The Heartstopper Yearbook by Alice Oseman

Summary from Goodreads:

The full-colour Heartstopper Yearbook is packed full of exclusive content from the Heartstopper universe - including never-before-seen illustrations, an exclusive mini-comic, a look back at Alice's Heartstopper artwork over the years, character profiles, trivia, and insights into her creative process - all narrated by a cartoon version of Alice herself.

By the winner of the YA Book Prize, Heartstopper is about love, friendship, loyalty and mental illness. It encompasses all the small stories of Nick and Charlie's lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us.

'The queer graphic novel we wished we had at high school.' Gay Times

Review:

So, I wasn’t even sure I was going to read this…It’s not the next volume in the Heartstopper series, but one of those types of side books that I usually think of as extra money-makers for the publishing companies. However,  I ordered it for the library and it looked super cute, and I figured why not? If I hated it, I’d put it down and just keep waiting for the next volume.

I did not hate it. I actually read the whole thing cover to cover in one sitting, unexpectedly. It was actually really nice to get a little back story to everything. I was not with these books from the very beginning, so I actually didn’t know their whole origin story. I learned Nick and Charlie actually first appeared as a couple in a YA novel, and then the author wanted to give them their own story. I learned more about how the author got into creating graphic novels. I learned a lot, generally about how everything came to be in this universe, and it was nice learning this.

Plus, there’s all these bonus comics and illustrations of things I wouldn’t have gotten to see otherwise, like the characters dressed up for Halloween, or celebrating Pride. There’s a few short bonus stories in there too. And everything is in color! Basically, it’s one happy, colorful, enlightening read designed to put a smile on your face.

Would I feel the need to buy it? Probably not. But, am I glad I picked it up and read it? Certainly. It, along with all the Heartstopper books are just a delight to read, and I cannot wait for more. I give this an 8/10.

Scattered Showers by Rainbow Rowell

Summary from Goodreads:

Rainbow Rowell has won fans all over the world by writing about love and life in a way that feels true.

In her first collection, she gives us nine beautifully crafted love stories. Girl meets boy camping outside a movie theater. Best friends debate the merits of high school dances. A prince romances a troll. A girl romances an imaginary boy. And Simon Snow himself returns for a holiday adventure.

It’s a feast of irresistible characters, hilarious dialogue, and masterful storytelling—in short, everything you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell book.

Review:

Rainbow Rowell is one of my favorite authors. She is hands down, one of the all time best at writing characters who you just feel like you know. I have loved everything she has written. I think there are just some writers out there that speak to readers’ souls. Like they can write what we cannot. If we can put words to exactly what we wanted to say, this is what it would be. She (along with maybe 2-3 others only) speak to me on this level. And this book was no exception.

I guess the disappointing thing for me about this book was that sometimes I wished for more. For the new stories, not connected to longer works,  I almost always wanted more. Some of the stories were better than others. Some were connected to longer fiction that I haven’t read in so many years that I failed to recognize the character they were connected to….And now I want to re-read those older works. I keep thinking about the one Covid Christmas story, and I can’t get it out of my head. I had so many feelings about it. Maybe because it was so familiar and relatable.

I also can’t get the last story out of my head. It deals with the story writing process. And while I’ve seen things like this before, Rowell does it in such a fun, romantic way. It reminded me a bit of the show “The Good Place,” which I also love. And it’s no surprise that most of her story about writing stories is all about characters. How do characters develop? What happens to them before they are fully fleshed out?

This is the kind of book I wanted to read slowly and savor because that’s how deeply Rowell speaks to me. But, it’s hard to read something you love slowly. You just want to dive in and enjoy it. And I did. The first story was one I think I’ve read before. I’m enough of a fan that I think I’ve read a story or two of the author’s online, but it’s been so many years that reading it again felt fresh and new. And it felt like it belonged here in this book.

All in all, this was a treat. I will continue to read anything Rowell writes and  hope she writes a lot more. I give this a 10/10.

I was Born for This by Alice Oseman

Summary from Goodreads:

From the bestselling creator of HEARTSTOPPER and LOVELESS, a deeply funny and deeply moving exploration of identity, friendship, and fame.

For Angel Rahimi life is about one thing: The Ark -- a boy band that's taking the world by storm. Being part of The Ark's fandom has given her everything she loves -- her friend Juliet, her dreams, her place in the world. Her Muslim family doesn't understand the band's allure -- but Angel feels there are things about her they'll never understand.

Jimmy Kaga-Ricci owes everything to The Ark. He's their frontman -- and playing in a band with his mates is all he ever dreamed of doing, even it only amplifies his anxiety. The fans are very accepting that he's trans -- but they also keep shipping with him with his longtime friend and bandmate, Rowan. But Jimmy and Rowan are just friends -- and Rowan has a secret girlfriend the fans can never know about. Dreams don't always turn out the way you think and when Jimmy and Angel are unexpectedly thrust together, they find out how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be.

A funny, wise, and heartbreakingly true coming of age novel. I Was Born for This is a stunning reflection of modern teenage life, and the power of believing in something -- especially yourself.

Review:

I LOVE the Heartstopper books. when Oseman’s new novel came out I thought it was time I gave her books in other formats a try. I tend to love books that deal with famous people -it’s just one of those tropes I just enjoy. So, this one spoke to me. However, it’s not at all what I was expecting. I guess I was hoping and expecting something a little lighter and more romantic, and what I got was something a little deeper that dealt a lot more with mental illness and friendship than any kind of romantic love.

There’s nothing wrong with a book that handles mental illness and friendship. It’ just not what I thought I was signing up for, and because of that, it took me a bit longer to read. One of the main characters suffers anxiety and panic attacks, and that’s something my husband suffers too, so I guess it was also very close to home for me. I related it to it a lot. And I’m glad there’s a book that talks about the topic.

This book talks about a lot of topics. For starters, it’s one of the most diverse books I’ve read in a long time. One main character is trans and the other is Muslim (possibly asexual). There’s bisexual characters, characters of different races, different religions, different backgrounds, and ages, etc. Also covered are characters in fandoms and real life friends vs internet friends. But, the best thing is that none of this defines the book. It just helps to make it. The books is mostly about friendships, mental illness, family (both the ones your born into and the ones you chose) and fame. Oseman has a way of writing young people in such a fresh, truthful way. The characters all feel authentic. And I feel like I really know them. Something only the best YA writers are skilled at doing.

It’s not the book’s fault that I was hoping for more of a love story, and got something more serious. But, I do kind of wish there were a few more hopeful/happy moments. So much of this book seems to be about disappointment. It felt like something was missing to me. But, I’m glad it seemed like a good friendship was formed at the end. All in all I give this an 8/10. And I’ll definitely be reading more by Oseman.

Keeper of the Lost Cities: Stellarlune by Shannon Messenger

Summary from Goodreads:

In this stunning ninth book in the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie and her friends discover the true meaning of power—and evil.

Sophie Foster changed the game.

Now she’s facing impossible choices:
When to act.
When to trust.
When to let go.

Her friends are divided and scattered, and the Black Swan wants Sophie to focus on their projects. But her instincts are leading her somewhere else.

Stellarlune—and the mysterious Elysian—might be the key to everything. But finding truth in the Lost Cities always requires sacrifice. And as the Neverseen’s plans sharpen into terrifying focus, it appears that everyone has miscalculated. The Lost Cities’ greatest lie could destroy everything. And in the battle that follows, only one thing is certain: nothing will ever be the same.

Review:

There are very few books I pre-order any more…This was one of them. I think I might have even  been waiting over a year for it….During the initial shut-down in 2020, these books were my lifeline. I’m so glad they exist. Are they great literature? Absolutely not. I feel like I find so many editing mistakes in them. But, reading them is like binging the ultimate guilty pleasure tv show. In fact, they’d make for some outstanding television.

I have to admit that my brain is getting older and even though I read all of this series not that long ago, I started this book and scratched my head. I had to go to Wikipedia and look up some past plot points and characters. Thank God for fans. There are so many fans and fan theories out there for these books that I didn’t even know about! After I fell down that rabbit hole, I was back in the game, and reading this was just a pure delight.

The beginning of the book was a little slow for me. Not a lot happened. It was a lot of back and forth between the characters with not a lot of action. Basically, they all argued a lot about the things that transpired in the previous book, and everyone seemed super upset at Sophie.  But, finally Sophie gets her groove back and things pick up plot-wise. By mid book, I couldn’t put it down.

I was a little put off by the lack of appearance of my favorite character. However, this was more than made up for (and then some). I’ve already gone back and re-read a certain scene a few times because I guess I’m a fan now….And of course this wouldn’t be the book we were all waiting for if it didn’t have crazy twists and turns in it, along with a nuts-o cliffhanger at the end. Let’s just hope it’s not another 2 years before the next installment. I give this one an 8/10.

Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega and art by Rose Bousamra

Summary from Goodreads:

A middle grade graphic novel about Marlene, a young girl who stops straightening her hair and embraces her natural curls.

Marlene loves three things: books, her cool Tía Ruby and hanging out with her best friend Camila. But according to her mother, Paola, the only thing she needs to focus on is school and "growing up." That means straightening her hair every weekend so she could have "presentable", "good hair".

But Marlene hates being in the salon and doesn't understand why her curls are not considered pretty by those around her. With a few hiccups, a dash of embarrassment, and the much-needed help of Camila and Tia Ruby—she slowly starts a journey to learn to appreciate and proudly wear her curly hair.

Review:

As someone with extraordinarily thick, curly hair, I had to read this….The cover alone drew my attention. I related to the main character on so many levels. I never had anyone force me to straighten my hair. However, until I was an adult, I never really felt like anyone understood how to cut, style, or work with my hair (including my mother, any person working in a salon I went to, or myself). Thankfully, over the course of the years, I’ve developed my own routine of products, salons, and styles. But, you’d think my hair was from outer space or something….

What made this book so heart-wrenching was that all (or most) of Marlene’s image problems were coming from her mother. Her mother was perpetuating the notion that curly and frizzy and natural was ugly because that was what she was taught. And again, while this might not have been something I got from my Mom, there are other lessons I did learn from the generation before that are just not true. Let’s face it. This new generation is a generation of more acceptance -more body positivity and less shaming. Or, I’m hopeful that’s the direction we are going in.  And Frizzy  did a good job of covering the differences in our generations.

If only we all had that fairy godmother character (Tia Ruby) though….Thank Goodness she was there to show Marlene the magic of leave-in conditioner.  For those of us that don’t have curly hair aunt superheroes who can take us under their wings, I guess there are plenty of Youtube or TikTok tutorials? I’m also not sure it was entirely believable that the mother ended on such a good note…Don’t get me wrong. The ending was adorable. I might have gone “Awwww,” out loud, but I’m positive it would not gone that way in real life. While I’m glad it ended well for Marlene, the mom joining them was a tad over the top for me.

Still, all in all, I’m glad this book exists. I love the positive messages it shares bout different people and different types of hair. I also love what it says about generations learning the wrong thing sometimes and needing to un-learn those things. All in all, it was a very sweet, quick read. The art is fantastic. And I can see a lot of kids really liking this one. I give it an 8/10.

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir

Summary from Goodreads:

Lahore, Pakistan. Then.
Misbah is a dreamer and storyteller, newly married to Toufiq in an arranged match. After their young life is shaken by tragedy, they come to the United States and open the Cloud’s Rest Inn Motel, hoping for a new start.

Juniper, California. Now.
Salahudin and Noor are more than best friends; they are family. Growing up as outcasts in the small desert town of Juniper, California, they understand each other the way no one else does. Until The Fight, which destroys their bond with the swift fury of a star exploding.

Now, Sal scrambles to run the family motel as his mother Misbah’s health fails and his grieving father loses himself to alcoholism. Noor, meanwhile, walks a harrowing tightrope: working at her wrathful uncle’s liquor store while hiding the fact that she’s applying to college so she can escape him—and Juniper—forever.

When Sal’s attempts to save the motel spiral out of control, he and Noor must ask themselves what friendship is worth—and what it takes to defeat the monsters in their pasts and the ones in their midst.

From one of today’s most cherished and bestselling young adult authors comes a breathtaking novel of young love, old regrets, and forgiveness—one that’s both tragic and poignant in its tender ferocity.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sabaa Tahir comes a brilliant, unforgettable, and heart-wrenching contemporary YA novel about family and forgiveness, love and loss, in a sweeping story that crosses generations and continents.

Review:

So, I wasn’t expecting to love this book so much, but I did. It’s the kind of YA novel that punches you in the gut, and makes you feel all of the emotions. I love stories that cross generations like this one. It was the immigrant story and the children of immigrants story. It was the survivor story and the dreamer story. There was so much harshness in here at times, I had to put the book down and just question why the world was so hard. I would have devoured this book as a teenager. And as an adult, it just makes me feel everything. And sometimes you just need a book that does that.

I’ve had a rough week. I lost a friend who was way too young, and as I write a review for a book that deals a lot with grief and I think about all the things connecting me to this story, I also can’t help but think of hope. There’s something so special to the love in this book. That Sal and Noor can experience all the hardship that they do, yet be so selfless and good is just remarkable. The characters in this book are of course flawed and real. They wouldn’t feel so real otherwise. But, there are these underlying themes of love, redemption, hope, and recovery.

I’m not sure if I’ve read Tahir before, but now I’m definitely curious about her, and want to read more. If her fantasy books have a fraction of the talent and character development of this book, they’d be worth the read.

It is worth noting that this book covers a variety of tough topics that could be triggering for some readers. It covers everything rom physical abuse, drug use and sales, alcoholism, bullying, xenophobia, sexual abuse, and death of family. It is not a light read. It’s a beautiful, powerful, truthful read. I give it a 10/10.

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

Summary from Goodreads:

Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted, but it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.

Raikama has dark magic of her own, and she banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes, and warning Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.

Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and, on her journey, uncovers a conspiracy to overtake the throne—a conspiracy more twisted and deceitful, more cunning and complex, than even Raikama's betrayal. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she's been taught all her life to contain—no matter what it costs her.

Review:

This was my second Elizabeth Lim novel. I really enjoyed Spin the Dawn, though I struggled a bit getting into its sequel. Sometimes, I just wish authors would end books with 1. I might attempt to read it at another time though because I LOVED this one. When I saw more books by the author, I had to try them. This appealed to me because it sounded a bit like another fantasy series I love with swans, and it turns out it’s based upon the same classic fairytale. However, this is definitely a unique take on that tale. And I believe it’s set in the same universe as Spin the Dawn.

Any author that wants to throw in dragons, sorcerers, demons, paper cranes, and forbidden magic into the classics, should by all means just go for it! This was an entertaining read for sure. I recommend this book to fans of Juliet Marillier, Mary E. Pearson, and Renee Ahdieh. I might have liked this one a little bit more than the first book I read by the author. I found the trials and hardships that Shiori had to go through a lot easier to read. Maybe all princesses should have to learn a thing or two about being a servant? Maybe they can skip the torturous tasks, and silent curses though….Though, that made for a really good book.

I loved that so much of this book was about family. It wasn’t all about love/romance. It was about Shiori keeping her brothers alive. And breaking a curse that affected her family. Though, I didn’t hate the romance either. It a friendship turned romance, which I liked. And if a guy can fall in love with you when you have a giant bowl for a head…..that says something. She was literally cursed to have a bowl on her head (blocking her face) and she could’t speak or it would kill her brothers who were turned into cranes. Most people who came across her thought she was a demon.

Again, the only thing is I wish it ended at the end. I’m not sure it really needs a sequel…I like the idea of getting more of the dragons/dragon world that seems to be promised in book 2. But, is that really cause for a sequel? I guess we’ll see. All in all, I really had a lot of fun reading this. And I look forward to reading more by the author. I give this a 9/10.