The tyranny of the manic pixie dream girl in YA must end.
Book review: Our Chemical Hearts, Krystal Sutherland
Tag: contemporary
Book review: The Female of the Species, Mindy McGinnis
Mindy McGinnis’ The Female of the Species is a sharp look at crime, punishment, and contemporary teenage life.
Book review: The Smaller Evil, Stephanie Kuehn
When Arman Dukoff arrives at a self-help retreat deep in the wilds of California, he learns that there’s more to it than he was sold by the friends who recruited him, and the reader is sucked along with him into the bizarre world of a cult.
Review: Klickitat, Peter Rock
Peter Rock’s ‘Klickitat’ is a strange, looping, peculiar novel that’s difficult to talk about without getting into spoiler territory, but it’s a delicious read and one well worth the time.
Book review: Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here, Anna Breslaw
Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here is the kind of book that makes for a fun weekend read — it’s an accessibly-written contemporary novel with interesting characters, but unfortunately, it fails to delve deep under the surface.
Book review: The Serpent King, by Jeff Zentner
Disclosure: This review is based upon a copy of the book provided by the publisher. No other consideration was offered. Jeff Zentner’s The Serpent King is an absolutely fantastic book and one of my leading contenders for best book of 2016 — this sharp, insightful, sad, lyrical contemporary is a deeply satisfying if at times absolutely gutting […]
Book review: The Haters, Jesse Andrews
Disclosure: This review is based upon a copy of the book furnished by the publisher. No other consideration was offered. I really wanted to like The Haters, Jesse Andrews’ latest. I enjoyed Me and Earl and the Dying Girl as a sharp sendup of the tragic cancer girl novel, especially given that it came out at a time when […]
Book review: The Boy Most Likely To, by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Disclosure: This review is based upon a copy of the book provided by the publisher. No other consideration was offered. Here’s what Huntley Fitzpatrick’s The Boy Most Likely To has going for it: Funny, thoughtful characters, a sense of genuine development and movement on the part of its stars, and some very interesting explorations of class and […]
Book review: Goodbye Stranger, by Rebecca Stead
Disclosure: This review is based upon a bound, finished copy provided by the publisher. No other consideration was offered. At first impression, Goodbye Stranger is a sweet contemporary middle grade novel about friendship, growing up, coming into your body, and becoming your own person. But that’s a superficial and dismissive assessment of this novel, which is actually […]
Book review: Trouble Is a Friend of Mine, by Stephanie Tromley
Disclosure: This review is based on an uncorrected proof provided by the publisher. It’s been a long time since I read a book that made me laugh out loud and periodically exclaim ‘I love this book!’ to an empty house, startling the cat repeatedly until he gets grumpy enough to vacate the couch. Trouble Is a […]