Source: Gifted

Little White Lies (Debutantes #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes | Review

Posted January 27, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 4 Comments

Debutantes, high Southern society, and a mystery are all right up my alley when it comes to premises for YA novels, so I was so looking forward to Little White Lies which gave me major Pretty Little Liars vibes. Jennifer Lynn Barnes did not disappoint, with a YA novel that focused on strong female characters, high society scandals and some serious twists at the end! Plot Like any good YA mystery book, Little White Lies has a somewhat absurd (in the best way) premise. Sawyer, independent daughter of a flaky single mom living above a bar and working as an […]

A Psalm for Lost Girls by Katie Bayerl | Review

Posted February 18, 2019 in Books, Reviews / 3 Comments

If you follow my reviews at all, you know I’m fascinated by YA books that incorporate the theme of religion into them. As a Religious Studies major in college (think of it as “comparative world religion” rather than theology) I was fascinated by studying different customs, rituals, rites of passage, etc. So when I read the synopsis for A Psalm for Lost Girls I was hooked. Focusing on the events AFTER the death of the protagonists sister (Tess) who was thought to be a miracle worker, it follows a town’s trek to have the sister canonized as a Catholic saint […]

Love á la Mode by Stephanie Kate Strohm | Review

Posted February 11, 2019 in Books, Reviews / 3 Comments

One of my favorite things to do after a long day at work is to unwind with a cooking show. Can I cook or bake? Barely, if you count boiling pasta or making a salad. Yet anything food related on tv- Master Chef, Chopped, Holiday Baking Championship, Chef’s Table, etc.- and I am here for it. Cooking shows are the number one thing taking up room on my DVR, so when I found out about Love á la Mode I was PUMPED. A YA series set in Paris with the backdrop of an intensive cooking school? 100% right up my […]

Juniper Lemon’s Happiness Index by Julie Israel | Review

Posted February 19, 2018 in Reviews / 2 Comments

I’ll admit, even if it hadn’t been for my blogging bestie Lauren adoring this book, I was immediately drawn to Juniper Lemon’s Happiness Index last year when I first heard about it because I fell in love with the cover. I’m generally not a fan of real people on book covers, but I loved loved loved the juxtaposition of the pink and festive confetti with Juniper’s facial expression- almost like she’s bracing herself for something. This juxtaposition of brightness with anxiety, surprise with resignation, is actually extremely relevant to the themes in the novel, which while functions as a coming […]

Aftercare Instructions by Bonnie Pipkin | Review

Posted January 29, 2018 in Reviews / 10 Comments

Aftercare Instructions is the book we need in YA. It’s an honest, vulnerable, frank, and succinct story about family, relationships, and yes, abortion. But it’s not an issue book about abortion. It’s a book about the aftermath, or aftercare, about the thousands of decisions that happen in a family, in a friendship, in a relationship that lead to a single moment or pivotal point. It’s about a person being made of so much more than one action that defines them. It’s a true coming of age novel that’s somehow extremely quick yet tells an extremely in depth story. The story […]

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon | ARC Review

Posted May 22, 2017 in Reviews / 12 Comments

A huge shout-out to the lovely Kristin @ SuperSpaceChick for gifting me her extra ARC copy! When Dimple Met Rishi has pretty much been THE book on most bloggers’ radars for the spring of 2017. With the continual push for more diversity in YA literature, coupled with the adorable concept and gorgeous cover, I know it snagged my attention months and months ago. When I was lucky enough to be gifted an ARC by a wonderful fellow blogging friend, I was ecstatic. One of my goals for 2017 is to read more diversely, and upon starting the story I was […]

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab | Mini Review

Posted April 10, 2017 in Reviews / 14 Comments

So it seems as though it’s SUPER UNPOPULAR OPINION TIME. I may be the only person to ever blog to not like this book. I seriously just checked Goodreads and the LOWEST rating anyone I know has given it is 4 stars. It took me almost the entire month of February to read this book, and the only thing keeping me from DNF’ing it was that I was convinced it was going to get better. How could it not, when so, so, so many people love it? I moaned all of February to Max about something being wrong with me […]

Roseblood by A.G. Howard | In Which My Phantom Obsession is Rekindled

Posted February 2, 2017 in Reviews / 13 Comments

Full Disclaimer: I was hooked on this book from the moment I heard it was being released because I spent a pivotal portion of my pre-teen years obsessed with The Phantom of the Opera. The movie version with Emmy Rossum came out when I was in middle school and I was introduced to it by my choir teacher and my obsession was born (it wasn’t hard considering the protagonist’s name is CHRISTINE and then there was me, aspiring little alto, CRISTINA). A few years later my mom took me to see the live stage production in Las Vegas that was […]

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard | Review

Posted January 30, 2017 in Reviews / 7 Comments

I finished Truthwitch just in the nick of time, about 4 hours before I saw Susan on tour for Windwitch’s release. I am so happy to report that despite procrastinating reading Truthwitch for a literal year (due to hesitation regarding how much insane hype surrounded its release and not wanting to forget everything before its sequel came out) I really enjoyed Truthwitch and love Susan’s writing just as much as I hoped I would. Truthwitch is a high fantasy YA series starter that yes, you guessed it, focuses on main characters who are witches. At the forefront of the novel […]

The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee | Review

Posted January 25, 2017 in Reviews / 14 Comments

Many thanks to the wonderful Lauren @ Bookmark Lit for this book! Stacey Lee has built herself a reputation of writing strong YA female protagonists with very distinct personalities, and The Secret of a Heart Note is no exception. The story follows Mimosa, one of the last living aromateurs, and her mother as they mix elixirs to help their clients win the affections of their crushes. The entire novel has a bit of a magical realism feel, with the beautiful and wild garden Mimosa and her mother cultivate, their rambling cottage they live in, and their seemingly magical sense of […]