Celebrate the love for books
A Semi Definitive List of Worst Nightmares was yet another book from Krystal Sutherland that made me cry. Something about the way she writes and crafts her characters make them so relatable. The emotions are so palpable, it’s impossible not to feel something for the characters. I think that’s what made this book particularly great. There was nuance in the way mental health was dealt with several times over.
For the most part, I actually enjoyed I Believe in a Thing Called Love. Though, I must admit, I’m not into K-dramas, I still loved the cultural aspects. There are a lot of similarities between East and Southeast Asian cultures, so many aspects of Desi’s way of life felt familiar to me. However, her levels of being a control freak far exceeded that of anyone I know or have met. That’s exactly where hilarity ensued because things went way over the top with her.
Windfall is a book that’s bound to appeal to fans of slow burn romance. There’s no love at first sight, but feelings that Alice harboured for years on end. Friendships came first, which I enjoyed, and all that followed unfolded at good pace. I have to say, of the four books I’ve read by Jennifer E. Smith, Windfall is my favourite so far. The character development was solid, even if the characters themselves weren’t the most likeable.
After reading and enjoying Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe last year, I couldn’t wait for The Inexplicable Logic of My Life to be released. On several counts, Sáenz’s book lived up to my expectations. The prose, though simple, once again was stellar! I love introspective characters, and after reading two books from Sáenz, I’m convinced that he’s a master at writing them. And while single parents are ubiquitous in YA fiction, Sal had an adoptive father who was gay, thereby expanding representation for non-traditional families.
I liked reading The State of Grace. Usually I find books under 300 pages sacrifice depth of characters. For this book, the lower page count wasn’t an issue at all. Rachael Lucas knew exactly what her story was and knew exactly where she was going with it. I found The State of Grace to be focussed and intentional in telling Grace’s story. It’s a book that embraces neurodiversity — something that I’ve not come across all that much in YA fiction.
