“Hope can be limitless. Inspiration can always be found. Ideas are endless. But time, t“Each of us has a deep and profound desire to be seen, to be acknowledged, and to be respected in our totality. There is a unique kind of pain in being unseen. It’s a pain that cuts deep by diminishing and disempowering, and whether done intentionally or unintentionally, it’s an experience that leaves real scars.”
Tomorrow Will Be Different tells the story of Sarah McBride and their journey of loss, heartbreak, love, acceptance with their identity and their fight for the trans community. In 2016, McBride made history with being the first transgender to speak at the Democratic National Convention. McBride’s mission of being an advocate for the community has launched them into the spotlight as a relentless fighter who just wants equality for the transgender community.
“Hope can be limitless. Inspiration can always be found. Ideas are endless. But time, that is the one resource that none of us can afford to waste.”
But, before all this, McBride was a teenager struggling with her identity. McBride’s raw honesty and emotional depth share her personal struggles of how they came to fully accept herself and found her way as a woman. Her story has inspired millions and she not only found her calling but created a platform for herself and others to speak their truth.
“None of us know how long we have, but we do have a choice in whether we love or hate. And every day that we rob people of the ability to live their lives to the fullest, we are undermining the most precious gift we are given as humans.
Memoirs aren’t usually my thing but I wanted to find a book for the Goodreads Bingo that happens every month and I stumbled upon McBride’s memoir. Safe to say that I was absolutely blown away by her story and the ups and downs that had occurred in her life. The way she writes is simple but has a rawness to it that keeps you hooked to the page. Not only was this a painful yet beautiful memoir but it really shows how much work there is still to do regarding the transgender community ensuring that they have the same rights as others. There were a lot of emotions felt throughout the book and I couldn’t put it down.
“Having certain privileges does not mean that your life is easy or that you do not face challenges. It just means that you don’t experience specific kinds of obstacles or barriers faced by someone with a different identity or background. And our empathy should require us to acknowledge the plight of others in both its similarities to ours and in its differences.”
One of the things that I loved about the book and how McBride emphasizes her own privileges while discussing intersectionality. She is able to be honest and open with readers with those issues and I found that incredibly well done and powerful. This book moved me and I would definitely recommend it others especially if they are wanting to understand the struggles and issues that the transgender community faces with their fight to equality.
“Do not be silent. Raise your voice. Be a light in the dark.”
Cinderella Is Dead is a retelling of an old class but this time there’s a twist. 200 years have passed and the fairy tale is over and now teen girls are required to attend the ball in hopes of finding a suitable match and if they don’t get one, the girls are never heard from again. One such girl, Sophia would rather marry her best friend, Erin than attend a ball in hopes of finding prince charming or paying the price for not being suitable as a wife. But, like the girls Sophia doesn’t have a choice and while she’s at the ball, she befriends Constance, the last known decedent of Cinderella and her sisters. Together, they plan to bring down the King forever and while in the process, they learn more about Cinderella’s story than they ever knew.
“It’s risky…But sometimes that’s the only way to get things done. Take the risk, light the fuse. Onward.”
I absolutely loved retellings so I was really excited to finally get this in my hands and read. The premise of the book was very intriguing and I did like how it was written, the prose was sharp, interesting, and engaging. The beginning of the book was great, fun, and I loved how the first few chapters showed the harsh, cruel, and patriarchal world that young woman have to strive to survive without fear or judgement of being who they want to be. The characters were great, I liked Sophia and Constance and I found their relationship interesting and Sophia was a relatable character with not wanting to conform to what society wanted her to be.
“You weren’t selfish. You saw a future for yourself that she couldn’t imagine. You wanted her to believe that the two of you could find a way through all this. That’s what happens when you care about someone. And when you’re brave enough to imagine a different life.”
But, the second latter of the book fell flat for me and I hate to say that. There were parts that didn’t make sense and I found some plot holes and the worldbuilding wasn’t as good as it was the first part. This is a very cute retelling but there was a lot in the second part that made me not enjoy it as much as I wanted.
But, if you’re looking for a twist on an old classic then you should give it a try! Who knows you may end up liking it!
“It wasn’t an endless future, and it wasn’t one with a clearly defined goal, but maybe that was what living actually felt like.”
The Cybernetic Tea Shop is told from two points of view, one of them is Clara, who is the main protagonist and the other is by a robot, Sal. Clara is an AI tech and moves to a new town and starts frequenting a tea shop where she meets Sal. Clara is very intrigued by Sal and the two end up helping each other in many different ways.
“Home was here, but here was gone, and home was nowhere.”
What a cute novella! I normally don’t read novellas but I saw chatter and good things about in the goodreads discord server and decided to check it out. Not only did I love it but the main character is asexual and that made me very happy because there are times where it’s hard finding good rep. I loved Sal and Clara’s relationship, it was very well written and developed in a way that didn’t feel rushed. It was endearing, sweet, and realistic and I love seeing the way that it developed throughout the story.
If you’re looking for a fun, cute, and short story then this is right up your alley!
“Someone once told me that the only names that matter are the ones we take for ourselves.”
Sistersong tells the story of three sisters, Riva who was scarred in a terrible fire and fears that she will never heal, Keyne who battles to be seen as the King’s son, who was born a woman and Sinne, the youngest of the group who years for romance.
Historical Fiction and I don’t really get along so this was a nice surprise as I found it interesting and enjoyable. Seeing the different perspectives from the sisters is one of the pluses of the book as I got to see life through their eyes and how it was different. In addition, their contrasting personalities are what made them interesting and well written characters as the more I read, the more I wanted to know about them.
Out of the sisters, I related to Keyne the most with their struggle to feel accepted not only with their true identity but by their father, the King and others. Their struggles of wanting to be seen as a man despite being born in a man’s body. I appreciated how Holland portrayed it as it felt very real even if it was a different time period. Kenye’s journey is relevant to what many people go through especially in our society right now. I hope that readers will treat them with the kindness, compassion and empathy they deserve.
The writing was another layer that helped make the characters feel very real and raw. Holland’s prose is captivating and painting the mood and headspace of the characters and helped readers understand them better. I felt like I understood what the characters were up against and it made the pacing of the book feel right. It wasn’t fast pacing or slow, right in the middle which is perfect. This book is more character-driven than plot driven which that sometimes be hit or miss and this is was a hit.
It did take some time to get used to different POV’s but this was an enthralling, emotional, raw and entertaining tale of love, betrayal, acceptance, following your destiny.
“You can’t tell whether people are gay by what they look like. And gay or straight aren’t the only two options.”
Heartstopper follows Charlie and Nick, two grammar schools guys who couldn’t be more different. Nick, is a cheerful and soft spoken football player and Charlie is a high-strung over-thinker. For Charlie, school hasn’t been that great especially since he was outed and bullied for months. Nick heard about the bullying but knows very little about Charlie so when the two start talking to one another and get close, will it blossom into something more or will it go down in flames?
While very predictable and a bit cliche, I did enjoy Charlie and Nick’s relationship as it was very cute. I felt for Charlie being outed and bullied as a result because no one should have that happen to them. On top of being outed, he was bullied and that just made things worse for them. The plot has been done a lot of times so it was a bit predictable but a very cute book. Seeing how the relationship progressed through the book was enjoyable with Charlie and Nick getting to know one another and become closer.
A very cute book so if you’re looking lots of fluff and cuteness, you’ll find it in this book!
“I’m not flaunting anything. I’m just existing. This is me. I can’t hide myself. I can’t disappear. And even if I could, I don’t fucking want to. I have the same right to be here. I have the same right to exist.”
Felix Love has never actually fallen in love and yes they are aware of the irony. The book follows Felix on a journey of self-acceptance, love, belonging, and living their truth with who they are. It ends up becoming so more about finding self-acceptance and belonging with themselves than finding with someone else.
“It could’ve been easy to say I was hurt because I’m trans, because someone singled me out for my identity, but there’s something weird about that – something off, about suggesting that my identity is the thing that brought me any sort of pain. It’s the opposite. Being trans brings me love. It brings me happiness. It gives me power.”
I had no idea that this book would become a favorite of mine but here we are. This is defintely one of the best reads for this year as I enjoyed it from beginning to end. It seems like that I have a struck gold with YA Contemporary recently and Felix Ever After is definitely my faves out of the ones that I’ve read. Not only is Felix is a likeable and relatable character, I found myself invested in their story and wanted them to find the happiness that they deserved. I hurt for Felix especially with the transphobia that they experienced and how impacted their mental health as one can imagine.
“It can be easier, sometimes, to choose to love someone you know won’t return your feelings. At least you know how that will end. It’s easier to accept hurt and pain, sometimes, than love and acceptance. It’s the real, loving relationships that can be the scariest.”
What I loved about the book even more is that it touched on the labels and how they are different for people. Acknowledging that some people are fine with and it helps them feel connected while others don’t want that kind of pressure. As someone who struggled for years with labels, I like Callender discusses how people react to labeling differently and that’s fine and I think it’s something that’s very important to discuss openly and for people to feel accepted whether or not labeling is for them.
“There is enough alive in me to grow a hundred rosebushes, a thousand blooms, a million leaves”
Oh Anne-Marie McLemore, you really know how to pull at my heartstrings and I love every minute of it. Stunning, haunting, and emotionally raw, this book sheds light on rape culture, the aftermath of sexual assault, and how they survive while pursuing a journey of healing. This wasn’t an easy book to get through, there were times where I cried and had to put the book down. Even with those difficult moments, McLemore intertwines hope, discovery, love, and finding magic in life while on a journey of healing.
“It costs something to listen to someone else’s story. People forget that sometimes.”
On a night like any, the world’s of Ceila and Lock come crashing down when they are sexually assaulted in rooms mirroring each other one fateful night. While Celia can remember what happened, Lock can’t and the guilt begins to weigh heavily on her. That guilt begins to impact her more than she wants as she tries to work through it while also trying to heal herself. The way that McLemore unwraps the many layers of Ceila’s guilt gives it so much more depth and it’s also truly heartbreaking.
“I hope he hasn’t put all this together, this thing we have in common that he can’t remember and I can’t forget.”
The pain, hurt, loss, and even guilt that Ceila feels towards what happned with Lock especially as he doesn’t remember what actually happened is hard to read at times. I felt for Ceila who was concerned for Lock and took a lot of it on herself. Through this, a budding friendship forms and the two are able to heal each other while trying to take care of themselves. To me, those are the best kind of friendships where two people who may of not met on their own but they brought together by tragic events that happened in their lives. The way that McLemore writes the characters, we see them as real people going through very real situations and trying to heal from it which to me is a sign of a great author.
Months ago, I didn’t cry, and I didn’t scream because I thought if I started crying and screaming I’d never stop. But now, I don’t care if I scream forever. If I scream forever, they will have to hear me forever.
McLemore doesn’t hold back from exploring the power dynamics that pre-exist to that night of Lock and Ceila, both from poor to middle class backgrounds up against their rich white classmates who are related to people who have their names on buildings all over town. For Ceila, her peers not only look at her different because of the color of her skin but also her sexuality. For Lock, it’s the stigmatization and misconception that boys don’t get raped because of their gender that they should be able to defend themselves from being sexually assaulted. I appreciated how McLemore wrote Lock and how he struggled to heal from the trauma, it was raw and real.
But I know this one, the boy who needs light flooding into parts of him that have gone dark. And I am, in some way smaller than my hands, bringing him back to life.
While the subject material in the book are important for us to understand, no one should push themselves through it. Sometimes, I struggle with sexual assault is written in books and that was something that I was worried about while reading this so I was very pleased with how it was done and played out. Anne-Marie McLemore is an incredibly talented and wonderful writer and I have to say that this is her best book to date. So if you want to see if it’s up your alley, feel free but don’t feel pressured that you have to read it!
“Just because you’re telling a good story, doesn’t mean it’s the right story. And I think that it’s really important to tell the right story.”
Summer love can be fickle and for seventeen year old, Lara is arrives when she leasts expects it while on vacation in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. Lara begins tp spend time with her mother’s assistant Jasmine and before she knows, an unlikely friendship begins to form. But, what if there is more to the friendship than meets the eye as Lara begins have dreams about a girl who looks similar to Jasmine sending Lara on a journey of self-discovery, accepting, and being more comfortable with being who you want to be and not what other people think.
While reading, I had flashbacks to Grease which is actually one of the my favorite movies and there are similarities between the two. This is a very cute and fun story and I really wished I could’ve gotten more into it but I couldn’t. I did like Lara and found her a very interesting and fun protagonist. I wish I had read this back when I was younger because her journey of self-discovery so I think she will be a hit for young readers who can relate and see themselves in her.
I wish the same could be said for the side characters and romance especially with Chase and his sudden interest in Lara. I felt like that could’ve been fleshed a bit more over the chapters because I could’ve really invest in them as a couple. Other parts of the plot were predictable and while I do enjoy love triangles, I didn’t feel like I was fully invested in it. But at the same time, showing the flaws in the relationship is a plus but I still feel like I needed more to really understand why he liked her. There were other parts of the book that surprised me as the serious and lighthearted events throughout the book balanced each other out.
Another thing that kinda rubbed me the wrong way was the way that certain people were described throughout the book. I felt like it was a bit of a checklist for diversity and it could’ve been better with more thought, effort, and consideration. So, that was something that impacted my enjoyment of reading the book. It was a cute book but I feel like it could’ve been better if there had been more effort put into the issues that I highlighted.
Come read with me! 