Tag: YA Fiction

Suddenly a Murder by Lauren Muñoz | ARC Review

Posted September 15, 2023 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I love a good thriller, and the elements of this novel having a Latinx protagonist and a 1920s themed party had me instantly sold from the synopsis! Protagonist Izzy goes on a graduation trip thrown by her very privileged BFF, Kassidy, at a famous estate owned by an eccentric mogul that served as the setting of many of their favorite silent film era movies. It gave me MAJOR Heart Castle vibes (a landmark on the Central Coast of California that was owned by William Randolph Hearst who threw parties that were rumored to have inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Gatsby parties). […]

Thriller Mini Reviews: More Than You’ll Ever Know & I’m the Girl

Posted January 23, 2023 in Books, Reviews / 1 Comment

I honestly can’t remember how More Than You’ll Ever Know ended up on my radar- probably a Goodreads email or round up post. However, I do remember the striking cover and vaguely knowing that it was a thriller/mystery. When my library hold came in, I didn’t rush to read it, and almost let it slip through the cracks. I’m so glad I didn’t, because it ended up being one of my favorite reads of 2022! Told in a dual POV with alternating timelines, More Than You’ll Ever Know centers around Cassie, an aspiring true crime writer, and Lore, an infamous […]

Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean (Tokyo Ever After #2) | ARC Review

Posted May 23, 2022 in ARCs, Books, Reviews / 2 Comments

If you’ve been reading my reviews over the years, you know that one of my absolute favorite series in the whole wide world is The Princess Diaries, and that I am a sucker for the normal-girl-finds-out-she’s royalty trope. Naturally, Izumi’s story of finding out she’s the illegitimate daughter of Japan in the Tokyo Ever After series is right up my alley! I actually found that I enjoyed the second book in this series quite a bit more than the first, because as a reader I adored getting to see how Izumi has adjusted to royal life and what her life […]

As Good as Dead (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #3) by Holly Jackson | Review

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

Whoa. Whoawhoawhoawhoawhoa. Just when I think Holly Jackson can’t build upon her previous mysteries BAM she gets me with a twist so unexpected that I’m left reeling. I have a lot of whiplash from this book, the third and (likely) final installment in the Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series, and it went in a direction I was NOT expecting. I’ll admit, I considered DNF-ing this one initially, because the beginning is super slow. Pip is obviously dealing with PTSD (as she was after the first book, however it’s amped up a LOT after what she went through in the […]

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: The Silver Blonde and Killing November

Posted January 17, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I’ve really been enjoying historical fiction the past few years, so when I heard about The Silver Blonde I was excited to add another title to my TBR! I was also curious as I hadn’t read anything set in post WWII Los Angeles and was intrigued to see how the entertainment industry was impacted by the war, especially in the context of a mystery. This story had a lot of interesting elements going on- a mystery, an exploration of the film industry in the aftermath of WWII, the German immigrant experience in America after the war, the journey of women […]

Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi | ARC Review

Posted April 19, 2021 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I’ve found that there’s something so incredibly raw and real about Mary H.K.Choi’s writing, and her novel Yolk is no exception. A tale of two sisters both trying to make their way in NYC, Yolk confronts the messy, indulgent, and self-destructive tendencies of the younger generation today in a world where a carefully crafted persona is oftentimes prioritized over well being and relationships, and the extreme loneliness and sadness that lives beneath that lifestyle. Protagonist Jayne was honestly hard to read at times. She’s messy, selfish and materialistic, but also so desperately eager for attention and affection that its honestly […]

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare | The Last Hours #1

Posted July 27, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 6 Comments

I have to admit, I’ve been on a huge Shadowhunters kick this year. It all began when I decided to reread the TID trilogy in order to go into Chain of Gold fully prepared, which then led to reading all of the short stories and novellas I could that chronologically came before Chain of Gold (huge shout out to Dedra from A Book Wanderer for this handy list of what to read!) When I finally picked up Chain of Gold, my expectations were sky high, and I’m pleased to state that *most* of them were met! I love all of […]

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord | Review

Posted May 18, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 5 Comments

It seems like Tweet Cute has been everywhere so far this year- popping up on my Twitter feed (how appropriate), mentioned on Instagram, and gushed about across multiple blogs I follow, praising the cute romance and plethora of grilled cheese. I anxiously awaited my library to have it available via Libby and eagerly devoured it (no pun intended) as soon as my hold came in! While I have felt in recent years that I’m become burnt out on high school contemporary YA romances, Tweet Cute was refreshing, fun, and overall adorable. Reasons to Read Tweet Cute Rivalry: The entire premise […]

Salty, Bitter, Sweet by Mayra Cuevas | Review

Posted April 20, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 3 Comments

Never have I read a book that has made me so hungry. I love YA books centered on food and am quite the foodie despite not really cooking much myself (I blame an obsession with Food Network shows) so I adore books about aspiring chefs. I’ve read quite a few over the years and have never found one with such vivid food descriptions as Salty, Bitter Sweet. In addition to the mouthwatering food descriptions, I genuinely enjoyed the story, which follows a half Latinx protagonist spending the summer in Europe…this book really had almost all of my favorite things! The […]