thoughts on books

Category: Young Adult

  • let them stare by jonathan van ness and julie murphy

    Infinity stars; I loved this— it is a ghost story / non-binary MC / small town Pennsylvania/ YA romcom … and I know not everyone enjoys some of those elements… but ignore those biases because this book is delightful.

    Sully can’t wait to leave Hearst, PA; after high school graduation they have a fun new internship with an influencer in New York City. But just as their new life is about to start, the internship falls through and they are stuck with no job and no car. So what better time to go thrifting? And because karma rewards those without hope, they are rewarded with a super rare, vintage, extremely valuable Butler bag. (Think of a vintage Birkin because I don’t think a Butler bag is a thing)

    Lo and behold the handbag is haunted with the ghost of Rufus,
    a queer diva who has been erased from the history of Hearst- so now it up to Sully to uncover and tell their story.

    I love Julie Murphy- she wrote my favorite in the Meant To Be Series, “If the Shoe Fits” and other romcoms with a plus sized/ thick hottie FMC.

    Queer Eyes’ Jonathan Van Ness first novel- I know them from their hair care only, but I am a fan.

    I laughed a lot at the dialogue between Sully – a modern day 18 year old, and Rufus who asks too many questions. I was really enraptured by the historical love story between Rufus and Robby and finding out as they did what happened in the 1950s. I was absolutely rooting for Sully all the way, a snarky and confident kid, a great friend.

    This is a happy ending with a lot of realism about our current state- and a lot of respect and integration of queer history. We simultaneously have so much to be grateful for and so much to keep fighting for. This book reminds me of a quote from Steel Magnolias “Laughter through tears is the best emotion.”

    Indeed.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC. Book to be published May 20, 2025.

    **a best book of 2025**
    ***a best LGBTQ book of 2025***

  • while we’re young by kl walther

    I didn’t know how much I loved Ferris Bueller until I read this book. It was SO cute, so perfectly Young Adult, the sweetest romance. Very believable characters, good inner dialogue and good on audio. One of my favorite audiobook narrators plays Everett. I loved how true it was to the original Ferris Bueller movie but also quite a love letter to Philadelphia. The sibling character (played by Jennifer Gray) is now her brother James. Best friend Isa is in love with James, and Grace (who has faked her illness for epic senior skip day) is in love with Everett.

    Maybe I was just in the mood for a YA romance, but I think this is my favorite KL Walther yet.

  • say a little prayer by jenna voris

    YA book for any gay kid that felt like they were not “enough” or that being gay is a sin. It isn’t. God doesn’t make mistakes. Not all church people think being gay is a sin, and there are lots of devout Christians that interpret a lot of “clobber” verses differently than you may have been told. The church has been terrible to gay people, especially our youth. If your church is teaching you that, I am so so sorry. You can leave or find another church or attempt to change things from the inside.

    This is Riley’s story, she was in a fight at school and she was given the chance to make amends by attending church camp. The Pastor is a bad guy who often preaches that being gay is terrible and sinful. He also takes action to kick people out of the church, like excommunicating them, if they don’t follow his rules.

    The theme of the camp is the “seven deadly sins” (which are not in the Bible and were invented 400 years AFTER Jesus died, by the way) and so Riley tries to practice each of the deadly sins and journal about it to prove the concept wrong. She has a crush on the pastor’s daughter, who she has been friends with for years.

    Narrative is best for middle grades, I hope libraries will carry it and kids will steal it from the libraries if their parents won’t let them check it out.

    Thank you to NetGalley and Viking books for the ARC. Book to be published March 4, 2025.

  • a first time for everything by kl walther

    I genuinely love a closed-door romance that isn’t full of purity culture. It is such a special unicorn in my life.

    This book follows a full year of 17/18 year old Mads’ life. This starts out when her brother Austin gets engaged to his girlfriend Katie in Paris. Mads feels a bit left out because she assumed she would know Austin was going to propose prior to hearing about it. She likes Katie but doesn’t quite love her yet. Then Katie asks her to be a bridesmaid, and she becomes fully part of the bridesmaid culture and group chat. The girls find out that Mads has never had a real boyfriend and they encourage her love life. Throughout the seasons she goes to prom, commits to a college, and dates several different boys as she seeks to find her “favorite person.”

    There are a couple of different love interests, but for the most part this is essentially a love triangle. I like to keep my reviews spoiler-free, but I will say I was disappointed in which one she ended up with. The really great story, though, is Austin and Katie, their ups and downs, and how Mads learns to love Katie and accept her as a part of her family. That is a story not often told, and that is really well done. Mads is well written, appropriate level of maturity for her age and intelligence. She is both interesting and likable.

    If you like YA romance, absolutely recommend this one. Its is fun and heartwarming. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC. Book to be published June 3, 2025.

  • leaving the station by jake maia arlow

    A wonderful queer romcom that tackles some deep content while also being descriptive, sweet and relatable. Sure to be one of the top sapphic romances of 2025.

    Zoe is escaping from their first semester in New York, they are figuring out if pre-med is right for them. In fact, they’re figuring out a lot of stuff. Zoe has a great group of friends from freshman orientation, but soon becomes interested in Alden, another college student that they love hanging out with.

    The narrative is dual-linear, meaning we are following both Zoe’s experiences on a cross country train ride from New York to Seattle, as well as Zoe’s experiences in their first college semester up until fall break. The experiences on the train are well crafted, character-driven, and nuanced. There is a strong theme of train travel and how the characters of Zoe and Oakley evolve and grow as they are on the journey. There is something so romantic about train travel- and everyone on the train has a story as to why they have chosen that transportation method and how they are experiencing the trip.

    The narratives following Zoe in college, while starting only 3 months apart, show us that Zoe has learned more about themselves in the experience. The train gives us a side character of Aya, a 9 year old traveling with her mom, she is precocious, sweet, and very realistic.

    Jake Maia Arlow writes young people very well, they are bright, clever, and insecure while being confident. It is the ultimate contradiction of teenagers, they simultaneously view themselves as both inferior to and superior to others. Some YA romantic fiction really misses the mark on an 18 year old, their inner dialogue sounds like a much younger child. That is certainly not the case here, and it is a breath of fresh air. I absolutely loved this book. It’s so smart.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Book to be published August 19, 2025.

  • the rival by emma lord

    Great audiobook from YA romance author Emma Lord. Another in the genre about a first year female student- Sadie- at a prestigious and academically challenging fictional college. This time she is a member of the journalism major and a part of the online news outlet. Her family friend- Sebastian- is competing with her on the journalism award which is semester long and has several rounds. There is also an overarching side story about the university and how they fund extracurriculars.

    Sadie and Sebastian are likable characters, great build up and banter between rivals. The inner dialogue of an Emma Lord female main character is always adorable and sweet. If you enjoy a sweet YA story this is a good one. Narrator is engaging and all parts are well acted.

    🗞️enemies to lovers
    🗞️he falls first
    🗞️dads are lifelong best friends
    🗞️miscommunication
    🗞️third act fight
    🗞️LGBTQ representation (he is bisexual, also there are non-binary and queer friend characters)

    Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an audiobook ARC. Book to be published 1/28/25