contacts to find her mother in time.
This story was so suspenseful. There were many twists. I became invested in the story very quickly because it was so detailed. It wasn’t clear at first how Lillian and Genevieve were related, but it was revealed a few chapters in. There were some details about their relationship that weren’t revealed until later in the book, which kept me guessing throughout my reading.
I find the stories of spies during the war so fascinating. They had to use subtle ways to communicate, so as not to be noticed by the enemy, yet they were often found out. Without technology they had to rely on small scraps of paper and nicknames. It’s amazing the way the espionage worked back then.
This story was a tearjerker. The setting of World War II gave the story a dark atmosphere. Even without the war, Genevieve had a heartbreaking past. The story was upsetting at times, but so good.
This is such a great story!
Thank you HarperCollins for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
The Queen of Paris: A Novel of Coco Chanel by Pamela Binnings Ewen
The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham
About the author:
Karen Robards is the New York Times, USA TODAY and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of more than fifty novels and one novella. She is the winner of six Silver Pen awards and numerous other awards.
This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!
What I just finished:
This weekend I finished The Black Swan of Paris by Karen Robards.
What I’m currently reading:
I’m currently reading Date Me, Bryson Keller by Kevin van Whye.
What I’m reading next:
Next I will be reading The Last Wife by Karen Hamilton.
What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?
The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl.
This Sunday I’m reading The Black Swan of Paris by Karen Robards.
Goodreads Synopsis:
A world at war. A beautiful young star. A mission no one expected.
Paris, 1944
Celebrated singer Genevieve Dumont is both a star and a smokescreen. An unwilling darling of the Nazis, the chanteuse’s position of privilege allows her to go undetected as an ally to the resistance.
When her estranged mother, Lillian de Rocheford, is captured by Nazis, Genevieve knows it won’t be long before the Gestapo succeeds in torturing information out of Lillian that will derail the upcoming allied invasion. The resistance movement is tasked with silencing her by any means necessary—including assassination. But Genevieve refuses to let her mother become yet one more victim of the war. Reuniting with her long-lost sister, she must find a way to navigate the perilous cross-currents of Occupied France undetected—and in time to save Lillian’s life.
Title: Manga Classics: The Count of Monte Cristo Author: Stacy King, Alexandre Dumas Genre: Manga Publisher: Udon Entertainment Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: April 1, 2017 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
A Conspiracy and a miscarriage of justice turn the gentle Edmond Dantès into an implacable agent of fate: The Count of Monte Cristo. Obsessed by vengeance and empowered by providence, the Count avenges himself on whose who have wronged him – but is this justice, or is this hubris? In the end, does even the Count know?
Alexandre Dumas’ skillful narrative combines intrigue, betrayal, and triumphant revenge into a powerful conflict between good and evil. Now this exciting saga, rich and diverse, takes on an entirely new life in this Manga Classics adaptation!
Review:
Edmond Dantès gets the exciting news that he will become captain of the ship he has been working on. When his adversaries find out, they make sure he will not be captain, and put him in jail. After being in prison for years, Edmond becomes friends with a fellow prisoner who gives Edmond his personal fortune. With this newfound wealth, Edmond reinvents himself as the Count of Monte Cristo. It takes a few years, but the Count devises a plan to bring justice down on all of the men who made him suffer.
I found it funny that the characters didn’t recognize Edmond as the Count. It had been years since they saw him and they assumed he had died, but I still think they would have recognized him. This created some dramatic irony, since the reader knows that he is Edmond, but most of the characters don’t recognize him.
I liked the illustrations in this manga. I find that sometimes the characters end up looking alike in some manga comics. Each character had a distinct style and looked different, so it was easy to tell them apart. I also found the story very easy to follow with the illustrations. The Count of Monte Cristo is a long novel that I’ve never read, but I could understand the story, and read it much quicker, in this format.
This is a great manga adaptation!
Thank you Udon Entertainment for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Manga Classics: Les Misérables by Stacy King, Victor Hugo
Manga Classics: Great Expectations by Stacy King, Charles Dickens
Have you read Manga Classics: The Count of Monte Cristo? What did you think of it?
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