Category: Contemporary

Review: Majesty (American Royals #2)

Title: Majesty (American Royals #2)
Author: Katharine McGee
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Random House
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: September 1, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Is America ready for its first queen?

Power is intoxicating. Like first love, it can leave you breathless. Princess Beatrice was born with it. Princess Samantha was born with less. Some, like Nina Gonzalez, are pulled into it. And a few will claw their way in. Ahem, we’re looking at you Daphne Deighton.

As America adjusts to the idea of a queen on the throne, Beatrice grapples with everything she lost when she gained the ultimate crown. Samantha is busy living up to her “party princess” persona…and maybe adding a party prince by her side. Nina is trying to avoid the palace–and Prince Jefferson–at all costs. And a dangerous secret threatens to undo all of Daphne’s carefully laid “marry Prince Jefferson” plans.

A new reign has begun….

Review:

Princess Beatrice has become the first Queen in American history following the death of her father. She has to take a stand to prove that she will be a good Queen for the people. Her first task is to get married. Meanwhile, her sister and heir, Samantha, is making a splash as a party princess, which leads to an unexpected relationship. Their brother, Jefferson’s ex-girlfriends plot against each other to try to win him back. There was lots of drama and romance to start off Queen Beatrice’s reign.

American Royals was my favourite book of 2019. I was a little hesitant to read Majesty because I worried it wouldn’t live up to my expectations. I loved this sequel and I found it so inspiring. American Royals actually inspired my own writing, so I loved seeing the story continue in this sequel.

This story touched on so many important issues in the lives of royalty. Beatrice had to make a statement as a strong Queen, but she was ruled by the men in her life and told to submit to a marriage. The press was also an important part of their lives. Jeff’s girlfriends Daphne and Nina had to be careful with how they behaved because it could make front page news. Samantha did create a bit of a scandal by making a headline that affected her love life. They even had to deal with racial issues, when one character started dating a black man and that was commented on by the press. These were all contemporary issues that royalty has to deal with in real life, so it made the story feel more real.

This is an amazing sequel! I was happy with the ending, but I would also love to revisit these characters in more books.

What to read next:

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Other books in the series:

Have you read Majesty? What did you think of it?

Review: As Kismet Would Have It (Dimple and Rishi #1.5)

Title: As Kismet Would Have It (Dimple and Rishi #1.5)
Author: Sandhya Menon
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Source: Purchased
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 30, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Will Dimple and Rishi find their happily ever after? Find out in this funny, romantic, endlessly charming e-novella sequel to the New York Times bestseller When Dimple Met Rishi!

Dimple Shah has a lot of opinions about marriage, but they boil down to this: It’s not for her. Sure, she loves her boyfriend, Rishi, but why does she need to validate that with an institution that has historically never favored the woman? Why go through all that hassle?

Rishi Patel deeply disagrees. He believes in the power that comes with combining love and tradition, and when the time comes, wants nothing more than to honor those things in a huge celebration with his friends and family. He knows Dimple loves him, but in hearing her rant about how marriage is a “construct of hegemonic masculinity” for the millionth time, a small, niggling part of him worries that it’s not the institution of marriage Dimple has a problem with; maybe it’s him.

The two lovebirds find themselves at a philosophical impasse. Can they find a way to work it out, or does kismet have other plans?

Review:

Dimple and Rishi have been together for a year. Rishi is looking forward to getting married, but Dimple is hesitant. She loves Rishi but she doesn’t want to get married. They have a couple of conversations about marriage over the months, first at a jewelry store when they look at engagement rings and then at the wedding of one of Rishi’s relatives. It all ends with the same conclusion: Dimple doesn’t want to get married. This leads Rishi to wonder if she doesn’t want to marry anyone or if she just doesn’t want to marry Rishi.

I loved seeing the characters Dimple and Rishi again in this story. This story is set between the books When Dimple Met Rishi and There’s Something About Sweetie.

These characters were more mature than they were in their first book. This story ends a year after the first book, so they are in a different place in life. Rishi is thinking about his future, which he wants to begin by marrying Dimple. Young adult characters don’t often talk about their future adult lives, because they’re busy living in the present. This story showed young characters that were maturing into their adult lives.

This story is a must-read for fans of Dimple and Rishi!

What to read next:

There’s Something About Sweetie (Dimple and Rishi #2) by Sandhya Menon

Love at First Fight (Dimple and Rishi #2.5) by Sandhya Menon

Other books in the series:

Have you read As Kismet Would Have It? What did you think of it?

Review: Rent a Boyfriend

Title: Rent a Boyfriend
Author: Gloria Chao
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: November 10, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before meets The Farewell in this incisive romantic comedy about a college student who hires a fake boyfriend to appease her traditional Taiwanese parents, to disastrous results, from the acclaimed author of American Panda.

Chloe Wang is nervous to introduce her parents to her boyfriend, because the truth is, she hasn’t met him yet either. She hired him from Rent for Your ’Rents, a company specializing in providing fake boyfriends trained to impress even the most traditional Asian parents.

Drew Chan’s passion is art, but after his parents cut him off for dropping out of college to pursue his dreams, he became a Rent for Your ’Rents employee to keep a roof over his head. Luckily, learning protocols like “Type C parents prefer quiet, kind, zero-PDA gestures” comes naturally to him.

When Chloe rents Drew, the mission is simple: convince her parents fake Drew is worthy of their approval so they’ll stop pressuring her to accept a proposal from Hongbo, the wealthiest (and slimiest) young bachelor in their tight-knit Asian American community.

But when Chloe starts to fall for the real Drew—who, unlike his fake persona, is definitely not ’rent-worthy—her carefully curated life begins to unravel. Can she figure out what she wants before she loses everything? 

Review:

Chloe’s parents are pressuring her to marry their wealthy friend’s son, so she rents a boyfriend to bring home for Thanksgiving. Rent for Your ‘Rents is a company where you can fill out a questionnaire and rent a boyfriend who will fit all the requirements that your parents want in a partner for you. Chloe ends up bringing Drew to her parents’ home. Drew is an artist who is estranged from his family, so he is available to work as a fake boyfriend on holidays. As the Thanksgiving holiday progresses, Chloe and Drew get closer than he usually gets with his clients. Then, they start texting after he leaves. They start to fall for each other, which could become a problem since their relationship was built on lies.

The fake dating trope is one of my favourites so I was so excited to read this story. The tension from the fake dating comes from both people lying about their relationship. There were many secrets and lies in this story. Chloe was hiding Drew’s real identity from her parents. Drew was lying to all of the parents of his clients. Chloe’s parents were even hiding a few secrets of their own. These secrets created lots of tension when they were revealed.

This was a really fun story. There were a couple of tough moments, especially when Chloe’s parents weren’t treating fairly, but most of the romance was so cute. Chloe and Drew were meant to be together right from the beginning. They had similar relationships with their parents, though Drew ended up being kicked out of his parents home and Chloe was still visiting her parents while she was in university. They were both strong young adults, who knew they needed to follow their hearts to be happy.

I really enjoyed this story!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen

10 Things I Hate About Pinky by Sandhya Menon

Have you read Rent a Boyfriend? What did you think of it?

Review: Duck Days

Title: Duck Days (Slug Days Stories #3)
Author: Sara Leach, Rebecca Bender (illustrator)
Genre: Children’s, Contemporary
Publisher: Pajama Press
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: October 13, 2020
Rating: ★★★★

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Synopsis:

The third title in the collection that began with USBBY Outstanding International Book Slug Days. Lauren, a third-grade student who has Autism Spectrum Disorder, takes on the challenges of sharing her best friend and persevering when a classmate mocks her bicycle’s training wheels.

Irma is Lauren’s best friend. Irma knows all the strategies Lauren uses when her Autism Spectrum Disorder makes it hard to “go with the flow.” Lauren helps Irma learn English words and understand unfamiliar customs. So why does Irma suddenly want to introduce Lauren to her mountain-biking, litter-dropping neighbor Jonas? Why is Irma calling Jonas her friend? 

As if sharing Irma weren’t bad enough, Lauren also has an alarming new problem at school. Their teacher has announced a mountain biking day when the students will learn to ride their bikes on an obstacle course. But Lauren still uses training wheels. She just can’t face the teasing she will get when her classmates see them. She isn’t brave like Irma. She can’t go with the flow like Dad. How can she possibly face this challenge?

Review:

Irma is Lauren’s best friend. Irma has immigrated from Sweden, and she is still learning to speak English. Lauren is on the Autism Spectrum, so while she helps Irma with her English, Irma helps Lauren with techniques to cope with her Autism. One day, Irma introduces Lauren to her new friend, Jonas. Lauren gets upset that Irma now has a new friend. Jonas wants to teach them some bike riding tricks, which intimidates Lauren because she still uses training wheels. When her teacher schedules a bike riding activity, Lauren has to find the courage to ride her bike with training wheels in front of her class.

I loved the Autism representation in this story. Lauren had a lot of visual techniques to help figure out the world around her. She would make hand signals with her father to signal how she was coping with the current situation. Her teacher taught her with flash cards with emotional cues in facial expressions so she could try to read the emotions on the faces of other people. Lauren’s Autism also meant that she liked to have everything scheduled, so when Irma brought another friend over to play with them, it threw her off. Lauren ended up liking Jonas too, so the experience wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be, even though it changed her planned schedule.

Lauren helped Irma with her English, which showed some representation of the immigrant experience. Irma had to go to school and learn a language that she wasn’t familiar with, but she had the courage to do it every day. Lauren would correct Irma’s language, but at least Irma was trying to speak, even when she got it wrong. They were both brave little girls.

This is a great children’s book!

Thank you Pajama Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Slug Days by Sara Leach

Megabat by Anna Humphrey and Kass Reich (illustrator)

Other books in the series:

  • Slug Days
  • Penguin Days

Have you read Duck Days? What did you think of it?

Review: Cracked Up to Be

Title: Cracked Up to Be
Author: Courtney Summers
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: February 4, 2020 (originally December 23, 2008)
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

When “Perfect” Parker Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all of St. Peter’s High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend of the most popular guy in school, consummate teacher’s pet, and future valedictorian fallen so far from grace?

Parker doesn’t want to talk about it. She’d just like to be left alone, to disappear, to be ignored. But her parents have placed her on suicide watch and her conselors are demanding the truth. Worse, there’s a nice guy falling in love with her and he’s making her feel things again when she’d really rather not be feeling anything at all.

Nobody would have guessed she’d turn out like this. But nobody knows the truth.

Something horrible has happened, and it just might be her fault.

Review:

Parker Fadley was a perfect student, the captain of the cheerleading team and on the honor roll. In her senior year, she stopped doing her school work and started drinking at school. Her boyfriend has broken up with her, but wants her back, and a new boy at school wants to date her. Parker can’t stand the attention, and she’s on constant suicide watch by the school administration. Something really bad happened before Parker’s senior year, and she feels like she’s to blame.

Parker started out as an unlikeable character. There was an author’s note at the beginning that said it was difficult to get this book published because Parker was so unlikeable. Parker broke the rules and didn’t listen to advice. She didn’t even do things she really wanted to at times, because she felt like she didn’t deserve it. Once I found out what happened, I could understand where Parker was coming from and why she behaved the way she did. Her feelings were valid, and this is the only way her story could be told.

There were some triggers in this book, including alcohol abuse, rape, suicide, and the death of an animal. The death of the animal was really upsetting to me. I find it so hard to read about the death or abuse of animals. It’s the one thing that usually makes me stop reading a book. This one wasn’t a major part of the plot, but I don’t like reading that in any story. The other triggering topics were major parts of the plot and affected the way the story played out so they needed to be there, but the death of the animal was upsetting to me.

I liked this story, but it was a heavy read with only a little optimism at the end.

What to read next:

Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Sadie by Courtney Summers

Have you read Cracked Up to Be? What did you think of it?

Review: Clean Getaway

Title: Clean Getaway
Author: Nic Stone
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Source: Library
Format: Ebook
Release Date: January 7, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

From New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone comes a middle grade road-trip story through American race relations past and present perfect for fans of Jacqueline Woodson and Jason Reynolds.

How to Go on an Unplanned Road Trip with Your Grandma:
* Grab a Suitcase: Prepacked from the big spring break trip that got CANCELLED.
* Fasten Your Seatbelt: G’ma’s never conventional, so this trip won’t be either.
* Use the Green Book: G’ma’s most treasured possession. It holds, history, memories, and most important, the way home.

What Not to Bring:
* A Cell Phone: Avoid contact with Dad at all costs. Even when G’ma starts acting stranger than usual.

Set against the backdrop of the segregation history of the American South, take a trip with New York Times bestselling Nic Stone and an eleven-year-old boy who is about to discover the world hasn’t always been a welcoming place for kids like him, and things aren’t always what they seem–his G’ma included.

Review:

After getting suspended from school, Scoob’s Spring Break trip was cancelled. His grandmother, G’ma, sold her house and bought an RV to go on a special trip. Scoob sneaks out of his dad’s house and travels across multiple states with his G’ma in her new RV. Soon after they leave, she starts acting strange. She refers to Scoob by his father’s name many times. She also insists on stopping at various jewelry stores on their way. Scoob isn’t sure what their destination is, but he starts to question why G’ma has taken him on this trip.

This was such an original story. It’s a middle grade story, but it actually got quite dark at times. Perhaps that’s because I was reading it as an adult, so I picked up on the warning signs of what G’ma was doing quite early on. There were serious events in this book that were heavier than many middle grade books I’ve read.

Scoob was a black boy traveling with his white grandmother. They often got strange looks, since they weren’t the same race and didn’t appear to be related at first sight. G’ma was familiar with this reaction, because she married a black man in the 1960s. They weren’t allowed to go into certain businesses as a mixed race couple. She was even concerned about finding a doctor when she was pregnant, because she didn’t think a doctor would want to look after a white woman who was carrying a mixed race baby. This seems absurd to me, reading it from the twentieth century. It’s disturbing that this would have happened just a few decades ago. Though G’ma was white, she had a unique perspective of being in a relationship with a black man and experiencing racism because of that.

This was an original middle grade novel!

What to read next:

Blended by Sharon M. Draper

Ghost by Jason Reynolds

Have you read Clean Getaway? What did you think of it?

Review: Dear Justyce (Dear Martin #2)

Title: Dear Justyce (Dear Martin #2)
Author: Nic Stone
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: September 29, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

In the stunning and hard-hitting sequel to the New York Timesbestseller Dear Martin, incarcerated teen Quan writes letters to Justyce about his experiences in the American prison system.

Shortly after teenager Quan enters a not guilty plea for the shooting death of a police officer, he is placed in a holding cell to await trial. Through a series of flashbacks and letters to Justyce, the protagonist of Dear Martin, Quan’s story unravels.

From a troubled childhood and bad timing to a coerced confession and prejudiced police work, Nic Stone’s newest novel takes an unflinching look at the flawed practices and ideologies that discriminate against African American boys and minorities in the American justice system.

Review:

Quan Banks is an incarcerated teen who writes letters to his old friend, Justyce. Quan had a troubled childhood, witnessing the arrest of his father and his step-father abusing his mother. He joined a crime group, and was arrested in connection with the shooting death of a police officer. Quan writes to Justyce to work through his feelings about being incarcerated and to possibly get some help with his case.

This is the perfect companion novel for Dear Martin, though there wasn’t meant to be a sequel. The boys Justyce and Quan have things in common even though they have different life situations. They’re from the same neighbourhood and went to the same schools, but have different futures.

There was a lot of tension in the story, due to the fact that we don’t know why Quan is in prison until a few chapters into the story. There were many important scenes about Quan’s childhood, each event leading to his time in prison. There were some uncomfortable scenes that were hard to read, such as when Quan’s father was arrested. It’s devastating to think of a child having to go through these things, but this is a reality for many children.

Though Quan tried to be successful and work hard, he was often discouraged by the people around him. When he studied hard for a math test and got a very good grade, everyone assumed he must have cheated. These events eventually made Quan believe that he didn’t deserve that kind of success, leading him to a crime group. When Quan was imprisoned, he had a great support team around him who believed in him. Many people in his situation don’t have the same kind of support, so unfortunately most of that part was fictionalized. However, I’m glad that Quan got to have a happy ending in this story.

I could talk about this book for hours. This is definitely required reading, and it’s the perfect companion to Dear Martin. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Jackpot by Nic Stone

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Other books in the series:

Have you read Dear Justyce? What did you think of it?

Blog Tour Review: The Code for Love and Heartbreak

Title: The Code for Love and Heartbreak
Author: Jillian Cantor
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 6, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

From bestselling author Jillian Cantor comes a smart, edgy update of Jane Austen’s beloved classic Emma.

Emma Woodhouse is a genius at math, but clueless about people. After all, people are unreliable. They let you down—just like Emma’s sister, Izzy, did this year, when she moved to California for college. But numbers…those you can count on. (No pun intended.)

Emma’s senior year is going to be all about numbers, and seeing how far they can take her. When she and George, her Coding Club co-president, are tasked with brainstorming a new project, The Code for Love is born—a matchmaking app that goes far beyond swiping, using algorithms to calculate compatibility. George disapproves of Emma’s idea, accusing her of meddling in people’s lives. But all the happy new couples at school are proof that the app works. At least at first.

Emma’s code is flawless. So why is it that perfectly matched couples start breaking up, the wrong people keep falling for each other and her own feelings defy any algorithm? Emma thought math could solve everything. But there’s nothing more complex—or unpredictable—than love.

Review:

Emma Woodhouse loves numbers and coding. She is co-president of the coding club at school with George Knightley. Emma comes up with the idea to create a dating app for their competition project. Though George doesn’t agree with that idea, they create the app and start matching up students in their school with their ideal partner using a special algorithm. Most of the matches seem to work out at first, until they discover some problems with the algorithm. Despite the successful matches, Emma is reluctant to make a match for herself, because her love code may not give her the result she wants.

Emma is one of my favourite classic books, so I was so excited to read this adaptation. This story works perfectly as a modern adaptation. The original Emma liked to match her friends and acquaintances in her town with who she thought would be a good romantic match for them. In this story, Emma is also a matchmaker, but using a modern matchmaking app, rather than just doing it herself. Both of the Emma characters are clueless to her own love interest who is right in front of her the whole time.

I loved the coding theme to this book. I don’t know much about coding, and I find it fascinating to read about. Emma embraces her nerdy side by working hard in her school work and activities, such as coding club and playing the piano. She was a hardworking and intelligent character, even if she didn’t always catch on to the social cues around her.

This is a great Emma retelling!

Thank you Inkyard Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

The Dead Queens Club by Hannah Capin

About the author:

Jillian Cantor is the author of award-winning and bestselling novels for adults and teens, including In Another Time, The Hours Count, Margot, and The Lost Letter, which was a USA Today bestseller. She has a BA in English from Penn State University and an MFA from the University of Arizona. Cantor lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons.

Have you read The Code for Love and Heartbreak? What did you think of it?

Review: All This Time

Title: All This Time
Author: Mikki Daughtry, Rachael Lippincott
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 29, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Kyle and Kimberly have been the perfect couple all through high school, but when Kimberly breaks up with him on the night of their graduation party, Kyle’s entire world upends—literally. Their car crashes and when he awakes, he has a brain injury. Kimberly is dead. And no one in his life could possibly understand.

Until Marley. Marley is suffering from her own loss, a loss she thinks was her fault. And when their paths cross, Kyle sees in her all the unspoken things he’s feeling.

As Kyle and Marley work to heal each other’s wounds, their feelings for each other grow stronger. But Kyle can’t shake the sense that he’s headed for another crashing moment that will blow up his life as soon as he’s started to put it back together.

And he’s right.

Review:

Kyle and Kimberly were the perfect couple all through high school. On graduation night, Kim tells him she wants to break up while they’re driving after a fight. Then, they’re in a car accident. When Kyle wakes up with a head injury, he finds out that Kim is dead. Kyle struggles to get over his injury and his broken heart, until he meets Marley. Marley has also lost someone close to her, so she understands what Kyle is going through. They start a relationship that seems great, until Kyle has another accident. He has to put the pieces of his life back together a second time, but this time everything has changed.

This was a heartbreaking story about loss. Kyle and Marley lost people who were very close to them. They went through different stages of grief, including survivor’s guilt. They both survived tragic accidents which killed their loved ones, and they didn’t think they deserved to live after that. Since they were both experiencing the same feelings, they can relate to and support each other.

This story was so sad, until a shocking twist two thirds of the way through. I thought I knew where this story was heading, but I was completely wrong. This story kept my heart pounding right until the end. The ending was surprising and perfect for this heartbreaking story about love and loss.

I highly recommend this beautiful story.

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott with Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis

Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland

Have you read All This Time? What did you think of it?

Blog Tour Review: Smash It!

Title: Smash It!
Author: Francina Simone
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 22, 2020
Rating: ★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Refreshingly authentic and bold… Don’t miss this smashing #ownvoices novel from Francina Simone! Filled with heart, humor and a heroine to root for, Smash It! is a perfect read for fans of Julie Murphy, Ibi Zoboi and Ashley Poston.

Olivia “Liv” James is done with letting her insecurities get the best of her. So she does what any self-respecting hot mess of a girl who wants to SMASH junior year does…

After Liv shows up to a Halloween party in khaki shorts–why, God, why?–she decides to set aside her wack AF ways. She makes a list–a F*ck-It list.

1. Be bold–do the thing that scares me.

2. Learn to take a compliment.

3. Stand out instead of back.

She kicks it off by trying out for the school musical, saying yes to a date and making new friends. Life is great when you stop punking yourself! However, with change comes a lot of missteps, and being bold means following her heart. So what happens when Liv’s heart is interested in three different guys–and two of them are her best friends? What is she supposed to do when she gets dumped by a guy she’s not even dating? How does one Smash It! after the humiliation of being friend-zoned?

In Liv’s own words, “F*ck it. What’s the worst that can happen?”

A lot, apparently.

#SMASHIT

Review:

Olivia James is ready to leave her insecurities behind. She’s inspired by Shonda Rhimes’s book “Year of Yes” to make a list of things she wants to do to smash her junior year of high school. She auditions for the school play, which is something she’s always wanted to do. She also falls into a “love square,” when she starts crushing on three different guys, two of whom are her best friends. Olivia tries to make this the best year ever, but with so many mixed feelings, someone is bound to get hurt.

There were a lot of feelings in this book. Olivia and her friends had to figure out their own feelings while also discovering the complicated relationships of the adults around them. They experienced a lot of “firsts” that go with teenage love. The love triangle Olivia had with her two best friends was very uncomfortable. They all seemed to have feelings for each other but didn’t speak up until it was too late. These were awkward situations, but they also felt authentic.

I read some reviews for this book when I started reading it, and there were many negative comments about the racism in the story. One character is half Israeli and half Palestinian. This was a controversial choice, and I’m not sure why the character had this background because it didn’t really have anything to do with the plot. I found that the characters made a lot of racist comments about the Black characters. Even though the characters and author are Black, these comments were offensive. The characters briefly pointed out that these comments were offensive, but I think there could have been a firmer stand against these racist comments.

I wish some of these sensitive topics were treated more delicately in this story. However, this was an authentically emotional teenage story.

Thank you Inkyard Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

Pride by Ibi Zoboi

About the author:

Francina Simone believes in one thing: authenticity. She writes YA stories full of humor and hard life lessons with sprinkles of truth that make us all feel understood. Her craft focuses on stories about girls throwing caution to the wind to discover exactly who they are and what it means to love. Francina is also known for her BookTube channel, where she discusses controversial topics in books.

Have you read Smash It? What did you think of it?