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He Must Like You YA Book Review

He Must Like You by Danielle Younge-Ullman
Purchase From My Bookshop
TW: Sexual Assault
Overview: His hand was on her butt and then the sangria was in his lap. Libby isn't quite sure how she ended up pouring a pitcher of cold beverage over the town's most popular man, but she doesn't regret it. Well, sort of, because it cost her her job. But she's not sorry, because that wasn't the first, second, or third time Perry has sexually harassed her. Somehow, Perry isn't even her biggest problem. With lingering memories that still bother her, a suddenly empty college fund, and a father who is a menace to the town, Libby has a lot to deal with as she tries to make it through senior year. Overall: 5

Characters: 5 I love Libby. I love her voice, her sarcasm, her not totally jaded cynicism. I guess I found a lot of myself in her. Libby has a lot of self doubt and worry that makes her very self conscious. Her dad's erratic behavior has trained her brain to try to anticipat…

Folklore Tag

This week has been all about folklore, Taylor Swifts brand new, brilliant 8th studio album. I am completely in love with it (and I can't stop talking about it!), so I'm super excited to take part in Cielo's book tag inspired by folklore. I'm so happy to get to combine my favorite books with my new favorite album. This is also my first book tag I've ever done! Thank you to Cielo for tagging me.
If you want more folklore content, I wrote a post for my music blog breaking it down song by song and sharing my favorite lyrics here. I also reacted to the entire album on my YouTube channel. I embedded the video below, but you can also watch it through my link here and subscribe to my channel here.
As you read through the tag, if you want to know more about a book, just click the title to get to my review. This post also features affiliate links to Bookshop so you can easily order a copy of your next favorite book. Using this link means I might get a small commission which…

Running YA Book Review

Running by Natalia Sylvester
Get a Copy*
Overview: Mariana has always known her place was to stand by her father's side, smile, and support him. He's been on the path towards becoming president since she was a little kid. She's grown up going through local, state, and national elections leading up to this moment- the GOP presidential primary. Even though politics have been at the center of her life, they don't discuss policies or principles as a family. As Mari makes new friends and her city is confronted by a climate related crisis, she starts seeing the cracks behind her father's hero facade. The more questions she asks, the more she finds her own voice. Overall: 5

Characters: 5 I loved Mari as a character. She shows so much growth over the course of the book. She starts quiet and eager to please her family because it's all she knows. She's proud of her father because she's been told she should be. She doesn't question her family's views until …

Words On Bathroom Walls

Words On Bathroom Walls by Julia Walton (2017)
Overview Adam is starting Catholic school, not because he's a practicing Catholic. He couldn't go back to his old school after he experienced an episode caused by his schizophrenia in front of the school. Now, on a new trial drug, Adam is taking on a new school and is hopeful that it will be the cure he needs to maintain his normal life. As part of the monitoring of the experimental drug, he must see a therapist who he refuses to communicate verbally with. Instead, he chooses to send in journal entries. These are his entries, recounting his experiences and symptoms. Overall: 4.5

Characters: 5 I loved Adam. We agree about practically everything from the stupidity of the religious school uniform to our thoughts on old people. I did a lot of laughing and shouting "yes!" (albeit, in my head). His parents are also awesome characters. His mother is super dedicated and understanding of Adam's condition. His stepfather took a …

Into YA with Lyla Lee

I'm so excited to be chatting with Lyla Lee, author of I'll Be The One, today. Her K-Pop competition based book is a fascinating, heartwarming read and is also tons of fun. You don't have to have an existing knowledge of K-Pop to get in on the fun. If you haven't had a chance to read Lyla's book, you can find my review here, and if you want to get a copy of your own, I'd love it if you'd consider using the blog's Bookshop store*.
I hope you enjoy our conversation! Share it with your friends who also loved I'll Be The One.

1. I’ll Be The One centers around an LA based K-Pop competition. What was it like to come up with each of the different rounds? How did you go about structuring the competition? I based the competition in I'll Be the One on real K-pop competitions that I watched as a teen as well as the ones that my family members and family friends entered in the past. I researched the structures of several other reality TV competition shows fro…

YA Book Review: I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver

I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver
Overview: Ben is nonbinary. The book opens with them working up the courage to finally come out to their parents. Even though his parents are religious and conservative, Ben feels like it might be okay. Mostly, they feel like they can't keep living with a secret that big. They want their parents to know them fully. Instead of love and support, they get thrown out of the house. Ben calls their older sister who they haven't seen in ten years, but she shows up right away. As Ben transitions to living with their sister and her husband, they have to navigate a brand new school, a new family situation, and a new therapist all at once. While it's a lot to process, Ben comes out stronger, healthier, and happier on the other side. Overall: 5

Characters: 5 Ben and I have honestly nothing in common yet I found them so incredibly relatable on a minute detail level. We have a ton of similar thoughts and reactions and just life philosophies, which…

Louis Tomlinson's Walls Meets YA

I haven't made a Music Meets YA pairing in a while, and I thought I'd bring it back. If we weren't living with COVID-19, I would be seeing Louis Tomlinson tonight with my mom on his first headline tour. Obviously, those kinds of gatherings were cancelled a while ago, but I thought I'd have a little fun by matching his first album, Walls, with some YA books. If you want to give Walls a listen, I'll leave links to it down below, and you can find the individual book reviews by clicking the title. Also, I'll include buy links for each of these in my BookShop store in case you want to pick up a copy. It is an affiliate link, so I might make a small commission at no cost to you.
Have you heard Louis's music before, or are you a fan of one of these books? Let me know in the comments!

We Are Okay (Always You)
Get a Copy
This book is short and quiet and is the closest prose can get to poetry without crossing over. It's all about the images. Marin fled California …

Today, Tonight, Tomorrow YA Book Review

Today, Tonight. Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Order It From My Bookshop* Overview: Rowan and Neil have always been a pair. No, they weren't friends and they didn't date. They were adversaries in the most equally matched game of intellectual tests. Valedictorian is the final prize between them, but there's still HOWL. HOWL is the loser's chance for redemption through the giant, city-wide scavenger hunt that the senior class participates in as a send off every year. Really, it's Rowan and Neil's game to win. The only problem: everyone wants to team up to take the two big winners down once and for all. With no choice but to join forces, they start to realize that teaming up is the only ticket to $5,000 and a final victory. The prize at the end of the night might be more than money and a title. Overall: 5
Characters: 5 I loved Rowan. She's hilarious and full of witty banter. I identified with her a lot. Beyond her academic battle, she's a huge fan of romance…

Books I'm Looking Forward To: August

Happy almost August! Can you believe that summer is almost over? It feels like it never even started. One of the fun parts of a new month is a whole host of new books to get excited about. August does not disappoint, especially if you're a romance fan. As I wrote this post, I kept thinking, "These covers are all so gorgeous", and while 2020 is pulling out all the stops in the cover department, I realized that I tend to initially look into a book because the cover catches my eye. Do you judge books by their covers (at least initially) too? Let me know in the comments. Anyway, I hope you're just as excited for these August reads as I am!

The Black Kids by
Christina Hammonds Reed
August 4th
Preorder a Copy! Ashley is trying to enjoy her LA summer in 1992 chilling on the beach with her friends. Her plans take a turn when the police officers who beat Rodney King are acquitted. Protests break out across the city, and, even though Ashley doesn't want to be involved, she'…

Izzy and Tristan Review

Izzy + Tristan by. Shannon Dunlap (324 pages)
Overview: Izzy and Tristan have a love story. When Izzy's family renovates a moves into a new house on a Brooklyn block their lives change. Her twin brother Hull almost immediately gets into a fight, pulling a knife on some neighborhood kids after a gambling chess match goes wrong. Izzy falls for Tristan, the boy who won Hull's match. With Hull away at a rehabilitation center, Izzy and Tristan are free to fall for each other until Marcus decides that he wants to take revenge on Hull by dating his sister. And even when that battle is overcome, police brutality draws a permanent line between the couple. Overall: 2

*Okay, I'm not really sure how to write a spoiler free review of this because the shocker ending is what I take the most issue with. I'll keep it spoiler free in the characters and plot section, but I will talk about the ending in the writing section. I still recommend you read it, even if you plan on reading the boo…

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