Anna and the French Kiss is supposed to be a sweet teen love story, following Anna, a senior in high school who suddenly gets sent to a foreign school in Paris. While I could see what Perkins was going for, the whole "teen cliche love story" was not executed well. For one, Anna is far from a likable protagonist. Although having dreams to be a professional female film critic, when Anna is forced to attend school in France, she claims that she is shocked when she discovers that movie theatres exist in France. It's hard to believe that an avid film watcher is so ignorant of the fact that other countries besides America also have movie theatres. Not to mention that France is one of the major film capitals of the world. Anna continues displaying an almost disbelieving amount of ignorance when she also avoids her school's cafeteria because she doesn't know how to order food in french. Later, she is told that the school's chef does indeed know how to speak English, and that one doesn't have to be fluent in French to speak to him. Anna also is unaware that in France, most people have a basic grasp of the English language, and thinks that nobody knows how to speak English, thus convincing herself that she must learn French. Anna is almost too oblivious of the world outside her to be believable, but over and over again, Anna continues to dumbfound readers by displaying more and more ignorant thoughts and behaviors. Adding on, Anna's love interest is also far from a likable character. Etienne St. Clair (a name that might be too overboardly french to be true), is a boy who conveniently has a British accent, but is also somehow French and American, all at the same time. It's almost like Perkins wanted Etienne to be French and American, but also to have the typical British accent that every teen fiction love interest must have all at once, thus resulting in the confusing cliche mess that Etienne is.
Lastly, Anna and the French Kiss, while containing problematic characters, also contains problematic behaviors, such as the romanticization of cheating and an absurdly ignorant and offensive main character. While I understand the route Perkins may have intended to take, Anna and the French Kiss was far from a cheesy and sweet romance novel.
Reviewer Grade: 11
Wings focuses on a teenage girl, Laurel, who starts to experience strange magic-like events all during the first few months of her moving and going to a public school. When I saw the book, the hints of magic, romance, and the beautiful cover accompanied by the imagery in the synopsis really caught my attention. I did enjoy the romance aspects of the novel as it showed a wholesomeness of teenage couples and the friendship that led to it. Additionally, I enjoyed seeing Laurel grow more into the role of a strong protagonist by taking risks and learning to love, both herself and others. When reading Wings I found parts of the story to be interesting and adventurous, but kept to the trope of magic faeries and many main plot points were fairly predictable. Even though parts of the book seem to be predictable, I would still recommend it, as it is an interesting take on magic in our world with Laurel developing more as a protagonist throughout.
I'm not a huge graphic novel fan because previous ones I've read have been too complicated to get hooked on. This series totally changed my mind! Heartstopper is a wholesome story of two schoolboys who fall in love and deal with all sorts of backlash from it. Even through the pain and sadness that bullying can cause, Charlie and Nick have a lovely way of persevering and having great communication with their diverse support system. It teaches that no matter how alien you might feel, there is always someone ready to listen and accept you. Plus, if you like this series already, try out the Netflix series for a beautiful adaptation of it.
Grade 11
The average reviews for this book are lower than usual, but it really surprised me. The story felt like a true story and dystopian and fiction all at once, not to mention the plot twist. The setting of an isolated vacation island set the background for a unique storyline between a few families with dark secrets. I enjoyed the main characters' personalities too, though there were some comments they made about homophobia and racism that were kind of weird and sounded like the author didn't do much research about the LGBTQ+ and POC communities. It was very entertaining still, and I would recommend it if you need a suspenseful story to read quickly.
Grade 11
This book had me completely hooked! It almost follows the plot of Beauty and the Beast but in its own world with its own complex characters. Feyre's determination and strength was incredible to see in a female character. Not only is she the main character and heroin but she carries real and deep emotions. In addition to this, I love Tamlin and his court. Sarah J Mass's descriptions are in depth and I felt like I was really in the room experiencing everything as it happened. The end had my head spinning and I could not wait for the next book.
Shadow and Bone contains many complex themes. It held my attention; I couldnt put it down. I fell in love with the characters. They are all complex and maintain that complexity throughout the story. Until the end that is. I was unimpressed with the ending. It felt like Alina went against her own moral code to "win" that final fight. It felt forced and quite frankly, anticlimactic. It just didn't fit.
This is a delightful book with great diversity and a unique topic of life on the radio. I loved how Shay and Dominic's personalities complimented each other throughout the story, especially as Shay experienced misogyny and the two worked to combat it. The romance was light-hearted and side conflicts like grief were refreshing to hear about. One thing I disliked, though, was Shay's reaction to an age gap of five years between her and Dominic. She constantly threw in "old jokes" and generational-gap comments despite them both pretty much being millennials. It made the age gap more of an issue than it would have been without such dialogue and even contradicted the author's message against unfair gender norms. Would an age gap like this have been discussed if Dominic was the older one? Other than that, this book got me back into NPR and podcasts so I recommend this any day!
Grade 11
Lauren Graham, the charismatic actress, writes an endearing and entertaining story about the struggles of show business in her novel Someday, Someday, Maybe. Franny Banks is a frazzled young woman with big dreams of making it in New York City, but she finds herself stuck in an unfortunate cycle of disappointment, only booking the occasional commercial acting job. When she finally gets an agent, Franny thinks things are looking up, but instead she becomes consumed by a toxic acting culture and loses sight of herself. Graham tells Franny's story with wit and relatability, conveying hard truths through sarcastic, sometimes hyperbolic observations, complete with Franny's amusing inner commentary and scribbly, sketch-filled planner pages. This novel could be a rude awakening to those who wish to pursue the acting industry or show business, but the truths it tells about life are important. Sometimes we forget what's best for ourselves when trying to please others. Sometimes failure can lead to the unexpected. And sometimes things don't work out like we hoped they would.
She Drives Me Crazy opens with Scottie Zajac horrendously losing the first basketball game of the season to her ex-girlfriend. And it keeps going downhill after that. After a horrendous fender-bender in the parking lot after the game, Scottie is forced to carpool with Irene Abraham, the beautiful head cheerleader with a heart of stone. But after a few twists and turns, Scottie comes up with a perfect way to get back at her ex: fake date Irene until their next basketball battle. But within their fake relationship, Scottie finds that maybe feelings, relationships, and exes aren't as simple as she thought.
This book was fairly simple. It was a standard rivalry turned forced cooperation turned love story, with lots of shenanigans along the way. The things that made this book stand out from the simplistic romances of its peers was surprisingly not how the main love story was handled, but rather how the previous one was. Scottie had been in a nasty breakup caused by a nasty relationship, and it shows. She's torn about her ex and is constantly conflicted over whether ending the relationship was a good idea or not, something that's sadly very common for victims of toxic relationships. Her self esteem is noticeably impacted, and she has to struggle with this throughout the rest of the book. The book also handles a lot of other difficult subjects really well, like the demonization and trivialization of cheerleading, and the criticisms given to gay athletes. Despite these heavy topics, the book still delivers the fun romance it promises, with a few interesting twists thrown in that complement the themes of toxic relationships and moving on. The characters of the book were also surprisingly endearing. Scottie was loveable despite her flaws, Irene was one of the coolest female characters I've read in years, and even the side characters each shone and grew in really unique ways.
All in all, this was a great book, which I'd definitely recommend for lovers of romance, rivalry, character growth, and some 90's era romantic gestures!
Pride and Prejudice is an 1813 classic novel that follows Elizabeth Bennett, an outspoken and bold woman for her time, and her journey through romance with Mr. Darcy, an anti-social and cold man. I really enjoyed this novel, and although the plot sounds pretty generic, I found myself falling in love with the characters. I especially liked seeing Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's romance unfold, and the clear chemistry between them was also exciting to read about. Both of the characters were well written and I liked the enemies-to-lovers trope the novel followed. Seeing Mr. Darcy opening up and being able to understand why he was the way he was, was also very satisfying.
Overall, this classic novel is a classic for a good reason, and for anyone who enjoys a good healthy romance, with actual depth, Pride and Prejudice is the book for you.
Reviewer Grade: 11
"Charming As A Verb" follows Columbia-ambitious professional dog walker Henri, who works hard at the prestigious FATE academy to secure his future. When intense classmate and neighbor Corinne Troy threatens to expose the fraudulencies of his dog walking business, Henri is forced to help her increase her social standing to boost an application to a dream school of her own. Before long, the two of them become close, but will their college ambition tear them apart?
This book states what it is right on the cover: charming. The atmosphere of the book is calm and cool, easily laying out a protagonist with sparkling personality and quick wit. The setting is a hectic but homey New York, the perfect set for a cautionary tale on doomed ambitions. The characters and dialouge feel real and grounded, with their own flaws and quirks that keep them loveable and relatable. The plot is relatively slow-paced, but still draws in the audience with the underlying tension of college admissions. The book was fairly standard for its genre, but it does stand out with the conflict at the end. In short, near the end of the book the protagonist does something the audience finds unthinkable, but is still understandable after all that we've grown to know him. And the consequences afterward are realistic and dire, really nailing the lesson of the story home. I only had a couple criticisms. The first was that the love interest of the story was so over the top that she sometimes came off as a caricature rather than person, although this was improved over time. I also felt that the ending didn't fully follow through the consequences of the conflict, making it a bit flat.
All in all, this was still a really good book, which I'd definitely recommend to anyone who likes well written romance, fun characters, and cute descriptions of dogs.
“The Fault in Our Stars” is about Hazel Grace, Augustus Waters, and many other things. We follow Hazel and Gus through their lives which seem to involve a lot of cancer. Hazel's lungs are not good lungs, they fill up with water with causes problems due to cancer. Augustus has one leg due to cancer but is doing fine. Gus and Hazel develop a relationship over reading Hazel's favorite book, An Imperial Affliction. The book leaves behind a lot of questions when it ends. In the novel we watch Hazel and Augustus navigate through their lives and become close to each other. We watch Hazel and Gus live their lives and watch life happen to them.
“The Fault in Our Stars” is a book that will break your heart, be prepared for it. Both Augustus and Hazel will make you fall in love with them. Their dynamic is adorable and so adorable and so enjoyable. Isaac was such a wonderful character. He was a friend of Augustus and personally he is one of my favorite characters. The medical accuracy is probably meh but it made sense to me, who is not a medical person. This book is part realistic, romantic, and bittersweet. The writing style describes the emotions so well. The figurative elements are used in such fun and creative ways. This book is beautiful, the characters are beautiful, the plot was beautiful, and the writing style was beautiful. The book shows the characters getting screwed over by life and it was great at showing that life isn’t perfect and that sometimes life seems to bite you in the butt. This book progresses at the perfect speed, makes you love the characters, and then breaks your heart. This book is perfect for anyone searching for an emotional book that just is realistic and beautiful.
This book does a wonderful job of educating readers about history of the 1920's in Shanghai while still being an action-packed and entertaining story. The plot of two gang heirs clashing as they each work to solve the mystery of an unleashed monster in the city is unique and captivating. I love the devotion of each character to protect their loved ones and battle the conflict of values in Shanghai. This book also keeps readers on their toes. The moment I felt like the story was predictable, it proved me wrong! The longer read is worth it for being immersed in these characters' experience. I look forward to reading the sequel.
I'm normally all for an enemies-to-lovers rom-com book with good diversity, but this book did not do it for me. For such a lengthy read, there was no substance and Catalina was constantly repeating herself. The story involves Catalina needing a date to her sister's wedding in Mexico and agreeing to take her work enemy, Aaron Blackford. First of all, Aaron had no personality. A tall, ominous Caucasian man with dark hair is really the only description. The banter was alright, but became boring and repetitive after a while. Then, all of Catalina's internal dialogue discussed this wedding, which only got a couple pages of description when it finally happened! But what bothered me most was how the entire book revolved around this pity party for Catalina. It was interesting to read about this (unfortunately) common occurrence that a couple with an age gap or existing in a professional setting tends to be accepted only for males, but this message could have had a better reach if the main character wasn't complaining every other page that her life was completely ruined, even years later, by this misogynistic disparity. She even clarified that she took a new job offer because of the experience, not because she was trying to escape. However, the author contradicted this statement by devoting most of the book to a "feel bad for me" mindset. Readers will empathize more with the main character if they aren't guilt-tripping everyone. Less is more!
Dance of Thieves has such high praise, but the pacing of this book was the dealbreaker for me. An ideal "enemies to lovers" plot (especially a promising one in a dystopian/medieval setting) needs to be extended enough to where the reader fully understands each character's normal personality compared to when they interact with the love interest. If this time period cannot be conveyed throughout the book, then a description of the past needs to be lengthy and detailed. This book tried to have both and failed. Some scenes with were enjoyable and made me want to see what would happen next, but there was no mystery to it. I could always predict the next move despite such infuriating hesitancy about if the characters will be together for the long-term or not. Not for me, but try it if you absolutely love the trope!
Grade 11
Many people I know enjoyed this book, so it was disappointing when I read it and didn't love it. The story's concept of two people reuniting every November 9th and making amends with the past is intriguing and the pacing kept me entertained, but the character's interactions were unrealistic and annoying. This didn't seem to be an accurate portrayal of grief or guilt. Fallon was independent and witty for the first part of the book, then she changed to be so forgiving and needy! It isn't fun to read about an inconsistent character because it takes creates a disconnection between the reader and the author's writing. Hoover's books are short and generally motivating to get out of a reading slump, but the content is just not for me.
Grade 11
This is one of my favorite reads, mostly because Stephanie Perkins has a way of writing a fictional universe to feel real. In the book, the main character Anna is sent to a Parisian boarding school and must learn how to adapt to a new environment- and new friendships. Anna is a relatable character- she's a perfectionist who constantly feels out of control and uses witty remarks to cope with overwhelming feelings. I love Etienne's compassionate personality, as well as the rest of Anna's friends' humor. This book is an accurate representation of dealing with a new change, like being away from home. Despite being new and even scary, so much good can come out of it.
Love & Gelato follows Lina, a high schooler who's sent to spend her summer in Italy with her father, due to her mother's dying wish. While at first Lina is apprehensive and scornful of this trip she'd reluctantly taken, and wishes to be back in America, she then finds her mother's old journal. And with the help of Ren, a local Italian boy she befriends, they recreate Lina's mother's experiences in Italy. And as Lina spends more time in Italy, she learns that her father, Italy, and Ren, may not be so bad after all.
Overall, this story was a pretty cute teen romance novel. I enjoyed reading about Lina's adventures in Italy, and seeing her get closer to Ren. However, I wouldn't say that there's anything exceptional and amazing about it, since it just seemed like a pretty average romance novel that you'd expect it to be. I would probably recommend this book if you're in a reading rut, or just want something easy and entertaining to quickly read.
Reviewer Grade: 11
Today Tonight Tomorrow is a cute and lovable YA novel, following two teens- Rowan and Neil. Two high schooler seniors, who've competed through all four years of their high school career, Rowan and Neil make a very intriguing pair. The novel begins on the last day of school for Rowan and Neil, and between the two and their constant bickering, Rowan is anxious for her future now that high school is ending. To top it all off, when Rowan learns that she lost her valedictorian spot to Neal, she's desperate for one last chance to upstage him. Thus, Rowan teams up with Neil--her supposed "arch-nemesis," for Howl, a competition their school holds for leaving seniors. Basically an intensified version of a scavenger hunt, one must collect all pictures of locations from the list the school gives them. The catch is, that each senior participating is given a name-- aka their target. The first student who collects all photographs without getting "killed," is ruled the winner. And of course, Rowan is planning to form an alliance with Neil, in hopes that they can both make it to the end, with Rowan of course, showing one last act of victory and making it to the finish line before him. However, this last-ditch effort for success backfires miserably, and as Neil and Rowan spend more time together during Howl, Rowan learns that Neil may not be the same night-marish, stuck up nerd that she'd always that he was. And so, we follow Rowan and Neil as they learn that they may not hate each other as much as they'd thought they did.
Young adult romances, while they may be cheesy and littered with cliches, I found that Today Tonight Tomorrow was the opposite of that. I loved how Rowan and Neil were not your typical love interests, and I also enjoyed that neither of them displayed any signs of toxic or unhealthy romantic behaviors, such as most romance novels tend to portray. I also enjoyed that Rowan was a POC protagonist, and liked how many things in the book broke out of common romance novel stereotypes, such as addressing issues with misogyny, and religious discrimination. Today Tonight Tomorrow, while a wholesome academic rivals to lovers story, also included many valuable lessons and shed light on other, perhaps not as conventionally "romantic" topics. I enjoyed the depth all the characters showed, and by the end of the novel, I found myself wishing the story to never end.
Abbie Emmon's debut novel is a contemporary romance following Tessa Dickinson, a poetry blogger who temporarily loses her eyesight, and Weston Ludivico, who is hired to help her type her poetry onto her blog. Tessa is upset by his presence and claims he doesn't understand what she's going through - what she doesn't know is that Weston lost both of his legs three years ago and has been wearing prosethics ever since.
The idea behind this novel is something that I rarely see, and I appreciate the representation of different disabilities and how that affects the character's lives. However, the romance feels very unrealistic and unhealthy. The pacing is very slow until the ending, and I couldn't relate to Tessa at all, unlike Weston. The book felt very predictable, especially by the end, and I never felt interested in the romance or like I was rooting for the main characters. I did enjoy Weston's backstory, but Tessa felt comparatively one dimensional. However, the book did have a sweet overall message and quite a few good lines.
If you are not looking for something very serious and like a sappy, fluffy romance, I think you would enjoy this novel. Weston is a very sweet character that I enjoyed reading about, and Tessa's thought process is interesting. However, the pacing problems and lack of character development can be very difficult to get through.
Reviewer grade: 9