Fangirl the graphic novel, Vol 2 by Rainbow Rowell and adapted by Sam Maggs and illustrated by Gabi Nam

Summary from Goodreads:

Cath just wants to hang out with her twin sister and write fanfiction. But now that they’re at college, her sister doesn’t have time for her. And life keeps pulling Cath further and further out of her shell. For the first time ever, Cath has her own social circle. There’s Nick, her handsome classmate who wants her to write short stories with him… And then Levi, who keeps showing up when she isn’t looking for him … Actually … maybe Cath’s circle is more of a triangle?

Review:

Sometimes you hate when stories are revisited in new formats and you just want the original version to remain in it’s perfect form in your brain forever. And sometimes, stories feel like they are made to be retold over and over. Fangirl, a story that literally talks about writing fanfic, is one such story, one that can be told again and again. Sometimes it’s okay to not let stories go. I feel like the story of Simon and Baz, and of Cath works so well in graphic novel/manga format. They’d be great in movie format. In Netflix format. In any format. I’m okay not letting this story go. It’s a story that would make great fanfic.

The only sad thing is it ends in the middle! It’s like a manga installment or a fanfic…And who knows how long it will be until the next one comes out. I guess I don’t really know if anyone reads fanfic any more though. Is this something that teens still do? Or is this a dated thing that teens today will read about and go that’s so early 2000’s….?

Regardless, anyone can relate to Cath and her fears of branching out and trying new things. She’s just so relatable. But, also she’s who you are afraid to be. Hopefully, we will all leave our rooms and do more than read books, particularly in our formative years (that aren’t in the midst of pandemics). Also all the little Simon/Baz story fragments are probably the best translated into manga form. Baz is serious designed for visual effect. Also, why has no one bought the movie rights yet?

It’s also nice getting a college story. I really feel like this is a time period we don’t see enough of in fiction. So much happens in college. So much growth away from parents. You’d think it would be a goldmine for books, but instead I find myself getting super excited any time I see one. Any way, both a lot happens happens for Cath in this installment and not a lot. She branches out and she doesn’t. She starts to fall for a guy, and she has her heart stomped on a little bit. She has some more falling out with her twin. And you know the big stuff is still to come. I cannot wait. I give this a 9/10.

Five Survive by Holly Jackson

Summary from Goodreads:

The brand new unmissable crime thriller from Holly Jackson, best-selling, award-winning author of the Good Girl’s Guide to Murder trilogy.

Eight hours.
Six friends.
One sniper . . .

Eighteen year old Red and her friends are on a road trip in an RV, heading to the beach for Spring Break. It’s a long drive but spirits are high. Until the RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere. There’s no mobile phone reception and nobody around to help. And as the wheels are shot out, one by one, the friends realise that this is no accident. There’s a sniper out there in the dark watching them and he knows exactly who they are. One of the group has a secret that the sniper is willing to kill for.

A game of cat-and-mouse plays out as the group desperately tries to get help and to work out which member of the group is the target. Buried secrets are forced to light in the cramped, claustrophobic setting of the RV, and tensions within the group will reach deadly levels. Not everyone will survive the night.

Review:

I was obsessed with the Good Girl’s Guide to Murder trilogy. When I learned of the new book by Holly Jackson, I jumped at the chance to read it. I find myself enjoying more and more mysteries and less fantasy novels lately in YA. Though, I still really like books with good character development and intelligent main characters, no matter the genre.

I have to say I almost didn’t finish the book. I was not feeling the mystery or the character development in this book until the last third or so of the story. And honestly, the only reason I kept reading is because of how much love and respect the other books by this author. If I had not already read those book (that are not connected in any way) I would not have completed this novel. The first 2/3 of the book reads more like a teen horror movie/slasher flick that a psychological mystery. That’s not really my thing at all. If you loved “I know what you did last summer,” then this is for you.

It was more a survival story. And it’s literally called Five Survive, so you’d think I’d pick up on that….but, I was still hoping for the thriller/mystery of before. 6 teens have to survive one terrible night with a killer on the loose. There’s blackmail, murder, secrets, affairs, snipers, and so much more. You’d think I wouldn’t be able to put it down. I couldn’t keep all the characters straight at the beginning for one thing. They all kind of blended together. Not enough character development. There was no mystery besides figuring out what character had the BIG secret that the killer wanted. And it turns out they all had things they were hiding…

The book did move really fast. It had to because it all took place over one night. And once I got to the last third of the book, I could not put it down. I had to know how it would all resolve. Not necessarily because I cared too much about any of the characters (that again weren’t too fleshed out), but because I wanted to know if all my guesses were true.

It turned out all the biggest secrets were things I guessed right away…And this also disappointed me. I guess I hoped after sticking  with it the whole time, I’d at least be shocked by something. And the ending was almost too easy…Like there were some convenient endings when I think it would have been more believable if weren’t so easy.  

All in all, I wish I the characters were more developed and that I didn’t call all the big twists. But, it’s not the book’s fault that I was hoping for something that it wasn’t even marketed as. I think the right reader (particularly those into teen horror movies) would love this book. I’ll keep my eyes open for more psychological thrillers by the author. It reads really quickly and involves a lot of violence. I give it a 7/10.