Rachel Reads & Reviews

Sharing books for everyone

Julia DeVillers Interview

Julia DeVillers is the author of several tween/teen books like Trading Faces (with her own twin sister), Liberty Porter, First Daughter, How My Personal Private Journal Became a Bestseller, Meet Me at Wonderland, and more. She graciously took the time to answer my questions about her beginnings in the industry, turning her first novel into…

rachelbeerwoman

May 17, 2026

Interview

#aladdin, #girlwise, #howmypersonalprivatejournalbecameabestseller, #juliadevillers, #libertyporterfirstdaughter, #meetmeatwonderland, #middlegrade, #rachelreads&reviews, #readitandweep, #simon&schuster, #tradingfaces, #tweenage
Shards of Silence Review

Even if it hurts to leave behind his friends and family in Navajo, New Mexico—especially his great-grandmother, Mildred—Derrick knows his scholarship to an elite East Coast boarding school is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Sagefield Academy is totally different from life on the His new classmates vacation in Europe and take study drugs. Derrick wants to stick…

rachelbeerwoman

May 15, 2026

Reviews

#brianleeyoung, #comingofage, #contemporaryfiction, #heartdrumimprint, #indigenousfiction, #indigenousmcs, #indigenousYA, #navejo, #rachelreads&reviews, #shardsofsilence, #YA
Khadijah VanBrakle Interview

Khadijah VanBrakle is the author of Fatima Tate Takes the Cake, and My Perfect Family, and strives to depict characters that reflect the intersection of the Black Muslim American experience. She graciously took the time to answer my questions about representation, her sophomore novel, and what’s coming next. Enjoy! My 2012 new year’s resolution was…

rachelbeerwoman

May 11, 2026

Interview

#africanamericanfiction, #africanamericanmcs, #blackmuslimFMCs, #fatimatatetakesthecake, #khadijahvanbrakle, #muslimrepresentation, #myperfectfamily, #rachelreads&reviews, #YA
Randi Smith Interview

Randi Smith is a librarian from Kentucky, although you may know her from her Substack work and tiktok where she discusses her work, and other thoughts on reading. This month, her debut YA Ada Holloway’s Had Enough came out, and she was kind enough to take the time to answer my questions on writing, book…

rachelbeerwoman

May 8, 2026

Interview

#adaholloway’shadenough, #bookbans, #cenorship, #rachelreads&reviews, #randismith, #YA
Saints of the Household Review

Max and Jay have always depended on one another for their survival. Growing up with a physically abusive father, the two Bribri American brothers have learned that the only way to protect themselves and their mother is to stick to a schedule and keep their heads down. But when they hear a classmate in trouble…

rachelbeerwoman

May 7, 2026

Reviews

#aritison, #farrarstrausandgiroux, #indigenousfiction, #rachelreads&reviews, #thesaintsofthehousehold, #YA
Book of the Month: Iron Lake

Part Irish, part Anishinaabe Indian, Cork is having difficulty dealing with the marital meltdown that has separated him from his children, getting by on heavy doses of caffeine, nicotine, and guilt. Once a cop on Chicago’s South Side, there’s not much that can shock him. But when the town’s judge is brutally murdered, and a…

rachelbeerwoman

May 6, 2026

Book/Author Highlight

#corko’connormysteries, #ironlake, #mystery, #rachelreads&reviews, #williamkentkruger
We Need Diverse Books

I know I missed We Need Diverse Books week or Banned Books week, but it took a while to compile this list of all the contemporary YA I’ve read over the years. Some overla since no one can be fit into one label, but I labeled some of them as many are #OwnVoices. Since it’s…

rachelbeerwoman

May 1, 2026

Book Suggestions

#aaronh.aceves, #aashnaavachat, #abgailhingwei, #africanamericanfiction, #africanamericanmcs, #aishasaed, #ajsteiger, #akemidawnbowman, #alexandraleighyoung, #angelinaboulley, #angiethomas, #annagarcia, #annasortino, #aritison, #autumnallen, #beckyalbertalli, #bessiefloreszaldivar, #blackmcs, #brianleeyoung, #byrongraves, #camryngarrett, #candiceiloh, #candicejailili, #claireforrest, #crystalmaldonando, #cynthialeitichsmith, #dahliaadler, #davidyoon, #dawnquigley, #disabiledmcs, #edwidgedanticat, #elisabryant, #elizabethacevedo, #elizabethsantiago, #emerylee, #emikojean, #ericsmith, #erikatwurth, #farahnazrishi, #fredaceves, #ftlukens, #gloriachao, #guadalupegarciamccall, #haileyalcaraz, #haylelyneil, #hispanicmcs, #I.W.gregorio, #ibizoboi, #indigenousfiction, #indigenousmcs, #indigenousYA, #isaacblum, #jadeadia, #janeigaro, #jennnguyen, #jennyhan, #jesmeenknurdeo, #jesmminemendez, #jessicaverdis, #jewishrepresentation, #jewishYA, #joyagoffney, #juliemurphy, #kacencallender, #kathrynormsbee, #kauakanilehuamahoeadams, #kellyyang, #khadijahvanbrakle, #kwameivery, #lamargiles, #laurelfloresfantauzzo, #leahjohnson, #levrosen, #leylabrittan, #lilariesen, #lizaweimer, #loanle, #lylalee, #maggiehorne, #mariae.andreu, #mariekenijkamp, #mariemarquardt, #marikoturj, #maurenegoo, #mayracuevas, #megmedina, #melatilum, #melissadelacruz, #michellequach, #middleeasternrepresentation, #misasugiura, #mitaliperkins, #monicagomezhira, #muslimmcs, #muslimYA, #nadinibaijapi, #nataliesylvester, #navdeepsinghdhillon, #nicolayoon, #nicstone, #oliviaabhati, #patriciapark, #paulajfreedman, #peytonthomas, #pintipdunn, #priyankataslim, #rachellynnsolomon, #rachelreads&reviews, #randaabdelfattah, #reamshukairy, #reneewatson, #renepenagovea, #robintalley, #sabaatahir, #sabinakhan, #samiraahmed, #sandhyamenon, #sandraproudman, #sarabarnard, #sarahkuhn, #saytanidasgupta, #seemayasmin, #shanahkhubiar, #shannonc.f.rogers, #skali, #staceylee, #stephenlee, #stevensalvatore, #susanazimboyer, #susanlee, #taheranmafi, #tamicharles, #tanyaboteju, #tashiebhuiyan, #terryfarish, #tiffanyjackson, #traceybadua, #unalamarche, #vinchetchum, #waichim, #YA
April Books

Art of X-Men the Animated Series by Eric and Julie Lewald/Art of X-Men ’97 by James Field Showrunners Eric Lewald and Julia Lewald reveal the story behind the creation of one of the most celebrated, revolutionary animated series of all time. The Art and Making of the Animated Series takes fans behind the scenes of…

rachelbeerwoman

April 30, 2026

Book Suggestions

#alexismichelle, #allmyrage, #armaveni, #artbooks, #artofxmen97, #asianmcs, #contemporaryfiction, #contemporaryromance, #countingdownwithyou, #davidyoon, #dragqueens, #ericlewald, #estelaundrowining, #farahnazrishi, #franklyinlove, #freeradicals, #goodbyeperfect, #graphicmemoir, #grooming, #hailmariam, #hannahvsawyerr, #harpercollins, #harperteen, #hudaal-marashi, #ifyou’renottheone, #inkyardpress, #jamesfield, #juliej, #julielewald, #kennedyannscott, #lagoonabloo, #latinamc, #latinas, #laurelfloresfantauzzo, #lgtbq, #lilariesen, #littlebrownbooksforyoungreaders, #magicmisfits, #marvelcomics, #mentalhealth, #middlegrade, #muslimrepresentation, #myheartunderwater, #nadinetakvorian, #nancypaulsonbooks, #neilpatrickharris, #ninawest, #noteanoshade, #olivialux, #penguinrandomhouse, #penguinyoungreadersgroup, #putnam'ssons, #quilltreebooks, #rachelreads&reviews, #renepenagovea, #sabaatahir, #sarabernard, #tashiebhuiyan, #theartofxmentheanimatedseries, #thesurprisingpowerofagooddumpling, #thisisnotapersonalstatement, #traceybadua, #truthis, #waichim, #xmen, #YA
Book of the Month: The Secret Book Society

You are cordially invited to the Secret Book Society… London, 1895: Trapped by oppressive marriages and societal expectations, three women receive a mysterious invitation to an afternoon tea at the home of the reclusive Lady Duxbury. Beneath the genteel facade of the gathering lies a secret book club—a sanctuary where they can discover freedom, sisterhood,…

rachelbeerwoman

April 25, 2026

Book/Author Highlight

#hanoversquarepress, #historicalfiction, #madelinemartin, #rachelreads&reviews, #thesecretbooksociety, #victorianfiction, #women’sfiction
Archie Vol 6 Review

It all comes down to this! The Riverdale gang—held hostage by Cheryl Blossom’s father! Reggie—at last paying for his crimes! And when all is said and done, Riverdale is turned upside down once more! Collects issues #28-32 of the ongoing ARCHIE series! We’ve come to the grand finale, and it’s so good. Not only do…

rachelbeerwoman

April 24, 2026

Reviews

#archie, #archiecomics, #audreymok, #ianflynn, #markwaid, #rachelreads&reviews, #thenewriverdale, #volumesix