Tag Archives: diversity

2015, ARC review, Book Review

[Review] The Rest of Us Just Live Here — Patrick Ness

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Book Title                  The Rest of Us Just Live Here
Author:                        Patrick Ness
Number of pages:  352

Synopsis:

patrick ness - the rest of us just live here - book cover (US)What if you aren’t the Chosen One?

The one who’s supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death?

What if you’re like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again.

Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life.

Even if your best friend is worshipped by mountain lions.

(re: Goodreads @ The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr review:

– Two overlapping narratives: 1) a story of your standard YA hero trying to save the world; 2) a story about the background noise simply living their lives (e.g. school/work)
– Nothing really special to note of the setting. There may be holes in the fantasy “world building” but it’s not of importance to the character-driven nature of the story
– Diversity in ensemble with character struggles that feel incredibly real (concerning LGBTQIA, mental illnesses, eating disorders, family issues, etc.)
– Highly quotable. If you enjoy Ness on Twitter, you’ll enjoy parts of the dialogue for sure

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Initial Thoughts

I will not let Nessochism take over this review…but oh my god it hurt to rate this book.

Disclaimer: The copy I read was an ARC given to me by Amanda @ Brains Books and Brawn that she received from an Indigo Teen giveaway.

Continue reading [Review] The Rest of Us Just Live Here — Patrick Ness →

2015, ARC review, Book Review

[Review] Don’t Fail Me Now — Una LaMarche

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Book Title                   Don’t Fail Me Now (Standalone)
Author:                         Una LaMarche
Number of pages:  288

Synopsis:

una lamarche - dont fail me now book cover2Michelle and her little siblings Cass and Denny are African-American and living on the poverty line in urban Baltimore, struggling to keep it together with their mom in jail and only Michelle’s part-time job at the Taco Bell to sustain them.

Leah and her stepbrother Tim are white and middle class from suburban Maryland, with few worries beyond winning lacrosse games and getting college applications in on time.

Michelle and Leah only have one thing in common: Buck Devereaux, the biological father who abandoned them when they were little. After news trickles back to them that Buck is dying, they make the uneasy decision to drive across country to his hospice in California. Leah hopes for closure; Michelle just wants to give him a piece of her mind.

(re: Goodreads @ Don’t Fail Me Now by Una LaMarche)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr review:

– A road-trip book brimming with intersectionality/diversity
– Slow-paced writing and feeling of being disengaged from the cast and their conflict made the experience a bit of a drag
– Romance in this book is off-center of incest (not actually…but the half-sister’s brother is the interest)
– Raises awareness to racial discrimination and microaggressions, economic disparity, gender roles, physiological concerns (diabetes), privilege, etc., but doesn’t cause its importance to resonate

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Initial Thoughts

Someone needs to explain to me why road trip books are so wonderful because I’m all “¯\_(ツ)_/¯”

Full disclosure: I received an advanced reader copy of Don’t Fail Me Now from the Book Blog Ontario Meet-Up. I extend thanks to RazorBill for providing me with the opportunity to review this book.

Continue reading [Review] Don’t Fail Me Now — Una LaMarche →

2015, ARC review, Book Review

[Review] Dream Things True – Marie Marquardt

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Book Title              Dream Things True
Author:                    Marie Marquardt 
Number of pages:   352

Synopsis:

dream things true - marie marquardt - book cover Evan, a soccer star and the nephew of a conservative Southern Senator, has never wanted for much — except a functional family. Alma has lived in Georgia since she was two-years-old, excels in school, and has a large, warm Mexican family. Never mind their differences, the two fall in love, and they fall hard. But when ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) begins raids on their town, Alma knows that she needs to tell Evan her secret. There’s too much at stake. But how to tell her country-club boyfriend that she’s an undocumented immigrant? That her whole family and most of her friends live in the country without permission. What follows is a beautiful, nuanced, well-paced exploration of the complications of immigration, young love, defying one’s family, and facing a tangled bureaucracy that threatens to completely upend two young lives.

(re: Goodreads @ Dream Things True – Marie Marquardt)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr review:

— Set in Georgia (USA) and encompasses POC (Mexican) families, undocumented immigrants, race and discrimination, power and privilege, drugs, rape, and exoticism, among others
— Narrative is told in sporadic alternating perspectives between both MCs; writing integrates Spanish dialogue
— The romance jumps the gun; a bit instalust-y after a few chapters
— If you’ve seen “The Proposal” (with Bullock/Reynolds), it feels like a toned down YA version of that
— An important diverse read with revelations that seem a bit easy but speaks to the concern of white privilege; it’s a bit of a toss-up in terms of enjoyment

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Initial Thoughts

Dream Things True is a very difficult book to review.

Full disclosure: I received an advanced reader copy of Dream Things True through Netgalley for an honest review. I extend thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin for providing me with the opportunity to review this book.

Continue reading [Review] Dream Things True – Marie Marquardt →