Contemporary

Until this book, I had not read anything that had impacted me this much. It was an absolutely heart wrenching book that was so beautifully written and was overall amazing. I love books that touch on the dark and uncomfortable parts of life and the human experience that aren't talked about very often and this is one of those types of books (check the trigger warnings before reading it because there are a lot of tough subjects in it).
A Little Life follows a man named Jude throughout his whole life. It focuses mainly on him and his friends when they met in college and follows them beyond, well into adulthood. It has flashbacks to Jude's childhood and the trauma he went through and how he coped with that trauma and how his relationships were affected. It has a strong message about friendship and has underlying themes of dealing with grief and abuse along with other tough subjects. This is hands down the best book I have read in a long time. The characters were incredibly developed and they felt real, it was one of those types of books that took me a long time to recover from after I finished it because I felt so close to the characters and the story. Even though some of the topics covered in this book are tough and uncomfortable, they are important to talk about and I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys raw and slightly gut wrenching books.
Reviewer Grade: 11

The Virgin Suicides is the elegy of the Lisbon girls, from the perspectives of the neighbors that are still haunted by them. The Lisbon family lives on a quaint suburban street in the Sun Belt, drenched in sunlight and white-washed shingles. Then one year, every Lisbon girl, starting with Cecilia and ending with Mary, commits suicide. This book is the observations and meditations of the boys across the street, the ones who loved them, who obsessed over them, who objectified them, and who watched them die one by one. The girls are doomed from the opening lines. The only question that remains is why they did it, and why our narrators can't let them go.
I read this book because I was told it was a staple of dark academia. It is not, no one here likes school. In reality, it is a treatise on girlhood, in all its insubstantial suffering. The first thing that struck me was the way the author sets the mood immediately. The entire book is dripping with malaise, the suffocating nature of sisterhood and parenthood on full display whenever the Lisbon house is described. The brief gasps of outside life are bright and crisp, while the references to the current day, middle-age life of the narrators is sad and listless. I wouldn't say this book is pleasant to read, but it is gripping in its complete commitment to its mood and setting. On that note, the choice of the author to tell the story entirely from outside perspectives was fascinating. The narrator is only described as "we", as the group of neighborhood boys who obsess over the girls in both childhood and adulthood. One conflict in the book is wondering if we are meant to sympathize with the boys who are scarred from the suicides, or see them as a commentary on the ways that the world seeks to capture and define teenage girls. I ended up seeing it as the latter, which likely made me view this book in better light than many of my peers. The boys actions always have an air of perversion about them, and at the end they seem to realize that all their breaches of privacy and decency have brought them no closer to understanding the girls. Another thing I liked about this book is the way that the girls are given a kind of privacy of thought from the narrators and the readers. Every attempt at scrutinizing their reasoning or emotions or motivations is always followed by a caveat. Nothing is certain with the Lisbon sisters, just the way nothing is every certain when we view the actions of others. The unknowability of their tight knit group gives them a dignity that their neighbors and community seem to want to violate constantly. This book is also a clear censure of suburbia. The neighbors try to do their best to help when they can, but still grumble amongst themselves about the Lisbon family leaving the leaves in their yard the fall after their youngest commits suicide. The great debutante balls and dances of the south are in full swing, but there is an undercurrent of corruption and distortion to the dancing and dating. The sexualization of the girls is also rampant, which, again, makes the book a lot harder to enjoy if you don't see it as a choice by the author in order to comment on it. In short, the suicide of the girls seems like a catharsis, a response to the disgusting and decaying world around them. Everyone around them represses their emotions, from their parents to the boys enraptured by them to their teachers to their peers. They are the only ones who get to set something free. The juxtaposition of the wailing EMTs to the quaint, straining neighborhood further demonstrates their freedom, even in their death.
This book did have problems. A lot of stuff is uncomfortable to read, even if viewed as a deliberate choice. The story often takes winding tangents that serve little purpose besides demonstrating the boredom and trivialities of suburban life. Still, the book is still a fantastic meditation on what its like to be a teenage girl, in all the wonderful and ghastly ways. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for good setting, shocking stories, and a good mystery to carry with them!
Reviewer Grade: 12

We Deserve Monuments follows a seventeen-year-old girl named Avery as her and her family leave Washington, D.C. to return to her mother's childhood home. Avery's grandmother is dying, but somehow her mother and her grandmother still can't bring themselves to reconcile over decade-old, hidden arguments. While Avery struggles to adjust to a new school and new friends, she must also try to untangle the deep roots of family resentment that could keep her family broken forever.
This book is beautifully done. The prose is something out of a dream, and stays light and airy in the same way that small towns seem to hover in a landscape. The past is interwoven into the landscape to create a truly textured story. Every moment is given the weight and wonder that it deserves, and is a glorious reflection on the raptures of youth. Honestly, my only issue is the plot. I feel like the story would've benefited from more focus on Avery and her family, and less on the drama with her friends. I appreciated it in the beginning, but I felt like things fell apart so quickly that I couldn't get invested in what was going on. Avery herself was sympathetic, but both her and every other younger character in the book makes some truly stupid decisions. It worked better for Avery, since it showed her struggling to grow up and be an adult in her family situation while still embracing her teenage years, but I'm not sure if anyone else has enough of an excuse. With the three generations being examined, I wished that Avery's mom had gotten more of a spotlight in the story instead of whatever was happening with the kids all of the time. The story was still tight, and I felt like the ending was deserved and poignant.
I know it sounds like I didn't like this book that much, but that's just because its a very well done story with lots of style and a lot of things to nitpick. My opening notes still stand: this is one of the most poignant and affecting books I've read this year, with a lot of heart and charm distilled into it. I would recommend it to anyone that wants to read some beautiful prose and cry over family!
Reviewer Grade: 12

If you consider yourself an experienced reader, you can probably state that there are barely a few books in this world that can touch your heart. You went through hundreds of human fates written on thousands of pages; you can easily predict the plots of love stories or detective novels; you can easily identify what figurative devices the author used here and there to make you feel sad, hopeful or amused. You feel so confident and think that nothing in the literature world can surprise you anymore, but then… you open this book, A Man Called Ove by the Swedish author Fredrik Backman. The main character has nothing to do with standardized cliche characters that we’re used to. It’s an old grumpy man called Ove, who believes that nobody in this world knows how to do their job anymore, but instead everybody tries to get more money for less effort. Not only is he deeply convinced in this, he also never skips a chance to remind this to everybody he meets and to inform them as well which rules they have broken and which lessons they have never learnt. He lives all alone, even his wife has left him, and from knowing Ove for about 50 pages we think we know why. But then the curtain opens for the readers, and we learn a beautiful and tragic story of Ove and his wife Sonja. Two absolutely different personalities, who tied themselves together for life with bonds of love, patience, understanding and selflessness. But now Sonja is gone, she’s gone forever and Ove doesn’t see any sense in life anymore. He tries to commit a suicide several times to reunite with Sonja, but all of his attempts fail once the new neighbors move into the house next to Ove’s. An absolutely clumsy IT-specialist Patrick, his pregnant Iranian wife Parvaneh and two of their daughters change his life and become a barrier for all his pessimistic plans. Unexpectedly and against Ove’s will, he rescues a cat and becomes his owner; takes Patrick to the hospital by his precious car Saab; helps a teenager Adrian to fix a bike for the girl that he likes; lets a homosexual barista, who was kicked out of the house by his very conservative father, stay over; fights for Rune, the man who’s been his main opponent the entire life, against Men In White Shirts; teaches Parvaneh driving a car and buys an iPad for her older daughter. Even though he denies it, Ove becomes friends with the entire neighborhood, remaining just as grumpy, rude and straightforward as he’s always been. One day he almost dies and that puts an end for his attempts to get to Heaven prematurely. He finally realizes that there is life after death (after Sonja’s death) and there is always something to fight for.
An amazing book that will make you laugh and cry. Ove’s sassiness and barbed character will pull up a smile on the readers faces and his endless loyalty to Soja will move even the biggest skeptics.The characters are bright and strong individuals that follow their principles and show us the world of their beliefs, so different, but never false. This novel teaches us the importance of friendship and helping each other. It shows us that even in the darkest times of life we can find light in people around us.
Reviewer Grade: 12

Next to the 1st book in this 12 series collection, this one is hands down my favorite. Nikki goes through a series of events in this book and it is a real attention grabber. I loved these books as long as I can remember, and I picked this one up today and realized how awesome these books are! Even in eighth grade, these books still leave me in a feeling of awe. I HIGHLY recommend these books to anyone looking for an easy to read book series. Considering this is the ninth book of this incredible series, I am not too sure how to sum this book up without spoiling the rest of the story line, but this is a ten out of ten book and the collection as a whole! 10/10 highly recommend!!!!

Although I was skeptical at first, I quickly fell in love with the bizarre world of Dellecher and its fourth-year theater students. The worldbuilding and three-dimensional characters transcended expectations. I read this novel in a mere 3 days, and it didn't take long to get me hooked. I'm obsessed the way these students were with Shakespeare. Unfortunately, this beautifully written novel has some glaring flaws that it wasn't poetic enough to cover. The plot started off strong but lost its way in the whirlwind of the theater world. It veered towards a tangled romance before reluctantly wandering back to its roots abruptly before the novel ended. I would've liked more development in any and all realms besides Oliver and Meredith. In fact, I would happily read a series of books detailing these seven students' journey through university. After about six hours spent reading, I feel I only have a vague idea of these characters, and I'm on the edge of my seat for more. Regardless, it was a thrilling ride, and I'm optimistic for Rio's other works.

This book is about a girl named Melody, who has cerebral palsy. The internal monologue and messages throughout the book are extremely wholesome. This book is a great lesson for numerous reasons especially for teenage readers. The audience for this book is more directed towards teens, but I believe anyone can read this and truly appreciate the novel. The book is extremely well written and enjoyable. One lesson in the book is essentially saying everyone needs a friend. Melody is an outcast due to her disability, and her inner thoughts show how much depth her character has. If you’re looking for an amazing read, I highly recommend picking up this book!

A Monster Calls is excellent for what it does. A young boy battles with his feelings over his sick and dying mother. He is haunted by a certain horrible nightmare. A monster outside his window causes havoc on various levels to evoke his true thoughts. He isn't afraid of anything, because nothing is scarier than his nightmare. The story reads similarly to a fable in that it weaves itself perfectly neatly. There are no subplots, extra characters, or excess in this novel. Instead, it marches on to the structure that one would expect, in three acts, each with appropriate escalation. The structure of this novel was refreshingly minimalist, and it helps highlight Conor's strengths and flaws in a powerful way. A Monster Calls is a short read, but it is heartbreaking and beautifully done.

Light Filters In is one of the rawest books I have ever read. The author gave us a full view of her mind, including every ugly scar and scratch we are too afraid to talk about. This get’s heavy, but in a way that’s very important today. Not only does it show the pain of trauma and poor mental health, but it lets us see Kaufman heal. If you are struggling, or have in the past, this book will touch you in a way not much else can. Wonderful read. (8th grade)

I had heard a lot of wonderful reviews about this book and the book definitely met every one. The book focuses on the scandalous life of the mysterious and legendary actress Evelyn Hugo as she retells the story to unknown journalist Monique Grant. During her retelling, the story unfolds that connects everything, leaving the readers still wanting more. I was happily surprised reading and would love to get the chance to be able to experience the story for the first time again. I enjoyed the old timeliness of Hollywood and the resemblance to Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe. If you want to be engrossed by a book with twists and turns till the end, then this book is for you!
Reviewer Grade 12