Total Number of Books: 19
Total Number of Pages: 6,407
Physical: 3
eBooks: 9
Audiobooks: 7
Favorite (New) Reads of the Month: How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair AND Finally Fitz by Marisa Kanter
Physical:
The Other Side of Perfect by Mariko Turk – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton – ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
If He Had Been with Me (reread) by Laura Nowlin – ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Give me a dance book and I’m a happy girl! The Other Side of Perfect follows Alina after she suffers a career ending injury before her career can even start. She is bitter and angry, wanting to spend most of her time asleep in bed—until she tries out for the school musical to get her parent’s off her back. Alina goes through great character development as she comes to terms with having to lose such a huge part of who she was. She’s not always likable, but always felt authentic.
eBooks:
Finally Fitz by Marisa Kanter – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Bad Like Us by Gabriella Lepore – ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
In the Orbit of You by Ashley Schumacher –⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering – ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
The Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth – ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
If Only I Had Told Her by Laura Nowlin – ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pretty Furious by E. K. Johnston – ⭐️⭐️.5
I’ll Be Waiting for You by Mariko Turk – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Where Was Goodbye? by Janice Lynn Mather – ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A lot of these arcs were pretty mid. All but one came from authors I had read from before and enjoyed, but most of these were pretty disappointing. Ashley Schumacher’s previous books became some of my favorites and hit me right in feels, but In the Orbit of You didn’t pack the same kind of emotional punch. Next were two mysteries that didn’t feel very mysterious. While both were interesting stories with compelling characters, I wanted them both to push the envelope even further. Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering and The Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth, were pretty average but had the potential to be really great. Exit, Pursued by a Bear was such a wonderful book by E.K. Johnston—Pretty Furious doesn’t even seem like it came from the same author. The five friends in this small town all felt the same. The only distinctive attribute between them was their parental situation. I’m all about a great friend group, but every girl was exactly the same. It was just boring. I did love Finally Fitz by Marisa Kanter. It had a wonderful characters—Levi and his plants were adorable—and seemingly great queer and Jewish representation. I thought Fitz went through a great character arc over her summer in the city especially in coming to terms that she maybe lacked a sense of self and needed to figure out who she was separate from her relationships. This felt a lot like Emma Lord’s The Getaway List that came out earlier this year—another YA that I loved.
Audiobooks:
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ariel Crashes a Train by Olivia A. Cole – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Shit, Actually by Lindy West – ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
How Did You Get This Number? by Sloane Crosley – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Look Alive Out There by Sloane Crosely – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renee Watson – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ariel Crashes a Train by Olivia A. Cole was a tough listen, but I think packed a bigger emotional punch as an audiobook. Ariel has OCD with severe intrusive thoughts. Listening to the book, it’s as if you are the having the intrusive thoughts and you can feel how exhausting they could be, especially without any support from parents. How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair was incredibly moving. Going in not knowing anything about Rastafarianism, Safiya’s story opened my eyes to a religious movement was extremely harrowing. You listen as Safiya recounts her upbringing and the moments when she begins to think differently and goes against her father and his religion. The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West are essays in response to the election and presidency of Donald Trump. That right there tells you exactly what these pieces were about.
Lindsay Glenne 