Review: Say No to the Bro - Kat Helgeson

Say No to the Bro 
Kat Helgeson
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Ava is forced to start over in a new high school after her parents' divorce. She thought she would just fly under the radar, until she is named as the wild card in the Prom Bowl. The Prom Bowl is a time honored tradition at Patterson High, where senior girls complete challenges, and are bid upon by the senior boys.

This book started off as a very adorable YA romance. Ava  describes herself as not a traditional beauty, and perhaps curvier than the classically pretty girls. Therefore, she is shocked, when Mark, the attractive star quarterback of the football team, shows a genuine interest in her. These two were adorable together, and I greatly enjoyed watching those first romantic sparks between these two. They were both such likable characters, and I hoped their plot to sabotage Ava's chances in the Prom Bowl were successful.

"It's Tradition."
"Oh, what are you, the Fiddler on the Roof?"

Then, the story took a turn. The focus was less on the romance, and more on issues. One thing that took center stage, was this concept of when a tradition goes bad. Do you go along with something that is "tradition" even if it's destructive in nature? Hazing freshman, buying prom dates -- these were traditions at Patterson High, and it took an outsider to call attention to these issues.

Helgeson gave us a great hero and heroine, and a compelling story filled with lots of great messages: being true to yourself, swimming against the current, not blindly following the crowd, beauty coming in all shapes and sizes. This was quite an enjoyable read, but I still wish we would have gotten a little bit more at the end. I am an epilogue kind of girl. I abhor open type endings, and I just wanted a wee bit more from Helgeson, so I could have a little closure.

**I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book

Did your high school have any good traditions?

Let us know in the comments!

Review: Noteworthy - Riley Redgate

Noteworthy 
Riley Redgate
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, GLBT
Publisher: Amulet Books
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Jordan was lucky enough to earn a scholarship to the prestigious Kensington-Blaine Boarding School for the Performing Arts. She has a love for musical theatre, but after two years, she has yet to be cast in a show due to her height and her voice being in the lower register. When the Sharpshooters post an audition call, Jordan sees an opportunity to show she belongs at Kesingington. The only problem is that the Sharpshooters are an all MALE a cappella group.

"since the Kensington a cappella scene was a shade or two less friendly than the mafia, and a shade or two more exclusive."

When I first started reading Noteworthy, I thought it was going to be a She's the Man type comedy. The beginning of the book was light and comical, but as the story progressed, it went a LOT deeper than I expected.

Jordan was struggling with feeling like she belonged. Her parents wanted that proof that she should stay at Kensington. Jordan wanted to prove that she belonged at Kensington, and she also wanted to feel like she belonged. Jordan spent the first two years in her "love bubble" with her boyfriend, who after moving on from Kensington, also moved on from her. There she was, junior year - no boyfriend, no friends, and no roles. The Sharpshooters filled a bigger hole than she anticipated. It wasn't just earning the spot in the group, she began to grow, struggle with her identity, and find herself.

One thing Redgate explored from multiple sides was sexual orientation. She had gay, lesbian, and bisexual characters, who were in varying stages of figuring it out or coming out. Some were fully out, some were in relationships but in the closet, while others were at the early stages of understanding their own sexuality.

"even just pretending to be a guy was changing me. It was letting me access parts of me I'd pushed back, and parts I didn't know I'd had, and I wanted that version of me. I liked her better. She was new, she was interesting, she felt in charge."

There was some interesting commentary of being female versus male in our society. I was really struck by how Jordan felt she had to suppress parts of herself, as she was able to tap into these hidden parts while masquerading as a male.

"A hint of confusion awoke. What did it say that I'd gotten so addicted to my male disguise? If girlhood felt frustrating, and boyhood felt freeing, did that say more about girlhood, boyhood, or me?"

Redgate assemble a very diverse cast of characters, and I hope everyone can see themselves somewhere in this book. In addition to many being under the GLBT umbrella, there are characters of color, plus sized characters, and socioeconomically disadvantaged characters. Jordan's socioeconomic status plays an important role in the story, and her lifestyle is quite a contrast to those of her Kensington peers.

I don't want to mislead you, there are a lot of lighter moments in this book too. Many of the scenes with the Sharpshooters are full of humor and great banter. There are many, many bromantic moments, and I loved getting to know all the guys in these moments.

I only ever sang in the church and school choir, but I do love a cappella. The passages describing the musical interludes were so vivid and rich. I also loved all the musical references. I really enjoyed peeking behind the curtain to see how hard these kids work.

"What the hell was a 'deceptive cadence'? An obscure supervillian?"

And YES! There is a romance. I cannot lie. I saw this ship coming in, and was totally onboard. I loved the way it played out, and wanted more of it.

"The boy in front of me was a past and a present and a future."

Overall: A fun look at the world of a cappella filled with fun and friendship while exploring identity issues.

**I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced copy of this book.

Do you like a cappella?

Let us know in the comments!

Can't Wait Wednesday: Haunting the Deep - Adriana Mather

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Tessa at Wishful Endings that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I can't wait for Haunting the Deep by Adriana Mather.

Haunting the Deep
Adriana Mather

Series: How to Hang a Witch, #2
Release Date: Oct 3, 2017

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Waited on by: Sam

Goodreads

The Titanic meets the delicious horror of Ransom Riggs and the sass of Mean Girls in this follow-up to the #1 New York Times bestseller How to Hang a Witch, in which a contemporary teen finds herself a passenger on the famous “ship of dreams”—a story made all the more fascinating because the author’s own relatives survived the doomed voyage.

Samantha Mather knew her family’s connection to the infamous Salem Witch Trials might pose obstacles to an active social life. But having survived one curse, she never thought she’d find herself at the center of a new one.

This time, Sam is having recurring dreams about the Titanic . . . where she’s been walking the deck with first-class passengers, like her aunt and uncle. Meanwhile, in Sam’s waking life, strange missives from the Titanic have been finding their way to her, along with haunting visions of people who went down with the ship.

Ultimately, Sam and the Descendants, along with some help from heartthrob Elijah, must unravel who is behind the spell that is drawing her ever further into the dream ship . . . and closer to sharing the same grim fate as its ghostly passengers.

I was really excited when I heard Mather was writing another Witch book. I greatly enjoyed How to Hang a Witch, and I am hoping that lightning strikes twice.

I am the first generation American on my father's side and only the third on my mother's, so I am always in awe of people with deep, deep roots in American history. I find it incredible, that Mather (12th generation!) had family associated with such prolific parts of American history as the Salem Witch Trials, the Titanic, the Mayflower, and the American Revolution.

Here's hoping Mather delivers another genre-bending mystery with a dash of history.

What are you waiting on?

Let us know in the comments!

Review: Ramona Blue - Julie Murphy

Ramona Blue 
Julie Murphy
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Ramona thought she had it all figured out. She thought she knew exactly who she was and exactly where she was going, but then everything she thought she knew began to unravel.

This book is about so many things, but if I had to pick one major theme, I would say it's about identity. Ramona spends a lot of this book struggling with her identity, because so many things begin to change, which challenge all these ideas of who she thought she was and the things she thought she could have or do.

Ramona was a sister, and although she was the "little" sister, she was the one always looking out for Hattie. She believed that she had to be the one to take care of Hattie and her unborn child. Ramona was a lesbian. She came out in 9th grade and never looked back. Ramona was poor. She did not see college in her future, because her family did not have the means to pay for it. She believed she would be stuck in Eulogy waiting tables for the rest of her days. Ramona had put herself in a box, and she saw no way out of it.

"But there has to be more. I'm made up of tiny pieces; scattered, they are nothing more than sharp edges. But all those pieces combined are what makes me Ramona."

Enter Freddie, or rather, re-enter Freddie. He was a summer friend from her pre-Katrina life, which included a real house to live in and both her parents. I wasn't shocked that Ramona would embrace and hold tight to Freddie as things around her were falling apart. He was associated with a stable time in her life, a happy time in her life. When they reconnected, Ramona was dealing with a broken heart, her sister's baby-daddy drama, her friends leaving her for college, and a future that seems like a dead end.

"It terrifies me and it excites me and it's not because he's a guy and I'm a girl. It's because he's Freddie and I'm Ramona."

Freddie gave her love and support. He was a wonderful friend to her. His grandmother, who was like Ramona's surrogate mother, pulled her right into the fold, and gave her all the things she wished her own mother was able to give her. They gave her the chance to swim with them, and that led to an opportunity, which could prove to be life changing for Ramona.

"I wish I could just say yes. I wish I could put myself in that box for my sake and his, but I don't know."

This could have been a pity party, but Murphy did not allow that to happen. She wrote Ramona as a survivor, and she gave her the things money could not buy. She had love from family and friends. She had their faith in her, that she could achieve those things that she thought were out of reach. She had her own strength, which kept her moving in the right direction.

"Instead, I've embraced another facet of myself. Life isn't always written in the stars. Fate is mine to pen. I choose guys. I always choose girls. I choose people. But most of all: I choose."

The overall message of this book is so positive. To see that when she finally freed herself from her box, when she finally stripped away the labels, she was free. She was free to expand her horizons and explore new opportunities, and all these things lead her to bigger and better things. I love this idea!

I enjoyed being part of Ramona's journey to self discovery, and was extra pleased that as she began to understand herself, it helped her better understand others.

**I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. Quotes are from an ARC and may change upon publication.

Do you celebrate Mardi Gras?

Let us know in the comments!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus.

This post is for sharing what I read last week, what I am currently reading, and what I plan to read.

What I Read Last Week

This week, I added 2 books to my favorites shelf: Spellbook of the Lost and Found and Words in Deep Blue. Fowley-Doyle delivered magical story in Spellbook. It was all there again, the captivating story, the beautiful writing, the complex characters. She has earned her place on my auto-buy list. Words in Deep Blue is my first Crowley novel, and I now want to read everything she has written. This was such a beautiful story of a girl working through her grief. It was filled with love and hope and banter and books! A second hand bookshop one of the auxiliary characters in this story, and there are tons of bookish discussions. I loved every second of it.

• Romancing the Throne by Nadine Jolie Courtney - ★★★
• Hope Flames by Jaci Burton - ★★★
• Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyle - ★★★★★
• Perennials: A Novel by Mandy Berman - ★★★
• Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley - ★★★★★
• Rush by Shae Ross - ★★★ 1/2

What I Am Currently Reading

My current audiobook is another Julie James. She can write books about lawyers and FBI agents, and I will read/listen to every one. I am reading Follow Me Back, which is a mystery told through tweets, DMs, and police transcripts. I always find stories told in multiple formats entertaining, but I just started this book, so I don't have much to say yet.

• Follow Me Back by A.V. Geiger
• Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James

What I Plan to Read

I planned less books this week, because ACOWAR comes out Tuesday, and it has quite a few pages, but I am SO EXCITED to read it. I am also looking forward to reading Everything All at Once, as early reviews are very positive, and also stoked to read Saints and Misfits. I am reading Saints for my Diverse Reads Challenge, as I am challenged to read a book with religious diversity. This one caught my eye, because it was blurbed as a novel "that feels like a modern day My So-Called Life…starring a Muslim teen." I'm in!

• A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
• Everything All at Once by Katrina Leno
• Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali

What are you reading?

Let us know in the comments!