Someone to Love by Melissa de la Cruz

Almost a companion to Something in Between, readers may remember Royce’s much nicer younger sister Olivia “Liv” Blakely. Now it’s four years later and the sweet kid is dealing with a tumultuous personal demon. Bulimia and cutting. The former is her way of making sure she’ll always be loved after her ex cruelly dumps her for gaining a few pounds. Now she’s determined to get her goal weight of 100, and maybe just maybe all the voices berating her for her stupidness, her selfishness and worthlessness will end.

But getting her crush to notice her is hardly the biggest thing in her life, her friendships are drifting and worst, her Dad has announced that he’ll campaign for Governor of California. She’ll be placed under the public’s scrutiny for the next two years and may have to move to Sacremento all while playing perfect politician’s daughter when she feels anything but.

De la Cruz does not sy away from the utter self-loathing and ugliness that bulimia wrecks on Liv’s self esteem and body. The way her throat aches, the hair falling out, the binging that Liv pushes herself through to throw it back up again as punishment and the constant reprimentions she gives herself. It’s like a never endng wave that it almost starts to feel like the book will have no help, perfectly echoing Liv’s mental state. It’s intense in how it immerses the reader in the turbulant mindset Liv is in, but realistic.

But there is hope even as Liv pushes people away and longs for some connection, some feeling of being loved yet her mind won’t let accept the people who are trying to get her to admit her problem actually care about her well-being and aren’t trying to ambush her. There’s no clear path or solution for Liv but de La Cruz makes it a worthwhile journey of self-love, highlighting how art and inspiration provide a fire for Liv even at her most desperate, and family as dysfunctional and distant as they are will be steadfast support. Plus it catches up with Jasmine and Royce as some readers will be happy to see.

Going Dark by Melissa de la Cruz

Like the one below, I feel like I can’t reveal much because it’s a mystery and it would be best for readers to see the unraveling of clues and backstories themselves so I’ll just summerize.

Amelia Ashley is one of the most popular youtubers and influencers but when she goes on a vacation in Rome, her boyfriend is the biggest suspect. Well he does have blood in his suitcase. But Harper is suspicious. Things aren’t adding up as she investigates more deeply into Amelia’s internet footprint and she starts to question who is Amelia Ashley? Does she even exist?

This is a fascinating mystery where almost no one is as they seem, integrating popular youtube videos/blog format with a suspenseful mystery back and forth as well interesting commentary about the disparate treatment of missing women of color and pretty white girls.

I’m The Girl by Courtney Summers

Partially inspired by Epstein case, Sommors explores the wealth and privilege of the elite that treats young girls like they’re disposable toys combined with a psychological thriller. For Avis doesn’t think she’s going to be that girl. She’s finding another one, Ashley who had been murdered almost a year ago in a similar way to how her mother was.

I don’t feel like I can say more without spoiling anything but I will say it is heartbreaking, confusing and really digs into the psychological confusion and damage that comes with trying to fight a system that is so deeply entrenched into the world that it would be like punching a mountain. Also Avis is not a pure heroine. She falls for the glamour, and she begins to see the appeal of being a Ascara Girl (as they’re dubbed) and the thrill that comes with being desirable and attractive to the rich, as if you have all the power when it is very much vice-versa.

Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran

Everyone knows who Cleopatra is, everyone knows her famous husband Julius Ceasar and then her greatest lover, Marc Anthony but what about their children? What happened after Cleopatra and Marc’s suicides and Octavian’s invasion?

Cleopatra Selene and her twin, Alexander are forced to accompany their half-brother Octavian back to Rome, and leave their beloved homecountry under his tyrannical foot. Rome isn’t better with Octavian’s bitter wife hounding their every move, fueding Senators, slavery, and Octavian’s threats that if they step out of line, they’ll be beheaded next.

Moran weaves an immersive world for Selene to navigate as her cushy life is thrown out the door and the cruelty of the Roman world tears away her innocence. Initially I found her naive but apparently slavery had been too in-use in Egypt so Selene’s horror at the daily rape and abuse slaves endure was new to her. But even though, she feels uncertain about her place in Roman court, she is getting an inner look into history in the making as gladiator slave rebellions burst across the Empire and Octavian tangles with plagues from the gods and finding a new heir. There’s also the chance for romance for Selene, whether it be an arranged marriage or her true choice, Juba, Octavian’s advisor which is a dangerous choice by itself.

While the Red Eagle slave revolt was partially inspired by Spartacus, there are many familiar figures like Virgil and Ovid that pop up to add excitement and “celebrity cameos.”

But while Selene grows into a stronger, more independent person, I feel like her relationships outside her friend Livia and Juba II felt a little flat. I wished she had more interaction with Alexander and how he was faring with their new circumstances.

However, it doesn’t detrach from the meticulous research and amazing world she created about these lesser known figures of the Roman-Egyptian dynasty who had their own fascinating loves and tragedies.

Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi

We all know the story, girl meets boy, girl kisses boy, girl gets dumped two days later by said boy for being “too much” and “too loud” so she embarks on a makeover inspired by Disney and rom-coms to be a quiet, demure girl that boys will like.

It seems like a classic rom-com mess as Parvin becomes so consumed with her perfect plan that she denies being her authentic self before her crush and worse, neglects her friends and the cute boy who is right under her nose. However, Abtahi brings some real think-pieces to the plot by having Parvin reconsider why she’s going so far, and how it relates to her insecurity of being half-Iranian. She can’t quite fit into the all-American world that is prejudiced and ignorant of her heritage but isn’t as connected with the full Iranians who can speak Farsi fluently and reminisce over dishes she never heard of. Plus there’s a bit of media brainwashing as she comes to terms that her own beauty is still worthwhile even if her hair isn’t straight, her nose isn’t petite or that she has to wax every week. Although it is still nice to be able to discuss these things with her ameh Sara when her mother can’t help.

In fact, it is the plot point with Parvin’s ameh Sara coming over to visit that becomes the most heartbreaking and heartwarming as Parvin comes face to face with the unfair immigration practices and physical loss of her older sister figure.

As for the other characters, Parvin is a funny albeit sometimes overdramatic freshman who is still learning about the world as well as herself. Her friends are interesting and well-defined although I do wish we spent more time with them. Same with her “true” love interest, Amir (I put quotation marks because Abtahi makes a refreshingly mature choice for how Parvin should deal with her future love life). Sometimes Parvin felt a bit naive, not being able to piece together the real racist reason her ex doesn’t want to be with her in public but I guess Abtahi wanted to make a point. Plus Parvin is only a freshman, still wearing her middle-school glasses I suppose. A well-done debut book for young teens in my opinion.

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

I’ll admit I had seen the movie a few years ago so I had a basic idea of what would happen and the arc followed pretty closely. And since it was such a hit, I’m not going to go into the plot everyone knows. However, Albertalli surprised me with the immediate hook of Martin approaching Simon to blackmail. What a way to begin the book!

I also enjoyed the additions of Alice, Simon’s cool older sister and generally more time in the Spier household that created a more lived-in world. Same with the group dynamics of the Simon-Nick-Leah trio and how Abby changed all that. In general, I found Simon’s POV to be wittily distinct yet very relatable. He;s just like any teen trying to figure out his identity, new feelings and realizing how narrow his world is in that no one really knows each other. We’re all houses with vast rooms and tiny windows.

As for Albertalli’s second novel is the Simon universe takes readers to D.C. and the lives of Molly Peskin-Suosa, last virgin standing. Almost everyone in her life is pairing up, most concerning is her flirty twin, Cassie’s newfound monogmous relationship. Molly’s happy for sister but she feels like she’s being left further behind in the world of love and hook-ups after all no one goes after the chubby girl.

Like Simon, Molly has a distinct voice. I can’t quite describe it but it was similar to Simon but also not. It was just quick-witted and quirky and overdramatic all at once. Which fits how it is being a teenager. When you’re seventeen everything feels the end of the world and the beginning of the world.

Moreover, I found Molly relatable in her anxieties as a virgin although I felt like she was a bit too blind regarding her feelings for her love interest. You see, she’s being pushed toward Will, the friend of her sister’s GF which has the potential for Molly to stay in her sister’s sphere. But there’s also her co-worker, Middle Earth Reid who’s a bit of a dork but they have such easy friendship and chemistry.

However, that may have been conscious denial of her feelings too as Molly (and Albertalli) explores the difficulties of rejection and preservation of her heart which leaves Molly in a sort of stasis in regards to her love life. Plus it also delves into the point of self-esteem and body insecurity and how it wraps into Molly’s inability to put herself out there.

However, it is more than just love (though Reid is absolutely sweet!). It’s about sisterhood and the slow distance that comes from growing up eveb if it’s from your twin whom you shared everything. Also the rest of Molly’s family and other adults in her life were pretty cool too.

Plus it was cool to see Abby and Simon cameos in the book that added even more wholesome sweetness to this coming of age novel.

Last Chance Scoundrels by Eva Leigh

The first two books of Leigh’s Last Chance Scoundrels series offers sweet romance mixed with spirited heroines, rakish rouges and lots of smut. You’re classic regency romance but who can’t love it.

It starts with such an intresting situation when the Ransome brothers, Finn and Kieran aid their friend, Dominic Kilburn in jilting their sister. They had noble intentions to prevent a miserable marriage but they caused a scandal du jour instead. Willa won’t speak to them and their families are furious that they prevented an advantageous marriage. So they’ll be cut off unless the three men find suitable marriages themselves to make up for their plans and to elevate their fortunes.

So far The Good Girl’s Guide to Rakes is my favorite as it deals with Kieran’s inconvenient feelings for Dom’s younger sister, Celeste who is bearing the brunt of her family’s morality and fortunes. To make up for Dominic’s jilting, her father wants her to marry the rich and prestigious Lord Mountford. Her family had crawled up from the streets so marrying Mountford would officially let them be accepted in proper society, Celeste knows it’s her duty. But she wants to experience some excitment before entering a marriage with a man she doesn’t love. That’s what Dominic offers her, showing her the most disgraceful of parlors and dance halls and pleasure. He initially goes to protect her but he soon can’t deny the passion between them as he grows more enamored by the vivacious, independent Celeste who reminds him he is as much of a man as anyone despite his emotions and poetry.

I loved how the two brought out the best in each other with Celeste being the first person to appreciate and encourage Kieran’s poetry and Kieran bringing Celeste back to her roots to the orphanage/schools she used to volunteer at before ‘polite society’ deemed it inappropriate. Also the scenes between them with erotic readings and playing in the fountains and just embracing their love and control of their own sexuality. Mm hoo mama.

As for How the Wallflower was Won, Finn enters a convenient marriage with the bluestocking Tabitha Seaton. As stated before, he needs a proper wife, she needs a man so she could have a chance of being admitted in the intellectual Sterling Society. Despite the advantages, they are certai the emotional component will never come fruitition (but yeah having daily marital relations will totally discourage that from happening). They both have baggage as Finn’s abusive father decimated his self-esteem thanks to his learning difficulties. He can barely read so how could he ever be Tabitha’s intellectual equal. Meanwhile Tabitha’s last flame ending badly as he dissmissed her burgeoning infuation as full-proof of why women cannot be thinkers, they’re too emotional. As with Kieran and Celeste, the romance is sweet and organic as they give each other the gifts of respect and appreciation in the fields/skills they are most proud of. The one nitpick I have that keeps it from reaching the first book’s level is Tabitha’s continued insecurity of Finn’s love even after he more than proved it. And literally saying it.

Anyway, I’m excited for the last book in the trilogy to come out and see how Willa and Dominic reignite their spark.

Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer

This YA debut by sci-fi/fantasy writer, Marissa Meyer asks us to think about morality and if we are truly good people as we like to think we are? Foremost example would be Prudence . She’s pretty judgemental, she’ll admit it herself but it’s hard when she’s surrounded by hypocrites, mean girls and jerks everywhere. Or slackers like her biology partner, Quint . However, when a smack on the head gives her the power to inflct instant karma on whoever she chooses. She’s thrilled to be able to even the playing field and give some nuisances their commpumpence. However, as she works closer with Quint at the local aquarium fundraiser, she starts to see Quint in a new light. He’s noble, and kind and surprisingly cute! But if she’s so wrong about him, whose to say she’s right about anyone else with her quick karma decisions?

Meyer’s character development is weighty as Prue faces a question we all must ask when faced with morality, am I really as good a person as I think I am? Also who decides what’s good and what’s bad, and where do extenuating circumstances and intention play into it when we are all just doing our best as we muddle through. Honestly, it’s like a YA take on The Good Place balancing philosphy on morality while relating it to teen’s search for their place in life as Prudence tries to help others selflessly while tackling her own flaws. Plus the romance is really sweet!

Belles trilogy by Jen Calonita

The Belles trilogy starts with the end of summer blahs where Izzie Scott’s biggest struggle is trying to decipher whether the new cute surfer Braydan may or may not have feelings for her. Sure, she lives in the underserved section of North Carolina in Harborside and she spends most of her day helping her grandma as her growing Alzheimers limits her functioning but Izzie can deal. It’s always been jus the two of them since her mother died six years ago. But her social service worker has deemed that her grandmother is no longer fit to care for Izzie anymore and the only living relative she has is some uncle she never met. An uncle whose gunning to be state senator and lives in the ultra-rich, ultra-exclusive Emerald Coast.

It’s a total culture shock to be living in a mansion with all the amneties and an aunt offering to buy her million dollar dresses. But while the family are welcoming to her, the students at Emerald Prep are less so. Apparently zip code defines her and the mean girl pack are determined to teach her to stay in her place despite her rags to riches narrative.

Oh and what I was saying about welcoming family. Almost all of them except Mirabell who feels torn between her new houseguest and her friendship with the domineering Savannah Ingrem. A conflict only exacerbated by the girls’ conflicting personalities.

I enjoyed how Calonita gave equal weight to both girls with Izzie trying to find a way to balance her own self-respect and fitting in, trying to make her own niche in Emerald Prep and boost their shallow, superficial lives by putting some actual community service in their community service committee. Mirabelle’s conflict with her best friend and her boyfriend who treats her like a trophy girlfriend can be seen as overdone but Calonita really depicts the struggles Mira has especially since Savannah is a grade A witch in ruining everyone’s lives. There’s also a cute boy who inspires her to step out of her scope but that felt like a weaker aspect of the book.

The second book, Winter White, was my favorite. The girls are dealing with the fallout of the last book’s revelations bringing some of the Hollywood rumors and in front-behind camera duality that Calonita does so well. The press is on the family’s backs and using every misstep to smear Bill Munroe’s campaign. But the girls are busy with Cotillion season which includes intiations! The pranks and hazing are hilarious and the Cotillion traditions and protocols are fascinating in how sacred it is considered and how it shapes the Southern elite society.

Additionally, Izzie has another more compelling subplot when she gets to know Brayden’s family like his wild-child older sister who rebels against the snobbishness of the Emerald Coast upper-crust. Her rebellious spirit speaks to Izzie and also sows doubt that maybe Brayden is just using her as his own rebel phase against his mother and will dump her afterwards. It’s a great way to navigate the interclass conflict and family drama that the series is based on. Mira’s conflict focuses on her betrayed feelings regarding her father’s secret and more friendship problems which is also a nice vehicle of character development but just less interesting than Izzie’s. And once again, it ends with a bombshell. Also it has a cute reference to her previous novel, Reality Check with Izzie watching The Cliffs spin off.

I cannot divulge much about the last book in the trilogy, The Grass is Always Greener, but I will say it has another long lost relative with new secrets to spill that has Izzie confronting how her world (and herself) has changed since her move to Emerald Coast. The background of how her parents met and split is revealed which adds another enticing bit of suspense. Mira also gets an equally compelling narrative dealing with break up and finding new love. It’s refreshing as YA novels usually have one love interest through the whole time like the greatest love story ever but. . they’re teenagers. Not everyone meets the love of their life in high school so Calonita does a good job in demonstrating love, loss and moving on.

Other books I’ve read this month but have previously reviewed.

Unscripted by Nicole Krozer, Full Disclosure by Camryn Garret, Jack of Hearts (and other parts) by Lev Rosen, Somewhere Only We Know and Since You Asked by Maurene Goo, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Wicked Ones by Robin Benway, Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, 12 to 22 by Jen Calonita, W.i.t.c.h. vol 27-28 by Elisabette Gnone, From Twinkle, With Love and There’s Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon, Fairest by Gail Carson Levine, Simon vs the Homo Sapian Agenda and The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli, Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abhati, Desperate Duchesses by Eloisa James, Someone to Love and Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz, Flip the Script by Lyla Lee, A Match Made in Mehendi by Nandini Baijpai, Palace of Stone and The Forgotten Sisters by Shannon Hale

Betty and Veronica Double Digest #150-155