Reading, Writing, and Me

Somewhere Only We Know  by Maurene Goo (328 pages) Overview: Lucky has taken over the world, or, well, the K-Pop world, but the rest of it is coming. Hard work, dedication, and sacrifice has gotten her there, but it also means she doesn't have much of a personal life anymore. Her life has started to lose it's luster. When she wanders away from her hotel after taking a mix of sleeping pills and anxiety medications, she meets Jack, a budding tabloid photographer. When he can't figure out where she came from or connect her to anyone who knows her, he takes her back to his apartment where he realizes that "Fern" is Lucky. It's the story that will launch his career; it's the day that will redefine her career, but they're in it together. Overall: 4 Characters: 4 Lucky is very sweet. She wants what's best for everyone, but that also leads to her leaving nothing for herself. Going out with a boy and seeing the world is something that's a totally

I'm so excited to get to finally be posting this interview. I read Down  and  Across in January  and  absolutely fell in love  with  the story. I never imagined that I'd actually get to talk about it with Arvin! He also has an  awesome  new book coming out called Girl Gone Viral which is out next week! I've posted  reviews of both of his books, which I suggest you read if you're not familiar with his books before launching into the interview ( Girl Gone Viral , Down and Across )!  1. Girl Gone Viral is set in the near future which means that you got to build your own world based on our current framework. Brands like Tesla have risen in popularity while other elements of today’s culture like Instagram have faded into obscurity. How did you decide what made it into the future? Quick story: When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Pokémon cards. (I promise this is related to your question.) They were all the rage on the playground. I collected them, traded them, pretty

Girl Gone Viral  by Arvin Ahmadi (May 21) Overview: It's a new generation. All of us who are teens now are the adults. VR, self driving cars, and atomization has taken off, but racism, sexism, and the unfortunate repetition of history continues. What looks like a glossy, better world is really just a more tech savvy version of ours now. And at the center of it is Opal Hopper, a senior at the elite boarding school PAAST. Her father was prominent in Silicon Valley before is disappearance and likely death. Opal has to figure out what happened for her dad once and for all before Silicon Valley crumbles under the new anti-technology presidential administration. Overall: 4 Characters: 4 Opal is a bit lost in the world. She's smart and intentional, and she has a single focus- unlocking her father's truth. She wants to meet her father's former business partner, Howie, to question him, and winning a VR video contest could be her key. Growing her channel, begrudgingly, she

Geekerella  by Ashley Poston (319 pages) Overview: Ella's life has been horrible since her father died and left her at the mercy of her stepmother and twin stepsisters. She's tasked with all the cooking and cleaning, and she isn't aloud to do anything for herself. Working at the Pumpkin food truck is her only chance at escape as she saves up the money she needs to leave. When her father's brain child, an Atlanta comic con, offers a costume contest that could give her access to the premier of her favorite TV show's reboot movie and $500 to kickstart her escape, Ell hatches a plan. With the help of her coworker Sage (and some lucky magic), Elle gets her chance to go home to the Con. Overall: 3.5  Characters: 4 I have really mixed feelings about the characters. I liked Elle, Darian, Sage, and Cal, but, since the book is a fandom retelling of Cinderella, their fairytale source material really restricts their personal exploration. Darian is Prince Charming, but he&