Buy Parachutes Regular price: $21.70 Publisher:  Katherine Tegen Books Format: Hardcover / Audiobook Narrators: Cassie Simone and Karissa Vacker Reviewer: Melissa on May 6, 2021 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars When I first heard about Parachutes, I thought it wasn’t the book for me because of the comparison to Gossip Girl. Boy was I wrong. (Maybe I should’ve placed a little more weight with the comparison to Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak.) If it wasn’t for the fact that I read some tweets by the author Kelly Yang, and possibly an article, about the inspiration for her debut YA nov ..read more

Buy Cool for the Summer Regular price: $22.75 Publisher:  Wednesday Books Format: Hardcover Reviewer: Melissa on May. 04, 2021 Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Larissa, aka Lara, has only had eyes for one person throughout her high school years: Chase Harding. He’s tall, strong, hot, and the football star, but he’s also sweet. And suddenly, he’s talking to her. Maybe even flirting? No, wait, he’s definitely flirting, which is pretty much the beginning of Lara’s dream come true life. Except she’s haunted by a memory. The memory of a confusing, romantic, and strangely perfect summe ..read more

Buy The Sun Is Also A Star Regular price: $32.19 Publisher:  Ember / Listening Library Format: Paperback / Audiobook Reviewer: Melissa on Apr. 12, 2021 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Natasha is a teen girl who believes in science and facts. She doesn’t believe in fate or destiny. And she’s definitely not the kind of girl who would fall in love with a boy she randomly meets on a crowded NYC street. Not when her family is scheduled to be deported back to Jamaica later tonight. Daniel has always been the good son; the one who is a good student and who is living up to his parents’ hi ..read more

Buy Bingo Love Regular price: $12.65 Publisher:  Image Comics Format: Paperback Reviewer: Melissa on Mar. 16, 2021 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars I first heard about Tee Franklin‘s Bingo Love via someone’s Instagram list of recommended Black, sapphic stories. Written by Franklin, art work by Jenn St-Onge, and coloured by Joy San, it caught my attention because it tells a f/f romance between two grandmothers, not young people. However, now that I’ve read it and got my mom, who is a grandmother herself, to read it, I can say that this beautiful story is more nuanced ..read more

Buy The Project Special price: $20.11 Regular price: $20.60 Publisher: Wednesday Books Format: Hardcover Reviewer: Melissa on Mar. 12, 2021 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars From the very first moment that I heard of The Project by Courtney Summers, I knew I had to read it. Summers’ Canadian YA novels have always spoken to me. However, her last novel, Sadie, was better than anything she’d ever done, and I made an educated guess that her craft would continually improve with her latest novel. And I wasn’t disappointed. Lo Denham is used to being on her own. When her parents died in a ..read more

Check out the cover for Make Up Break Up by Lily Menon. Buy Make Up Break Up Regular price: $20.10 Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin Format: Paperback Reviewer: Melissa on Feb. 3, 2021 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Ever since I heard Lily Menon (aka Sandhya Menon) was going to write an adult rom-com, I knew I had to read it. I’ve read nearly all of Sandhya’s YA novels, minus the first book in her fantasy series…yet, and I’ve at least enjoyed them, but absolutely loved most of them. So I knew that if she was writing a steamy book with everything else I love about her novels, then ..read more

#BellLetsTalk Day: Recommended Books on Anxiety Today, January 28th, 2021, is the 11th annual #BellLetsTalk day, which is an initiative that has always been near and dear to my heart. Since I’ve known about it, I’ve always spent time on social media sharing information and having discussions with people around mental health, reducing the stigma, and sharing my experience of being someone who has lost near and dear family members to suicide. Last year, I recommended 10 YA novels that deal with various mental health and wellness issues, which are still relevant if you haven ..read more

Buy You Have A Match Regular price: $18.09 Publisher: Wednesday Books Format: Hardcover Reviewer: Melissa on Jan. 19, 2021 Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars You Have a Match, the sophomoric novel by Emma Lord, is an interesting look at what happens when Abby’s friend, Leo, asks her and their other BFF, Connie, to take a DNA kit in the hopes of finding some biological family members other than his sister, Carla, with whom he was adopted. Why interesting? Because when Abby goes over to commiserate with Leo when he doesn’t find anyone, she gets a phone-cracking notification ..read more

Let us know what you think of the cover for The Half-Class (The Class Chronicles, #1) by Kayvion Lewis, which releases Aug. 24, 2021! This cover reveal is brought to you by Parliament House Press. About The Half-Class: By day, Evie is an outcast, a half-class. Too dark for the illustrious light class, and too fair for the lowly dark class, she is forced to walk the edge of the street with her head down and her paperwork ready. By night, she rebels. Burning down municipal buildings and raiding shops with her fellow half-classes by her side. It’s a dangerous life, but it’s simple. I ..read more

Buy Into the Heartless Wood Regular price: $19.71 Publisher: Page Street Format: Hardcover Reviewer: Melissa on Jan. 9, 2021 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars I requested Into the Heartless Wood for two reasons. The beautiful, illustrated cover and because I’d previously read and loved another title by the same publisher, The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar, so I thought I’d take a chance on this dark fantasy about a tree siren and a human boy who fall in love after she saves his life over and over. I’m glad I decided to stretch outside of my reading comfort zone for Joanna Ruth Meyer’s novel a ..read more