Young Adult – Page 40 – Jill's Book Blog

Review: Rules for Being a Girl

Title: Rules for Being a Girl
Author: Candace Bushnell and Katie Cotugno
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: April 7, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

It starts before you can even remember: You learn the rules for being a girl. . . .
Marin has always been good at navigating these unspoken guidelines. A star student and editor of the school paper, she dreams of getting into Brown University. Marin’s future seems bright―and her young, charismatic English teacher, Mr. Beckett, is always quick to admire her writing and talk books with her.
But when “Bex” takes things too far and comes on to Marin, she’s shocked and horrified. Had she somehow led him on? Was it her fault?
When Marin works up the courage to tell the administration what happened, no one believes her. She’s forced to face Bex in class every day. Except now, he has an ax to grind.
But Marin isn’t about to back down. She uses the school newspaper to fight back and she starts a feminist book club at school. She finds allies in the most unexpected people, like “slutty” Gray Kendall, who she’d always dismissed as just another lacrosse bro. As things heat up at school and in her personal life, Marin must figure out how to take back the power and write her own rules.

Review:

Marin is a stellar student with a dream of attending Brown University next year. She has a crush on her young English teacher, who is also her advisor on the school newspaper. She becomes closer to the teacher, which leads to him taking things too far for a student-teacher relationship. However, when Marin complains about what was done, she is blamed for leading him on. She gets in trouble in many ways, changing the path towards her future.

This story was so realistic. I had a sick feeling in my stomach while reading it because I could relate to it. Unfortunately, this is an authentic depiction of what it’s like to be a girl. There are so many conflicting rules that girls need to follow: don’t wear too much makeup, but don’t be ugly; don’t eat too much, but don’t have an eating disorder; don’t be a push over, but don’t be too bossy. Boys don’t have the same kinds of rules that they have to follow.

The way that Marin stood up to a teacher reminded me of a situation that happened in my high school. There was a student who called out a teacher for behaving inappropriately, and that student ended up getting punished and blamed for speaking up. It wasn’t exactly the same situation in this book, but it had similar consequences. It’s a sad reality that this is the way these kinds of situations end up. Even though this story was really heartbreaking at times, when Marin was blamed for something that was done to her, it’s a story that needs to be told so that things can change.

I loved this powerful story.

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

Blog Tour Review: Gotham High

Title: Gotham High
Author: Melissa de la Cruz and Thomas Pitilli (illustrator)
Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel
Publisher: DC Comics
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 7, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Alex and Eliza and The Witches of East End comes a reimagining of Gotham for a new generation of readers. Before they became Batman, Catwoman, and The Joker, Bruce, Selina, and Jack were high schoolers who would do whatever it took–even destroy the ones they love–to satisfy their own motives.
After being kicked out of his boarding school, 16-year-old Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City to find that nothing is as he left it. What once was his family home is now an empty husk, lonely but haunted by the memory of his parents’ murder. Selina Kyle, once the innocent girl next door, now rules over Gotham High School with a dangerous flair, aided by the class clown, Jack Napier.
When a kidnapping rattles the school, Bruce seeks answers as the dark and troubled knight–but is he actually the pawn? Nothing is ever as it seems, especially at Gotham High, where the parties and romances are of the highest stakes … and where everyone is a suspect.
With enchanting art by Thomas Pitilli, this new graphic novel is just as intoxicating as it is chilling, in which dearest friends turn into greatest enemies–all within the hallways of Gotham High!

Review:

Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City after getting kicked out of his boarding school. He meets his old friend Selina, who is dealing with looking after her sick father. Jack Napier is Selina’s sometimes boyfriend and Bruce’s frenemy. One day, a boy named Harvey Dent is kidnapped from school while he’s wearing Bruce’s jacket. Bruce has to investigate who is targeting him and kidnapping students from Gotham High.

I love these new DC graphic novels. The story is about DC characters as real people, before they become superheroes. These include Bruce Wayne (Batman), Selina Kyle (Cat Woman), and Jack Napier (The Joker). I loved seeing these characters as regular people. It makes them so much more relateable.

There was more diversity in this graphic novel than in the original DC comics. Bruce Wayne was from Hong Kong. His uncle Alfred was in a same-sex marriage. Barbara Gordon and her mother Principal Gordon were black. It was great to see cultural diversity in these characters.

The ending of the story was a surprise to me. It was open ended for a sequel, which I hope will be written! I loved this graphic novel!

Thank you DC Comics and FFBC for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Author Info:

Melissa de la Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat.

Have you read Gotham High? What did you think of it?

Blog Tour Review: We Didn’t Ask for This

Title: We Didn’t Ask for This
Author: Adi Alsaid
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 7, 2020
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Central International School’s annual lock-in is legendary. Bonds are made. Contests are fought. Stories are forged that will be passed down from student to student for years to come.
This year’s lock-in begins normally enough. Then a group of students led by Marisa Cuevas stage an ecoprotest and chain themselves to the doors, vowing to keep everyone trapped inside until their list of demands is met.
Some students rally to their cause…but others are aggrieved to watch their own plans fall apart.
Amira has trained all year to compete in the school decathlon on her own terms. Peejay intended to honor his brother by throwing the greatest party CIS has ever seen. Kenji was looking forward to making a splash at his improv showcase. Omar wanted to spend a little time with the boy he’s been crushing on. Celeste, adrift in a new country, was hoping to connect with someone—anyone. And Marisa, once so certain of her goals, must now decide how far she’ll go to attain them.
Every year, lock-in night changes lives. This year, it might just change the world.

Review:

At the Central International School, they have a lock in every year where the high school students spend the night together at the school. This year, one student, Marisa, plans a protest. She gets a few students to join her in chaining themselves to the doors, and literally locking everyone in the school. She does this to get a list of demands completed by the school, which involve preserving the environment and stopping the destruction of the oceans. Throughout the protest, students and teachers have to find a way to either comply with Marisa’s demands or find a way to escape the school.

This story was quite intense at times. There were some dangerous moments for the students locked in the school. Marisa had made provisions to make sure they would have food and supplies, and she had also removed all tools from the school so no one could break through the chains.

I was reminded of lockdowns at my former school while I was reading this book. Though the students weren’t dealing with an active dangerous threat like a shooter, they had to adjust to being held hostage by one of their peers. They were relatively safe, but there is always an element of fear in the unknown, when you don’t know how someone will react to certain things or any kind of accidents. There was loads of this kind of tension in this story.

I really enjoyed this book!

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

Author Info:

Adi Alsaid was born and raised in Mexico City. He attended college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He’s now back in Mexico City, where he writes, coaches basketball, and makes every dish he eats as spicy as possible. In addition to Mexico, he’s lived in Tel Aviv, Las Vegas and Monterey, California. His books include Let’s Get Lost, Never Always Sometimes, and North of Happy. Visit Adi online at http://www.SomewhereOverTheSun.com, or on Twitter: @AdiAlsaid.

Have you read We Didn’t Ask for This? What did you think of it?

Review: Imagine Me (Shatter Me #6)

Title: Imagine Me (Shatter Me #6)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: March 31, 2020
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The explosive finale to the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Shatter Me series.
Juliette Ferrars.
Ella Sommers.
Which is the truth and which is the lie?
Now that Ella knows who Juliette is and what she was created for, things have only become more complicated. As she struggles to understand the past that haunts her and looks to a future more uncertain than ever, the lines between right and wrong—between Ella and Juliette—blur. And with old enemies looming, her destiny may not be her own to control.
The day of reckoning for the Reestablishment is coming. But she may not get to choose what side she fights on.

Review:

Ella and her friends continue their battle against the Reestablishment in this story. It starts with an attack by her sister, Emmaline. I can’t give too much away without spoiling the story, but there were some epic battles throughout this book.

I’m so surprised at how my feelings towards characters have changed throughout the series. Ones who I loved at the beginning, I couldn’t stand at the end. At the same time, ones that I was suspicious of in the first book became my favourites by the end of the series. There was a lot of character development and change throughout the series.

I was satisfied with how the book ended, but I really want more information. There was a long epilogue that takes place after everything has happened, but it left me with a bunch of questions. There were some gaps in the time between the final battle and the epilogue, and I’d love to know what happened during that time. There was also one of the original characters who I think deserved more space to tell their story at the end of the book.

I really enjoyed this book and this series. I hope we can one day revisit these characters!

Review: Every Reason We Shouldn’t

Title: Every Reason We Shouldn’t
Author: Sara Fujimura
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Tor Teen
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: March 3, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Warning: Contains family expectations, delightful banter, great romantic tension, skating (all kinds!), Korean pastries, and all the feels.
Fifteen-year-old, biracial figure skater Olivia Kennedy’s Olympic dreams have ended. She’s bitter, but enjoying life as a regular teenager instead of an athlete… until Jonah Choi starts training at her family’s struggling rink. Jonah’s driven, talented, going for the Olympics in speed skating, completely annoying… and totally gorgeous. Between teasing Jonah, helping her best friend try out for roller derby, figuring out life as a normal teen and keeping the family business running, Olivia’s got her hands full. But will rivalry bring her closer to Jonah, or drive them apart?
Every Reason We Shouldn’t by Sara Fujimura is a charming multicultural romance perfect for the many fans of Jenny Han and Rainbow Rowell.

Review:

Olivia is the daughter of two former Olympic champions. She was a gold medal junior champion until her and her partner had one failed performance. Now she helps teach kids at her parents’ ice rink, because her mom has chronic pain from a skating injury. When a speed skater, Jonah, moves to Phoenix, he reignites her love of skating and her desire to go for the gold.

I don’t know much about skating, but I’ve always been fascinated by it. It was amazing to see how hard Olivia and Jonah had to train. Their goal was the Olympics, but few people actually make it there. Skating has the unique position in sports as also being artistic. I could relate to that creative side to the sport.

Olivia’s Japanese heritage played an important role in the story. Olivia and Jonah are both biracial. She has a few friends at school who are also Asian. There were lots of Japanese and Korean foods mentioned in the story, which made me so hungry.

I loved this new story!

Thank you Tor Teen for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Thorn

Title: Thorn
Author: Intisar Khanani
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: March 24, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A princess with two futures. A destiny all her own
Between her cruel family and the contempt she faces at court, Princess Alyrra has always longed to escape the confines of her royal life. But when she’s betrothed to the powerful prince Kestrin, Alyrra embarks on a journey to his land with little hope for a better future.
When a mysterious and terrifying sorceress robs Alyrra of both her identity and her role as princess, Alyrra seizes the opportunity to start a new life for herself as a goose girl.
But Alyrra soon finds that Kestrin is not what she expected. The more Alyrra learns of this new kingdom, the pain and suffering its people endure, as well as the danger facing Kestrin from the sorceress herself, the more she knows she can’t remain the goose girl forever.
With the fate of the kingdom at stake, Alyrra is caught between two worlds and ultimately must decide who she is, and what she stands for.

Review:

Princess Alyrra is sent to marry a prince of the largest kingdom. However, along the way to the palace, she is put under a spell which switches her body with her enemy who was traveling with her. Now Alyrra no longer looks like the princess who was sent to the kingdom. The new princess sends Alyrra to work in the barns with the geese, where she lives with servants. She has to figure out how to protect the kingdom from the witch who cursed her and the girl who has taken her place.

I wasn’t familiar with the fairy tale of The Goose Girl before reading this book. I didn’t look it up, because I didn’t want to spoil the story. The story was quite suspenseful, since I didn’t know what was going to happen.

There were some heartbreaking parts of this story, which really made me sympathetic towards Alyrra. She was abused by her brother before she went to the kingdom. She was on bad terms with her mother for a controversy she caused in her home kingdom. She also had to help some servants who were in less fortunate circumstances.

I really enjoyed this story! It’s a great debut fantasy novel.

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

Blog Tour Review: Music From Another World

Title: Music From Another World
Author: Robin Talley
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: March 31, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

It’s summer 1977 and closeted lesbian Tammy Larson can’t be herself anywhere. Not at her strict Christian high school, not at her conservative Orange County church and certainly not at home, where her ultrareligious aunt relentlessly organizes antigay political campaigns. Tammy’s only outlet is writing secret letters in her diary to gay civil rights activist Harvey Milk…until she’s matched with a real-life pen pal who changes everything.
Sharon Hawkins bonds with Tammy over punk music and carefully shared secrets, and soon their letters become the one place she can be honest. The rest of her life in San Francisco is full of lies. The kind she tells for others—like helping her gay brother hide the truth from their mom—and the kind she tells herself. But as antigay fervor in America reaches a frightening new pitch, Sharon and Tammy must rely on their long-distance friendship to discover their deeply personal truths, what they’ll stand for…and who they’ll rise against.
A master of award-winning queer historical fiction, New York Times bestselling author Robin Talley once again brings to life with heart and vivid detail an emotionally captivating story about the lives of two teen girls living in an age when just being yourself was an incredible act of bravery.

Review:

Tammy and Sharon were set up as penpals through their Catholic schools in 1977. Tammy lived in Orange County with a very religious family, while Sharon lived in San Francisco with her mother and brother. Sharon’s brother and Tammy are gay. Sharon and her brother help the gay community in San Francisco by supporting Harvey Milk’s campaign. When Tammy gets in trouble at her school, she runs away to the only person she knows who will support her, Sharon.

This story was devastating at times. Tammy’s aunt and uncle, who ran the church in her community, were so extreme and closed minded. They constantly bashed gay people, which Tammy had to listen to. She also had to work against the gay community to promote her aunt and uncle’s beliefs. It was so upsetting to see her go against herself in these ways.

One good thing about this story, is that the world is much more welcoming today. It isn’t a perfect situation for queer people today, but I think Tammy and Sharon would have a more positive place to live today. There are still people like Tammy’s aunt around today, but there is more positivity for queer people.

This was a great story!

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

Author Info:

Robin Talley studied literature and communications at American University. She lives in Washington, DC, with her wife, but visits both Boston and New York regularly despite her moral opposition to Massachusetts winters and Times Square. Her first book was 2014’s Lies We Tell Ourselves. Visit her online at robintalley.com or on Twitter at @robin_talley.

Have you read Music From Another World? What did you think of it?

Review: Lola: A Ghost Story

Title: Lola: A Ghost Story
Author: J. Torres, Elbert Or (illustrator)
Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel, Paranormal
Publisher: Oni Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: March 24, 2020
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Jesse sees dead people, monsters, demons, and lots of other things that go bump in the night that no one else can see. No one except his ailing grandmother—a woman who used her visions to help those living in her small town… the same rural community in all the scary stories Jesse’s heard as a child. Man-eating ogres in trees. Farmhouses haunted by wraiths. Even pigs possessed by the devil. Upon his grandmother’s passing, Jesse has no choice but to face his demons and whatever else might be awaiting him at grandma’s house.

Review:

Jesse has inherited his grandmother’s ability to see ghosts. When his grandmother dies, his family travels back to their home country of the Philippines. He revisits some of his memories of his grandmother and his cousin, who died when he was a kid.

I didn’t know about this Filipino folklore before reading the book. There were some creatures in the graphic novel that were so creepy. There were some that were used as explanations for birth complications, and those “creatures” targeted pregnant women. All of the different kinds of creatures were listed in a glossary of these creatures at the end of the book.

This book was also dark at times. I found the ending really creepy.

This was a great, ghostly graphic novel!

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

Review: My Plain Jane (The Lady Janies #2)

Title: My Plain Jane (The Lady Janies #2)
Author: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Owlcrate, Litjoy
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: June 26, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

You may think you know the story. After a miserable childhood, penniless orphan Jane Eyre embarks on a new life as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester. Despite their significant age gap (!) and his uneven temper (!!), they fall in love—and, Reader, she marries him. (!!!)
Or does she?
Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte Brontë, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights.

Review:

This is another fabulous book by the Lady Janies!

This story is an adaptation of Jane Eyre. The three perspectives are Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë, and Alexander Blackwood. Charlotte attends Lowood school with Jane. However, Jane can see ghosts. She is recruited by Alexander to join a special ghost catching society, but she refuses so she can follow her dream of being a governess. Charlotte joins Alexander and her brother Branwell to try and convince Jane to use her unique powers to catch ghosts.

This story mostly followed the plot of Jane Eyre. Some of the strange plot points in the story were explained by ghosts appearing in this story. Other odd plot points were altered to make better sense in the story, like Jane’s sudden discovery of new cousins at the end of the original book.

Jane’s friend Helen, who died as a girl at school, is in this story as a ghost who follows Jane everywhere. I loved Helen’s commentary on the story. She commented on how ridiculous things were, such as the way that Jane insisted on being a governess when she could have had much more money in the ghost society.

I laughed out loud so many times while reading this book! I love Jane Eyre, so I really enjoyed the jokes about the novel. There were also loads of references to 19th century novels, such as Pride and Prejudice, which I also really enjoyed!

I can’t wait to read the next book in the Lady Janies series!

Other Books in the Series:

My Lady Jane

Have you read My Plain Jane? What did you think of it?

Review: Fight Like a Girl

Title: Fight Like a Girl
Author: Sheena Kamal
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: March 10, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The Beauty of the Moment meets Exit, Pursued by a Bear. Award-winning thriller writer Sheena Kamal delivers a kick-ass debut YA novel that will have fans crying out for more.
Love and violence. In some families they’re bound up together, dysfunctional and poisonous, passed from generation to generation like eye color or a quirk of smile. Trisha’s trying to break the chain, channeling her violent impulses into Muay Thai kickboxing, an unlikely sport for a slightly built girl of Trinidadian descent. Her father comes and goes as he pleases, his presence adding a layer of tension to Toronto’s east-end townhouse Trisha and her mom call home, every punch he lands on her mother carving itself indelibly into Trisha’s mind. Until the night he wanders out drunk in front of the car Trisha is driving, practicing on her learner’s permit, her mother in the passenger seat. Her father is killed, and her mother seems strangely at peace. Lighter, somehow. Trisha doesn’t know exactly what happened that night, but she’s afraid it’s going to happen again. Her mom has a new man in her life and the patterns, they are repeating.

Review:

Trisha is a fighter. She practices Muay Thai kickboxing. She is of Trinidadian descent, and she lives with her mother in Toronto. Her dad comes to visit from Trinidad, and is killed when she accidentally hits him with her car. However, she suspects that there is more to his death. She throws herself into her fighting to distract her from her suspicions about her father’s death and her mother’s new boyfriend.

This was such an original story. There were unexpected twists. There was also lots of tension when it came to Trisha’s kickboxing. She went through a lot of pain and suffering, both mentally and physically, which was difficult to read at times.

I loved that this book was set in my hometown of Toronto. I could imagine where Trisha lived and the things she would do in the city, like taking the subway to her kickboxing class. I had friends when I was growing up who were from Trinidad, so Tricia reminded me of them.

This is a great story!

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

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