Guide/Reviews Database
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Feiwel/Swoon
22 Reviews
(3)
YA
Lady Mina Tretheway receives a mysterious telegram at boarding school written in code and is summoned to her family home. There, with the help of a family friend and a handsome American, Lady Mina is drawn into an exciting and dangerous mission that could help win the war. Despite a slow start, this is an engaging, action-filled World War I spy thriller.
Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello
(3)
YA
Seventeen-year-old Lacey, who's never even been kissed, becomes an unlikely sex-education activist. Raised by a sexually open mom, Lacey is aghast that because of her school's abstinence-only sex-ed curriculum, her classmates don't have the same access to important information. Lacey's voice is fresh and funny, and the story offers a sex-positive message, including sensitive depictions of asexuality.
Reviewer: Norah Piehl
(3)
YA
Lieutenant Commander Paige Durant is a rising star at Wallingford Academy, a military school. Logan is attending Wallingford because he's been told it's his best chance of avoiding jail. They fall for each other when Paige is assigned to be Logan's mentor, but their relationship jeopardizes both their futures. Strong, determined Paige anchors this military-themed romance, which is told from dual perspectives.
Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith
(4)
YA
Since Jake and Mia were two, their moms have hoped they'll end up together. As juniors, Jake and Mia pretend to date so they can stage a messy breakup; predictably, their fake relationship only confirms that they're in love. Though the plot is flimsy, romance fans will appreciate alternating narrators Jake and Mia's repartee and obvious attraction, even when they "hate" each other.
Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith
(3)
YA
Eighteen-year-old Bex is elated to be a writer's room intern for her favorite TV show. She's annoyed, however, when showrunner Malcolm passes off her script as his own--and outraged when he straight-washes Lyla, Bex's proudly lesbian character. Bex and friends, including the pretty YouTube star cast as Lyla, take on Malcolm and the Hollywood patriarchy in this unapologetically fierce queer romance.
Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith
(2)
YA
In 1817 England, eighteen-year-old Kate, lady's maid to Imogene Chively (from Suitors and Sabotage), and Matt, valet to Ben Steeple's family, become reacquainted at Shackleford Park during Yuletide. A kiss under the mistletoe seems to cement their mutual affection, but complications ensue after the Steeples' footman disappears. There's deviousness and peril, but all ends well in this diverting mystery/romance with Regency period details and Christmassy flourishes. Glos.
Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2018
(3)
YA
In 1817 Kent, England, shy, artistic Imogene Chively seems to have made a solid match with the kind (if dull) Ernest Steeple. A proposal is imminent--but is Ernest's brother, Benjamin, better suited for Imogene? And who is behind the "accidents" that keep befalling Ben? Anstey has crafted an engaging Regency-era love story, with enough mystery and intrigue to keep pages turning. Glos.
Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz
(4)
YA
Seventeen-year-old Abby isn't convinced the Iron Phantom, who saved her from a mugging, is as bad as everyone says after he's accused of setting fire to city hall, so she teams up with the "villain" to uncover the truth. More cute romance than intense action, this story is a bit predictable, but its fast pace and witty banter will keep readers entertained.
Reviewer: Lana Barnes
(4)
YA
Eighteen-year-old Bennett wrote a bestselling young adult novel and her book is about to be a much-hyped film. Teddy's a famous actor who's landed the lead male role. He meets her on a plane; after spending a romantic weekend together, they break up, then work together (and reunite) on the movie's set. The generic plot is buoyed by the Hollywood celebrity-insider details and by Bennett and Teddy's obvious chemistry.
Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith
(3)
YA
Seven high-school seniors prepare for the Big Night while facing social, familial, and societal pressures. Each protagonist's voice is given equal weight, and plot lines are deftly woven into a cohesive narrative. Hall's understanding of the teenage psyche is evident through the natural-sounding dialogue and occasional text messages as well as through the authentic characters' thoughts, full of adolescent awkwardness and insecurity.
Reviewer: Lana Barnes
(3)
YA
Shelby can totally perform an exorcism on her own, or she could if her Catholic-priest guardian, Uncle Roy, would let her. Whatever, Shelby's got other things to occupy her thoughts, like her just-up-and-left absentee mom and a super-cute study buddy. With her "bejeweled spray bottle of holy water" in tow, Shelby offers one demonically funny moment after another in this indulgent beach-read for Buffy fans.
Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant
(3)
YA
African American college student Alice, biromantic and asexual, finds herself magnetically attracted to handsome coworker Takumi at her summer library job. Besides questioning the nature of that attraction, she reexamines other aspects of her identity and future plans (her ambitious parents add pressure to the latter). A cast of supportive friends and accessible, often humorous prose recommend this refreshingly diverse intersectional romance.
Reviewer: Shoshana Flax
(3)
YA
Reagan Hillis's spot at the elite Black Angel Training Academy is no longer guaranteed, despite her keen spy skills and Black Angel lineage; she's traumatized and guilt-ridden by her fellow-agent mother's death during a rogue mission (in You Don't Know My Name). Reagan's struggle to reconcile her ghosts with the person she wants to be adds emotional heft to this second spy thriller.
Reviewer: Grace Enriquez
(3)
YA
Aspiring musician Sari and her boyfriend, Zev, have the perfect spring break planned in Florida--until he ruins it by kissing another girl. Worse, her flight back to New York is cancelled because of a storm. There may be a way to get there in time for Sari's big gig, but it involves sticking with Zev. A light treatment of trusting others as well as oneself.
Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay
(3)
YA
After his accidental death, Rhett becomes part of a team collecting the souls of the dying. But even the afterlife has its dangers: soul-devouring monsters are stalking the team, and another frightening entity is specifically targeting him. The premise of a newbie reaper learning the ropes is familiar, but the mythos and setting (aboard the Harbinger, a freighter en route to…no one knows, exactly) are original and the atmosphere spooky.
Reviewer: Katie Bircher
(3)
YA
After being the latest tabloid fodder, seventeen-year-old rock-star drummer Emmy King picks herself up with the help of her friends only to face family drama, a controversial coming-out as bisexual, and more trouble in the spotlight. This unashamedly queer romance features a diverse set of characters, including a nonbinary person, and it expertly broaches important topics including gaslighting, addiction, mental health, and abuse.
Reviewer: Lana Barnes
(4)
YA
Alyssa lives in a fairy-tale world--literally. She loves her summer job as Cinderella at a theme park but is crushed when her boyfriend dumps her. Her friend Miller (also a park character) is there to support her. Alyssa's attempts at personal development sometimes feel unconvincingly facile, but the setting brings originality to this breezy summer romance.
Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay
(3)
YA
Human teen Delany looks exactly like alien princess Lissa Olena, who's set to return to planet Xenith and marry another alien royal to form an alliance. But Lissa has gone MIA, so Delaney is taken in her place. A literary whirlwind of war, politics, and much romance ensues in a well-executed sci-fi plot with intriguing drama that should keep genre fans turning the pages.
Reviewer: Yaisha Cordero-Rivera
(3)
YA
At an isolated Italian estate, seventeen-year-old Penny attends finishing school and dances ballet with eleven other young women who are all devoted to their benefactor, Master. But when Penny discovers Master has tampered with their memories, she must save herself and the others. Penny is a resilient heroine, and the isolated school, doll-like pupils, and Master's controlling character create a perfectly creepy atmosphere.
Reviewer: Mariko Turk
(4)
YA
After being dumped by her girlfriend before the start of the school year, Meg decides to focus on playing Cupid for her best friend Linus and new-boy Danny. But this causes an unexpected fissure in their relationship. The characterizations can be rather flat in this novel told in alternating viewpoints, but the queer-friendships-and-romance angle is welcome and entertaining.
Reviewer: Sarah Hannah Gomez
22 reviews