As I stayed quarantined, and recovering from Covid, I read a LOT more than I anticipated! So, here's another LONG blog post with all the books I finished up while trapped in bed. Luckily, I am out of quarantine now, back to work, and while that might mean a bit less reading... it also means the return of a little sanity! I was missing being social for one, but also, I dearly missed my students at my job. In any case, here are the reviews of the books I read this past week. I saved the best for last... it was truly an amazingly stunning book!
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Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith
I had read this author before and really enjoyed the book, so when I saw this one at a thrift store it was an instant buy for me.
This book is all about first love, leaving for college, big life changes and all of the tough decisions that go along with. Leaving behind friends and family as you go off to college on your new adventure as an adult is so hard. The thing that really gets most of us though, is leaving behind our first love. It can feel like life or death in those moments of just becoming an adult and having to make those decisions that will shape the way our lives will go. It's heart-wrenching and difficult.
I actually loved Clare's idea of taking her and Aidan around to the spots of all of their best memories in order to help them decide what to do about the future. It was also a great way for the author to let us know some of the more important parts of their relationship. I think it also showed the importance of memories and holding on to those good times after the ending of something, whether it's high school, a friendship ending, or moving, or whatever.
This book actually made me tear up a bit. Which is unusual for a YA book, since I am in my 40s! But it really brought me back to my own summer after graduation and those big decisions and the people I had to leave behind as I went off to college. It really is both a joyous and trying time in a young person's life and those feelings, apparently, stay with you!
I loved the second prologue. I was full of smiles at that! I recommend this book to anyone in their Senior year of High School, anyone who has recently graduated, or anyone who just enjoys remembering those times.
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Flirty Dancing by Jenny McLachlan
I picked up this book at Dollar Tree, and I didn't realize that it was a younger YA or maybe even a middle grade book. It was very cute though, and I can see how younger readers would really enjoy it.
I loved the relationships Bea had with her family. It's nice to see a sibling relationship that's so adorable, and where the older sibling doesn't constantly complain about the younger one. I also really enjoyed Bea's relationship with her grandmother, I am very close with my grandma too and it's nice to see that in books.
I think it's great that Bea gets braver the more she dances with Ollie. It shows young readers that the more confident they become, the braver they can be. And when she finally stands up to her bully, I found the way she did so to be classy and show maturity.
Ollie is a great character too. I like that the "cute boy" character wasn't fooled by the bully character. He truly sees what's important, rather than being caught up in looks or popularity. There is a use of the "r word" that could cause a trigger for some. I will say though, that the characters are upset about the use of the word. (As was I.)
I think this book would be great for grades 6 through about 10, though older readers might enjoy it as well.
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Hopeless Romantic by Julie Capulet
This was a very short, insta-love, spicy romance. The meet cute was adorable, and I loved the idea of the story. I wished it was a bit longer though. I would have liked to get a little more depth into the background of both main characters.
There was a little part that eluded to the story in book two and it really made you want to go read that one. Pretty smart of the author, the way it was done.
All in all, I think readers who enjoy insta-love and short stories will enjoy this. The writing was good and the story was super cute.
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One Great Lie by Deb Caletti
This book was so beautifully written. There were several points throughout the book where I had to just stop and re-read a line or paragraph because it spoke to me so deeply. For example, "Words were forests to explore in your very own room, warm tents to hide in, and magic cloaks that transformed you." This quote and many others I simply took a picture of with my phone so that I would remember them always.
I loved how there were stories of female writers at the beginning of each chapter. I learned so much just from these little snippets of information about these authors who have been lost to us over time. It really spoke to how our society tends to put the male authors up on some sort of pedestal as the ideal of someone brilliant. It's a sad truth that there are still female authors who feel they must use initials or pseudonyms in order to get the attention their work deserves.
While the main part of the story involves Charlotte's writing and her search to find out about Isabella, the wrong that was done her quickly takes over and I found some very important themes in that. One main thing is the embarrassment of being taken advantage of. Even if we know it's not our fault, there's a sense of shame to it, and so often people blame the victim for not seeing what was happening. I feel like Charlotte had to grow up fast due to what happened to her, but at the same time, it was because of this quick growing up that she was finally able to find her voice, find her past and see into her future. And I love that she does it in spite of what happened to and to honor her relative.
I've been a fan of Deb Caletti for some time now, but this book just blew me away. I'm struggling to write this review, because honestly my words will not do this book justice. It was a beautiful story, written wonderfully, and I'm sure it will stay with me for a long, long time.
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