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She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen

Oh. My. God. The cuteness overload!

I’m a sucker for any “cliche” fake-dating, enemies-to-lovers fics and I have an overwhelming love for YA contemporary romcoms, especially when sapphic in nature.

This story follows Scottie, a basketball player who is still heartbroken and pining over her ex-girlfriend, Tally. After losing a pre-season game to Tally’s basketball team, Scottie gets into a fender bender with Irene - her nemesis. Due to their meddling mothers, Scottie and Irene begin to carpool to school together. When an opportunity presents itself for both girls to benefit, Irene and Scottie make a deal: Scottie gives Irene $1,000 for her car repairs and in exchange, Irene pretends to date Scottie to make Tally jealous. The problem is that sometimes love comes from unexpected places.

This book is a lighthearted, fun read, but also conveys a very important message about grieving past relationships, nurturing and loving yourself, and being honest with your emotions. The support Scottie and Irene both have in the forms of friends and family makes this book even that much more enjoyable. It’s such a good story, with pretty fascinating characters and a great balance between grandiose gestures of romance and the importance of communication.

If you’ve been struggling to read, or feeling like all the books you’ve been reading are just too heavy, then I recommend picking this one up! It’s light & heartwarming, with just enough drama to make it interesting without making it overwhelming.

I’m giving this four stars because it was a perfect, lighthearted, easy read that gave me all the feels of falling in love again after being heartbroken. Kelly Quindlen nailed it with this book!!

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger Warning: mentions of underage drinking and homophobia

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The Thin Place by C.D. Major

Ava, an expecting mother and journalist, is seemingly unnaturally drawn to Overtoun Bridge - a mysterious bridge where it’s rumored that dogs will leap to their death for no apparent reason. Alongside Overtoun Bridge is Overtoun House, and this property is repeatedly referred to as a “thin place.” In Celtic history, a thin place is described as being a location where the distance between earth and heaven is incredibly thin.

Ava becomes incredibly involved in her work on investigating this home, while her interpersonal relationships struggle and tension boils over. Her mother is secretive about her family history, even though Ava worries that there’s something she isn’t telling her — something that might make a difference for the health & safety of her unborn baby.

Ava tries to let go of the Overtoun House and live present in the moment with her boyfriend, but the house just will not let go of Ava.

Alongside Ava, we also read the stories of two others: Marion, a woman who experiences unfortunate luck and terrible losses; and Constance, a child who is made to believe she is terribly ill, locked within a room of the home. Through reading from all points of view, the mystery begins to unravel.

I personally really enjoyed this book, though I had to trudge through the first few chapters. I was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t as eerie and suspenseful as I hoped it would be, but it was a good read I finished within a day. I would recommend it if you like mysterious places, supernatural elements, and a good thriller.

I’m inclined to give this book 3.5 stars, but I am going to give it 4 stars because Major was able to describe the Overtoun House in a way that I could see it come to life, without even knowing it was a real place until after I finished reading. When I googled it, the pictures were exactly what I had pictured in my mind. C.D. Major’s use of descriptive imagery really captured me in this story. She excels at blending present day with history and I will definitely read another book of hers soon.

I would like to thank NetGalley & Amazon Publishing UK, who provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger Warning for: suicide, animal deaths, munchausen by proxy, child and animal abuse, difficult pregnancies and/or miscarriages

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Beautiful Facade by Kathryn S. Rose

This is a spoiler free review.

Beautiful Facade is a novel about Winter Starling and her inner turmoil over past trauma as she balances being a football star’s fiancée, acting as creative director as her job, and the reappearance of an old but dear friend. This is a new adult romance novel that centers on Winter’s continual trauma and healing from sexual assault she experienced as a teen.

To be quite frank, I almost dnf’d this book. I didn’t particularly like any of the supporting characters, and I found it hard to like Winter or Kai - the two most important characters in the book. Winter struck me as rather pretentious, and Kai was aggravating due to how wishy-washy he could be. I really struggled to find anything likable about either of these characters until I was about 60% through the book.

However, to give credit where it’s due, I genuinely enjoyed the last half of the book. When it’s just Kai and Winter, I could feel the chemistry between them and how easy it was for them to be around each other. I could see how their friendship when they were young made sense, and how much they cared for each other. Their lighthearted moments together were enjoyable to read and I really appreciated how real they felt in those moments.

I’m torn between how to rate this book, because the ending was so sweet and perfect that it almost makes up for how much I struggled through & disliked the first half of the book. That said, I had to struggle so hard to get to a point where I actually enjoyed the story. There was so much included that didn’t feel necessary or add to the story, and the things that seemed pretty pertinent to character development were kind of glossed over.

Because of that, I think that a rating between 2.5 to 3 stars is fair, leaning more towards 2.5. It wasn’t the best, it wasn’t horrible, but overall it wasn’t exactly a satisfying read either.

I received a digital copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

This is a spoiler free review!

I have so many thoughts about this book but the main thought that keeps repeating is just a very long, very girly, “omg squeeeeeeeee heart eyes” moment.

I absolutely LOVED the cast of characters we have and the amount of representation we see. We have characters from a lot of different sexualities and gender identities and all with different family dynamics and culturally backgrounds.

The premise of this book revolves around Darcy, a bisexual girl who is head over heels for her best friend, Brooke (who is a Vietnamese-American lesbian). Darcy runs a sort of “Dear Abby” relationship advice service out of an abandoned locker. Nobody knows it’s Darcy who runs “Locker 89.” Darcy isn’t new to this, though - she studies and researches every possible relationship topic that she can to ensure that her responses to the letters students leave in locker 89 are filled with the best advice she can give.

One day, a boy named Alexander Brougham catches her opening and removing letters from locker 89. He coerces her into helping him win back his ex-girlfriend, Winona. Out of fear of being blackmailed and her secret being exposed, Darcy agrees to help.

In the midst of all of this, Darcy struggles with watching her best friend (and unrequited love) enter into a relationship with someone she does not approve of.

Over the progression of the book, we get to see Darcy’s internal struggle of her own human emotions, doing the right thing, and even internalized biphobia. The book touches on a myriad of other topics, too - attachment styles, divorce, alcoholism, sexuality, gender identities, sexism, and self reflection.

Throughout the book I found myself relating so much to Darcy - from her internalized biphobia to the way she feels like she has to be self-reliant. I wanted to reach into the pages and hug her.

Overall, I give this book 4.5 stars. My only concern is that in the future it will feel rather dated based on the pop culture references within it, but the story itself is timeless and absolutely amazing. This is a perfect contemporary young adult novel with an amazing amount of representation - there’s something in this book for everyone, and that’s a huge accomplishment. Kudos to Sophia Gonzales for writing such well developed characters. I will definitely be reading more by this author in the future!

~I received a digital copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.~

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In an Instant - Suzanne Redfearn

Here’s a quick, spoiler-free book review for In an Instant by Suzanne Redfearn!

I read this book because it was on Kindle Unlimited and the summary was reminiscent enough of If I Stay by Gayle Forman (a book that I absolutely adored).

I’m going to say that there was a lot going on in this book. It was an absolutely insane roller coaster ride from start to finish. This story follows a 16 year old girl named Finn Miller and her family: Jack (father), Ann (mother), Oz (brother), and Chloe (sister). Along with the family is Finn’s best friend Mo, Chloe’s boyfriend Vance, and the Gold family (Karen, Bob, and Natalie - family friends who are considered to be like family), and Kyle - a stranger who needed a ride.

The whole premise of this book is that this group of people hop into an RV to go on a skiing & snowboarding vacation. During a blizzard, an accident occurs that sends the “Miller Mobile” over the side of a mountain. Our main character dies, and the rest of the story unfolds through her narration as her spirit travels alongside each of these people through rescue, healing, and trying to grapple with this accident.

The writing in this book is so eerily compelling and so poignant, and I’m particularly fond of Suzanne’s writing of her younger characters. I thought Mo especially was beautifully written, and Chloe is a force to be reckoned with.

I also thought that the way Suzanne handled the choices that each character made was incredibly beautiful. No person escapes this tragedy without guilt and every choice made after the tragedy is an incredibly difficult, and sometimes deadly, choice.

I’m rating this 3.5 stars and the only reason it’s not rated higher is because I was not a huge fan of the outcome of one of the characters. It left me wishing for more/better. But overall this was a good read and it’s possible I’ll read it again!

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((CLICK FOR BETTER QUALITY))

Welcome to the Shelf-Confidence Book Photo Challenge!

Every month I’ll be posting prompts for everyone to take bookish photos. Some months may have a theme to it, others may just be general prompts. It’s up to you which, if not all, days you wish to participate in. Interpretation of said prompts is all up to you!

If you have any questions about something, feel free to send me an ask.

I’ll be checking the #shelfconfidencebpc tag multiple times daily, so I can see all of your photos and reblog them! Make sure to include it in the first five tags of the post so that it shows up in the searched tag.

The first SCBPC of the ‘20s!! I hope this year brings everyone good fortune and happiness in whatever shaper or form works for you! This month’s theme was as fun as it was difficult to come up with. Alphabetical Alliterative Adjectives is my way of combining two of my favorite things: alliteration and my need for things to have some type of order 😅 

In the case I don’t reblog your post within the first 24 hours, please let me know and I will do so immediately!

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🌟 Em’s Favourite Reads of 2019 🌟

I’ve spent the last month trying to put together a list of my favourite reads from this year and I cannot tell you the number of times I chopped and changed it 😅 but here are 20 of my favourite books of the year!

Fierce Fragile Hearts by Sara Barnard 

Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno 

Going Off-Script by Jen Wilde #LoveOzYA 

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand 

Wide Awake by David Levithan 

Highway Bodies by Alison Evans #LoveOzYA 

History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera 

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke 

Night Swimming by Steph Bowe #LoveOzYA 

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer 

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver 

Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer 

All the Bad Apples by Moïra Fowley-Doyle 

Devil’s Ballast by Meg Caddy #LoveOzYA  (US release 2020)

Heartstopper Vol 2 by Alice Oseman 

Black Bird of the Gallows by Meg Kassel 

Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden 

The Boy Who Steals Houses by CG Drews #LoveOzYA

Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram 

Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall 

Did you read any of these this year? What did you think? 

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me, begging, tears in my eyes: please. please just tell me what the book is about. the plot. please

a book annotation on the cover, unfazed: A Subversive Masterpiece. A Deep And Touching Story. The New York Times Bestseller. Go Fuck Yourself

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In your 30s, instead of getting flowers from a secret admirer…they come from a PR rep trying to pitch you. (Also, my to-read list. #shelfie) (à Brooklyn, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5TLVErpBtF/?igshid=ohrmf76kef0q

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reblog and put the highest library late fee you’ve ever paid in the tags

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the illuminae files | jay kristoff + amie kaufman

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blackfeminism101 recommends...

A reading list in case you have made a goal to only read books written by Black women this year:

Hunger by Roxane Gay

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

The Black Girl Next Door by Jennifer Baszile

Born Bright by C. Nicole Mason

The House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper

Scandalize My Name by Terrion Williamson

Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde

Redefining Realness by Janet Mock

Surpassing Certainty by Janet Mock

Swing Time by Zadie Smith

Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America by Ayana Byrd and Lori L. Tharps

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Sula by Toni Morrison

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Bonus– this one is written by a guy, but it is sooooo good

The Racial Contract by Charles W. Mills

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We all deserve some feel good posts okay I needed this

💛 Feel good posts 💛

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♿️Disabled Characters in YA♿️

The thing I’m most passionate about when it comes to books is finding positive, accurate and respectful representations of physical disability and chronic illness. So often when we talk about diversity we focus on race or sexuality but disabled people make up the largest portion of marginalised people with almost 1 in 5 people around the globe having some sort of illness or disability. Disability intersects with every other kind of identity but this group still goes underrepresented almost everywhere. 

I’ve put an asterisk (*) next to books I’ve read and recommend and I’ve also marked which ones are #OwnVoices (a hashtag that was actually created by a disabled person - Corinne Duyvis, a YA author and co-founder of Disability in Kidlit). I’ve only included characters with physical and neurological disabilities as I’m planning a separate list for books about mental illness.

For more recommendations, check out Disability in Kidlit on their website or follow their reviews on Goodreads. 

Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens (numerous disabilities) #OwnVoices *

A Taxonomy of Love by Rachael Allen (Tourette’s Syndrome)

Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo (cane-user, PTSD) #OwnVoices * 

A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard (sign language users, mutism) *

Magisterium series by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare (limp) *

The Siren by Kiera Cass (sign-language users) *

The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily by Laura Creedle  (autism & ADHD) #OwnVoices

One by Sarah Crossan (conjoined twins) *

On The Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis (autism) #OwnVoices

Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis (mutism, leg amputee)

Two Girls Staring at the Ceiling by Lucy Frank (Crohn’s disease)

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman (limp) *

I Am Out With Lanterns by Emily Gale (autism) 

Meet Me In Outer Space by Melinda Grace (auditory processing disorder) #OwnVoices

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall (hearing loss) *

I Have No Secrets by Penny Joelson (cerebral palsy, autism) *

Girl in the Window by Penny Joelson (chronic fatigue)

Run by Kody Keplinger (visual impairment) #OwnVoices

Things I Should Have Known by Claire LaZebnik (autism)

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee (epilepsy) *

Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom (visual impairment) *

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott (cystic fibrosis) *

The State of Grace by Rachel Lucas (autism)

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp (lupus, uses mobility aids) *

Lucky Few by Kathryn Ormsbee (Type 1 Diabetes)

Kids Like Us by Hilary Reyl (autism)

Far From You by Tess Sharpe (chronic pain, uses mobility aids)

Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry (Tourette’s Syndrome, anxiety, OCD) #OwnVoices *

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde (autism, anxiety) #OwnVoices

Odd and True by Cat Winters (polio, uses mobility aids)

More of my recommendations