ARC Review: Up to this Pointe by Jennifer Longo

Preorder it on Amazon

Reviewer: J

Some thoughts about this book:

• Well first of all, thank you so much to Random House for sending me a review copy!
• Second, this book wasn’t really my thing but I ended up liking it!
• Third, y’all should preorder using my link above! 🙂

Ok, thank-yous and disclaimers aside, let’s start!

When I read the premise I was so so confused. A book about ballet… and best friends… and somehow Antarctica gets thrown into the mix, too? What? But the author integrated them really well, with the occasional overlap of events since the book switches between two locations/time periods. It’s a sweet contemporary about finding yourself, and I think it’d appeal to a lot of readers but the cover doesn’t do it any justice (which is probably why I was originally turned off by it.) Don’t get me wrong, it’s very well-drawn and designed, I recognized Noelle Stevenson’s work right away! I just think the cover sort of makes it look like it’s aiming for a more juvenile audience but it was more of a classic YA plot with some additions.

So, what’s it about? (I have some serious explaining to do what with the Antarctica subplot I mentioned earlier.) Our heroine Harper has been a ballerina all her life, along with her BFF Kate. They’ve sworn to a specific plan that involves them becoming professional ballerinas together at the San Francisco Ballet. But then Harper impulsively boards an Antarctica-bound airplane, following in the scientist footsteps of her relatives.

Harper started out as a bit of a cookie-cutter mold of a girl, but as the book progresses and the reader follows Harper’s journey, she becomes more and more relatable, and by the end I even felt sorry for her. Fun fact: the character Harper’s last name, Scott, is treated as some sort of legacy but the whole time I could only picture this guy:

I’ve been watching too much of The Office lately, if you can’t tell.

Anyway, this was a great and truly original book. If your reading style is anything like mine you’ll probably be saying, “Eh. Doesn’t intrigue me.” Well you should give it a try in January. Thanks for reading this.. whatever this is. Jumbled up mess of random opinions that I can’t seem to put into a coherent sentence.

Rating: 4.25 stars

Review: Outspoken by Lora Richardson

Reviewer: J

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Thank you so much to the author for giving me a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

So… Not gonna lie, I was a bit turned off by this book’s general appearance (sorry! I feel like a terrible person!) just mainly because I don’t usually read self-published books. But it turned out to be pretty good!

However, I’m just gonna say it now: I was confused! I know, I say this about every single book I read, and I know your eyes are probably rolling back in your head from boredom, but seriously. I felt like around every twist and turn, a new character popped up out of nowhere and I was like, “Hey, new character! Where’d you come from?” And there were a bunch of little anecdotes sprinkled throughout. They were cute and I liked the idea, but it felt a little choppy and random.

The main character Penny was surprisingly three-dimensional. She acted realistically, not too mature and not too juvenile. I saw a little of myself in her, and I think most readers will too.

The plot was believable, and I loved how it centers around a girl deciding she’s too much of a pushover and chooses not to let anyone get the best of her. There were pockets where it was a little slow, yeah, but the ending made up for it, I think.

Anyway, this is a strong debut! Give it a chance. You might be surprised what you find. Kind of like a mystery flavored lollipop.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

Reviewer: J

Who wants to scream with me? No one? Okay then, I guess I’ll just scream by myself because THIS BOOK CAUSED ME SO MANY EMOTIONS.

Seriously, I don’t even know where to begin. I know, I’m super late to join this bandwagon but while all you guys were getting ARCs and preordering it and using NetGalley and all that other cool stuff that bloggers do, I was sitting.. waiting for it to become available at the local library. Woot woot.

Oh, and as I’ll complain to anyone who will listen, I accidentally read a spoiler online for it before it came out, so I guess that hindered my reading experience a little, because you know, I was just kind of waiting for the plot twist to happen.

But yeah. This book was super interesting, and in the beginning it was sort of fuzzy for a while but it got cleared up pretty quickly. I also loved the opening sentence. I don’t remember exactly what it was but it was something like, “I’ve read more books than you.” I was like, hmm are you sure about that? Never challenge a bookworm about books. Words of wisdom.

Sorry for the short review, but what you can draw from this is: This book is amazing! I recommend it to all of you who haven’t read it yet. 🙂

Rating: 4.75 stars

Review: Just Visiting by Dahlia Adler

Buy Just Visiting on Amazon

Reviewer: J

Disclaimer: A copy of this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

On the back of this book, one critic claims it to be “magical.” I had no idea how true that would become.

On one hand, I absolutely love the two main characters, their internal conflicts, and their relationship. All of that was amazingly crafted and brilliant. So I’ll talk about the good things first before I drop the one negative bomb I have.

This book felt like a modern twist on the classic “best friend road trip” plotline. Instead of the usual life changing spiritual journey, these girls are simply going on a college visit. That felt surprisingly normal and more realistic than most of these types of novels do.

It was also great that so many topics were dealt with in this book. The characters don’t live perfect lives; Reagan and her mother are struggling to make ends meet and Victoria struggles with her identity and being Mexican in a white-dominated small town. There are also many other secrets to both of the girls, but you won’t find that out until the end 😉

So, the amazing friendship was a pretty big plus for me. But here’s my concern. Are you ready? I’m about to put this author’s head in the slammer. (Not really. This book is a great one and I’m basically nitpicking here.) Okay. I wanted more pizazz. I know that sounds super stereotypical (and also oddly similar to an overenthusiastic teacher) but it’s kind of true. Yes, it was more original and unique than most road trip books, but I don’t know, I just thought the storyline fell a hair short of perfection.

But all in all, this was an amazing and thoughtful book. Use the link at the beginning of the review to preorder it, or purchase it once it comes out in November! Also, thank you to Spencer Hill Contemporary for giving us our first physical ARC! Ok, I’m done rambling. *drops mic* J, out!

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: None of the Above by I. W. Gregorio

 None of the Above  
Reviewer: J

None of the Above was a beautifully diverse and intriguing read, but it focused too much on unnecessary things. 

First of all, this book focuses on a medical condition called intersex. I vaguely knew what it was, but this book helped a lot to educate me about it. It would also be a great book for someone who is intersex theirself, because this is the first and only YA book I’ve ever heard of thats written about the condition.  

I didn’t particularly care for our protagonist, Kristin. She was unaccepting of herself for pretty much the whole book. Even by the end she still doubted herself a bit and was a very static character. I’d prefer if the author showed how Kristin’s attitude changed over the course of the book instead of just remaining the same. 

This isn’t technically a critique on the book, but I wanted to add my comments on the cover. Not only is the simplistic, minimalist design beautiful, but the cover also relates to the book and I think it has a great job at attracting the right audience for the book. 

And now, for the most conflicted part of this review, we have the writing style. It was enjoyable, with just the right touches of flowery writing here and there, but (this will probably sound super weird) I felt like it read really archaicly? Like, it almost read like a historical fiction work rather than contemporary. I don’t know. Also, it focused a lot about friendship, relationship, and school drama, but like I mentioned before it would be even better if the story was more about self growth and coming of age. 

Overall, this is a fairly well-done and very unique debut from I.W. Gregorio. I’m excited to see what she will do in the future. 

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

 Attachments: A Novel  
Reviewer: J

This book was so cute, but it was too dragged out and the ending fell a little flat.

The book’s written in a very interesting style. It’s a cutesy love story between coworkers Beth and Lincoln. It’s dual POV, with the chapters narrated by Beth are written in e-mails, and the chapters narrated by Lincoln are written in standard prose. The e-mail format took a little getting used to, but I actually preferred it to the prose chapters. Even though the e-mail format doesn’t give you a direct view into the character’s mind, surprisingly I felt closer to Beth than I did to Lincoln. I just didn’t connect with him.

I love Rainbow Rowell’s writing most of the time, but I felt like her voice didn’t really shine through in Attachments. If you’ve read any of Rowell’s work you’ve probably recognized her fluffy-romantic style. In fact, that was the main thing that made me fall in love with her previous novel Eleanor and Park.

Anyway, the two characters don’t even meet until the very end of the book, and then their relationship happens so fast and left me feeling a little betrayed. I mean, the author spent so much time building up to a barely-there climax. 

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Believarexic by JJ Johnson

  
Reviewer: J

*Free copy of this book from NetGalley.* Whoa. I was super shocked by this book (in a good way!)

Since this book is about eating disorders, I thought it would be some sort of overdramatic, cheesy sobfest. But I was really wrong! I loved how this book gave a really honest and somewhat brutal look inside the mind of someone suffering from bulimirexia. 

I also loved how it went over many darker and more complicated topics. Like I said, it didn’t sugarcoat things. 

It was very well written too! I liked the use of figurative language and just overall imagery. All through the book I had a clear mental picture which I can’t say about most books. 

And the character bonds were amazing. It was so great how a group of girls, each fighting different personal battles, banded together and supported each other like sisters. 

Overall, this book is so great! I highly recommend it and I think you should all read it once it comes out in October. 

Rating: 4.5-5 stars

Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

  
Reviewer: J

Finally, a book about cancer that’s not just a Fault in our Stars knockoff. Hallelujah!

The book is about an average high school kid named Greg who befriends a girl who has leukemia. Be this book a typical “sick lit” novel, they would fall in love, etcetera, etcetera, she dies in a tearjerking and dramatic finale. 

But one of the things I love most about this is that none of the above happens. I despise the popular idea that it’s impossible for boys and girls to be “just friends.” This book really worked against that stereotype, I found. 

Also, I was definitely not expecting how funny this book was. The main character has such a hilarious voice and I just loved all the little innuendo-y jokes. 

I think this book’s synopsis is a little misleading because I thought I was going to be reading some sappy romance novel with “poetic” prose and dark themes. I couldn’t have been more wrong. 

Anyway, I would strongly recommend this to any teenager. The author has created a surprisingly realistic and laugh out loud funny debut. 

Rating: 5 stars

Review: P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

  
Reviewer: J

Ugh. I’m tired of reading pointless YA romances. 

Honestly, I would’ve preferred if To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before had no sequel. I understand that the author wanted to cash in on the book’s success, et cetera, but the first book perfectly wrapped up everything. Seriously, an ending like that is rare and shouldn’t be messed with. 

Because of the unnecessariness (is that a word?) of the second book, the plot felt very draggy (again, word?). Romance, scandals, and *gasp* a love triangle? Those things work for some readers but not for me. 

This book was just a cute beach read. It’s enjoyable under the right circumstances but it lacks some substance and its charm wears away quickly. I know you’re probably saying, J, you hate romance! Why are you doing this to yourself? Blame E for recommending me them. The point is that I can’t really be trusted with accurate opinions on romance books because most of them less than entertain me. 

This was a decent read that a more dedicated fan of Jenny Han would enjoy.

Rating: 3 stars

Review: A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman

  
Reviewer: J

I went into this book knowing almost nothing about it, other than the fact that it was written by Padma Venkatraman, whom I like to joke is my “favorite author” because I hated her other book Climbing the Stairs so much. So when I saw this book at Barnes and Noble, I pretty much bought it as a joke. 

Anyway, I’m actually glad that I stayed so open-minded. I ended up really enjoying this! It’s written in gorgeous, flowing free verse poems, which added to the spiritual and philosophical themes of the book. 

I loved the historical/cultural elements of the book. They add some depth and realism to the story. I also loved the diverse cast of characters; the main character is disabled and many other characters are Indian/POC.

The book’s plot was so amazingly inspiring — any reader would love it! It’s about a girl who is a skilled dancer, but loses one of her legs in an accident and learns to accept herself and appreciate her talents. The book had many hidden meanings and bigger themed throughout. 

Overall, this is a great book that deserves way more popularity, so if you’re interested by this review, you should definitely add it to your to-read list. 🙂

Rating: 4.5 – 5 stars