Thank you to Wednesday Books for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.
When sixteen-year-old Georgia Avis discovers the dead body of thirteen-year-old Ashley James, she teams up with Ashley's older sister, Nora, to find and bring the killer to justice before he strikes again. But their investigation throws Georgia into a world of unimaginable privilege and wealth, without conscience or consequence, and as Ashley’s killer closes in, Georgia will discover when money, power and beauty rule, it might not be a matter of who is guilty—but who is guiltiest. A spiritual successor to the 2018 breakout hit, Sadie, I'm the Girl is a masterfully written, bold, and unflinching account of how one young woman feels in her body as she struggles to navigate a deadly and predatory power structure while asking readers one question: if this is the way the world is, do you accept it? A sapphic mystery/thriller from Courtney Summers about a small-town girl who is determined to make something of herself and also solve a murder along the way? Sign me up! A lengthy, ill-paced, abstract exploration of this girl’s pure vanity and ignorance? No thanks! After Sadie, I had much higher expectations for this book. Unfortunately, I was let down in a few ways. My issue is that much like the synopsis, the book fails to accurately describe what is happening to Georgia in a way that makes sense. It makes you feel like you should have understood what was happening from the get-go, which would be fine except for the fact that much of the novel hinges on that understanding of Georgia’s circumstances. She repeatedly gets involved in things that are much larger than her and makes them about her vanity and ego in ways that only a 16 year old girl could. For the titular character of a mystery novel, who is purportedly solving a murder, she’s more invested in her own sense of destiny and genuinely believes that her beauty will reap rewards against all advice from other characters. On one hand, I can admit that this is brilliant writing. Summers hooks readers into a full picture of Georgia’s manipulation by the powerful adults around her, including some truly brutal representations of sexual assault (CW for readers). Her prose is sharp and evocative, if a little vague. On the other hand, it was difficult to empathize with Georgia and stay invested in the story when she always seems so obsessed with herself. Her entire character comes across as ignorant of her situation, which is baffling since all the aspects are so obvious. The pacing is also off, especially in the last quarter of the book. Wrapping up the mystery in a winding and convoluted manner and having Georgia “realize” a number of things that readers could see right from the start in very little time doesn’t make for a smooth ride. I’m going to get into minor spoiler territory here to share some things that I just found truly bizarre:
Because of all this, I’m having a hard time truly recommending I’m the Girl to readers. I think if you’re going through Summers’ catalog, Sadie is more worth the hype. 3/5 stars.
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Thank you to Wednesday Books for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.
The Santos Vista neighborhood of San Antonio, Texas, is all Ander Martínez has ever known. The smell of pan dulce. The mixture of Spanish and English filling the streets. And, especially their job at their family's taquería. It's the place that has inspired Ander as a muralist, and, as they get ready to leave for art school, it's all of these things that give them hesitancy. That give them the thought, are they ready to leave it all behind? To keep Ander from becoming complacent during their gap year, their family "fires" them so they can transition from restaurant life to focusing on their murals and prepare for college. That is, until they meet Santiago López Alvarado, the hot new waiter. Falling for each other becomes as natural as breathing. Through Santi's eyes, Ander starts to understand who they are and want to be as an artist, and Ander becomes Santi's first steps toward making Santos Vista and the United States feel like home. Until ICE agents come for Santi, and Ander realizes how fragile that sense of home is. How love can only hold on so long when the whole world is against them. And when, eventually, the world starts to win. Ander and Santi Were Here is a queer love story set against a backdrop of modern immigration policies that separate loved ones and force families to gamble on uncertain futures. This is one of the most heartbreaking books I’ve read recently, but there is still a light and fluffy feel to the romance aspects. Jonny Garza Villa is adept at transitioning between the sweet romance plotline and the heavier aspects of the story about Santi’s reality as an undocumented person. They know how to turn a story that might be a difficult read into something that feels impossible to put down. I was so invested in characters that I spent the entire afternoon reading. Ander’s family features prominently in the story, as well as their larger community. They work at their family’s restaurant, which is a community staple owned by their tita. The love shared between them and their family came through so well in the story, and I loved that they had such a large role in determining how Ander felt about their future and figuring out who they are as an artist and person. Santiago, or Santi as he is known in the story, is reticent to get to know Ander at the beginning of the story because it would mean opening up about his undocumented status. However, the friendship and new love between the two becomes too powerful to ignore, and it is amazing to watch Santi trust Ander more and start to feel at home around them and their community. The two have such a lovely relationship that left me wanting more even after the book ended. I haven’t read anything else by Villa, but I would be so pleased if they were the type of author who features prior main characters in cameos in future novels. My favorite aspect of the book was Ander’s skill as a muralist. The way they translate their feelings about family, love, their culture, and San Antonio into art that gets displayed in their community is so powerful. I wish the book had come with full color illustrations! I loved how their art was described, and the way it brought joy to their family and friends was so adorable. This beautifully written story earns 5/5 stars from me. Thank you to Quill Tree Books for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.
In this tender, nuanced coming-of-age love story, two boys—one who is cis and one who is trans—have been guarding their hearts to protect themselves, until their feelings for each other give them a reason to stand up to their fears. Two boys are starting at a new school. Jules is just figuring out what it means to be gay and hasn’t totally decided whether he wants to be out at his new school. His parents and friends have all kinds of opinions, but for his part, Jules just wants to make the basketball team and keep his head down. Jack is trying to start over after a best friend break-up. He followed his actor father clear across the country to LA, but he’s also totally ready to leave his past behind. Maybe this new school where no one knows him is exactly what he needs. When the two boys meet, the sparks are undeniable. But then a video surfaces linking Jack to a pair of popular transgender vloggers, and the revelations about Jack’s past thrust both Jack and Jules into the spotlight they’ve been trying to avoid. Suddenly both boys have a choice to make—between lying low where it’s easier or following their hearts. Honestly, I have mixed opinions about this book. On one hand, It’s a sweet coming-of-age story about two boys falling in love while figuring out what queerness means to them. On the other hand, the prose didn’t quite sell it for me. A few scenes felt more like telling than showing, and a lot of the backstory was told through blog posts that I felt could have come together more clearly to share that part of the narrative in a more efficient way. The thing I enjoyed most about this novel is the clear role of the parents in these characters’ lives. The contrast between having supportive parents and absent or openly homophobic & transphobic parents makes for such a difference in a queer teen’s life. There are a variety of parenting styles exhibited in this novel—Jules has a controlling mom and absent dad, whereas Jack has a very supportive set mom and a dad who is mildly selfish but ultimately trying his best. The impact of each of these relationships on the teens is felt throughout the story. I think it’s extremely important for queer readers to possibly see their lived experiences echoed this way, and for straight readers to understand the ways that queer people’s lives are impacted by their family relationships. I'm giving All Kinds of Other 4/5 stars. One small note: I don’t like it when readers dictate who is allowed to tell what stories, especially when it comes to queer YA. Authors are not obligated to reveal their personal identities and experiences in order to write, however I feel that it is important for me to note that this story has not been labeled by the publisher as an own-voices story in that the author is gay but not trans. If reading stories by out trans authors is important for you, here are several as a start: The (Un)popular Vote by Jasper Sanchez, Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith, Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender. Thank you to Wednesday Books for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Nothing will get in the way of Millie Price’s dream of becoming a Broadway star. Not her lovable but super introverted dad, who raised Millie alone since she was a baby. Not her drama club rival, Oliver, who is the very definition of Simmering Romantic Tension. And not her “Millie Moods,” the feelings of intense emotion that threaten to overwhelm. Millie needs an ally. And when an accidentally left-open browser brings Millie to her dad’s embarrassingly moody LiveJournal from 2003, Millie knows just what to do—find her mom. But how can you find a new part of your life and expect it to fit into your old one without leaving any marks? And why is it that when you go looking for the past, it somehow keeps bringing you back to what you’ve had all along? Chockfull of musical theatre references, pep, and found family, When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord is absolutely delightful. I maintain that she is the queen of the modern rom-com novel, and this new installment does not disappoint. Lord takes on a Mamma Mia (or Millie Mia!) retelling in this new story featuring a young actress looking to dig up the past and find her mom in the hopes of clarifying the best path forward for her future. The only thing Millie has are a handful of names from her dad’s LiveJournal and the knowledge that her mom is just as interested in theatre as she is. I loved this plotline because it showcases all of the women in Millie’s life, and how they add to her understanding of what it means to love musical theatre. This story is about finding blood family, but it’s also about discovering new friendships and staying open-minded. Millie is very set in her ways and firm about the path she would like to take, so watching her form new bonds with the women she’s “mom-testing” is extremely heartwarming to say the least. For the romance lovers, as the blurb hints, there is an enemies-to-lovers slow burn relationship developing between Millie and Oliver, her stage manager and new coworker. They challenge each other, collaborate—knowingly and unknowingly—and argue. Lord’s banter is some of my favorite dialogue in today’s YA scene. She keeps it witty and fresh, but there’s always a sweet backstory to provide substance under all of the fluff. I won’t share too much about the sub-plots, since I think they’re best discovered on their own, but this book managed to perfectly balance interesting character developments for both main and side characters the whole way through. I am usually a main character girlie, but I found myself invested in the stories about Teddy (Millie’s best friend), Cooper (her dad), and Heather (her aunt). The whole novel keeps the pace spinning and the plot never dragged, which pleased me. I adored this novel, as I do with everything Emma Lord writes, so it’ll be no surprise that When You Get the Chance earned 5/5 stars from me! Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.
Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan’s betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril. Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she becomes ensnared in the conflict’s bloody politics. And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity… From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, comes the highly anticipated and jaw-dropping finale to The Folk of the Air trilogy. Warning: This review may contain spoilers for previous books in the series, as I am reviewing the third novel of a trilogy. If you haven't read The Cruel Prince or The Wicked King, be aware! I have this awful habit of reading a series piecewise, leaving months or years between novels if I forget to pick them up after release or if I have other books on my TBR at the moment. Sometimes I take on a reread of the whole series when a new book comes out, because I don't want to forget any crucial information heading into the newest installment. However. I don't think I could ever forget the cliffhanger at the end of The Wicked King. I'd thought about picking up The Queen of Nothing occasionally, but never had the drive to actually grab it off the shelf until I was in the library one day, bored, and noticed it in our new & popular section. I had a few hours to kill and thought I could get partway through, but I absolutely did not expect to be so gripped that I set aside my responsibilities and finished the book in a single day. I should have known. Holly Black's novels are often compelling and entertaining in the perfect way for me to while away an afternoon reading, which is exactly what I did. The political and emotional beats of The Queen of Nothing are the most interesting to me. Jude is cunning and manipulative, but those traits are shared by many other characters as well, so I enjoy the dramatic irony of being occasionally aware of her plots being foiled. Holly Black does a great job of representing the non-human characters and giving Faerie a unique, mildly terrifying aura. I don't think I'd ever go for a visit, but watching Jude interact with this world as a human is one of my favorite parts. Her complicated childhood and ties to the land are relevant but there is also a subconscious theme to the novel of "belonging/not belonging" which is relatable to anyone who is stepping into a new environment. Of course, I could not go without mentioning the terrible love between Jude and Cardan, which has to be one of my favorite enemies-to-lovers romance stories in the game. I will refrain from sharing how their story ends, but it left me screaming the whole way through. Holly Black is not an especially ruthless writer, which is noticeable if you have read any of her past work, but there were parts of this novel where I could not predict what would happen next and I was genuinely afraid for my favorite characters. I think this is one of her strengths, because in each novel there's always a twist that I never see coming but I love the surprise, even if it spells certain disaster. Based on emotional impact, I would say The Queen of Nothing is one of my favorite novels of 2022, and I'm glad I finally picked it up. I recommend this series to anyone looking for a fantasy world to get invested in, and characters that will absolutely break your heart. 5*/5. Once upon a time, the kingdoms of Wales were rife with magic and conflict, and eighteen-year-old Mererid “Mer” is well-acquainted with both. She is the last living water diviner and has spent years running from the prince who bound her into his service. Under the prince’s orders, she located the wells of his enemies, and he poisoned them without her knowledge, causing hundreds of deaths. After discovering what he had done, Mer went to great lengths to disappear from his reach. Then Mer’s old handler returns with a proposition: use her powers to bring down the very prince that abused them both.
The best way to do that is to destroy the magical well that keeps the prince’s lands safe. With a motley crew of allies, including a fae-cursed young man, the lady of thieves, and a corgi that may or may not be a spy, Mer may finally be able to steal precious freedom and peace for herself. After all, a person with a knife is one thing… but a person with a cause can topple kingdoms. The Drowned Woods is steeped in Welsh folklore and magic, and it's an absolute joy to read. I blew through this novel in a day, and found it unputdownable. The novel is standard length for a YA fantasy, but feels much shorter due to the fast pacing. I found this quite agreeable, and thought that the character development fit well within the heist framework. To me, The Drowned Woods is not a typical story of heroism--everyone in the book exists within a moral grey area, which makes their actions and relationships with one another particularly interesting. Mer and her former spymaster have a familial relationship that is, at its foundation, built on her kidnapping for example. Therefore the dynamics of the heist are more nuanced than a "hero saves the day" story. Mer ponders past actions, forgiveness both for herself and others, and how to right wrongs as she works to undermine the prince. My copy of this book arrived out of the blue, exactly at the moment I needed it. A big heist story with a large cast of characters, each of whom has a unique reason to be there and a different skill to bring to the quest, appealed to me as I am also about to rejoin a group of friends and fit among others in a new way. My favorite character was Mer. This is typical for me, as I am fond of the characters who are prioritized in the narration and who get the most extensive background. I found her introspection a welcome break from the action-packed chapters, and her backstory felt well-fleshed out. I wish some of the other characters had gotten similar treatment, but with six main characters it would be difficult to allot page time to everyone, I understand. (Here is where I'll insert my lobbying for a Renfrew sequel/prequel, if the publishing gods so please!!) I loved the experience of reading The Drowned Woods, and found it an enjoyable read for my afternoon. It was so pleasing to be lost in this world of magic and Welsh fantasy. 5/5 stars. Isaac Fitzgerald has lived many lives. He's been an altar boy, a bartender, a fat kid, a smuggler, a biker, a prince of New England. But before all that, he was a bomb that exploded his parents' lives-or so he was told. In Dirtbag, Massachusetts, Fitzgerald, with warmth and humor, recounts his ongoing search for forgiveness, a more far-reaching vision of masculinity, and a more expansive definition of family and self.
Fitzgerald's memoir-in-essays begins with a childhood that moves at breakneck speed from safety to violence, recounting an extraordinary pilgrimage through trauma to self-understanding and, ultimately, acceptance. From growing up in a Boston homeless shelter to bartending in San Francisco, from smuggling medical supplies into Burma to his lifelong struggle to make peace with his body, Fitzgerald strives to take control of his own story: one that aims to put aside anger, isolation, and entitlement to embrace the idea that one can be generous to oneself by being generous to others. Gritty and clear-eyed, loud-hearted and beautiful, Dirtbag, Massachusetts is a rollicking book that might also be a lifeline. I have been getting into memoirs and essays lately. I think because they're easy to read, the prose is often compelling, and stopping after one or two chapters feels like I've reached a natural end point to a story. There are no surprise cliffhangers (typically) in a book of essays. The other thing about me, is that I LOVE Massachusetts. I've lived here forever, and I'd read any book set in my area. I get such a kick out of recognizing landmarks and experiences pertaining to my home state. So of course when I heard about Dirtbag, Massachusetts, I had to pick up a copy. Fitzgerald absolutely delivers on the promise of grounded, heartfelt stories that convey his childhood and early adult life in an interesting and compassionate way. His varied and wild life experiences tie together to create a self-narrative that still feels cohesive, and he's clearly a gifted writer. Our experiences of the state are vastly different, due to the fact that I am both younger than him and that we grew up in wildly different regions. (Side note: yes, even this tiny state has remarkable regional differences, and we can and do make assumptions about people based on what part of MA they're from). I enjoyed reading about Fitzgerald's experience in MA, which due to his family history has both positive and negative aspects which he analyzes with a critical eye. It's good for me to continue reading other authors on the subject and develop a rounded perspective on how others view my state. I tend to take a rose-colored view, I admit. I don't know if I could name a favorite chapter specifically, but one that struck me was when he discussed serving as a volunteer with an illegal medical aid network in Burma. He understood why he volunteered and discussed aspects of traversing cultural boundaries in an attempt to help people, but acknowledged a lens in which his journey of self-discovery was also a savior narrative since he was not a trained professional in the field. The nuance and consideration FItzgerald is able to bring to his own life experiences, rather than glamorizing them for print, is remarkable. This collection of stories is a hot buy for the summer, and I agree. I will definitely be recommending this one for years to come. 5/5 stars. Cello prodigy Jenny has one goal: to get into a prestigious music conservatory. When she meets mysterious, handsome Jaewoo in her uncle’s Los Angeles karaoke bar, it’s clear he’s the kind of boy who would uproot her careful plans. But in a moment of spontaneity, she allows him to pull her out of her comfort zone for one unforgettable night of adventure…before he disappears without a word.
Three months later, when Jenny and her mother arrive in South Korea to take care of her ailing grandmother, she’s shocked to discover that Jaewoo is a student at the same elite arts academy where she’s enrolled for the semester. And he’s not just any student. He’s a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world—and he’s strictly forbidden from dating. When a relationship means throwing Jenny’s life off the path she’s spent years mapping out, she’ll have to decide once and for all just how much she’s willing to risk for love. XOXO is the perfect kind of unputdownable summer romance that I love to dive into. I read this one in less than 24 hours, because Jenny and Jaewoo's story just hooked me from the start. I am not well-versed in the world of k-pop, but Oh does a great job of defining terms and including readers who are unfamiliar with the world of idols and entertainment companies. The novel has all my favorite tropes: forbidden love, rediscovering family in another country, performing arts school, and a close-knit circle of friends. Some aspects could be called a bit cliché, but in my opinion the overall tone was a light and fluffy romance, so it worked for me. I loved that most of the book took place in South Korea--honestly, all mentions of the delicious food alone was enough to give me the travel bug! In XOXO, plot takes a backseat to character development, which I felt was paced correctly throughout the novel. My favorite part of the book was the relationship between Jenny and her roommate Sori. At first they were adversarial, but the novel subverts the mean-girl trope and the two become close friends (I hope you won't take this as a spoiler since it happens early in the novel). The romance is very sweet--Jaewoo and Jenny cared so much for each other and together both of them had to decide how to balance the important factors in their lives. I think this struggle continues throughout adulthood, where family, relationships, work, and other interests collide and we must figure out how to be our happiest selves. I had such a fun experience reading this novel, and I'd highly recommend XOXO to anyone interested in a fun summery romp with a musical touch. 5 stars. Thank you to Tiny Reparations for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.
History is told by the conquerors. Across the Western world, museums display the spoils of war, of conquest, of colonialism: priceless pieces of art looted from other countries, kept even now. Will Chen plans to steal them back. A senior at Harvard, Will fits comfortably in his carefully curated roles: a perfect student, an art history major and sometimes artist, the eldest son who has always been his parents’ American Dream. But when a mysterious Chinese benefactor reaches out with an impossible—and illegal—job offer, Will finds himself something else as well: the leader of a heist to steal back five priceless Chinese sculptures, looted from Beijing centuries ago. His crew is every heist archetype one can imagine—or at least, the closest he can get. A con artist: Irene Chen, a public policy major at Duke who can talk her way out of anything. A thief: Daniel Liang, a premed student with steady hands just as capable of lockpicking as suturing. A getaway driver: Lily Wu, an engineering major who races cars in her free time. A hacker: Alex Huang, an MIT dropout turned Silicon Valley software engineer. Each member of his crew has their own complicated relationship with China and the identity they’ve cultivated as Chinese Americans, but when Will asks, none of them can turn him down. Because if they succeed? They earn fifty million dollars—and a chance to make history. But if they fail, it will mean not just the loss of everything they’ve dreamed for themselves but yet another thwarted attempt to take back what colonialism has stolen. This is the first review I've written in like... ever? And WOW, I could not have chosen a better book to get back on the bandwagon for. Portrait of a Thief is brilliant, emotional, tightly paced, and wound up in all my heartstrings. The novel follows a group of college students who become hired thieves exploring questions of cultural ownership, loyalty, family, and national identity. I've always been fascinated by museums and the art world, which is maybe why this book hit so hard for me, but I think it would be tough to avoid getting invested in Li's compelling characters and authentic portrayal of their different relationships to the mission that ties them together. Every heist needs a leader, a hacker, a driver, a thief, and a con artist. Now, what I love most about Portrait of a Thief is it takes these complicated tropes and archetypes and nuances them, because in addition to their different feelings about criminality, all of the characters are children of the Chinese diaspora, wanting to relate to a country that feels both familiar and alien to all of them through family relationships and cultural significance. As mentioned in the synopsis, a central argument of Portrait of a Thief is the impact of colonialist mentalities on museum collections around the world. What happens when one culture feels entitled to keep stolen art in the name of academia and history, but the country of origin wants it back? I'm an Indian-American art student, so on some level I understand the desire to see museum collections repatriate artifacts they have no claim to--it's enraging to see misattributed art, or works that aren't properly explained within their cultural context because they've been looted. On the other hand, I don't believe that all artwork should automatically be displayed only within its country of origin--so many people would lose the opportunity to see global art because of lack of access to travel, or the risk in transporting priceless art overseas. Museums with global collections are a wonderful concept, linking art from many countries in this way. But I digress. My point is, Portrait of a Thief gave me space to explore the implications of both schools of thought, and allowed me to develop my own opinion based on the actions of the characters. It's such a brilliant book precisely because it joins entertainment with the urge to form original thought. Li's prose is brilliant--each chapter is incisive and powerful. I was truly immersed in the story, and I would definitely read a sequel or spinoff. The pacing works--the heists aren't always very well planned, which is to be expected since college students don't typically seem like the best option for hired thieves. In the end, there was more than one surprising twist, but I wasn't reading for shock value and it didn't seem as though that was the goal of Li's writing either. I came away feeling more like I'd read an introspective literary novel than a high-stakes heist thriller. If you're looking for schematic diagrams and high-tech thievery, perhaps this isn't the novel for you. The thing to remember about Portrait of a Thief is that the crimes serve a purpose, and aren't the main focus of the story. The point is to ask questions about cultural identity, art ownership, and the lasting legacy of colonialism. I'm giving Portrait of a Thief 5/5 stars--this is one of my favorite books of 2022 already. Go pick it up! (And while you're at it, visit a nearby museum and look at some art. I guarantee you'll have fun.) Thank you to Wednesday Books for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Everyone else in the tiny town of Enfield, Texas calls fall football season, but for the forty-three members of the Fighting Enfield Marching Band, it’s contest season. And for new saxophonist Anna James, it’s her first chance to prove herself as the great musician she’s trying hard to be. When she’s assigned a duet with mellophone player Weston Ryan, the boy her small-minded town thinks of as nothing but trouble, she’s equal parts thrilled and intimidated. But as he helps her with the duet, and she sees the smile he seems to save just for her, she can’t help but feel like she’s helping him with something too. After her strict parents find out she’s been secretly seeing him and keep them apart, together they learn what it truly means to fight for something they love. With the marching contest nearing, and the two falling hard for one another, the unthinkable happens, and Anna is left grappling for a way forward without Weston. Reader, when I tell you I cried: I CRIED. This is definitely my fault for not reading the synopsis before starting the novel, but I fell so hard for Wes and Anna's relationship that I just completely lost it when they were separated. I'm talking: I was a sobbing mess on my bed for a full hour, and then had to go and call some people that I loved out of genuine irrational concern. Like with her debut, Amelia Unabridged (which reading Full Flight has given me a craving to read), Schumacher really knows how to tug at your heartstrings with her characters. We've got Anna, who's sweet and sunny and trying to find her voice & figure out who she wants to be. I really loved her journey of finding her voice with her friends and family while also learning to protect her relationship and fight for what matters in her life. Wes is the misunderstood loner of the novel, and it's immediately clear that the town has just generally mischaracterized him, which is why he's so drawn to Anna when she's interested in him past the assumptions and superficialities. The main reason that I was so invested in Wes and Anna's relationship was that I had no idea what was coming to them. I think in retrospect this knowledge makes their love all the much sweeter--Schumacher captures this incredible portrait of love and grief twined together that I'll be thinking about for months on end. Her prose is gorgeous, and she narrows down the essence of a storyline and then builds it up from the core in such full layers that I could be analyzing for days. There is no way for me to convey the spirit of an Ashley Schumacher novel in one review. You're just going to have to go read Full Flight for yourself. The marching band/music connection was so adorable, and I loved the full immersion into that world. I was never in a band, so I couldn't personally relate to some aspects of the story, but I do understand having one of those extremely time-consuming hobbies that basically becomes your community (yes, I was a theatre kid). Schumacher's portrayal of Wes and Anna's existence in this world is so accurate--their ties to the band community and seeing this bring them closer together remind me a lot of relationships I've formed in the past. I gave Full Flight 5/5 stars. This book wrecked me, and I was so grateful for that. It became a call back to the reasons I love reading in a moment where I thought I'd lost the ability to connect to books. I highly recommend this novel--out February 22nd! |
The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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