The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli (Penguin, read via
NetGalley) – I know that authors often say second books are really difficult,
and sometimes I feel the same way reading them. There are some authors whose
debuts I’ve loved, but whose second books have left me disappointed. Then
again, there are others like Morgan Matson, Non Pratt, and Becky Albertalli
(obviously a VERY incomplete list!) who have followed up an astonishingly
fabulous debut with an equally brilliant sophomore book. There’s a loose link
to Simon Vs here (main character Molly is cousin to Abby in that book, and both
Abby and Simon appear in this one briefly) but it’s completely readable as a
standalone if you’ve missed Becky’s first book. (Obviously you should then go
back and read that because it’s superb though!) Narrator Molly is such an
adorable character, while I also loved her twin sister. The romances running
through this one are perfectly done and it’s such a gorgeously fun read.
Into The Fourth at Trebizon by Anne Digby, illustrated by Lucy
Truman (Egmont, bought) – Reread of one of my favourite of the Trebizon
series, with the new edition illustrated, like the rest of the series, by Lucy
Truman with her gorgeous artwork. I’ve read this so many times but it’s a
perfect comfort read, while Lucy’s pictures definitely add to the experience of
reading it.
Girls Can’t Hit by Tom Easton (Hot Key, read via NetGalley) –
With the same brilliant sense of humour he showed in Boys Don’t Knit, Tom Easton brings us the story of a girl who
somehow ends up taking up boxing despite the disapproval of her family and
slight bewilderment of her friends. This is a consistently funny read with a
great set of characters, and I raced through it. I also loved seeing a group of
friends involved in historical re-enactments, a hobby I’ve rarely seen portrayed
in YA - which led to some especially hilarious scenes!
Allegedly by Tiffany D Jackson (Harper 360, bought) – This is
such an intense thriller, with so many twists and turns, that I don’t want to
say much for fear of spoilers. I WILL say, though, that you should absolutely
read it ASAP – Tiffany Jackson gives us an incredible story and a truly
memorable central character in the shape of Mary, a black girl convicted of
killing a white baby when she was just 9 and now fighting to convince people
that she didn’t commit the crime in order to keep her own unborn child. A brilliantly written story which will stay
in my memory a LONG time; I’m excited for whatever Tiffany writes next.
In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall III (Harry N Abrams, bought)
– Really interesting coming of age story
following a fair-haired, blue-eyed young Lakota boy on a road trip with his
grandfather following in the footsteps of the famed Crazy Horse – who was once
another Lakota boy with similar features to Jimmy’s, and who grew up to become
one of the bravest and most renowned of the Lakota nation. The grandfather’s
tales of the exploits of the famous warrior are excellent and I enjoyed finding
out more about him as well as getting an insight into the modern-day life of a
Lakota boy. It’s also a completely gorgeous hardback; I love the cover and Jim
Yellowhawk’s wonderful illustrations really work perfectly with Marshall’s
story.
All Our Wrong Todays by Elon Mastai ( Read via NetGalley) – I
don’t generally do time travel, but this sounded too intriguing to pass up and
requesting it via NetGalley was SUCH a brilliant decision! Starting in the 2016
we were meant to have – a wonderful utopia with unlimited energy, this follows
a slacker who is the son of the man who’s invented time-travel. Despite the
perfection of this world, main character Tom is left alone by a series of
heartbreaks, and after a time-travel accident ends up wiping out the world and
catapulting him into ‘our’ 2016 – which may seem like a nightmare world in
comparison, but which has people who love him in it. He’s left to try and
decide whether to ‘fix’ the universe, or to hold on to the people he cares for.
Stunning voice here, genuinely unexpected twists and turns in the plot, and
really lovely characters.
Truth or Dare by Non Pratt (Walker, received from publisher) –
How can ANYONE be as consistently incredible as Non is? Four books, all of
which are very different, all of which would be in my top 20 YA contemporaries
of the last 5 years. This story of Claire and Sef, who team up to start a
YouTube channel and raise money so that Sef’s brother can stay in his care
home, is both moving and at times hilarious. I think Non captures modern teens
better than perhaps anyone else in UKYA (and, obviously, with the amount of
incredible authors writing UKYA at the moment there’s MASSIVE competition.) The
dual narrative format – starting with Claire’s story, switching to Sef’s POV
halfway through so we can see his version of events, and finishing off with
both of them – works brilliantly. I also really appreciated the ace
representation in the form of Claire’s friend Seren, who I thought was a
fabulous character.
Cream Buns and Crime by Robin Stevens (Corgi, bought) – I got
slightly confused here, thinking the sixth in the popular Murder Most
Unladylike series was ‘just’ the short stories that have been published online
before plus a couple of new ones. That was already enough for me to buy it;
I’ve loved all the shorts I’ve read and Nina Tara’s gorgeous covers ensure that
this is a series that’s too stunning to NOT collect in full. However there’s so
much more to it than the shorts (as brilliant as they are!) with Robin talking
about her inspirations, and in-character pieces by Daisy and Hazel on
codebreaking, famous detectives, and other gems. I think this is one of the
best ‘companion’ type books I’ve read for a series – you can clearly feel
Robin’s love for her characters in everything she writes. In addition, the
shorts are superb and it’s fabulous to see George and Beanie both take centre
stage as narrators for separate stories without Daisy and Hazel.
Book of the month: Wow, this is tough! Non and Becky’s
books were both fabulous, while Tiffany blew me away with one of the strongest
YA debuts I’ve read in a long time. However Elon Mastai’s All Our Wrong Todays
takes this for me; it really is unlike anything I’ve read in ages and I LOVED
it.
I recently read Upside and it was such a cute and enjoyable read! I loved how relatable and simple it was yet at the same time so important!
ReplyDeletexx Anisha @ Sprinkled Pages