Tag: YA Contemporary

Wrap Ups

August Wrap Up

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on August Wrap Up

This month I’ve had a lot going on and I haven’t been able to read as many books as I would have preferred. That being said I did complete 6 books this month that I absolutely loved and haven’t been able to stop talking about for the last couple of weeks. I do have reviews on all of these books up on my blog at the moment so feel free to click on the titles and check them out!

Ever the Brave by Erin Summerill – ⭐️4/5 stars

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner – ⭐️4/5 stars

Poison Study by Maria V Snyder – ⭐️4/5 stars

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo – ⭐️4/5 stars

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J Maas – ⭐️5/5 stars

Simon VS the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli – ⭐️4/5 stars

All in all it was a pretty great reading month for me. I lucked out and ended up pretty much loving every single book that I read. There is usually one or two books where I’m kind of like ‘eh’, but I honestly enjoyed my time reading every single one of these. Fingers crossed my luck continues onto next month and the rest of the year!

Happy Reading 📚

Reviews

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda Review

*Non Spoiler Review*

Oh Simon…

51YD0qrSr6L._SX328_BO1204203200_This book follows Simon a 16 year old boy who is gay but hasn’t told anyone yet. Another boy in his grade finds out and makes thinly veiled threats about outing him unless he sets him up with one of Simon’s best friends.

This was a very fast paced, fluffy, feel good kind of book. However, there was also an undercurrent of emotional turmoil and anguish. I thought it was very well written and really evoked the frustration and confusion that Simon was experiencing at the time.

I loved the dialogue and the conversations used in the book, I thought it was witty and humorous and kept me thoroughly entertained. The characters were very well thought out and there was a depth to all of them, they all served a purpose in the novel and really added layers to the narrative. I also enjoyed the pop culture references and the use of music to help evoke how Simon was feeling.

There were times when Simon kind of got on my nerves, just a little too self absorbed but I think we definitely see him grow and realise his flaws and work towards being a better person which I appreciated. I also loved how he came into himself towards the end of the book especially when he finally shows how comfortable he is in his sexuality.

I liked the mystery aspect that Becky Albertalli added with the emails between Simon and Blue. I think it really allowed Simon to open up and express himself and show the softer, true side of him that he doesn’t really show to the world. It also was a fun way for the reader to try and dig through the list of characters to try and figure out who Blue is.

I also thought Simon’s sisters were fantastic. They were really supportive of him throughout this transition period in Simon’s life and the fact that they didn’t treat him any differently after he came out and just accepted him for the person he is really showed how much they love and trust him.

All in I thought it was a great book; I actually finished it all in one sitting so it is a very quick read. I loved that we see this in Simon’s perspective as a young gay man and how difficult it is for him in today’s cyber society and in a social environment like school.

⭐️4/5 stars a fun, quick, important read! 

Book Lists

Booktube made me read it….

by amyleighreads1 Comment on Booktube made me read it….

*A little spoilery*

Today I thought I’d do a fun little post about 5 books that I read this year because of booktube. These books I had either seen a bunch of people do reviews on, or everyone put them in their TBR’s the same month, or they would be in everyone’s top favourite books of all time or something along those lines and I was curious enough to pick them up and give them a read.

The 1st book I read because of booktube is The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. I didn’t hate 26032825this book, but I also didn’t love it. Jude just wasn’t a favourite character of mine; I didn’t find her to be likeable throughout the novel. Some of her choices she made just didn’t sit well with me and the relationships she formed Locke and Cardan just seemed a bit odd and cringey, especially after they made her life hell for so long. I much preferred her older sister Vivi, I loved that she rebelled from her father Madoc and how she tried to pry her younger sisters out of the world of Faerie and give them a normal life back in the mortal world. I did enjoy the ending however and I am curious as to how the series will be continued so I will be reading on. ⭐️3/5 stars

The 2nd book I read was Turtles All the Way Down by John Green. When this book first 220px-John_Green_Turtles_All_The_Way_Down_Book_Covercame out I seen it everywhere and everyone was raving about how good it was. I don’t read a lot of contemporary books but I was strolling through a bookstore one day and the title jumped out at me and so I immediately picked it up and proceeded to read it. I thought the plot was actually very captivating and original, I thought it was fast paced and entertaining. Aza as a character was very relatable and real, it was as if I could feel what she was going through and her anguish and pain was bleeding through the pages. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book and I am glad that I bought into the hype and read it. ⭐️4/5 stars

The 3rd book I read because of booktube was Graceling by Kristin Cashore. As fantasy 51vE64szi-L._SX332_BO1,204,203,200_is one of my all time favourite genres I regularly peruse YouTube for lists of fantasy favourites and Graceling would always make an appearance in those lists. I picked it up with not really any expectations, I just wanted to get into a good fantasy book as I was craving one at the time and I absolutely loved it. I thought the premise was amazing, people being gifted with different graces I just thought that was really creative and it was very engaging throughout the plot. Katsa, as a female protagonist was deadly, powerful yet still very feminine and graceful (lol) she was a joy to read and this book really caught me by surprise. ⭐️4/5 stars

The 4th book that booktube made me read was The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton. 23197837Another book that I didn’t love but I also didn’t hate. Again it was just because I couldn’t quite gel with Camellia. I thought she was terribly naïve throughout the first half of the storyline and kind of put me off her as character. I did think she progressed throughout the story line and started to read between the lines of what was going on at the palace. I thought the premise of the book was interesting and original, how everyone is born grey and the Belles are the beautiful colourful young girls who have the ability to transform other’s appearances to follow beauty standards and trends. ⭐️3/5 stars

The 5th book I read because of booktube was Scythe by Neal Shusterman. Again at one 28954189stage in the booktube community it seemed like everyone was reading Scythe at the same time and raving about how good it was. I gave in and read it and of course I loved it like everyone else! I just thought it was so clever and refreshing. The premise of this book is just so thought provoking and it’s structured so well that I honestly didn’t know what was going to happen next. There are so many twists and turns and political machinations in the Scythedom and I highly enjoyed my time reading this book! ⭐️4/5 stars

Updates

Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda

IMG_1547I am finally going to be picking this up and starting it this week! Ever since the movie adaptation came out earlier this year I have been seeing this book everywhere. I don’t really read a whole lot of contemporary simply because it’s not my favourite genre, but I do like to dip me toes in every now and then and pick one up that seems to be popular at the moment and see how I like it. I have heard absolutely nothing but good things about Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and I am looking forward to getting into this and seeing whether or not the hype behind it is justified in my opinion. As far as I know it’s about Simon a homosexual male in high school who hasn’t come out to anyone yet but someone finds out and threatens to expose him… I am excited to get started and I will definitely be getting back to you soon with my thoughts and review.

Happy Reading 📚