February in Review

February in Review

All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban — 2 stars
Not going to say a lot about All Your Twisted Secrets other than I was disappointed in it because there’s problematic content. I do want to give this author a second chance in the future, though!

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid — 5 stars
I listened to the audio for Daisy Jones & The Six last week and it was so good!! This book has been in my tbr for over a year now, but my friend @treereads convinced me to finally read it and I’m so glad I did! The full cast narration is excellent and I didn’t want to stop listening to the book! I’m so happy it’s being adapted into a show.

Displacement by Kiku Hughes — 5 stars
Displacement is amazing! It’s a historical graphic novel about a teen who is pulled back in time and follows her grandmother through her experiences in the Japanese internment camps during WWII. The art is beautiful and the story is personal, engaging, and relevant. This is a must-read for classrooms!

One Year of Ellsmere by Faith Erin Hicks — 3.5 stars
One of my goals for the year is to explore middle grade novels, and One Year of Ellsmere is the first I’ve read! It’s a graphic novel set at a boarding school with a focus on friendship. The art is lovely, and I would definitely read a sequel if one is made!

The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert — 4 stars
The Revolution of Birdie Randolph is the second Brandy Colbert novel I’ve read, and I really enjoyed it! It’s a coming of age story set in Chicago during summer, and it’s full of family secrets, first love, breaking away from parental expectations, and the effects of a family member in recovery from addiction and substance abuse.

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han — 4 stars
This was a reread in prep of the final movie dropping on Netflix! I love this trilogy so much, especially seeing it come to life through the movies over the last few years.  Check out my book vs. movie review!

A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey — 5 stars

A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow is so good! I love everything about it! I’ve heard this book compared to a warm hug many times and I totally agree. It’s such a charming, sweet, and cozy story. I loved following Lila’s journey in Winchester as she learns to open her heart again to new places and people, including a lovely British boy, after a trifecta of heartbreak. Plus, there’s so many delicious foods! I want to cook and bake all of the recipes now. A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow is a new favorite for sure. This book is perfect for fans of Love & Gelato!

Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang — 4.5 stars
I ended up really loving Dragon Hoops! I didn’t really know what I was diving into other than it was a graphic novel about basketball, but it’s really more of a graphic memoir and biography. Author Gene Luen Yang takes us through the story of his high school’s boys basketball team’s journey to the California State Championship and how following them during the season also ended up shaping his personal life. He shares the history of basketball interwoven with the personal histories of the coaches and players. I played basketball for 10 years but never knew the history of the sport, so I found this part fascinating. I was sucked in more and more as the individual players’ stories unfolded. By the time the State Championship arrived, I was rooting for the team with my whole heart (and might have even shed a tear at the end). This graphic novel is a slam dunk!

Dear Martin by Nic Stone — 4.5 stars
Dear Martin is an important, emotional read. Nic Stone brings the characters and their situations to life perfectly—it’s devastating just how closely this story relates to so many stories we’ve seen in the news in real life. It should make you angry. It’s a short read, but it packs in a ton of conversations and topics. I loved how Justyce, the main character, wrote letters to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a way to try to make sense of what he has experienced. A must-read for high schools!

When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk — 5 stars
Friendship breakups can be so HARD, and I loved how Ashley Woodfolk explored this kind of loss in When You Were Everything. Alternating between past and present, we follow Cleo as she navigates her life after she loses her best friend Layla with interspersed chapters leading to their fallout. I loved this heartfelt story so much! It’s a spotlight on an important type of relationship that hurts a lot when it ends—something a lot of teens and adults can relate to. But it also has an uplifting message about how it’s okay if a friendship has to end because you grow apart from one another and that there other people out there as well. I’m excited to read Ashley’s other novels after this one!

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