But Does It End Well?

My copy of Starfish Conclusion: Worth It I picked this book up because an agent I really like highly recommended it, and I just fell in love with the character, Kiko. She has true anxiety--most likely brought on due to living with her narcissist mother. A lot of young adult books feature anxiety, but they portray it as kind of funny and very relatable. That is not what it is like for Kiko. It is not fun, and it impacts her life in a million different unfortunate ways. This was the first time I'd read a book where I thought, "This person gets it. This person knows what it's like to live with that kind of debilitating anxiety." If you follow Bowman on Twitter, you'll see just how true that is. She's pretty honest about how anxiety looks like for her. And I LOVE that about her. But while the book deals with some heavy subjects, it doesn't feel weighty or sad . One of the things that really lifts it is Kiko's art. She's an amazing artist who...

Conclusion: No risk Love, Hate and Other Filters has a special place in my heart because it is based in Batavia, which is right next to my hometown. Like the main character, Maya, my parents owned a business in Batavia. And also like Maya, I had some steamy kisses in that park by the Fox River. Samira, you are awesome. Thank you for writing such an amazing book. Onto the actual review...Not only is this book a Goodreads Choice Award winner for 2018, it also made the New York Times Bestseller list. Which, for a debut author, is a dream. And Ahmed earns it. This book is quirky, fun, and has a bit of thrill to it once it gets going.   The story itself is just lovely. You have this girl who loves photography and has this giant crush on a boy and manages to find a way to spend time with him. Way to go, Maya--you've already figured out your life better than I ever did as a high-schooler. In addition, there's a whole subplot around a terrorist threat, so the s...

Conclusion: Worth It This book has been a number-one New York Times Bestseller for almost two years.  And that’s a long time. A very long time. So obviously we decided we should read it. And...man. This book earns every week of its spot as number one. Starr is articulate and insightful.  So often I feel like we are watching the world around us, weighing carefully what we are told and what we experience and seeing if the two match up. I love watching Starr do the same. We feel the precarious balance she strives to maintain as she straddles two different worlds--her inner-city neighborhood and her upper-crust high school. And we experience her inner turmoil as she not only deals with witnessing her childhood friend get shot and killed by police, but, as news of the shooting hits the media, how people react to the story not knowing that she was there. That can sound like heavy stuff, but Thomas manages it with ease , and what could, in less capable hands, feel weig...

Conclusion: Frankly, I Didn’t Care Sorry But You Lost Me This book might belong in Don’t Read It, but to be honest, I think I need to have a certain level of rage to put a book in that category (ie how we feel about 13 Reasons Why ). With Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel, I’m just disappointed. I read this book because I saw and loved the musical, which came first. That means I'm especially bummed because I really wanted to love this the same way I love the musical. And the book was off the a good start! I really liked the narration. Evan is a hilariously awkward and anxious narrator. I could totally relate and was cracking up . But it all went south when they decided to whitewash the psyche of a suicidal character and misrepresent the reality of teen suicide . Gah! When will we get a young adult book that handles this topic well?? Not to mention the flat, uninspiring ending that somehow manages to be pathetic, even though it has the same plot points of the musical, which...