Young Adult – Page 7 – Jill's Book Blog

Review: Whiteout

Title: Whiteout
Author: Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, Nicola Yoon
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: November 8, 2022
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Atlanta is blanketed with snow just before Christmas, but the warmth of young love just might melt the ice in this novel of interwoven narratives, Black joy, and cozy, sparkling romance—by the same unbeatable team of authors who wrote the New York Times bestseller Blackout!

As the city grinds to a halt, twelve teens band together to help a friend pull off the most epic apology of her life. But will they be able to make it happen, in spite of the storm?

No one is prepared for this whiteout. But then, we can’t always prepare for the magical moments that change everything.

From the bestselling, award-winning, all-star authors who brought us Blackout—Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon—comes another novel of Black teen love, each relationship within as unique and sparkling as Southern snowflakes.

Review:

One night, a few days before Christmas, Atlanta has a snowstorm. Everything in the city stops, but Stevie needs to try to win her girlfriend back. She enlists the help of her friends, who do all they can to get around the city and help Stevie, while also finding their own snowstorm romances.

I loved the book Blackout, which was written by the same authors, so I knew I would love this one. It was so fun to read these intertwined stories of different characters who were working towards the same goal, but who also had their own subplots happening at the same time. There was a list of clues at the end of the story to help you figure out who wrote each chapter. I tried to guess which author wrote which characters while I was reading it, and I think I got a couple of them right.

Whiteout is a fun snowstorm romance!

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

Review: Sinner’s Isle

Title: Sinner’s Isle
Author: Angela Montoya
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Joy Revolution
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: October 31, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A spellbinding romantic fantasy about a powerful witch who will do anything to escape the remote island she’s being held captive on, including blackmail a notorious, charming pirate who washes up on shore, from debut author Angela Montoya.

Rosalinda is trapped on Sinner’s Isle, an island filled with young women like her—Majestics, beautiful witches loathed by society for their dangerous magic yet revered by powerful men who want to use them.

For years, she has been kept under the watchful, calculating eye of Doña Lucia. Now eighteen, Rosa will be the prized commodity at this year’s Offering, a fiesta for the wealthy to engage in drink, damsels, and debauchery. That is why she must flee—before someone forces the vicious phantoms within her to destroy everything she touches.

Handsome, swashbuckling Mariano has long sailed the high seas as the Prince of Pirates. Then the king’s fleet attacks his father’s infamous ship, leaving him marooned on Sinner’s Isle with only an enchanted chain meant to lead him to his heart’s desire. Instead, he falls into the hands of a brazen (although) bewitching headache—Rosa.

Together they must outwit each other and their enemies before the Offering ends and it’s too late to escape the perils of Sinner’s Isle.

Review:

Rosalinda lives on Sinner’s Isle, where she’s been kept for most of her life along with other Majestics, who are witches. Rosa is a powerful Majestic, with shadows that can do her bidding. Every year the Majestics are offered up to powerful men in the world, so they can be bonded for life and use their powers to help the men. It’s Rosa’s year to be offered, and she’s the most powerful girl of the year. Mariano is the son of infamous pirates. When his father dies suddenly, he must escape their ship before his uncles kill him to take his place. Mariano washes up on Sinner’s Isle, where he encounters Rosa. They make a deal for Mariano to help Rosa and her best friend escape their fate as Majestics, but it isn’t easy to escape their destiny.

This was an exciting and original story! It was interesting how the Majestics were both revered and ostracized from society. They had magic powers, so they were used to be bonded with powerful men, but they were also sent to an isolated island away from the rest of society. There were some surprising twists that I didn’t see coming. The story had a great, complete ending, but there is also the possibility for another book in this world in the future.

Sinner’s Isle is a great debut novel!

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

Content warnings: death of parents, death, blood, violence

Have you read Sinner’s Isle? What did you think of it?

Review: Gwen and Art Are Not in Love

Title: Gwen and Art Are Not in Love
Author: Lex Croucher
Genre: Young Adult, Historical, Romance, LGBT, Fantasy
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: November 28, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Heartstopper meets A Knight’s Tale in this queer medieval rom-com YA debut about love, friendship, and being brave enough to change the course of history.

It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other.

They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run-up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy, and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen’s childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom’s only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.

Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, Gwen and Art make a reluctant pact to cover for each other, and as things heat up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight, and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen’s royal brother. Lex Croucher’s Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is chock full of sword-fighting, found family, and romantic shenanigans destined to make readers fall in love.

Review:

Hundreds of years after King Arthur’s death, his descendant, Arthur, is betrothed to Princess Gwendoline. However, they can’t stand each other. They are forced to spend the entire summer together leading up to their eventual marriage. Soon after Arthur arrives at the palace, Gwen catches him kissing a boy. After she confronts him about it, Arthur finds Gwen’s diary where she fantasizes about kissing the only lady knight. Since they both like people of the same sex, they know they aren’t meant for each other, so they decide to work together. Gwen gets to spend more time with her lady knight, while Arthur gets closer to Gwen’s brother Gabriel. They eventually have to figure out a way to get around their future marriage and be with the ones they love.

This was a fun historical romance! It isn’t a retelling of the King Arthur story. Some of the characters are descendants of King Arthur, and most of them have been named after people from that era. Gwen, Arthur, and Lancelot were some of the names that were popular in the time period in the story. Though there were some serious moments, with the characters dealing with homophobia, there were also a lot of laugh out loud moments as well. It was very entertaining.

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is a fun queer historical romance!

Thank you Wednesday Books for providing a finished copy of this book!

Content warnings: homophobia, death of parent

Have you read Gwen and Art Are Not in Love? What did you think of it?

Review: Fake Famous

Title: Fake Famous
Author: Dana L. Davis
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Skyscape
Source: Firefly Books Distributed
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: November 7, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this breezy novel from the author of Somebody That I Used to Know , one Iowa farm girl—a dead ringer for a global pop star—gets an unlikely shot at stardom. Will she choose fame…or the family farm? Red Morgan is fresh out of high school. With signature red curls and a remarkable singing voice, the bubbly teenager is a devoted daughter and big sister. The world should be her oyster. But Red already knows exactly where her future the family farm in Orange City, Iowa. Zay-Zay Waters is at the top of her game. The Brooklyn-born singer has it all—talent, fame, even a smokin’ hot boyfriend. But life in the limelight isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. And when a video of Red singing in the mud—looking and sounding exactly like Zay-Zay herself—goes viral, the pop star begins to hatch a plan. Red is the key to Zay-Zay’s scheme. With much-needed money on the line, Red agrees to step into Zay-Zay’s famous shoes for one week. But when planned appearances start to go off script, Red may be in over her head. Can she really pull it off?

Review:

Red Morgan is a recent high school graduate who loves helping out on her family’s farm. She knows she’s destined to run the farm after she goes to college. When a video of Red singing goes viral, everyone thinks she’s pop star Zay-Zay Waters. Red looks so much like the singer that Zay-Zay goes to the farm and asks her to impersonate her for a week while she goes to a private retreat in Brazil. Red’s family’s farm really needs the money she’ll receive, so she agrees to do it. However, when the planned appearances take an unexpected turn, Red’s true identity could be revealed.

This was such a fun story. Red got to live the dream as a celebrity for a few days, but not everything was easy. I really liked the characters in the story. Some were quite eccentric and entertaining characters, who made the story fun. The ending was so great too!

Fake Famous is a fun story!

Thank you Firefly Books Distributed Lines for sending me a copy of this book!

Have you read Fake Famous? What did you think of it?

Review: The Blackwoods

Title: The Blackwoods
Author: Brandy Colbert
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: October 3, 2023
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The Blackwoods. Everyone knows their name. Blossom Blackwood burst onto the silver screen in 1962, and in the decades that followed, she would become one of the most celebrated actors of our time—and the matriarch of the most famous Black family in Hollywood. To her great-granddaughters, Hollis and Ardith, she has always just been Bebe. And when she passes away, it changes everything. Hollis Blackwood was never interested in fame. Still, she’s surrounded by it, whether at home with her family or at the prestigious Dupree Academy among Los Angeles’ elite.

When private photos of Hollis are leaked in the wake of Blossom’s death, she is thrust into the spotlight she’s long avoided—and finds that trust may be a luxury even she can’t afford. Ardith Blackwood has always lived in the public eye. A television star since childhood, she was perhaps closer with Blossom than anyone—especially after Ardith’s mother died in a drug overdose. Ever since, she has worked to be everything her family, her church, and the public want her to be. But as a family secret comes to light and the pressures from all sides begin to mount, she wonders what is left beneath the face she shows the world.

Weaving together the narratives of Hollis, Ardith, and Blossom, award-winning author Brandy Colbert tells an unforgettable story set in an America where everything is personal, and nothing is private.

Review:

Blossom Blackwoods became a star in the 1960s, and eventually was the matriarch of the famous Blackwoods family. When Blossom dies, her great-granddaughters are affected. Hollis Blackwood has never been interested in being famous, but she can’t help but accept the benefits of her famous family. When her private photos are leaked, Hollis is embarrassed and thrust into the media spotlight. Ardith Blackwood is an actress who has been on hit shows since she was a child. However, she lives in the shadow of her mother’s death from a drug overdose. Ardith faces pressure from work, family, and the public, that eventually explodes out of her. Both granddaughters have to figure out how to live in the public eye, while also discovering a big secret their grandmother kept from them.

This was a great story about a multi-generational Black Hollywood family. The story alternated between the perspectives of Blossom, Hollis, and Ardith. Blossom was starting her acting career in the 1950s and she faced a lot of racism. She was called names and really struggled to actually find work, but she persevered and was successful. Hollis and Ardith faced other challenges, involving social media and the press that weren’t around in Blossom’s youth, but are common today. I found Blossom’s chapters to be slower paced, but that may be because I could relate to the younger perspectives more.

The Blackwoods is a great Hollywood family story!

Thank you Frenzy Books for sending me a copy!

Content warnings: death of parent, overdose (off page), addiction, racism, racial slurs, underage drinking, cyberbullying

Have you read The Blackwoods? What did you think of it?

Review: The Revenge Game

Title: The Revenge Game
Author: Jordyn Taylor
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Thriller
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: November 7, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A wickedly comic feminist mystery about the dark side of a hopeless romantic’s seemingly perfect love story—for readers of Jessica Goodman and Kara Thomas.

Alyson is a romantic, and sometimes it gets her into trouble. Like last summer, she thought her co-worker was into her, when in reality he found her flirting pathetic.

Then she meets Brenton Riggs Jr., and right away she knows that their connection isn’t just in her head. When he swoops in to save her one night from a less than savory party encounter, she falls head-over-heels. Finally, someone Alyson likes who likes her back!

But when she finds out about the King’s Cup—a competition the guy’s at their boarding school started to see who has the most sexual prowress—she’s put on edge. Does Brenton really want to be with her, or is he just trying to win? Then Alyson and the other girls at the school start a competition of their own: The Queen’s Cup. It’s all about reclaiming their power. But as the compeition heats up, Alyson’s relationship begins to fall apart—and it isn’t long before the cracks in her perfect love story start to show through.

Review:

Alyson loves romance novels and is looking for her perfect romance. She fell for her colleague at a bookstore in the summer, but then she heard him call her desperate. She meets Brendan Riggs Jr. in her AP English class when they’re paired up for an assignment. After he saves her from an aggressive classmate, Alyson begins to fall for him and he likes her too. When she finds out about the King’s Cup, a competition the boys have where they get points for doing things with girls, she’s hopeful that Riggs isn’t participating. Alyson and her friends start up the Queen’s Cup, which is a competition to humiliate the guys in the most public and hilarious way possible. Despite coming up with the idea for the Queen’s Cup, Alyson is certain that what she has with Riggs is real, and he would never use her for the King’s Cup. However, when their relationship starts to crack, Alyson has to wonder if they have a perfect love story after all.

This was a fabulous feminist revenge story. I could relate to Alyson and her desire for a romance like she had read about in her romance novels, because I felt that way for many years. Almost all of the guys at her school were horrible misogynists. There was also a mystery throughout the story which was that Riggs went missing after prom later in the school year, but we don’t know why or what happened to him until the end. Since Riggs seemed like a genuine boyfriend, I wasn’t sure what his fate would be but I was hopeful he would turn out to be a good guy so that Alyson didn’t get hurt again. Though bullying is never good, I found the way the girls got revenge on the guys entertaining, since they had done much worse things to begin with.

The Revenge Game is a great story about feminist revenge!

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

Content warnings: bullying, sexual assault (off page), rape (off page), assault

Have you read The Revenge Game? What did you think of it?

Review: Don’t Breathe a Word

Title: Don’t Breathe a Word
Author: Jordyn Taylor
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Mystery
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover/audiobook
Release Date: May 18, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Present Day:
Eva has never felt like she belonged… not in her own family or with her friends in New York City, and certainly not at a fancy boarding school like Hardwick Preparatory Academy. So when she is invited to join the Fives, an elite secret society, she jumps at the opportunity to finally be a part of something.

But what if the Fives are about more than just having the best parties and receiving special privileges from the school? What if they are also responsible for keeping some of Hardwick’s biggest secrets buried?

1962:
There is only one reason why Connie would volunteer to be one of the six students to participate in testing Hardwick’s nuclear fallout shelter: Craig Allenby. While the thought of nuclear war sends her into a panic, she can’t pass up the opportunity to spend four days locked in with the school’s golden boy. However, Connie and the other students quickly discover that there is more to this “test” than they previously thought. As they are forced to follow an escalating series of commands, Connie realizes that one wrong move could have dangerous consequences.

Separated by sixty years , Eva’s and Connie’s stories become inextricably intertwined as Eva unravels the mystery of how six students went into the fallout shelter all those years ago . . . but only five came out.

Review:

Present day: Eva never fit in with her family or friends at her new boarding school, Hardwick Preparatory Academy. When she’s invited to join the exclusive group the Fives, she’s thrilled to join in their parties and events. However, Eva soon learns that the Fives are behind one of the darkest scandals in the school’s history.

1962: Connie volunteered to participate in the test of Hardwick’s nuclear fallout shelter so she can spend time with Craig Allenby, the popular boy in school. However, the test becomes more dangerous than they expected as their challenges become harder. Even though six kids went into the shelter, only five come out.

This was a thrilling dual point of view story! I liked the way the two perspectives were intertwined with each other. The story was fast paced. I listened to the audiobook and I really enjoyed it. The only criticism I have is the two narrators spoke at different speeds, so when I listened to it at a faster speed, one of them spoke much faster than the other.

Don’t Breathe a Word is a great story!

Content warnings: death, hazing, parental abandonment

Have you read Don’t Breathe a Word? What did you think of it?

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: 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: Wrath Becomes Her

Title: Wrath Becomes Her
Author: Aden Polydoros
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 10, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Frankenstein meets Inglourious Basterds in this stunning Jewish historical horror novel from the award-winning author of The City Beautiful

Vera was made for vengeance.

Lithuania, 1943. A father drowns in the all-consuming grief of a daughter killed by the Nazis. He can’t bring Chaya back from the dead, but he can use kishuf — an ancient and profane magic — to create a golem in her image. A Nazi killer, to avenge her death.

When Vera awakens, she can feel her violent purpose thrumming within her. But she can also feel glimpses of a human life lived, of stolen kisses amidst the tragedy, and of a grisly death. And when she meets Akiva, she recognizes the boy with soft lips that gave warm kisses. But these memories aren’t hers, and Vera doesn’t know if she gets—or deserves —to have a life beyond what she was made for.

Vera’s strength feels limitless—until she learns that there are others who would channel kishuf for means far less noble than avenging a daughter’s death. As she confronts the very basest of humanity, Vera will need more than what her creator gave Not just a reason to fight, but a reason to live.

Review:

Lithuania, 1943: Ezra’s daughter, Chaya, was killed by Nazis. Since he couldn’t bring her back from the dead, he created a golem in her image to kill Nazis and avenge Chaya’s death. The golem, Vera, has many of Chaya’s memories, including the face of the man who killed her. Soon after Vera is created, their home is attacked and she is separated from Ezra. Vera meets Chaya’s old friend Akiva, and they go on a journey together to find Ezra and survive the war.

This story is a retelling of Frankenstein. It’s unfortunate that when this book was published, another war has just begun. There were many images in this story that reflected what has been on the news in the past couple of weeks. These may be triggering to some readers, but I felt like it was important to read, especially right now, to see a glimpse of what the people experiencing war are feeling. Though Vera was considered a “monster” because she wasn’t human, she learned humanity and realized that killing more people won’t bring back those that were lost.

Wrath Becomes Her is a powerful story.

Thank you Inkyard Press for providing a copy of this book.

Content warnings: war, death of child, death of parent, murder

Have you read Wrath Becomes Her? What did you think of it?