Rachel Reads & Reviews

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Tag: #YA

  • Eighteen Roses Review

    Lucia Cruz may be turning eighteen this year, but she is not the debutante type. Everything about a traditional Filipino debut feels all wrong for her. Besides, custom dictates that eighteen friends attend her for a special ceremony on her birthday, and Lucia only has one friend– Esmé Mares. They’ve stuck to each other’s side…

  • 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…

  • 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! When did you begin writing and…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Book of the Month: The Handmaid’s Tale

    I’m sure a book this well known needs no summary. I mean it has like two netflix adaptations and is taught in various high schools, so I’ll get to it. I read it during high school, and didn’t have many new insights on it other than how scarily accurate and timely it is. My friend…

  • Beth is Dead Review

    When Beth March is found dead in the woods on New Year’s Day, her sisters vow to uncover her murderer. Suspects abound. There’s the neighbor who has feelings for not one but two of the girls. Meg’s manipulative best friend. Amy’s flirtatious mentor. And Beth’s lionhearted first love. But it doesn’t take the surviving sisters…

  • Women’s History Books

    Here it is, the annual updated list of women’s history books. One for each day of the month. Maybe even the year. Enjoy!