Mes lectures de la 2e semaine d’Avril

Je suis dans une période où je lis pas mal de jeunesse en ce moment, mais j’essaie tout de même de varier un peu. C’était le cas la semaine dernière, et ce sera je le pense encore le cas cette semaine… En attendant, voici les quatre livres que j’ai dévorés en cette 2e semaine d’avril !

Pour commencer, j’ai terminé Ilos de Marion Brunet. J’ai découvert cette autrice avec son roman Nos armes, qui est sorti en début d’année, et que j’avais absolument adoré. Quand j’ai vu qu’elle en sortait également un nouveau au rayon jeunesse, je n’ai pas hésité une seconde. L’intrigue se déroule à Marseille en 2052, alors que la ville a été en partie submergée par les eaux. On suit Nolane, une adolescentes qui gagne sa vie en plongeant parmi les décombres pour récupérer des objets précieux. Elle est repérée par un homme d’affaire peu scrupuleux, le Commodore, qui va commencer à l’employer, et lui assigner la surveillance de Bonnie, une jeune nageuse très prometteuse. Les deux jeunes filles vont très rapidement se lier d’amitié (et plus, peut-être…) et former autour d’elles un groupe d’amis qui partagent les mêmes valeurs qu’elles. Ensemble, ils essaient de créer un monde meilleur, et de faire payer aux Ultra Riches la situation catastrophique dans laquelle ils ont mis la planète. J’ai dévoré se livre, qui par ailleurs se lit très facilement. La plume de Marion Brunet est sublime, et l’histoire est captivante. Hâte de lire la suite !

Ilos – Tome 1 de Marion Brunet, sorti chez Pocket Jeunesse le 7 mars.

J’ai également lu avec beaucoup de plaisir La gosse de Nadia Daam, un récit percutant qui nous raconte la vie de l’autrice avec sa fille, depuis le décès de son ex conjoint alors que leur fille avait 11 ans. C’est un livre bourré d’humour et d’anecdotes, mais aussi de questionnements plus sérieux sur le féminisme, et la manière qu’a chacun d’élever ses enfants. Ce livre m’a fait rire aux éclats, mais m’a aussi beaucoup émue, ce à quoi je ne m’attendais pas forcément. C’est un petit bijou, et un véritable plaisir de lecture !

La gosse de Nadia Daam, sorti chez Grasset le 27 mars.

Je cherche toujours à parfaire ce que j’appelle ma “culture young adult”. La plupart des livres que je lis sont des nouveautés, mais je me laisse aussi tenter par des titres qui datent un peu, surtout si j’en ai beaucoup entendu parler, et que bien sûr, les retours sont excellents ! Et cette fois-ci, je me suis laissée tenter par Vampire Academy de Richelle Mead. L’idée était aussi que je puisse éventuellement l’utiliser comme moyen de comparaison, comme référence lorsque je parle de mes lectures, puisque c’est un livre qui a fait beaucoup parler ! Bref, je me cherche des excuses, mais en attendant, je l’ai dévoré. L’héroïne est forte aussi bien physiquement que par sa volonté, et elle n’en fait qu’à sa tête… Tout en gardant le sens des priorités, à savoir qu’elle est responsable de la sécurité de sa meilleure amie vampire. J’avoue avoir démarré cette lecture avec plus de curiosité que de véritables attentes, mais j’ai passé un très bon moment de lecture. Je n’ai pas vu les pages passer, et sincèrement, j’ai hâte de lire la suite ! On verra si mon enthousiasme tient jusqu’au bout de la série 😀

Vampire Academy – Tome 1 : Soeurs de Sang de Richelle Mead. Disponible en français chez BIGBANG, sorti le 5 octobre 2022.

Et enfin, j’avais besoin d’un peu de romance, donc je me suis lancée dans la lecture de la série La ronde des saisons de Lisa Kleypas, et j’ai terminé le premier volume, Secrets d’une nuit d’été. J’avais déjà lu sa série Les Hathaways l’année dernière, qui m’avait vraiment conquise, et j’ai retrouvé son univers avec beaucoup de plaisir. On est vraiment dans de la romance historique à la Bridgerton, avec des jeunes filles qui doivent se marier pour assurer leur avenir, mais c’est aussi drôle, émouvant, romantique, bref, tout ce dont j’avais besoin pour me remonter le moral. Une chouette lecture !

Secrets d’une nuit d’été de Lisa Kleypas, in La ronde des saisons 1 & 2, sorti chez J’ai Lu le 7 février.

Pour cette semaine, aucune déception, c’est ça qu’on veut ! Et j’attaque aujourd’hui le nouveau livre de Titiou Lecoq, Une époque en or, qui je l’espère va me plaire !

Mes lectures de la 1e semaine d’Avril

Les lectures s’enchaînent et ne se ressemblent pas ! Aujourd’hui, je voulais vous parler des livres que j’ai lus en cette première semaine d’avril.

Et pour commencer, le nouveau livre de Wendy Delorme Le chant de la rivière. Les chapitres alternent entre passé et présent. On y suit une jeune femme qui est partie passer quelques jours à la montagne pour se ressourcer, en attendant de découvrir si oui ou non elle est enceinte. Elle raconte son quotidien à son amoureux, tout en revenant sur les débuts de leur histoire commune. En parallèle, la rivière voisine nous raconte une belle histoire d’amour entre deux jeunes femmes, un siècle plus tôt. J’ai retrouvé avec délectation la plume onirique de Wendy Delorme, que j’affectionne tout particulièrement. Entre passé et présent, entre nature et poésie, c’est un livre d’une beauté absolue, et je le pense, une de mes lectures préférées de l’année 2024 jusqu’à présent !

Le chant de la rivière de Wendy Delorme, sorti chez Cambourakis le 3 avril.

Dans les sorties de la semaine, j’ai aussi dévoré le roman de Maggie Stiefvater Esprit rebelle. C’est une histoire qui fait partie de l’univers Disney, et ça fait un bout de temps que je vois passer ces livres avec curiosité. En voyant la beauté de cette édition, et le fait que c’est Maggie Stiefvater qui a écrit le livre, j’ai enfin fini par me laisser tenter. On y suit Merida, quelques années après le fameux dessin animé dont elle est l’héroïne. L’histoire se déroule donc au château de DunBroch en Ecosse. La nuit de Noël, elle surprend Feradach, le dieu de la destruction, en route pour détruire son château, sa famille, et tout ce à quoi elle tient. Elle va alors faire un pacte avec lui : si elle arrive à faire changer sa famille dans l’année à venir, alors il ne les détruira pas. C’est une histoire très addictive, pleine de magie, d’aventures et de personnages attachants. Je l’ai dévorée, et je pense que je me laisserai tenter par d’autres titres de la collection !

Esprit rebelle de Maggie Stiefvater, sorti chez Hachette Heroes le 3 avril (pour l’édition française).

Je me suis également laissée tenter par le recueil de poésie de Chrissy Nicole Broken But Healing. C’est une très belle collection de poèmes sur la douleur, et la reconstruction. Je suis cette autrice sur Tiktok depuis un bout de temps, et je suis ravie d’avoir enfin découvert sa plume !

Broken But Healing de Chrissy Nicole, autoédité, sorti en septembre 2022.

J’ai aussi lu le livre de Sven Holm Termush, côte Atlantique, traduit du Danois. C’est apparemment un texte de science-fiction absolument culte. C’est la fin du monde, et l’histoire se passe dans un hôtel qui abrite quelques riches survivants, ayant payé cher pour être protégés. Alors que l’extérieur est balayé par les radiations, des blessés frappent à la porte. C’est une réflexion sur la fin du monde, les privilèges, et que faire en cas d’apocalypse. A titre personnel, j’ai trouvé les personnages fort peu attachants, et j’ai eu du mal à rentrer dans l’histoire alors qu’habituellement j’aime bien ce genre de livres. Evidemment, ça fait réfléchir quand à l’égoïsme des survivants et des privilégiés. Mais personnellement j’ai trouvé ce livre plutôt oubliable.

Termush, côte Atlantique de Sven Holm, sorti chez Robert Laffont le 28 mars (pour l’éditions française).

Comme je suis une grande passionnée de mythologie, j’ai également dévoré Méduse de Jessie Burton ! Je l’avais acheté l’été dernier en anglais, et comme il va sortir en français, je me suis dit que c’était l’occasion ou jamais de le lire. C’est une novella assez courte, qui suit comme vous vous en douterez l’histoire de Méduse, avec sa tête de serpents. Elle habite sur une île isolée avec ses deux sœurs depuis que Poséidon a abusé d’elle, et qu’Athéna l’a maudite. Un beau jour, le jeune Persée va arriver sur l’île. Sans se voir, les deux jeunes gens vont peu à peu se rapprocher, et tomber amoureux… Jusqu’au jour ou Méduse apprend que le jeune homme est venu la tuer. J’ai adoré cette réécriture du mythe de Persée et Méduse, que j’ai trouvée très émouvante et pleine de justesse. La plume de Jessie Burton est absolument sublime !

Méduse de Jessie Burton, sortie prévue chez Gallimard Jeunesse le 11 avril (pour l’édition française).

Et enfin, j’ai craqué pour un livre qui me faisait de l’œil depuis sa sortie. Commencé samedi soir et fini dimanche matin, il s’agit de Noblesse Oblige de Maiwenn Alix. C’est une uchronie que se déroule de nos jours dans une France où la Révolution de 1789 n’aurait jamais abouti. Depuis deux décennies, tous les ans quelques jeunes filles des classes populaires sont sélectionnées pour participer à une émission de téléréalité appelée Noblesse Oblige, à l’issue de laquelle soit elles épouseront un membre de la noblesse, soit elles finiront au couvent. Notre héroïne s’appelle Gabrielle, et depuis que la noblesse lui a tout arraché, elle est devenue anti-royaliste. Evidemment elle va être sélectionnée pour participer à l’émission, tout en étant chargée par un réseau révolutionnaire d’espionner la noblesse, et de résoudre le meurtre de la candidate phare de la saison précédente, disparue dans des conditions plus que suspicieuse. C’est un livre absolument addictif. Pour moi qui ai grandi en lisant Les orangers de Versailles et Les Colombes du Roi Soleil, et qui ai plus tard retrouvé le goût de la lecture avec des livres comme Hunger Games, La Sélection, ou encore Red Queen, c’est un parfait combo des deux, le tout bien saupoudré de rage féminine, bref, c’était une lecture absolument délectable, qui nous fournit également une belle réflexion sur la téléréalité, et le patriarcat bien sûr !

100% would recommend (attention aux trigger warnings cependant, notamment en ce qui concerne les violences sexuelles, et la violence tout court).

Noblesse Oblige de Maiwenn Alix, sorti chez Slalom le 8 février.

Which Book From the YA Section Have I Obsessed Over in the Past Couple Months

I’m going to use up the term “YA” in a broad sense here, and I’ve decided that it’s okay. Since I’ve been quite absent from this blog in the past couple months, I’ve given up on writing monthly wrap up posts — and I’ve been reading a lot too, so it would take forever. This format seemed more fun, so here comes a list of YA books I’ve read and loved in the past couple months!

#1 is a book I read back in August, and absolutely loved: So This Is Ever After by F.T. Lukens

It follows a groupe of heroes who just succeeded on their quest. On of them becomes king, but in order to keep the throne (and his life) he must find his one and true love. In an attempt to succeed, he tries to woo his friends, voluntarily ignoring the fact that maybe, love has been right in front of him this whole time… This was such a fun, entertaining book. I read it back in August, and I absolutely loved it. After reading In Deeper Waters, I expected no less from F.T. Lukens. It was magical, sometimes dramatic, and absolutely hilarious, and everything I was hoping it would be.

#2 is a book I was highly anticipating, and read almost upon release: The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

Seriously, this book was amazing. My only regret is that now I have to wait for the sequel. The plot is as follows: every ten years, ten demigods compete in the Sunbearer Trials. The winner will sacrifice the loser to the gods in order to keep the stability of the universe. Theo is a Jade demigod, and never expected to be selected for the trials. Except tat apparently, fate had other plans for hims, and soon he is selected for this deadly competition, and must prove his worth if he doesn’t want to be the sacrifice… This book has amazing mythology and great friendships. It’s my third Aiden Thomas book, and I have to say, they never disappoint.

#3 I also read a book that had been on my radar for a while, and I finally took the time to read — and I ended up really enjoying it: A cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey

I was loking for a light, rom-com sort of read, and I suddenly remembered that this one had been on my TBR for quite some time, so I decided to check it out. I have to admit that at first, I found the main character a bit too over-the top and annoying, but I pushed through and ended up really enjoying the book. (I really hope this doesn’t make me sound like a bitter old lady, but seriously, I almost gave up on the book because of it. But I really liked it in the end). It’s a lovely coming-of-age story, following a teenage girl who spends a summer in the UK after her grandmother passed away. Of course, she’s going to find herself, and her life will be changed forever. It’s a rom-com after all, but it was sweet and realistic, and I’m really glad that I gave it a try. And obviously, it made me crave sweets.

#4 is a trilogy I read super quickly, which had also been on my radar for a while since I’d heard great things about it: All for the Game aka The Foxhole Court and its sequels by Nora Sakavic

Seriously, I always see people on instagram raving about this series, and I vastly wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Actually, I think the catalyst was a thread of fanart I saw on twitter: after religiously looking at the illustrations I had stumbled upon, I decided that I must imperatively read these books, and I started listening to the first audiobook. One of the best decisions I’ve taken lately. I never thought that I’d enjoy about about sports so much. Basically the plot is about a group of really angsty college students who all compete in a fictional version of lacrosse. There’s also some sort of mafia, a general threat of death, and of course, some pining. I bloody loved it, and can safely say that now, I unerstand the hype.

#5 is Infinity Son and Infinity Reaper by Adam Silvera

I went and bought The First o Die at the End on the week of its release, and instead of starting it immediatly, I somehow ended up reading other books, and eventually proceeded to pick up the audiobook for Infinity Son (and later, its sequel Infinity Reaper). In a world where Celestials have magical powers and are feared by most, twin brothers Brighton and Emil used to dream that they too, could have powers. Now on their eighteenth birthday, Brighton still dreams of fame and strives to achieve it through his YouTube channel, while Emil aspires to lead a quiet life and protect phenixes. When a fight breaks out in the subway, he discovers that he actually had powers all along, and both their lives are changed forever. I absolutely loved the universe that Adam Silvera crafted for this series, and I really would die for the main character Emil because he must be protected at all costs. However I feel very strongly against his twin brother Brighton who is an insufferable, conceited know-it-all, and quite frankly a hazard to society. I of course understand the point of his character, but I also have to admit that I can’t stand his POV. Eitherway, I’m looking forward to reading book 3!

and #6 is Undercover Princess by Connie Glynn

Fact: book five of the Rosewood Chronicles was just released in France, while simultaneously the publisher released a mass market paperback for the first book in the series. Other fact: a little over a week ago, one of my customers at work asked for my opinion on this series, because she wanted to know whether or not she would enjoy it. I told her I’d heard great things but hadn’t read it yet. Third fight: the ebook had actually been waiting on my kindle for over two years. And like a reasonable person, I decided to read the entire series as fast as I could, in order to give her my honest, unbiased opinion. As a result, I read the entire first book in a day, and I’m now on book four. Like any reasonable person. This is both more queer, and more dramatic than I thought, and I’m absolutely loving it.

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As for what I’m reading at the moment, my reading list is a bit all over the place, but I’m rereading Little Black Bird by Anna Kirchner, which I’m loving just as much as the first time around, and I’m planning on finally picking up book two as soon as I finish it. It’s a story that’s infused with witches and polish folklore, with some amazing plot twists, and aroace questioning characters, and I love it to pieces. I also started the audiobook for The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani, because I watched the movie and am now craving for more content. I’m really enjoying it fo far.

On top of my TBR pile when it comes to the YA section of the bookstore I also have Afterlove by Tanya Byrne, and of course, The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera, which I got the week of the release, and am really looking forward to reading. I’m also hoping to read We Are Not Free by Traci Chee sooner than later. And maybe Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales. But you know what they say… So many books, so little time!

Lost in the Never Woods: My Review

It’s been a truly long time since I actually wrote a book review, but guess what I’m ready to do so again! Today I wanted to talk about my first read of pride month: Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas. How is that one queer, you may ask? Well it was written by a trans author. And since I loved Cemetery Boys, of course I had to read this one as well.

Title: Lost in the Never Woods
Author: Aiden Thomas
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release: May 2021
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Warning: This review may include spoilers.
TW: anxiety, PTSD

This book was refreshing and felt a bit different from what I usually read, and I’m so glad that I decided to pick it up!

Lost in the Never Woods is a modern retelling of the story of Peter Pan and Wendy. When Wendy was a child, she went missing for six months with her brothers, and she was the only one who came back. Five years later, she has no memory of those six months. But things take a strange turn when children start going missing in town, and the police start asking questions. Wendy knows that sooner or later, she will have to remember…

This book was a bit darker than I expected, but maybe I should have seen it coming? I enjoyed it nonetheless. I really loved the fact that Wendy used to tell stories about Peter Pan to her brothers, until the day she found out those stories were real! I really liked how Aiden Thomas used elements of the original story, and adapted them into a story of his own, with the island, the pirates… And in the end, the whole significance of Neverland broke me a little bit… Yes I should have seen it coming, and yes it was to be expected but still. It was nicely executed until the end.

This is a book about friendship and family, and also loss. It’s a book about growing up, and also believing in a bit of magic. I really loved Wendy’s relationship with her best friend Jordan, although it had its ups and downs. I loved how caring she was towards children, and how she knew she wanted to devote her life to helping others. And of course, I loved the balance of her relationship with Peter. In between ice cream and fries and chasing villains, these two really care for each other, and it was super wholesome.

I’ve always been a huge fan of the idea of Peter Pan retellings, such as what we got in Once Upon a Time for example (yes, it’s been a hot minute since I watched this show, but it still hold a place in my heart). Lost in the Never Woods was completely different of course, but it was also right up my alley and I really enjoyed it. It was just as beautiful as it was heartbreaking, and again, that’s exactly what I look for in a book.

Overall, it’s a quick reads with some great great plot twists. I’m also a huge fan of the epilogue, and how Wendy grew through the book. Read carefully thouhgh, as it deals with quite a bit of trauma. But in the end, I really recommend it.

5 YA Contemporaries With WLW And One TV Show

Before I start delving into the list, let me just say that I have seen quite a few people on twitter mention the fact that YA as a whole seemed too scared of using the term “lesbian” to describe its characters, and now that I have seen it, I can’t help but notice it everywhere. More often than not, the characters will simply describe themselves as gay, or queer, or say that they are not comfortable with using labels. And that’s totally okay! But @ publishers and authors, we promise we love it when a girl is proud of saying she is a lesbian.

 

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You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

This is one of my most latest reads (or at least it was when I originally drafted this post) and I am completely smitten with it. We follow Liz, who is sort of a music nerd. She’s a Black girl from a poor neighborhood, not one who would be expected to run for prom queen, especially in her prom-obsessed little town. But when the financial help she was going to get in order to go to college falls short, she decides to do it anyway. And despite her best friend’s best warning, she starts to fall for the new girl, Mack, who is also running for queen.

This was a cute YA novel, full of drama as you can expect one that talks about prom from beginning to end. I had a lot of fun reading this, and there was also quite a bunch of swoon-worthy moments. It’s all about friendships to mend, and finding your true self, and also, of course, the romance. Pretty sure I would have needed that book when I was in high school (despite, you know, the fact that we didn’t have prom, and besides that I wasn’t reading that much at this point of my life). 💯% would recommend.

Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins

I read this one over the summer, because such a season calls for an adequate amount of light romcoms. It has a lovely amount of fanfiction tropes: rivals to lovers but make them ALSO roommates, and top it all as a royal AU!

We follow Millie, an American teenager who is going through a breakup, and finds out that she has been selected to attend a prestigious high school in Scotland for her Senior year. She is ready for the adventure. What she wasn’t ready for was the fact that she would be rooming up with none other than Flora… the actual princess of Scotland. Everything seems to be setting them apart from the start, but is that really the case? Her Royal Highness is a cute romance with just the right amount of drama. If you are a fan of Red, White and Royal Blue then you should definitely be checking this one as well!

The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth

Saoirse doesn’t really believe in love, or happiness for that matter. She is going through a breakup, and watching from the sides as her mother suffers from early dementia. Worried that she might end up like her, she doesn’t see the point of going through a great romance. Because what’s the point if she is going to forget all about it? (Yes this book made me cry so much but it was WORTH IT let me tell you).

But when she meets Ruby at her end-of-the-year party, she agrees to go on dates with her over the summer. Following cliché dates from movies, the two girls go on a falling-in-love montage of their own, except the problem is that they are actually falling in love… This one is a very beautiful book about first love, and the different stages of life, and I can only recommend it!

Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi

I had heard many good things about this one, and I was really looking forward to reading it. We follow two girls who are seniors in high school. Sana is the star cheerleader of the school, and Rachel is directing a film project that may allow her to pay for her tuition. Everything opposes them except for the fact that they may or may not secretely have a crush on the other girl. When Rachel ends up casting Sana as her main character, who knows what could happen?

I always love a good old rivals-to-lovers trope. Top it with mutual pining, and the fact that they are supposed to work together, and you have Tell Me How You Really Feel, and boom, of course I fell in love with this book.

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

This one was one of my most anticipated reads for the year, and it did not disappoint. We follow two teenage girls who end up running rival henna booths for a school project, all the while figuring out that they are attracted to each other. It deals with cultural appropriation, and also has a big chunk of it dealing with the main character’s coming out to her family. Be also prepared to attend quite a few weddings! In between the sabotage and the cute bonding moments, The Henna Wars is a cute sapphic novel, and I want to protect both Nishat and Flávia with all my heart.

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And last but not least for the TV show I just wanted to mention Skam España because I love Cris and Joana and I would die for them. Skames is the first remake to introduce a female pairing, and I watched every clip as it aired, and I’m so grateful to this show for being so amazing.

Honorary mentions for this list: Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera, which I mentioned in my previous post, and Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo.

Three Books I Just Really Enjoyed

The first book I wanted to talk about today is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. What started as one of my most anticipated reads for the year ended up as somewhat of a guilty pleasure… Let me explain.

[TW for the book: suicide, depression, alcoholism, violence]

I absolutely loved the Shades of Magic trilogy, Monsters of Verity duology, and of course Vicious and its sequel Vengeful. If you have been following me for quite some time, you also know that I talk about Cassidy Blake pretty much every opportunity I get, and that I met Victoria Schwab at the Paris bookfair a couple years ago. I also read The Near Witch during the first lockdown… I think you got the gist of it. When I first read the blurb for Addie LaRue my first thought was “damn this is the book I have been waiting for my whole life” and my second thought was “it’s a pity I didn’t think of this first because I would have loved to write that book”. So needless to say, I was really looking forward to the release. I got my copy a few weeks ago, and I finally picked it up.

Yes, of cours I enjoyed it. I really did. I loved the writing, and mostly, I loved the characters. Honestly I don’t know if I want to be them or kiss them (which is basically how I roll now). Henry is so damn relatable that it hurts.

[A small glimpse at my reflections while reading this book]

I marked down a few quotes, and wanted to share at least one of them:
“Other people would call him sensitive, but it is more than that. The dial is broken, the volume turned all the way up. Moments of joy register as brief, but ecstatic. Moments of pain stretch long and unbearably loud.”

I loved the writing. It’s very poetic and atmospheric. I also loved the fact that the characters were in their twenties, and still figuring things out. The twists were mostly predictable, but the book was very enjoyable. Both Henry and Addie were casually bi/pan and I am here for it. I don’ t get why people are obsessed with Luc though, in the same way I don’t get how people are obsessed with The Darkling, I guess I just have a thing for SOFT BOYS; There is just one thing that disturbed me little bit, and it’s the fact that I found the book a bit pretentious. It’s lot of big words, and Addie is all about the arts in a very cliché way. Which is okay of course, but it felt a bit too much. She also sadly fell into the whole not like the other girls trope which is not a trope I’m too fond of.

At this point I am just sharing random thoughts so hear me out. Back in 2012 everyone was obsessed with The Fault in Our Stars which I get, it’s a great book, I’ve actually read it several times, somehow managed to get my copy signed, and I really enjoyed it. But the book in itself is a bit pretentious I think, and I feel like Addie LaRue is a little bit similar to it in that aspect.

So overall, I had a really good time reading this book, but I know it was not perfect. Aentee from Read at Midnight wrote a really good review, which I highly recommend you check out! Here’s the link.

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Then we have Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera. This book is so important. It had been on my TBR for quite some time and I’m so glad I finally picked it up.

[TW for the book: racism, homophobia]

The story takes place in the early 2000s, not too long after 9/11. We follow Juliet, a college student who just came out to her family as a lesbian, and leaves for the summer to do an internship in Portland with Harlowe Brisbane, a feminist writer. Through the summer, she will learn about the different aspects of the queer community, and face the hard reality of white feminism (several times her mentor Harlowe will make inconsiderate and racist comments. She is what I can only describe as a priviledged hippie.)

This book is so important, and I’m so glad I finally got to read it. It features a lot of queer people of colour, discusses polyamorous relationships, and teached me a lot about priviledge and feminism. It also discusses family relationships which I am always here for. In the end, I loved Juliet’s relationship with her mother and her cousin, and of course her little brother Melvin who is PRECIOUS.

And finally, it shares some amazing quotes about reading and writing such as this one: “You said reading would make me brilliant, but writing would make me infinite.” Juliet Takes a Breath is a book that is both unique and necessary, and I highly recommend you check it out as well.

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And finally I wanted to talk about Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire, which I just finished reading today.

I am in love with Jack and I want her to be my girlfriend.
That’s it, that’s all I have to say about this book.

Okay I’m kidding, but I’m still in love with her. I read Every Heart a Doorway in October and I really loved it, so of course I picked up the sequel immediately after I finished it (I’m listening to the audiobooks on Scribd). I was really curious about Jack and Jill’s backstory, and boy were my cravings satisfied with this book.

After reading the first book, we know from the beginning that Jill and Jack didn’t have a fun childhood, and that the world they had been transported to was brutal. We know they have their differences, but it was fascinating to see what turned them into who they are in Every Heart a Doorway. I am already reading Beneath the Sugar Sky, and I cannot wait for the fifth instalment, because I simply cannot get enough of Jack!

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And that’s it for today! As usual, feel free to recommend books you think I would enjoy, and of course, I hope you have a wonderful day!

Note: I know I categorized this post as YA but Addie LaRue is not really a YA book, it’s adult fantasy with somewhat of a historical twist, but the other two books I mentioned are indeed YA.

5 YA Books I Just Fell In Love With

I’ve been meaning for the past few weeks & months to write more book reviews. I promise that I have. But as it has clearly not happened yet, I decided to do this instead: talk more about some of the new YA books I have fallen in love with recently. And when I say “recently” let’s be honest it means since the beginning of September.

Suggested Reading by Dave Connis
[TW: suicide, homophobia, racism]

When I saw a YA book about banned books, I knew that I had to check it out. Through the book, we follow Clara Evans as she starts her senior year of high school, and discovers that the principal has prepared a list of books that are to be discreetly removed from the school library. So naturally, she decides to host a secret library of banned books in her locker. But quickly, things get out of hand, and Clara is starting to wonder if she is not actually doing this for selfish reasons.

While the book does fall under quite a few clichés (the Asian best friend, and the gay teen boy who helps her become a better person) I have to admit that I really enjoyed this book. It deals with freedom of speech, and how we should beware of the prejudice we hold. Although the MC is white it manages to have a rather diverse cast of characters, and it deals with sensitive issues. It’s also a rare occasion of a YA book without a romance as the main focus and I really enjoyed that! I closed it at the end with two things in mind: you should always fight for what you believe and for freedom of speech, and you should always work on your prejudice. It was a quick read, and I would definitely recommend it if the topic of banned books interests you!

Where I End And You Begin by Preston Norton
[TW: revenge porn of a minor, death of a parent, alcoholism]

Another book I hadn’t really seen on bookstagram and such. I picked it up at work because we received copies of the French translation and boy was in worth it!!! The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars was because of the LYING but otherwise this book was EXCELLENT. I also agree with other reviewers that it would have been nice to also get Wynona’s POV but seriously, this book was incredible. Basically, we follow Ezra, a basic teenager who has had a crush on a girl called Imogen for years. For some reason, Imogen’s best friend seem to hate him, and things go downhill when they suddenly start swapping bodies at the most random moments.

Besides the main conondrum, and the romance aspect of the novel which was both cliché and predictable, this book explores friendship and gender identity which I am always here for. There’s also quite a bit of it that revolves around Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night which is a hella confusing but excellent play, and it was hilarious to see how much of it applied to the characters of the book. If you enjoyed the theatre aspects of books like Loveless by Alice Oseman, then I would definitely recommend Where I End and You Begin, you are in for a treat!

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
[TW: racism and homophobia]

You Should See Me in a Crown had been on my radar since its release in June, and I am so glad that I finally took the time to read it. It’s one of the best sapphic YA books I have read this year. And I already can’t wait for Leah Johnson’s next release.

This book. This book, seriously. I am so glad that I took the time to read it. It was necessary. You Should See Me in a Crown is the perfect blend of sapphic power and Black girl power. It goes in so many different directions, and tackles so many important problems from racism to poverty to toxic masculinity, homophobia, and even questions potential toxic friendship. I listened to the audiobook, and I seriously loved it with all of my heart. Despite how foreign the concept of prom is to me. Like seriously, we don’t do this here and I think it’s much better. This book took it to the extreme, but it was absolutely worth it!

I’ll Be The One by Lyla Lee
[TW: fatphobia, homophobic parents, racism]

Chaotic bisexual pairing, and kpop competition are the background of this novel. It’s been a hot minute since I started listening to kpop (something like ten years probably) so of course I had been keeping this one in a corner of my brain since the first time I heard about it. I was a teeny bit doubtful at first but as soon as I started reading it, I knew that it was worth my time, and all the good things I had heard about it.

Thoughout the book, we follow Skye Shin, who is still in her senior year of high school, as she enters a kpop competition, first of all because she loves singing and dancing, and second of all to prove to her mom and the world that she can despite her weight. Of course, she nails the audition, and is swept away in a whirlwind of practice and selections, under the scrutiny of the media who just can’t seem to get away, especially every time she wants to hang down with Henry Cho, her dance partner who just so happens to already be famous… This book has it all, it is fun, it has a diverse cast of characters and it is kdrama levels of swoon-worthy!

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
[TW: transphobia, violence, death]

And finally, a fantasy read, which seems to be the only one on this list. After seeing all the buzz on twitter, I’d been looking forward to this one, secretly hoping that I wouldn’t be disappointed because of the hype. Well the good news is: I wasn’t. I loved every bit of this book, and I am pretty sure by now that it will make it on my list of favourite books that I have read this year.

Here’s the concept: Yadriel is a trans brujo and is trying to prove to his family that he belongs. While attempting to summon the ghost of his cousing Miguel who just passed away — the whole community felt the pang of it — but in the process, he summons another ghost. Julian refuses to leave, and the two boys have to work together in order to check on his friends and solve the mystery of his death, in a mix of fantasy and murder-mystery, and wow, I just loved this book so much from beginning to end.

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And that’s it on the topic of me talking about books I have fallen in love recently! I have about 10 posts in making in my drafts, so hopefully I get to spend some time on her and share all my rambles of thoughts… In the meantime, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Which Popular YA Book Have I Read? (Or Not!)

I saw this on Elli @ AceReader‘s blog and I thought it sounded like something fun to do, so I decided to give it a try as well. I know I’m always adding new releases and such to my TBR, but am I actually reading them? Not so sure! Anyway, earlier this month, Goodreads shared a list of the 40 most popular recent YA books. Let’s have a look at which ones of them I have read, and which ones I haven’t!

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#1 The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Yes I have read it, I actually gave it 5 stars, and I can only recommend that you read it as well, if you haven’t read it yet!

#2 Turtles All The Way Down by John Green. Yes I have also read this one. It’s an own voice book with a main character who has OCD, and a bit of a murder-mystery plot. I also gave it 5 stars.

#3 One Of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus. Yes, I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book before it was released, and I never thought it would get this popular! I’m glad that it did though, because it was excellent. And I’m also really glad to hear that it’s getting an on-screen adaptation!

#4 The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. This one doesn’t really come as a surprise considering the hype that this series has received, and keeps receiving. I binge-read the trilogy back in November, upon the release of the last book, and greatly enjoyed it! So again, yes.

#5 Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han. Also yes. I binge-read the trilogy two years ago, when the first movie was released, and I really loved it!

#6 Caraval by Stephanie Garber. No, I haven’t read that one. It’s still on my TBR after the great purge I did a few months ago, but to be fairly honest, I’m not sure I will ever get around to reading this one.

#7 Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. Yes I have also read this one, and I absolutely LOVED IT. I haven’t gotten around to reading the sequel yet, but I am pretty sure that it’s waiting for me on my kindle. If you like fantasy, and don’t know what to read next, go pick this one up!

#8 King’s Cage by Victoria Aveyard. No, I haven’t read this one, but I have read both Red Queen and Glass Sword and I actually already own a copy of it, which I’m pretty sure that I got immediately upon the release, but I guess I wasn’t in the mood to read it back then, and never got around to doing so. But, you know, it’s going to happen some day.

#9 Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas. No, I haven’t read this on, nor have I read any other book by this author, and I’m not really planning on doing so anyway.

#10 Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare. No, I haven’t read this one yet. I haven’t gotten this far into Cassandra Clare’s book, but in theory, I’m planning on doing so, eventually!

#11 The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee. No, I haven’t read this one either. I heard that the author has done some pretty problematic stuff, like signing other people’s books for fun, especially BIPOC authors, so I’m not really planning on picking up anything of hers.

#12 They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera. Yes, I have read this one, and yes, it completely broke me, pretty much like anything Adam Silvera writes to be honest. I loved it, and definitely recommend it though!

#13 Warcross by Marie Lu. Yes, I have read this one and really enjoyed it. I’m pretty sure I read it not long after it was released, actually, but, as it often happens, I haven’t gotten around to reading the sequel yet.

#14 The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman. No, I haven’t read this one. I was a huge fan of his series His Dark Materials and Sally Lockhard when I was younger, but I guess I lost interest? I also heard that he said some pretty shady stuff, and I don’t think that I will pick up this one.

#15 Five Feet Apart by Rachel Lippincott. No, I haven’t read it. This is one of those books that has been sitting on my TBR since forever, and I’m not sure that I will ever read it.

#16 Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman. No, I haven’t read this one either. I kind of want to check out this series, but I still haven’t finished the Unwind dystology, and I’d like to do that before I pick up Scythe.

#17 Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth. No, I haven’t read it, and nor will I. I’m really not interested in the white saviour trope, and besides, even though I did enjoy Divergent, I wasn’t really impressed with the rest of the series.

#18 What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera. No, I haven’t read this one yet, but it’s on my TBR and I will definitely get to it at some point. I believe it’s already waiting for me on my kindle, actually.

#19 The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli. Yes, I’ve read it, and yes, I loved it.

#20 On the Come Up by Angie Thomas. Yes, I actually read this one in June, and I didn’t really have time to chat about it on here yet, but one, I loved it, and two, this book is so important and worth your time. Also three, I can’t wait for Angie Thomas’ next release!

#21 Renegades by Marissa Meyer. No, I haven’t read it yet. I really have no explanation for this one. I absolutely LOVED The Lunar Chronicles, as well as her other release Heartless, and I’m also pretty sure that I got my copy of Renegades signed a few years ago, but life happened, and I haven’t taken the time to read it yet.

#22 Sadie by Courtney Summers. No, I haven’t read it, and also I have seen it around, I have to admit that I have no idea what it’s about.

#23 The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert. Same as the previous one, no I haven’t read it, I also have no idea what it might be about although I believe it’s probably a fantasy?

#24 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. No, I have to admit that I haven’t read this one either, although I clearly remember that I complained that my preorder was arriving very late, and look at me now. I have it, and I have done nothing about it. (It’s just so big!)

#25 Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli. Yes, I have read it, and also completely fell in love with it. This book is so important to me, and I cherish it with all my heart.

#26 The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. Yes, I have actually read this one during the lockdown, and while it wasn’t my favourite book of hers, I loved it, and cannot recommend it enough, because the topics it deals will are so, so important.

#27 Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. No, I haven’t read it. I’m actually not sure this is my kind of book, honestly, although I’ve heard nothing but great things about it!

#28 Eliza and her Monsters by Francesca Zappia. Yes, I have read this book quite recently actually, and absolutely fell in love with it. I am pretty sure it will make it to my list of favourite reads for this year!

#29 Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell. No, I haven’t read this one yet. We have here pretty much the same case as King’s Cage and The Ballad of Songbirds and Serpents: by the time my preorder arrived, I was busy doing something else, and haven’t gotten around to picking it up yet.

#30 To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo. No, I haven’t read it. I am pretty sure that I have in facts seen it around, but I have truly no idea what it might be about.

#31 A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer. No, I haven’t read this one either. I can see that it’s on my Goodreads TBR shelf, but to be fairly honest, I have completely forgotten how it ended up there.

#32 We Are Okay by Nina Lacour. Unfortunatly no, I haven’t read this one yet, but I desperately want to. I have heard nothing but great things, and I want to read more YA sapphics, so its time will come eventually.

#33 Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson. No, I haven’t read it either, and this is another occurence of “I have no idea what this book might be about” although I have actually read and enjoyed other books by Maureen Johnson!

#34 Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin. No, I haven’t read this one either, but I am pretty sure that it’s already sitting on my kindle, and will get around to reading it eventually!

#35 When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon. Yes, I have read this one, and completely fell in love with it! I also enjoyed From Twinkle, With Love, and will definitely be checking out more of her books!

#36 Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen McManus. I feel like this is getting pretty recurrent, but no, I haven’t read this one yet, although I do own a copy which I’m pretty sure that I got right upon the release. It even has gorgeous blue decked pages so really, I don’t know what I’m waiting for.

#37 King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo. For some reason, seeing this book on the list makes me completely giddy with happiness. Yes, I have read it, and I fangirled a lot while reading it actually. I simply cannot wait for the sequel to be released!

#38 Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson. No, I haven’t read this one, although it is on mmy TBR, and I might pick it up on Scribd at some point because I have noticed that it is available!

#39 History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera. Yes, I have read this one and it completely broke me. It’s such a strong book about grief, and I can only recommend it.

#40 Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh. Yes, I’ve read this one, and I’m actually really happy to see it on this list, because I enjoyed it a lot! I haven’t actually gotten around to reading the sequel (I know, this is a pattern) but I’m sure I will at some point!

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And the list has come to an end! I have read 17 of those books, and have even more on my TBR. It’s always interesting to see these lists, because although they don’t necessarily mean a lot, some of the picks can be surprising! And it’s always good to have a reminder that for example oh, I actually wanted to read that one… Thank you so much to Elli for giving me the idea for this article, and thanks to you if you have read this far!

In Which I Talk About Books That Are Dear To Me #RadioSilence #TheHennaWars #HarleyInTheSky

I am back with another one of my occurences where I talk about books dealing with topics I deem important! Truth be told, I’m trying my best to read only books with those topics, and also, I want to be endlessly screaming about books, but anyway. I’m back with three new contemporaries today, and they are all wildly different, but also super awesome. Just like I love it, these books feature queer characters and/or deal with mental illness. And without further ado, let’s get into it!

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman (2016) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar (2020) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Harley in the Sky by Akemi Dawn Bowman (2020) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Radio Silence is one of Alice Oseman’s previous works, and was released in 2016, but Harley in the Sky as well as The Henna Wars were both released this year, and I’m also rally happy about the fact that I get around to reading recent releases.

Radio Silence, just like the rest of Alice Oseman’s work, features a highly diverse cast. *insert that EVERYBODY GAY song from TikTok that I just can’t get out of my head*. The main character, Frances, lives with her mother. She is head girl at her school, and gets excellent grades. She working hard on getting a spot at Cambridge University. But one night, when she is out with her friends, she meets Aled. Quickly, she realises that she can be herself when she is with him. And that will change her life and her perspectives forever. No, this is not a love story. It’s a story about friendship, and that’s even better.

Warning: Radio Silence deals with parental abuse, and depression. (And I thought it did so excellently)

I loved that this book was unapologetically queer. Frances is bisexual, and we know it pretty much from the get go.  Some other characters are gay, and one is questioning his sexuality. There are some great discussions revolving around asexuality, and the need for labels (or not). As someone who suffered from depression, this book felt like a warm, accepting hug.

I LOVED the fact that Frances was obsessed with a Podcast from the Internet, and had a complete other life there. At school, she’s all business, and a serious student. But at home, she’s on tumblr, and wearing fandom t-shirts. It’s not always easy to be a teen, between real life and expectations, whether those expectations come from yourself, your parents, or your peers, and I thought that she portrayed that really well. I also loved that she had a really wonderful relationship with her mother.

After reading Alice Oseman’s graphic novel Heartstopper, I knew that I wanted to check out novels she had written eventually, and I’m so glad I finally got started with them. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of them, and especially her upcoming release Loveless.

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The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar was just released at the beginning of May, and was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. I started it on the day of its release, and finished it on the next day. It’s a beautiful story about friendship and sisterhood, first love, and also cultural appropriation, which is a very important topic.

Potential trigger warnings for: racism, islamophobia, homophobia and cultural appropriation. Bare also in mind that someone is outed in the book.

Nishat’s family moved from Bangladesh to Ireland when she and her sisters were younger. She is attending an all girls high school, and just trying to get by until she gets to college. Although her sister has always been supportive of her, when she comes out to her parents after attending a beautiful wedding, they act like nothing happened. But when Flàvia, the girl she has a crush on, decides to open a henna shop for a school project, simply because she saw it and liked it, Nishat can’t just stand by. Not only is it cultural appropriation, but it is also the very idea Nishat had.

The Henna Wars is a wonderful coming of age story, that navigates the complexities and difficulties of not only being a teen, but a queer POC. Nishat can be very stubborn, and she is full of angst, but rightfully so. I’ve seen reviews blaming her for that, but honestly? After all she’s been through, I totally understand, and really admire her. The only thing that saddened me was the miscommunications with her best friends, but hey, it’s okay to be a teen and mess up.

Overall, this was a really great book. If you’re looking for new releases for pride month, then I’d really recommend this one! Nishat is really unapologetic about who she is — as she should be! — both as a queer teen, and as a woman of colour. She is proud of her culture and heritage. I loved her discussions with her grandma over Skype, about henna, and about her family. I absolutely loved her relationship with her sister. And of course, I have to admit that the romance aspect of the story was also really cute! Full of angst, but I loved it.

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And finally, Harley in the Sky by Akemi Dawn Bowman was released in March, and was also a book I was highly anticipating because I absolutely loved the author’s previous works. I was surprised by the setting at first, but once again, was swept away by the story.

This one is possibly triggering if you have depression and/or anxiety.

Harley in the Sky is the story of a girl who runs away with the circus… But she actually rans away FROM the circus. Harley’s parents are the successful owners of a circus in Las Vegas, but want their daughter to go to college. Except she wants to be an aerialist. So since her parents won’t give her the opportunity to train, she takes off with Maison du Mystère, a rival circus whose ringmaster has questionable morals.

The romance aspect of the story was hella predictable, but it was also super cute so I’m not complaining. What I didn’t expect was how it delved into mental health and mental illness — although having read Akemi Dawn Bowman’s previous works, I should have seen it coming. Although it is never explicitely stated, it is pretty clear that Harley has OCD, or at least, something very similar to it. And I really liked how it was dealt with throughout the  book. As usual with the author, the mental health rep is SO ON POINT.

Just like The Henna Wars, it’s a book about how teens can mess up, but also how it’s okay to mess up, as long as we work on fixing our mistakes. I thought that this book was very powerful, and I could barely put it down so of course, I’d definitely recommend it. If you’re looking for something that’s a bit different, if you have ever considered running away with the circus (I know I have!) then Harley in the Sky is definitely the thing for you! And if you’re looking for more queer reads for pride month, then you should go check out Akemi Dawn Bowman’s previous book Summer Bird Blue which has amazing ace rep!

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And that’s it for today! This has been my segment where I talk about books with queer and mental health rep, because both are deeply personal to me. That being said, I also just fell in love with Elizabeth Acedevo’s latest release Clap When You Land which is a book about two teenage girls who just lost their dad in a plane crash. As usual, I’m trying to read more and more diverse reads. And of course, that does not only include queer books (although I do love them with all my heart!) I’m also trying to read books with POC protagonists, and support Black authors more than ever. And I’ll try to have it show on my blog, so hopefully I can get my words together to write a review for this one, because it’s definitely making it to the top best books I have read this year!

The Fever: Rant Review

I bought The Fever by Megan Abbott at Festival America in Paris back in 2016, right before I moved to Berlin. Now that I think about it, and considering where I bought it, I should have figured that I wouldn’t be able to relate, because I would end up finding it too American. But anyway. Maybe this also has to do with how my taste has evolved when it comes to reading.

If you liked this book, be prepared, I’m going to complain a lot, and criticize it. You don’t have to read. Now you have been warned!

Title: The Fever
Author: Megan Abbott
Genre: YA Mystery/Thriller
Release: 2014
My rating: ⭐⭐

The story:

A small town turns to chaos as girls start having seizures at school, and people attempt to find out what caused the sickness. Throughout the book, we follow the points of view of Tom, a popular teacher at school, as well as his two teenagers Eli, who is a popular hockey player, and Deenie, whose friends have gotten mysteriously sick.

My thoughts:

I don’t make a habit of talking too much about books I didn’t like. I’d rather talk about those I enjoyed, and share the love, rather than complain. But I’ll make an exception for today because I really have to get this off my chest, and it’s been a while since I was THIS ANNOYED with a book. To be perfectly honest, the only reason I didn’t give it only one star was because I didn’t have the heart to. And the writing was actually good, unlike the story.

The Fever is supposedly a mystery/thriller kind of book about “bad girls” but honestly, I didn’t see it. I know it has received a lot of praise, and the blurb on the back of the book made it seem really catchy, but it just didn’t work for me. The story WAS intriguing and I kept reading until the end (with diffuculty) because I really wanted to see the cause or the culprit or whatnot, but even that was underwhelming.

Off topic, but if you want to read a YA contemporary about “bad girls” instead, I can totally recommend See all the Stars by Kit Frick instead. The mystery aspect of it was more interesting, and the characters more complex! In my humble opinion at least. But back to business.

First of all, let me get this out of the way because it’s probably the thing that annoyed me the most: throughout a huge chunk of the book, we see people arguing that the mysterious seizures have been caused by a vaccine. The amount of antivax talk I had to go through with this book was INSANE and just made me want to throw the book across the room. This kind of thinking is HELLA TOXIC and if this is something that triggers you in any way, then please stay away from this book. I know it made me super uncomfortable.

On top of the insane antivaxxers that constantly pop up, there is also some mysterious talk about the lake of the town. Apparently the waters are weird, and it ended up not playing a part in the book, and I was confused.

Overall, there was a lot of talk about sex, and a lot of lying, and a lot of hiding the truth from people who were supposed to be your best friends. This book took the whole concept of it’s okay to mess up when you are in high school to a whole new level that I was absolutely not invested in. I guess this was my mistake. I was hoping I would find great family support and/or a sense of sorority among the group of girls. I don’t know, anything that would make me root for them. But it just didn’t happen. Instead, we got girls hating on each other, and trying to put each other down, and I ain’t got no time for this. We stan girls who support each other. The rest is a result of patriarchy and we have to break the cycle.

Another thing I heard this book compared to was the Salem Witch Trials, and considering people spend at least half of the book arguing that those seizures have been caused by a vaccine, yeah, you see where I’m going with this: there was no such thing as a witch trial. I was expecting people to be accused, girls trying to protect each other because they were innocent… I got none of this and once again, I was disappointed as well as thoroughly underwhelmed.

Finally (and once again, this is just personal) this book had a very strong “small American town” vibe that was utterly foreign to me. I remember noticing this in other YA book like This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp for example, and lots of other YA contemporaries that take place in small towns where everybody knows everybody. And usually I don’t really mind. I can’t relate, but I don’t mind. But in The Fever it just sounded too fake and unrealistic. All the school assemblies and whatnot. I don’t know, it just didn’t click right this time. But hey, I still managed to finish the book. And now I’m going to donate it because I need more shelf space.

In conclusion, if you want to read a book with strong female characters going through some shit, read Wilder Girls by Rory Power instead. It also has a weird epidemy that appeared because of unknown reasons, but it’s more mysterious, and has an (almost) all girls cast as it’s set up in an all-girls school that is stuck in quarantine. It has girls standing up for each other, it was much more interesting, and I loved it. Also it’s super sapphic and that’s always a bonus ♥ Basically, they had some ground topics in common, and Wilder Girls handled it much better than The Fever. (Again, that’s only my personal opinion, but if you haven’t read Wilder Girls, I’d definitely recommend it!)

And that’s enough complaining for today! Thank you so much for reading this far, and I hope you have a wonderful day ♥