The Do-Over by Lynn Painter Realistic Fiction Romance Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) Emilie Hornby, a teenage high schooler, lives through a repeating time loop nightmare that occurs on Valentine’s Day. After a stressful day at school watching her boyfriend Josh cheat on her, she escapes to her grandmother’s house for some comfort and consolation. She passes out on the couch for the night, but when she wakes up, she’s back in … Read more
Well, That Was Unexpected by Jesse Q. Sutanto Funny Realistic Fiction Romance Rom-Com * * * * Stars (Great!) Sharlot and George find themselves at the center of a teenage rom-com entirely fabricated by their well-meaning parents, after each is discovered in an embarrassing sexual situation. To get some distance from her boyfriend, Sharlot is whisked off to Indonesia where her mother creates an online dating profile for her and starts exchanging messages with “George.” … Read more
D&D Dungeon Club: Roll Call by Molly Knox Ostertag and Xanthe Bouma Graphic Novel Realistic Fiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) Jess and Olivia have been best friends for a long time and have been playing D&D together for much of that time. Now that they’re in 8th grade, Olivia has a plan to start a D&D club at school and bring in other folks to join the campaign. Jess is NOT on board … Read more
What the Hex? Witches of Brooklyn bk #2 by Sophie Escabasse Fantasy Graphic Novel Mystery Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Effie is miffed because her friend Berrit made a new friend over winter break and has been completely ignoring her. It’s hard to compete with Garance, who is cool and French and a great artist. Everyone else seems to like her a lot. These sorts of mundane concerns are distracting Effie from … Read more
Mars One by Jonathan Maberry Realistic Fiction Romance Science Fiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) Tristan and his family are part of the Mars One mission – something they signed up for as a family a long time ago. They’ll be among the first colonists to go to Mars. And when they do, they’ll be leaving Earth and all of its entanglements behind forever. Tristan will have to leave his friends, and most particularly … Read more
Amy’s Big Brother by BonHyung Jeong Graphic Novel Realistic Fiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) In this companion novel to “Kyle’s Little Sister,” we meet Amy’s big brother, Andrew. He thinks his little sister is super annoying (she is always in his business) and is thrilled that they’re going to different schools now that he’s in middle school. Andrew’s main love is basketball, until he meets Hannah. Now she’s all he can think about! … Read more
Pearl of the Sea by Anthony Silverston, Raffaella Delle Donna, and Willem Samuel Graphic Novel Realistic Fiction Tween * * * * Stars (Great!) Pearl lives in a small seaside town that’s experiencing an economic downturn. Everyone is looking for work, and Pearl’s dad is trying to make ends meet working in restaurants, which just aren’t making a profit. He’s about to throw in the towel and move them out to the city, but Pearl … Read more
Duel by Jessixa Bagley Illustrated by Aaron Bagley Graphic Novel Realistic Fiction Tween * * * Stars (Pretty good) Lucy (6th grader) and Gigi (older sis) are now going to the same middle school and it’s not ideal. The sisters have been fighting nonstop since their father passed away, and their quarrels carry over into their school lives, where, on their first day, Gigi trips Lucy in the cafeteria and Lucy challenges Gigi to a … Read more
Curlfriends: New in Town by Sharee Miller Graphic novel Realistic Fiction Tween * * * Stars (Pretty good) Charlie has lived all over the world as a military brat, but now that her dad is changing careers, the family has settled down in the same town where her folks grew up, and Charlie is looking forward to starting over at her new middle school. She studies fashion magazines for ideas and puts together a new … Read more
The Summer I Turned Pretty Summer I Turned Pretty #1 by Jenny Han Realistic Fiction Romance Review #1 * * Stars (Just ok) “The Summer I Turned Pretty” by Jenny Han follows the protagonist, Isabel “Belly” Conklin, as she navigates a summer at the beach. Belly has always spent her summers with her family and their close friends, the Fishers, at the beach house. However, this summer is different. As Belly matures, she finds herself … Read more