A Message & Review Round Up

It’s been a long couple of months and we’re only halfway through 2020. Over the weekend, I began sharing some resources on how to be an ally to you Black friends and family. While my heart is broken, I know that the system has always worked for me and regardless of what I think and feel, I have never done enough. It’s uncomfortable to recognize that you have been part of the problem and heartbreaking to feel helpless. So don’t. Read books, do the work. Most of my followers are white women, so I hope I can provide some help and insight into what I am using during this time to combat racism in the United States.

Part of my job is sharing bits of my life and what I’m reading. I had planned this Review Round Up for today. Every book on this list is written by a white author. That is unacceptable. If I can get you excited enough to read a book like ACOTAR, i need to be promoting other books too. I will be doing better about that, I promise.

I’ll continue to share resources on where to donate and how to break down privilege as I find them and digest them myself. But remember: Black stories matter. Non-fiction and Anti-Racist literature is amazing, but also incorporate stories that are not trauma based into your reading. Books like Queenie by Candice Carty-Jenkins and On the Come Up by Angie Thomas that are by Black author and about Black characters are so important.

Books are our greatest tool. Use them and then do the work. A saw doesn’t cut wood by itself.

Here are the reviews of my recent reads that sadly don’t fit this message. I will be more cognizant moving forward.

Avalon High—Like I mentioned in my May wrap up, this was a reread for me and I absolutely LOVED revisiting it. It held up as one of my favorite books and I still have a mega crush on A. William Wagner. It’s a great piece of YA retelling while keeping the story fresh and new at the same time. I had listened to it so many times on audio as a teen that I could hear the narrator as I was reading! I forgot that Disney made a TV movie and it…is not the same. I hope we get a redo one day! 

Rating: 4 stars 

Read it if you like: YA Romance and retellings

Meet Me at Midnight—If you are looking for the perfect book to get you into the summer reading mood, look no further. This is another YA book and it definitely reads as YA, but it does have the perfect about of “butterfly steam” to keep things interesting in my opinion! It’s an frenemies to lovers type book in an idyllic lake town in Michigan. Big fan! 

Rating: 4.5 stars

Read it if you like: YA Romance, coming of age stories

Big Summer: I’ll file this one under “a total surprise” because it left me unsure where the story was going! Don’t let the cover deceive you—if make look like a light and fun summer read, and while it does have some of those elements, this story goes so much further (and darker) than I was expecting! I loved the main character, Daphne, who is a plus sized influencer. Honestly, the commentary on Instagram culture was one of my favorite parts of the book. But then it became a mystery and “thriller lite” if you will. 

Rating: 3.5 stars

Read it it you like: The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand 

Serpent & Dove: I think I made the mistake of going into this expecting to fall as in love with it as I did ACOTAR. Fantasy series are so different so you can’t expect them to be the same. I didn’t love it as much as ACOTAR but I still really enjoyed it! I’m excited for the next book to come out in September. 

Rating: 3.9 stars 

Read It If you Like: witches and forbidden love 

Thanks for taking the time to stop by my corner of the internet today. My hope is use this platform for good. I’m grateful for any and all feedback.