Review: Where She Fell

Where She Fell
by Kaitlin Ward

Publisher: Point
Publication Date: October 30, 2018

WHERE SHE FELL is about a deep hole in a swamp, near a relatively small town. And the girl who falls into it. Our not-exactly-a-hero Eliza is that girl, and she only reason she survives is because she is an aspiring geologist with a passion for caves. Hers is the type of nerdy knowledge that saves lives, and she certainly wouldn’t have lived another hour if she had listened to her friends’ unspoken judgments and chosen a less nerdy career path. But she does live another hour – she lives beyond another day, she survives. But not alone. There exists within the tunnels and caverns of the world she’s stumbled into a colony of humans, humans who have fallen in at separate times, and at separate locations – leading Eliza to realize the cave system is bigger than one single state. The colony’s resident geologist (what a coincidence!), Mary, enlists Eliza to help her with her work and unwillingly allows Eliza to uncover the colony’s secrets – even Mary’s own lies – one…by…one. If Eliza was an outcast above ground, she is an alien below – and she has to consider who her topside friends are, and what the colony leaders’ intentions will lead to.

I loved WHERE SHE FELL. A story about an imperfect introvert is always refreshing, and story about an imperfect introvert stuck underground for a few weeks is even better. Eliza stays herself, the whole time, and she “rises to the occasion” in a unique, realistic way. She nearly has a breakdown multiple times, and doesn’t think of herself as the hero – which is why I don’t, either. She is amazingly courageous, yes, but I don’t think she’s a hero. I don’t think she’s some far-off standard of awesomeness. I think she is herself, and even in a life or death situation, that is the best you can be. Eliza’s topside friends don’t appreciate her very much, but I think it was a slight mistake on the writer’s part to have Eliza completely ditch them after coming to her philosophical and spiritual breakthroughs. They could’ve still been in her life, just…less. But however overwhelming her topside friends were, her colony friends made up for it: Alice, Eleanor, Grayson, and Mary were all bringers of peace and understanding in a time of turmoil and rejection. Also Grayson was hot as hell. Overall, WHERE SHE FELL is a very good, darkly whimsical book.

Review: Flatland

Flatland
by Edwin A. Abbott

Publisher: Dover
Publication Date: September 21, 1992

FLATLAND by Edwin A. Abbott is narrated by a Square, who describes how life works in the Second Dimension. He explains things such as how their society functions in a Caste system, how the inhabitants see or “feel” their surroundings, and the differences between males and females. FLATLAND is not really a plot-driven book, which for me, can occasionally be a bit difficult to get through. I would describe this book as “interesting”. It is not gripping or suspenseful. However, it offers a unique perspective (pun intended) of something few ponder. For those who are interested in physics, engineering, or anything geometrical, I would highly recommend this book. However, even though I myself am interested in these subjects, I still found myself rereading many passages multiple times; not because I did not understand what was being described, but because I wanted to fully comprehend it. The occasional illustration assists with understanding this different reality, but still requires much thought to truly understand and comprehend how life works in Flatland.

Review: Imagine Us Happy

Imagine Us Happy
by Jennifer Yu

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: October 23, 2018

IMAGINE US HAPPY by Jennifer Yu tells the heartbreaking story of a teenage girl in high school as she battles depression, fighting parents, and her first true love. As she gets deeper and deeper into her relationship and learns more about him and herself, Stella must figure out how to win the internal battle with what she knows is right while trying to figure out what it is she deserves. From crazy house parties with her BFFs to scary fights to pained therapy sessions, this is not an easy topic to read about, but it is written beautifully and I could not put it down! The way the author flashed forward to the future and back to present throughout the story helped grasp the intricate backstory of Stella and her world, and the language was amazing. I loved this book and would definitely recommend it.

Review: A Very Large Expanse of Sea

A Very Large Expanse of Sea
by Taherah Mafi

Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: October 16, 2018

Tahereh Mafi’s stunning new novel A VERY LARGE EXPANSE OF SEA chronicles the story of high schooler Shirin, a strong young woman whose life has never been easy due to her family’s constant moving and her daily choice to wear a hijab. It’s 2002, one year after 9/11, and Shirin is constantly being bullied, stared at, threatened, or worse. Enter Ocean. The seemingly perfect love interest is the first person in a long time who really wants to get to know Shirin. It’s through Ocean’s kindness and her love of breakdancing that Shirin is able to make it through another year.


A VERY LARGE EXPANSE OF SEA is a beautiful novel, with addictive prose from Shatter Me series author Tahereh Mafi and irresistibly lovable characters. This book has such soul and such heart, that it is near impossible to put down. I encourage you to pick up this book and jump into a whirlwind story of love, hate, and everything in between that will leave you feeling that there is some good left in the world.

Review: Easy Prey

Easy Prey
by Catherine Lo

Publisher: Amulet
Publication Date: October 16, 2018

EASY PREY by Catherine Lo is a both a modern mystery and thought-provoking story of cyberbullying, sexting, and the victim-blaming mentality of the current era. Based in the small town school of Edgewood High, EASY PREY focuses on the aftermath of a sudden and anonymous release of a teacher’s nude photos. The three suspects in question of releasing said photos are high school seniors  Matthew “Mouse” Maguire, Drew Wilson, and Jenna Bradley, each having had plausible motives to do so. In fact, all three took part in acquiring the risqué photos of Ms. Bailey, but who took the joke too far?

Switching back and forth from points of view, EASY PREY gives the reader a detailed insight into the characters and their thoughts, each character being unique within themselves — far more than their labels of the geek, goth and jock. Having had previous knowledge of the effects of nonconsensual releases of nude photos, I was curious as to how this story would interpret the subject. I can now say that I am impressed at how EASY PREY put forth a very accurate and honest description of what happens in circumstances like these, and I definitely recommend giving it a try to see for yourself. Overall, EASY PREY is authentic, callous, and captivating, all whilst keeping up a tense “whodunit” factor up until the very end. As for the shocking ending, I can promise that it is not what you’d expect, and no one is who they seem. (At least, I didn’t see it coming!)

Review: Anything But Okay

Anything But Okay
by Sarah Darer Littman


Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: October 10, 2018

ANYTHING BUT OKAY by Sarah Darer Littman is about a junior named Stella. Her brother Rob has just come back from his second tour in Afghanistan and has been acting strange ever since. Stella takes Rob to the movies and after the movie Rob assaults a kid from Stella's school after he loses his control. I had an interesting time with this book. It's a good book that covers some pretty heavy topics a little too lightly at times. I liked the plot of the book and the way it came together. The characters developed nicely throughout the book and I enjoyed the overall writing style. The topics are extremely relevant to our society today.

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: Confessions of a Teenage Leper

Confessions of a Teenage Leper
by Ashley Little

Publisher: Penguin Teen
Publication Date: September 11th, 2018

High school senior Abby Furlowe lives a charmed life in Texas. Beautiful, popular, and the star of the cheerleading team, she’s the envy of the school. But when she starts experiencing a series of concerning and unexplainable symptoms, it seems everything she values—including her life—may be threatened.

CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE LEPER captures the shallow reality of high school. The book will appeal to anyone who wants to get in touch with the angst and vanity of teenage girlhood. Although I think the author relies too much on cheerleader clichés—the story of a stuck-up blonde who’s only able to empathize with the outcasts after she becomes one is nothing new—I found reading about leprosy to be fascinating. Overall, it’s a funny and interesting exploration of the fragileness of the identities we construct for ourselves.

Review: Dry

Dry
by Neal Shusterman & Jarrod Shusterman

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 2nd, 2018

DRY, by father and son Neal and Jarrod Shusterman, portrays an apocalyptic society where in one day water becomes a scarcity and people will do anything to stay alive. When the Tap-Out leaves Alyssa’s family and all of California without a water source, her parents set out to receive water from organized stations along the west coast. When they don’t return, she and her brother end up banding together with her geeky next door neighbor to try and find her parents and survive. As events escalate and it becomes harder and harder to stay alive, people begin to lose sense of societal morality as their need for water becomes more and more desperate. While bleak and frustrating at times, the Shustermans paint a vivid picture of hope in a sea of disparity. 

I really enjoyed this novel although not in the way I had expected. Alyssa’s story is at times excruciating-- it’s rife with false hope, deceit, and of course torture in the form of dehydration. In times of crisis, the worst is brought out in much of society. However, Alyssa and her crew, while at times dysfunctional, stick together through thick and thin despite the extreme situations they must endure. While the characters are well fleshed-out and complex, DRY imagines a vivid nightmare, which more than the characters, takes on a life of its own. Considering the reality that much of California remains in a drought, this conflict hits close to home. In between chapters, different perspectives from victims of the Tap-Out described how the Tap-Out had reached and destroyed many lives. Each person dealt with their own desperation in different and often heartbreaking ways. The effect of these interludes was a sense of realism that in other books you don’t feel as much. Instead of Alyssa and her gang facing an isolated problem, the reader sees how, while they persevere, much of California loses hope. I found this story touching, terrifying, thrilling and ultimately hopeful. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys excitement and adrenaline-filled books.

Review: A Heart in a Body in the World

A Heart in a Body in the World
by Deb Caletti

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: September 18th, 2018

A HEART IN A BODY IN THE WORLD is a timely and gut-wrenching novel by Deb Caletti that follows high school senior Annabelle on her run across America, as she tries to outrun her grief. Following a personal tragedy in her hometown of Seattle that is slowly revealed as the story progresses, Annabelle, a cross-country runner, sees no other solution than taking a 27,000 mile trek to Washington DC. As she powers through the physical toll, she comes to term with her own emotional trauma.  In doing so, she accidentally becomes the face of a nationwide cause, but only ever intended to run away from the memories of the past that plague her mind. Hers is a raw and passionate cry for justice in a time of Never Again and mental health activism, and leaves behind a strong message. 

I have never so strongly wanted to reach into a book and give a character a hug. I felt like I too was on her emotional journey (but not the actual running part, thank god), and could see her struggle on every page. Caletti tapped into what it feels like to grieve and rage, as well as the inner conflict that comes with wanting to move on, and manifested that into Annabelle. This is a must-read book, but be warned, have a box of tissues ready.