To Read or Not To Read

Emily Stone's debut novel, Always, in December , is a heart-wrenching holiday read, yet one that is relevant in reminding us of what life is truly worth living for. A story that spans a year, Josie and Max find themselves meeting at the mercy of fate, and spinning a tale of loss, love, and the importance of family, whether it be through blood or through friendship. Always, in December , is a novel that will touch your heart, in the most unexpected of ways, and is definitely worth a read, even if it isn't always what you'd consider your typical romance novel.  Emily Stone lives and works in the UK. She wrote her first novel, Always, in December, in an old Victorian manor house with an impressive literary heritage. You can find Emily on Twitter @EmStoneWrites.  Every December, Josie mails a letter from her home in London to the parents she lost on Christmas night many years ago. Every time, she writers the same three words: Missing you, always . But one year, her annual trip

In Sophie Cousens's sophomore novel, fate and humor collide to bring together a fresh romantic comedy. Laura, inspired by her parents' happily ever after and in search of her own, finds truth in the most unexpected of places. A story that balances humor with sage advice, thoughtful discussion with hilarious encounters, Just Haven't Met You Yet is a wonderful read.  Sophie Cousens worked as a TV producer in London for more than twelve years and now lives with her family on the island of Jersey, one of the Channel Islands, located off the north coast of France. She balances her writing career with taking care of her two small children, and longs for the day when she might have a dachshund and a writing shed. She is also the author of This Time Next Year , which was an instant New York Times bestseller. You can find Sophie on Instagram @sophie_cousens, on Twitter @SophieCous, or on her website sophiecousens.com .  Hopeless romantic and lifestyle reporter Laura's business t

The following review response was an assignment turned in for class in the Fall 2021 semester at the University of Iowa for a Latinx Childhoods class taught by Dr. Elizabeth Rodriguez Fielder. The assignment asked students to write a response paper (with any topic of interest) on the novel The Poet X  by Elizabeth Acevedo. This book, and the following response paper, had a profound impact on my understanding of childhood. It formed new insights that I used to analyze other books I read this year. Because of that, it would be only right to include this paper for  The Poet X  and  The Poet X  as part of my blog and review page. This paper, and thus the following review response, is an original piece of work. Elizabeth Acevedo is the author of The Poet X , which won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, the Michael L. Printz Award, the Pura Belpré Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, and the Walter Award. She is a National Poetry Slam champion and holds an MFA in

The following review response was an assignment turned in for class in the Fall 2021 semester at the University of Iowa for a Latinx Childhoods class taught by Dr. Elizabeth Rodriguez Fielder. The assignment asked students to write a response paper (with any topic of interest) on the novel  Ordinary Girls  by Jaquira Díaz. This book, and the following response paper, had a profound impact on my understanding of childhood. It formed new insights that I used to analyze other books I read this year. Because of that, it would be only right to include this paper for Ordinary Girls  and  Ordinary Girls  as part of my blog and review page. This paper, and thus the following review response, is an original piece of work. Jaquira Díaz was born in Puerto Rico. Her work has been published in The New York Times Style Magazine , the Guardian , Longreads, Condé Nast Traveler, and included in The Best American Essays 2016. She is the recipient of a Whiting Award, two Pushcart Prizes, an Elizabeth Geo

The following review response was an assignment turned in for class in the Fall 2021 semester at the University of Iowa for a Latinx Childhoods class taught by Dr. Elizabeth Rodriguez Fielder. The assignment asked students to write a response paper (with any topic of interest) on the novel Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli. This book, and the following response paper, had a profound impact on my understanding of childhood. It formed new insights that I used to analyze other books I read this year. Because of that, it would be only right to include this paper for  Lost Children Archive and Lost Children Archive as part of my blog and review page. This paper, and thus the following review response, is an original piece of work. Valeria Luiselli was born in Mexico City and grew up in South Korea, South Africa and India. An acclaimed writer of both fiction and nonfiction, she is the author of Sidewalks, Faces in the Crowd, The Story of My Teeth, Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in For

Klune redefines the fantasy genre with his incredibly thoughtful and moving Under the Whispering Door . This novel explores death, life, and grief, without sacrificing hilarity or tenderness. It will be difficult to let go of these characters once you reach the final page, but these characters will refuse to let go of you—for the lessons they learn and the messages Under the Whispering Door shares are ones to be cherished.  TJ Klune is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling, Lambda Literary Award-winning author of The House in the Cerulean Sea , The Extraordinaries, and more. Being queer himself, TJ believes it's important—now more than ever—to have accurate, positive queer representation in stories. You can find him online at tjklunebooks.com , or on Instagram @TJKluneBooks and Twitter @TJKlune. You can find more of my reviews of TJ's work here .  When a Reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead. And when Hugo, the o

A story that combines fantasy, science, revenge, and extraordinary abilities, Vicious is smart, cutthroat, and a thrill to read. V. E. Schwab crafted a novel that examines what it truly means to be good, or to be a villain, and how far one can go to exact revenge. With compelling and complicated characters, told in a way that makes it impossible to put down, Vicious is a story that will not be easily forgotten.  V. E. Schwab is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen novels, including This Savage Song, Vicious, and The Shades of Magic series. When she's not wandering Scottish hills or French streets she can be found in a Nashville coffee shop, dreaming up monsters. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @veschwab, or on her website  veschwab.com . You can find more of my reviews of Schwab's work here .  Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their

A richly imaginative story, Neverwhere takes the world you think you know and flips it on its head. Neil Gaiman writes with precision and skill, leavings readers hanging on every word, and, like Richard, unable to leave the world of London Below behind.  Neil Gaiman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, and is the recipient of numerous literary honors. Originally from England, he now lives in America. You can find him at neilgaiman.com or on Instagram @neilhimself.  Published in 1997, Neverwhere heralded the arrival of a major talent and became a touchstone of urban fantasy. Over the years, a number of versions were produced both in the US and the UK. Now Gaiman's preferred edition of his classic novel reconciles these works and reinstates a number of scenes cut from the original published books. Richard Mayhew is a young London businessman with a good heart whose life is changed forever when he stops to help a bleeding girl—an act of kindness that

Quite possibly the best romance novel I have ever read, The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood delivers a fantastic story, on so many levels. Our favorite rom-com tropes play out with characters who are as fascinating as they are funny, all while engaging with serious discussions on academia and success. When I was not reading this book, the only thing I wanted to be doing was reading it, and rereading it. And I know, without a doubt, that this book will be on my mind for a while, and will be my instant recommendation to every friend in the near future looking for the perfect pick-me-up read. Ali Hazelwood is a multipublished author—alas, of peer-reviewed articles about brain science, in which no one makes out and the ever after is not always happy. Originally from Italy, she lived in Germany and Japan before moving to the United States to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience. She recently became a professor, which absolutely terrifies her. When Ali is not at work, she can be found running, ea

A sparkling, heartwarming debut from Alison Cochrun puts reality TV and love right in the spotlight. With empathetic conversations about mental health, a love story that's undeniably compelling, and two characters at the center of it all that readers can't help but cheer for, The Charm Offensive is exactly everything contemporary romance should be.  Alison Cochrun is a high school English teacher living outside Portland, Oregon. When she's not reading and writing queer love stories, you can find her torturing teenagers with Shakespeare, crafting perfect travel itineraries, hate-watching reality dating shows, and searching for the best happy hour nachos. You can find her on Instagram or at her website www.alisoncochrun.com .  Dev Deshpande has always believed in fairy tales. So it's no wonder that he's spent his career crafting them on the long-running reality dating show Ever After. As the most successful producer in the franchise's history, Dev always scripts t

A fun, upbeat, and fresh contemporary romance novel, The Ex Talk does more than just provide an authentic romance. Rachel Lynn Solomon tears down the walls of what it's like to be an adult, and how one navigates the world of adulthood that is so often riddled with confusion and misogyny. A contemporary romance novel that is both loudly entertaining and quietly brilliant, The Ex Talk is sure to be a story that remains popular for its ability to validate all kinds of readers, in all kinds of ways. Rachel Lynn Solomon worked in public radio before her love of storytelling carried her to fiction. She's the author of several books for teens and adults and will tell anyone who'll listen that it really doesn't rain that much in Seattle, where she lives with her husband and tiny dog. You can find Rachel at RachelSolomonBooks.com , or on Instagram @RLynn_Solomon.  Shay Goldstein has been a producer at her Seattle public radio station for nearly a decade, and she can't imagin

Chloe Gong delivers a masterful, heartwrenching, dramatic sequel in her second novel, Our Violent Ends , the finale to her These Violent Ends duology. A story that combines elements of Shakespeare's original Romeo and Juliet without compromising a single ounce of its originality, Our Violent Ends paints a story of love and violence, and the both horrifying and delightful ways in which those two combine.  Chloe Gong is the New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights  and its sequel, Our Violent Ends . She is a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she double-majored in English and international relations. Born in Shanghai and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Chloe is now located in New York, where she is pretending to be a real adult. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok under @thechloegong or check out her website at TheChloeGong.com . You can find more of my reviews of Chloe's works here .  The year is 1927, and Shanghai teeters

A masterpiece of a retelling, Chloe Gong places two of Shakespeare's most famed characters as leaders of gangs, in the midst of uncovering the source of an epidemic raging through 1926 Shanghai. Thrilling, immensely detailed, and compelling at each turn, Gong puts a whole new twist on Romeo and Juliet retellings, placing the power right where it has always been: in Juliet's hands.  Chloe Gong is a student at the University of Pennsylvania, studying English and international relations. During her breaks, she's either at home in New Zealand or visiting her many relatives in Shanghai. Chloe has been known to mysteriously appear when " Romeo and Juliet   is one of Shakespeare's best plays and doesn't deserve its slander in pop culture" is chanted into a mirror three times. You can find her on Twitter @thechloegong or check out her website at thechloegong.com . You can find more of my reviews of Chloe's works here .  The year is 1926 and Shanghai hums to th