WE’RE NEVER GETTING HOME By Tracy Badua

April 6, 2024 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

WE’RE NEVER GETTING HOME By Tracy BaduaWe're Never Getting Home by Tracy Badua
Published by Quill Tree Books on 4/16/24
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Pages: 316
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Jana Rubio and her best friend, Maddy Parsons, have an epic senior year finale queued up: catching their favorite band at the Orchards, an outdoor music festival a two-hour drive away. When a blowup over Maddy’s time-sucking boyfriend exposes a rift that may have already been growing between them, Jana calls off their joint trip and gets a lift to the festival from her church friend Nathan…only to realize Maddy and her boyfriend are along for the ride, too.

All Jana wants is to enjoy the concert and get home as soon as possible. But then Nathan loses his car keys crowd-surfing, and it’s up to Jana and Maddy to find them. As they navigate stolen phones and missing friends, scale Ferris wheels and crash parties, the two of them are forced to reckon with the biggest obstacle of all: repairing their friendship.

Will Jana and Maddy find their way home—and also back to each other?

Short and Sweet Review

Jana and her best friend Maddy are about to see their favorite band at an outdoor music festival two hours away. After the two have a fight Jana has to find another ride to the show, and she ends up asking Nathan a friend from church. Funny enough Maddy and her boyfriend Tyler are also carpooling with Nathan. At this point Jana just wants to go to the concert and go home right after, but after Nathan loses the car keys it’s chaos. Jana and Maddy have to resolve their issues and also look for the keys so that Jana can get home.

Jana and Maddy have been friends since elementary school and just recently Maddy started dating Tyler and Jana feels left out which is the reason for their fight. I get where both girls are coming from and I don’t blame Maddy for the fight in her mind she was trying to include Jana but whenever he was brought up Jana would make excuses to not hangout. I will say that things that Jana perceived weren’t true but she wanted them to be and she came across as a victim. Anyway Nathan his younger brother Everett along with Maddy, Tyler, and Jana head to the festival. It doesn’t take long for Nathan to lose the keys after crowd surfing and that’s when things start to go downhill for Jana. After the festival Jana promised to pick up her dad at a work conference and she feels like she’s letting her parents down so she’s stressed and also determined to find those keys. I think the pressure that Jana feels to make her parents happy shapes her to be the person she is. I found Jana to be someone who wanted to be perfect and was afraid to step one foot out of line but also it was hard for her because she had a friend like Maddy who was able to be a little more carefree. Over the course of the book we see the group try to find the keys and also a whole bunch of shenanigans like Nathan hurting his knee, Jana’s phone being stolen and crashing parties, but the biggest thing is resolving her friendship with Maddy. I feel like Jana did go through some character development but I thought she could have grown some more. The ending wasn’t my favorite mainly because somethings happened so late in the book it felt like the resolution was just solved way too fast.

Overall, I liked the premise of this book and the festival was a fun setting. I do like that Jana ended up learning a lot about herself during the course of the book. I will say that I enjoyed Maddy a lot and I think Jana should have spent more time trying to see things from her perspective. It was a good book and a lot of important lessons were learned.

Filed Under: Reviews

BOOK, BEAST, AND CROW By Elizabeth Byrne

March 5, 2024 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

BOOK, BEAST, AND CROW By Elizabeth ByrneBook, Beast, and Crow by Elizabeth Byrne
Published by Quill Tree Books on 3/12/24
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Young Adult
Pages: 365
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Anna Kellogg has always felt different. Growing up in Hartwood, New Jersey—where frequent disappearances are attributed to an urban-legend-like beast that dwells in the walled-in swamp at the center of town—can have that effect on people. But for Anna, it’s more than that. Since she was a child, she’s been plagued by episodes where she sees things others can’t see. Feeling different is one thing, but actually being different is another. If it weren’t for her best friend, Olivia, Anna’s not sure where she’d fit in.

But any hopes of having a normal senior year come to a halt when Olivia is attacked in the woods, bitten, and left for dead by a whirling cyclone of claws, fur, and teeth. Though Olivia survives, a sinister entity makes it clear that the mark had been set on Anna…and the miss has set in motion a catastrophic shift that will change Anna and her friends’ lives forever.

Short and Sweet Review

Things in Hartwood, New Jersey, aren’t completely normal. The town has a wall surrounding the swamp to keep out the beast which is either an urban legend or the truth. Anna has always felt different, she could see things no one else could, the only thing that keeps Anna feeling like she fits in is her best friend Olivia. While on a field trip Olivia ends up getting attacked by the beast who was supposed to have Anna as the target. Now Anna and her friends lives are starting to change especially when they have access to a world beyond theirs.

The whole premise of this book sounds great but it’s another case of the execution failing. There was a lot going on but mainly it revolves around Olivia getting bitten and Anna, Alex, and Lou discovering there’s the otherworld and a swamp witch and other things. I wish I could tell you more but I feel like I was a bit lost while reading this and frankly not all there. I don’t think this book held my attention the way I thought it would. The book is just filled with a lot of back and forth between the regular world and the otherworld and trying to learn information about why things are the way they are, like why was there a beast and why did the town sacrifice people? The characters are very one note and not ones that I connected to. Looking back I think the story was very basic and I could see why it would be compared to The Hazel Wood or Stranger Things, but it just didn’t have the wow factor that those two things bring. Like I mentioned earlier there’s a lot going on but I think things could have been better if there was more detail or if things were fleshed out a bit more. It just felt like we were moving along because we had to but there was really no purpose for us moving along.

Overall, this book was okay and usually my okays are like 3 stars but this okay is leaning towards 2.5. I really wished this was a book I loved but unfortunately that wasn’t the case and I won’t be recommending it.

Filed Under: Reviews

WE GOT THE BEAT By Jenna Miller

February 19, 2024 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

WE GOT THE BEAT By Jenna MillerWe Got the Beat by Jenna Miller
Published by Quill Tree Books on 2/20/24
Genres: Contemporary, LGBT, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 347
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Jordan Elliott is a fat, nerdy lesbian and the first junior to be named editor in chief of the school newspaper. Okay, that last part hasn’t happened yet, but it will. It’s positive thinking that has gotten Jordan this far. Ever since Mackenzie West, her friend-turned-enemy, humiliated her at the start of freshman year, Jordan has thrown herself into journalism and kept her eyes trained on the future.

So it’s a total blow when Jordan discovers that she not only didn’t get the editor in chief spot, but she’s been assigned the volleyball beat instead. And who is the star and newly crowned captain of the volleyball team? Mackenzie West. But words are Jordan’s weapon, and she has some ideas about how to exact a long-awaited revenge on her nemesis. Then things get murky when forced time together has Mack and Jordan falling back into their friendship and into something more. And when Mack confesses the real reason she turned on Jordan freshman year, it has Jordan questioning everything—past, present, and future.

If Jordan lets her guard down and Mack in, will she get everything she wants, or will she be humiliated all over again?

Short and Sweet Review

It’s Jordan’s junior year and she wants to be the editor in chief of the school newspaper, but instead she gets the job of writing about the schools volleyball team. It would be a doable job if Jordan’s former friend Mackenzie wasn’t the captain of the team. Jordan and Mackenzie used to be friends until Mackenzie humiliated Jordan Freshman year for reasons she still doesn’t understand. When Jordan starts spending time with Mackenzie it feels like old times, and she eventually learns why Mackenzie did what she did which changes everything. The only thing is, Jordan doesn’t know if she can let Mackenzie back in.

We Got the Beat is a cute book. I did enjoy following Jordan’s character. She had a good support system and I liked her best friends Audrey and Isaac, I will say even though Audrey was looking out for Jordan she did overstep at times. The main reason I wanted to read this book was because I wanted to know what caused the falling out between Jordan and Mackenzie. The reveal was pretty good and made sense and I feel like Mackenzie didn’t handle it the best way but she did what she thought was best at the time. I did enjoy the little snippets of Jordan’s articles that would eventually be in the paper. I think the build up to Jordan and Mackenzies new found friendship had a lot of obstacles in the way like Jordan not completely trusting Mackenzie because of what happened in the past and Jordan choosing to believe everyone except for Mackenzie. I’m trying to avoid spoiling what happened between these two because it really makes everything come full circle in the end. The writing was good and had me looking forward to what would happen next. Honestly my only issue was Audrey, who I know had good intentions, but she should really run things past the people who are involved before just making the decisions for people.

Overall, this was a cute book and I loved Jordan and Mackenzie try to figure out how to move forward and get over what happened in the past. It’s a quick and easy read and it has two characters who may be meant to be more than just friends.

Filed Under: Reviews

SHUT UP, THIS IS SERIOUS By Carolina Ixta

December 29, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

SHUT UP, THIS IS SERIOUS By Carolina IxtaShut Up, This Is Serious by Carolina Ixta
Published by Quill Tree Books on 1/9/24
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 364
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Belén Dolores Itzel del Toro wants the normal stuff: to experience love or maybe have a boyfriend or at least just lose her virginity. But nothing is normal in East Oakland. Her father left her family. She’s at risk of not graduating. And Leti, her super-Catholic, nerdy-ass best friend, is pregnant—by the boyfriend she hasn’t told her parents about, because he’s Black, and her parents are racist.

Things are hella complicated.

Weighed by a depression she can’t seem to shake, Belén helps Leti, hangs out with an older guy, and cuts a lot of class. She soon realizes, though, that distractions are only temporary. Leti is becoming a mother. Classmates are getting ready for college. But what about Belén? What future is there for girls like her?

Short and Sweet Review

Belén just wants to be a normal teenager and have normal experiences but in her life nothing is going right, her father left, she may not graduate, and her religious and studious friend ends up pregnant by a boy she can’t tell her parents about because they’re racist. Soon Belén starts to distract herself by skipping class and hanging out with an older guy but she starts to wonder what the future has in store for her when she sees everyone around her ready to move on.

First and foremost this is one of the best books I’ve read this year! The story follows Belén who’s in high school, she’s not taking school very seriously and has a chance of not graduating. Belén and Leti are best friends, Leti is pregnant and her parents are super religious and also racist which complicates things because Leti’s baby daddy Quentin is black. We follow Belén try to navigate this time during her life, her father left and since then her mom has become more absent and her older sister Ava is almost the mother figure in her life. When Belén, Leti, and Quentin go to a college party, Belén meets a college guy who she spends a lot of time with mainly to distract herself from everything that’s going on in life. My favorite thing about this book was how realistic it is. It also reminds me of those movies where the student is failing but they find a teacher who cares about them who helps them make it to the finish line. I loved the friendship between Belén and Leti, Leti was the more logical one but Belén would balance her out and make her realize she doesn’t have to take everything so seriously. I liked that Belén wasn’t pregnant but that she was the biggest support for Leti and Quentin during this time. This book takes place over a school year and I just loved seeing Belén navigate life and where she started to where she ended, her character made leaps and bounds in the development department.

Overall, I would recommend this book to everyone! It’s so realistic and you fall in love with the characters and their stories. Belén was an amazing character that was relatable and showed that even through the hard times you can still find the light at the end of the tunnel.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE SPACE BETWEEN HERE & NOW By Sarah Suk

October 18, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE SPACE BETWEEN HERE & NOW By Sarah SukThe Space Between Here & Now by Sarah Suk
Published by Quill Tree Books on 10/31/23
Genres: Contemporary, Fantasy & Magic, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 317
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Seventeen-year-old Aimee Roh has Sensory Time Warp Syndrome, a rare condition that causes her to time travel to a moment in her life when she smells something linked to that memory. Her dad is convinced she'll simply grow out of it if she tries hard enough, but Aimee's fear of vanishing at random has kept her from living a normal life.

When Aimee disappears for nine hours into a memory of her estranged mom--a moment Aimee has never remembered before--she becomes distraught. Not only was this her longest disappearance yet, but the memory doesn't match up with the story of how her mom left--at least, not the version she's always heard from her dad.

Desperate for answers, Aimee travels to Korea, where she unravels the mystery of her memories, the truth about her mother, and the reason she keeps returning to certain moments in her life. Along the way, she realizes she'll need to reconcile her past in order to save her present.

Short and Sweet Review

Aimee Ro has Sensory Time Warp Syndrome, which is a rare condition and for Aimee its triggered by smells. Whenever Aimee smells something that is connected to a memory from the past she’ll be taken back to that memory physically. Her dad thinks this is something she’ll grow out of but Aimee has a fear that just disappearing at random is keeping her from living a semi normal life. When Aimee ends up going into a memory for 9 hours (the longest she’s ever been gone) she realizes that her dad hasn’t been completely honest about why her mom left. Aimee decides to go to Korea to see if she can get some answers and uncover the mystery surrounding her mom leaving.

Aimee has STWS which is pretty interesting and very rare. Aimee is triggered by certain smells and she’ll go back into a memory she will literally disappear from the present which is a bit jarring and go back in time into the past to relive the memory. Aimee hasn’t been able to seek help because her dad thinks she’ll just stop when she wants to and if she really wants to. I did love seeing the advice Aimee was getting from places like reddit or just internet searches. When Aimee goes into a past memory of her mom she realizes that her dads story about why her mom left doesn’t match up to what she just saw. Aimee goes to Korea to find out what happened to her mom and she hopes that her STWS will come in handy to help her find her. I loved Aimee as a character. She’s struggling with something that not a lot of people understand and we see her reliving her past and trying to piece things together. I did like seeing her understand that sometimes the past shouldn’t dictate the future. The relationship with her father starts off strained, they don’t talk much and he’s stuck in his ways but I feel like its a cultural thing. Seeing Aimee and her father mend their relationship was very heartwarming. In Korea Aimee stays with her aunt but she does most of her sight seeing with an old family friend Junho and I did feel some sparks but I liked how they were ultimately just friends. Nikita was also a friend of Aimee’s and she’s very supportive and was even the one to suggest to Aimee that she should go to Korea.

The Space Between Here & Now, is a heartwarming novel about exploring memories and dealing with all of the emotions that come with them but also overcoming them and looking forward to the future and what’s to come. The characters were easy to relate to and so was the subject matter, I would definitely recommend this book!

Filed Under: Reviews

THE FOREST DEMANDS ITS DUE By Kosoko Jackson

September 25, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE FOREST DEMANDS ITS DUE By Kosoko JacksonThe Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson
Published by Quill Tree Books on 10/3/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Horror & Ghost Stories, LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 426
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Regent Academy has a long and storied history in Winslow, Vermont, as does the forest that surrounds it. The school is known for molding teens into leaders, but its history is far more nefarious.

Seventeen-year-old Douglas Jones wants nothing to do with Regent's king-making; he’s just trying to survive. But then a student is murdered and, for some reason, by the next day no one remembers him having ever existed, except for Douglas and the groundskeeper's son, Everett Everley. In his determination to uncover the truth, Douglas awakens a horror hidden within the forest, unearthing secrets that have been buried for centuries. A vengeful creature wants blood as payment for a debt more than 300 years in the making—or it will swallow all of Winslow in darkness.

And for the first time in his life, Douglas might have a chance to grasp the one thing he’s always felt was missing: power. But if he’s not careful, he will find out that power has a tendency to corrupt absolutely everything.

A

Short and Sweet Review

Douglas attends Regent Academy, which is known for making its students into leaders. There’s also a forrest around the campus and Douglas can hear the forest talking to him. Douglas is just trying to make it through school, but one day a student is murdered and no one else seems to remember who that student was except for Douglas and the groundkeepers son, Everett. Douglas is determined to find out what’s going on around the school and the forest and he gets more than he bargained for.

The beginning of the book really pulls you in and makes you curious and eager to learn more about the forest and what’s going on with the student that was just murdered. Douglas is our main character and he has a bit of a reputation because of something that happened in the past, he didn’t have many friends and its also hard to be the only black student at the school. Douglas ends up going to the headmaster who informs him that he knows all about the forest and students being murdered and its because of a curse, and Everett and his mom and sister are like the protectors of the border. Anyway Douglas is dragged into all of the magical things going on and learns that things called perversions are escaping the forest and killing students. When students are killed no one on campus remembers that they even existed. Through this journey Everett and Douglas become closer and we see a romance form. The romance was okay I wasn’t invested in it, it felt like because they were both in this position to save the school that they gravitated towards each other. Douglas was tasked with breaking the curse on the school and we see him, Everett, and Emma go into the forest and deal with all the creepy things that are in there. I feel like in the middle of the book the pacing was a bit off. The ending was okay but also bittersweet.

Overall, the book was okay but it wasn’t anything I was wowed by. I’m not sure what I wasn’t vibing with while reading this book but the main thing was the pacing. There were some good moments with action and all the questions were answered so there’s that.

Filed Under: Reviews

CHAMPION OF FATE By Kendare Blake

September 4, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

CHAMPION OF FATE By Kendare BlakeChampion of Fate by Kendare Blake
Series: Heromaker #1
Published by Quill Tree Books on 9/19/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 473
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Aristene are an order of mythical female warriors. Though heroes might be immortalized in legends, it’s the Aristene who guide their paths to victory. They are the Heromakers.

Raised by the order after being orphaned, Reed grew up surrounded by her future sisters-in-arms and the incredible stories of their quests. She’s been counting the days until her initiation, and now one final test stands in her way: shepherding her first hero to glory on the battlefield. Succeed, and her place in the order is secured. Fail, and she’ll be cast out of the only home she’s ever known.

But Reed didn’t count on Hestion, her assigned hero, being both infuriating and intriguing. When their strategic alliance turns into something more, it forces Reed to question the cost of becoming an Aristene. As battle looms and fate hangs in the balance, Reed must make an impossible choice: her hero or her order.

Short and Sweet Review

The Aristene are legendary female warriors who are the ones who guide every hero to their path to victory. Reed was orphaned at a young age and was raised by the Aristene and now its time for her to go on to her final test, guiding a hero to their path to victory on the battle field, if she succeeds she’s earned her place as an Aristene and if she fails she’ll be cast out. Reed’s hero is a prince named Hestion, he honestly has no desire to be a hero and that makes him infuriating to Reed but also she’s interested in him. Being around Hestion makes Reed wonder if she really wants to be an Aristene.

Champion of Fate is an amazing fantasy book! We follow Reed who is an initiate for the legendary Aristene, who took her in when her village was slaughtered. Reeds mentor and mother figure is a woman named Aster who happens to have a high ranking. I loved the relationship between the two of them, Aster had a tough love approach but Reed always knew she could count on her. For Reed’s test she has to help Hestion a prince becomes a hero and lead him on a path to glory, but upon meeting him she learns that Hestion really wants to be in the background and he’s okay with his brother Belden being the one to take the credit. We see Reed and Hestion spend a lot of time together and get to know one another and they end up developing feelings for each other, which is easier for Hestion than it is for Reed. Reed knows once the war is finished she can’t stay with Hestion and she’ll have to move on. I did like the dynamic between these two and how for a while Hestion had Reed questioning if she really did want to become an Aristene or maybe stick around and leave that life behind. We follow these characters as they go into war which was pretty cool to see how amazing Reed and her friend Lyonene were at fighting. We also learn something about Reed that ends up changing everything. I loved Reeds character, she was strong and thoughtful, but also she cares a lot for the people she loves, she also has a horse that has a big personality. I also thought it was pretty cool to see one of the queens from the Three Dark Crowns series make an appearance.

The ending was not what I was expecting but in a good way and now all I want is the sequel in my hands. The writing is amazing and it will have you hooked from page one. I think of Reed being the Phil to someones Hercules. Champion of Fate is a fantasy book that will have you blown away and leave you wanting more!

Filed Under: Reviews

THIS TOWN IS ON FIRE By Pamela N. Harris

June 5, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THIS TOWN IS ON FIRE By Pamela N. HarrisThis Town Is on Fire by Pamela N. Harris
Published by Quill Tree Books on 6/20/23
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 445
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

A lot is up in the air in Naomi Henry’s life: her spot as a varsity cheer flier, her classmates’ reaction to the debut of her natural hair, and her crush on the guy who’s always been like a brother to her. With so much uncertainty, she feels lucky to have a best friend like Kylie to keep her grounded. After all, they’re practically sisters—Naomi’s mom took care of Kylie and her twin brother for years.

But then a video of Kylie calling the cops on two Black teens in a shopping store parking lot goes viral. Naomi is shaken, and her town is reeling from the publicity. While Naomi tries to reckon with Kylie, the other Black students in their high school are questioning their friendship, and her former friends are wondering where this new “woke” Naomi came from. Although Naomi wants to stand by her best friend, she now can’t help but see everything in a different light.

As tensions in her town escalate, Naomi finds herself engaging in protests that are on the cusp of being illegal. And then a bomb explodes, and someone is found dead. Will Naomi be caught in the center of the blast?

Short and Sweet Review

Naomi and Kylie have been friends since they were kids and now they’re going into their senior year of high school, they’re like sisters and Naomi looks to Kylie to keep her grounded. Naomis world is rocked when a video of Kylie calling the cops on two black teens is released and goes viral. The other black teens at their high school start to judge Naomi and Kylies friendship so much so that Naomi starts to question if she ever knew Kylie in the first place. Tensions start to escalate in town, including protests and there’s even a bomb that goes off and Naomi is caught in the crossfire.

Naomi and Kylie have always been friends but after the video comes out Naomi is confused and starts to distance herself from Kylie. I feel like Naomi is so used to doing what Kylie is doing and isn’t exactly comfortable hanging out with other black kids. So when Kylie is called out Naomi is caught between hanging out with a girl who’s being called a racist and trying to figure out her own identity as a black girl. Naomi is trying to balance this two parts of her life and is having trouble bringing them both together without cutting one out and losing a part of herself. We see the tension the video causes between Kylie and Naomi and when Naomi starts to distance herself she cuts cheerleading out her life and joins the dance team and during this time she also finds herself joining a group that enjoys protesting. Naomi also has a romance with Kylie’s twin brother Connor but that also turns sour when she sees he also has a questionable past when it comes to making fun of black people. The book goes back and forth between the present which talks about the explosion and the past which shows which led up to everything.

This Town Is on Fire, showed Naomi struggle between her friend and her identity as a black girl. I did enjoy seeing Naomi find herself throughout the book. This book was hard to put down and it’s interesting to think about what someone would do when their friend ends up being coined a “BBQ Becky”. I will say the ending was shocking, I wasn’t expecting it. This book was full of important messages and its very realistic, it was captivating. I would definitely recommend this book!

Filed Under: Reviews

THE SHARP EDGE OF SILENCE By Cameron Kelly Rosenblum

March 31, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE SHARP EDGE OF SILENCE By Cameron Kelly RosenblumThe Sharp Edge of Silence by Cameron Kelly Rosenblum
Published by Quill Tree Books on 4/11/23
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Pages: 492
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

WHO WILL YOU BE AT LYCROFT PHELPS?

This is the question all Lycroft applicants want to be asked. It means they’ve been accepted to one of the most prestigious private high schools in the nation.

Over 150 years is plenty of time for traditions to bake into the campus’s bricks and ivy. Ceremonies. Athletic rivalries. Secret societies. Pranks taken too far. But navigating it all will make Charlotte (perfect, straight-A student), Max (scholarship kid and STEM whiz), and Quinn (artist, dreamer, Lycroft legacy) question all they thought they knew about themselves…and the school.

Especially when Quinn’s sexual assault becomes public and implicates one of the top-tier athletes on campus.

Short and Sweet Review

To be accepted into Lycroft Phelps is a great accomplishment as it’s one of the most prestigious private schools in the nation. Charlotte is an Straight A student and a dancer, Max is a scholarship kid who excels at STEM, and Quinn is a Lycroft Legacy, and an artist. Each of these three think highly of Lycroft Phelps until the news of Quinn’s sexual assault at the hands of a popular athlete becomes public and makes them rethink everything they thought they knew.

The book is told in all three characters POVs and we see how they’re all entangled in each others lives. Quinn obviously has PTSD after what happened during summer send off, she tries avoiding her friends and she plans on getting revenge on Colin by doing things she thinks will bother him, and trying to anonymously spread the word about him. Charlotte is dating Seb which is one of Colins best friends, she knows somethings up with Seb and his group of friends but she can’t really put her finger on it. Max on the other hand becomes friends with the group of guys after he gets on the rowing team and he sees how awful their behavior is.

I will say that the synopsis is a little misleading, it isn’t until almost 60% through the book when Charlotte finds out about the sexual assault and almost 90% when Max finds out, so before than this is something Quinn has been dealing with on the down low. Even though this is about Quinn, Max and Charlotte added a lot to the book we see from their POVs how everything just comes together. Charlotte was determined to reconnect with Quinn even before she knew what was happening and was a big reason why Quinn was okay with coming forward. Max does something the guys encourage him to do and it gets the ball rolling. I did like the encouragement Quinn received from a few girls who were close to her and even teachers who were cheering her on from the sidelines without her knowledge. The ending was good and I just enjoyed seeing the support that she had around her.

This book has some tough content, but I think it was written in a way in which you can get through it and fully understand what the characters are going through. I would recommend this book.

Filed Under: Reviews

THIS IS NOT A PERSONAL STATEMENT By Tracy Badua

January 16, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THIS IS NOT A PERSONAL STATEMENT By Tracy BaduaThis Is Not a Personal Statement by Tracy Badua
Published by Quill Tree Books on 1/17/23
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 347
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

At sixteen, Perla is the youngest graduating senior of the hypercompetitive Monte Verde High. Praised—and not-so-quietly bashed—as “Perfect Perlie Perez,” Perla knows all the late nights, social isolation, and crushing stress will be worth it when she gets into the college of her (and her parents’) dreams: Delmont University.

Then Perla doesn’t get in, and her meticulously planned future shatters. In a panic, she forges her own acceptance letter, and next thing she knows, she’s heading to Delmont for real, acceptance or not. Soon, Perla is breaking into dorm rooms, crashing classes, and dodging questions from new friends about her lack of a student ID. Her plan? Gather on-the-ground intel to beef up her application and reapply spring semester before she’s caught.

But as her guilty conscience grows and campus security looms large, Perla starts to wonder if her plan will really succeed—and if this dream she’s worked for her entire life is something she even wants.

Short and Sweet Review

Perla Perez is the youngest student in her graduating class and all her life she’s worked to get accepted into Delmont University. So when Perla gets a rejection letter she panics and creates a fake acceptance letter and shows it to her parents. Perla plans to pretend to be a student and try to improve her next application and become a student in the spring.

This book was addicting and nerve wracking. Perla really went through almost every scenario when she came up with the idea of pretending to be a college student. She attends lectures, finds an empty dorm room, and makes some friends. What Perla wasn’t expecting was to have money problems and see someone from high school who may be on to her. Perla’s parents and family have high expectations for her and I felt bad because this is one of the main reasons she’s in this predicament. Perla is used to being on top so when she’s here in college she realizes that she may have been a lot more sheltered back at home than she thought. Perla has a lot of character development and that was one of my favorite things about this book, Perla just learning that this is her life and she has her own dreams and she doesn’t have to try to live out someone else’s. We see Perla make it 3 months on campus which is pretty insane because she did a lot of sneaking around, and it was always how long can she go before she gets caught or will she be successful and actually get accepted in the spring?

This was an amazing book, it will have you on the edge of your seat following Perla around campus. The biggest thing was the message that you get to pick the overall course of your life and you should follow your dreams and not anyone else’s. This is a must get book, I may have struggled in my college journey but Perla took fake it til you make it to another level and I will never forget her story!

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