Friday I’m in Love by Camryn Garret

Mahira always wanted a sweet sixteen, was promised one but socioeconomic difficulties made the big event fall through. But inspired by her best friend’s Sweet 16 and her annoyance with the required “coming out” convention as a life changing announcement rather than a celebration-Mahira decides to make it a party. A party to celebrate queerness as a wonderful mode of life and perhaps get the new girl she has her eye on. . .

As usual, Garrett combines important topics with moments of joy whether it be familial, friendship or in romance. It’s a love letter to rom-coms although I admit I missed several references like Maid in Manhatten and Love, Simon. It’s also feels more realistic than her previous novel in how Mahira can sometimes be unlikable, her life really feels hopeless with obstacles popping up everytime she gtes close to her dream. This allows the happy ending to feel more triumphant and gives Garrett a chance to discuss the intersections of queerness with blackness, religion and queerness, and socioeconomic status in relation to self preception.

However, on the note of Mahira being unlikable, it sort of dampened my enjoyment of the novel. She can be selfish especially with money concerns. It was realistic as teenagers can be irrational and unlikable but I wished there had been more growth from her in financial literacy. Even as she saved for her party, she only worked as hard as she needed to yet complained when her boss noticed her slacking off, how she was losing money by wasting them on superfluous things and getting defensive when her friend pointed out that she might have to think more about her financial plan to make her party a success.

Mahira also felt creepy in regards to her crush on the new girl, Siobhan. She has, like a one minute conversation with Siobhan at a party and then can’t get over it. Then it turns out, Siobhan has moved to her school and she already has a boyfriend. That doesn’t stop Mahira from thinking that Siobhan can do better and that she desperately wished Siobhan would fall for her. Mahira even acknowledged her creepiness and how she was acting like Edward Cullen yet she continued to do it!

Part of her plan is just settling for friendship (even though she knows in her heart that she wouldn’t be able to handle just a friendship) and she hangs out with Siobhan at a dog park and one sentence stood out to me in that Mahira hadn’t thought Siobhan was someone who liked dogs or dog parks. Um. . . you only know this girl for like one class period, how can you assume anything. As for thinking Siobhan could do better than her bf, yes he’s a jerk and ignorant, but if Siobhan was dating him, maybe there was a chane Siobhan is ignorant or shares some of his beliefs too?

Even though Mahira and Siobhan did have some good moments (particularly one walk on the beach), I felt like Mahira put her on a pedestal and Sioban just jerked her around so. . . yeah didn’t ship it.

There was also a familial subplot with Mahira’s absentee Dad that felt unfinished. In fact, it was superfluous and so felt more jarring there wasn’t any resolution to it. Like most of the book, Mahira is concerned of how her mother will react to her coming out, but has no thoughts of her father. He isn’t even at her party at the end but her stepmother and half-siblings are. So is he homophobic? Mahira didn’t seem to care one way or the other but it still was confusing. Garrett also added another conflict with Mahira fighting her friend that also felt glossed over ontop of all the other mini subplots which made it very crowded.

So not my favorite of Garrett’s novels and it’s kinda cheesy, but it may perfect for those who like rom coms. 

Parachutes by Kelly Yang

Parachutes is the nickname for rich Chinese students who go abroad for US education in order to get an edge on universities when they get home. Claire is one of thos students much to her shock and dismay but a sudden jaunt to the US is probably better than dealing with the implosion of her parents’ marriage and her boyfriend’s suffocating personality.

However, she isn’t prepared for getting on the wrong foot with her host sister, Dani, nor the microaggressions and the homesickness. Luckily, Jay, the most popular student in school is happy to welcome her to the fun side of parties, booze and shopping.

And she never imagined she would be sexually assaulted.

This is a #Metto book alternating between Claire and Dani’s experiences with different types of sexual assault, objectification, fetishization especially the thin line between support and expectation of “returning the favor”.

As expected with a #Metoo book, the hypocrisy and coverups by the adminstration because the school’s reputation is more important than the victims or the truth is put on full display here as well as its isolating effects on the victims.

However, there’s empowerment to in finding support and speaking out, thus creating a strong bond between Dani and Claire (and others) after being at odds for most of the book.

While it’s a heavy topic to cover (among all the other topics that Yang introduces), Yang does a great job in setting the scene, the characters, their various dynamics and ordinary life. In fact there’s almost 300 pages of it which makes the assault more jarring unless one already sensed the ominous actions and personalities of the offenders. Plus the differing perspectives allow to Yang to emphasize how each case, how each person reacts to the situation is different but the emotional/psychological turmoil are the same.

Also, I mention how Dani and Claire eventually become friends, but I wish they did sooner, especially as Yang has them dealing with a tired love triangle plot for most of the book as a source of conflict.

Ordinary Girls by Blair Thornburgh

I could never love anyone as I love my sisters!” Louisa May Alcott once wrote in Little Women but for Plum and Ginny, putting that into action is difficult to say the least.

Not that they’re fighting all the time but Plum is used to her reputation as the sensible sister. The second daughter to her late genius writer father. Ginny inherited all his intellect. She also has an overdramatic streak that it’s in overdrive with college acceptances coming around and it’s driving Plum crazy.

Ontop of that, their house is a mess especially their bathroom so now she has to go to a freaking portapotty in her backyard. The humiliating situation leading Ginny to tutor her neighbor and popular boy at school, Tate. Suddenly, Ginny is stepping out of her invisible life to something. . . ordinary which can be extraordinary in itself.

Until disaster strikes and Plum realizes the importance of her family even if her sister drives her crazy.

Honestly, I can’t blame Plum for feeling frustrated and done with Ginny’s antics. she’s worse than a fainting Victorian aunt, even their mother agrees. In fact, she’s in such a constant crisis with crying and wailing that I started to wonder why the family never sent Ginny to a therapist. Her histronics were not normal.

And while the story takes place on the East coast, it has a very British vibe to it. Not just from the family watching Downtown Abbey but just the interactions and the humor, I kept forgetting it was American.

Nonetheless, the romance was sweet (and once again major British Pride and Prejudice vibes) and I enjoyed what the author was trying to say about family, perfectionism and being the genius/ordinary one in the family.

Secrets of Truth and Beauty by Megan Frazer

All Dara meant to do when she presented her project about her childhood days on the pagent circut was to present satire about the inherant ridiculousness of toddler pagents and vicarious stage parents. She wasn’t mplying that her mother was an abusive stage mom or that she had an eating disorder.

After that disasterous project and the ensuing parent-teacher conference, Dara is hit by another shock. She has an older sister. An older sister that her parents disowned when she was a toddler. Needing to get away and intensely curious, Dara goes to the commune, her sister was sent to and poses as a troubled girl in order to find out more about the family secrets.

It’s an interesting premise, and like most coming of age stories, Frazer touches on each of the topics like Dara falling in love with a brooding, hurt boy at the commune, familial secrets and the importance of support and acceptance if not from them, but from a found family. So it’s a bit predictable, and Dara is admittedly vanilla but the sisterly bonding between Dara and Rachel and the slow, contemplative tone make it worth at least one read.

Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby

Quinn Sullivan feels like her life is over when her boyfriend is tragically killed. She can’t move on, at least, not until she meets the recipient who got her boyfriend’s heart. She’s curious to see whose life was saved now that her boyfriend is gone, and thinks maybe it will give her closure.

And although the first time she runs into Colton, it’s an accident, Quinn can’t help but meet him again, and talk and bond. She’s falling in love and he loves her back. She knows she should tell him that she knows more about his heart than he realizes especially as it reminds her of her loss. It’s a clash between loss and new future, grief and love, and just (I have to say it) heartfelt.

Kirby creates such an emotionally moving piece, tying in the universal yet complex aspects of life- memory, legacy, love, loss and grief. There’s no one way to live life and it all feels the more fragile considering the situation. Quinn feels conflicted about opening up, not wanting to move on from her boyfriend, Trent and not wanting to get close to Colton because of his fragile health. Colton is also given great layers concerning his view of life and death considering his failing organs and second chance at life thanks to Trent.

It’s a fascinating love story and also would make a great Netflix movie in the vein of Fault in Our Stars.

The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende

The latest novel by Allende is a triple-POV spanning WW2, Germay to COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. amidst child separations at the border. Samuel Adler had been one of the lucky children who escaped his parents’ fate at the concentration camps thanks to the kindertransport. Selena Dunan is busy working at the border, trying to find the deported mother of a child that she’s fighting for in court. And in Allende’s signature style, time and distance connects the two to share their pasts, flaws and future.

I know that’s a bit of a vague summary but I feel like Allende has to be read with no prior expectations or ideas, you just have to enjoy her intertwining prose. She really hits hard how terrifying and tragic these situations are when it comes to violence, fleeing your home and familial separation. The love and sacrifice involved in it that cannot be imagined unless you’re there.

But Allende will make readers care and feel the humanity of these people, as well as the underlying sadness that decades have passed and we’re still repeating these same horrific events.

However, there is one POV I connected more with than the others-Anita, the blind girl whose mother Selena is looking for. She’s the only one who speaks from first person POV and the hard life she has lead till now combined with her still optimistic imagination made her a delight to read even as you recognize the harshness of the world surrounding her. A harshness that she already views as normal. 

Future Perfect by Jen Larsen

Ashley Perkins is dying to go to her dream college-Harved. And she’s close to getting in, she has the grades, the SAt, the acceptance! But she doesn’t have the money. Her grandmother does and she’s willing to fund Ashley’s Harvard medical school dreams if she has weight reduction surgery. It’s yet another bribe that Ashley has been fielding off since she was in lower school and her grandmother deemed her too fat. Ashley knows her weight doesn’t define her, her skills do and she’s fine with who she is. But the offer is tempting and now she must decide between her dream and her long held belief. 

Such a great book tackling numerous topics, the most important being the perception of weight holding a person back. Not necessary in health matters but in professional sense, social etc (Who would go to a doctor who can’t take care of her own weight?). While Ashley’s grandmother can be uptight and narrow minded, Larsen gives enough space for there to be discussion and readers can understand where she’s coming from. It also adds to the conflict as Ashley begins to lean towards her grandmother’s thinking and how it may affect future opportunities, but struggle with the injustice that her weight should matter so much in the first place, it’s her body. 

There’s also plenty of emotional moments to chew on to as Ashley’s Harvard educated surgeon dreams are tied to her mother’s premature death, influencing her drive and make her stakes all the higher for her. A great book, in a more serious vein to Murphy’s Dumplin. 

The Good Braider by Terry Farish

This is a free verse book (aka poetry) covering Viola’s journey from war torn Sudan to Egypt to the US as she reconciles the life and country she must leave behind with the difficulties of fitting into her new surroundings and finding a new future. 

Unlike regularly poetry, the free verse is a soothing yet accessible piece that taps into the heart of Viola’s emotions as she comes of age in difficult circumstances. The assimilation contrasting with her mother’s strict traditionalism is given as much weight as Viola’s flight from Sudan and her subsequent PTSD, all to form a moving exploration of identity and Viola finding out who she wants to be. 

The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life by Tara Altebrando

Mary and her friends have one final night for senior year glory during the annual scavenger hunt. Winning the hunt (and the money) doesn’t just mean senior glory and an awesome legacy to brag for years to come; But the stakes are higher for Mary whose reeling from losing her place in Georgetown to the obnoxious Jake Bar, on-top of a broken heart from her best friend dating her secret crush. But senior scavenger hunt night cannot be planned out like a battle strategy, and sabotage, fights and a weeping Virgin Mary statue all conspire to derail Mary’s plans and make an unforgettable night. 

This book is great fun with all the wild adventures one might (or might not) be able to imagine when it comes to senior night shenanigans. I mean there’s yetis! Which I’ll admit, I found the scavenger hunt more interesting than all of Mary’s emotional and social problems. Maybe other readers would enjoy the, but I found little to differentiate it from other books that deal with senior night themes of change, what you want not being what you need, acceptance, confusion, vows to friends forever etc. 

Unsouled by Will Wright

In Lindon’s world, there’s a strict hierarchy of living. You go up to the testers, find your path and work up the ranks to be a Jade, a Blacksmithet or whatever role that is expected of you. But Lindon can’t. He doesn’t souls as everyone else does, cementing his life as one that is aimless and unclimbable. Lindon won’t accept that. He feels his had energy and power even if it won’t reveal itself and goes on a journey to find his true path. 

Since this is apparently the first book in a series, this was mainly a set up for building lore, the world, the magic system and the characters. In fact, it can get a bit full of exposition at times. And while the system is simple on paper, it took me some time (and page flipping) for me to remember all the rules and the people in it. 

That sort of sucked the epic-ness for me. I was expecting major action in the climax or at least some sort of build up for an ominous ending but it ended rather flat with Lindon vowing to continue his journey of exploration after finding his real power. It was a coming of age ending on an Asian-fusion fantasy book.

But according to other reviews, the best is yet to come so I’ll withhold my full opinions to till I get to book 2 and 3 and chalk up this lacklusterness to debut exposition dump. 

You Have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis

Luna’s mother, the fabulous and famous Italian supermodel has been dead for over a year, and her family is still trying to pick up the pieces. Luna is especially taking it hard after she finds seven messages left on her mother’s answering machine and finds out that there was a lot more to her mother than she ever knew. 

While the premise seems like a classic chance for Luna to go on an emotionally complex journey about the secret lives parents hide, (and it does do that) but there’s a bit of mystery injected as well, hinting there’s more to her mother’s death than an unexpected car crash.  Does well in balancing mystery, and emotional revelations with the requisite romance. But the latter honestly didn’t do much for me. In fact, it sort of felt required point when she could have probed mote deeply into the subject if Luna tried to figure out the message mystery with her brother rather than her crush so to see varied reactions to what happened that day. 

Hope and Other Punchlines by Julie Buxbaum 

“Baby Hope,” you know her, you’ve seen the inspiring picture of a little girl in her birthday dress amidst the wreckage of the Twin Towers during 9/11. Her real name is Abbi and she’s is all grown up at 16 so she doesn’t get those glances of recognition anymore. Well, she would but the internet is forever. That’s why she goes to a camp for children in order to get anonymity, but once again, she’s found out. This time by a very cute boy which could turn into something if only he didn’t see their meet up as destiny and push her identity under the shadows of 9/11 as she dealt with all her life. 

Despite the rocky start, the two manage to find common ground. Hope’s burgeoning friendship with Noah forces her to confront the worst day in America’s history and the struggle that comes with the associations of that day and the history leading up to that day. I enjoyed this fresh perspective on change, history and identity with these teens who have been impacted by the events yet have little memory of it, absorbing the emotional legacy that others hold for that experience. Particularly for Abbi who feels a lot of pressure with the inspiration she is for many people thanks to her picture. Despite the tough subject matter, it’s never too depressing. It’s tough but in an good way after a needed crying session. 

All We Have Left by Wendy Mills 

This is yet another book tackling the aftermath of 9/11 in a dual narrative contrasting the fateful day with the modern day of 2017. 

In 2001, Alia is in the Towers, desperately trying to get her father’s attention when he grounds her for stupid reasons, ending up trapped as the walls crumble around her. 

In 2017, Jesse’s home is a lonely place of silence, still reeling with grief from her brother’s death in the Towers. It’s also filled with hate and anger that prompts Jesse down a dangerous path and a surprising revelation of what happened to her brother on that day. 

Much like other books on the subject, Mills is careful yet a challenger with her book, prompting readers to think on the nature of vengeance and forgiveness especially with such a harrowing topic. Islamaphobia is primary component to the story as Alia deals with the racism and taunts before 9/11 and even worse afterwards, and Jesse’s side shows how such views are formed. She does her best to respect both sides and inject poignancy in even minor interactions so readers come to feel for both girls as they come of age in vastly different yet entwining circumstances. 

Untwine by Edwidge Danticat 

Giselle and Isabelle are identical twins, well not entirely identical but even with their differing temperaments, they adore each other, their best friends, inseparable. 

Then the crash happens. Giselle’s in a coma and Isabelle is left standing, praying that her twin will pull through but what if she doesn’t. . . 

This riveting dual narrative shows Danticat’s prose at its best with her succinct lines in Giselle’s POV showing the confusion, helplessness and longing Giselle feels trapped in her own body contrasting with the busy chaos of Isabelle living untethered without Giselle and the ripple effect the accident has on her family and her community. 

With precision, Danticat can make readers feel for these characters despite knowing them for only a few pages. Or maybe I’m just an easy touch but I can understand the loss the girls feel. 

While I found it a moving book, it has a slow pace and other readers may get tired of the drawn out flashbacks and present day switches. 

What I read during this month

Obviously, Imogen by Becky Albertalli, Kat the Time Traveler quartet by Emma Bradford, Disney Girls #1-11 by Gabrielle Charbonnet, The Cuckoo Sister by Vivian Alcock, 9 Animal Tales by Thorton Burgess, Magic Attic Club Specials by Susan Korman and Sheri Sinykin, BSC in the USA by Ann M. Martin, Woof, there it is by Deborah Gregory, Wellspring of Magic by Jan Fields, Wondergirls by Jillian Brooks, The Friendship Ring by Rachel Vail, If Wishes were Horses by Sibyl Miller, Heroes for my Daughter by Brad Meltzer, Lassie comic, Nikki, Dog of the North by Disney Comics, Disney Adventures: Pocohontas Special, Murder at Camp Bloom by Molly Muldoon and Terry Blas, Veronica #100, Katy Keene #45 25th Anniversary Special, Friday I’m in Love by Camryn Garrett, Wildflowers by VC Andrews, Be Prepared and Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol, All American Girl by Robin Ha, Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash, Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand by Gail Carson Levine, Geek Girls Guide to Cheerleading by Darcy Vance, Emily of New Moon trilogy by LM Montgomery, An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adrianna Herrera, Real Friends trilogy by Shannon Hale, The New Kid, Class Act and School Trip byy Jerry Craft, Oh My Gods by Stephanie Cook, Quests for Glory by Soman Chainai, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins