Genre π: YA/NA Contemporary, Paranormal, Fantasy Tropes πββοΈ: Demon x Human, Opposites attract, Forced proximity, Fake dating Rep βοΈ: Queer main characters and side characters CW β οΈ: Religious bigotry, drugging/kidnapping Rating βοΈ: 3.5/5
Genre π: YA Horror, Paranormal, Fantasy Tropes πββοΈ: Family curse, Resurrection, Revenge Rep βοΈ: Korean American main characters CW β οΈ: Loss of a loved one, grief, body horror, animal mutilation Rating βοΈ: 4/5
Genre π: YA Contemporary, Romance Tropes πββοΈ: Sports romance, Fake dating, Former friends to lovers CW β οΈ: Social anxiety, panic attacks Rating βοΈ: 4.5/5
Genre π: YA Contemporary, Coming-of-age, Romance Tropes πββοΈ: College road trip, Former friends to lovers Rep βοΈ: Chinese American main characters CW β οΈ: Loss of a loved one, grief, anxiety, diaspora, brief moment of racism Rating βοΈ: 4.5/5
Genre π: YA Contemporary, Romance Tropes πββοΈ: Celebrity romance, Small town romance, Rivals to lovers, Secret pen pals Rep βοΈ: Autistic main characters CW β οΈ: Ableism, cyberbullying and harassment Rating βοΈ: 4/5
(Laughing at the fact that my review title is basically DF: D and D & D and D π but yeah, anyway — )
I’m not a roleplaying game person, so the first couple of times I saw Kristy Boyce’s Dungeons and Drama floating around online, I gave it a pass. Then I peeked at the reviews, many of which stressed that the novel is enjoyable whether you’re into RPGs or not. Thank god I listened, because GAHHHDHGBSKJAGGBJKGJD. It is one of the cutest freaking books I’ve ever read and definitely my favorite comfort book of 2024. It is very much a love letter to DnD, and you really feel the author’s passion for it, but it’s also a well-crafted coming-of-age story about discovering new things, whether that be in hobbies, in glasses-wearing love interests, or in parents we thought we knew.
This checks all the boxes for me. β Stubborn AF friends-to-lovers. β Forced proximity in a cozy beach setting. β And angst. Lots and lots of delicious angst. Eva Des Lauriers’ debut YA novel I Wish You Would is as addicting as the Taylor Swift song it’s named after. It follows best friends Natalia and Ethan, who are so in love but oh-so terrified to rock the friendship boat. After a disastrous prom night and a summer of ghosting each other, they reunite for their Senior Sunrise school trip. Giving them 24 hours to fix things.
Okay, that doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, but you get my point. The premise for The Perfect Guy Doesn’t Exist sounded so wild and fun, I had to check it out. Protagonist Ivy finds that her favorite fictional hero Weston Razorbrook has come to life — but something’s off. It’s not just the character but the fanfic version of the character Ivy wrote. He’s literally made for Ivy, yet it doesn’t take too long for Ivy to realize he may not be exactly what she wants.
This book is ~sweet~. Like sipping lemonade out on the front porch kind of sweet. In the Orbit of You had me from the very beginning, when we meet young Nova and Sam playing in the dirt by their connected fence. The queen and king of Snailopolis, as they call it. (Freaking adorable.) They’re torn apart, however, when Sam is taken away from his abusive home to live with his uncle. Snailopolis and its royalty become a distant memory. Until Nova and Sam meet again in their final years of high school.
Breathing Underwater‘s gorgeous cover was calling me like a siren — I mean, look at that thing. πβBut it was the synopsis that really got me. The book, by Abbey Lee Nash, centers on teen competitive swimmer Tess during the summer she’s diagnosed with epilepsy. As she grapples with this news, everything she’s ever dreamed of and planned for her life is screeched to a halt. How can she swim when she’s constantly at risk of having a seizure? But then, how can she not swim, when that’s all she’s ever known?