Really Short Review: The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune

The Extraordinaries
(The Extraordinaries)
TJ Klune
Release: July 14, 2020
Goodreads Amazon

Some people are extraordinary. Some are just extra. TJ Klune's YA debut, The Extraordinaries, is a queer coming-of-age story about a fanboy with ADHD and the heroes he loves.

Nick Bell? Not extraordinary. But being the most popular fanfiction writer in the Extraordinaries fandom is a superpower, right?

After a chance encounter with Shadow Star, Nova City’s mightiest hero (and Nick’s biggest crush), Nick sets out to make himself extraordinary. And he’ll do it with or without the reluctant help of Seth Gray, Nick's best friend (and maybe the love of his life).

Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl meets Marissa Meyer's Renegades in TJ Klune's YA debut.

Review:
Do you ever start a book that sounds like everything you love thrown together and then you just struggle reading it? This is what happened to me with The Extraordinaries. I wanted to love it so much because QUEER. SUPERHEROES! I think Teen Rose Red would have adored this because it is peak cheesy superhero comic book goodness but Adult Rose Red had issues.

I loved the fanfiction aspect of this book and I could get behind the humor and ADHD/anxiety rep. My problem was that I found the main character hard to take because he is a bit chaotic and whiny. And I struggled connecting with the book because of it. There was also a part of the book where Nick's actions felt a little out of character and it just dropped me out of the story. Also, the whole police force portion of this book felt pretty out of touch with current events and that made me super uncomfortable while reading.

I can't help but wonder if I would have enjoyed this book if I wasn't trying to read it while trying to teach online during a pandemic and trying to power through it when my brain wasn't in the right headspace for it. I know of several blogger and IRL friends who loved this so I might retry it in the future (maybe this next summer) on audio. 

Unfortunately, for now, this book wasn't for me.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

  1/2

  2.5 / 5 Stars

Review: Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono

Kiki's Delivery Service
(Kiki's Delivery Service #1)
Eiko Kadono
Release: July 7, 2020
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Nostalgic fans of the Miyazaki film and newcomers alike--soar into the modern classic about a young witch and her clever cat that started it all!

Half-witch Kiki never runs from a challenge. So when her thirteenth birthday arrives, she's eager to follow a witch's tradition: choose a new town to call home for one year.

Brimming with confidence, Kiki flies to the seaside village of Koriko and expects that her powers will easily bring happiness to the townspeople. But gaining the trust of the locals is trickier than she expected. With her faithful, wise-cracking black cat, Jiji, by her side, Kiki forges new friendships and builds her inner strength, ultimately realizing that magic can be found in even the most ordinary places.

Blending fantasy with the charm of everyday life, this enchanting new translation will inspire both new readers and dedicated fans.

Review:
One of my favorite Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli movies is Kiki's Delivery Service so when I saw this new translation up on Netgalley I just had to request it. Y'all! I loved it so much! It was absolutely magical! This book differs from the movie but still has the same understated level of delightful whimsy. Reading it gave me the same joy as when I first saw the movie even though they are different. Like with Howl's Moving Castle, I think this is one of those cases that you can appreciate and love both for being different.

But when it comes down to it, they both are really a heartwarming story about growing up and the difficulties that come with it. It's about a witch striking out on her own for the first time with her talking cat. We watch Kiki start her business and use her ability to fly to make deliveries. She may be magical but she's still an ordinary girl besides. We see her deal with the worries and disappointments that life can bring. And we also get to live her joys with her and get a chuckle seeing her grapple with the realization that someone may like her like her for the first time. I loved Jiji's sarcasm and I lived for their comments!

The story is a short one where each chapter had an episodic feel to it. But I was utterly charmed for the whole of the book watching as Kiki finds her place in her new town. And I loved how it kept This translation is actually the first book in a series and I really hope that the publisher decides to translate the rest because I really need them in my life and on my shelves. 

I ended up reading this one to my nephews and introduced them to the movie for the first time after. They loved it as much as I did and keep asking when we can read more about Jiji and Kiki. I would highly recommend this if you're looking for a great middle grade/YA fantasy book for all ages.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

    

  5 / 5 Stars

Recommended for fans of:
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Blog Tour: Tweet Cute by Emma Lord Excerpt and Early Review

Welcome to our stop on the Tweet Cute blog tour! If you've been following, you'll know that we don't read a lot of YA romance, but I just couldn't resist this one. The cover is adorable, the blurb is adorable, and the book was adorable. Check out my review below, along with an excerpt from Tweet Cute.

Tweet Cute
Emma Lord
Release: January 21,2020
Goodreads Amazon
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

Meet Pepper, swim team captain, chronic overachiever, and all-around perfectionist. Her family may be falling apart, but their massive fast-food chain is booming — mainly thanks to Pepper, who is barely managing to juggle real life while secretly running Big League Burger’s massive Twitter account. 

Enter Jack, class clown and constant thorn in Pepper’s side. When he isn’t trying to duck out of his obscenely popular twin’s shadow, he’s busy working in his family’s deli. His relationship with the business that holds his future might be love/hate, but when Big League Burger steals his grandma’s iconic grilled cheese recipe, he’ll do whatever it takes to take them down, one tweet at a time. 

All’s fair in love and cheese — that is, until Pepper and Jack’s spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while they’re publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, they’re also falling for each other in real life — on an anonymous chat app Jack built. 

As their relationship deepens and their online shenanigans escalate — people on the internet are shipping them?? — their battle gets more and more personal, until even these two rivals can’t ignore they were destined for the most unexpected, awkward, all-the-feels romance that neither of them expected.

Review

This book, you guys! It has all the cute! And all the food cravings! Grilled cheese and dessert mashups! But Jack and Pepper are so charming I resisted the urge to start baking in the middle of the book.

Their Upper East Side prep school has all the Gossip Girl vibes, which the characters acknowledge more than once. But they are both a lot more Rory Gilmore, surrounded by the Blairs and Serenas but somehow apart from them, which makes them more relatable for most of us. Pepper even has her own Paris Geller-like frenemy.

What was so interesting to me about Pepper and Jack's relationship was that it developed simultaneously on three different levels: in person as classmates, in a chat app as Wolf and Bluebird, and on Twitter as business rivals. There's actually an additional connection that's revealed at the end too. Watching all of those identities converge was so much fun. Like Jack was the answer to all of Pepper's questions.

Everything they go through brings them closer to friends and family as well so neither are so "separate" by the end of the book. I would love to read a companion novel following other characters from their friend group away at college.

Tweet Cute was so much fun and a refreshing break from my usual reads. Fans of Gilmore Girls are sure to love this one.

    

4  stars

Excerpt 

JACK

“Look.” I glance into the classroom, where Ethan is thoroughly distracted by Stephen and no longer keeping an eye on us. “I may have . . . overreacted.”

Pepper shakes her head. “I told you. I get it. It’s your family.”

“Yeah. But it’s also—well, to be honest, this has been kind of good for business.”

Pepper’s brow furrows, that one little crease returning. “What, the tweets?”

“Yeah.” I scratch the back of my neck, sheepish. “Actually, we had a line out the door yesterday. It was kind of intense.”

“That’s . . . that’s good, right?”

The tone of my voice is clearly not matching up with the words I’m saying, but if I’m being honest, I’m still wary of this whole overnight business boom. And if I’m being honest, I’m even more wary of Pepper. If this really is as much of a family business as she claims it is—to the point where she’s helping run the Twitter handle, when even I know enough about corporate Twitter accounts to know entire teams of experienced people get paid to do that—then she might have had more of a hand in this whole recipe theft thing than she’s letting on.

The fact of the matter is, I can’t trust her. To the point of not knowing whether I can even trust her knowing how our business is doing, or just how badly we need it.

“Yeah, um, I guess.” I try to make it sound noncommittal. My acting skills, much like my breakfast-packing skills, leave much to be desired.

“So . . .”

“So.”

Pepper presses her lips into a thin line, a question in her eyes.

“So, I guess—if your mom really wants you to keep tweeting . . .”

“Wait. Yesterday you were pissed. Two minutes ago you were pissed.”

“I am pissed. You stole from us,” I reiterate. “You stole from an eighty-five-year-old woman.”

“I didn’t—”

“Yeah, yeah, but still. You’re them, and I’m . . . her. It’s like a choose your fighter situation, and we just happen to be the ones up to bat.”

“So you’re saying—you don’t not want me to keep this up?”

“The way I see it, you don’t have to make your mom mad, and we get a few more customers in the door too.”

Pepper takes a breath like she’s going to say something, like she’s going to correct me, but after a moment, she lets it go. Her face can’t quite settle on an expression, toeing the line between dread and relief.

“You’re sure?”

I answer by opening the container she handed me. The smell that immediately wafts out of it should honestly be illegal; it stops kids I’ve never even spoken to in their tracks.

“Are you a witch?” I ask, reaching in and taking a bite of one. It’s like Monster Cake, the Sequel—freaking Christmas in my mouth. I already want more before I’ve even managed to chew. My eyes close as if I’m experiencing an actual drug high—and maybe I am, because I forget myself entirely and say, “This might even be better than our Kitchen Sink Macaroons.”

“Kitchen Sink Macaroons?”

Eyes open again. Yikes. Note to self: dessert is the greatest weapon in Pepper’s arsenal. I swallow my bite so I can answer her.

“It’s kind of well-known, at least in the East Village. It even got in some Hub Seed roundup once. I’d tell you to try some, but you might steal the recipe, so.”

Pepper smiles, then—actually smiles, instead of the little smirk she usually does. It’s not startling, but what it does to me in that moment kind of is.

Before I can examine the unfamiliar lurch in my stomach, the bell rings and knocks the smile right off her face. I follow just behind her, wondering why it suddenly seems too hot in here, like they cranked the air up for December instead of October. I dismiss it by the time I get to my desk—probably just all the Twitter drama and the glory of So Sorry Blondies getting to my head.

“One rule,” she says, as we sit in the last two desks in the back of the room.

I raise my eyebrows at her.

“We don’t take any of it personally.” She leans forward on her desk, leveling with me, her bangs falling into her face. “No more getting mad at each other. Cheese and state.”

“What happens on Twitter stays on Twitter,” I say with a nod of agreement. “Okay, then, second rule: no kid gloves.”

Mrs. Fairchild is giving that stern look over the room that never quite successfully quiets anyone down. Pepper frowns, waiting for me to elaborate.

“I mean—no going easy on each other. If we’re going to play at this, we’re both going to give it our A game, okay? No holding back because we’re . . .”

Friends, I almost say. No, I’m going to say. But then—

“I’d appreciate it if even one of you acknowledged the bell with your silence,” Mrs. Fairchild grumbles.

I turn to Pepper, expecting to find her snapping to attention the way she always does when an adult comes within a hundred feet of disciplining her. But her eyes are still intent on me, like she is sizing something up—like she’s looking forward to something I haven’t anticipated yet.

“All right. No taking it personally. And no holding back.”

She holds her hand out for me to shake again, under the desk so Mrs. Fairchild won’t see it. I smile and shake my head, wondering how someone can be so aggressively seventeen and seventy-five at the same time, and then I take it. Her hand is warm and small in mine, but her grip is surprisingly firm, with a pressure that almost feels like she’s still got her fingers wrapped around mine even after we let go.

I turn back to the whiteboard, a ghost of a smirk on my face. “Let the games begin.”

About the Author

Emma Lord is a digital media editor and writer living in New York City, where she spends whatever time she isn’t writing either running or belting show tunes in community theater. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a major in psychology and a minor in how to tilt your computer screen so nobody will notice you updating your fan fiction from the back row. She was raised on glitter, grilled cheese, and a whole lot of love. Her sun sign is Hufflepuff, but she is a Gryffindor rising. TWEET CUTE is her debut novel. You can find her geeking out online at @dilemmalord on Twitter.

Release Week Blitz: Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim

Have I ever told you all about how obsessed I was as a teen with The Count of Monte Cristo? It all started when my best friend hauled me to see the 2002 movie with Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce. I loved it! The innocent Edmund Dantés being falsely accused and imprisoned. The friendship with Priest. His escape and finding of his fortune. The revenge plot. The romance. I adored everything about it! So I picked up the book and fell in love with it even though it was different than the movie. This is one of those times where I love the movie more but the overall story was what I become obsessed with.

Flashback to a few years ago when all the YA literary retellings started to be published. I watched and I waited for one for The Count of Monte Cristo. It never happened. And then I read this queer fantasy debut about clock towers and their spirits and fell in love with Tara Sim's writing. Then much to my delight shortly around the time the last book of the Timekeeper trilogy came out, Tara announced she had written a gender-swapped retelling of Monte Cristo and I was immediately sold. I pre-ordered it as fast as I could and it is one of my most anticipated books of 2020. It is currently on my kindle and I'm so excited for the weekend to get here so I can binge read the whole thing!

We have the honor of being able to share an excerpt from the book below and host a giveaway for 3 copies of the book. Go read and enter! You don't want to miss this book!

SCAVENGE THE STARS
(Scavenge the Stars #1)
Tara Sim
Release: January 7, 2020
Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible,
B&N, iBooks, Kobo , TBD

When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide.

Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception—and as her path intertwines with the son of the man she’s plotting to bring down—the more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she realizes she must trust no one…

Packed with high-stakes adventure, romance, and dueling identities, this gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo is the first novel in an epic YA fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo.

About the Author

Tara Sim is the author of SCAVENGE THE STARS (Disney-Hyperion) and the TIMEKEEPER trilogy (Sky Pony Press) and writer of all things magic. She can often be found in the wilds of the Bay Area, California.

When she’s not writing about mischievous boys in clock towers, Tara spends her time drinking tea, wrangling cats, and occasionally singing opera. Despite her bio-luminescent skin, she is half-Indian and eats way too many samosas.

Tara is represented by Victoria Marini at Irene Goodman Literary Agency.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Tumblr | Goodreads

Excerpt

Revenge. It was a simple word when spoken out loud, but it was so much bigger, like the hidden city under the atoll. It was a word of fire and blood, of a knife’s whisper and the priming of a pistol.

It was a word that consumed her, filled her entire being until she knew that she could no longer be Silverfish. Silverfish’s will was to survive, to simply make it to the next day, and hopefully the day after that. But that was no longer her will.

Now it was revenge.

Captain Zharo. Kamon Mercado. Moray.

They would all pay.

3 winners will receive a finished copy of SCAVENGE THE STARS, US only.

Giveaway ends February 14th at midnight EST.

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Review: Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

Wayward Son
(Simon Snow #2)
Rainbow Rowell
Release: September 24, 2019
Goodreads Amazon

The story is supposed to be over.

Simon Snow did everything he was supposed to do. He beat the villain. He won the war. He even fell in love. Now comes the good part, right? Now comes the happily ever after…

So why can’t Simon Snow get off the couch?

What he needs, according to his best friend, is a change of scenery. He just needs to see himself in a new light…

That’s how Simon and Penny and Baz end up in a vintage convertible, tearing across the American West.

They find trouble, of course. (Dragons, vampires, skunk-headed things with shotguns.) And they get lost. They get so lost, they start to wonder whether they ever knew where they were headed in the first place…

With Wayward Son, Rainbow Rowell has written a book for everyone who ever wondered what happened to the Chosen One after he saved the day. And a book for everyone who was ever more curious about the second kiss than the first. It’s another helping of sour cherry scones with an absolutely decadent amount of butter.

Come on, Simon Snow. Your hero’s journey might be over – but your life has just begun.

Review:
After reading Carry On earlier this year, Wayward Son became one of my most anticipated books of 2019. I needed more of Simon and Baz and Penny in my life. I had high expectations going in and this book was nothing like what I was expecting. I'm happy to report that I enjoyed the heck out of it even though it wasn't a perfect book.

Besides the characters, the thing I loved the most about Carry On was that it took the chosen one trope, one of the most prevalent tropes in fantasy, and turned it on its head. What I loved about the Wayward Son is that it took us beyond the victory. So our chosen one won. Now what? I loved that this book delved into the what happens after! Simon may have done is appointed task as the chosen one but at the moment it sure doesn't feel like he did. I loved how Rowell explored the fact that our heroes probably have some PTSD and anxiety and identity issues now that the quest is over. It was refreshing to see that.

I loved learning what we did about the characters but this book read more like a book where the characters were trying to figure out who they really are. What is Simon if he isn't the chosen one? Can Baz be any more clueless about vampires despite being one? What will Penny do now when she's doesn't have to worry about making sure Simon lives through his quest? What are their relationships to each other going to be when they finally figure out who they are?

Honestly, I love the fact that Penny thinks the answer to their problems was going on a road trip across America. The road trip aspect of this book was amazing! I loved seeing the difference between the US and the UK in terms of a magical world in this book. It was refreshing to see such a stark contrast in how the US mages are viewed and function. It wasn't at all what I was expecting. We also get to meet some new characters in this book. I fell head over heels for one in particular and I need to have more of him in my life. 

I read this during release week and I found that the book asked a lot of questions and doesn't give a lot of answers. My main thought while reading this book was "Is there going to be a third book? There has to be a third book, right?". And when I finished, my only thought was "There has to be a third book coming. There has to! The story can't end like that!". Thankfully, Rainbow Rowell announced last week that there will be a third Simon Snow book and I need it!

Overall, this book felt like a middle book of a series and I'm so glad to find out that it really was what it seemed. I will say that I while loved Carry On more, I still enjoyed the heck out of this book and I'm not mad that I ordered two of the special edition copies. I can't what to get my hands on the next one! Hopefully, it will be out some time next year!

    1/2

  4.5 / 5 Stars



My reviews of other books in this series:
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Review: Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins

Her Royal Highness
(Royals#2)
Rachel Hawkins
Release: May 7, 2019
Goodreads Amazon

Millie Quint is devastated when she discovers that her sort-of-best friend/sort-of-girlfriend has been kissing someone else. And because Millie cannot stand the thought of confronting her ex every day, she decides to apply for scholarships to boarding schools . . . the farther from Houston the better.

Millie can't believe her luck when she's accepted into one of the world's most exclusive schools, located in the rolling highlands of Scotland. Everything about Scotland is different: the country is misty and green; the school is gorgeous, and the students think Americans are cute.

The only problem: Mille's roommate Flora is a total princess.

She's also an actual princess. Of Scotland.

At first, the girls can barely stand each other--Flora is both high-class and high-key--but before Millie knows it, she has another sort-of-best-friend/sort-of-girlfriend. Even though Princess Flora could be a new chapter in her love life, Millie knows the chances of happily ever afters are slim . . . after all, real life isn't a fairy tale . . . or is it?

Review:

The first Royals book, which was retitled Prince Charming when it became a series, was one of my favorite books of last year. It's a warm fuzzy read that stood out in a month where I read a lot of Royal Romances. So my expectations for Her Royal Highness were pretty high. And it just didn't quite live up to them.

I love the alt-history of the Scottish royals, which gets developed much more in this second book. And I love the supporting cast of students at Millie's boarding school, though it seems as though she only meets four people the whole time so there could have been more of them. I also enjoyed reconnecting with Daisy and Miles and Prince Sebastian from the previous book. But I never really felt invested in Millie and Flora. 

Part of that is that Royals/Prince Charming was so obviously inspired by Pretty Woman that I kept looking for the 80's movie reference. While there are some classic Rom Com moments like the dance lessons and the teaching a skill that requires one character wrapping their arms around the other, Her Royal Highness doesn't seem to be a Julia Roberts retelling (Maybe there's a little Notting Hill in there?) and I really wanted it to be.

I also felt like the book ended abruptly, though it's certainly a movie-worthy ending. Again, that may be partly due to my expectations since I don't read a lot of YA. It's not like I want a 17 year old to get married at the end of the book, but I want to be convinced they've gotten their HFN at least. Maybe Millie and Flora will return in a later book to help with that.

Still Her Royal Highness was quick, fluffy romance good for summer reading. Someone who goes in with fewer expectations that I had will likely enjoy it more than I did. If you've been craving a queer princess story, this might be the book for you.

   

3  stars

My reviews of other books in this series:
Royals

Romanceopoly
Growing Pains Place
Read a Young Adult book


Library Love Challenge
Book 16/12

Review: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Carry On
(Simon Snow #1)
Rainbow Rowell
Release: October 6, 2015
Goodreads Amazon

A #1 New York Times-bestseller
Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who's ever been chosen.

That's what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he's probably right.

Half the time, Simon can't even make his wand work, and the other half, he starts something on fire. His mentor's avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there's a magic-eating monster running around, wearing Simon's face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here — it's their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon's infuriating nemesis didn't even bother to show up.

Carry On - The Rise and Fall of Simon Snow is a ghost story, a love story and a mystery. It has just as much kissing and talking as you'd expect from a Rainbow Rowell story - but far, far more monsters.

Review:
You know those books that you know you'll love but you try to pick it up a few times only not to be in the mood for it? That was my experience with Carry On. I've had this book on my shelf since it came out in 2015 and I've tried to read it several times. I never got past Chapter 3 because either I wasn't in the mood for that type of book or I was too busy to commit to it. And after finally finishing it, I want to go kick my past self.

I freaking loved this book so much! It had everything I love! A chosen one trope, lots of witty banter, an enemies to lovers romance, magic, vampires, and intrigue! I totally didn’t see some of the twists coming and it totally made me feel nostalgic for Harry Potter. Although Rainbow Rowell gave us a gift that J.K. Rowling never did with this marvelous book. This was the queer Chosen One at a magic school fantasy that I've been wanting in my life for years.
 
Carry On is kind of a spoof on Harry Potter and the world of Hogwarts. It was clearly deliberate, and part of the fun of reading it is to see how the author has tweaked every little detail to both remind us of Rowling’s epic series and to affirm that Rowell has made it entirely her own. 

One of my favorite things aside from the magic system is the school and the World of Mages itself. The school is set up like an exclusive boarding school and the magicians live entirely among the Normals (aka non-magic folks). They kind of have to because their ability to do magic is entirely dependent on words and their skill with human language. The magic system is utterly brilliant! I loved the how the spells could be phrases from just about anything as long as it was a well-used one. And I loved how sometimes powerful spells lose their potency because the phrase they're based on has gone out of style.

It's easy to see the parallels to Harry Potter, but it’s all just a bit off. And that off-ness is what makes it feel fresh and contemporary and somehow way more real. These magical teens have cellphones (at home) and they know pop music and films. It was refreshing to see how plugged into normal everyday life they are even though they're at a school of magic. I absolutely adored how Rainbow Rowell dropped so many pop culture references and made them relevant to the story. I loved seeing the characters use quotes from things like Star Wars and Queen lyrics to power their spells. It was glorious!

The book is set up as if it’s the last chapter in a long series. It feels like you’ve dropped into the story with no bearings, but skillful writing fills us all in on the essential facts of the characters' last six years at Watford. I never thought it got too info dumpy at any point to catch us up. Everything flowed very organically and it was wonderful. It did start off a bit slowly but it not so much that it hurt my love of the story. There are some things about the school I would love to know more about like the Roommate Anathema and the Crucible but overall I was happy how things tied to together by the end.

As much as I loved the worldbuilding, I adored the characters even more! Simon starts out as a typical Chosen One who is pointed at a problem to hack it to death. Sometimes quite literally. He is the most powerful magician of all-time and he sucks at doing magic even though he loves it. I loved how his character developed throughout the story to be something more than a stereotype by the end. Simon was great but his best friend, Penelope, was everything! She's super smart without being pretentious. I loved her so much! But even Penny doesn't hold up to my favorite character in this book. That spot belongs to one Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch or Baz. He's snarky and a bit pretentious and is clearly the character meant to resemble Draco the most. Except he has a heart and you can't help but love him. He might possibly be a vampire but he is first and foremost, unapologetically queer. I loved the banter and back between him and Simon and his nerding out with Penny. His character arc from when he shows up till the end is just as glorious if not more so than Simon's.

I could rave about the characters all day but I want to say something about the romance in this book. It's the thing that is right at the center of this story. My best friend and I used to discuss how great it would be if J.K. Rowling had actually included queer characters in her series instead of retconning her characters' sexualities noncanonically. Rainbow Rowell gave me what I'd always wanted in a chosen one story and it was everything I wanted. The romance between Simon and Baz is a classic enemies-to-friends-to lovers story and it had all the same beats as some of my favorite Drarry fanfiction from my teen years. It was well written and a perfect slow burn. I need more books like this in my life.

I'm not even sorry that this review sounds like a rambley raving. I had really high expectations going into this book and I'm so happy to report that Carry On lived up to the hype and was everything I wanted and more. I absolutely adored everything about it! It has easily made my favorite books I've read this year so far. And my love for it catapulted the sequel into the number one position as my most anticipated book of 2019. I need Wayward Son in my life ASAP! It's going to be a long wait until September.

Note: I listened to part of this on audio and the narrator, Euan Morton, was freaking fantastic! I can see this book easily being one of those audiobooks I listen to on perpetual repeat.

    

  5 / 5 Stars



Recommended for fans of: 
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

Book 25/30

Book 11: Growing Pains Place- YA Book

Graphic Novel Review: Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau

Bloom
Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau
Release: January 19, 2019
Goodreads Amazon

Now that high school is over, Ari is dying to move to the big city with his ultra-hip band―if he can just persuade his dad to let him quit his job at their struggling family bakery. Though he loved working there as a kid, Ari cannot fathom a life wasting away over rising dough and hot ovens. But while interviewing candidates for his replacement, Ari meets Hector, an easygoing guy who loves baking as much as Ari wants to escape it. As they become closer over batches of bread, love is ready to bloom . . . that is, if Ari doesn’t ruin everything.

Writer Kevin Panetta and artist Savanna Ganucheau concoct a delicious recipe of intricately illustrated baking scenes and blushing young love, in which the choices we make can have terrible consequences, but the people who love us can help us grow.

Review: 
You know those books that not many people you know talk about and they kind of sneak up on you? This was that kind of book for me. I hadn't really heard about it until its release day when my best friend found it in Barnes & Noble and brought a copy home. As big fans of the webcomic/graphic novel Check, Please!, a graphic novel about two boys baking and falling in love was something that checked all of our boxes.

I will admit while I had a couple of little problems with the story this really was a cute graphic novel. But honestly, I fell in love with the art style first and enjoyed the story second. The monochromatic blue color scheme worked so well with the story as did the adorable cartoonishness of the characters. The baking montage pages that were absolutely beautiful and complex and added so much depth to the story. The art is seriously great and I have an overwhelming urge to check out the artist's webcomic because of it.

My biggest criticism for this book was that the story was pretty slow to start and rushed the ending. It also had a few time jumps that overall worked but I think the story would have flowed better if they had added in a few more scenes to explain things. My second criticism really isn't a criticism as much as something that annoyed me. The protagonist, Ari, is the definition of a moody teenager who doesn't know what he wants. I actually didn't mind that but I hated that he was kind of dick to everyone but it really bothered me how he treated Hector who was SUCH a sweetheart from the very first page. There's a part of me that feels like Hector deserves better and was a bit too forgiving about the thing that happens. 

The things I loved about this graphic novel far outweighs my two problems with it. I adored the family aspect of this book and seeing the relationship between Ari and his parents change and seeing how much Hector was an influence for that. I also loved that this is a story about not knowing what you want and that it is okay not to know. It explored different kind of friendships and that is so needed with both the good and the toxic. And even though he's kind of a dick, I found Ari and his struggles relatable. If you substitute out the music stuff with nerdy stuff, you pretty much have me at 18. I have never related to a scene so hard as I did the scene where Ari is sitting alone in a corner listening to music at his sister's wedding until he is forcibly thrown into being social and ends up having a great time.

One thing I really appreciated in this story was how being into someone of the same gender wasn't stigmatized at all. In the story it wasn't something that was focused on but everyone was so chill and supportive about it that it was one of those small things that are really big things. I need more queer stories like this in my life. Also, more stories that take place in family owned bakeries. I've discovered over the last couple of years that this is a setting I love in romances. The downside is that I end up craving all the baked goods and, in the case of this story, spanakopita.

If you're looking for a quick and cute read with lots of pictures, Bloom is definitely a graphic novel you need to look into. I'm going to just be over here with my fingers crossed that we'll get more books about Ari and Hector in the future. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need to go find some sourdough bread to fill this empty hole in my stomach.

Recommended for fans of: Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu

   

  4 / 5 Stars

Book 3: Subway Uptown- Chef/Foodie Romance