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The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
βIt felt scary, as if she were stepping across some invisible boundary, as if she might not know herself afterward. As if she were becoming the self sheβd always thought lurked just underneath her skin. Her coolest possible self.β The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is very much old-school Holly Black: edgy aesthetics, gritty/snarky dialogues, and…
3.25 stars, 3rd pov, Adult, adventure, age gap, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, atmospheric, balls, bi side characters, DEATH, drama, dystopia, FANTASY, favourite authors, female authors, gritty aesthetics, HOLLY BLACK, HORROR, it’s about the *aesthetics*, lgbtq+ side, monsters, no plot just vibes, PARANORMAL, published in 2013, queer side characters, re-reads, read in 2013, read in 2022, revenge, road trip, ROMANCE, SPECULATIVE FICTION, survival, The Coldest Girl, trans side characters, URBAN FANTASY, VAMPIRES, violence, YOUNG ADULT -
American Fever by Dur e Aziz Amna
β[W]e talked incessantly about the gap between here and there. With each articulated difference, we flattened ourselves and let American define us. We were only ever what it was not.β My initial reaction upon finishing American Fever was something in the realm of βunderwhelmedβ. Yet, as weeks passed by my opinion changed. Maybe itβs because…
1st pov, 2010s, 3.5 STARS, Adult, ALIENATION, ambivalent mood, America, American Fever, belonging, cold tone, coming of age, cultural dissonance, Dur e Aziz Amna, ennui, female authors, friendships, girlhood, HIGH SCHOOL, identity, illness, Islam, loneliness, Longing, Muslim rep, NEW YORK, Oregon, otherness, Pakistan, Pakistani author, published in 2022, read in 2022, Religion, SLICE OF LIFE, SMALL TOWN, the female malaise, YOUNG ADULT -
Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe
βOur friendships started with βWhatβs your name?β The answer carried with it looks that I can still see clearly: Staciaβs begged me not to talk to her, and Tonyaβs asked, βIs she talking to me?!β We got past those facial expressions and gave our names. Names that sound like heartbeats: Fe Fe, Precious, Stacia, Tonya.β…
1990s, 20th century, 4 STARS, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, atmospheric, Black & Black heritage authors, Chicago, CHILDHOOD, Christianity, coming of age, family, female authors, female friendships, friendships, girlhood, growing up, Illinois, Last Summer on State Street, lyrical prose, missing girls, missing persons, RACE, read in 2022, Religion, siblings, social issues, strong sense of place, summer reads, Toya Wolfe, violence against women, YOUNG ADULT, youth -
Himawari House by Harmony Becker
Himawari House breathes a breath of fresh air into the contemporary graphic novel genre. I have never come across a multilingual graphic novel so it was really refreshing to see Harmony Becker seamlessly incorporate English, Japanese, Korean, and Singlish in her work. I loved that the English equivalent of whatever was being said in Japanese…
3 STARS, America, belonging, coming of age, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, female authors, female friendships, friendships, Graphic Novels, Harmony Becker, Himawari House, identity, japan, japanese american author, Korea, language, loneliness, NEW ADULT, published in 2021, read in 2022, ROMANCE, Sequential Art, singapore, SLICE OF LIFE, travel, YOUNG ADULT -
Queen of the Tiles by Hanna Alkaf
βBut life, like Scrabble, is like thatβyou get the rack you get, and you just have to figure out how to make do.β Queen of the Tiles is an entertaining mystery romp that belongs to that subgenre of YA books that combines a whodunnit type of storyline with the kind of teen dynamics at play…
1st pov, 3.25 stars, anxiety, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, Contemporary, female authors, friendships, games, gossip & scandals, GRIEF, Hanna Alkaf, lgbtq+ side, light reads, Malaysia, Malaysian author, murder mystery, Muslim rep, My reviews, MYSTERY, mystery puzzle, non-binary side characters, published in 2022, Queen of the Tiles, read in 2022, reading, trauma, whodunnit, YOUNG ADULT -
Nothing Burns as Bright as You by Ashley Woodfolk
If you like lyrical love stories such as Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson, or books that give serious A24 coming-of-age film vibes such as All the Water I’ve Seen Is Running by Elias Rodriques, donβt sleep on Nothing Burns as Bright as You. The author captures how all-consuming first love can be through the…
1st pov, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, ANGST, Ashley Woodfolk, atmospheric, bi side characters, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEWS, Contemporary, f/f, female authors, FRIENDS TO LOVERS, LESBIAN, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, lyrical prose, My reviews, Nothing Burns as Bright as You, queer, reading, ROMANCE, sapphic, style over character, stylised prose, Summer, toxic relationships, unnamed characters, unnamed narrator, vignettes, YOUNG ADULT -
Anything But Fine by Tobias Madden
I had quite hopes for Anything But Fine and the first few chapters promised a ya coming-of-age in the realms of The Sky Blues, Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun, and You Should See Me in a Crown. As the story progresses however I found myself growing weary of the unnecessary miscommunication. If you are…
1st pov, 3 STARS, Anything But Fine, AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN AUTHOR, bi side characters, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, Contemporary, dancing, drama, gay, HIGH SCHOOL, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, m/m, male authors, My reviews, published in 2021, queer, read in 2022, reading, ROMANCE, sports, teen angst, Tobias Madden, YOUNG ADULT -
Right Where I Left You by Julian Winters
This is yet another one of my most anticipated 2022 releases that ended up missing the mark. Having read and enjoyed Julian Winters’ The Summer of Everything I went into this expecting something cute & wholesome only to be confronted with a generic coming of age ya about characters who are just out of high…
1st pov, 2 STARS, America, ANGST, bi side characters, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, coming of age, Contemporary, drama, FRIENDS TO LOVERS, gay, HIGH SCHOOL, Julian Winters, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, m/m, My reviews, non-binary side characters, published in 2022, queer, read in 2022, reading, Right Where I Left You, ROMANCE, Summer, summer reads, teen angst, YOUNG ADULT -
The Dragon’s Promise by Elizabeth Lim
why are all my most anticipated 2022 releases so disappointing π Please, let there be no love triangle If youβve read my review for Six Crimson Cranes you know just how much I loved that book. While I was concerned that the sequel would include a wholly unnecessary love triangle angle, I wasnβt at all…
1st pov, 3 STARS, adventure, AMERICAN AUTHOR, bad guy is bad, BOOK REVIEWS, curses, DRAGONS, drama, Elizabeth Lim, FAIRY TALES, female authors, high fantasy, japanese inspired setting, love triangle, MAGIC, My reviews, myths, Not Like Other Girls, palace, published in 2022, read in 2022, reading, ROMANCE, royals, sea, Six Crimson Cranes, The Dragon's Promise, YOUNG ADULT -
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
The YA genre seems saturated by heroines who are (allegedly) neither beautiful nor intelligent but they are spunky and clumsy and bursting with goodness. Well, I have had my fill of these girls. Wholesome, vanilla, inoffensive, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a relatively enjoyable YA read that tone-wise will definitely appeal to…
1st pov, 3 STARS, adventure, Axie Oh, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, curses, FANTASY, female authors, ghosts/spirits, gods, HISTORICAL FICTION, korean american author, korean inspired setting, MAGIC, My reviews, myths, Not Like Other Girls, published in 2022, read in 2022, reading, RETELLINGS, ROMANCE, sea, spirit realm, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, weak worldbuilding, YOUNG ADULT
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