July Picks

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

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Rating: 4/5

“I stop myself from apologizing-because what would I even be sorry for? Existing too loud?”

Niveous Private Academy is where the money paves the hallways and the students never look less than perfect. Until Aces, the anonymous texter is bringing two students dark secrets to light and it will change everything they thought they knew about them. Devon, a talented musician who buries himself into his work is unable to escape the spotlight when his private photos go public and Chiamaka, who isn’t afraid to get what she wants and soon those around will know the price she paid for power. Someone is out to get them both and they must find out who it is before it’s too late because Aces is planning something more than a high school prank.

This was a non-stop rollercoaster and nearly had me gasping for air by the time it was over. It was such a thrilling, emotional and intense read that touches on heavy topics that everyone needs to talk about. The writing, characters, pacing, and the plot made the book so much more than I thought it would be. I hadn’t intended to read it until a friend of mine mentioned it to me and I’m glad that I decided to read it. Let’s start off with the characters, they were flawed, well-written, and interesting and the way that Faridah writes makes them feel very real. The antagonist Aces can go away for good now, I hated them so much and normally I don’t get so invested in the antagonist but Aces can rot for all I care. Every time they did something to the characters in particular, Deveon and Chiamaka, it boiled my blood. I believe the reasons that I hated them so much is because of how real Aces felt, there was no justification for their actions and this is very relevant to what has been happening in the real world especially within the last two years.

Faridah shows the characters going through educational gatekeeping, institutional racism, blackmailing, PTSD, outing, stalking, classism, and elitism and I felt like she did a great job with showing how issues like these can impact people in different ways. I think that’s why it was so intense because things like this happen daily.

Even with the dark themes, there were some entertaining and warmhearted moments that kept hooked until the end. But, if you feel like the dark themes are too much for you then this book may not be for you and that’s fine. What was covered in the book is very important and I felt that it was really well-written, engaging, emotional, and a thrilling read from beginning to end.

Am I Normal Yet? By Holly Bourne

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Rating: 5/5

“Everyone’s on the cliff edge of normal. Everyone finds life an utter nightmare sometimes, and there’s no ‘normal’ way of dealing with it… There is no normal, Evelyn.” 

For Evelyn, all she’s ever wanted to be was normal. That’s what she hopes will happen as she starts a new college while adjusting to life off her meds. She wants to start over, make new friends, and have stability and not be seen as the girl who went crazy. But, life doesn’t always work out that way as relationships are messy and what you think will make you happy doesn’t always happen in the way that you want. Evie begins to see that being normal isn’t all what it’s cracked up to be and embracing the messy side of life and stepping into who you are is a terrifying yet rewarding experience all in one.

It’s very rare for me to give a book a five star rating but this book totally went beyond my expectations and even though I may overreacting when calling this one of the best ya contemporaries I’ve read, it’s absolutely true. I laughed, cried, cheered, and went through a rollercoaster of emotions and enjoyed every minute of it. I found the mental health rep particular fantastic as some ya books can be hit and miss with mental health rep. But, I thought the way mental health was portrayed in the book was really well. The story was interesting but it was really the characters who were well-written and interesting in their own way. Evie is definitely someone that I really resonated with in particular her struggles with her mental health but I felt like she was very well. The dynamics throughout the book also added to the individual characters and it helped with the story. I am excited to read the next book and hopefully I’ll enjoy it as much as I did this one.

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales

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Rating: 4/5

“That’s the beautiful thing about the universe. It puts you through trials, but it never gives you anything you can’t handle. We grow from these things.” 

Ollie thinks he’s found his perfect match in Will Tavares, he’s fun, affectionate, and kind and Ollie can’t wait to continue the romance after summer ends. There’s just one problem, Will stops texting Ollie as soon as break is over and Ollie is crushed. Add insult to injury, Ollie finds himself moving across country due to a family emergency and Ollie is less crushed when he finds out he’ll be going to the same school as Will. But, Ollie soon sees a very different Will and not someone he wants to be around especially when Will goes from hot to cold every other week. But just as much as Ollie doesn’t want anything to do with him, Will starts showing up in Ollie’s life a bit more than Ollie wants. Ollie wants to keep his resolve up and not fall back into Will’s hands but it starts to become harder and harder.

A bit of a slow start but nonetheless a pretty good read. I did find it a little short and would’ve liked to read more about Ollie and Will. At first, I wasn’t sure if the romance would work because they seemed to different and I didn’t see the attraction at first but the more I got into the book, the more I liked their relationship. This is my second read by Sophie Gonzales, I read Perfect on Paper in June and really liked it so I decided to check this one out. A fun and easy read with a cute plot with interesting characters.

Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anne-Marie McLemore

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Rating: 4/5

“And it’s not the perfect moment. It’s not even one of the six movie moments we’ve had in the past week. But it’s the moment. It’s our moment. Something in me just knows.”

The Miss Meteor pageant hasn’t any a winner like Chicky Quintanilla and Lita Perez in all it’s history. But that’s not why Lita and Chicky want to enter the competition as Miss Meteor isn’t about being perfect but sharing who you are to the world and loving the parts of yourself. So to pull off the biggest underdog in Miss Meteor’s pageant history Lita and her ex-best friend Chicky are going to try and put the past behind them and imagine a future where girls like them are more than enough, they are everything.

I love a good underdog story and this book was a real treat. Anne-Marie McLemore is one of my favorite authors so when I saw this book on goodreads, I decided to check it out. It was such a fun, witty, heartfelt, endearing story with magical elements that kept you glued to the page. While it took awhile to get used to the writing style as I’m used to McLemore’s flowery style but there’s a lot more to focus on than that. Miss Meteor is a story of self-empowerment and stepping into yourself accepting your imperfections and owning who you are. I think that was my favorite aspect of the story with the characters reclaiming what they were shamed for and it’s so relevant especially in today’s world.

The dynamics between Lita and Chicky were great, I enjoyed reading about their friendship and with what happened in the past I hoped they would find their back to each other. Not only do they have a great bond but their friendship felt very real and I enjoyed it. I would also say that for the rest of the characters throughout the book as there was a lot of love from sisters, families, and other characters that was very heartwarming and wonderful to see.

Overall, a very endearing story about self-empowerment and being proud of you are flaws and all.

This Poison Heart by Kaylnn Bayron

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Rating: 3/5

Brisesis has a strange yet fascinating gift where she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch. But, when her aunt dies and gives her dilapidated estate to Bri and her parents decide to leave rural Brooklyn for the summer in hopes that Bri can hone her magically gift in the open space that surrounds her aunt’s estate. At first, things are perfect but looks can be deceiving and Bri and her family don’t have any idea of what sinister awaits for them. Soon, strangers start coming to the door wanting elixer’s and when Bri learns that she can make them, she decides to use her talent and things couldn’t be better. Until, Bri meets a woman named Maria and the two become friends until Bri finds out that Maria is keeping secrets of her own and soon Bri finds herself with more than she bargained for and she must not only save herself but her family.

This is the second book that I’ve read from Bayron and I actually prefer Cinderella is Dead to this one because the pacing for this book was awful imo. The character didn’t even arrive in the setting until 25% into the book and while there parts where I felt like things were picking up, the poor pacing continued throughout the book and it made me a bit disappointed. Briesis is very relatable character and I do think she was well-written and I liked her personality but I just felt like the pacing of the book really impacted my enjoyment of it. Another part that irked me a bit was the immortal love interested who was in the body of a seventeen year old. The main character, Breisis is barely seventeen yet her love interest some hundred years her senior? That might not bother some people but that felt weird to me.

But, there a few things that I enjoyed and in particular the relationship between Bri and her mother, I felt like it was a very well written and there is so much love between the two of them and that’s always nice to see. I also enjoyed learning about the magic system and I thought that it was explained very well and made it interesting. I wish I could’ve enjoyed this book as much as others did but I couldn’t due to the issues that I mentioned but if you feel like this sounds up your alley, check it out for yourself!

Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson

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Rating: 3.5/5

“If they want me to be a nightmare, then a nightmare I shall be.” 

Outside of the walls of opulent opera house, Isda doesn’t exist. She is one of the few people who can manipulate people’s memories when people sing. Saved by Cyril, the owner of the opera house, she is given a chance to survive but only on the condition that she keep tickets sales alive and stays out of sight. It seems that is all is going well until Isda breaks Cyril’s golden rule and finds herself battling between what she knows and what she truly desires. 

While it was confusing during some parts, I found this book enjoyable and not only because it was a retelling of The Phantom Of The Opera but because of the two main characters and their dynamic. I love that it was gender-switched as it was a little more interesting to see how the relationship and plot would play out throughout the book. I found Isda relatable and real as she is working through so many different emotions and struggles due to being kept hidden. I love her relationship with Emeric as it felt very real and the two had sweet moments as well as conflict which is inevitable and any relationship. Her father figure, Cyril was interesting as it was hard to tell his motives and there were times where I felt like he was being manipulative and controlling to Isda so I felt for her. I wanted her to finally break from him as that’s what she truly wanted and to be with Emeric. 

I don’t wanna spoil it so you’ll have to check it out if you want to know more! It’s a stellar read from beginning to end. 

Promised Neverland by Kaui Shirai

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Rating: 4/5

Emma and her fellow friends, Norman and Ray, who are the brightest orphans feel like nothing could bring them down and they have everything they could’ve wanted. Clean clothes, great food, and a environment that helps the children feel loved and cared for. What more could they want? That bliss and happiness is shattered when the orphans come up the dark forest that they have been forbidden to see.

YES! I absolutely loved this, I binged the first season awhile back and loved it so I was delighted to find the manga for a readathon that I’m in for. A peter pan retelling and an amazing one at that! It was a short read so that’s another plus but I loved the characters, the dynamics between them, and of course the amazing plot which totally tricked me from the moment I started. I thought I was going into this wholesome and sweet story about these three orphans and it turned out to be a retelling of Peter Pan and an amazing one at that! Finding out that their mother isn’t all saintlike as they have been led believe and the plots twists and turns that left me reeling. I wish I could go into more of it but I don’t want to spoil it so if you’re looking for a fun and short read that will leaving you gasping for air, this is it!

Witchshadow by Susan Dennard

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Rating: 4/5

“One man’s loneliness is another man’s freedom.”

Witchshadow follows the journey of Iseult, a threadwitch who has the ability to see the ties that bind the lives of the people around her has found her heartsister Safi but their reunion is short lived. Iseult has formed an unlikely bond with Safi, a truthwitch who has ability to discern truth from a lie and in order to save her friend, she will be taken on a journey that is more dangerous than any journey she’s ever been on. Meanwhile, the bloodwitch Audean is beset by forces that he doesn’t understand and Vivia, the rightful queen of Nubreva is without a crown or home. Iseult is faced with a dilemma of being able to embrace her power and heal the land but she must make a choice for which of the shadows of her destiny lie.

I was so excited to finally get this book in my hands as I have been waiting on it since bloodwitch. This series is so underrated and I have been telling so many people about the series. I actually forgot the book came out this month until I found it while looking for other books for my July TBR. I first found the series last year when I was asking for book recommendations and Truthwitch kept coming up so I decided to check it out. I am so glad that I did because it’s such a good story with two great protagonists, Safi and Iseult and their friendship is my favorite thing of the series. They are so different yet care for each other so much and would do anything to help each other out. Seeing Iseult’s growth throughout the series has been wonderful especially in her own book. There was so much character and plot development that really helped with telling Iseult’s story and I nearly finished the book in the one night. So, I don’t really have any complaints except for more Audean and Iseult but hopefully there will be more of them in the future.

If you’re looking for a medium paced fantasy with two great protagonists, a well-written and engaging plot, and interesting characters, then I would check this series out. It’s so good and it needs more love!

Tiny Tales by Various Authors

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Rating: 3.5/5

This is my first book that I’ve read by Alexander McCall Smith and I don’t know if I’ll be reading anymore of their work soon. Not because I don’t want to but short stories aren’t really my thing but I found this while looking for recommendations and thought it looked cute and interesting to read. I do love stories that involve kindness and happiness because I think we all need that. For me, I couldn’t really get invested because the stories were so short and that might be why short stories just aren’t for me. This is very cute, fun, and easy read that will lift your spirits so if that’s what you’re looking for then you’ll find it here.