Reading Over Sleeping : ARC review

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The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

Expected Publication Date: April 11th, 2017

Format/Source: ARC, borrowed from my dear friend Emily.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Part of a series? Nope!

Goodreads | Preorder: Amazon - Barnes and Noble - The Book Depository

Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love. No matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.

Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly's totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie's new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. If Molly can win him over, she'll get her first kiss and she'll get her twin back.

There's only one problem: Molly's coworker, Reid. He's a chubby Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there's absolutely no way Molly could fall for him.

Right?

*Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers. Also, because I'm awful and behind at everything, this should've been posted in January when I first read the book. A thousand apologies.*

Oh. My. GOODNESS. You GUYS. It's been a while since I've read a book that I've loved as dearly as I loved this. Becky's debut, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is so perfect and fluffy and hit me so close to the heart that I wasn't sure Upside would measure up, but it honestly surpassed all of my expectations. This book is glorious.

One of the reasons I loved this book so much was because I was able to relate to Molly so hardcore. She's had a plethora of unrequited crushes in her lifetime that she's never acted upon, and she is always subconsciously comparing herself to her thinner, prettier twin sister, and oh MAN do I feel that. While I don't have a sister, it is so easy for me to play the comparison game between me and my friends, and it's also so dang easy to believe that you're not worthy of love when your only experience with it has been watching it happen to others, so Molly felt like a soul sister. Her struggles were written so realistically that I felt her pain, but it also made her triumphs very believable and like they were my own.

As Molly begins to fall for Reid and realizes that she can like him and date him without caring about what others think of her as a fat girl dating a dorky boy, her confidence was like a balm to my heart. She and Reid are so adorable together and of course Reid (to quote Rent, he is the most lovable geek) is great on his own, but as much as I loved watching these two get together and figure out their relationship, Molly figuring out that she's worthy of love was what made the novel a winner for me.

Another reason I fell for Upside so hard is because of its excellent and diverse spectrum of representation. Becky doesn't write about these characters as if she's trying to get points for diversity - they're integrated in a way that mimics our reality of today where families are no longer fitting into a mold. It's obvious that she put care into making sure she did justice to the people she represented. Molly and her lesbian twin, Cassie, have two moms, one of which is black and the other is Jewish, so the novel covers some of the struggles of being in both an interracial and same-sex marriage, including not supportive family members. Speaking of marriage, the book takes place two summers ago and it describes the faithful day when the United States legalized all marriage, and it such a joyous day in the Peskin-Suso household that I could not stop smiling. There's also a scene where Molly is feeling down, and her mom Nadine drives her to see the White House lit up like a rainbow in celebration, and it's probably one of the most beautiful scenes I've ever read. I sobbed like a baby - I'm getting teary just writing about it right now.

So even though this review is a mess, I hope my love for this incredible gift of a novel shines through. It's told with a genuine voice, features lesbian and pansexual women of color, and is heavy on the fluff and self-love. I cannot recommend The Upside of Unrequited enough.

Have you read Upside? What have been some of your favorite books you've read this month to show your pride?

Out On Good Behavior by Dahlia Adler

Publication Date: June 14th, 2016

Format/Source: eARC, courtesy of the author. Thank you, Dahlia!

Part of a series? Yes! It is the third (and I believe last) in the Radleigh University series.

Goodreads | Preorder: Amazon - Barnes and Noble

Frankie Bellisario knows she can get anyone she sets her sights on, but just because she can doesn't mean she should—not when the person she's eyeing is Samara Kazarian, the daughter of a southern Republican mayor. No matter how badly Frankie wants to test her powers of persuasion, even she recognizes some lines aren't meant to be crossed.

But when Frankie learns she's been on Samara's mind too, the idea of hooking up with her grows too strong to resist. Only Sam's not looking for a hookup; she wants—needs—the real thing, and she's afraid she'll never find it as long as Frankie's in her head.

Forced to choose between her first relationship and losing the girl who's been clawing her way under her skin, Frankie opts to try monogamy...under her own condition: 30 days of keeping things on the down low and remaining abstinent. If she fails as hard at girlfriending as she's afraid she might, she doesn't want to throw Samara's life into upheaval for nothing. But when neither the month nor Frankie's heart go according to plan, she may be the one stuck fighting for the happily ever after she never knew she wanted.

(As always, my review at a glance template is from the awesome Alex @ Fiery Reads.)

At this point, you all should already know that I am OBSESSED with Dahlia's books. I love her Radleigh series, and ever since we were introduced to Frankie in Last Will and Testament, I've been (not so) patiently awaiting her book. Pretty much all you need to know is that its super hot, super gay, and there are some pretty solid YA book references throughout the novel, including a shoutout to one of my OTPs. Frankie is hilarious, and I lived for the banter and chemistry between her and Sam. I also loved reading her interactions with her friends. Out On Good Behavior is a swoony romance featuring a pan MC (which is AWESOME) and a solid friendship group. This book, as well as the other two books in the series, are everything you could ever want in an NA novel. Definitely pick it up when it releases Tuesday!

Have you read the Radleigh series? What did you think? Are you reading proud this month? Let me know all the things!

Wanderlost by Jen Malone

Publication Date: May 31st, 2016

Format/Source: eARC, courtesy of HarperTeen and Edelweiss. Thank you!

Part of a Series? Nope!

Goodreads | Purchase: Amazon - Barnes and Noble - The Book Depository

Not all those who wander are lost, but Aubree Sadler most definitely is on this novel’s whirlwind trip through Europe.

Aubree can’t think of a better place to be than in perfectly boring Ohio, and she’s ready for a relaxing summer. But when her older sister, Elizabeth, gets into real trouble, Aubree is talked into taking over Elizabeth’s summer job, leading a group of senior citizens on a bus tour through Europe.

Aubree doesn’t even make it to the first stop in Amsterdam before their perfect plan unravels, leaving her with no phone, no carefully prepared binder full of helpful facts, and an unexpected guest: the tour company owner’s son, Sam. Considering she’s pretending to be Elizabeth, she absolutely shouldn’t fall for him, but she can’t help it, especially with the most romantic European cities as the backdrop for their love story.But her relationship with Sam is threatening to ruin her relationship with her sister, and she feels like she’s letting both of them down. Aubree knows this trip may show her who she really is—she just hopes she likes where she ends up.

Review at a glance... (As always, template courtesy of Alex @ Fiery Reads)

Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes

Expected Publication Date: May 17th, 2016

Format/Source: eARC, courtesy of Harper Teen and Edelweiss. Thank you!

Rating: 5/5 stars

Part of a series? Nope! This is a standalone.

Goodreads | Preorder: Amazon - Barnes and Noble - The Book Depository

Maguire is bad luck.

No matter how many charms she buys off the internet or good luck rituals she performs each morning, horrible things happen when Maguire is around. Like that time the rollercoaster jumped off its tracks. Or the time the house next door caught on fire. Or that time her brother, father, and uncle were all killed in a car crash—and Maguire walked away with barely a scratch.

It’s safest for Maguire to hide out in her room, where she can cause less damage and avoid meeting new people who she could hurt. But then she meets Jordy, an aspiring tennis star. Jordy is confident, talented, and lucky, and he’s convinced he can help Maguire break her unlucky streak. Maguire knows that the best thing she can do for Jordy is to stay away. But it turns out staying away is harder than she thought.

I honestly don't know where to begin with this book because Girl Against the Universe is one of those books. You know the ones that take up residence in your heart and make everything feel so lovely when you're done. Yeah, this was definitely one of those. This review is probably going to consist of a lot of rambling because I loved a great many things about this book, and I'm not sure I can coherently express all those feels.

The number one thing I loved about this book is the mental health portrayal. I've been reading more and more books lately that are spot-on and realistic with their representation, and I'm happy to say Girl Against the Universe is one of those. Maguire has PTSD, which she slowly but surely deals with with the help of her family and a therapist. No one tried to "fix her". They just wanted her to have the help and support she needed to feel better herself.

I also really loved Maguire's relationship with her family. I know not every family is close, but not every family is distant or just plain awful either and so often books focus on the later. Maguire has a wonderful stepdad, and her is supportive of her problems, though she does not always understand. There's a particular moment towards the end of the novel where Maguire and her mom confront their grief together, and it was really touching.

Another aspect of the novel I enjoyed was the fact that its centered around tennis. I may not like sports too much, but I love books about sports. GATU is the only tennis-centric YA I've heard of, and it makes it very unique and interesting. I always like hearing about school sports because I don't play any myself. But I did relate to the parts of Maguire's sports experience about school and how much school can suck and how hard it can be to make friends at school when it feels like everyone is already someone else's friend. School is strange, but Maguire figured it out.

And now let's talk about my favorite part of all of my favorite books: the cute love interest. In Girl Against the Universe, the love interest is Jordy, an adorable, attractive pro tennis player. He befriends Maguire by helping her with tennis (and he feeds her California burritos!), and as their relationship progresses, they help each other work out their issues. Like Maguire's family, Jordy doesn't try to fix her. He just wants her to be happy. And oh my GOODNESS do I love him.

"He's so close that I'm seeing double. "Is this the real you?" I ask. Maguire. This is more real than I have felt in months.""

Girl Against the Universe is a masterpiece of a novel. The characters are complex and realistic, the pacing is perfect, it tackles PTSD well, and it has a rather cute boy. This is a 2016 release you do not want to miss.

Have you read it? Are you planning on picking it up? Let me know! I'd love to talk about this or anything else you've read recently.

Summer of Supernovas by Darcy Woods

Publication Date: May 10th, 2016

Format/Source: ARC, courtesy of Jaime from Fiction Fare who rocks my socks off. Thanks again, Jaime!

Rating: 4/5 stars

Part of a series? Nope!

Goodreads | Preorder: Amazon - Barnes and Noble - The Book Depository

When zodiac-obsessed teen Wilamena Carlisle discovers a planetary alignment that won’t repeat for a decade, she’s forced to tackle her greatest astrological fear: The Fifth House—relationships and love.

But when Wil falls for a sensitive guitar player hailing from the wrong side of the astrology chart, she must decide whether a cosmically doomed love is worth rejecting her dead mother’s legacy and the very system she’s faithfully followed through a lifetime of unfailing belief.

* Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers.*

Let me just get started by saying that this book has a love triangle in it. Now, for some people, this might be a deal-breaker. I'm usually one of those people. But the synopsis for Summer of Supernovas intrigued me to no end (and it came highly recommended by people whose bookish opinions I trust a lot. Thanks, Jaime (;), so I decided to give it a shot. And oh BOY am I glad that I did because this is a debut I would have been so sad to have missed out on.

The novel follows Wilamena, Wil for short, who goes out in search of her soulmate who would have a astrological sign compatible with hers in hopes of keeping her dead mom's legacy alive. I'd never heard of a YA novel centered around astrology before (but if you have, point me towards them because I now have a need), so I was obviously on board. And it was so entertaining following Wil on her journey.

Wil is joined by her best friend Iri (10/10 would read her companion novel) and her grandma, who are both supportive and oh so hilarious. They might be some of my favorite secondary characters I've ever read. The boys in her life are Grant, a musician who she is drawn to because she believes that they are astrologically compatible, and Seth, who she is not compatible with but likes anyway. Did I mention that they're brothers? Yeah, that's a thing.

Sometimes the push and pull between Wil and the two brothers irked me. She wanted to be with Grant because they're compatible and she thinks it's what her mom would have wanted. But she also wants Seth, who does her heart so much good. She doesn't want bad blood between the brothers, and she doesn't want to hurt any feelings, so she doesn't want to let either go. And though I got annoyed with the choices she made along the way, the story itself was engrossing and I hung on until the end because I had to know how it ended, not just to see if she got the right boy, but if she figured herself out too.

I adored Summer of Supernovas. It is a delightful debut about astrology, family, and finding the path that's best for you. Also, there's swoony bits and a great friendship because do I even read books without them anymore? Probably not. Anyway, Summer of Supernovas releases next week (5/10), and I highly recommend that you pick it up. If you do, let me know what you think!

P.S. Thanks so much for sticking around during my mini, unplanned hiatus. It's show season at my school theatre, so I've been there almost every day for the last month. I'm also preparing for finals and AP exams, so my schedule is a little wonky. But my goal is to write much, much more when APs are over next week. So stay tuned! Hope you're reading good books! I'd love to know what you're reading and what you've been up to. :)

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin

Publication Date: February 2nd, 2016

Format/Source: eARC from Edelweiss. Thanks to EW and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Part of a series? Nope!

Goodreads / Preorder: Amazon - Barnes and Noble - The Book Depository

The first thing you’re going to want to know about me is: Am I a boy, or am I a girl?

Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. The thing is . . . Riley isn’t exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in uber-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley’s so-called “normal” life.

On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it’s REALLY like to be a gender-fluid teenager. But just as Riley’s starting to settle in at school—even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley’s real identity, threatening exposure. Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created—a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in—or stand up, come out, and risk everything.

*Trigger warning and spoiler alert. Also: though Riley doesn't use pronouns in SoBH, Jeff said they/them pronouns are accurate for reviewing purposes.*

“Anyway, it's not that simple. The world isn't binary. Everything isn't black or white, yes or no. Sometimes it's not a switch, it's a dial. And it's not even a dial you can get your hands on; it turns without your permission or approval.” -Symptoms of Being Human

Once and a while, I'll read a book that makes me stop and really think. It doesn't happen very often, but it happened recently. And the book that did it for me was Symptoms of Being Human.

Symptoms of Being Human follows Riley, a gender fluid teenager, who is trying to maneuver through life. I've never read a novel with a gender fluid MC before, so I jumped at the chance to read this one early because I'm all about diverse narratives. It was every bit the learning experience I hoped it would be and so much more.

Riley’s struggles as a gender fluid teen are written so vividly. They deal with the issue of keeping their identity a secret from their family and peers. They deal with anxiety and depression. They deal with bullying that is so reflective of what happens to members of the LGBTQ+ community around the world that made my heart ache. I both empathized with and loved Riley. Their strength and drive to want to help others though they had their own problems was admirable, as was their ability to get back up again after they had been wronged and violated. Riley is amazing.

Riley also had people in their life who offered support, which was so amazing to read. The support group and therapy session scenes were some of my favorites because I loved that it endorsed finding a safe space to talk about your struggles instead of internalizing them. Riley’s parents tried their best to understand and support them. And Riley’s two wonderful friends, Solo, whose obsession with Star Wars made me smile, and Bec, who genuinely cared about them. It was refreshing and wonderful.

Symptoms of Being Human, though difficult to swallow at times because of the harsh realities it portrays, is an important novel about love and life and identity that everyone should read and allow themselves to learn from. It's honest and raw and, at times, absolutely delightful. Seriously, go pick this up.

Pride Review: The Upside of Unrequited

ARC Review: Out On Good Behavior

ARC Review: Wanderlost

ARC Review: Girl Against the Universe

ARC Review: Summer of Supernovas

ARC Review: Symptoms of Being Human

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