Reviews of Young Adult Fiction on The Candid Cover YA Book Blog.
Breathe and Count Back from Ten by Natalia Sylvester is beautifully written contemporary about a girl with hip dysplasia who dreams of becoming a professional mermaid. With a complex main character who comes to reclaim her agency in her own life and a poetic writing style, this is a meaningful story that touches on several important topics. Those looking for a summer read with more serious themes–and realistic representation for disabilities–will not want to miss this one. Continue reading
Finding Her Edge by Jennifer Iacopelli is a Persuasion retelling set in the world of figure skating. As a fan of pretty much any sports book, I enjoyed the strong main character and the accessible way the author works in details about skating. While I struggled with some of the character dynamics, I still found this to be a cute sports romance that demonstrates Jennifer Iacopelli’s strength in writing the sports genre. Continue reading
Radha & Jai’s Recipe for Romance by Nisha Sharma combines food and dance in this comforting story about finding yourself. With mouthwatering descriptions of food, exciting dance scenes, and two complex main characters, this book checks many boxes for me. I especially enjoyed the realistic family dynamics and both Radha’s and Jai’s grapple with family expectations. This is an entertaining read that is filled with culture and charm. Continue reading
Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li combines literary fiction with the beloved heist genre in a story of five college students who plan to steal back Chinese art from western museums. I found the book’s premise and anti-colonial messaging engaging, but I had some issues with the one-dimensional characters and the lack of excitement to the heist itself. The execution may not have lived up to my expectations, but this is still a clever read that tackles some important topics. Continue reading
YA fantasy books is my favourite genre to read! The best imaginative must-read YA fantasy books are all on our ultimate young adult fantasy books list. This list of new and popular teen fantasy books is better than an escape room! If you are looking for some great YA fantasy books to read, there is bound to be a fantastic young adult fantasy novel here for fantasy fans to get lost in. So get cozy and curl up with one of our favourite young adult fantasy books. We recommend you read them all! Continue reading