Genre: Coming of Age

The Epic Story of Every Living Thing by Deb Caletti | Review

Posted February 20, 2023 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- there’s something about Deb Caletti’s books that feel so profound. She takes the teenage/early adult experience and makes it so raw and real and universal, that even a 30-something like me can find it relatable. The Epic Story of Every Living Thing is no exception, as Caletti explores what family and DNA really mean, and how our identities are tangled up in elements that we might not even be aware of. The story follows Harper, who’s always grown up believing her mom used a sperm donor to conceive her, but doesn’t […]

Mini Reviews: The Matzah Ball and God Spare the Girls

Posted July 7, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

This was fun! I don’t think I’ve ever read a Jewish holiday romance before, and it’s a bit Meta because the protagonist is tasked with writing one (even though she’s built a secret career on writing Christmas romance novels and is obsessed with all things Christmas despite being Jewish). I’m always intrigued by books that focus on religion or religious elements (former Religious Studies major here) and it was fascinating reading about Rachel’s struggle with her Jewish identity- from being a dutiful rabbi’s daughter in some elements of her life, but having this closet fascination with Christmas in others. This […]

Mini Reviews | Never Saw You Coming (ARC) and The Jasmine Project

Posted January 24, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

As a former Religious Studies major during my undergrad years, I am always intrigued by YA novels that tackle the topic of religion, though many popular titles in the past few years have seemed to focus more on the extreme side (Devoted, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, The Project, etc.). I was intrigued to read a novel where the religious aspects seemed more naturally woven in with the contemporary elements, which is definitely the case in Never Saw You Coming, which follows 18 year old protagonist Meg as she strikes out on her own for the first time in […]

Mini Reviews | One Great Lie & The Moon and More

Posted October 4, 2021 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

There’s something about the way Deb Caletti writes that completely transports me. I am taken from my time and place and I am truly IN the protagonist’s mind. So with One Great Lie, I embarked on a dark summer adventure in Venice with protagonist Charlotte as she navigated the cruel, often heartbreaking truths of being a woman in society, both in the past and in the present. Caletti’s YA novels often seem to tackle current social issues, and One Great Lie is no exception. Charlotte wins an incredible, once in a lifetime opportunity to participate in a summer workshop abroad […]

How To Love by Katie Cotugno | Review

Posted July 12, 2021 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I swear, Katie Cotugno never fails to disappoint me. She takes the realest, rawest emotions from being a teenager and manages to spin them into a story that takes me right back into that state of mind, empathizing with the characters even if I haven’t been in their exact situation before. Such was the case when I read How to Love, which I requested from my library on a whim, and absolutely tore through it, inhaling it in a way I haven’t read a contemporary YA novel in a while. The story follows protagonist Reena, who is a teen mother […]

A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow | ARC Review

Posted September 7, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 2 Comments

A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow is the perfect recipe of all things I love in a YA book: a big, loving Latinx family, absolutely mouth-watering depictions of food, and a summer adventure in Europe. Following Lila, a recent high school graduate who has big plans to run her family’s Cuban bakery after graduation, the story takes an unexpected turn when Lila’s well-intentioned family sends her to England for the summer to recover from multiple heartbreaks and a sense of grief she can’t (quite literally) outrun. At first I was a bit apprehensive about Lila’s journey to England, […]

Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen | ARC Review

Posted March 30, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

There are so many things I loved about Loveboat, Taipei. It was like a crazy summer camp book yet set in a breathtaking, international setting with a backdrop of constant, amazing cultural experiences. Yet at the same time, there are some elements that didn’t always sit the best with me personally as a reader. I’m extremely glad I read it (it was a lot of fun!) and am looking forward to the sequel, but there were some elements I personally wish had been handled a bit differently. Loveboat, Taipei follows Ever Wong, an American-Chinese 18 year old living in Ohio […]

This Train is Being Held by Ismeé Amiel Williams | ARC Review

Posted February 24, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 1 Comment

One of my goals for 2020 is to read more novels with Latinx characters by Latinx authors, and I was thrilled to find that This Train Is Being Held featured not one but two Latinx protagonists, I was thrilled! The story follows Isa, a white passing, half Cuban ballerina, who meets Alex, a Dominican-American aspiring pro-baseball player, on New York public transit. Existing in different classes, social circles, and areas of New York, they keep running into each other on various trains until they realize there is definitely a spark between them that they both can’t deny. While this is […]

The Map From Here to There by Emery Lord | ARC Review

Posted January 13, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 1 Comment

I’ll admit, I wasn’t the biggest fan of The Start of Me and You. It was OK, but I felt like there was something I wasn’t getting from the story that everyone else was. However, the hype around The Map From Here to There was so tangible that I felt like I had to give it a shot, especially since contemporary YA stories that wrap up so neatly usually aren’t revisited by the author. I was pleasantly surprised to find that The Map From Here to There not only surpassed my expectations but provided one of the most sincere and […]

Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay | ARC Review

Posted July 29, 2019 in Books, Reviews / 1 Comment

Patron Saints of Nothing was brought to my attention by the lovely Mel to the Any, so when I attended ALA midwinter this year I couldn’t resist picking up a copy, especially after seeing the striking cover. Though I myself am not Filipino, my husband’s family is and I am making an effort to read more diversely and learn more about his Filipino heritage, so I was excited to read this title that not only explored the experience of a Filipino-American protagonist, but actually explored the current state of the Philippines as well when the protagonist visits his birth country […]