Novel Review: The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins)

Release Date: June 2019

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Emma Saylor doesn’t remember a lot about her mother, who died when she was ten. But she does remember the stories her mom told her about the big lake that went on forever, with cold, clear water and mossy trees at the edges.

Now it’s just Emma and her dad, and life is good, if a little predictable…until Emma is unexpectedly sent to spend the summer with her mother’s family—her grandmother and cousins she hasn’t seen since she was a little girl.

When Emma arrives at North Lake, she realizes there are actually two very different communities there. Her mother grew up in working class North Lake, while her dad spent summers in the wealthier Lake North resort. The more time Emma spends there, the more it starts to feel like she is divided into two people as well. To her father, she is Emma. But to her new family, she is Saylor, the name her mother always called her.

Then there’s Roo, the boy who was her very best friend when she was little. Roo holds the key to her family’s history, and slowly, he helps her put the pieces together about her past. It’s hard not to get caught up in the magic of North Lake—and Saylor finds herself falling under Roo’s spell as well.

For Saylor, it’s like a whole new world is opening up to her. But when it’s time to go back home, which side of her will win out?

The Cover:

I do like this cover. It's simple and cute, looks rather light-hearted. I actually think the contents are a bit deeper than are portrayed here, and it might even be too simple? Which is a weird thing to say. I still like it, though.

Review:

I eagerly anticipate every new book by Dessen. About every other year, I get a new book to devour, which I usually do very quickly. Even though I haven't been reading very many YA novels lately, I still preordered this one immediately, and read it as soon as I could.

Emma lives a nice, rather comfortable life with her father, his wife and her grandmother. But then one summer, plans with her best friend fall through, and her father and stepmother have vacation plans, and suddenly she doesn't have anywhere to go. The crazy suggestion of staying with her mothers family for the summer is thrown out, and she gets the chance to discover a side of herself and her family that she never knew was there.

Emma was comfortable in herself and her life before this, and feels a bit out of place at first. There's this whole culture and family here that she never knew, and that have an impression of her from a time she doesn't even remember because she was so young. She gets to meet these new people, and experience new things. And, of course, there's Roo. The boy who remembers her, but she doesn't remember. Who she has more of a connection with than she realized, as she keeps getting drawn to him.

This was a really sweet story. I like how Emma grew during this, and how she pulled her family together through it; she comes from two very different sides, with different prejudices on both, and she forces them to meet in the middle at one point. Then there's Roo. I mean, come on. With a name like that? Of course he's the sweetest.

It's so easy to fall into Dessen-land, and I love getting to do it every so often. Still one of my favorite authors, and one I will always be following.

Comic Review: Strange Planet by Nathan W Pyle

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5-5

Publisher: Morrow Gift (William Morrow/HarperCollins)

Release Date: November 2019

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Available November 19, 2019, Limited Quantity. Author Signed First Edition Hardcover. Straight from the mind of New York Times bestselling author Nathan W. Pyle, Strange Planet is an adorable and profound universe in pink, blue, green, and purple, based on the phenomenally popular Instagram of the same name! Strange Planet covers a full life cycle of the planet’s inhabitants, including milestones such as: The Emergence Day Being Gains a Sibling The Being Family Attains a Beast The Formal Education of a Being Celebration of Special Days Being Begins a Vocation The Beings at Home Health Status of a Being The Hobbies of a Being The Extended Family of the Being The Being Reflects on Life While Watching the Planet Rotate With dozens of never-before-seen illustrations in addition to old favorites, this book offers a sweet and hilarious look at a distant world not all that unlike our own. I feel more attractive. Honestly, you are. It’s the star damage. I CRAVE STAR DAMAGE.

Review:

I've been following Nathan W Pyle on Twitter for a while now, after discovering these Strange Planet comics. I pre-ordered the book pretty early on.

These comics are so funny and so cute. I love the perspective of looking at the human world from an alien perspective, describing things in much more real terms that we don't think of anymore. They're very real sometimes, too, in their honesty and portrayal.

There are some new comics in this collection, as well as the loved ones posted online. It's a very nice hardback, with pretty comics on the inside covers and organized in an interesting way.

If you like fun comic strips and humor books, I definitely recommend picking this one up.

Teaser Tuesday[247]: The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

------------------------------------------

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins)

Release Date: April 2017

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love—she’s lived through it twenty-six times. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Because no matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.

Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly’s totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie’s new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. Will is funny and flirtatious and just might be perfect crush material. Maybe more than crush material. And if Molly can win him over, she’ll get her first kiss and she’ll get her twin back.

There’s only one problem: Molly’s coworker Reid. He’s an awkward Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there’s absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right?

Excerpt:

“'But they're getting married.' Cassie sighs again. 'This is the awesomest thing that's ever happened to us.'” (Hardback, pg. 88)

What are you reading?

Teaser Tuesday[235]: The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney by Suzanne Harper

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

-------------------------------------------

The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney by Suzanne Harper

Publisher: HarperTeen (HarperCollins)

Release Date: 2007

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In high school, the last thing you want is for people to think you talk to ghosts.

When Sparrow begins tenth grade at a huge new school full of strangers, she thinks her dreams of anonymity and a fresh start are finally coming true. No more following in her six older sisters' footsteps. No more going to class with kids who've seen her grandma doing jujitsu in the front yard next to the headstones of her four dead husbands. And no more worrying about keeping her deep, dark secret hidden.

Sparrow makes a new best friend and has her eye on an irritatingly appealing guy in her history class. She feels like she's well on her way to a normal life. But it's another boy--a dead one--who wants Sparrow's attention, and he won't let her be till she's helped him Move On.

You see, Sparrow Delaney's secret is that she's a psychic. And there's one very persistent ghost who won't let her forget it.

Excerpt:

“Startled, I opened my mouth for an indignant reply—and just in time remembered Rule 3.

Never, ever talk to a ghost.” (Paperback, pg. 110)

What are you reading?

Novel Review: The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

Rating (Out of 5): ~4
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins)
Release Date: 2013
Spoilers?: No.
Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.
Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who's always done what she's supposed to—only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.

Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future—until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp.” Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how.

One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love.

The Cover:

I love this cover. I think it's adorable and fitting, and the exact type of cover that catches my eye.

Review:

This book was super cute. I almost picked it up back when it was first released, but shied away from it, and I’m glad I finally got to it.

Wren saves Gray’s life when he's choking at a party hosted by her family’s business. It’s a start that draws their attention to each other, but it’s bumpy and awkward afterward. They have a hard time hitting it off, but they’re determined to get something right between them.

I do understand their attraction to each other, and I enjoyed seeing them slowly get to a point where they do know each other. Gray is getting over his mess-ups in the past, all of his bad decisions, and I think he does quite well. Wren gets involved in the way she wants to, as she’s trying to figure out what she really wants in life.

I like all of the focus on Wren’s family and their family business was a lot of fun; her friends were nice, too. There was a good amount of character growth in this book, and I enjoyed where everything ended.

I’m apparently in the minority here, but I enjoyed this book quite a bit, and look forward to picking up her next one.

Novel Review: Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance; LGBTQ+

Publisher: Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins)

Release Date: April 2015

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

The Cover:

The cover is just kind of okay for me. I don't dislike it, but I don't love it either. It's not really eye-catching, the headless thing is kind of weird. I do like the word bubble for the title, and the colors and grainy-ness work. But otherwise it's just kind of meh.

Review:

“Don’t you think everyone should have to come out? Why is straight the default? Everyone should have to declare one way or another, and it should be this big awkward thing whether you’re straight, gay, bi, or whatever. I’m just saying.” (Hardback, pg. 146) “White shouldn’t be the default any more than straight should be the default. There shouldn’t even be a default.” (Pg. 269)

When his classmate Martin finds out that Simon is gay, he blackmails him into helping him get a date with Simon’s friend Abby. Feeling forced into it so he doesn’t come out before he’s ready, or cause problems with his mystery email buddy Blue, he attempts, but isn’t very good at it really. And he’s more focused on Blue than anything else.

I like how honest and realistic this book seemed, with the whole subject matter. Simon decides to come out to some people, and is forced to with others, and it’s all honest. His emails with Blue are adorable and so cute. They go to the same school, but they don’t know who the other is. Which means that Simon starts trying to guess, and I loved the reveal. It’s incredibly adorable, as is most of the book.

Martin is a bit of jerk, honestly, even if he has some possible redeeming qualities. I liked Simon’s friends, too. His bond with Abby was sweet, and I enjoyed their honest interactions. He has a group of friends, and I liked the focus that part of his life was given, along with his family. He’s close with his family, and I liked the equal attention all of it was given.

This book is smart and thoughtful, but also super adorable and cute and funny. I loved it, and it went by so fast. I will definitely be picking up whatever she releases next.

Teaser Tuesday[192]: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

---------------------------

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Genre: YA Realistic Romance; LGBTQ

Publisher: Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins)

Release Date: April 2015

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

Excerpt:

“And the thing is, I’m actually considering doubling down on the awkward factor and turning this mess into a coming out thing. Maybe I should capitalize that: Coming Out Thing. Am I crazy?” (Hardback, pg. 104)

What are you reading?