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Congratulations-if you’re reading this, you’ve survived the first month of 2021! Only 11 more to go. January was both eventful and uneventful for me-while I continued to mostly stay in my apartment and not do anything, I also was able to get the first dose of the COVID vaccine, which makes me feel just a bit better about having to go to work in person each day. And of course, a small side benefit of continually not having plans is more time for reading!
As previously mentioned, I won’t be summarizing books here, for the most part; rather, I’ll be sharing my thoughts and feelings on each of the titles I read. So, if you want a summary, each title links to the book’s Goodreads page. If you’re interested in reading any of the books I mention, there are links below each title for Amazon and Bookshop-or, if you want to find the book at a library near you, you can always check out Worldcat!
Love is a Revolution by Renee Watson-I think it’s become a yearly tradition for my first book of the year to be a Renee Watson book-I hope she keeps publishing awesome stuff so this can continue long into the future! Anyway, this book was a great look at complicated family relationships, plus I love anything set in Harlem-I feel like I could be where the characters are just by walking around my neighborhood! Definitely recommend this one! Get it! Amazon | Bookshop | Worldcat
Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee-Do you like fake dating stories? Stories set at summer camp? Trans love stories with happy endings? Well, then you’re in luck because this book has ALL OF THOSE THINGS and it is so fun to read. Plus a great sibling relationship to boot. Sadly, this one isn’t out until May-but preorder it now for a fun treat in a few months! Get it! Amazon | Bookshop | Worldcat
Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe-I think Ben Philippe is one of the best YA writers right now when it comes to voice-he creates characters that are so authentic and unique (plus a bit snarky, which I love). I loved everything from the dogs to the spontaneous trip to Montreal-if you’re a realistic fiction fan, or you love a “how did these two people ever get together?” type love story, this book is for you. Get it! Amazon | Bookshop | Worldcat
Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado-I love a fat girl who has an authentic love story and gets a happy ending-and this is already the second book on this list that has that! Unfortunately, Charlie does have to overcome some obstacles to get there-a super unsupportive mom, best friend growing pains, the realization that the boy she likes is actually a dirtbag-but she DOES get there, and I looooved the journey. Get it! Amazon | Bookshop | Worldcat
How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao-I liked this, but didn’t full out love it-I’m not sure if it was the writing style, or the pacing, but something about it didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat the way I want books comped to One of Us is Lying to do. However, I give it full marks because I did NOT predict how it was going to end-it’s definitely worth it if you like the whole cutthroat scary private school atmosphere, or a mystery that isn’t predictable. Get it! Amazon | Bookshop | Worldcat
Zara Hossain is Here by Sabina Khan-Sabina Khan’s first book, The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali, basically destroyed me, so I went into this one with eyes wide open, prepared for tears again. And that did happen, but don’t let it deter you from picking up Zara Hossain is Here or Sabina’s other books! I think this book is not only super relevant given the climate surrounding immigration here in the US, but also just a really good story about a Muslim American girl and her life, interests, relationships, struggles, etc. This is out in April, but you can, of course, preorder it now! Get it! Amazon | Bookshop | Worldcat
The (Un)Popular Vote by Jasper Sanchez-Be still my West Wing-loving heart, this book is everything a political nerd dreams of! I can’t tell you how much I love the entire cast of characters in this book. They are all fully formed, delightful teens with flaws and ambitions, and their queerness isn’t the only thing you learn about them. But of course, the shining star is Mark, the child of a politician who decides to throw his hat in the ring to stop the school bully from becoming president. There’s scandal, there’s intrigue, there’s romance-what more could you want? Just a heads up that Mark is trans, and his father has not accepted this; as a cis person, I cannot speak to the trans experience, but I can imagine that reading scenes between Mark and his father may be triggering or traumatic for some readers. Anyway, it seems I’ve been diving into a LOT of advanced copies this month, because The (Un)Popular Vote isn’t out until June, but, of course, is available for preorder! Get it! Amazon | Bookshop | Worldcat
Counting Down with You by Tashie Bhuiyan-I’m just going to go ahead and make this bold declaration right now: fake dating as a trope is superior to enemies to lovers. And I STAND BY THAT. So, as you may have guessed Counting Down with You features fake dating, aka the best of all tropes, between a quiet Bangladeshi Muslim girl, Karina, and the school’s classic rebel, Ace. Karina and Ace’s relationship is DELIGHTFUL, but also seems to be an authentic portrayal of the complexities of dating someone whose culture is vastly different from your own. Karina’s friends are also amazing supplemental characters, but I once again must note that I truly hate bad parents in YA novels, which was a theme across many of the books I read this month. Nonetheless, Counting Down with You is an EXCELLENT rom-com, and worth preordering so you can have it in your hands as soon as it comes out in May. Get it! Amazon | Bookshop | Worldcat
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han-It was probably inevitable that I would reread this trilogy in advance of the third movie coming out, but I impulsively decided to start that reread as soon as the trailer was released earlier this month. This is a favorite story and a comfort read for me, and if you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for?! Get it! Amazon | Bookshop | Worldcat
P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han-Listen, I’m going to say something controversial here. As much as I love this trilogy, and the Song girls, I do NOT have a lot of love for Peter K. In fact, I am #teamJohnAmbrose for life, and Peter’s actions in this second book make me want to THROW HIM OUT A WINDOW. That is all. Get it! Amazon | Bookshop | Worldcat
Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han-I know that we have to accept Lara Jean’s decision because it’s her heart, and Peter does redeem himself a bit in this book, but I still don’t love him. I do love the prom dress selection, and Margot bringing her new boyfriend home, and the quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie, and the trip to New York City, and many other things. It’s a fitting conclusion to the trilogy, and I cannot wait to watch the third movie in February. Get it! Amazon | Bookshop | Worldcat
A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen-I mean, can anyone REALLY resist a book billed as a cross between The Bachelor and Great British Bake-Off? If you can, we probably shouldn’t be friends is all I’m saying. Seriously, though, I’m always a sucker for teen bakers, and this book does not disappoint. The experience was only sullied a bit by yet another case of bad YA parents-but I’m choosing to look past it because BAKING MEETS THE BACHELOR. Seriously, pick it up soon! Get it! Amazon | Bookshop | Worldcat
Sunkissed by Kasie West-So, first of all, apparently I read 3 books set at some type of summer camp in the month of January-apparently I really haven’t been handling the depths of winter too well. Second of all, you know if Kasie West writes a book, I am going to read it, regardless of the premise. And this one, like most of her books, is full of fun characters, an idyllic setting, and of course, a swoony romance. Any rom-com lover won’t want to miss this one. Get it! Amazon | Bookshop | Worldcat
Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous by Suzanne Park-This is book 3 in the summer camp theme I’ve got going on this month, and this is the harshest of all the camps: a detox camp for social media addicts in the middle of Iowa! Will Sunny be able to make it through the whole summer with no phone access, no social media platforms, no likes and follows?! I guess you’ll just have to grab this when it comes out in June if you want to know. Get it! Amazon | Bookshop | Worldcat
Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory-I’ve loved all of Jasmine Guillory’s books so far, but I for some reason never got around to reading this one when it came out. Luckily, fate was on my side and both this one and the next in the Jasmineverse were both available from the library, so I was able to knock them both out in one weekend, and they were, of course, delightful. This one in particular was set in England, had a number of references to a certain newer member of the royal family, and of course, scones to die for. Get it! Amazon | Bookshop | Worldcat
Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory-I honestly think this may have been my favorite of Jasmine Guillory’s books so far. I didn’t remember much about Olivia from previous books, but I loved her personality, and Max, though he had some irritating qualities that would definitely drive ME crazy, did indeed seem to be her perfect match. Now I just have to wait around for the next book! Get it! Amazon | Bookshop | Worldcat
XOXO by Axie Oh-So I’m not very knowledgeable about the world of K-Pop, but that doesn’t stop me from finding K-Pop YA novels truly delightful. I love that this one takes place in Seoul, and I love the boarding school setting, and I love the band members who are secondary characters. But also, I really had no idea how K-Pop groups are sort of mass produced, and it was interesting to get a glimpse into that world. And, of course, the romance was great! This one isn’t out until July, but it will be worth the wait. Get it! Amazon | Bookshop | Worldcat
Inherit Midnight-A while back I was going through my too-large collection of books to see what I didn’t need anymore, and I found a number of books I’d completely forgotten I owned! This is one of them, and with the premise (an Amazing Race-style contest to win an inheritance!) I was shocked I hadn’t already read it. So, I finally picked it up (and have plans to do the same with some of the other forgotten books), and it was definitely a good choice. I mean, predictably I hated how poorly the main character was treated by her extended family (you may notice a running theme to what I dislike…), but the adventures and the contests were super fun. I found the event that happened at the end of the book to be a bit far-fetched, but it wasn’t off-putting enough for me to recommend against reading this book. So if you’re looking for a backlist title with The Westing Game vibes, you might also want to check out Inherit Midnight. Get it! Amazon | Bookshop | Worldcat
The Waffle House on the Pier by Tilly Tenant-I wanted to love this book so much, since it had elements that I usually love-charming small town in England, charming food-related business, charming romance…but I just didn’t really enjoy most of the characters, which was a disappointment. If you, too, love to escape reality by visiting seaside settings in England, give this one a try; perhaps your experience will be different from mine! Get it! Amazon | Bookshop | Worldcat
The Meet-Cute Project by Rhiannon Richardson-For my final book read in January, I of course had to return to my literary safe space, the world of contemporary YA rom-coms. I loved the idea of this one, in which romance-averse Mia needs a date to her sister’s wedding so her friends attempt to orchestrate a series of meet-cutes to help her on this quest. However, once again, I was overly annoyed by the family members in the story. Nonetheless, I would still absolutely recommend this one-the meet-cutes are fun and funny, I think Mia definitely grows when it comes to her friendships and how she approaches romantic relationships, and the romance turns out to be adorable. Get it! Amazon | Bookshop | Worldcat
That’s it for January! I’m hoping I’ll be able to keep up this trend of reading 20 books a month as 2021 continues, so cross your fingers for me, and also tell me what your favorite January 2021 read was!
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