Grown*The review below is being done on a Netgalley Advanced Reader's Copy of Grown. This review is my own, and I have written it in my honest opinion. Grown is the first book that I have read by Tiffany D. Jackson, and I have to say it was AMAZING! Grown is about a seventeen year old girl named Enchanted who has a beautiful singing voice. During a televised singing competition, Enchanted is approached by the world famous entertainer Korey Fields. Korey is dazzled by Enchanted's voice, and they exchange numbers. One thing to know about Korey Fields though is that he is twenty-eight years old...which makes his communication with Enchanted dangerous. Korey offers to take Enchanted under his wing in the music business, and this could be the opportunity of the life-time for Enchanted and her family. Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worse once Korey becomes a little too obsessed with Enchanted, and he begins to control her interaction with others. When Enchanted joins Korey's tour, she begins to see her family less, and now even her parents cannot get through to her. When Korey is killed, Enchanted becomes a person of interest, but she cannot remember what happened that night. I wish I can say more, but you have to read the book to let Enchanted tell you her story. I had found this book hard to read at times, not because it was bad, but because it was so life-like. This book is important to read because it discusses topics of consent, healthy/unhealthy relationships, family, and self-worth. Even though I am not a teenager anymore, it still holds the reminder of what relationships should look like. Since Enchanted is a woman of color, this book also gives us a picture of some of the challenges we encounter. Enchanted is an incredible character on a wild journey, and I am so glad I got the opportunity to read this before release. If you are interest in getting your own copy, Grown was released today, September 15, 2020. Get yours below: Amazon Audible Barnes and Noble Better World Books
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Yellow Jessamine*The review below is being done on a Netgalley Advanced Reader's Copy of Yellow Jessamine. This review is my own, and I have written it in my honest opinion. Yellow Jessamine by Caitlin Starling is set in a small trade town. From the very beginning of the book we are introduced to our main character, Evelyn Perdanu who is in perpetual mourning after her family died under mysterious circumstances; she has taken over the family business of importing goods, but tragedy strikes as soon as one of her ships makes landfall. Members of the crew have been overcome with comatose states and doctors cannot identify what is the cause of their issue. As the book continues, more citizens succumb to the "plague" and Evelyn begins to wonder if her boats and crew were the cause of them. In addition to the already drama filled plot, Evelyn has found a man on the brink of death, but what makes matters worse is that he is an enemy of the country. Should she harbor a fugitive or let him die? This book has so many twists and turns that it did keep me wanting to read more to figure out what the mysterious illness was. As much as I love a good mystery though, this book does include a little bit of romance, not too much to be overwhelming, but enough to add to the suspense of the novel. All in all, I did enjoy the book, but I do wish the ending was different. When I first decided to request this book, it was listed under Horror, but when I read it I saw it more as a Fantasy novel instead. This may be why I did not enjoy the ending as much. Yellow Jessamine was released on September 5, 2020. You can get your copy below: Amazon Audible Barnes and Noble Better World Books Powell's Buried DeepBuried Deep by Margot Hunt was a fast-paced listen from Audible (about 2 and a half hours long) that follows the a husband and wife during a murder investigation. Maggie and James Cabot have been married for about 20 years and Maggie does not doubt that James loves her, but when a detective comes to her doorstep to inquire about James' missing fiance (from the past), Maggie begins to doubt her husband's love and loyalty. James was once engaged to a rising star, Hannah, one who was so beautiful she could not hide from the media once her disappearance during a camping trip occurred. Many, at the time of her disappearance, assumed she drowned after a late night at the beach; when her remains are found buried, police have no choice but to question James again. This causes Maggie and James' marriage to spiral as secrets are kept (on both sides), and it begs the question of who killed Hannah? As I was listening to this book I could not help but wonder how their marriage would survive this media circus. Maggie is such a curious character, and she does her best to find out information about the past in order to help out her husband. I was so engaged in the story that I was able to listen to it all in one sitting. Granted, I know it is a short story, but it is still very action packed and it leaves the reader dying to know what happened to Hannah. If you are interested in listening to Hunt's story, you can get your copy below: Audible The Places We Sleep*The review below is being done on a Netgalley Advanced Reader's Copy of The Places We Sleep. This review is my own, and I have written it in my honest opinion. Caroline Brooks Dubois' debut novel in verse, The Places We Sleep, is set during the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. Our character Abbey must deal with puberty, death, bullies, and her father being deployed- possibly into a war zone. Although these are all tough topics as is, Dubois merges them in a very realistic way that does not overwhelm the reader. Abbey's father is in the Army and she is already on her 8th school in her educational career; she was very lucky to have made a friend right away, but even her friend cannot protect her all the time from the bullies that whisper hurtful words her way. Abbey sees her fair share of bullying, but another new student, very similar to Abbey, has to deal with far worse just because she is culturally and racially different than the popular kids at school. Usually, this would be enough to cause a middle schooler stress, but what makes matters worse is that there was an attack on Americans, and Abbey's aunt is lost in the rubble that was the World Trade Center. Abbey's mother must return to New York, they are in Tennessee at the moment, to help her sister's husband take care of their two young kids. During this time, Abbey's father must stay at home, but as more information of the crashes emerge it is inevitable that he will be deployed. As I was reading this book I realized that I was about the same age as Abbey, give or take a year, when the Twin Towers were attacked. Reading this book did remind me of the emotions that I felt as I watched the news play out at school, but what made this book important was that it gave me a different lens to view what others felt and experienced during this time. As a collective country, we can all remember where we were when we heard the news; we remember the coverage and the emotions, but our experiences do not compare to those who lived through it. Dubois gives us an example of how young people at that time were trying to understand the ideas of death, loss, and imminent war in their generation. I know that this review has so much information in it, but I feel it is important to add that not only does Dubois include the above topics, but while her mother is away, Abbey gets her first period. This is an important piece to talk about because we do not see menstruation discussed literature. I find it very encouraging that she included this in her novel because it gives young female readers a glimpse at how scary it is to get your first period and you don't know what to do about it. It makes shows young girls that it is okay to feel scared if you do not know what to do; I feel that this part of the book can help many young girls find comfort in knowing that they are not alone. Dubois' novel was released today, August 25, 2020. You can pick up your copy below: Amazon Barnes and Noble Better World Books Powell's Kind of a Big Deal*The review below is being done on a Netgalley Advanced Reader's Copy of Kind of a Big Deal. This review is my own, and I have written it in my honest opinion.
The first time I read Shannon Hale was in middle school, my book of choice- Princess Academy. I must admit that other than that series world I have not kept up with Hale, so when I got the opportunity to read Kind of a Big Deal I was excited at the prospect. Kind of a Big Deal revolves around Josie Pie, a popular high schooler who has her heart set on Broadway, not to mention the voice to get her there. When Josie drops out of high school to take her shot on Broadway, she realizes that she may not be cut out for that life after all. In order to avoid returning to her hometown in Arizona, Josie becomes a nanny and moves to Missouri with her new employers. We follow Josie on her journey as she tries to overcome loneliness, heartbreak, and shame. This book has so many things that I want to discuss because I feel that it has a lot of potential, so please keep in mind that although the small summary I gave in the previous paragraph sounds like it is a Realistic Fiction book, it actually falls into the Fantasy genre. What I didn't mention earlier was that Josie Pie tries to take up reading as a hobby, but as she tries to read a book she ends up going into the actual story, literally. As she continues to story-jump she finds that it is becoming harder and harder to return to the "real world." I really wanted to love this book, but I had a hard time staying engaged with the story. The plot line became very repetitive in that Josie would get sucked into a story, she would see familiar faces playing the characters, and then she would try to get back home. This cycled at least three or four times even though the genre of the book would change. In addition to the repetitiveness, Josie was a very difficult character to love because for the majority of the book she didn't grow as a character; she was stuck in the mindset of "I'm kind of a big deal," and "I shouldn't be going through this setback." As much as I tried to sympathize for her, I just couldn't feel bad for Josie because I felt she created those conflicts for herself. Finally, the ending of the book felt very rushed because Josie was battling her demons head on in one moment and then before you knew it, the story ended. (I know this sounds vague, but I do not want to give spoilers). I feel that a character should have flaws, and believe me Josie does, but the way the flaws combine with the story make it very frustrating to get through. I am still a fan of Shannon Hale's, but this was not one of my favorite books of the year. Kind of a Big Deal will be released on August 25, 2020. You can pre-order your copy below: Amazon Audible Barnes and Noble Powell's |