#Author: Hayley

[beneaththetangles]

Welcome to Doki Doki News, your source for updates in the world of anime, gaming, and otakudom, for the week of June 23rd! Check out the latest episode in our player below!

And we have a major announcement. We’ve decided to officially close this service in two weeks. I hope you’ve enjoyed Doki Doki News and that you’ll listen along during these final episodes. Thanks for listening!

Attributions:

Ranma 1/2 [CR]

Kana Nishino [ANN]

Hakuouki [ANN]

[slaughter-books]

Day 17: JOMPBPC: Favourite Library

My favourite library is my personal library! 📚💞

[queer-book-society]

Title: Girls Like Girls

Author(s): Hayley Kiyoko

Description: It’s summertime and 17-year-old Coley has found herself alone, again. Forced to move to rural Oregon after just losing her mother, she is in no position to risk her already fragile heart. But when she meets Sonya, the attraction is immediate. Coley worries she isn't worthy of love. Up until now, everyone she's loved has left her. And Sonya's never been with a girl before. What if she's too afraid to show up for Coley? What if by opening her heart, Coley's risking it all? They both realize that when things are pushed down, and feelings are forced to shrivel away, Coley and Sonya will be the ones to shrink. It’s not until they accept the love they fear and deserve most, that suddenly the song makes sense.

[the-golden-vanity]

Fresh off my stint with the Pride of Baltimore II, I applied for a more regular gig with my local Yankee privateer, but apparently previous privateering experience is no match for The Waitlist™. Please send good vibes...

Or, you know, send the other people on the waitlist some "sudden scheduling conflict" vibes

[hunnydreams42]

Title: Running Down A Dream

Relationship: Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson (Side: Hayley Marshall/Elijah Mikaelson)

Summary: Klaus was never supposed to fall victim to his mother’s dream potion, but fate had other plans. Instead of Elijah, Klaus is the one who finds himself trapped in an endless cycle of enthralling dreams, a world far more tempting than reality.

Caroline finds herself in New Orleans after getting a call from Hayley, the very last person she ever expected to hear from, asking for help in waking Klaus. Caroline doesn’t know if she’ll be able to wake Klaus from his dreamscape, but she hopes so because losing Klaus to the potion his mother forced on him isn’t an option, not for her.

(Story inspired by “Breaking Promise” by zansdivine on Fanfiction.net)

**Story can be read on Archive of our Own**

[astro-b-o-y-d]

I think the Gideon and Stan comparisons also leaned me more in favor of a kid Bill headcanon back when I got back into the fandom. Gideon is the season one villain, and while he had beef with the kids, his main target was Stan. Bill falls into a same category with Ford in the second season. Just makes sense to me.

[haveyoureadthispoll]

When twelve-year-old Esther disappears on the way home from school in a small town in rural Australia, the community is thrown into a maelstrom of suspicion and grief. As Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels arrives in town during the hottest spring in decades and begins her investigation, Esther’s tenacious best friend, Ronnie, is determined to find Esther and bring her home. When schoolfriend Lewis tells Ronnie that he saw Esther with a strange man at the creek the afternoon she went missing, Ronnie feels she is one step closer to finding her. But why is Lewis refusing to speak to the police? And who else is lying about how much they know about what has happened to Esther? Punctuated by a Greek chorus, which gives voice to the remaining children of the small, dying town, this novel explores the ties that bind, what we try and leave behind us, and what we can never outrun, while never losing sight of the question of what happened to Esther, and what her loss does to a whole town.

[jessread-s]

✩🪐🌪️Review:

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

A romantic sci-fi adventure that will make your heart race and flutter!

“Into the Churn” follows Ezren Hart as she enters her planet’s deadly and most lucrative race in hopes of saving her mother’s terraforming lab. Her partner and veteran racer Foster Sterling has reasons of his own for partaking in Belthea’s Race Royale: to uncover the truth behind the death of his former teammate. It’s a race against time to the finish line, but they can’t outrun the mysterious string of accidents befalling them or the spark that ignites between them.

Admittedly science-fiction isn’t my cup of tea because I can easily become overwhelmed by abstract concepts, but I’m so glad I decided to branch out with this book because it is just so fun! I was immediately swept up in Chow’s Casolla system from the very first page. Through Ezren’s point-of-view the reader is organically introduced to Belthean customs and traditions, including slang unique to those who inhabit the planet and the race royale. The stakes are high for both Ezren and Foster with savage and volatile storms being a part of the course they have to navigate. The added threat of other racers sabotaging their competition paired with the elements of mystery and fast pacing made it so that there was never a dull moment!

With so much on the line I also couldn’t help but root for both Ezren and Foster to be the first to finish and was desperate to see their relationship take off. This book is advertised as a slow burn and while I wouldn’t say that is the case, I really enjoyed watching their feelings for each other grow from both of their perspectives. The inclusion of the fake dating trope pushes Ezren and Foster to spend more time together as part of a publicity stunt until the line between what is pretend and what is real begins to blur. I couldn’t get enough of their chemistry!

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

[s4sharkteeth]

the fact that THIS was almost the last story post is insane…..

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[wahlpaper]

Girls Like Girls Review

Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko

CW: Loss of a Parent, Suicide, Suicidal Thoughts, Underage Drinking and Drug Use, Dangerous Driving, Near Death Experience, Breaking and Entering, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Controlling Parent, Domestic Abuse, Toxic Friendships, Fade-To-Black Sexual Activity, Vomit, Child Abandonment, Swearing, Grief, Violence, Injury, Bullying, Mentioned Abortion, Gaslighting, Classism, Sexism, Accidental Outing

3.5/5

I grew up watching Hayley Kiyoko on Disney Channel and have been following her music career for quite a while. When she announced that she was writing a book, I knew I had to read it, no matter what. For those who use YouTube more than me, you may have realized that this book is based on the music video for the song of the same name. I didn't realize this until listening to the acknowledgments at the end of the book. Based on my experience, I recommend reading the book before watching the music video, assuming you haven't seen it yet. The story ventured outside of my comfort zone, but kept reeling me back in. I honestly didn't know if I liked the book until the very end, but I had refused to DNF a Kiyoko book. 

After her mom dies by suicide, Coley moves to a small town in Oregon. It's the summer before her senior year of high school and she's now stuck living with the father that skipped out on raising her. He's a man she doesn't know or trust. While out biking to avoid being home, she nearly gets run over by a group of popular kids. They likely wouldn't have taken her under their wing if it weren't for their ring leader, Sonya, being intrigued by Coley. As the summer goes on, the two girls become inseparable. Will they unravel their feelings for each other or will their family lives and social circles drag them down?

It's important to note that Girls Like Girls is set in 2006. Kiyoko was 15 that year and therefore able to pull from her own memories of how teenagers lived in 2006. There's AIM, LiveJournal, tattoo chokers, no smartphones, and different slang. There are also a lot of references to the popular music of that time. I recommend looking up the songs you're unfamiliar with for the full experience. Of course, the mindset towards human rights was also of the time. Many characters, Coley and Sonya included, could have benefited from therapy, but that wasn't as openly talked about 17 years ago. Homophobia was also more publicly accepted at the time. These issues haven't gone away, but it's nice to see that things have improved. 

Speaking of queer content, Girls Like Girls is a story about two very different teen girls realizing they are attracted to their own gender. It becomes clearer throughout the story, that despite Sonya coming from a well-off family, Coley is in a much safer environment to come out as gay. Sonya has a controlling mother and a few openly homophobic friends. Coley finds several other queer people in her community and a number of allies. I am relieved that we got a little bit of Sonya's POV, because the relationship between Coley and her would read as irredeemably toxic otherwise. I am also relieved that the book takes the time to address the toxicity that's there. If you're patient, the book will address everything you're wondering about.

I experienced Girls Like Girls as an audiobook. It was mostly read by Kiyoko doing Coley's POV. I enjoy her voice and love when an author reads their own book. She was joined by one of my favorite audiobook narrators, Natalie Naudus, for Sonya's LiveJournal posts and emails. There are a few other voices throughout for small parts. While I enjoyed the ensemble cast of voices, I disliked the music and ambient sounds that were mixed in. If it had been consistent throughout the whole book, I would have liked it. Instead, the additional sounds would appear out of nowhere and temporarily take me out of the story. Please keep that in mind if you're trying to decide between print and audio. 

Kiyoko's writing style will appeal to fans of Sarah Dessen, especially those looking for queer content. It's a summer romance, for one. It handles dark topics well without being the kind of book to make the audience cry. It's a small town setting with a new girl trying to become a part of a group of friends who have known each other for years. It's not usually my type of genre, which is why I potentially would've DNF'd it had a different author written it. There were scenes that made me uncomfortable, but I was often reeled back in by the action. I don't regret sticking it out to the end. I enjoy the way the story resolves. Of course, you'll have to read it yourself if you want to know the ending. 

If you're interested in a small-town YA romance with queer content and dark topics, Hayley Kiyoko's Girls Like Girls is the book for you. Should you pick it up and stick it out, you'll be rewarded with a music video summary of the book. Give it a chance, it's the kind of book you'll remember!

[petalsfordany]

I just think if noah kahan is gonna keep releasing collabs then he should release one with miss hayley williams and then they should write together and either permanently cure my mental illness or be the reason for my death

whatever you know

[slaughter-books]

Day 1: JOMPBPC: Reading Goals

The beautiful books I plan to read throughout 2024! ❤️🧡💛

[scenaaario]

choccy melk, spicy mayo & battery acid (it's a good thing!!)

it’s actually all a ruse i am the least scary person on earth 👹 get over here we’re baking christmas cookies and then daydreaming about author!marcus baking christmas cookies 🥰🥰🥰

[introvert-insiders]

Stella Yamada - What about freedom of expression?

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🦇 Girls Like Girls Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

❝ But you, the girl not like other girls...you look down the road, and it's not shiny and bright. The thought of it doesn't make you feel any of the ways ever described in story or song. And those people, they're not all lying—which means there's a secret you're keeping even from yourself. That feeling you can't—and now maybe won't—name. You push it down. You ignore it like it's a plan that'll shrivel away. But you're the thing that's shrinking. And one day you learn: it's not that you're not like other girls. It's just that you've never met a girl like you. And then, you do. You meet her. And suddenly the songs make sense. ❞

❓ #QOTD What song changed your life growing up? ❓ 🦇 This coming-of-age YA romance follows 17-year-old Coley, who arrives in rural Oregon to live with her father. No stranger to loss, Coley is wary about risking an already aching heart; a risk she's willing to take when she crashes into Sonya. Despite trying to conceal their feelings, there's an undeniable spark between them. Can they fight through fear to accept the love neither of them think they deserve?

💜 Hayley Kiyoko's debut novel captures all the heartache of trying to navigate the complexities of love with a young heart. Every time Coley questions her feelings for Sonya, every time past pains or society's expectations make her pause, readers feel that ache. Kiyoko creates realistic characters who are frustratingly unreliable, as most feelings are. This beautiful story is as chaotic and messy as young love, but it's far more than a romance; it's the coming-of-age story most people don't allow themselves. Coley's story explores topics of homophobia and grief, giving real layers to the emotions Coley is forced to confront before she can heal and realize who she's meant to become.

❝ I know now. I can't run away from it the way she does, now that I know what it's like to spark and burn under another girl's hands. What it is to blossom at the mere thought of her. Kissing Alex is a wet match, fizzling dark compared to her. It's not his fault. It's not my fault. It's just...who I am. There it is: the truth. No running from it anymore. It's living in me, and I can try to kill it or try to grow it. ❞

🦇 Unfortunately, this novel lacked the poetic prose or lyrical lines you'd expect from a strong songwriter like Hayley Kiyoko. Since this is a literary debut, an adjustment period is expected, but it felt like Kiyoko relied too heavily on the limited plotline from the music video; limitations that made this a very simple story. Some of the writing, namely the dialogue, is cringy, but I'm not sure whether to account that to Coley's social awkwardness or inexperienced writing. Despite spending almost every day together, we needed more from Coley and Sonya's relationship to really invest in their messy story. Usually, when a character clings onto a mantra, it repeats more than once as a way of bringing the story together. Coley's mom used to say "You gotta love hard and live hard," and I wish that line repeated near the end of the novel, as a way of encouraging Coley to do just that. I honestly didn't expect a HEA in this one, which made it feel a little forced; a pretty bow to finish the story off just as the music video did.

🦇 Recommended to anyone looking for a complex coming-of-age story and sapphic happily ever after. I hope this one wins your heart.

❤️ YA Coming-of-Age 🧡 Debut Novel 🤍 Lesbian Romance 💗 Friends to Lovers 💜 Summertime Vibes

🦇 Major thanks to the author Hayley Kiyoko and publisher St. Martin's Press / Wednesday Books for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

[astro-b-o-y-d]

Something I hope I've conveyed properly so far (and hope to also convey properly when I finally bring her into Triangulum) is that Mina is the complete opposite of Bill in the sense that she's very much a follower, not a leader.

She would never be able to do what Bill did (lead a gang, be the head of an apocalypse, etc), she DESPERATELY needs an authority figure of her own to lead her and guide her.

And I think that makes for a fun mirror to Bill and the kind of destruction he caused. Because while it's easy to point fingers at the obvious troublemaker who is doing bad things of his own accord, standing by and letting those above you hurt others can also be just as damaging to the people around you.