Braswell explores the scenario of ”What if Wendy first traveled to Neverland with Captain Hook?” which is a great twist indeed.
Here Wendy, John and Michael never went on their grand adventure to Neverland after Nana catches Pan’s shadow. Rather Nana caught Pan’s shadow but he has never appeared to them. Now years later, Wendy Darling is a dreamy sixteen year old who talks too much of childish things and is a dear “little mum” to her brothers who have given up and forgotten about Peter Pan.
Wendy hasn’t. She still looks at his shadow, knowing that he‘s there and it gives her hope that someday she can go to Neverland. An exciting prospect for a young girl whose prospects in life are unmarried spinster or unmarried kooky spinster that takes care of her brother’s children. Yeah, the options aren’t thrilling. She needs to escape especially after her parents find her notebook of Neverland stories and determine she must be sent to Ireland as a way of making her grow up.
This fun, frothy romcom series is written entirely in epistolotory form. meaning that it’s written in emails, texts, and such. No prose, which makes it a very fast read as the characters swap gossip, get into miscommunications and get sexy. The romances all share small-town girls falling for outsider city boys, but really the charm is in the comedy. I always read it when I want a laugh.
Heather Well Mysteries series
This is another comedy series, but also speaks to some important themes about body perception, abuse, and motherhood. Heather Wells is a former Britney-type popstar until she got dumped by her label, and her boyfriend for her mild weight gain and her mom stole all her money to run to Argentina. Relegated to a forgotten mall pop princess, she easily blends into her new life as a dorm moniter at Fisher College. The most deadly college in NY it seems as every year brings a new insideous death. Lucky for them, Heather is a forensic buff and so embarks to solve these mysteries for herself with the help of her exes’ hot brother/her roommate. Spicy, isn’t it. Well you have to read the rest for yourself, but I highly enjoyed the evolution of Heather throughout the novels and the way she finds her own sort of love, romantically and for herself.
Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls
I was obsessed with this when I was little. I can’t quite name why, but just that it felt relatable and comforting. Allie is a sweet girl, someone I think I could be friends with and her rules are helpful to life whether it be moving, mean girls, jealousy or letting go of toxic friendship. Her friend group was goals and it just felt like something I could easily hop into and experience for myself in real life.
The Princess Diaries
I know I know, I put this iconic series last but I didn’t get into as much as the above three. But it is still very fun, I love all the lists and pop culture references so it really makes Mia relatable and feel like a teenage girl. I also like how it is dynamic and everyone truly changes and evolves like Mia’s shifted friendship with Lily after the Boris incident and how Lena changed from mean girl to close friend etc.
Aka the only five I’ve read, but I still highly enjoyed them.
Inuyasha by Rumiko Takahashi
The first first anime I watched and this year, I finally got to devour the original manga and it is just as good. Seriously Inuyasha has it all, action, romance, lore, and great character dynamics and relationships. They’re all so unique but it still feels real that they’d come to bond and care for each other like a mishmash family. Additionally, I enjoyed the slow evolution of Inuyasha and Kagome’s friendship turned relationship. Also, the best part of the character development is that none of the characters are the same as they started, they’ve grown.
Here’s a little break from regency romances in the UK ton. Rodale’s trilogy is set in the hustle and bustle of Manhattan with working women and womanly pursuits at its center. Here’s my ranking of Maya Rodale’s The Gilded Age Girl’s Club.
The first book in the Barbara Marr Mysteries series by Karen Cantwell is just as funny as advertised. This comedic mystery follows movie lover and housewife, Barbara Marr as she stews with the inexplicable development of her husband moving out of the house because “he needs space.” Yeah, I’d be furious too if my husband just popped that idea out of the blue without a warning or indicating anything was wrong with her marriage.
Hamilton and Peggy is a perfect addition for a Hamilton fan or a historical fiction fan. L.M. Elliot skillfully interweaves historical facts and documents with emotional resonance that makes these characters don’t feel like disnant historical figures or amazing musical heroes but just real people living in the Revolution.
A serviceable entry into the Archie-verse of stories as part of their new Blue Ribbon imprint which is specifically for the company’s graphic novels. I enjoyed Brittany Williams’ pie-eyed style with its vivid, bubblt color palette which perfectly fit the tone of the story of various imaginative scenarios of potential B&V career aspirations. Rather than attend booths on fashion and activism as they had planned, the girls choose to explore and imagine completely different career opportunities.
I decided to take a little break from my “Favorite book (insert genre) suggestions” and try this. These are books I couldn’t fit under one particular category nor do I love them them enough to write a paragraph of why one should give it try. Besides I a lot of them have overlapping themes/genres/ideas with another beloved book (series) so “If you like this, try. . .”
If you like Rachel Renee Russell’s Dork Diaries try Amy Ignatow’s Popularity Papers or Cheer! by Zoe Evens
Both utilize the fun diary form with doodles, drawings and freakouts from the sweet, but relatable protagonists. Yes, they have their freakouts and can be mean and irrational to their family and their friends, but they mean well at the end of the day. Ignatow’s PP series follows Julia and Lydia in their quest to make themselves popular, finding out some real life lessons about friendship along the way. While Madison fails her cheerleadering tryout (much to her humiliation as her mom was head cheerleader on the squad years before) and relegated to the B-team, she sucks it up to get this ragtag pile of misfits into cheer shape while also dealing with her crushes and her parents’ divorce. Fans of Nikk’s rambling diary entries and numerous dramas, will enjoy the hijinks (some of their own making) that befall these characters.
If you like Cathy Hopkins’ Mates, Dates series, try Veronica Chambers’ Amigas Inc.
If you enjoyed the tight friendship of as they grow, laugh and love, you’ll enjoy the tight knit friendship of Alicia, Carmen, Jaimie and Gaz. So tight, that they go on to make their own business, Amigas Inc. creating one of kind quinceneras for the Miami Latinas who want a personalized birthday bash. They also have their fights, and their own business romances, but as they grow on till graduation, they stick by each other till the end.
Part of the New Archie Comics that seeks to bring that Archie brand of humor and hijinks with some more realism and depth, Tom DeFalco’s look into Riverdale’s resident class clown and town jerk is superb.
Now here’s a little break from history books and nonfiction. Here’s relatable YA books focusing on double standards, femnisim, beauty, love and sexuality and all those things in between.
Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu
I forgot to put this in my Diverse Reads post of 2021. In fact it was the first book I read for the new year, and it is wonderful. It’s a rare YA book where I can actually say I loved all the characters (except the ones you obviously have to loathe) in this small Texas high school. Inspired by her mom’s old riot girl zines, the heroine, Vivian decides to anonymously start her own zine to fight back against the rampant sexism and sexual harassment. She was strong minded and passionate but non-patronizing and it covers multiple aspects of feminism including why some may not want to be labeled as one. Plus it shows male allies, and how feminism can be nuanced and people can get it wrong. It doesn’t mean they’re not trying, they are, it’s hard work but everyone is doing their best to get to a better future. So 5 out of 5.
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
This satirical novel covers almost everything that sucks and is great about being a woman. In a world years from now where superficiality and reality tv reigns, the Miss Teen Dream pagent is in flames when the airplane holding all 50 pagent girls is struck in the middle of an island. The survivors must choose whether to build a fire or work on their special talents, but at least they won’t worry about ruining their perfect size 0 figures. It’s quite fun as it uses such stereotypes as the Christ-loving Texas loudmouth, the ditzy blondes and Adina, the only sane one who is just using this to write an article blasting the pagent for its unattainable beauty standards. But it flips a lot of things on its head as Shanti uses the exoticism of her Indian heritage to get ahead rather than admit she’s just Valley Girl like everyone else. The repressed sexuality of Mary Lou because girls aren’t supposed to like it too much. Or Nicole who fears of being just another black girl stereotype. Also I love the footnotes that explain the various “cultural” references of their world like the Tale of Two Cities game was banned because “Charles Dickins is clearly a pornographic name,” the hot bisexual threesome trope and more.
Rachel Reads & Reviews 