Forget Tomorrow / Pintip Dunn

4/5

In the world of Forget Tomorrow, everyone is sent a memory from their future self when they turn seventeen. The memory Callie receives is of her killing her beloved younger sister. The rest of the novel is of Callie going on the run, trying to avoid her fate, and unravel the mystery and science behind sending memories. 

Forget Tomorrow has a quick pace, an urgent tone, and high stakes. I enjoyed Callie's character development and her strength. A nice touch Dunn adds into the novel is the opportunity to learn about Callie through what others think of her. Callie doesn't see herself as "defiant" or "aggressive," but seeing how others interpret her actions shed some light on why she might be called such.

Forget Tomorrow has a thought-provoking premise and executes it with suspense and intensity. I was engaged throughout the entire novel and am curious to what will happen in the next. I'd recommend it to fans of dystopian novels like The Giver or a less-violent Hunger Games, or fans of All Our Yesterdays, a similar novel by Cristin Terrill that I would also recommend. 

Flame in the Mist / Renee Ahdieh

3/5

Flame in the Mist delivers the strong female lead promised, although in a different way than I expected. I was hoping she would be more of an aggressive lead, rapidly improving her skills and smarts, winning against her opponents. But like most firsts in a series, this novel is more setup for those showdowns to happen in the future. There definitely were moments where Mariko impressed, and I admired her determination and growth, but ideally I would have preferred to see more of those moments. 

Unfortunately Flame in the Mist has a slightly similar vibe to Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses in that the female lead can be useless at times and there are some slightly sexist interactions occurring, but Flame also shares similarities with stronger novels such as Under the Never Sky and The Reader. Flame also brings up the interesting dilemma of independence and freedom versus loyalty, and pushes one to think about how far one would go to protect oneself. If you enjoy novels that pit smarts against strength, I would recommend giving Flame in the Mist a try.

Summer is Over But That's OK

3.5/5

I enjoyed reading each of the characters, especially watching the relationships develop between them, and I loved watching their secrets slowly be exposed. The ending felt a little like a cop out, but overall the mystery and the characters were enough to drive the entire plot forward and keep me engaged.

2.5/5

The characters weren't the best; Jemmie has flaws but overall is strong enough that I could follow her. Crowe is by far the worst. Why are we romanticizing abusive behavior? The plot is interesting and fast-paced enough that it kept me engaged, and it continued to build until the very end. I couldn't quite buy Jemmie's whole ordeal with her power/lack thereof because it was a little predictable, but Rush turned it into a good puzzle piece that fit at the end. Overall, not the most enjoyable because of the characters, but the plot is engaging enough for Devils and Thieves to provide entertainment.

2.5/5

I feel like this novel's writing style and level of character maturity is more suited toward younger teens, but it also included implications of very dark, gory themes such as torture, which made for a mismatched tone. I appreciated Reagan's independence and Orlando's depiction of her paranoia, but disliked the dialogue, particularly in Reagan's argument with her mother-- I found the language to be very unrealistic and cliche. As the novel continues, the events grow darker and become more extreme and almost outlandish. The great change of tone is a little off-putting. I'm not sure to whom I would recommend You Don't Know My Name, because I couldn't figure out the target audience.

3.5/5

I enjoyed This Mortal Coil. It starts a little slow, but as the novel progresses, the stakes rise and Suvada begins to call into question many ethical concerns. I loved deliberating over the questions she raised regarding science, humanity, and identity. This Mortal Coil is similar to Warcross and The Darkest Minds, and I would recommend it to fans of those novels who are willing to put time into this lengthier book, aren't afraid of grit, and love moral ambiguity.

Love & Gelato / Jenna Evans Welch

3/5

Love & Gelato is another cute chick lit novel about finding romance in a romantic country and follows the basic chick lit format: a girl who recently went through tragedy, such as the loss of a parent, moves to a European country and rather than being excited like "most girls," she is sad due to prevously mentioned tragedy. She then meets a cute boy, or possibly two, who draws her out of her shell and shows her how to live again after said tragedy.

Honestly, I'm surprised Love & Gelato was successfully published considering how similar it is to Anna and the French Kiss. I'm surprised Jenna Evans Welch hasn't been sued. But similarities and lack of originality aside, Love & Gelato is cute and decently enjoyable. Lina, our main character, can be a little annoying with her constant jumping to conclusions, but without that trait the plot would be considerably less active. Love & Gelato gets a strong three out of five stars for delivering what it promises: a light, feel-good read about cute teenage problems.

If you're an Anna and the French Kiss fan, Love & Gelato is definitely for you. If you need a break from the stress of life and are looking for a quick, free, and fun vacation to Italy, pick up Love & Gelato. But if you like a little more action and intensity, and a little more brains to your main lead, then maybe skip this one.

Not If I See You First / Eric Lindstrom

3/5

Parker Grant is blind, not helpless, and she has rules to make sure things stay that way. She doesn't tolerate any mistreatment, and her inability to see people's faces and reactions makes it easy for her to cut anyone she doesn't like out of her life. But what if things aren't as black and white as they seem, and her harsh demeanor and strict rules become more harmful than helpful?

Not If I See You First allowed me to experience the perspective and life of someone I probably wouldn't otherwise. I learned about how Parker lives her life without sight, and how that has not only shaped her actions but her personality and her outlook. She's headstrong and carefree, traits that make for a fun lead, but as I read on I began to see how these traits were hurting her. It was wonderful to watch her discover that for herself. One thing I didn't like was how towards the end, the romance storyline really took over the plot. The ultimate focus of the novel, though, was on Parker's growth and her development with other characters (pay special attention to her sister, it is one of the most interesting relationships in the novel) and the romance doesn't cause Parker to lose sight of herself. 

Eric Lindstrom does a wonderful job in Parker's growth and development, and I would recommend Not If I See You First to fans of teen romance, realistic fiction, and coming-of-age novels.

Children of Blood and Bone / Toni Adeyemi

1.5/5

Children of Blood and Bone is a West African- inspired fantasy novel filled with magic. Magic in the land of Orisha is suppressed by the king, and Zelie has lived her whole training to stay safe as a maji. When she gets tangled up in a mission to save magic and in a run-in with a conflicted princess, she also finds herself messily tied to the prince.

Blood and Bone is ambitious in its goals of representing West-African culture. I'm not familiar with West-African culture so I can't say how accurate the novel is, but I greatly enjoyed hearing about different beliefs and traditions, and I admire Toni Adeyemi for her efforts toward representation and the beautiful world she created. But other than representation efforts, there aren't many compliments I can give Blood and Bone. 

The set up for the novel is full of high stakes action and life-or-death intensity, but the writing simply doesn't deliver. Blood and Bone switches perspectives between Zelie, Amari, and Inan, and though their voices were written differently, the difference was not as great as it should have been between characters that are so different. I didn't have a problem differentiating because what they said and the context of the narration made it clear, but I think the chapters would have benefited from more distinct writing styles. The writing often felt cliche in terms of dialogue and plot (such as in the opening scene, or whenever someone got jealous). My biggest problem with the novel, though, are the characters. I like Zelie's brother, although his overreaction towards the end of the book felt very much like a plot device to add more drama and fills the book with too much testosterone. Amari has the best character development, I enjoy her but her role isn't large enough. She feels like a flimsy character that Adeyemi brushes past in favor of Zelie and Inan, the worse half of the four main characters. Zelie isn't the worst lead but she is definitely not strong or smart enough to be a favorite. And Inan is by far, the weakest, most painfully difficult character to read. He is spineless throughout the entire novel, he does disgusting and immoral actions to those he claims he loves, and to make things even worse, Zelie, our supposedly "strong" female lead, accepts it!

If you are looking for fantasy and magic, I would recommend Strange the Dreamer or the Grisha trilogy. 

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda

4/5

I read Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda in one sitting at the airport. I actually wished that my flight would be delayed because that's how desperately I wanted to be able to sit there and finish the last chapter without interruption.

Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda is a well-written coming-of-age novel that I would recommend to John Green fans and really all fans of YA realistic fiction. Becky Albertalli writes Simon as an honest teenage boy. I loved hearing his point of view and the challenges he faced that are so different from most, or at least not so often acknowledged, in mainstream media. The narration is humorous and the changes in format helped to keep the novel lighthearted and interesting. One thing in particular that I loved, other than Simon's character and voice, was piecing together who Simon is and how he is perceived by others by reading his friends' descriptions of him and his friends' actions. It was a really fun puzzle to solve and very thought-provoking to hear Simon's perspective, and be Simon, while at the same time seeing how other people's perception of him is different from what he and I both thought of him. 

I also enjoyed Love, Simon, the film adaptation, and as always I recommend reading the book before watching the movie! Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda is the new TFIOS, at least in terms of popularity; this is recognition that's well-deserved and I would recommend not only YA fans but anyone who wants to stay in touch with this generation to pick it up immediately.