Scars Like Wings – Erin Stewart

Scars Like Wings by Erin Stewart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Penguin Random House Canada
Published: October 1st 2019
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Recommended Age: 12+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Mental Health, Romance, Death, Friendship, High School

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REVIEW:

This is such a realistic story that I had no problem picturing everything happening and understanding what the characters were feeling. As someone who enjoyed the book Wonder but wished it had been about a more mature protagonist, this was pretty perfect for me and a wonderful reading experience. The poems included had a huge impact on me because I strongly connected with the heroine whose heart was shattered into a million pieces when her parents and best friend died in a fire that she was the only one to survive. Everyone has scares but some scars, like Ava’s, are impossible to miss. This, of course, affects the way she sees herself and other people see her.

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Full Disclosure – Camryn Garrett

Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Penguin Random House Canada
Published: October 29th, 2019
Publisher: Knopf BFYR
Recommended Age: 12+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Romance, Health, Family, LGBTQIA+. Friendship, High School, Theater

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REVIEW:

I knew this was going to be an important and memorable story from the very first chapter. This was my first time reading about an HIV positive character and their struggles so I was paying very close attention to everything that was being said about the virus and how it affected Simone’s daily life. I did feel overwhelmed in the beginning because the author does not wait long to explain Simone’s situation to us and so it feels as though we are info-dumped. At the same time, I am really glad I know more about HIV and the U=U rule (undetectable = untransmittable) today. This book made me realize my own ignorance and corrected it.

A Match Made in Mehendi – Nandini Bajpai

A Match Made in Mehendi by Nandini Bajpai

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Received: Hachette Book Group Canada
Published: September 10th, 2019
Publisher: Little, Brown BFYR
Recommended Age: 11+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Romance, High School, Family History, Indian Culture, Technology

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REVIEW:

I was in the worst book slump ever the past three weeks. I literally started fifteen books, read 10 or 20 pages from each book and proceeded to lose interest completely. I despaired and thought I might never finish another book in my entire life so I decided to take a break from the book world. Thank God because when I finally picked up my sixteenth book—this book—I flew through it.

If I’m Being Honest – Emily Wibberley& Austin Siegemund-Broka

If I’m Being Honest by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Penguin Random House Canada
Published: April 2019
Publisher: Viking BFYR
Recommended Age: 12+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Romance, Retelling, Contemporary, High School, Drama

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REVIEW:

This is a contemporary retelling of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew that is both a comedy and a tragedy. It’s also everything I wanted it to be and so much more than this duo’s previous release – Always Never Yours. I was recently told that I am brutally honest, a statement I agree with and probably the main reason why I connected so well and so instantly with the heroine of this novel, Cameron Bright, a girl who says what she thinks 24/7.

You Asked for Perfect – Laura Silverman

You Asked for Perfect by Laura Silverman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Raincoast Books
Published: March 2019
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Recommended Age: 12+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, LGBTQIA+, Mental Health, Romance, School Pressure, Friendship, Family Dynamics

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REVIEW:

I could have used this book a year before applying to college. That year, and the one before actually, I was intensely focused on my studies and cancelled many plans with friends, so many that by the end of the school year, I barely had anyone to say goodbye, good luck to. And I only realized my mistake when I did get into university, went to a few classes and realized that it’s harder to make friends when the teacher lectures and there’s little time to discuss in or between classes. Unless you go to events, socialize.

Blog Tour: Birthday – Meredith Russo

Birthday by Meredith Russo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Raincoast Books
Published: May 21st, 2019
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Recommended Age: 13+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Fiction, Transgenderism, Coming of Age, Friendship, Romance, High School, Family

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REVIEW:

Three years ago, I read Meredith Russo’s debut – If I Was Your Girl – and I enjoyed it, but I could not have predicted it becoming a bestseller and award-winning novel, because although I found it sweet and meaningful, it was not a page-turner for me. Birthday is very different from her debut, so different that I feel a switch was made in the author’s mind or she wanted to tell a heart-breaking story instead of a mainly heart-blossoming one.

Not If I See You First – Eric Lindstrom

Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Hachette Book Group Canada
Published: 2015
Publisher: Poppy
Recommended Age: 11+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Blindness, Friendship, Romance

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REVIEW:

Over ten Goodreads friends recommended this book to me after seeing me read so many contemporaries, so I really had no choice but to give it a try. And I’m more than happy I did because this was a surprising delight.