Category: Young Adult reviews

A Predictable Loop: A review of If I See You Again Tomorrow by Robbie Couch

Stories focusing on time travel, or repetitive time travel, have always been spaces to explore the same experience in new ways. Like a choose-your-own-adventure novel, time loop narratives afford the characters, trapped for whatever reason, to try out new choices, new dialogue, and new interactions all in service of unraveling the loop and returning to the timestream they left.

A review of Your Lonely Nights Are Over by Adam Sass

Like any good slasher, almost every interaction is ripe with suspicion. A solo car ride with the potential killer? A real nail biter. Texting a hookup that’s already inside your house, hiding in a closet? Talk about a lethal metaphor. A drive-in located in the middle of nowhere that the killer(s) certainly have tickets to? Sounds like a fun Friday night.

A review of The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers by Adam Sass

The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers is not exactly a story begging you to unravel it (the happily ever after is apparent early on) but it does make one thing clear – Adam Sass is just as capable a builder of romance as he is of mystery. And Micah Summers’ story benefits from Sass’s adept management of both genres. 

A review of Fireworks by Oliver Smuhar

The book is beautifully presented, with hand drawn illustrations, photographs, quotations, and facts about the different animals in the book and the events that inspired them, particularly the 2019/20 Australian bushfires, which were particularly devastating in Smuhar’s Blue Mountains hometown and which had some an intense impact on Australian flora and fauna (for example, some 60,000 koalas were negatively impacted by the fires). Smuhar’s goal with this book is not only to raise funds, but to entertain and educate.

A review of You Must Be Layla by Yassmin Abdel-Magied

The book discusses migrant experience, discrimination and inequality in perfect way for readers who are just starting to read young adult fiction. Inspiring themes and messages are communicated throughout, and these are some of the elements I loved which made me so excited to talk about in this review. The family’s culture and beliefs are portrayed and the language, being Arabic, is also incorporated. I discovered and learnt a lot whilst reading, which I really enjoyed and found to be yet another impressive element in this story.

A review of Life of a Firefly by Sandra Brown Lindstedt

Life of a Firefly is funny, uplifting, and, according to the author, ninety-eight per cent true. A graduate in English and Theatre from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, Ms Brown Lindstedt  lives with her husband, Christer Lindstedt, in Goteburg Sweden where she is drama director for Smyrna International Church. Life of a Firefly is a book that parents and librarians should put in the hands of young readers.

A review of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Characterisation, themes and messages conveyed are executed beautifully in this novel. With Starr, being the voice of this book, sharing her insight on the life-altering events which occur throughout this journey. Our main character’s relationships with others are demonstrated beautifully, with rapid-fire dialogue and pop-culture references, all of which I adored. Yet again, the characters are easy to love and their development and arcs throughout is done so brilliantly.

A review of Girls with Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young

As a whole, I really enjoyed the story and setting of the text, as well as the themes being expressed, which highlight particular areas/issues in relation to modern society. On average, I don’t normally read this type of genre, GWST has altered my perspective on several things and encouraged me to seek out more sci-fi, dystopian, psychological thrillers.

A review of Five Feet Apart by Rachel Lippincott

Calling all romantic-comedy and tear-jerker lovers! Five Feet Apart is for you! With a very ‘When Harry met Sally’ style romance and filled with beautiful, albeit, sad moments. Five Feet Apart is a gorgeous YA novel, with similar aspects to John Greens’ The Fault in Our Stars.

A review of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is an incredible novel and my expectations were lived up to, indeed. Although considered an ‘adult’ read the text can be suitable for young adults, dependant on the readers taste and other sensitivities to certain themes. Gail Honeyman creates such marvellous characters who once only a few pages into the book, I felt like I’d known them for years.