Thank you to Wednesday Books for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Andromeda is a debtera—an exorcist hired to cleanse households of the Evil Eye. When a handsome young heir named Magnus Rochester reaches out to hire her, Andromeda quickly realizes this is a job like no other, with horrifying manifestations at every turn, and that Magnus is hiding far more than she has been trained for. Death is the most likely outcome if she stays, but leaving Magnus to live out his curse alone isn’t an option. Evil may roam the castle’s halls, but so does a burning desire.
​
​Billed as a Jane Eyre retelling set in a fantastical haunted mansion, Within These Wicked Walls follows Andromeda, a debtera whose task is to cleanse the mansion’s charmingly obnoxious young owner of the curse laid upon him by the Evil Eye.

So, aside from the cursed mansion, wealthy homeowner, and plucky young heroine there is really not that much in this book that is similar to Jane Eyre. Let’s just abandon that comparison and review this book as a standalone concept.

I think most of all the novel suffers from a lack of worldbuilding. I would have loved to dive more deeply into the Ethiopian folklore that inspired the setting, as well as the details of Andi’s job. She’s a magical exorcist who carves amulets that repel pieces of the curse in the house. This is great, but if it had been fleshed out a bit more to add details such as how the shape of amulets affects different curses, what materials are chosen and why, how the curse creates the complex magical illusions that are perceived as hauntings, etc. I just felt like I came out of the book knowing none of this, and it was such an interesting premise to start with!

A lot of the novel is focused on the romance between Andi and Magnus, which is another aspect that felt a bit forced to me—I think to read the book honestly I prefer thinking that Magnus is a little sleazy and obnoxious, because if not then nothing he does comes across as super interesting or romantic. It felt like Andi was really charmed by a lot of flash and a lack of substance. This relationship was very insta-lovey which is not a trope I tend to read a lot of or appreciate.

The more interesting relationship to me was that between Andi and the man who adopted her and trained her to be a debtera. Something happened between them that resulted in Andi losing her position, which is why she needed to take on Magnus’ job in order to obtain a certification for more work. This fallout was interesting to me, and provided motivation to understand more of Andi’s backstory as we progress further in the novel.

There are a lot of side characters, but you get the sense that none of them really matter. They’re kind of disposable for the sake of the plot, and Andi doesn’t spend much time interacting with most of them. No one else gets a B-plot, so I never invested in any of their stories. There’s also not a lot of detail surrounding the society this story takes place in—there are a few literary references, but few details on other uses of magic, any other debtera, or anything that gives the reader interest in anything beyond the mansion.

Blackwood’s writing is particularly clear in the action scenes. The horror aspect definitely comes through in these scenes and she adds in a layer of tension that adds to the generally chilling tone. I did like these scenes where Andi would “confront” different rooms of the house or aspects of the Evil Eye for that reason.

I don’t know… it’s not a bad novel at all, I just really struggled with the lack of substance behind much of the premise. It just seemed like there could be many interesting tangents to go on with the world and the magic, and these were never properly explored. I expected a sprawling fantasy based on the framework of Jane Eyre from the way this is described, and instead it’s kind of a specific, bare bones story. There are still motivating and interesting aspects though, and Andi as a character is compelling, so I’d have a tough time defending anything under 3 stars.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.

In August of 1999, dazzlingly popular cheerleader Clarissa Campbell disappears from a party in the woods outside the rural town of Oreville, Washington and is never seen again. The police question her friends, teachers, and the adults who knew her—who all have something to hide. And thanks to Clarissa’s beauty, the mystery captures the attention of the nation. But with no leads and no body, the case soon grows cold. Despite the efforts of internet sleuths and true-crime aficionados, Clarissa is never found—dead or alive.

Over twenty years later, Oreville high-school juniors and best friends Blair and Cameron start a true crime podcast, determined to unravel the story of what—or who—happened to this rural urban legend. In the process they uncover a nest of dirty small-town secrets, the sordid truth of Clarissa’s relationship with her charismatic boyfriend, and a high school art teacher turned small-town figurehead who had a very good reason for wanting Clarissa dead. Such a good reason, in fact, that they might have to make him the highlight of their next episode…

​But does an ugly history with a missing girl make him guilty of murder? Or are two teenage girls about to destroy the life of an innocent man—and help the true killer walk free?

The story follows Cam and Blair, two girls in a journalism class who decide to make a podcast about a local missing girl for their final project. I’ve read Sadie by Courtney Summers which is written in a similar format including podcast transcripts, so I wondered if Missing Clarissa would capture the same tone of thrill and mystery as that book did. I did see some of the main plot twists coming along the way, but that didn’t stop the book from being an entertaining read.

Since the mystery is 20 years old by the time the girls are investigating, they do all kinds of archive research and interviews with local adults to try and uncover the truth. Along the way, they get into quite a few dangerous situations mainly due to Cam’s impulsive nature. Blair is the steadier character who has very low self esteem at the beginning of the book, but her narrative arc is very compelling. Her work on the podcast helps her feel more confident as a writer.

Of course I wouldn’t want to go without mentioning that this novel has queer representation as well, which we always love to see. Cam is a lesbian and she when gets to know another girl at her school, their friendship turns into something more. The romance aspect was sweet and I appreciated that lighter aspect to the storyline.

On a more serious note, I think some of the social justice issues were kind of shoehorned in, but I did appreciate the novel touching on subjects such as restorative justice, prison abolition, and the thousands of missing indigenous girls and women. These are all important issues and I believe that complex topics can be tackled in novels that aren’t strictly contemporary social justice novels. The discussion around why pretty white women who are missing get the most media attention is important to have while also recognizing that the true crime style can be exploitative and unhealthy for victims’ families.

I really don’t want to compare this book to Sadie because they are such different reads. I think Missing Clarissa is a lighter novel, mainly because I just didn’t feel the same level of attachment to the characters as I did in Sadie. It’s also a quicker read, and I was able to finish it in an afternoon. That being said, if you like true crime podcasts and you’re interested in reading a novel based on that premise, check out both of these books!

Thank you to Wednesday Books for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.

​Sixteen-year-old trans boy Miles Jacobson has two New Year’s resolutions: 1) win back his ex-boyfriend (and star of the football team) Shane McIntyre, and 2) finally beat his slimy arch-nemesis at the Midwest’s biggest classical piano competition. But that’s not going to be so easy. For one thing, Shane broke up with Miles two weeks after Miles came out as trans, and now Shane’s stubbornly ignoring him, even when they literally bump into each other. Plus, Miles’ new, slightly terrifying piano teacher keeps telling him that he’s playing like he “doesn’t know who he is”—whatever that means.

​Then Miles meets the new boy in town, Eric Mendez, a proudly queer cartoonist from Seattle who asks his pronouns, cares about art as much as he does—and makes his stomach flutter. Not what he needs to be focusing on right now. But after Eric and Miles pretend to date so they can score an invite to a couples-only Valentine’s party, the ruse turns real with a kiss, which is also definitely not in the plan. If only Miles could figure out why Eric likes him so much. After all, it's not like he’s cool or confident or comfortable in his own skin. He’s not even good enough at piano to get his fellow competitors to respect him, especially now, as Miles. Nothing’s ever been as easy for him as for other people—other boys. He’s only ever been almost enough.

So why, when he’s with Eric, does it feel like the only person he’s ever really not been enough for...is himself?

This sweet, heartfelt coming of age novel should be read by every teen who’s looking for a way to know that they’re enough just as they are. Underhill conveys Miles’ hope and vulnerability during this period of massive change in his life in such a wonderful way. I loved how Miles’ relationship to his friends, family, and artistic talent evolved throughout the novel as he became more sure of himself and secure in his identity.

I think the musical storyline is very sweet, and Miles’s relationship with his new piano teacher who asks him to find real meaning in the music he plays is a nice way to highlight the way that creative expression resonates with different people. I feel like I’ve read a lot of books about visual artists, and not so many about musicians.

The romance is swoony—Eric is kind of the perfect guy for Miles. He’s a queer cartoonist who genuinely is interested in Miles for who he is at the outset. The most frustrating part of this novel is Miles’ attitude towards Eric. The first half of this novel is filled with him finding this wonderful partner, who is kind, supportive, funny, and just generally perfect! That’s great, except Miles sees all this and is still pining over his ex. Can’t keep teens from wanting what’s bad for them, I suppose.

I think the third act tension felt a little contrived, so I struggled to finish the story, but as a rule I don’t really have an issue with authors including infidelity in YA novels. Y’all, teens make bad choices just like adults do, and these books are meant to reflect realistic characters who make mistakes, not perfect angel role models. If you’re looking for that, putting down the book and choosing another is always a valid option. I’ve seen a lot of reviews critiquing this aspect of the story, but I’d argue that’s not actually the issue. For me, the real problem is that the conflict felt manufactured. I genuinely think there could have been another twist to the story instead that Underhill could have written. Either way, it’s a small issue and the book is great overall.

I also want to highlight that we should all be supporting more books about trans characters finding joy and love!! In this year, in our society, we need positive love stories full of support, hope, and happiness. We need trans stories to be told and we need trans authors to tell them. I am so happy that this book exists, and I will be recommending it on all platforms!

Thank you to Penguin Teen for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.
​
The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn't matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.
When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.

To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.

I really wanted to love this one. I tried SO hard, because I’ve seen nothing but enthusiastic reviews of Iron Widow on all platforms praising its feminist outlook, openly poly relationship, imaginative worldbuilding, and badass female main character. Unfortunately, I just didn’t think there was any real depth behind any of this.

One thing that bugged me is the lack of explanation for how Zetian came by her feminist worldview. She was raised in the same society as all of the other women, and yet she is so strong-willed and forward-thinking. All of the other women are either pawns of the system, or weak and inferior to her. This is never explained in the plot, seeing as how any woman in this society could theoretically open their eyes to their poor treatment the same way Zetian did, and yet… they don’t?

I’d be fine with this if the writing at any point indicated that she would learn to sympathize with other people or find some friends who think similarly (they must exist somewhere), but the whole book is very earnestly trying to convince the reader that Zetian’s actions are always justified. She is always right, always the strongest and most powerful, and no matter how many actually innocent people she kills, we are not supposed to care about her lack of morality. We are supposed to think that this representation of insane vengefulness is “morally grey” and progressive. I reject this on the basis that these characters, when well-executed, are supposed to have visible flaws to the reader that they meaningfully engage with within the novel.

The inciting incident of the book is that Zetian is avenging her sister, who was killed by a male pilot. The relationship they had is never described. We learn next to nothing about the sister. The circumstances of her death are similarly avoided. Her quest to discover the cause of the misogyny in her world is really a surface-level descriptor of the plot, because the answer every time is simply “because women are worse.” There is no historical, religious, or political reason for any of this. Despite that, Zetian maintains her quest and her proto-feminist mission lives on, unexplained to the reader.

The worldbuilding is thus a mile wide and an inch deep. The only thing I thought was cool was the mechanisms of the machine suits that the pilots use to fight in the war. There is a mental relationship between them and the material of the Chrysalises which allows them to shape-shift and fight. This was linked with a theoretical perspective on yin and yang, and the elements that form a person’s own energy. I liked learning about the different properties these elements reflected when paired with the special metal that the suits are made of.

I am told, though I have not seen this movie, that these aspects are heavily inspired by Pacific Rim. Fair enough, but I do think they would have brought a cool aspect to the novel had the war been explained in a fuller, more dynamic way. We are told that the planet is at war constantly throughout the book, and yet very little about the rationale behind this is explained until the very end. This lack of explanations and general fleshing out of any plot or character point is a common theme in this book.

It genuinely frustrates me, having finally read it, that this book is given out as the new best thing in feminist literature, especially in YA where better examples abound. This is no Handmaid’s Tale, despite what the blurb says.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.

The town of Moon Ridge was founded 400 years ago and everyone born and raised there knows the legend of the young woman who perished at the stroke of twelve that very same night, losing the life she was set to embark on with her dearest love. Every century since, one day a year, the Lady of Moon Ridge descends from the stars to walk among the townsfolk, conjuring an aura upon those willing to follow their hearts’ desires.

“To summon joy and love in another’s soul
For a connection that makes two people whole
For laughter and a smile that one can never miss
Sealed before midnight with a truehearted kiss.”

This year at Moon Ridge High, a group of friends known as The Coven will weave art, science, and magic during a masquerade ball unlike any other. Onny, True, and Ash believe everything is in alignment to bring them the affection, acceptance, and healing that can only come from romance―with a little help from Onny’s grandmother’s love potion.

But nothing is as simple as it first seems. And as midnight approaches, The Coven learn that it will take more than a spell to recognize those who offer their love and to embrace all the magic that follows.

Three Kisses, One Midnight is a sweet, entertaining read that gives perfect autumn Hallmark movie vibes. Throughout the novel, the backstory of the Moon Ridge founding and romantic atmosphere of the town sets up the perfect moments for each of the three main characters to fall in love with their perfect someone.

Some of my favorite authors on the planet collaborated on this novel. If you’re looking for a quick read that will inspire you to look for your own love story, this one is perfect! Maybe wait until the fall to read it though… Halloween is the most romantic time of the year in my opinion.

Onny: Her story was cute, and ticks off all the romance tropes I love. “Unexpected person coming into your life who’s been there all along” is perfect for this character and surprises Onny when she’s looking for true love. She’s definitely the best intro character for the collection as well, since she has such a deep love for Moon Ridge and its magical traditions. I got sucked into the lore right away.

Ash: His love story was my favorite out of the three, and I wish it was longer! I think because Ash had spent the most time thinking about his love interest out of the three, their story felt the most developed. Ash had such an adorable outlook, and I connected with him a lot because of his interest in art. The way he saw beauty in abandoned places and thought of different art styles to represent the personalities of his friends and neighbors was such a lovely magical touch to the story.

True: I think the reason True’s story didn’t resonate with me as much is her commitment to not believing in the supernatural. It made the love story feel a bit expected when you learn who the love interest is. I also found the story to be a bit insta-lovey, but then again I’m kind of a sucker for a good backstory, which the other characters had with their partners.
​
Like I said, I’d mostly recommend this story to readers in the fall! There’s something so special about the time around Halloween, when all magic just seems a little more real. It’s a very quick and fast paced book for all to enjoy.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.
​
I am a girl. I am a monster, too.

Each summer the girls of Deck Five come back to Marshall Naval School. They sail on jewel-blue waters; they march on green drill-fields; they earn sunburns and honors. They push until they break apart and heal again, stronger.

Each summer Margaret and Rose and Flor and Nisreen come back to the place where they are girls, safe away from the world: sisters bound by something more than blood.

But this summer everything has changed. Girls are missing and a boy is dead. It’s because of Margaret Moore, the boys say. It’s because of what happened that night in the storm.

Margaret’s friends vanish one by one, swallowed up into the lies she has told about what happened between her and a boy with the world at his feet. Can she unravel the secrets of this summer and last, or will she be pulled under by the place she once called home?

I’ve read Hannah Capin’s books before, so I was expecting the style of the prose, which I think threw other readers for a loop. However, the repetitive nature of the writing and the dreamy tone with which she describes the girls’ summers and Marshall school kept me at an emotional distance from the main characters. This would have been a gripping thriller if told differently.

The swoony writing is more fit for a dippy vacation novel, which is completely at odds with the tone of the story, full of disappearances and deaths. That being said, there are some amazing quotes in the story. This is one of my favorites, which I think sums up the book quite well: “I believe in monsters with wide smiles, beautiful and bright, that live in grand old Victorians; that push girls into the mud; that take our voices and tell us what we are.”

I was also thrown off by the historical setting, and the way Mar’s timelines wove into themselves throughout the novel. This setup left me confused about the events of her summers, and what had happened to the other girls in the meanwhile. I think Capin chose this style so as not to give away the twist, which I will also not spoil for you. I get it, but I think this turns off more readers than it attracts, judging by other reviews.

Before going in, I really wanted to like this one based off of Capin’s past work. I think the story had some choices that worked well, and others that didn’t. I want to leave on a strong note, so I’ll mention something that I did very much appreciate. The setting of the book, Marshall Summer Naval School, was quite unique to me. The blend of camp/Navy/summer school that united the girls and gave them a common cause despite all of their different backgrounds was very interesting to me. I also enjoyed reading Capin’s descriptions of the lake, surrounding towns, and generally atmospheric summer setting.

In this delightful debut collection of prize-winning stories, queer, gender-nonconforming, and trans characters struggle to find love and forgiveness, despite their sometimes comic, sometimes tragic mistakes.

In one story, a young lesbian tries to have a baby with her lover using an unprofessional sperm donor and a high-powered, rainbow-colored cocktail. In another, a fifth-grader explores gender identity by dressing as an ox—instead of a matriarch—for a class Oregon Trail reenactment. Meanwhile a nonbinary person on the eve of top surgery dangerously experiments with an open relationship during the height of the COVID crisis.

With insight and compassion, debut author Lydia Conklin takes their readers to a meeting of a queer feminist book club and to a convention for trans teenagers, revealing both the dark and lovable sides of their characters. The stories in Rainbow Rainbow will make you laugh and wince, sometimes at the same time.

This wonderfully weird collection of short stories came out last year, and I want to revisit it in light of my latest post about queer anthologies!

From the moment I picked up this book, it felt so strangely familiar to me, and I couldn’t put my finger on why until several places in the Boston area were namedropped. Bingo! All of the stories do such a great job at capturing moments of life that are so strange and personal yet immersive to the reader.

I will warn here about several content warnings (not discussed in the review): pet death, pedophilia, sexual behavior between children, transphobia. When we read short stories, we often expect neat endings. We expect a value to come out of each story. I think expecting each story to have a moral outcome does a disservice to the craft. This collection is gritty and uncomfortable a lot of the time, and sitting with that as readers forces us to contemplate the idea that often painful and horrific realities are essential to our growth and self-knowledge.

The characters are so memorable because they are odd and specific. Each story has eccentricities that occasionally border on inappropriate while the people inside of them explore their queer identity, their life’s direction, and their connections with the world around them.

Many of the stories are set in the mildly historical past, from a few years to a few decades ago. It is interesting to see how things like gender exploration and sexuality are navigated in different time periods.

Out of all the stories in the collection, my favorite is “Pioneer” which follows a child beginning to explore their gender identity during a school outing where they reject the idea of playing a matriarch in a pioneer family. The child opts to play a pack mule instead, and the metaphor that they are forging a new path in the outing as well as in their own life is very well crafted.

Brash and tender at the same time, Conklin’s group of stories fit together wonderfully and despite the rough content will leave readers wanting more. 4/5 stars.

Thank you to Little, Brown and Netgalley for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Penny and Tate have always clashed. Unfortunately, their mothers are lifelong best friends, so the girls’ bickering has carried them through playdates, tragedy, and more than one rom-com marathon with the Moms. When Penny’s mother decides to become a living donor to Tate’s mom, ending her wait for a liver transplant, things go from clashing to cataclysmic.

Because in order to help their families recover physically, emotionally, and financially, the Moms combine their households the summer before senior year.

So Penny and Tate make a pact: They’ll play nice. Be the drama-free daughters their mothers need through this scary and hopeful time. There’s only one little hitch in their plan: Penny and Tate keep almost kissing.

It’s just this confusing thing that keeps happening. You know, from time to time. For basically their entire teenaged existence.

They’ve never talked about it. They’ve always ignored it in the aftermath. But now they’re living across the hall from each other. And some things—like their kisses—can’t be almosts forever.

So tropey, and yet so emotional. The tears at the end of this one were totally earned. A heavily character-focused book that brings readers deep into the lives of these teens and their families, 6 Times is a love story set within a coming-of-age. I loved the fan-fiction framing because absolutely none of this work felt derivative. Sharpe used a popular prompt and came up with something entirely original and worthy of its own fan community.

Penny and Tate had an entertaining push-and-pull throughout the entire novel which kept a later of lightness throughout all the dark topics that Sharpe touches upon. This is a signature in her books, and the levity truly adds to the experience. The jokes all land correctly, and they’re necessary in some places to keep this firmly as a rom-com instead of a drama.

Sharpe wove the storylines between past and present together in a way that added key narrative detail at the right times, but also withheld occasionally and kept me guessing. I loved this. I know some readers disagree with the back-and-forth, but I enjoy having details tied into both stories at the same time. This helped avoid info-dumping about the girls’ histories and also kept some key emotional details for near the end, packing a big punch.

I definitely cried at multiple points in the novel. I loved the concept of Penny and Tate being each others’ safe spaces, since they have been there for all the bad moments and entangled histories. As I said earlier, the tears were earned with impeccable dedication to character development that was definitely dramatic but still felt grounded in reality. There were some moments where I found it hard to believe that so many events could happen to a small group of people, but the realism of Sharpe’s writing created an environment perfect for suspense of disbelief. Penny finally getting the opportunity to vent all her pain and experience emotional honesty with the people around her was incredibly poignant to me.

I’m a main character girlie, but I was pleased with the storyline development for all of the characters. Penny and Tate’s moms, Penny’s grandmother, and their friends all had interesting moments of their own throughout the book and we got to see how all their stories wove together. I think the pared-down cast list was necessary since this book is so focused on Penny and Tate in the best way, and other characters didn’t need to be introduced since they would only have distracted from the primary story.
​
Overall, I’m giving this novel a 5/5 and a definite recommendation for all fans of contemporary novels, romance or otherwise.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.
​
Grace Welles had resigned herself to the particular loneliness of being fifteen and stuck at a third-tier boarding school in the swamps of Florida, when she accidentally saves the new kid in her class from being beat up. With a single aim of a slingshot, the monotonous mathematics of her life are obliterated forever…because now there is this boy she never asked for. Wade Scholfield.

With Wade, Grace discovers a new way to exist. School rules are optional, life is bizarrely perfect, and conversations about wormholes can lead to make-out sessions that disrupt any logical stream of thoughts.

So why does Grace crush Wade’s heart into a million tiny pieces? And what are her options when she finally realizes that 1. The universe doesn’t revolve around her, and 2. Wade has been hiding a dark secret. Is Grace the only person unhinged enough to save him?

Acidly funny and compulsively readable, Mercedes Helnwein’s debut novel Slingshot is a story about two people finding each other and then screwing it all up. See also: soulmate, friendship, stupidity, sex, bad poetry, and all the indignities of being in love for the first time.

​To me, liking the characters in a book is a prerequisite for liking the book itself. I need to invest in their journeys and want to spend time in the narrator’s head. Slingshot utterly failed this first task, making Grace one of the most insufferable main characters I’ve ever stuck with for the length of a book. And yet, I know this was on purpose. I’m struggling to reconcile the difference between an authentic literary choice and a legitimately enjoyable novel.

Grace was the perfect picture of a detached teen. Feeling abandoned by her family, she acts out at school and doesn’t have many friends until she forms an unlikely friendship with a new student after saving him from bullies with a slingshot. She often analyzes her classmates’ behavior, and categorizes them into typical high school archetypes without engaging in this social scene herself.

My main issue with this entire premise is that I would be shocked to find teens that actually behave like this. I admit there are gaps of maturity between grade levels in high school, but I would be hard-pressed to find students that smoke, drink, swear, and talk about sex as much as these kids do. It’s not even a particularly interesting take, either. Much of it is navel-gazing that belongs in a 19th century psychological novel.

I don’t know what a teenage mistake is. Is it being in love with your teacher and actually yelling at him when you find out he’s engaged? Is it normalizing cheating on a guy who you know is treating you well, with someone else who is in a relationship? Is it being so self-centered that you can’t actually conceive of someone else having feelings? I sure don’t think so! If you want to call this a novel about teens making mistakes, go ahead. I’d rather point out the infuriating melodrama that permeates everything about this novel.

And to boot, it has no plot. Grace’s emotions and daily experiences are all that drives the book, which I didn’t find engaging enough to confidently say I’d keep reading it if I didn’t have an ARC to review.

I think this may be the most frustrated I’ve ever been with a book. I genuinely can’t tell if it’s satire. I’m reviewing as though the story is genuine, so I’m giving it 1/5 stars. I can’t in good consciousness recommend anyone read this book.

Hi folks! It's been a while since I've done one of these, but last weekend was very exciting and I wanted to share what I've been up to. I got back from New York yesterday, where I saw Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway (beautiful, made me cry, worth a visit) and then spent a lot of time walking around and enjoying the nice weather. We went to the Met (a museum whose principles I despise but whose collections are incredible) to see the new exhibit on Buddhist art in India.

​I also spent much of Sunday wandering around outside and finally accomplished my goal of seeing 100 dogs in one day! Miraculously, it was exactly 100, with the last one spotted on the way back from a late night ice cream run. No stalker photos were taken, but I enjoyed myself greatly.