Two Book Tuesday

New WordPress is kind of tripping me out…

Title: Now That I’ve Found You
Author: Kristina Forest
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publication Date: August 25th, 2020
Ratings: ♥♥♥♥.5

Goodreads Summary:

A YA novel about searching for answers, love, and your eccentric grandma in all the wrong places.

Following in the footsteps of her überfamous grandma, eighteen-year-old Evie Jones is poised to be Hollywood’s next big star. That is until a close friend’s betrayal leads to her being blacklisted . . .

Fortunately, Evie knows just the thing to save her floundering career: a public appearance with America’s most beloved actress—her grandma Gigi, aka the Evelyn Conaway. The only problem? Gigi is a recluse who’s been out of the limelight for almost twenty years. Days before Evie plans to present her grandma with an honorary award in front of Hollywood’s elite, Gigi does the unthinkable: she disappears.

With time running out and her comeback on the line, Evie reluctantly enlists the help of the last person to see Gigi before she vanished: Milo Williams, a cute musician Evie isn’t sure she can trust. As Evie and Milo conduct a wild manhunt across New York City, romance and adventure abound while Evie makes some surprising discoveries about her grandma—and herself.

I really loved this! I reviewed Kristina Forest’s debut, I Wanna Be Where You Are, last year. Forest’s sophomore effort was even stronger. She has a great way with intertwining art and adventure in such a fun way.  This new story had everything that I love: New York City, music, movies, Old Hollywood, and the sweet blossoming of a potential romance.

I loved learning about Evie’s family and her own beginning trajectory through the entertainment industry. The reader gets to spend the week with Evie and Milo as they chase Evie’s grandmother around New York in time to present her with a lifetime achievement award. The author did an excellent job of pacing the week-long scavenger hunt, as well as slowly letting Evie discover more and more about her role model, her grandmother.

This was a sweet and fun story that gave readers a cute romance with a couple that has instant chemistry.  It will leave you with a smile.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Assignment
Author: Liza Wiemer
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publication Date: August 25th, 2020
Ratings: ♥♥♥♥.5

Goodreads Summary:

In the vein of the classic The Wave and inspired by a real-life incident, this riveting novel explores discrimination and antisemitism and reveals their dangerous impact.

SENIOR YEAR. When an assignment given by a favorite teacher instructs a group of students to argue for the Final Solution, a euphemism used to describe the Nazi plan for the genocide of the Jewish people, Logan March and Cade Crawford are horrified. Their teacher cannot seriously expect anyone to complete an assignment that fuels intolerance and discrimination. Logan and Cade decide they must take a stand.
As the school administration addressed the teens’ refusal to participate in the appalling debate, the student body, their parents, and the larger community are forced to face the issue as well. The situation explodes, and acrimony and anger result. What does it take for tolerance, justice, and love to prevail?

What would you do if you were given an assignment that goes against your moral compass? This was a really difficult read that doesn’t hold back. The fact that is was inspired by a real school assignment is just horrific. That’s exactly what the main characters Logan and Cade thought when they were assigned to put themselves in the shoes of Nazi’s during the Holocaust.

One thing that I really appreciated about how this author went about addressing such a sensitive topic was the inclusion of a forward AND an afterword. She explains how she came across the true story and how that snowballed into her own plot. 

Logan and Cade stayed true to their convictions, even when threatened physically, verbally, and academically. This experience allowed them to learn things about themselves as they are dealing with the fallout from standing up. against what’s wrong and inappropriate. I don’t know how much the romance had to do with the rest of the story; they could have just stayed best friends, because their friendship was really special.

I think this is such a powerful and important read that I hope it get’s the recognition it deserves. 

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.