YA Contemporary

Blurb:

In Sophie Gonzales’ Perfect on Paper, Leah on the Offbeat meets To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: a bisexual girl who gives anonymous love advice to her classmates is hired by the hot guy to help him get his ex back

Her advice, spot on. Her love life, way off.

Darcy Phillips:
• Can give you the solution to any of your relationship woes―for a fee.
• Uses her power for good. Most of the time.
• Really cannot stand Alexander Brougham.
• Has maybe not the best judgement when it comes to her best friend, Brooke…who is in love with someone else.
• Does not appreciate being blackmailed.

However, when Brougham catches her in the act of collecting letters from locker 89―out of which she’s been running her questionably legal, anonymous relationship advice service―that’s exactly what happens. In exchange for keeping her secret, Darcy begrudgingly agrees to become his personal dating coach―at a generous hourly rate, at least. The goal? To help him win his ex-girlfriend back.

Darcy has a good reason to keep her identity secret. If word gets out that she’s behind the locker, some things she’s not proud of will come to light, and there’s a good chance Brooke will never speak to her again.

Okay, so all she has to do is help an entitled, bratty, (annoyingly hot) guy win over a girl who’s already fallen for him once? What could go wrong?

Review:

This was such a fun book! The story follows a bisexual high school girl named Darcy who, for the past two years, has secretly run a relationship advice service from Locker 89 — an abandoned locker at school to which only she has the combination. One day she gets caught red-handed retrieving letters from the locker by a stuffy upperclassman named Alexander Brougham. In return for keeping her secret, Darcy agrees to help him win back his ex-girlfriend. Of course, things don’t go smoothly, especially when her own love life stirs up a conflict of interest between her “Agony Aunt” duties and her friend Brook, a friend on whom Darcy harbors a secret crush. As it turns out, Darcy has made some poor decisions — selfish decisions — which, if came to light, would no doubt ruin her friendship with Brook forever.

I really appreciated the conversion about bi-phobia, both internalized and external, once Darcy begins having feelings for Alexander. She begins to ask herself whether she’s can still call herself queer if she dates someone of the opposite sex. Would falling in love with a guy erase her as a bisexual? Could she even call herself bisexual in such a case? There was a lot of compelling discussion around this topic in the book, and it illustrated how painful and damaging bi-phobia can be — and how it can even be perpetuated by the Queer community.

The book also delves into many other important themes such as romantic relationships, friendship, being part of the queer community, family, and coming out. There was also plenty of horrible decisions leading to much drama, which was a lot of fun. But though Darcy does mess up horribly and makes some pretty terrible decisions, she’s quite an admirable character overall. She takes her role as a relationship advisor seriously. Thus, she spends a lot of time researching relationships, helping her provide better advice to her “clients” (even though she’s never been in a relationship herself). Darcy actually gives quite impressive and well-researched advice, tacking such topics as consent, boundaries, communicating your feelings, sexual identity, appropriate expectations, and not allowing others to take advantage of you or belittle you.

I also loved how diverse the cast of characters was. Our main character, Darcy, was bisexual, the male hero was heterosexual, Darcy’s friend/love interest is a lesbian, and several supporting characters were trans, non-binary, and gay.

All in all, this novel was a delight to read. I loved the way it combines the bitterness of adolescence with the sweetness of friendship and young love. The characterization in this book is really powerful, and I thought that this novel is populated with wonderfully complex, dynamic, and empathetic characters, displaying the perfect balance of heartbreak and hope.

The plot itself was phenomenal, and I loved the premise of giving out secret relationship advice via a school locker. But this was much more than an enjoyable story. Perfect on Paper makes us think about who we are and how we want to live our lives and does in a way that’s skillfully presented and eloquently narrated, ending up being a tale of courage, love, and carving your own place in the world.

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This follows a high-school girl named Rowan, who is seen as kind of an oddball, given that her mother is a famous paranormal author who writes about ghosts. Rowan is a pragmatist and doesn’t believe in anything supernatural.

Rowan then ends up paired with her nemesis — the popular girl named Abby — for a school project for their marketing class. Abby’s idea is to sell love spells to the other students in order to raise money for their teacher’s favorite charity. Rowan agrees to write the spells, mainly because she feels guilty for ruining Abby’s science project years before, so it’s her way of making it up to her. The kicker, however, is that every spell Rowan writes actually works — the people for whom she writes the spells are quickly paired up with their dream person/crush. But as Rowan and Abby quickly learn, the spells only work if Rowan is the author. Abby then becomes more than a bit exploitative, taking advantage of Rowan’s guilt.

Of course, as is often the case, the love spells, things backfire in a significant way, and all sorts of hijinks ensue.

This ended up being a fun witchy story with plenty of drama and a touch of romance. I enjoyed seeing Rowan navigating her friendships (which strained because of the magic), her relationship with her mother, her newly discovered magical abilities, and her new relationship with the hot school jock, Luca. Speaking of Luca, I enjoyed how Rowan came out of her shell once they began dating and loved the tender relationship that developed between the two of them.

All in all, I found Love Spells and Other Disasters to be a light, entertaining story with a sweet romance at its core. It’s clever and engaging with an inventive plot and an admirable heroine that grabbed my attention right from the get-go.

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Synopsis:

From the beloved author of Tweet Cute comes Emma Lord’s You Have a Match, a YA novel of family, friendship, romance and sisterhood…

When Abby signs up for a DNA service, it’s mainly to give her friend and secret love interest, Leo, a nudge. After all, she knows who she is already: Avid photographer. Injury-prone tree climber. Best friend to Leo and Connie…although ever since the B.E.I. (Big Embarrassing Incident) with Leo, things have been awkward on that front.

But she didn’t know she’s a younger sister.

When the DNA service reveals Abby has a secret sister, shimmery-haired Instagram star Savannah Tully, it’s hard to believe they’re from the same planet, never mind the same parents—especially considering Savannah, queen of green smoothies, is only a year and a half older than Abby herself.

The logical course of action? Meet up at summer camp (obviously) and figure out why Abby’s parents gave Savvy up for adoption. But there are complications: Savvy is a rigid rule-follower and total narc. Leo is the camp’s co-chef, putting Abby’s growing feelings for him on blast. And her parents have a secret that threatens to unravel everything.

But part of life is showing up, leaning in, and learning to fit all your awkward pieces together. Because sometimes, the hardest things can also be the best ones.

My Review:

I loved the premise of this — the idea of discovering a sister you never knew you had as a result of a DNA test. I also love stories set at summer camp, so that was another massive plus for me — and that aspect of it was very well done, with plenty of zany camp shenanigans, witty banter, and quirky hijinks included.

As for our main two characters, Savvy and Abby, I loved how utterly different they were from each other, with Abby being an artistic, rule-breaking, consequences-be-damned rebel who’s not all that concerned about academics, and Savvy, a social media-obsessed, always-in-control, play-by-the-rules type of person. I loved how obsessed with Instagram Savvy is, and though it seems as though that obsession is a bit over-the-top, I know people in real life who are just like this (okay…maybe without the 500,000 followers!), so it not unrealistic.

Though there was a romance aspect to this, it took a back to the newly discovered sister relationship, and it was so much fun watching the girls get to know each other and begin to understand the other. I felt that their characters were well-fleshed out and realistic, complete with flaws, doubts, and insecurities. I enjoyed how they put their heads together to try to discover why their parents gave Savvy up and uncover the reason why they never told Abby she had a sister. The big reveal regarding that mystery was well done and a lot of fun.

I loved how complicated and messy all of the relationships in the book were, all of which had not only a compelling dynamic but also changed and evolved as the narrative progressed, complete with all the related angst, raw emotions, tension, and anxiety that come with it. I especially enjoyed the awkwardness of Leo and Abby’s relationship because of the BEI (Big Embarrassing Incident) as they danced around their true feelings for each other and suffered through all sorts of miscommunications.

You Have a Match is a beautifully rendered and unique exploration of friendship, with all of its exhilaration, disappointments, and mistakes, with a fair amount of melodrama thrown it. And it is through friendship that Abbey learns some of the most important truths about herself and the kind of person she wants to be.

My only niggle with the book was the excessive Harry Potter references, something I always dislike in novels. That’s just a personal pet peeve of mine, but I wish authors would move past this already…so that part of the book was a bit eye-rolling. But apart from Harry Potter, I enjoyed this little gem of a novel, and I would definitely read more of this author’s work.

Release Date: January 12th

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The story, originally written in Portuguese, takes place in Brazil follows seventeen-year-old Felipe, a fat gay kid who is relentlessly bullied at school because of his weight and has some several body image insecurities. He’s looking forward to school break — 15 days of quiet and solitude: no kids, no teasing.

So when his mother informs him that Caio, the handsome neighbor kid from apartment 57 will be staying with them while Caio’s parents are out of town, Felipe panics – not because Caio has ever teased him, because he hasn’t. Rather, Filipe is distraught because he’s had a crush on Caio for years and has no idea how he’ll manage being with the boy in close quarters for 15 days.

But as the story progresses, Felipe begins to realize that Caio staying with him might not be a much of a disaster as he’d originally thought. In the coming days, the two boys learn about each other and also learn about themselves in the process.

It was fun discovering how each of them totally changed their perception of the other once some of those self-imposed walls came down. I loved how clumsily they acted around each other in the early days.

Now it was heartbreaking to read Filipe’s insecurities about his body, his self-loathing and the anxiety he experienced. We also learn that Caio has his own issues to overcome and it was endearing to see how together, they each began the healing process as the story moved forward.

There were so many great and positive messages in this book regarding body image, sexuality and even therapy. I loved the character arcs in this story and adored seeing the natural transformation of both of our characters throughout the pages especially with Felipe, as he came to realize that this body size or size is not that which defines him. It was a delight seeing both boys emerge stronger and more confident at the end of the book.

So in this way, I loved tender conversation around body shaming and body insecurities, and the positive manner in which the author illustrates how people see what’s inside a person. The author also tackles the topic of bullying in a heartfelt way and I enjoyed seeing the bullies put in their place.

The ending was absolutely lovely and it warmed my heart to see all of Felipe’s deeply entrenched insecurities come crashing down and how both boys end up overcoming their fears and discover their inner strength.

The romance here was so sweet and tender — absolutely perfect — and each boy finding his own self-confidence added to the perfection. There were also some compelling family dynamics going on, between Felipe and his mother as well as between Caio and his mother.

All in all, this is a endearing, wholesome feel-good story with a huge, huge heart that I’m so glad I read.

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Blurb:

Emma Woodhouse is a genius at math, but clueless about people. After all, people are unreliable. They let you down—just like Emma’s sister, Izzy, did this year, when she moved to California for college. But numbers…those you can count on. (No pun intended.)

Emma’s senior year is going to be all about numbers, and seeing how far they can take her. When she and George, her Coding Club co-president, are tasked with brainstorming a new project, The Code for Love is born—a matchmaking app that goes far beyond swiping, using algorithms to calculate compatibility. George disapproves of Emma’s idea, accusing her of meddling in people’s lives. But all the happy new couples at school are proof that the app works. At least at first.

Emma’s code is flawless. So why is it that perfectly matched couples start breaking up, the wrong people keep falling for each other and her own feelings defy any algorithm? Emma thought math could solve everything. But there’s nothing more complex—or unpredictable—than love

Review:

The Code for Love and Heartbreak is a clever modern-day retelling of Jane Austen’s classic, “Emma,” with a somewhat nerdy twist. I loved the premise of this story in which a somewhat socially awkward number/data-focused girl creates a dating app along with her coding club in order to win the national championship. The app is programmed to use algorithms to find a person’s perfect romantic match, and, according to Emma, the math is always right. So given that we’re delving into the realm of human emotions and feelings, it’s not surprising that all sorts of drama and hijinks ensue, and of course, things go horribly wrong.

This was such a cute and lighthearted young adult contemporary. The characters were incredibly well-developed and complex. It was especially fun delving into Emma’s head as she failed to understand why some of the matches weren’t working as she anticipated — or when she learns that some people were using her app for nefarious purposes. It was also fun to watch her have to deal with suddenly becoming popular overnight.

It’s always refreshing to see realistic characters in stories, especially stories about high school. From the moment I met Emma and started to feel the pressure that she was under to succeed and get into Stanford, I immediately formed a bond with her, flawed and stubborn though she was. She grows so much throughout this story, even though it takes place over only a couple of weeks as she begins to understand that feelings and relationships may not be as quantifiable with math as she thought.

Though the book’s plot was more or less predictable, the story was endearing and a joy to read. The friends-to-lovers theme also helped, as this is a trope that I typically enjoy. I liked how the love story aspect fell into place as certain realizations were attained (coupled with an enormous romantic gesture). All in all, I found this to be a delightful and endearing young adult romance with lovable characters and an engaging storyline.

A huge thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a review copy of this book.

The book goes on sale October 6 but is available now for preorder.

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Again Again is a YA contemporary story that takes place over summer and follows our main character Adelaide, a high school girl about to begin her senior year at a private school.  Heartbroken and somewhat depressed, she’s spending her summer as a dog walker.  Her boyfriend has just unexpectedly dumped her and left the country; she’s failed to turn in a major project for one of her classes, which could cause her to be expelled, all while trying to come to terms with her feelings about her brother’s drug addiction.  Over the summer, she encounters some new people, some of whom may or may not become a new love interest.

What’s unique about this book is that certain events in this book are played out in several different multiverses, each resulting in a different outcome. In other words, we see Adelaide’s story play out in a variety of different ways.  It’s kind of like seeing her story unfold in parallel universes where there are numerous versions of herself. She makes different decisions in each multiverse, falls in love with different people, and has different conversations about the same topics.  

This aspect was unusual, in that it allows us to contemplate the “what ifs” in our lives, and look at how changing one decision or saying something differently could change the outcome.  Even the smallest of changes can affect how things turn out. 

For instance, we see her have several different versions of a conversation with her professor or modified versions of the same text message thread with a boy she likes.  In some versions of the storyline, she suffers enormous setbacks and heartbreaks; in others, she finds happiness with someone different.  I especially got a kick of Adelaide’s inner dialog with the dogs that she walks.  

Again again is an experimental novel in an unusual format, and because of that, it’s not the kind of story that you can simply kick back and settle into.  I actually found that the format pulled me out of the story every time we dipped into the multiverses, which I personally found a tad jarring. 

It isn’t easy to discuss the plot, given that there are several different versions of it.  But what I found to be the heart of this novel is Adelaide’s complicated relationship with her brother Toby, which was heart-wrenching in places and hopeful in others. In every multiverse, she navigates her feelings about her brother’s situation: anger, regret, mistrust, fear, but with love at the root of it all.

All in all, I enjoyed Again Again though truth be told, I’m personally not a fan of experimental fiction, and as such, I am not the ideal reader for this story.  Though I did find the multiverse format unique and creative, I also found it a bit difficult to connect with the characters because of it.

But readers who enjoy experimental novels or multiverse storylines should definitely give Again Again a try as it’s a refreshing take on the contemporary novel.  It’s also a story with a lot of depth and many layers, and with a variety of themes such as love, loss, regret, siblings, heartbreak, family dynamics, addiction, self-esteem, the interconnectedness of things, and how even the smallest of choices can have huge repercussions. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for providing a free advanced e-copy of the book.

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