 Sleepless in Dubai
By S. Patel Photographer wannabe, Nikki, is headed to Dubai to celebrate Diwali with her family. Unfortunately, her ex-best friend, Yash, and his family are going too. From the very start of the trip, their families scheme to get the pair talking again in the hopes they will mend their broken friendship. Slowly, against the exciting and adventure-filled backdrop of Dubai, Nikki and Yash do indeed find their way back to each other and end up having the vacation of a lifetime. This is such a sweet friends to enemies to lovers story. Patel does a wonderful job of immersing the reader in the Dubai tourist experience as well as the traditions of Diwali. The characters are charming, memorable, and jump off the page. Teens will enjoy this one. Highly recommend it! Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
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 Frenemies with Benefits
By L. Sharp Socially awkward Jess has a summer plan—to claim her brother's friend, Andrew, as her man and possibly even lose her V card to him. If only she had the sexual confidence to go after what she wanted. Which is where sexy jock Benjamin comes in. He and Jess have been sparring for ages and although she despises him, she can't deny how attractive he is or how experienced he is (at least by reputation) in the bedroom. Which is how she ends up requesting his help to upskill in the sexy department. Jess is surprised to discover Benjamin has hidden depth—he's tender, thoughtful, nerdy, and a skilled musician and it isn't long before the lines between their sex-education business relationship blurs into something more and Jess finds herself craving his company when they're apart and thinking less and less about Andrew. Highly recommended this romance for the upper YA/NA audience. The story gives page space to important conversations such as consent, contraception, pregnancy, and different types of sex all through the eyes of a relatable protagonist. Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. Publication date: Aug 28, 2023 (Entangled Teen)  Artifacts of an Ex
By J. Chen This is a sweet story about Chloe, a planning obsessed teen art curator who moves to LA from NYC. Fresh from a break up, she is inspired to create an art exhibit featuring failed relationship mementos. In the process of adjusting to life in LA and making friends with fellow creatives, Chloe meets a cute film maker—Daniel. He’s as sweet as the pineapple cakes Chloe’s ahma used to make but convincing him to date her isn’t easy because of his preconceived ideas about love. The side characters add additional interest and depth to the story and the way Chloe’s family dynamics were interwoven with the narrative worked beautifully. This story is a nod to falling in love with LA, finding your artistic tribe, and the ups and downs of all the stages of love. A fun read! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. Publication date: Nov 13, 2023 (St Martin's Press, Wednesday Books)  TILLY IN TECHNICOLOR
By M. Eddings This was such a fun dual POV YA read. The story centers around Tilly. She’s a disorganized but lovable ball of energy and emotion, with a heart of gold. Tilly has ADHD and is trying to find her place in the world and figure out what to do with herself now high school is done. Her overbearing parents send her to Europe to intern at her older sister’s nail polish start up. On the plane she meets Oliver. He’s orderly, neat, and an emotionally closed book—her exact opposite. Turns out, he’s also a summer intern at her sister’s company and her traveling room mate for the summer. Despite their differences, she’s drawn to him and soon discovers that he has autism. The pair are a perfect compliment and so sweet and understanding with each other. Their relationship development was beautifully written and a delight to read. It was equally lovely to see Tilly find her groove career wise—sharing her inner thoughts on a social media blog, writing for magazines, and helping out her sister’s company with hand modeling and more. As for the side characters, they were all so memorable, multi-dimensional, and fun and really added to the story. Highly recommend! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.  The Name Drop
By S. Lee Jessica’s summer plans are set— an internship in NYC at a Korean tech company. An internship she desperately needs in order to secure a letter of recommendation for snagging a financial scholarship to the college of her dreams. Elijah is also headed to the company’s NYC office, but he won’t be in the regular internship track, he’s son to the CEO and will be in the executive track and he’s dreading it. Thanks to identical Korean names, Jessica is mistaken for Elijah at airport check in. Suddenly, she finds herself in first class and being whisked to a fancy NYC brownstone. All the while, Elijah has taken her place with the other interns and is loving flying under the radar and feeling like a normal teen for a change. With Elijah’s father working from the Korean office, no one is aware of the mistake that has been made. Hoping to keep it that way, Elijah and Jessica agree to stay in their swapped places but on the condition they meet regularly to update the other in case of probing parents. Opposites attract and these meet ups soon turn electric thanks to the pair’s undeniable chemistry. As the summer progresses, the interns, led by Jessica, organize a huge video game design convention but things go awry when both Elijah and Jessica’s parents discover what they’ve been up to. This was a fast paced, dual POV read. The NYC setting was enjoyable and the cast of characters was great. Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC.  All Alone With You
By A. Coombs Senior Eloise (Lou ) suffers from depression and anxiety. Friendless, she spends her free time perfecting her GPA and playing video games, a perpetual scowl on her face. It isn't until she is told she needs volunteer hours to make her college applications stand out that she steps out of her comfort zone and through the doors of LifeCare, a facility that pairs volunteers with lonely elderly clients. Enter sunshine-filled Austin (another volunteer) and former rock star Marianne (client) and soon days are flying by and Eloise finds herself not entirely hating the experience (smiling even), not to mention falling for Austin. This is a sweet romance about a girl finding social acceptance and the patient boy who stands by her without criticism, both brought together through their roles as volunteers. Aging rocker, Marianne, adds humor and some frank conversations into the mix and the banter between Eloise and Austin is delightful—the perfect balance of snark, wit, humor, and sweetness. Ideally, I would have loved a slightly deeper dive into Austin's back story and past, especially what happened with his father, but I did enjoy seeing the musician side of him thrive. A highly enjoyable read, would definitely recommend. Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC.  EXCUSE ME WHILE I UGLY CRY
By J. Goffney This is an emotional YA read about a list-obsessed teen who's private journal falls into the wrong hands leading to blackmail via social media. She teams up with the last person to see the journal, cute and practical Carter, in an attempt to try and get it back before her reputation is completely ruined. Along the way, she learns a lot about herself, her family, her friend group, and the type of person she wants to become. Not to mention, the type of boy she wants by her side. Topics explored include race, identity, authenticity, friendship, bravery, and living honestly. Highly recommend.  FOLLOW YOUR ARROW
By Jessica Verdi Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book. All opinions are my own. This young-adult novel by Jessica Verdi is a fun, fast-paced read brimming with important conversations surrounding the power of social media (positive and negative), sexuality and identity, and the challenges of being a teen growing up in today’s complex world. Cece is a likable, anxious main character with good intentions. She is a bisexual social media influencer who begins losing followers after parting ways with her social influencer gay-identifying girlfriend and beginning a relationship with a heterosexual boy who is social media clueless. The plot is relatively straight-forward, allowing the reader to focus on the profound impact Cece’s online world has on her off-line world and vice versa and how her experiences in these two different spheres have shaped her character and ultimately move her in a direction of growth and change. Emails and tweets Cece sends and receives are a fun stylistic addition. This is a great book to help frame discussions around social media as well as LGBTQ+ issues. Grab a donut and enjoy! @kidlitexchange #bookstagram #kidlitexchange #kidlit @scholasticinc  SING LIKE NO ONE'S LISTENING
By Vanessa Jones Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book. All opinions are my own. Set in London, this turbulent young adult novel features Nettie, a talented singer/songwriter who is accepted into a top performing arts school but grapples with finding her voice while grieving the death of her ballerina mother. Nellie's character is distinct and the backdrop of the school is rich with detail and provides a fascinating peek behind the curtain's of the theater world. Plot twists and turns, including an intense love interest, bullies, and pressure from the teachers to perform and overcome her voice hurdles, keep the book steaming along. An enjoyable read! @kidlitexchange @peachtreepublishing #bookstagram #kidlitexchange #kidlit  IF WE WERE US
By K.L. Walther Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book. All opinions are my own. A light-hearted YA rom-com novel for high-schoolers contemplating relationships, college, and adulthood. This dual POV story, set in a boarding school, focuses on Sage and Charlie, lifelong best friends. During the course of the story, Sage falls in love with Charlie's twin—Nick. While Charlie, who is coming to terms with his sexual identity, falls for a family friend—Luke. The alternating POV chapters in this story work well and allow for deeper character development, though their voices could have been a little more distinctive. There are plenty of small plot twists and bumps to keep up the pace and ensure readers stay engaged and turning pages. A fun summer read. @kidlitexchange #bookstagram #kidlitexchange #kidlit @sourcebooksfire |
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