THE WAY I USED TO BE by AMBER SMITH A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith is one of those TikTok books. You know the ones. Anything by Sarah J. Maas, Heartstopper by Alice Oseman, Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. These books became inexplicably…
THE SPIRIT BARES ITS TEETH by ANDREW JOSEPH WHITE A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN Andrew Joseph White is one of my favorite authors. Wanted to get this out of the way before I really start this review. And because White is one of my favorite authors, I wasn’t sure if…
THE WITCH AND THE BEAST 1 by Kousuke Satake A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN Hello, dear readers. It’s been awhile since I’ve reviewed manga, so I figured it was time. And since it’s officially Spooky Halloween season, I wanted to do a scary one. The Witch and the Beast by Kousuke…
UNEXPECTING by JEN BAILEY A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN Unexpecting by Jen Bailey is being marketed as Heartstopper and Juno, and while this is a great marketing ploy. I have to say, Unexpecting was rather…unexpected for me. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy some aspects of the book. The concept itself is very, very…
LONG WAY DOWN by JASON REYNOLDS A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds is one of those seminal YA novels that most everyone should read once in their lives. I’ve known of Mr. Reynolds for a long time now–he’s YA royalty–but I’m ashamed to say I hadn’t…
THE QUEENS OF NEW YORK by EL SHEN A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN The Queens of New York by E.L. Shen is a heartfelt YA contemporary novel following three main characters: Jia Lee, Ariel Kim, and Everett Hoang. All three are Asian-Americans from different socio-economic backgrounds. Jia is Chinese-American and…
REGGIE AND DELILAH’S YEAR OF FALLING by ELISE BRYANT A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling by Elise Bryant is a refreshing YA contemporary romance about two teenagers falling in love…and finding themselves along the way. The book is told from two points of view: Reggie…
NORTHRANGER by REY TERCIERO A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN Northranger by Rey Terciero is a YA graphic novel loosely inspired by Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. Having never read that book, I wasn’t sure what I’d be getting into what I picked up this graphic novel. It seemed interesting enough–a queer teen…
IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME by LAURA NOWLIN A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin is pitched as YA’s answer to Colleen Hoover, and after reading the book, I think it’s a good comparison. Following former childhood best friends Autumn and Phineas…
THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS by JEN WILDE A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN This is the Way the World Ends by Jen Wilde is an interesting mix of genres that I wasn’t expecting when I first got into it. This is a story about wealth and class, about…