Contemporary – Page 13 – Jill's Book Blog

Review: If You’ll Have Me

Title: If You’ll Have Me
Author: Eunnie
Genre: Graphic Novel, Romance, Young Adult, LGBTQ, Contemporary
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 17, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Momo Gardner is the kind of friend who’s always ready to lend a helping hand. She’s introverted, sensitive, and maybe a little too trusting, but she likes to believe the best in people. PG, on the other hand, is a bit of a lone wolf, despite her reputation for being a flirt and a player. Underneath all that cool mystery, she’s actually quick to smile, and when she falls for someone, she falls hard. An unexpected meet-cute brings the two together, kicking off the beginning of an awkward yet endearing courtship—but with their drastically different personalities, Momo’s overprotective friend, and PG’s past coming back to haunt her, Momo and PG’s romance is put to the test.

Review:

Momo Gardner has always been eager to help, especially when it comes to girls she has a crush on. She may be too trusting sometimes but she tries to see the best in people. When she meets PG, she has an instant crush. The problem is that PG is known as being a player, like other girls who have used Momo in the past. When they keep running into each other, they decide to start hanging out and develop a friendship. However, Momo’s friends have to warn her that PG has a bad reputation and she may just be using Momo like girls in the past. Momo has to decide if she’s willing to risk her heart for PG.

This was an adorable graphic novel. Momo was sweet, innocent, and relatable. She could be a little naive when it came to falling for the wrong kind of girl, but that added to her charm. Though PG had a reputation as being a player, there was more to her than that. They made a cute couple, and I was rooting for them the whole time!

If You’ll Have Me is a cute graphic novel romance!

Thank you Penguin Teen Canada for providing a copy of this book!

Have you read If You’ll Have Me? What did you think of it?

Review: It Happened One Christmas

Title: It Happened One Christmas
Author: Chantel Guertin
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: October 31, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Zoey Andrews lives and breathes Christmas. She loves everything about the season, and after years of directing countless holiday movies, she certainly knows her way around a festive tale. So, when she finally gets the chance to bring her own script to life, she isn’t about to let anything, or anyone, stand in her way–not even the stupidly sexy, utterly frustrating plaid-clad tree farmer Benoît Deschamps. Moonlighting as mayor of Chelsea–the cozy Quebec hamlet at the center of Zoey’s screenplay–Ben maddeningly refuses to grant her a film permit in his enchanting town.With just four days left before Christmas, Zoey must change Ben’s mind, but not before an unscripted ice storm leaves them stranded in the middle of nowhere, with nothing except . . . each other.Will Ben’s chilly resolve shatter Zoey’s Christmas movie wish? Or will Zoey be able to melt his stubbornness–and maybe even his heart?

Review:

Zoey Andrews loves Christmas and directs popular Christmas movies. When she writes her own script for a movie, she has the perfect town in mind: Chelsea, Quebec. After a mix up with their location scout, Zoey only has a few days to find the right places for them to film. However, as soon as she gets to the town, she comes up against Ben, the owner of the Christmas tree farm and mayor of Chelsea. Ben refuses to allow Zoey to have a permit to film in town. Zoey tries to change Ben’s mind, but as time is running out for Zoey to get the permits, they’re caught in a devastating ice storm. Ben and Zoey are suddenly facing a life and death situation. As they get closer to each other, Zoey keeps trying to change Ben’s mind, and possibly win his heart.

This is a fun and fast paced rom com! I read this book in just two sittings. The town of Chelsea sounded like the perfect holiday town. When Ben and Zoey were caught in the storm, the story took a scary turn. I knew nothing too serious would happen since it’s a rom com, but it was still scary to imagine being stranded in a severe ice storm. The ending was adorable and made it all worth it.

It Happened One Christmas is an adorable holiday rom com!

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book!

Have you read It Happened One Christmas? What did you think of it?

Review: Camp Sylvania (Camp Sylvania #1)

Title: Camp Sylvania (Camp Sylvania #1)
Author: Julie Murphy
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Contemporary
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: June 6, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin’ and Dear Sweet Pea comes a hilarious and spooky middle grade summer-camp story that takes a bite out of fat camp.

Magnolia “Maggie” Hagen is determined to be in the spotlight…if she can just get over her stage fright. This summer, though, she has big plans to finally attend Camp Rising Star, the famous performing arts camp she’s been dying to go to for three whole summers.

But on the last day of school, her parents break the news: Maggie isn’t going to Camp Rising Star. She’s being shipped off to fat camp—and not just any fat camp. She’s going to Camp Sylvania, run by world-famous wellness influencer Sylvia Sylvania, who is known for her soon-to-be patented Scarlet Diet.

When Maggie arrives at camp, things are…weird. There are the humiliating weigh-ins and grueling workouts, as expected. But the campers are also encouraged to donate blood—at their age! The cafeteria serves only red foods and the oddly specific rules change every day. There are even rumors of a camp ghost.

Despite these horrors, Maggie makes friends and starts to actually enjoy herself. There are even tryouts for a camp production of The Music Man! This place might not be so bad…until campers start going missing and suspicious things begin happening—especially after dark.

The camp ghost might be the least scary thing about this place….

Review:

Maggie Hagen is excited to be in the spotlight at her drama summer camp with her best friend Nora. However, on the last day of school, her parents break the news to her that she won’t be going to Camp Rising Star. Instead, she’ll be going to Camp Sylvania, which is a new fat camp run by her mother’s childhood camp friend, Sylvia. Things are strange at the camp right from the beginning. They have weigh-ins and workouts, but the kids also have to donate blood. The cafeteria only serves red foods, and the rules at the camp change daily. Maggie begins to suspect something dark is going on when kids disappear and strange things happen at night. She must work with her new friends to figure out what’s happening at the camp before she disappears forever too.

This story dealt with some tough body image issues that some kids have to face every day. Maggie knew she was bigger than most kids in her class, but it became a harsh reality when her parents decided to send her to fat camp. It made her feel like her weight was a part of her that needed to be changed. I found myself cringing at the scene when Maggie’s parents told her about fat camp, but it was also realistic. I can remember hearing people talk about my weight as a kid, and it isn’t a good memory. I liked that this body image subplot wasn’t as serious at the camp because there were other things going on. I thought it was obvious that there were vampires at the camp right from the beginning, but I’m not the target audience, so kids may not catch on as quickly as I did.

Camp Sylvania is a spooky middle grade camp story!

Content warnings: fatphobia, dieting, blood mentions

Have you read Camp Sylvania? What did you think of it?

Review: Starling House

Title: Starling House
Author: Alix E. Harrow
Genre: Fantasy, Contemporary, Gothic, Horror
Publisher: Tor Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 3, 2023
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A grim and gothic new tale from author Alix E. Harrow about a small town haunted by secrets that can’t stay buried and the sinister house that sits at the crossroads of it all.

Eden, Kentucky, is just another dying, bad-luck town, known only for the legend of E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth-century author and illustrator who wrote The Underland–and disappeared. Before she vanished, Starling House appeared. But everyone agrees that it’s best to let the uncanny house―and its last lonely heir, Arthur Starling―go to rot.

Opal knows better than to mess with haunted houses or brooding men, but an unexpected job offer might be a chance to get her brother out of Eden. Too quickly, though, Starling House starts to feel dangerously like something she’s never had: a home.

As sinister forces converge on Starling House, Opal and Arthur are going to have to make a dire choice to dig up the buried secrets of the past and confront their own fears, or let Eden be taken over by literal nightmares.

If Opal wants a home, she’ll have to fight for it.

Review:

In Eden, Kentucky, there is a strange house that belonged to Eleanor Starling, the author of The Underland who disappeared. Everyone in the town avoids the house, and it’s occupant, Arthur Starling, at all costs. Opal has lived in Eden for most of her life. She lives in a motel with her younger brother, who she wants to give the best life. Opal has always been drawn to Starling House, seeing it in her dreams and nightmares, so when Arthur offers her a job with a huge paycheck, she accepts. However, Starling House is more haunted than Opal expected. Opal and Arthur must battle the beasts in the house before their nightmares take over.

Eleanor Starling’s book The Underland was based on her life at Starling House. Since Opal loved that book, she got to live in her favourite story when she went to the house, which is a reader’s dream. I think the story would have had more tension if it was a little shorter. There were some long descriptions and drawn out scenes that could have been condensed. At the beginning of the story, there were footnotes that expanded on what was written in a funny way. I wished those footnotes continued to the end of the story because they were entertaining.

Starling House is a spooky, gothic novel.

Thank you Tor Books and Raincoast Books for providing a copy of this book!

Content warnings: death of parent, drowning, car accident

Have you read Starling House? What did you think of it?

Review: The Gifts That Bind Us (All Our Hidden Gifts #2)

Title: The Gifts That Bind Us (All Our Hidden Gifts #2)
Author: Caroline O’Donoghue
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary
Publisher: Walker Books US
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: June 7, 2022
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A spellbinding supernatural teen drama – and sequel to All Our Hidden Gifts.

Maeve and her friends have revealed their powers and banded together as a coven: Roe can pick locks, Lily sends sparks flying, Maeve can read minds and Fiona can heal any injury.

And even better than their newfound talents? Roe and Maeve are officially an item.

But with strange things happening at school, and old enemies appearing in new places, it soon becomes clear their powers are attracting all the wrong attention. It’s not long before Maeve’s gift start to wane, drained by someone – or something – that’s hiding even from her second sight…

The brilliant second installment in the Hidden Gifts series, with further titles to come.

Review:

The four friends in Kilbeg Ireland have magic powers that they use together to get stronger: Roe can pick locks, Fiona can heal any wound, Lily can create sparks, and Maeve can read minds. Roe and Maeve are officially dating too. However, their old enemies are still around. The Children of Brigid cult is infiltrating their school and trying to recruit girls to join. Aaron is still showing up wherever Maeve goes, and there is a new counselor in school who is eager to befriend Maeve. When their gifts begin to get weaker, the friends have to work together to figure out who or what is draining them.

This was a great second book in the series! It’s been a while since I read the first book, but the events in that one were referenced many times so I remembered what happened. The four friends came up against the extremist Christian cult Children of Brigid. Their beliefs directly attacked Roe’s queer identity. I liked how Roe was still figuring out his identity. So often teens in novels already know their identity or instantly know they’re queer, but two books into this series, Roe is still figuring it out like many kids and adults in the real world.

The Gifts That Bind Us is a great witchy novel!

Content warnings: homophobia, self-harm, parental abandonment

Other books in the series:

All Our Hidden Gifts (All Our Hidden Gifts #1)
Every Gift a Curse (All Our Hidden Gifts #3)

Have you read The Gifts That Bind Us? What did you think of it?

Review: House of Ash and Bone

Title: House of Ash and Bone
Author: Joel A. Sutherland
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Horror
Publisher: Tundra Books
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: September 5, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The Haunted meets House of Salt and Sorrows in this young adult debut horror by acclaimed Canadian master of the macabre Joel A. Sutherland.

Seventeen-year-old Josephine Jagger is a talented writer with special abilities she doesn’t fully understand. Over the years she has developed methods to cope with the voices she hears in her head, but the old house her family has inherited in Vermont makes Josephine question what’s real and what’s not more than anything she’s ever encountered before. It’s filled with shadows, and whispers, and the unshakable feeling of being watched. Josephine then catches her first glimpse of a shadowy woman with long hair, pale skin, an impossibly wide smile and hollow pits for eyes. Her name is Dorcas, the ghost of a witch who died three hundred years ago. She has summoned the family to Vermont to ensnare them — then consume them — in order to rise from the grave and live again . . .

Review:

Seventeen-year-old Josephine Jagger has always had to find methods to cope with the voices she can hear in her head. She wears headphones to block out the thoughts of her parents and sisters. When her father suddenly inherits a mansion in Vermont, the family goes there for a weeklong vacation after Christmas. The house is filled with everything her family needs and loves. However, Josephine catches sight of a shadow woman with a creepy smile and hollow pits for eyes. No one else can see the woman and her family keeps forgetting the strange things that happen in the house. The woman needs to trap Josephine’s family in the house to feed herself, unless Josephine can defeat her first.

It’s been years since I read a book that was so scary I couldn’t read it before sleeping at night, but this was one of those books. It was creepy and disturbing. Sometimes a good horror book can fizzle out at the end and not have a complete ending. This story had a satisfying ending that also left the possibility for a sequel.

House of Ash and Bone is a creepy YA horror!

Thank you Tundra Books and Penguin Teen Canada for providing a copy of this book!

Content warnings: body horror, death

Have you read House of Ash and Bone? What did you think of it?

Review: Confetti Realms

Title: Confetti Realms
Author: Nadia Shammas, Karnessa
Genre: Graphic Novel, Contemporary, Fantasy
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 17, 2023
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A group of teens are transported from a graveyard to another realm where they must collect teeth— and learn about themselves— in order to return home.

On Halloween night, when the moon is full, teenagers get up to mischief. But when an encounter with a giant, sentient puppet in a graveyard sends five teens to a mysterious dimension called the Confetti Realms, they must overcome obstacles in their own friendships–and collect the debted teeth owed to the puppet–in order to make their way home. But the allure of staying in a fantasy world is a hard one to beat, and going home to their normal lives is starting to sound less and less appealing for some. Will these friends return home?

Featuring a diverse cast of characters, this Tim Burton-esque, comedic, modern, and high-energy story is written by Eisner Award-winner Nadia Shammas, with art by Karnessa and colors by Hackto Oshiro.

Review:

On Halloween night, a group of four teens decide to explore a graveyard. They come across a mausoleum which has a giant puppet inside. He comes to life and sends them to another dimension called the Confetti Realms. He gives them the task of finding him five teeth from various creatures throughout the realm. If they find them all before that night, he will send them back home. However, as the night goes on, each of the friends realize that if they stay in the confetti realm, they won’t have to face their problems at home, so they must decide if they will stay or go back.

This story had lots of queer representation. It had a spooky atmosphere which is perfect for this time of year! The creatures they encountered were fun and entertaining. I laughed a few times while reading this graphic novel. I would have liked the ending to be less open ended because I like the closure of knowing exactly what happened.

Confetti Realms is a great Halloween graphic novel!

Thank you Mad Cave Studios for providing a copy of this book!

Content warnings: seizure (mention), panic attack (mention), homophobia (mention)

Have you read Confetti Realms? What did you think of it?

Review: Scream for the Camera (Graveyard Girls #2)

Title: Scream for the Camera (Graveyard Girls #2)
Author: Lisi Harrison, Daniel Kraus
Genre: Middle Grade, Horror, Contemporary
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: October 3, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling authors Lisi Harrison and Daniel Kraus deliver a s lightly scary, extremely addictive contemporary middle-grade series—perfect for fans of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps and Ann M. Martin’s The Babysitters Club.

It’s been a month since the Graveyard Girls—Gemma, Whisper, Sophie, Frannie, and Zuzu—discovered Silas Hoke’s empty grave. A month, and no answers. That changes when messages from the other side start to creep up on the Graveyard Girls. Gemma’s good-luck charm. The skull in Whisper’s spilled milk. Sophie’s vanishing phone. Frannie’s theater curse. And Zuzu’s possessed Jōurnal. Who is trying to reach them . . . and why?

The good There might be one person with some answers. The bad She’s a mortician . . . with a deadly secret.

Speaking of bad news, straight-A Sophie is quickly sliding down the scale to becoming a B-flat friend. She is spending way more time hanging out with “Danger Me” and way less time with the Graveyard Girls and her schoolwork. Will her scary story be enough to win back her pals, or will her picture-perfect life become the ultimate photo bomb?

Review:

A month ago, the Graveyard girls discovered the infamous killer Silas Hoke’s grave was empty. They’re still wondering what happened when strange things start happening. Gemma breaks her mother’s good luck charm, Whisper sees a skull in spilled milk, Frankie curses the theatre, Sophie’s phone disappears, and Zuzu is possessed by Ginny Baker, who was Silas’s murder victim. The girls have to figure out why these strange things keep happening, while also searching for Silas Hoke’s body and dealing with the everyday challenges of being a preteen.

This was another great Graveyard Girls book! I really like the way the characters are developed. The narrative alternates between each of the five girls, but they are all distinct characters with different lives and challenges. One of the girls in the first and second books tells her own spooky story, which is included in the book. It’s a fun little bonus story that’s connected to the main plot. This story ended on a very good cliffhanger so I hope there will be more books in the series!

Scream for the Camera is a great middle grade story for spooky season!

Thank you Union Square Kids for sending me a copy!

Content warnings: child death (mention), death of parent (mention)

Other books in the series:

1-2-3-4, I Declare a Thumb War (Graveyard Girls #2)

Have you read Scream for the Camera? What did you think of it?

Review: The A and A Detective Agency: The Fairfleet Affair

Title: The A & A Detective Agency: The Fairfleet Affair
Author: K.H. Saxton
Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery, Contemporary
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: September 19, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Follow clues, solve puzzles, crack the code… find the missing millionaire.

The celebrated museums of the Fairfleet Institute are known for curating the mysteries of humanity. But they don’t solve mysteries. Luckily, twelve-year-old friends Alex Foster and Asha Singh of the A&A Detective Agency do. Or they will . . . once they get a real case to test their skills as sleuths.

When Dr. Alistair Fairfleet, the institute’s eccentric chairman, disappears on the first day of Alex and Asha’s summer vacation, they receive a letter written by the missing millionaire himself inviting them to a game involving complicated clues and puzzles. It is just the sort of case they’ve been waiting to tackle. But nothing in the Fairfleet case has a simple solution. As the kids track down clues, they uncover art forgeries, archaeological crimes, and Fairfleet family secrets. All of this tests their partnership and forces them to confront the complicated legacies of the people and places they admire most.

Review:

Alex and Asha are twelve-year-old detectives in Northbrook who haven’t had a real case yet. When Dr. Alistair Fairfleet, the chairman of the Fairfleet Institute, goes missing, Alex and Asha get their first case. Dr. Fairfleet sent letters to his four directors of the Institute, as well as Alex and Asha, which were to be delivered if he ever went missing. They are on a countdown to find Dr. Fairfleet by July 15th. The two friends follow a series of clues to discover art forgeries, archaeological crimes, and secrets of the Fairfleet family.

This was a fun middle grade mystery filled with puzzles! I loved this kind of puzzle story as a kid and now as an adult. It felt like a combination of The Da Vinci Code, The Westing Game, and The Inheritance Games. The puzzles were intricate but fun to solve along with the characters. I had figured out most of the ending before I reached it, but I’m sure most middle grade readers would be pleasantly surprised at the twists!

The Fairfleet Affair is a fun mystery! I hope there will be more books in this series!

Thank you Union Square and Co for sending me a copy!

Have you read The A & A Detective Agency: The Fairfleet Affair? What did you think of it?

Review: The Umbrella House

Title: The Umbrella House
Author: Colleen Nelson
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Publisher: Pajama Press
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: June 6, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this intimate and inspiring novel about the power of
art and the value of community, award-winning author and former New Yorker Colleen Nelson brings life and liveliness to an eccentric cast of New York City neighbors . Middle-schooler and Manhattanite Ruby Markowski wants to tell the truth fearlessly and powerfully, just like her idols at Veracity News. She and her best friend Scout already make YouTube videos together about East Village life, so when Veracity News announces a Young Voices video competition, Ruby knows it’s the perfect opportunity to make a name for herself, if only she can find a story worth telling. When a real-estate mogul threatens to buy her historic East Village apartment building, Umbrella House, Ruby sets out to create a
video about the people who live in her building, depicting their love for art, community, and family.

With time—and her options for saving Umbrella House running
out, Ruby finds herself caught up in the mystery of the Midnight Muralist, a famous East Village artist whose murals once buildings
famous and valuable. Could finding this enigmatic artist be the key to saving her historic East Village apartment building?

Review:

Twelve-year-old Roxy Markowski has a YouTube channel with her best friend Scout where they talk about their lives in the East Village in New York City. They both live in an apartment building called The Umbrella House, which is a historic building. When a real estate mogul wants to buy The Umbrella House and tear it down, Roxy becomes determined to do anything to save her home. Along with help from Scout and her grandmother, Roxy starts a campaign to save her historic home.

I had never heard of The Umbrella House before reading this story. There was a brief note at the beginning of the book that explained the history of the building. It was an abandoned building that was made uninhabitable, but squatters still moved in. Eventually the squatters improved the building, making it habitable again, and turned it into a co-op building. It was so nice to learn about this through a middle school story. The story showed first hand why it’s important to save historical buildings that embody the personality of a neighbourhood.

The Umbrella House is a fun and empowering story!

Thank you Pajama Press for sending me a copy of this book!

Have you read The Umbrella House? What did you think of it?