Review: The Firefly Summer

Title: The Firefly Summer
Author: Morgan Matson
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: May 2, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The Penderwicks meets The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street in a story about a young girl who gets to know her mom’s side of the family and hunts for hidden treasure over the course of one chaotic summer.

For as long as Ryanna Stuart can remember, her summers have been spent with her father and his new wife. Just the three of them, structured, planned, and quiet. But this summer is different. This summer, she’s received a letter from her grandparents—grandparents neither she nor her dad have spoken to since her mom’s death—inviting her to stay with them at an old summer camp in the Poconos.

Ryanna accepts. She wants to learn about her mom. She wants to uncover the mystery of why her father hasn’t spoken to her grandparents all these years. She’s even looking forward to a quiet summer by the lake. But what she finds are relatives… so many relatives! Aunts and uncles and cousins upon cousins—a motley, rambunctious crew of kids and eccentric, unconventional adults. People who have memories of her mom from when she was Ryanna’s age, clues to her past like a treasure map. Ryanna even finds an actual, real-life treasure map!

Over the course of one unforgettable summer—filled with s’mores and swimming, adventure and fun, and even a decades-old mystery to solve—Ryanna discovers a whole new side of herself and that, sometimes, the last place you expected to be is the place where you really belong.

Review:

Eleven-year-old Ryanna Stuart has always lived with her father, and now his new wife. When she receives a letter from her grandparents, her mom’s parents who she hasn’t seen since her mother’s death eight years ago, she decides to accept their invitation to visit for the summer. She travels to their summer home, a former summer camp called Camp Vam Camp, in Pennsylvania and she’s excited to learn more about her mom’s childhood. However, she’s shocked to find a bunch of cousins, aunts, and uncles, who she didn’t know about, are staying with them too. Almost all of them have memories to share about Ryanna’s mom. While looking through her mom’s old stuff, she stumbles upon a treasure map. This might be their last summer at this camp, but if Ryanna can follow the treasure map, she may be able to save this summer home. 

This was such a fun summer read! Some parts were emotional, such as when Ryanna talked about her mom. Her mom died after being hit by a car when Ryanna was three-years-old, and after that her father kept her away from her mother’s family for a reason she doesn’t know. It was heartwarming to see Ryanna discover things about her mother’s childhood and the ways they were similar. They both loved reading mystery novels, which is what I loved at that age too. I really loved how everything came together at the end of the story, and every piece of the puzzle had a purpose. 

The Firefly Summer is a fun summer middle grade read!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book.

Have you read The Firefly Summer? What did you think of it?

Review: Throwback

Title: Throwback
Author: Maurene Goo
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Zando Young Readers
Source: Manda Group
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: April 11, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Back to the Future meets The Joy Luck Club in this YA contemporary romance about a Korean American girl sent back to the ’90s to (reluctantly) help her teenage mom win Homecoming Queen.

Being a first-generation Asian American immigrant is hard. You know what’s harder? Being the daughter of one. Samantha Kang has never gotten along with her mother, Priscilla—and has never understood her bougie-nightmare, John Hughes high school expectations. After a huge fight between them, Sam is desperate to move forward—but instead, finds herself thrown back. Way back.

To her shock, Sam finds herself back in high school . . . in the ’90s . . . with a 17-year-old Priscilla. Now this Gen Z girl must try to fit into an analog world. She’s got the fashion down, but everything else is baffling. What is “microfiche”? What’s with the casual racism and misogyny? And why does it feel like Priscilla is someone she could actually be . . . friends with?

Sam’s blast to the past has her finding the right romance in the wrong time while questioning everything she thought she knew about her mom . . . and herself. Will Sam figure out what she needs to do to fix things for her mom so that she can go back to a time she understands? Brimming with heart and humor, Maurene Goo’s time-travel romance asks big questions about what exactly one inherits and loses in the immigrant experience.

Review:

Samantha Kang has never gotten along with her mom, Priscilla Jo. Her mom has bougie goals her family, wanting them to join a country club and for Sam to win Homecoming Queen, but Sam doesn’t care about those things. After a huge fight, Sam is left standing by herself as her mom drives away. She calls a rideshare company, which ends up sending her back to 1995, when Priscilla was in high school and competing to be Homecoming Queen. Since her fight with her mother sparked this time traveling, Sam must figure out how to fix her mom’s Homecoming experience so she can return to her time. 

This story was similar to the movie Back to the Future, which I love! It was such a fun story, especially being a reader who was born in the 90s. The references were fun and authentic. There was one character who Sam met in the past who I really liked seeing her with. I wasn’t sure how that relationship would follow her to her real time, but I loved the twist that made it happen! 

Throwback is such a fun 90s story!

Thank you Manda Group and Zando Young Readers for providing a copy of this book!

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

Review: Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment #1)

Title: Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment #1)
Author: Rebecca Ross
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: April 4, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever.

After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish—into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.

Shadow and Bone meets Lore in Rebecca Ross’s Divine Rivals, an epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.

Review:

Eighteen-year-old Iris is struggling with the new war that has broken out between gods. Her brother is missing from the frontlines and Iris is at home with her ill mother. Iris’s goal is to win the columnist position at the newspaper Oath Gazette, but she must compete against the wealthy and privileged Roman Kitt. To bring her comfort, Iris writes letters to her brother, then slides them under the door of her wardrobe where they disappear. She doesn’t know that these letters land in the bedroom of Roman Kitt. Roman writes back to her, anonymously, though Roman knows it’s Iris writing to him, and they develop a pen pal relationship. Their relationship grows, following Iris to a job at the frontlines, until they come to life and death decisions. 

Enemies to lovers is quickly becoming one of my favourite tropes. There was a lot of world building and setting up the story at the beginning. There was some magic in this world, particularly with the typewriters that Roman and Iris could use to send letters back and forth. The characters weren’t all likable at the beginning, but I grew to love them. The ending of this story had my heart pounding. It’s going to be a long wait until the sequel comes out next year. 

I highly recommend Divine Rivals!

Content warnings: alcoholism, war, PTSD

Have you read Divine Rivals? What did you think of it?

Review: The Final Gambit (The Inheritance Games #3)

Title: The Final Gambit (The Inheritance Games #3)
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: August 30, 2022
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Avery’s fortune, life, and loves are on the line in the game that everyone will be talking about.

To inherit billions, all Avery Kylie Grambs has to do is survive a few more weeks living in Hawthorne House. The paparazzi are dogging her every step. Financial pressures are building. Danger is a fact of life. And the only thing getting Avery through it all is the Hawthorne brothers. Her life is intertwined with theirs. She knows their secrets and they know her.

But as the clock ticks down to the moment when Avery will become the richest teenager on the planet, trouble arrives in the form of a visitor who needs her help—and whose presence in Hawthorne House could change everything. It soon becomes clear that there is one last puzzle to solve, and Avery and the Hawthorne brothers are drawn into a dangerous game against an unknown and powerful player.

Review:

The countdown is on until Avery Grambs reaches one year living in Hawthorne House, giving her control of her inheritance. Before she can inherit everything that Tobias Hawthorne left her, there is one more grand puzzle for her to solve with the Hawthorne brothers. 

This final book in the trilogy had as many twists and turns as the first two books! It was really hard to decide who to trust, especially when Avery was left the ominous message “don’t trust anyone.” Everyone became a suspect in my eyes. I won’t explain the final game/puzzle Avery had to solve since it gives away the endings of the first two books, but it was very suspenseful! I really liked the way the ending wrapped everything up but I’m still eager to read more about these characters. I’m excited to read the next Hawthorne book next month!

The Final Gambit is a great ending to this trilogy!

Content warnings: murder, death of parent, death of grandparent, attempted suicide (mentioned)

Other books in the series:

Have you read The Final Gambit? What did you think of it?

Review: Bookshop Cinderella (Scandal at the Savoy #1)

Title: Bookshop Cinderella (Scandal at the Savoy #1)
Author: Laura Lee Guhrke
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Forever
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: June 20, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Fans of Lisa Kleypas and Julia Quinn will adore this opposites-attract romance featuring a dashing duke, a shy bookshop owner, and a wager that will change their lives forever.

Evie Harlow runs a quaint little bookshop in London, which is the biggest adventure an unmarried woman with no prospects could hope for. Until Maximillian Shaw, Duke of Westbourne, saunters into her shop with a proposition: to win a bet with his friends, he’ll turn her into the diamond of the season. The duke might be devilishly attractive, but Evie has no intention of accepting his ludicrous offer. When disaster strikes her shop, however, she’s left with little choice but to let herself be whisked into his high-society world.

Always happy to help a lady in distress, Max thinks he’s saving Evie from her dull spinster’s life. He’ll help her find a husband and congratulate himself on a job well done. But as shy Evie becomes the shining star he always knew she could be, she somehow steals his heart. And when her reputation is threatened, can Max convince her to choose a glittering, aristocratic life with him over the cozy comfort of her bookshop?

Review:

London, 1896: Evie Harlow runs a bookshop on her own. She’s content with her quiet life, until Maximillian Shaw, Duke of Westbourne, walks into her shop with a proposition. He’s made a bet with his friends to turn Evie into the diamond of the season who can fill her dance card at a ball. Evie thinks that idea is ridiculous, but when a disaster hits her shop, she decides to take him up on his offer to have a little vacation. Max thinks he is rescuing Evie from her quiet spinster lifestyle, but as she turns into the diamond he predicted, he realizes she could be the one for him. When scandal threatens to pull them apart, Evie has to figure out if she wants to stay at her bookshop or become a Duchess. 

This was such a cute story. When Max told Evie about the bet he had made, he said he wanted to turn her into a Cinderella. I loved that they acknowledged that it would be a Cinderella-type story right away. It was fun to see Evie get the life she deserved!

Bookshop Cinderella is a fun Victorian romance!

Thank you Forever for providing a copy of this book!

Have you read Bookshop Cinderella? What did you think of it?

Review: Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1)

Title: Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1)
Author: Rebecca Yarros
Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: RB Media
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Audiobook
Release Date: May 2, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Yarros

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away…because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom’s protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.

Review:

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail, the daughter of the commanding general, was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant and live a quiet and safe life. Her mother orders her to join the Riders Quadrant, which has a high death rate, especially for someone like Violet who hasn’t had any training for it. Not only does Violet’s small, brittle body make her unlikely to bond with a dragon, with her famous last name, she’s the target of other students in her quadrant. Xaden Riorson is the wingleader of her quadrant, and he has a reason to not like Violet. However, Violet defies all the odds when it comes to training and bonding with a dragon. She must do anything she can to survive. 

This book definitely lived up to the hype! There was a great slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romance which I loved! I listened to the audiobook and read a physical copy. I found it a little difficult to follow the audiobook, mostly because it was such a complex world to enter. I enjoyed the physical book much more. There were shocking twists at the end, including a huge cliffhanger ending. I’m so glad that I only have to wait a few months for the next book in the series!

Fourth Wing is an amazing new dragon-filled fantasy!

Thank you RB Media for providing an audio arc of this book!

Content warnings: death of parent, broken bones, murder

Have you read Fourth Wing? What did you think of it?

Review: Imogen, Obviously

Title: Imogen, Obviously
Author: Becky Albertalli
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, LGBTQ
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: May 2, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Imogen Scott may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she’s got the World’s Greatest Ally title locked down.

She’s never missed a Pride Alliance meeting. She knows more about queer media discourse than her very queer little sister. She even has two queer best friends. There’s Gretchen, a fellow high school senior, who helps keep Imogen’s biases in check. And then there’s Lili—newly out and newly thriving with a cool new squad of queer college friends.

Imogen’s thrilled for Lili. Any ally would be. And now that she’s finally visiting Lili on campus, she’s bringing her ally A game. Any support Lili needs, Imogen’s all in.

Even if that means bending the truth, just a little.

Like when Lili drops a tiny queer bombshell: she’s told all her college friends that Imogen and Lili used to date. And none of them know that Imogen is a raging hetero—not even Lili’s best friend, Tessa.

Of course, the more time Imogen spends with chaotic, freckle-faced Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with. . .

Review:

Imogen Scott is the heterosexual girl in her group of queer friends. She’s the proudest ally in their Pride Alliance at school. Her two closest friends are Gretchen and Lili. Gretchen always points out when Imogen is misappropriating queerness, whereas Lili has recently come out and is attending college nearby. When Imogen visits Lili at college for a weekend, Lili tells her that she told her new queer college friends that she used to date Imogen. Now, Imogen has to masquerade as a bisexual during that weekend and no one questions it. Imogen connects with Tessa at the college, and she has feelings for her that she doesn’t really understand. She has to figure out if she isn’t as straight as she thought. 

I absolutely loved this story! Imogen was adorable in the way that she was figuring things out as she went along. She was loyal and supported her friends, even when they didn’t deserve it. Her friend Gretchen acted as the queer police, explaining Imogen’s feelings to her rather than actually listening to how she felt. Everyone’s identity is different and unique, so one person or group shouldn’t try to define it. I loved Imogen’s growth throughout the story!

Imogen, Obviously is an adorable new queer story!

What to read next:

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

Have you read Perfect on Paper? What did you think of it?