Review: Leah on the Offbeat

Leah on the Offbeat
by Becky Albertalli

Publisher: Balzer & Bray / Harperteen
Publication Date: April 24, 2018

LEAH ON THE OFFBEAT by Becky Albertalli, a sequel to her bestselling book SIMON VS. THE HOMOSAPIENS AGENDA, follows Simon’s best friend Leah Burke through her senior year of high school as she navigates friendship, love, and life. Unlike her friends, Leah doesn’t come from a wealthy family, and lives only with her 35-year-old mother. She’s bisexual, though she’s only told her mom, and loves to draw, though she’s afraid to show people her art. Relationships begin to strain and tensions are high as Leah and her friends prepare for prom and college in their last semester of high school, especially as she becomes closer with one of them and realizes their feelings for each other are stronger than Leah knew.

This was a book I really enjoyed reading. There were so many lines that made me laugh out loud, along with some sweet moments. Leah’s inner (and often outer) voice is sarcastic, cynical, and very explicit. Although she could be uncomfortably blunt sometimes, I found her comments were usually funny and relatable. I liked that the teenagers actually spoke like teenagers, something that I haven’t found very often in the world of YA. There were some parts and plotlines that bothered me a bit, because they felt awkward and out of character. However, Albertalli’s writing fits the story’s tone so well, it keeps the reader moving and involved. This book doesn’t have one clear arc. Instead, it weaves through Leah’s experiences, in a very real way. Life doesn’t have a clear plot, and this book reflects that. It really captures the feeling of knowing that one stage of your life is ending, and everyone is going in different directions. For anyone looking for a coming-of-age book with queer romance and plenty of snark, LEAH ON THE OFFBEAT is for you.

Review: I Wish You All the Best

I Wish You All the Best
by Mason Deaver

Publisher: Push/Scholastic
Publication Date: May 14, 2019

I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST is a charmingly honest romance that focuses on the conflicts of family struggles, self-acceptance, and love. The story follows 18-year-old Ben DeBacker, who is kicked out of their home after coming out to their parents as non-binary. Finding their life flipped upside down in less than an hour, Ben struggles to not only reconnect with their estranged older sister Hannah, but deal with newfound anxiety caused by their parent’s rejection. However, one thing that makes it all a bit easier is Ben’s outgoing friend, Nathan Allan. As the two grow closer at Ben’s new school, their feelings do as well, and Ben’s new life gives way to an opportunity for acceptance, paintings, and a first love.

This book was an emotional rollercoaster, one that kept me wrapped in the story right from the start. Though I have never had experience with being kicked out by my parents or being non-binary, I really empathized with Ben’s character, and was rooting for them to find their voice and find happiness in not only others, but themself as well. This book truly was written from the heart, and I cannot recommend it enough!

Review: Her Royal Highness

Her Royal Highness
by Rachel Hawkins

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons/Penguin
Publication Date: May 7, 2019

Reading HER ROYAL HIGHNESS is like being offered a glass of water on a really hot day; you didn’t know you wanted it, but it hits the spot. Refreshing, light, sweet, simple, goes down quick, and leaves you wanting more. Our endearing protagonist, Millie, leaves Texas for her senior year of high school in Scotland when she finds that her kind-of girlfriend has gotten back together with an ex-boyfriend. Mille finds herself a bit overwhelmed by the extravagance of Gregorstoun, an exclusive boarding school where the elite of Scotland reside. After meeting her snide, arrogant, bratty roommate, Millie discovers that she is the Princess of Scotland. Numerous run-ins with the princess, Flora, bring Millie into bar fights, close to expulsion, and stranded in the wilderness, yet still Millie is drawn in by the short-tempered princess. Millie develops a crush and tries her best to ignore it, scared of the side effects of dating royalty. We can probably guess what actually ends up happening. At times, the pressure of constant scrutiny from tabloids and royal family members seems too much for Millie. Was their relationship doomed from the start?


I’d characterize Her Royal Highness as a fun spring/summer read. It reads as one would expect, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. If you're looking for a sweet love story in Scotland then you’d love this book.

Review: The Meaning of Birds

The Meaning of Birds
by Jaye Robin Brown

Publisher: Harperteen
Publication Date: April 16, 2019

From the moment they met, Jess and Vivi were inseparable. Vivi helped Jess with her anger and taught her to channel it into art. Jess’s whole future was planned with Vivi. But in their senior year of high school, that all fell apart when Vivi suddenly died. Jess is lost in her grief and anger and falls into self-destructive patterns. She can’t turn to art, because it reminds her of Vivi. All that comes out is anger and pain. Luckily, Jess meets a mentor who helps her find a new outlet for her emotions. THE MEANING OF BIRDS tells Jess’s story in the present peppered with flashbacks to her past with Vivi in an emotional journey of grief and healing. 

Jess has anger issues and doesn’t always make smart choices, which is exacerbated by losing her girlfriend. This is nicely juxtaposed with scenes of how Vivi helped her with those flaws, which helps the reader empathize with Jess’s loss. Their relationship was really cute and sweet, although Vivi’s character seems a little flat to me. I like Jess’s stylish and fierce best friend Cheyanne, but it bothered me how Jess doesn’t always respect her disinterest in dating. After Jess pushes Cheyanne away in anger, Jess starts to hang out with their mutual friend Levi more. He’s nice and helps her with some issues, but his character annoys me. I don’t like how Jess knowingly leads him on, but after Vivi’s death, she makes some really stupid mistakes. Overall, I did enjoy reading this. I like Brown’s writing style and the pacing of the book. THE MEANING OF BIRDS is a sad but lovely story about grief, love, and ultimately, healing. 

Review: Once and Future

Once and Future
by Cori McCarthy and Amy Rose Capetta

Publisher: Jimmy Patterson
Publication Date: March 26, 2019

A refugee from a planet controlled by the tyrannical Mercer corporation, all Ari Helix wants is to survive. But when she crash-lands on Old Earth and pulls a magic sword, Excalibur, from an ancient tree, she is revealed to be the newest reincarnation of King Arthur. Together with Merlin, who has aged backward over the centuries into a teenager, and her friends, they must break the curse that keeps Arthur coming back while doing something she never thought possible: defeating Mercer and bringing peace and equality to all humankind.

Packed full of LGBTQ+ characters, epic adventures, an ancient wizard, and immersive world-building, ONCE AND FUTURE is definitely a book unlike any other. Because of this, it is hard to truly capture its essence in just a short review. One of the things that makes this most challenging is the world the authors establish from the first page. This includes one of the best versions of the "evil corporation" trope that I have ever seen. To describe them as omnipresent and ruthless would be doing the Mercer corporation a wrong, as it wouldn’t quite capture the power behind their actions. To back this up, the authors create offense after offense for them to commit. Though going into details might spoil the story, I found myself completely and utterly agreeing with the characters that Mercer must go, truly understanding how a corporation can be evil. The authors create different aspects of their world like this throughout the book, writing some of the best world-building I have ever read. 

This type of world-building is seen most prominently in the story of King Arthur, and how the authors find a way to expand it while sticking true to the original story. This is done through the knights--well, their futuristic counterparts--maintaining the original relationships/betrayals, and the dark aspects that the story holds. What I liked the most about this is how the authors maintain these original characters while introducing a twist of their own: each character is written, in some sense, to bypass typical gender/romance restrictions in order to give each of them their own LGBTQ+ twist. I was beyond excited when I heard that this book would be having a twist like this, and I was not let down in the slightest. The way that the authors played with gender stereotypes in a story such as King Arthur was something which I never thought I would see in YA. If you are at all interested in seeing representation in a YA space opera/retelling, I would highly recommend this book to you for this exact reason.

Besides wishing that the book was a bit longer, I don’t think that there was a single thing I did not like with this book. With characters such as Ari, who truly embody the character of Arthur with her ferocious leadership and yearning for peace, and Merlin, who is literally the most perfect wizard I think I have ever met in my life, there was little that the authors could have gotten wrong. Filled with intense emotion, kick-ass characters, lush world building, and a twist unlike any other, ONCE AND FUTURE is a book that any sci-fi or fantasy lover would like.

Review: The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali

The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali
by Sabina Khan

Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: January 29, 2019

Sabina Khan’s debut novel, THE LOVE AND LIES OF RUKHSANA ALI, is an emotional ride about family, identity, and acceptance. Living in Seattle, 17-year-old Rukhsana Ali has worked hard to make her conservative Muslim parents happy, keeping the parts of herself they wouldn’t approve of undercover. With a few more months until she graduates and goes to Caltech, her future is looking bright... until her parents catch her kissing her girlfriend Ariana. They are furious and fearful of how the Bangladeshi community will react if word gets out. They trick Rukhsana into going with them to Bangladesh and won’t let her leave until she finds a suitable Bangladeshi boy to marry. Luckily, Rukhsana finds people who accept all of her identity and are willing to help. The book shows Rukhsana’s struggle between the two parts of her life and the importance of finding understanding and acceptance. I really liked THE LOVE AND LIES OF RUKHSANA ALI. It shows the experience of being queer and from a culture that’s generally not so accepting of it. The book does point out that not everyone raised in a culture like that will be close-minded; you can’t paint them all with one brush. There are some emotionally brutal parts that can be painful to read, so look out. But there are lighter moments that show what Rukhsana loves about being Bangladeshi and feature her happier relationships. I particularly love the relationship between Rukhsana and Shaila, her cousin who lives in Bangladesh. Despite the fact that they don’t get to see each other very often, they’re as close as sisters. If you want a realistic fiction story with a gay protagonist that’s more than just a romance, I highly recommend this book. 

Review: What If It's Us

What If It's Us
by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: October 9, 2018

WHAT IF IT'S US is the story of two boys’ summer in New York City. For Arthur, who’s

only in the city for the summer, anything could happen between his law-firm internship and love for Broadway. But Ben disagrees with the fact that anything could happen, as he’s stuck in summer-school with his ex-boyfriend. But when the two of them meet-cute at a post office as Ben tries to ship off a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things, both of their worlds seem to change in a way they never thought possible. That is, until they get separated. Then reunited. Then go through a multitude of do-over dates. As the summer begins to come to a close, Arthur and Ben must try to figure out just the right amount of love they are able to give to each other before it is too late. Or is it already too late? 

There were so many amazing parts to this book. For starters, the characters. Both boys are unique in a way I have rarely seen characters be. Arthur is an aspiring Yale student with ADHD whose sky-high grades and fancy internship make him seem like a serious and strict student. But really he is a nerdy and talkative boy who is never afraid to speak his mind about injustices and who raves about Hamilton and his other favorite Broadway shows on the daily. Ben is a handsome and well put together boy who could’ve easily been one of the popular kids. But inside he is a boy who struggled at school, who wrestles with how to represent his heritage every day, and who secretly spends hours alone in his room working on his book and playing the Sims. The author also created some of the best side characters I have ever read too. Dylan, for example, is the coffee-loving and always-joking friend of Ben’s who constantly has a new girlfriend. Only he also suffers from life-threatening panic attacks. I was in love with how realistic these characters were, and how they each felt like people I see daily, from girls obsessed to social media followings, to secretly grieving boys.

These characters and their traits of course went greatly with the overall feel of the book.

They were constantly joking, but were serious, went on cutesy dates, but had deep conversations about identity and worry. It is no surprise that they went along beautifully with the city of New York. Through the bustling streets and constantly moving crowds, I always felt like I was with them as the story progressed, almost like I was a friend of theirs. This is what I think made the plot feel especially special. In no sense did it feel like the plot was happening to them as twists and turns just fell casually into their laps. It felt like they were real people finding their way through the awkward days of a beginning of a relationship, with nothing too dramatic happening to make them feel fake, and nothing too boring to make the plot feel like it was not progressing.

Of course this review would not be complete without mentioning the beautiful writing of

Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli. Like watching a swoony sitcom, their writing was some of the more immersive prose I’ve read in ages. Written in the voices of their main characters, two teen boys, but still filled with beautiful and relatable sentences, it often felt like we were getting to look out of Arthur and Ben’s eyes in real time. In a world where contemporary books can often come off flat, this was amazing.

I hope that you enjoyed this review! As a fan of both of these authors, I was so excited

for this book, and justifiably so. If you love cute LGBT contemporary romances that tell stories way deeper than the romance of two boys, that are bound to make you swoon over the smallest of gestures, this is definitely the book for you. Filled with modern-day references and current issues, WHAT IF IT'S US is not a book to be missed. 

Review: Summer of Salt

Summer of Salt
by Katrina Leno

Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: June 5, 2018

SUMMER OF SALT is a surreal, yet very comforting novel about magic. Georgina and Mary are twins, daughters of Penelope Fernweh, but they could not be more different. Penelope owns the only inn on the island of By-The-Sea, and Georgina and Mary work there during the summers, when hobby ornithologists come, looking for a bird who may or may not be three hundred years old – it’s likely – and may definitely totally possibly be a long-lost family member. The bird’s name – it has a name, oh yes – is Annabella. Every single woman in the Fernweh family is magic, including Georgina’s mother (expert potion-maker) and sister (Mary can float). Except Georgina. 

Georgina has no idea what she can do. All the Fernweh women have discovered their powers by their eighteenth birthday at the latest, if there are any powers. Georgina is seventeen, and hasn’t felt or seen any ounce of her own magic in the world. And she feels worse knowing Mary’s kind is extremely obvious. Mary’s kind is so obvious, in fact, that she has to learn to control her powers, or risk floating a few inches of the ground as she introduces herself to her college roommate when she and Georgina leave after the summer is over. This is their last year on the island, and every year without fail, Annabella comes on a certain date of a certain month, and with her arrive the inn guests. But this year, Annabella is late. 

Oh, and, this is the year Georgina decides to fall in love. 

SUMMER OF SALT is so sweet, and so deep. Even with all the chaos that love brings, there is a strong innocence there too. When Georgina kisses Prue for the first time, I was practically willing it to last longer. Everything on the island of By-The-Sea is so quaint, I myself fell in love with the town, as well. Some books you read, you appreciate the story but don’t feel in the story, you feel connected but not empathetic. This book is rare, because it is not like that at all. I felt inside the story, inside their bodies and minds. Each time I read parts of it, in the comfort of my bed, on the sofa with light streaming onto the fabric, in the bath, even, I smelled the salt and the brine, heard the waves, felt the floods. To me, the ocean smells like gasoline, feels like wind, and sounds like birds, so I was able to project some of my senses onto the novel too. Even though I live far closer the beach than a Midwesterner might, Summer Of Salt induced ocean-related nostalgia in me as well. 

Not only did Katrina Leno write the descriptions well, she wrote the characters supremely. Mary was so many stereotypes and clichés all rolled into one, Peter was average and slightly pathetic, Vira seemed like Katrina was trying to hard to give our main character a “weird friend,” Prue seemed like the “perfect, dolled up” love interest, and Harrison was sort of useless and distant, but of course, when sh%t hits the fan, every single main character shows their true colors. Vira became, in a couple of choice words, effortless and bad%ss. Mary was more fragile and humane than I think any of us were expecting. Peter was anything but average, yet still pathetic, in the pitiful, troubled way. Harrison grew into one of the best friends Georgina could ever have. And we discovered Prue has motion sickness. 

This book was feminist and humanist, and ended strongly and gently. Simply put, I loved it.   

Review: And She Was

And She Was
by Jessica Verdi

Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: March 27, 2018

AND SHE WAS is very much a traditional “go on life changing road trip with best friend who you may or may not have feelings for” book, but it is also so much more. Dara Baker is a very passionate tennis player who doesn’t have time for much other than being a very passionate tennis player, and spending time with her mom and apparently only friend, Sam. This is the guy who she goes on the life changing road trip with. Dara learns more about others than she does herself on this road trip, which is prompted by learning that her mom is transgender.

AND SHE WAS is one of the best books I’ve ever read – and for a good third of it, I hated the main character. This started on page 200 for me and didn’t really stop until Dara came all the way back home. When she was throwing up in the hotel… Serves you right. When she was thinking about how she couldn’t deal with her mother’s suicidal thoughts… Wow, someone else’s really hard time must be such a burden for you (sarcastic). Why am I such an unwavering critic of our adorable protagonist here? Because I agree with her friend Sam-- she is selfish, immature, and definitely unraveling. 

Dara keeps saying her anger with her mother isn’t about “the trans thing,” oh, but it is. Contradictory to my dislike of the “hero,” I actually have extremely high levels of sympathy. I am a sensitive soul. I care. For Mellie, and Sam. (And Bob.) I am nonbinary. Trans issues are very important to me. Dysphoria, mental health, the will to sacrifice your money when you shouldn’t have to, parents and friends having varying levels of acceptance and otherwise, all of it. I don’t like Dara much because she seems unwilling to grasp true fear, to really understand, to listen, even just enough to actually care. When she says this herself in the last few chapters, I sigh with relief. Finally. 

This book touched me so deeply, it made me cry. I love Mellie. There are too many Mellies in this world, and way too many Daras and Ruths. My mother is a wonderful, liberal, tries-really-hard-to-accept version of Ruth. “Honestly, we were thrilled,” Ruth says on page 235, “We thought Marcus was a lovely boy…” My mother, and Ruth, both have no problems with “the trans community” to its face, but will ask, “C’mon. Why is all that necessary?” Why? “Isn’t is better to accept yourself?” Isn’t it? “Aren’t you proud of being a boy/girl?” I’m not not proud! Imagine being the thing people constantly question. Jessica Verdi gets it. She gets it enough to write about it. I love this book. Read this book.

Review: The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza

The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza
by Shaun David Hutchinson 

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: February 6, 2018

THE APOCALYPSE OF ELENA MENDOZA by Shaun David Hutchinson provides a story that deals with the rights of one to choose one’s own fate. The main character, Elena Mendoza, is a product of a virgin birth and, as the story begins, she finds that she has the power to heal by touch. The catch is that everytime she heals someone, alien forces that appear to her as voices from inanimate objects are able to “rapture” people in beams of light to who knows where. Elena struggles with the decision to save the lives of those in pain who seek her “miracles” or let them suffer and prevent any more people from being taken. The aliens claim that they are saving people from the end of the world, but there is no way for Elena to know where the people really go. 

Throughout the entire book Elena hesitates to take any sort of action. Despite advice from her best friend, the girl she likes, and her mom, she can’t make a definite choice. If the voices are right, then not healing anyone is dooming them all, but if the voices lie, then she's allowing the aliens to take innocent people without consent. Elena is frustrated that  she is forced to make choices for people she doesn’t even know. Stuck in this perfectly crafted trap it seems there is no way for her to resolve this impossible problem.

Hutchinson presents an interesting book that, despite its surface level plot, focuses on emotions more than action. Emotions such as the weight of responsibility, indecision and uncertainty (both with her situation and her love life), and the pain of not being able to help someone in need. Even with such a difficult problem, Hutchinson wraps up the story nicely and leaves the reader satisfied.

Review: A Line in the Dark

A Line in the Dark
by Malinda Lo

Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 17, 2017

A LINE IN THE DARK by Malinda Lo is a suspenseful yet heartfelt novel that explores concepts of privilege, sexuality, and friendship. Protagonist Jess Wong has had unrequited feelings for her best friend, Angie Redmond, for as long as she can remember. When Angie starts dating Margot Adams, a wealthy girl from a nearby boarding school, Jess feels more alone than ever. The plot takes a dark turn when Margot’s best friend is murdered, and Jess, Angie, and Margot find themselves at the center of the investigation. Overall, I enjoyed this book; I found Jess to be a relatable, three-dimensional character, and I enjoyed hearing her narration. To add suspense to the murder, the book switches from first to third person halfway through the book, but I missed hearing Jess’s unique voice.

This book did an excellent job of shedding light on the power of storytelling and artwork, as Jess works on a series of comics that mirror her own journey throughout the novel. The one downside to A LINE IN THE DARK was the loose ends remaining at the end; the conclusion felt abrupt and I was left wanting more. Despite this, I would recommend this novel to anyone looking for a fast-paced mystery novel with a compelling protagonist. 

Review: They Both Die at the End

They Both Die at the End
by Adam Silvera

Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: September 5, 2017

Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio know they are slated to die today. They don’t know how or exactly when, but sometime in the next 24 hours, they will meet their end. They resolve to make the best of their last day together and figure out just how much living they can fit in before they die.

THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END is beautiful, funny, and ultimately devastating. The author, Adam Silvera, succeeds at creating characters that are incredibly real and complex. Mateo and Rufus’s personalities carry the novel, and you will come to adore both of them. One of the best things Silvera does is he explores the darkness of Mateo and Rufus’s fate but does not let it overtake the entire novel, as authors are sometimes tempted to do; he still makes plenty of room for witty humor and hints of romance. This book is a 384-page rollercoaster that will whisk you away to an alternate universe, make you fall in love with the characters, and then leave you sobbing—and it’s absolutely worth every minute. 

Review: Queer, There, and Everywhere

Queer, There, and Everywhere
by Sarah Prager

Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: May 23, 2017

While there has been amazing progress in the both publicity and support for the LGBTQ+ community, it is still considered a “minority” group, outside of the norm. The best gift that QUEER, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE gives everyone, regardless of their identity, is the normalization of being LGBTQ+. Exploring twenty-three figures throughout history, this fascinating and easy-to-read set of biographies reveals just how diverse our world is. From First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (lesbian) to an ancient Roman transgender empress, QUEER, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE forces us to confront our own assumptions about history that we may not even realize we have.

I found this to be both fascinating and humbling. The breadth and depth of the LGBTQ+ community is rarely explored in conventional history classes, and this book helped me see the world through an entirely new lens. The writing is very accessible and fun, though the author tries a little too hard to be “hip”—the attempted use of slang can be a little cringe-worthy at times. Overall, however, I think this book isn’t just a good read, but a necessary one, giving LGBTQ+ folks amazing examples of influential world-changers with struggles and triumphs to identify with, and helping allies better understand how we need to view the world in order to be compassionate, understanding, and supportive.

Review: It's Not Like It's a Secret

It's Not Like It's a Secret
by Misa Sugiura

Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: May 9, 2017

11th-grader Sana Kiyohara has only recently moved from her small Midwestern town to California, but she’s already acquired her fair share of secrets. Her mother’s constant criticism is wearing her down, her father’s probably having an affair…oh, and she’s got a huge crush on a gorgeous girl at her new school.

This sweet, funny, captivating coming-of-age novel is a fantastic read. The author’s lively, conversational style grabs your attention and doesn’t let it go; I read the entire book in one afternoon. The characters are honest and sympathetic. Readers will find themselves cheering Sana on as she navigates high school life.

Review: The Art Of Being Normal

The Art Of Being Normal 
By Lisa Williamson 

Publication Date: May 31, 2016
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux 

THE ART OF BEING NORMAL is told from the perspective of two transgender teenagers – Leo Denton and David Piper. Leo is new to Eden Park School, and wants nothing more than to start over and move on from his past identity as Megan Denton. Meanwhile, David is having trouble telling his parents that he identifies as a girl and beginning his transition into life as Kate. The two meet and eventually befriend one another, finding comfort in their shared experiences. The author struck a good balance between realistically writing about the struggles that a transgender teen may face, and keeping the story uplifting and hopeful. Although the novel does have gender identity as a major theme, it focuses more on the general idea of being open to and accepting diversity, making the story relatable for almost anybody. The engaging plot line and lovable characters make THE ART OF BEING NORMAL a great choice for any teen looking to get a basic understanding of issues in this realm, or simply somebody looking for a good story.

Review: One Man Guy

One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva
Publication date: May 27, 2014
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Have you ever read a book so good that at a certain point your fingers are flying, trying to turn pages as quickly as you're reading? Have you ever read a book that you couldn't put down, despite your best efforts? A book that, once finished, leaves a warm, fuzzy feeling within you for days? To clarify, have you read ONE MAN GUY by Michael Barakiva?

ONE MAN GUY centers around Alek, a young, awkward, and Armenian highschooler, who has just been sentenced to spend his vacation in summer school. However, while there, he meets Ethan, a free-spirit who takes a particular interest in Alek. A new take on the coming-of-age-romance genre, ONE MAN GUY is by far one of the best standalone books I've read. Barakiva has a sharp, quick, and witty style that makes the book easily accessible, and easily enjoyable. Not only is the writing style spot-on, but the characters are brilliantly diverse and exceptionally intricate. I very rarely read coming-of-age stories, but I'm glad that I read this one, because ONE MAN GUY definitely made it onto my list of favorite standalone books. If you're 13 or older, don't mind some profanity, and are looking for a sweet and fun read, I'd definitely recommend this book to you!

Review: Rethinking Normal: A Memoir in Transition

Rethinking Normal: A Memoir in Transition by Katie Rain Hill
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publishing date: September 30, 2014

RETHINKING NORMAL by Katie Rain Hill is a memoir in which the author shares her personal journey of transitioning from male to female. Katie explains how she never felt comfortable as a boy. Even before high school, Katie realizes that the only thing that would ever make her feel completely comfortable in her own skin is if she were to live her life as a girl. Throughout the novel, Katie reflects on her pain-filled childhood through bullies and her own depression, and the events leading up to the decision to transition fully from one sex to another. I found this book to be very original and interesting, especially considering that I personally haven’t read many books that talk about LGBTQ related subjects written in the first person. This book is completely non fiction, something a bit more uncommon for YA novels. I would recommend this book to anyone who has curiosity on the subject. From reading this book I really learned a lot about gender reassignment surgery and what it actually entails, but I also learned a person’s story that I found brave and genuine. It’s definitely a unique topic, so if you have any curiosity I would definitely recommend it!