I’m a longtime fan of Emma Lord’s books so I was excited to read The Getaway List, her latest YA novel. While I enjoyed watching the characters as they had adventures and found their way in the world, I didn’t love this one as much as her other books. Riley is graduating from high school and is feeling low because she didn’t get into any of the schools she applied for. She decides what she really needs is an adventure and the best person to do it with is Tom, her best friend who moved away to Manhattan with his famous Indie director mom after Freshman year in high school. Riley’s mom doesn’t ..read more

Brynn Whitaker is a senior at Greenlough Academy where she is known as the Flirt Expert. Brynn helps students write texts to their crushes and, in return, they Venmo her $20 per text and $50 if they end up with a date. Students at her school are wealthy but Brynn is not. Her parents are divorced and her mom works as an assistant day care manager. Her father remarried and has a new family–he quit paying child support when Brynn turned eighteen. They live in an old home where there is always something that needs repair. She has an older brother Smith who has been in and out of expensive drug re ..read more

In this not-quite stand-alone sequel to An Improbable Season, Eleanor, friend to Thalia, Kaliope and Charis, the debutantes who featured in the previous book finds true love. Well-done and sweet-natured, this boon is nonetheless a little less compelling than its predecessor. Eleanor Lockhart has one big plan for her first season now that a proper amount of time has lapsed since she was widowed – to have as much fun as the ton can offer her. Her late husband’s nephew desperately wants her to marry him so he can use her inheritance to pay off his debts, but Eleanor is in no hurry to lose her in ..read more

Valentina Tran, raised by her single dad after her mother died, used to love Valentine’s Day. She even had an imaginary friend, a cherubic Cupid. But when revelations about her mother come to light, Valentina discovers love isn’t what she thought it was – and her companion isn’t a sweet greeting-card baby, but the frightening spirit of the martyred St. Valentine, who informs her that her family is cursed in love. St. Valentine makes a bet with Val: find true love within a year, or give up on love forever, and give her heart to him. You can tell what my primary complaint will be from the plot ..read more

What a cracking, enjoyable read! A fun, sweet epistolary novel for younger readers that older ones will surely enjoy as well, Yours from the Tower takes you into a memorable summer just before the turn of the twentieth century for three enterprising, interesting young women trying to figure out who they are and where they belong. Polly Anniston, Sophie Fanshaw and Tirzah Lewis are three best friends who have separated after leaving their boarding school. They’re eighteen, and are going about the business of trying to figure out their futures. Tirzah is stuck in her grandmother’s Scottish home ..read more

People of a certain age will understand what I mean when I say My Fair Brady by Brian Kennedy is a solid entry into the “pulling a Marcia Brady makeover” trope. If you are a bit younger, you might consider it a “Can’t Buy Me Love,” or even younger, you’d maybe  think it’s a “She’s All That” story. And if none of these references make any sense, suffice it to say that this story is all about an ugly duckling misfit being made into a swan by a more popular guy, so if that’s your jam, you’ll enjoy this sweet romance. Wade Westmore is bummed. Not only was he dumped by his gorgeous, adorable ..read more

A Fragile Enchantment is a sparky novel featuring a hate-to-love romance filled with lively conflict that will definitely keep teens engaged. Unfortunately, it also – and very notably – cribs some obvious plot points from the Bridgerton universe, including a gossip columnist with a pseudonym. Niamh Ó Conchobhair’s greatest gift is her greatest curse. She is a skilled seamstress whose stitches are imbued with the power of her emotions. But that very skill threatens to leave her with non stop pain and will eventually take her life. To pad her family’s coffers before she dies, Naimh takes an ass ..read more

Hello. Have you met Michael’s friend, Ralph? If you were an adolescent in the US at any point from the 1970s to the 1990s, then you’re probably very familiar with the memorable nickname Michael gives his single-eyed sailor in Judy Blume’s teenage masterpiece Forever… in an attempt at making his girlfriend, Katherine, more comfortable with touching his genitals. It’s a realistic, awkward yet cringeworthy touch – in the way many a teenager has been in the past. And that’s what makes this book so great. While some aspects of the novel feel a little dated, for the most part it’s a realistic point ..read more

I have been seeing readers rave about this YA Historical Fantasy all over social media and so I decided to give it a try and I’m so glad I did. The book takes place during an alternate World War I world that began when two gods were fighting each other. The novel has magic, romance, and a sizzling plot–I didn’t want to put it down! Iris Winnow is eighteen years old and sad to see her brother, Forest, head off to fight for Enva, the Skyward goddess. Enva is battling Dacre, an Underling god whose hounds, wyverns and eithrals (dangerous mythical creatures) destroy anything in their path. Her bro ..read more

The charming cover drew me to pick up Seven Minutes in Candyland, and I am so glad I did. This feel-good story brings back all the best memories of high school while simultaneously reminding us that it wasn’t a perfect place. It’s a celebration of youth, love, the power of friendship, and the joy that can be found in a small piece of chocolate. Sophomore Kal (Kalvin) Shmelton needs big money, and he needs it fast. His parents have turned a joint psychologist practice into a wildly popular couples therapy podcast and YouTube channel that’s pulling in thousands of dollars a week in sponsored co ..read more