Goodreads June Challenge

Late To The Party

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Rating: 4/5

“And I think being friends with someone should be like the concept of infinity—like you truly believe that person has no limits, and you just want to keep counting upward with them to see where they go.” 

Codi Teller never considered herself a party girl. Not because she hates parties but she prefers to be with her two best friends, Jakory and Maritza watching netflix or hanging out in their basement. So when Jakory and Maritza invite her to crash a party, she’s not too keen on the idea. But, what happens when she discovers one of the cool kids, Ricky kissing another boy in the dark. An unexpected friendship forms and takes Codi on a journey of expression, love, and self-acceptance than she ever imagined.

So this book was full of fun, energy, love, and great dynamics from beginning to end. The book deals with very real issues that teenagers deal with like outgrowing your friends, how you present yourself to others, and how that can impact your true self. Being a teen is complicated and I felt the way that Quindlen addressed the issues throughout the book was very well done and handled with care. Codi and Lydia were absolutely adorable and I thought the development of the relationship was well done and not over the top. In addition, there’s complex friendships that help add to the main characters and it felt real.

This is a coming of age story about understanding who you are as a person and the importance of self-acceptance. This is something that I strongly related to myself cause I didn’t truly start to accept myself until I was much older. When you’re a teen, it can be hard and difficult to know you want in life and who you want to be. Taking your time and understanding who you takes time and it shouldn’t be rushed.

Even if you’re not a teenager, I think anyone would find this book enjoyable so I was glad to come across it.

Can’t Take That Away

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Rating: 4/5

“It’s a song about rising above people’s expectations, because in order to become your best self, you have to stay true to yourself and choose love.”

The story starts with Carey, who dreams of being famous and being able to bring the house down. But, underneath all the talent are emotional scars from events that have occurred in their that is making harder to focus not only finding their voice but being to feel good with themselves. But things start to change when they meets Cris, a singer/songwriter who makes Carey feel seen for the first time in their life. When Cris’s help, Carey starts to accept who they are and embrace their identity. What follows is a tale of expression, acceptance, and most importantly love.

Wow, what a beautiful written emotional debut by Steven Salvatore. From the first to the last page, I went to laughing, crying, and feeling overwhelmed by the story. Salvatore brings so much life and complexity to the characters and made them very real and relatable. I found myself enjoying reading the different perspectives and thought they were all fleshed out well written character. What I really loved about this book is that Salvatore, titles the chapter in accordance with the individual’s pronouns. I found that very endearing and wonderful it was a way of letting the reader know what pronouns that individual wants to be referred by. I really liked that because I know that misgendering can be very upsetting so I thought that was sweet touch.

All in all a really great debut and I will looking out for more from Salvatore because I really enjoyed his writing style and how they craft their characters.

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Perfect on Paper

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Rating: 4/5

For the first time, the very very first time, I really believed them. That my relationship status did not change me. And that even if other people didn’t agree, every single person in this room had my back without hesitation. I was with them and they were with me and we were with each other. A community within a community within a community. No questions asked. No proof needed. No valid form of identification required. We just belonged because we belonged.” 

For a fee, Darcy Phillips can solve all your relationships woes and tries to use her power for good. But, when her least favorite person Alexander Broughram finds out about her secret relationship advice service, she’s forced into being his personal dating coach or he will tell her secret. Alexander wants to win back his ex-girlfriend and Darcy is hiding a secret of her own that if it gets out, it could ruin all the happiness she has.

I picked this book up late for the June Goodreads Challenge on the discord server and I’m actually super happy that I did. I hadn’t heard of the book or writer before but I am going to check out her other books as I found this book very enjoyable and real. It was a very well written book that tackles not only tackles LGBT issues well but also writes about teens making questionable choices and making mistakes, well-written characters, good dynamics between the main and secondary characters etc.

Darcy is such a mess but I love it and I found her very relatable especially her struggles with her bisexuality and the biphobia she deals with. Not only that but I loved that Darcy’s sister was trans and they had such a wonderful relationship, it was so loving and supportive. I really had such a fun time reading this and I was really happy with the representation as that can be really hard to find.

Would definitely recommend this book to anyone!

Written In The Stars

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Rating: 5/5

“Life would be a lot better if we all spent a little more time staring at the stars.”

Darcy is a nonsense, analytical, by the books and Elle is free-spirited, fun, and is one of the authors of a very popular astrology twitter page. But, when Darcy’s brother who also happens to be Elle’s new business partner spills his happiness about their first date being a success, Elle is sure he’s confused. Darcy begs Elle to go along with it and she agrees but on one condition: Darcy has to help Elle navigate the holidays with dealing with overbearing family. What happens a fake relationship starts to turn into something real?

Holy shit, this book was so good! Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and it was done so well here. I loved everything about this book especially the relationship with Darcy and Elle. It really was believable and I loved seeing their feelings change for each other throughout the book and the smut was hot too. In addition to that, I really enjoy Darcy and Elle step out of their comfort zones and deal with issues that are relevant and it felt very real. They came over their own fears and insecurities and learn that not only do they need to love others but also themselves.

Overall, this was a really fun book so I definitely recommend it especially if you like sapphic novels. This was a real delight!

Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins

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Rating: 3/5

“It’s not cool to stare, I know that, but this is literally the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen in my life.” 

Devastated by the revelation that her best friend/on-off again girlfriend kissed someone else, Millie Quint can’t bare to confront her so she decides apply for scholarships so she can get far away. The last place she expected to get accepted into would be one of the most exclusive and elite boarding schools in Scotland. Not only is the school gorgeous but it’s a completely different life than her own. There’s only one problem: Princess Flora of Scotland is her roommate and the two couldn’t be more different. What happens when the two start to realize they aren’t that different than they think? Will sparks fly or will Millie get burnt again?

Originally, wasn’t on my tbr until I started looking again at LGBT recs on Goodreads last night and this popped up for me. I would’ve given it a higher rating had the relationship between the two feel rushed. I would’ve liked to seen more development in the relationship. The writing also could’ve been a bit better as I feel like that would’ve helped with the development of the relationship. But, aside from that I loved Millie and Princess Fiona, I thought they were very well written characters who were very unique in their own right. Plus, I love enemies to friends and eventually lovers, it’s probably one of my favorite tropes.

Overall, it was a cute book!