The Princess of Thornwood Drive by Khalia Moreau

Welcome Back, Booklovers! This was one of the books I went in not really knowing what to expect. I think it was the mention of Trinidadian lore that initially put this on my radar awhile back.

A year ago an accident killed Laine's parents and left her younger sister paralyzed and non verbal. Since then Laine has been struggling with expenses, taking care of her sister, and trying to balance work and school. It's a relief to her when she's able to put her in Lake Forest Adult Day Center. 

Alyssa meanwhile is coping with her reality in a different way. In her mind she and her family are apart of the royal family of Mirendal and while she was cursed, her parents were kidnapped. Now she's navigating through this magical land with mermaids and fairies trying to adjust to her new life.

The Princess of Thornwood Drive is an interesting genre blend that is one part hard hitting contemporary and another party fantasy that stands out among other recent reads. There's an open dialogue in this book about abuse within the healthcare profession as well as tackling grief from parental death, sexual assault (off page), and mental health issues. It doesn't shy away from the burdens of being a caretaker and the pain that comes from it.

While there were some mentions of Jumbies I wouldn't go in expecting a ton of Trinidadian lore. Don't go in expecting a fantasy in the way you would approach an epic fantasy. But the fantasy in this world is an interesting contrast to the real world issues. This book is emotional without feeling too heavy and has good pacing. 

A Girl's Guide to Love and Magic by Debbie Rigaud

Welcome Back, Booklover! We are in the dog days of summer and the kids will be going back to school in a couple of weeks if they haven't started already. So A Girl's Guide to Love and Magic drops at the perfect time as the main character Cecily is starting another school year and Labor Day marks the last big celebration to end summer.

Labor Day is also Cecily's birthday and she's so excited for the West Indian Day Parade. She's got the cutest outfit picked out to match her best friend. Best of all, her influencer auntie is interviewing one of her favorite artists, Papash. The day seems to good to be true and then her aunt ends up possessed by a spirit named Ezru. Cecily enlists the help of her friend Renee and her crush as they go on an adventure around Brooklyn gathering items needed to cast the spirit out of Tati Mimose in time for her big interview.

As a Haitian-American Cecily is navigating her connection to vodou. Her aunt is a priestess but her mother wants to keep her away from it. Her best friend who is Trinidadian also has some unsure feelings about it. This book does a great job exploring all the feelings towards what is a taboo subject in Caribbean culture. Some authors might've taken the vodou concept and spun into a fantasy tale but Debbie Rigaud plays it straight. Which I appreciated because even though it seems a little magic it's not considered magic in the culture. And I like that she also used comparisons to Catholicism showing how rituals within the Catholic church are considered acceptable while similar rituals in vodou are looked down on.

There's also feelings Caribbean American children have to unpack about their culture. Especially ones who've never visited the islands or have no visited in a long time. And this book also addresses that pride for the culture while also feeling a disconnect in some ways. And I love how the older people in the community were involved in this story. Every island has their own version of Carnival and while this book touched on a few of those it also showcased the unique way they come together in Brooklyn to keep traditions alive for the next generation. And though it looks much different from the carnivals of yester-year the heart is still there.

Overall this was a fast-paced read about family, faith, friendship, and first crushes. There's a lot to love about this story especially for the Caribbean American girls who are sure to see pieces of themselves, friends, and family sprinkled throughout the story.

Confessions of An Alleged Good Girl by Joya Goffney

Welcome Back, Booklovers! So I read Joya Goffney's first book Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry and really enjoyed it. So when she offered me the chance to read her sophmore novel Confessions of An Alleged Good Girl, of course I said yes.

Monique is a preacher's daughter who has been dating her boyfriend, Dom for two years and has been trying to have sex with him but for some reason each time her body rejects him and they can't continue. So after the 29th time Dom decides he's tired of waiting and breaks up with her. When Monique decides to sneak to the women's clinic for a check up beyond her strict parents back's she runs into Sasha, a girl from her church to whom they constantly compare her. Sasha ends up becoming an unlikely ally to her along with Reggie, the town bad boy. With a self diagnosis of vaginimus they set out to help Monique acquire dialators and fix her issues.

I had spoken recently about wanting to see more books that do feature religion in some capacity even if it's small. Religion is a central part of many of our lives but suprisingly I only come across it a few times a year in books. Monique is at that age where you question your unbringing and feelings towards religion. She's not sure how she feels about Christianity and part of the reason is her family's fear mongering. Even though she wants to have sex she doesn't realize the damager her parent's feelings toward pre-martial sex and being the perfect Christian girl have caused her.  While Sasha loves church she's still able to be open about her sexuality and enjoy secular music. And her relationship with her mother is more open and honest. 

I also thought the family dynamics in were well explored with multiple examples of different dynamics. You have Monique's traditional two parent household where her parents though well meaning display toxic parenting styles. Throughout the book as Monique grows you also seem them change a little but it's not an instant change and the changes are realistic.  Monique's Aunt Dee is the cool auntie who teaches Monique how to understand some things from her parent's perspective. And we meet Reggie and Sasha's mothers who are more relaxed in parenting styles and have more open relationships with their children.

I loved the theme of taking control of your body. I never heard of vaginimus so it was a learning experience for me too. And so many of us are not properly educated about women's bodies and this book made what can sometimes be an uncomfortable conversation easy to digest. Joya Goffney does a great job tying religion, family, and sexuality together in such a seamless way while also infusing plenty of humor. 

Bad Witch Burning by Jessica Lewis

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Bad Witch Burning was one that I hadn't hear much about and was a complete cover grab. I read Jessica Lewis's MG debut Meow or Never where she uses the pen name Jazz Taylor and thought that was a very cute contemporary about young girls navigating middle school life. I was interested in seeing what she would do in a supernatural/fantasy setting.

Katrell is a teen living in the hood with her single mother who is currently unemployed and heavily leaning on her to be the provider. Katrell busts her ass 30 hours a week in a low end burger joint just to keep the rent paid and some food on the table but it's never enough. On top of that her mother has Gerald, one of many in a string of horrible boyfriends in the picture. Gerald is a bum who eats all their food and barely works. On top of that he's abusive and Katrell fears having to live in the house with him. Katrell doesn't understand her mother's infatuation but is hoping she'll move on soon like she always does.

The one bright spot she has in her life. She has her sole friend Will who is there for her when life gets to be too much to bear. Will is a former foster child who has been through many of the same things. She worries about Katrell and does what she can whether it's offering her a hot meal or a place to spend the night.

Katrell has a special gift. She's not sure where it originated from but she has the ability to talk to ghosts. She makes extra money on the side writing letters that let people communicate with their dead loved ones. One day after a letter writing session she receives a warning from a ghost not to write any more letters as something big is about to happen.

Katrell is hurting and feeling broken after a blowout fight with Gerald results in the death of her beloved dog, Conrad. And despite the previous warning, she writes an emotional letter to her dog. She is shocked when Conrad ends up returning with no sign of being killed. Though he doesn't have a heartbeat and he's not his usual self. This leads Katrell to test out this newfound power which later leads her to charging people to resurrect their loved ones. She finally has a way to earn fast money quick and improve her lifestyle. But it doesn't take long for thing to get back quick with these remnants and soon Katrell finds her life spiraling out of control. 

This book was much darker than I expected but not dark as in dark magic in the very real depictions of violence, abuse, and neglect. At first when Katrell was talking about struggling to make ends meet  and going whole days without eating I was afraid this would be another YA where a poor character gets a come up and we ignore and wash over their neglectful parents abuse when they find a way out of their misery.  I had so many questions about why Katrell's mother didn't have them on government assistance at the bare minimum and why she expected her teenage daughter to take on the burden of providing for her and her man. And I was so glad that this book fully explored that toxic relationship.

Katrell truly believed that she had to love her mother because that's her mother. She made sure to hide the signs of parental neglect as much as she could making sure CPS never got involved. She has a great fear of being placed into the foster care system so much that she would rather take the abuse. It takes a lot for her to acknowledge that her mother doesn't give a damn about her despite Will pointing it out to her. But she has a guidance counselor at her school named Mike who observes how she's frequently absent from school, tired, and constantly hiding bruises. He is able to just offer her some kindness and show Katrell that she has adults in her life who care. And she had Will's adopted mother who cared more about her well being than her mother ever has. 

I could really hear Jessica Lewis' personal experience with these situations come through in her writing and I think made a world of difference. We always hear the writing advice to write what you know. But sometimes when I read books that tackle social issues I feel the writer is a little out of her element. It's been awhile since a book brought tears to my eyes but this story had that effect. Jessica Lewis manages to insert a bit of fantasy into a tough story about a young girl just trying to survive in a world that seems hopeless. 

Simone Breaks All the Rules by Debbie Rigaud

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! After my heaviest reading month yet I'm decided to switch gears and read something a little lighter.  Simone Breaks all the Rules is the latest by veteran YA author Debbie Rigaud who I did an interview with last year. I received an arc from Scholastic for review.

Simone Thibodeaux is a Haitian-American teenager preparing for graduation. Her strict parents have plans for her to commute to school like her older sister and Simone is tired of following in her footsteps. She's ready to break free and start experiencing more things before high school ends. Simone has her eyes set on attending prom with Gavin, a boy from a rival school who rides the same bus as her in the mornings. But her parent's have already selected the son of a family friend, Ben to be her date. So she teams up with two other girls who also have strict parents and plans her "promancipation" along with a list of other activities they want to complete behind their parents backs.

One thing I appreciated about this book is that Simone lives in a Black neighborhood, uses AAVE, and has Black love interests. Sadly that type of representation is rare in YA lately. Even though she attends a mostly white Catholic school the book doesn't center around that aspect of her school experience. There were reminders that anti-Haitian sentiments are real and that the world is harder for Black girls. But that wasn't the entire story. It doesn't delve into centering whiteness and race-based trauma. And sometimes I feel some YA stories focus on the hardships of being Black like you can only show Black pain or Black joy versus showing the full spectrum.

Simone's parents though strict are also not written as caricatures. They mix kreyol in with their English and sometimes the words are explained in text and sometimes they aren't and that's okay. They are strict but well meaning and love their daughters very much. Despite her mother being overbearing at times we still saw moments of levity where Simone could joke and laugh with her. I enjoyed their interactions when Grandmere came to visit. She also has a close relationship with her cousin Gabby who also attends the same school. Children of immigrants will definitely be able to see bits of their households in the Thibodeaux family. I definitely saw so much of myself in her.

Over all this is an enjoyable contemporary with plenty of heart along with funny moments and great friendships. And it's available just in time for the teens to start their summer reading.

Holding Myself Accountable: A September ARC TBR

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers!

It's about to be a very BLACK September. Your girl may have gone a tad bit overboard with the arc requesting and accepting for the September books. But best believe when I put my mind to something I do it. And I plan on reading and reviewing all of these books so get ready for a content heavy September. I'm reading Black books across the spectrum!  I've got YA Fantasy, YA Contemporary, Fantasy, Mystery, MG Horror, MG Contemporary, and MG Fantasy. 

Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston

 

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn 

 

Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera

Hide and Seeker by Daka Hermon

 

And Now She's Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall

 

Maya and the Rising Dark by Rena Barron

 

 Everybody Looking by Candice Iloh

Ties that Tether by Jane Igharo

Read Caribbean During June Pt 2

Welcome Back Booklovers!

Despite the chaos going on in the world right now I am truly enjoying getting to spread my love of books and have great discussions with other readers. Reading books, interviewing authors, chatting with readers are all the little things keeping me sane during this time.

Putting together these lists has introduced me to some new author's I'm excited to read while also having me reflect on the ones I have read. It's also a reminder of how resilient my people are. This time I'm highlighting some books by the children of Caribbean immigrants.

'Til the Well Runs Dry: A Novel

A glorious and moving multigenerational, multicultural saga that sweeps from the 1940s through the 1960s in Trinidad and the United States.

In a seaside village in the north of Trinidad, young Marcia Garcia, a gifted and smart-mouthed sixteen-year-old seamstress, lives alone, raising two small boys and guarding a family secret. When she meets Farouk Karam, an ambitious young policeman (so taken with Marcia that he elicits help from a tea-brewing obeah woman to guarantee her ardor), the rewards and risks in Marcia's life amplify forever.

'Til the Well Runs Dry sees Marcia and Farouk from their sassy and passionate courtship through personal and historical events that threaten Marcia's secret, entangle the couple and their children in a tumultuous scandal, and put the future in doubt for all of them.

With this deeply human novel, Lauren Francis-Sharma gives us an unforgettable story about a woman's love for a man, a mother's love for her children, and a people's love for an island rich with calypso and Carnival, cricket and salty air, sweet fruits and spicy stews-a story of grit, imperfection, steadfast love and of Trinidad that has never been told before.

The Haunting of Tram Car 015

Cairo, 1912: The case started as a simple one for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities ― handling a possessed tram car.

Soon, however, Agent Hamed Nasr and his new partner Agent Onsi Youssef are exposed to a new side of Cairo stirring with suffragettes, secret societies, and sentient automatons in a race against time to protect the city from an encroaching danger that crosses the line between the magical and the mundane.

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine

Alaine Beauparlant has heard about Haiti all her life…

But the stories were always passed down from her dad―and her mom, when she wasn’t too busy with her high-profile newscaster gig. But when Alaine’s life goes a bit sideways, it’s time to finally visit Haiti herself.

What she learns about Haiti’s proud history as the world’s first black republic (with its even prouder people) is one thing, but what she learns about her own family is another. Suddenly, the secrets Alaine’s mom has been keeping, including a family curse that has spanned generations, can no longer be avoided.

It’s a lot to handle, without even mentioning that Alaine is also working for her aunt’s nonprofit, which sends underprivileged kids to school and boasts one annoyingly charming intern.

 

 

Frying Plantain

Kara Davis is a girl caught in the middle — of her North American identity and her desire to be a “true” Jamaican, of her mother and grandmother’s rages and life lessons, of having to avoid being thought of as too “faas” or too “quiet” or too “bold” or too “soft.” Set in a neighbourhood known as “Little Jamaica,” Kara moves from girlhood to the threshold of adulthood, from elementary school to high school graduation, in these twelve interconnected stories. We see her on a visit to Jamaica, startled by the sight of a severed pig’s head in her great-aunt’s freezer; in junior high, the victim of a devastating prank by her closest friends; and as a teenager in and out of her grandmother’s house, trying to cope with the ongoing battles between her unyielding grandparents.

A rich and unforgettable portrait of growing up between worlds, Frying Plantain shows how, in one charged moment, friendship and love can turn to enmity and hate, well-meaning protection can become control, and teasing play can turn to something much darker.

Halsey Street

Penelope Grand has scrapped her failed career as an artist in Pittsburgh and moved back to Brooklyn to keep an eye on her ailing father. She’s accepted that her future won’t be what she’d dreamed, but now, as gentrification has completely reshaped her old neighborhood, even her past is unrecognizable. Old haunts have been razed, and wealthy white strangers have replaced every familiar face in Bed-Stuy. Even her mother, Mirella, has abandoned the family to reclaim her roots in the Dominican Republic. That took courage. It’s also unforgivable.

When Penelope moves into the attic apartment of the affluent Harpers, she thinks she’s found a semblance of family—and maybe even love. But her world is upended again when she receives a postcard from Mirella asking for reconciliation. As old wounds are reopened, and secrets revealed, a journey across an ocean of sacrifice and self-discovery begins.

An engrossing debut, Halsey Street shifts between the perspectives of these two captivating, troubled women. Mirella has one last chance to win back the heart of the daughter she’d lost long before leaving New York, and for Penelope, it’s time to break free of the hold of the past and start navigating her own life.

Unconditionally Mine

Event planner Sofia Silva is hiding a big secret. No one can know that her engagement to her lying, cheating fiancé is over. Until she meets gorgeous, wealthy newcomer Jonathan Gunther. Jon moved to Miami for a legally sinful life of waterfront property, convertibles and no emotional entanglements. When he invites Sofia to lie low at his house, their undeniable attraction explodes…but will her dilemma ruin their chance at forever?

Oh My Gods

She's just moved in with her dorky dad and self-absorbed older siblings - who happen to be the ancient Greek gods, living incognito in London!

Between keeping her family's true identities secret, trying to impress her new friends, and meeting an actually cute boy, Helen's stress levels are higher than Mount Olympus.

She needs to rein in her chaotic family before they blow their cover AND her chances at a half-normal social life.

Allegedly 

Orange Is the New Black meets Walter Dean Myer’s Monster in this gritty, twisty, and haunting debut by Tiffany D. Jackson about a girl convicted of murder seeking the truth while surviving life in a group home.

Mary B. Addison killed a baby.

Allegedly. She didn’t say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: a white baby had died while under the care of a churchgoing black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it?

There wasn’t a point to setting the record straight before, but now she’s got Ted—and their unborn child—to think about. When the state threatens to take her baby, Mary’s fate now lies in the hands of the one person she distrusts the most: her Momma. No one knows the real Momma. But does anyone know the real Mary?

A Song Below Water by Bethany C Morrow

Welcome Back booklovers! It's been a slow reading week despite the long holiday weekend but I'm back at you with another review. This time for A Song Below Water by Bethany C Morrow. I was able to get my hands on an early copy courtesy of Tor Teen. And that it had the prettiest book cover I've seen all year was the first thing to intrigue me. The second was all the advanced praise it received.

One thing I do want to clarify because both the blurb on the back of my ARC and the blurb on Amazon stated there were Black mermaids. This is not a story about mermaids this is a story about sirens and in this story there is no overlap between the two. So don't pick up this book expecting for an underwater adventure. It's not an epic fantasy it's more of a character driven novel. This is a modern day story of two Black girls struggling to find their voice in a world that wants them to be silenced. It's a dual pov story where you follow two friends/sisters named Effie and Tavia who are navigating high school.

I never visited the Renaissance Fair so it was interesting reading about Effie's experience working as a mermaid there. I didn't even know there were mermaids there and actually stopped to look it up to discover that my state's Ren Fair also has mermaid shows. Effie gets joy from working at the Ren Fair every year playing this role that it sometimes blurs the lines between reality for her. 

This book uses magical realism with Tavia's siren experience to also talk about the real life struggles Black girl's face. Tavia is a siren who is not able to use her voice in a world where sirens are Black women and are seen as a threat. Sirens are often given silencing collars to stop them from speaking out due to fear of them using their abilities to manipulate others. But sirens must use their gift so networks exist to help protect sirens. Tavia is apart of the school chorus which gives her a way to unleash her call without drawing attention to herself.

Anyone who grew up around white people experienced some of these things like the questioning if your hair is real or fake when you wear braids or twists. Or that feeling of just not fitting in and being different because of appearance. 

I would've liked to see them have friendships outside of friendships with each other as well. I've never been one to have a big group of friends but even seeing them have relationships with other people at the school would've made a difference. 

One thing I wished was that the book dove deeper into the mythos. I wanted to see more of the magic. Because this is a world where everyone seemed to except that these beings existed even though they weren't receptive of them all. I wanted to know more about the sirens and their origins and networks. Why were people so receptive of some magical beings vs others? There was a gargoyle bodyguard that took residence on the roof of their house. Their encounters with it was fascinating. There were just so many questions I felt went unanswered here though the space was there to answer them. This book would've had more of an impact on me if the characters were fully fleshed out. It has a of important messages but the message becomes the story instead of being one part of the pieces that bring the story together. At times I felt like I was reading a think piece on Blackness in America.

10 Books in 2020 by Black British Books

Welcome Back, Booklovers!

Even though I live in the US I'm all for continuing to support Black and biracial authors across the pond.  I'm seeing more British authors getting more visibility this year.  For my British readers I'm glad you're getting more books accessible to you. Everyone deserves proper representation. And for my American readers many of these books are available on Amazon and Book Depository if they have not also been published in the US.

This Lovely City by Louise Hare 

The drinks are flowing. The music’s playing. But the party can’t last.

London, 1950. With the Blitz over and London still rebuilding after the war, jazz musician Lawrie Matthews has answered England’s call for help. Arriving from Jamaica aboard the Empire Windrush, he’s taken a tiny room in south London lodgings, and has fallen in love with the girl next door.

All My Lies Are True by Dorothy Koomson

Verity is telling lies...

And that's why she's about to be arrested for attempted murder.

Serena has been lying for years. . .

And that may have driven her daughter, Verity, to do something unthinkable...

Poppy's lies have come back to haunt her . . .

So will her quest for the truth hurt everyone she loves?

Everyone lies.

But whose lies are going to end in tragedy?

Imperfect Arrangements by Frances Mensah Williams

There are two sides to every story…

In the sun-soaked capital of Ghana, best friends Theresa, Maku and Lyla struggle with the arrangements that define their relationships.

Ambitious, single-minded Theresa has gambled everything to move with her loving husband Tyler from London to cosmopolitan Accra. But when shocking developments threaten their plans, they also expose the hidden cracks in their fairytale marriage.

Feisty Maku is desperate for professional recognition – and her dream white wedding. But how long can she wait for her laid-back partner Nortey to stop dreaming up pointless projects from the comfort of his local bar and stand up to his family?

Churchgoing Lyla married Kwesi in haste, and six years later she is desperate for a child. 

But while she battles a vicious mother-in-law, and her growing attraction to the mysterious Reuben, her husband has bitten off more than he can chew with his latest mistress.

Facing lies, betrayal, and shattered illusions, each couple must confront the truth of who they have become and the arrangements they have enabled. Against the backdrop of a shifting culture, each woman must decide what – and who – she is willing to sacrifice for the perfect marriage.

Love in Colour: Mythical Tales from Around the World by Bolu Babalola

Love stories inspired by tales of the past...

Join debut author Bolu Babalola as she retells the most beautiful love stories from history and mythology with new incredible detail and vivacity. Focusing on the magical folktales of West Africa, Babalola also reimagines iconic Greek myths, ancient legends from South Asia, and stories from countries that no longer exist in our world. Babalola is inspired by tales that truly show the variety and colours of love around the globe.

A high-born Nigerian goddess feels beaten down and unappreciated by her gregarious lover and longs to be truly seen.

A young businesswoman attempts to make a great leap in her company, and an even greater one in her love life.

A powerful Ghanaian spokeswoman is forced to decide whether to uphold her family's politics, or to be true to her heart.

Whether captured in the passion of love at first sight, or realising that self-love takes precedent over the latter, the characters in these vibrant stories try to navigate this most complex human emotion and understand why it holds them hostage.

Bolu takes a step in decolonising tropes of love by forming new stories from the wildly beautiful tales that already exist in so many communities and cultures. Moving exhilaratingly across perspectives, continents and genres, from the historic to the vividly current, Love in Colour is a celebration of romance in all of its forms.

Get lost in these mystical worlds and see that love, like humanity, comes in technicolor.

The Girl with the Louding Voice: A Novel by Abi Dare 

Adunni is a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl who knows what she wants: an education. This, her mother has told her, is the only way to get a “louding voice”—the ability to speak for herself and decide her own future. But instead, Adunni's father sells her to be the third wife of a local man who is eager for her to bear him a son and heir.

When Adunni runs away to the city, hoping to make a better life, she finds that the only other option before her is servitude to a wealthy family. As a yielding daughter, a subservient wife, and a powerless slave, Adunni is told, by words and deeds, that she is nothing.

But while misfortunes might muffle her voice for a time, they cannot mute it. And when she realizes that she must stand up not only for herself, but for other girls, for the ones who came before her and were lost, and for the next girls, who will inevitably follow; she finds the resolve to speak, however she can—in a whisper, in song, in broken English—until she is heard.

The Book Of Echoes by Rosanna Amaka

1981: England looks forward to a new decade. But on the streets of Brixton, it’s hard to hold onto your dreams, especially if you are a young black man. Racial tensions rumble, and now Michael Watson might land in jail for a crime he did not commit.

Thousands of miles away, village girl Ngozi abandons her orange stall for the opportunity to work as a housemaid for a middle-class family.

From dusty tracks to gritty pavements, Ngozi and Michael’s journey towards a better life is strewn with heartache. When they finally collide, their lives will be transformed for ever.

With irresistible joy and grace, Rosanna Amaka writes of people moving between worlds, and asks how we can heal and help each other. Humming with beauty and horror, tragedy and triumph, THE BOOK OF ECHOES is a powerful debut from an authentic new voice in British fiction

Eight Pieces of Silva by Patrice Lawrence

Becks is into girls but didn't come out because she was never in. She lives with her mum, stepdad and eighteen-year-old Silva, her stepdad's daughter. Becks and Silva are opposites, but bond over their mutual obsession with K-pop.

When Becks' mum and stepdad go on honeymoon to Japan, Becks and Silva are left alone. Except, Silva disappears. Becks ventures into the forbidden territory of Silva's room and finds the first of eight clues that help her discover her sister's secret life.

Meanwhile, Silva is on a journey. A journey to make someone love her. He says he doesn't, but he's just joking. All she has to do is persuade him otherwise

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU MANGOS by Kereen Getten

Twelve-year-old Clara lives on an island that visitors call exotic. But there's nothing exotic about it to Clara. She loves eating ripe mangos off the ground, running outside in the rain with her Papa during rainy season, and going to her secret hideout with Gaynah—even though lately she's not acting like a best friend. 

The only thing out of the ordinary for Clara is that something happened to her memory that made her forget everything that happened last summer after a hurricane hit. Sometimes things come back to her in drips like a tap that hasn't been turned off properly. Other times her Mama fills in the blanks...only she knows those aren't her memories and it is hard feeling like she is not like everybody else. 

But this summer is going to be different for Clara. Everyone is buzzing with excitement over a new girl in the village who is not like other visitors. She is about to make big waves on the island—and give Clara a summer she won't forget.

The Infinite by Patience Agbabi

FIGHT CRIME, ACROSS TIME!

Leaplings, children born on the 29th of February, are very rare. Rarer still are Leaplings with The Gift – the ability to leap through time. Elle Bíbi-Imbelé Ifíè has The Gift, but she’s never used it. Until now.

On her twelfth birthday, Elle and her best friend Big Ben travel to the Time Squad Centre in 2048. Elle has received a mysterious warning from the future. Other Leaplings are disappearing in time – and not everyone at the centre can be trusted.

Soon Elle’s adventure becomes more than a race through time. It’s a race against time. She must fight to save the world as she knows it – before it ceases to exist 

And the Stars Were Burning Brightly by Danielle Jawando

When fifteen-year-old Nathan discovers that his older brother Al, has taken his own life, his whole world is torn apart. Al was special. Al was talented. Al was full of passion and light ... so why did he do it? Convinced that his brother was in trouble, Nathan decides to retrace Al's footsteps. As he does, he meets Megan, Al's former classmate, who is as determined as Nathan to keep Al's memory alive. Together they start seeking answers, but will either of them be able to handle the truth about Al's death when they eventually discover what happened? An extraordinary novel about loss, understanding and the importance of speaking up when all you want to do is shut down, from an incredible new talent, perfect for fans of Angie Thomas, Gayle Foreman, Jennifer Niven and Nikesh Shukla

Opposite of Always by Justin A Reynolds

Welcome Back Booklovers!

It's May and I'm still participating in the SeaMaydenathon (@SeaMaydenathon on Twitter) and it's the first readathon I've ever done. And it's hard balance working from home with reading but I'm not doing too bad. This is the fifth book I've finished this month. Reading along with audiobooks have really been helping.

 I choose Opposite of Always because the premise made it sound like it would be a tearjerker.  And one of the prompts for the readathon is Sea Salt. I actually bought this book in ebook format last year when it was $1.99. And ironically my sister saw it on Amazon and bought me the hardcover version thinking I would like it. She was mad when she found out I already owned it. But I was kind enough to let her return it.

The only thing worse than losing someone you love is losing them again

So this story is about Jack King who meets Kate at a college party. They really hit it off and start talking. Jack even invites Kate to his high school prom. But then prom night comes around and Kate never shows. Jack is able to track her down only to mourn her death shortly after as she dies from an illness she had secretly been suffering from. Jack ends up in a Groundhog's Day type situation where he is given the chance to relive his last few months with Kate and is determined to save her.

It's been a long time since I'm read a YA book from a Black boy's perspective and written by a Black man. I listen to a lot of this book by audiobook and I liked that the narrator had a youthful voice so it actually felt like I was listening to a teen boy. And Jack is awkward, snarky, and relatable. He was very easy to root for.

At first I didn't understand why Jack King was in love with Kate. I feel like at beginning we didn't really get to know much about her to justify this Groundhog Day style time loop he was stuck in. But with the reset of time Jack wanted to spend more time with her so we got to know more about Kate and even meet her family. And we all hope for that one person who we believe is the ideal person for us and Jack believed Kate was that person. She liked his corny jokes and didn't mind his weirdness and quirks. Unfortunately his friends and even family start to feel a little alienated as he drops everything to be with Kate and struggles to fit the rest of them into his life.

The story is a little long in my opinion could've been shorter but I did appreciate it for what it is. It's a story of struggling to grasp a world without someone you love. This book is so fit to be a movie so I hope it doesn't take too long for the film adaptation to come out. Hopefully it's a 2022 film because I feel like this would be good one to watch on Netflix.

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

Hey Booklovers,

I'm back with another good book by Elizabeth Acevedo. I've read four stories from her this year. Gilded, The Poet X, and my favorite book of 2020 so far Clap When You Land. I've had my copy of With the Fire on High for a few months now but I hadn't opened it up yet. I decided to borrow the audiobook from my local library so I could read and follow along with Elizabeth Acevedo's voice at the same time.

There's something special about a writer who knows how to make every one of her stories completely different and weave the right words together for an enjoyable story. The heroine in this story is named Emoni and she's a self identified Afro-Boriqua. Her mother's family is from the American South and her father's family is from Puerto Rico. She lives with her abuela in Philly where she takes care of her two year old daughter. Teen pregnancy is a tough subject to approach and she does it here with care. She addresses the stereotypes people jump to when it comes to teen mothers. Emoni is not a fast girl or someone who wanted start a family and have her boyfriend move in with her, or someone who wanted a child to have someone to love her unconditionally. She's a girl who got caught up in a relationship and decided to step up to responsibility.  And while she and her ex barely get along she still tries to keep things cordial and works out an agreement with him and his parents for the sake of her child.

Emoni is a girl who perseveres. Her father gave her to his mother to raise after her own mother died during childbirth. He lives in Puerto Rico and though he calls her and sometimes visits he plays the role of activist for everyone but her raising money for teen mother's on the island but not helping support her. So instead she works a crappy job to help pay some bills and her every groaning expenses when it comes to her child. And although Emoni has never met her mother she still keeps ties to her mother's African-American family. Her aunt often sends her emails where they exchange recipes which she sometimes makes changes with different flavors to add her own little remix to them.

Emoni loves to cook and not just simple family recipes but recipes at places where she eats out or recipes she sees on tv often adding her own twist. When she has the chance to take a culinary class her senior year she is unsure she should shake things up. After all the class involves a trip to Spain to work for a week as an apprentice and surely she can't afford that. But with some encouragement from Buela and even her chef teacher she starts to think that maybe her dream of being a chef is not so far fetched.

I love how Buela is the supportive matriarch who takes care of Emoni and Babygirl but at the same time is allowed to voice that sometimes she wants time to herself. Time where she's not in grandmother or great-grandmother mode. It's not uncommon to see a Black grandmother take on the role of mother for multi-generations of children in her family. 

One thing Elizabeth does in everyone one of her stories is paint Blackness in the most beautiful light while dropping a bit of education in the process. Despite some of the Puerto Rican people you know telling you otherwise Puerto Rican is not a race. Emoni's family hails from an area in Puerto Rico heavily influenced by their African heritage. And she holds onto that with pride educating anyone who tries to tell her about her blackness. 

Food is it's own character here. It's clear Ms. Acevedo is a lover of good food evidenced by the many tasty dishes she includes in the story.  She really does a good job showing Emoni's love of food.

My favorite story by Elizabeth Acevedo is still Clap When You Land followed by Gilded from A Phoenix First Must Burn and you should also check those out but don't skip this one. Emoni's story flips perceptions we have about teen mothers while also letting them know they aren't defined or confined by their circumstances. While this YA does have a sprinkle of romance it's very well written and one of many ingredients in the recipe that creates this satisfying story.