Category: Book Talk

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Review: Together We Rot

Posted on by Sara B.

If there’s one thing that makes me squirm, it’s bugs, and supernatural thriller Together We Rot is crawling with them. I just — I can’t do bugs. *shivers* I can’t, but good writing has a way of pulling me in and keeping me there. Skyla Arndt’s creepy and chilling debut novel follows ex best friends Wilhelmina and Elwood navigating the horrors of a small-town cult. Bugs aside, I am allured by all things dark, and exploring all the mystery and complexity of that, so I was excited to get to the bottom of this cult business.

Continue reading “Review: Together We Rot” →
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Review: All That’s Left to Say

Posted on by Sara B.

So much to say about All That’s Left to Say. The novel, written by Emery Lord, follows protagonist Hannah MacLaren after her cousin and best friend Sophie dies from an overdose. Hannah’s world is completely shattered, as she deals with this loss and the mystery surrounding it. The Sophie she knew wouldn’t have used drugs, wouldn’t have kept such a huge secret from her. Yet that’s the truth she’s left with. Her grief is big and all-consuming, the only thing driving her forward being her determination to find out who gave Sophie the pills that ended her life.

Continue reading “Review: All That’s Left to Say” →
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Review: Throwback

Posted on by Sara B.

Throwback by Maurene Goo is a coming-of-age fantasy YA novel about a Gen Z Korean-American named Samantha who travels back to the 1990’s and meets her teenage mother, with the mission to change their future. With that description alone, I was ready to swan dive into this book. It sounded like a wonderful package of the things I love, like a zany k-drama meets 90’s teen movie. And I’m so glad that it fully delivered.

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Mini Review: Jane Anonymous

Posted on by Sara B.

Oof, this book was an experience. It’s not what I would call a satisfying or enjoyable reading experience, but that’s kind of the point. We follow main character Jane throughout a traumatizing kidnapping, as well as the aftermath, with alternating “Then” and “Now” chapters. The “Then” sections were especially thrilling and gut-wrenching, with the only comfort being Jane’s confidante and fellow kidnapped victim Mason. I was with Jane the whole ride, feeling the emotions — the fear, the panic, the unexpected love and loss. And as the truth unfolded, I was right there with Jane in feeling her pain. So I’d definitely recommend the book, so long as you’re in the right mood. (I definitely have to read something a little fluffier at the moment. 😭)

Rating: ★★★★★

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Mini Review: When Dimple Met Rishi

Posted on by Sara B.

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I had the pleasure of seeing the lovely Sandhya Menon at a panel for the Texas Book Festival, where I first heard of her and her book When Dimple Met Rishi. She was such a delight in person that I made note to read her work. I’d remind myself to get on that every time I saw the book in store or advertised online, but I just never came around to it. Fast-forward to two years later, in quarantine, and needing a good, cheerful read to take my mind off things. This was definitely that. A good, cheerful time with two Indian-American teens navigating love for the first time. Continue reading “Mini Review: When Dimple Met Rishi” →

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Mini Review: Opposite of Always

Posted on by Sara B.

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I love Groundhog Day. I love About Time. And oh man, I love the Supernatural episode “Mystery Spot.” (🎵 Heeeeat of the moment 🎵) So I was bound to love the time-travelling trope thrown into a swoony YA romance. I’d seen the pretty cover of Justin A. Reynolds’s Opposite of Always floating all over the place, and I finally found the time to read it. Or hear it, I guess, since I experienced the story with Audible. The voice actor brought protagonist Jack’s charm to life, making it so easy to fall into this world. And phew, I fell running. Continue reading “Mini Review: Opposite of Always” →

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Mini Review: The Wives

Posted on by Sara B.

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What. The. Fuck. (And I mean that in a positive way.) It took me a while to get used to Tarryn Fisher’s writing, as she writes characters that I can never fully understand. But reading her latest novel and first thriller The Wives, I realized that that’s what makes these characters so damn interesting. Being in protagonist Thursday’s head, I was on her side instantly, and I wanted to stay on her side till the very end. I questioned her thoughts, her choices, but there was something about her that I wanted to trust. Continue reading “Mini Review: The Wives” →

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Double Feature: The Start of Me and You & The Map from Here to There

Posted on by Sara B.

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Somehow, in the black hole that is the YA Fiction community, I missed the name Emery Lord. She made her debut in 2014 with contemporary novel Open Road Summer and pounded out four more novels after that. It was the 2017 romance When We Collided that finally got her on my radar. Funny, heartwarming, and achingly raw, WWC takes first love and intertwines it with themes of grief and mental health — themes very much needed in the YA genre. Continue reading “Double Feature: The Start of Me and You & The Map from Here to There” →

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Double Feature: The Hate U Give & On the Come Up

Posted on by Sara B.

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To say that this review is long overdue is an understatement. Author Angie Thomas skyrocketed to YA superstardom back in 2017 when her debut novel The Hate U Give was released. The novel was then adapted into a movie starring Amandla Stenberg in 2018 (which, spoiler alert, was freaking great). Even now, in 2019, the book is still relevant because it is comfortably placed in the #1 spot of The New York Times YA bestsellers list. Continue reading “Double Feature: The Hate U Give & On the Come Up” →

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Textbook Review: Her Body and Other Parties

Posted on by Sara B.

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Back in school, back to the textbook reviews (even though my lazy ass only wrote one… wah-wahhh). While I have plenty of books waiting for me on the reading list this semester, I want to highlight my favorite book from last spring’s “Realism & Its Discontents” class. That book is Her Body and Other Parties, a collection of short stories by Carmen Maria Machado. Continue reading “Textbook Review: Her Body and Other Parties” →