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
The Girls Are Never Gone by Sarah Glenn Marsh is an atmospheric horror that is prefect for the fall season. Following a girl who takes an internship at a haunted house, this one contains spine-chilling images and a strong main character who is also diabetic. I especially enjoyed the eerie descriptions of the house, which leave the reader with the unsettling feeling that something sinister is going on. Continue reading
A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen combines two of my favourite things in YA–baking and competition. This is such an entertaining story about a baking competition that turns out to be a matchmaking scheme, and there are some fantastic descriptions of food inside. I enjoyed the main character’s passion for baking, but I would have liked to see more about the competition itself. Despite this, this is still an engaging read and a quirky take on Pride and Prejudice. Continue reading
Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli is a book that is fast-paced and meaningful as it follows a gymnastics team’s difficult journey to the Olympics amid the arrest of their coach. I’m a sucker for books about sports, and this one provided fantastic descriptions of gymnastics as well as a team of strong female athletes. There are some difficult topics discussed, including sexual assault, but these are handled with sensitivity, and there is nothing graphic in the book. I really enjoyed this one, and I would recommend it to those looking for a more serious read. Continue reading
Title: This is Really Happening
BuzzFeed senior writer Erin Chack provides a collection of personal essays for the Snapchat generation.
Erin recounts everything from meeting her soulmate at age 14 to her first chemotherapy session at age 19 to what really goes on behind the scenes at a major Internet media company.
She authentically captures the agony and the ecstasy of the millennial experience, whether it's her first kiss ("Sean's tongue! In my mouth! Slippery and wet like a slug in the rain.") or her struggles with anxiety ("When people throw caution to the wind, I am stuck imagining the poor soul who has to break his back sweeping caution into a dustpan").
Yet Erin also offers a fresh perspective on universal themes of resilience and love as she writes about surviving cancer, including learning of her mother's own cancer diagnosis within the same year, and her attempts to hide the diagnosis from friends to avoid "un-normaling" everything.
❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃
This is Really Happening by Erin Chack is a memoir that contains a variety of stories. It includes Erin Chack’s experience with cancer to childhood memories. The writing is intimate and hilarious, which I really enjoyed. This is an inspiring and quick read that will definitely make the reader laugh. Continue reading