Taproot is a cute graphic novel, perfect for fans of “The Tea Dragon Society” or “Sheets.” The art style and soothing color palette is exactly what you need on a cozy weekend afternoon, looking for some sweet queer love between a gardener and a ghost. The two main characters and the cast of side characters paint a picture of comfortable existence in their word where a gardener becomes an accidental necromancer.
The mood shifts about halfway through with the introduction of a few slightly darker elements, but not to worry, the story continues on with a careless breeze and pops of humor throughout. The ending will leave you wondering what’s next in store of these characters.
While I enjoyed the story, some of the dialogue felt a little stiff and juvenile, and the plot had a few too many almost endings for my taste. It’s difficult to tell if the characters are 14 or 25 years old. And there isn’t quite a climax, more like the first half is one story, followed by some short stories.
Overall, it was a pleasant and cozy read, great to slip back into reading after a longer break.
I received an e-ARC for review on Netgalley, but all thoughts are my own.
This book was absolutely sweet and heartwarming! I finished it within a day and it was everything that I needed. The characters were dynamic and I loved all the different kinds of relationships present throughout the story. The banter between the protagonist and the love interesting was on fire! Super cute and fast read, I can’t wait to read more from Amanda Sellet.
My only concern with “By the Book” is if you don’t want to be spoiled about the ending of MANY popular and classic romantic novels, read with caution. This book is filled with spoilers to major twists and ending to classic romantic literature. I didn’t mind it at all, but I know others may. Just be aware!
I received an e-ARC for review on Netgalley, but all thoughts are my own.
I finished this book so quickly! It was easy to dive into the plot and find the characters lives. I loved the bisexual and lesbian representation in this! I don’t think there were any tropes or stereotypes throughout which really made me happy. The characters had a lot of valuable and big conversations, but there was never too much weight put on those conversations. There were a lot of minor plot twists that kept me intrigued but it never felt over the top. The whole plot was realistic and believable, which I think aided the book overall. The book was very balanced in the young adult genre, the characters were naïve in some aspects, as would be expected, but grew throughout and became more dynamic.
I just wish the ending had given a little more romance! But still a super cute, fun, and emotional read.
I received an e-ARC for review on Netgalley, but all thoughts are my own.
The hook for this poetry collection is: “A lot can happen between the first sip of coffee and the last taste of whiskey.” And damn if that’s not true.
There is an enchanting juxtaposition between the early mornings with a strong cup of coffee jolting your senses and then the late evening with a glass of whiskey dulling your surroundings. That is where this poetry collection lives. Cyrus Parker discusses the darkest and most beautiful parts of humanity.
I particularly enjoyed the section on 4 o’clock in the morning, “this desperate longing to hear everything there is to be said before the hour is up because five o’clock is for the living…it’s for realizing that in order to live, you must first survive.”
Some poetry collections are more for the artist than for the reader, many of them actually. And I think as readers we sometimes forget that writers write for themselves. The write to be seen in the world, they write to cope, and they write to feel. Some collections aren’t meant for the satisfaction of others. I felt that in this collection. While I connected to many of the poems throughout, there were others where I felt Cyrus Parker speaking to the reader as if in an empty room. And that’s okay too.
I’ll leave this review with some words from this collection that meant a lot more to me than I expected them to:
“i make my morning coffee the long way; the slow way, to force myself to simply be.”
Check out my review of the previous installment in the Teen Titans comics Teen Titans: Raven.
I only previous experience with Teen Titans was reading the ARC of Teen Titans: Raven last year. I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I had anticipated, so I was thrilled to find out that the next installment was coming out this year. And it surrounded Beast Boy.
To clarify, I still know very little about Teen Titans, but I love the character of Beast Boy, or Gar Logan, as most people know him. He’s “regular” teenager who is just trying to figure out who he is within the crowd. He wants to be liked and popular, so for him that starts off with eating… a ghost pepper. Maybe not the best idea, but for Gar it works out. He starts performing all kinds of stunts and eventually discovers he’s a lot less ordinary than he thought.
My favorite part in reading the comic was definitely his personality and the way Gabriel Picolo made him come alive on the page. I loved the incorporation of green into his character and the surroundings!
Gar Logan has a special connection to animals, and some pretty cool powers that comes with it. I loved learning more about him and his funny personality. I connected with Gar a lot more than I did with Raven, but I can’t wait to see the other characters coming to Teen Titans.
Check out the Official Book trailer for the comic! It’s pretty cool.
Beach Read by Emily Henry is held up again a matching pair of shorts. Soleil de Zwart
★★★★★
January Andrews shows up at her father’s old lake house ready to sit down and right her next great romance novel. But after the year she’s had, the last thing she is in the mood to do is write about love. Little does she know that he ex college rival, Augustus Everett owns the lake house right next to her, that is until she runs into his book display in the local bookstore. Augustus has been having writers block of his own, but in an entirely different genre, one more dark and gloomy than anything January has ever written.
The two strike up a truce and make a deal, the first to complete and sell their novel gets an endorsement from the other, but there’s a catch. They have to write in each other’s genre. January will take her stab at a dark gloomy piece of literature and Augustus will attempt a romance novel.
Beach Read by Emily Henry is an enemies to lovers story with every bit of intrigue and slice of romance you will need. The characters are both vibrant and dynamic, each with their own set of baggage and problems. As you read, you learn more about both characters and how they are actually a lot more similar than they thought and how they’ve dealt with similar losses. While this is a fun contemporary romance, it deals with a lot of deeper themes of loss, separation, and death, and ties it all together with fun plot points.
At some point the characters end up interviewing former cult members but also traveling to an outdoor theater and eating the most extravagant sounding ice cream.
I read this book in a day, finishing it in the deep end of the night. There were moments when my heart was racing and I definitely cried. This book was everything I wanted it to be and more. I felt very connected to the characters in their discussions of writing and their feelings of isolation.
If you’re in the mood for a fun contemporary romance but with a darker twist, this is one to check out!
The State of Us by Shaun David Hutchinson is held up in front of an outdoor scene of palm fronds and wild grass. Soleil de Zwart
★★★★★
The State of US by Shaun David Hutchinson is about Dean Arnault and Dre Rosario and about their parents, who are both candidates running for President of the United States of America. But, one a Democrat, and the other is a Republican. At first Dean and Dre hate each other, coming from different political families in a partisan world they think the worst of each other. But as the story develops the two boys begin to fall for each other, hard, and they begin organizing ways to meet up and see each other. A third party candidate starts to stir up some trouble for both Dean and Dre’s parents, and the two of the get caught up in the mix.
The State of US contains: queer, asexual, demisexual, gay, and lesbian representation.
As a Political Science student I was so excited to read another political romance, especially between the sons of Republican and Democrat candidates for President. At first I was cautious. I was afraid the story wouldn’t be an accurate representation of either political side, or that it would end up as a happy-go-luck story that brought everyone to the same side and wasn’t realistic. I was also afraid that my hopes were too high and the book wouldn’t live up to my expectations.
But this story lived up and exceeded my expectations. I’m so happy and honored I received an ARC for review from Harper Collins Teen. This story meant a lot to me.
The story was an accurate representation of the political identities it presented and mirrored the current political landscape. There were many instances that called back to events that occurred throughout the last four years, between 2016 and 2020. While I do believe the story was told in more of a rose-colored lens than reality may present, I’m quite that the intention was to create a more hopeful picture for the future.
This love story was beautiful told and I devoured it within a day. I highlighted the entire book with moments I laughed and cried. Shaun David Hutchinson brought up a lot of meaningful conversations and I believe this story needs to be read.
The State of US by Shaun David Hutchinson comes out on June 6. If you enjoy political romances or queer love stories, this is absolutely the book for you.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugoby Taylor Jenkins Reid is an interview-based story focusing on the reclusive Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo. When Monique Grant, a relatively unknown magazine reporter, is requested to author the “tell all” exclusive on the life of Hollywood’s icon, no one is more shocked than Monique. Monique and Evelyn meet at Evelyn’s illustrious mansion and begin to unravel the many years of shocking tales and the scandalous seven marriages. The narrative slips into the past, in the point of view of Evelyn, growing up in a low-income house with an abusive father and how she escaped, made her way to Hollywood, and became a sensation.
Taylor Jenkins Reid discusses love and loss, weaving in stories of hard-won ambition and surprising friendships. As the narrative continues, the reader and Monique begin to understand why Evelyn chose Monique for her biography.
Reid’s plot allows the reader to slip seamlessly into Evelyn’s past, then come back to the present, learning simultaneously about Monique and Evelyn’s lives. Within the text, Reid is able to craft complex characters, convincing you that this faux-biography is about a real Hollywood sensation, and you just never knew about her. Reid’s characters are complicated and filled with life, her protagonists are built with morally-grey hearts, questionable motives, but their depth make them more human than most fictional constructions. Reid explains this herself within the voice of Evelyn Hugo, “It’s always been fascinating to me how things can be simultaneously true and false, how people can be good and bad all in one, how someone can love you in a way that is beautifully selfless while serving themselves ruthlessly.” While Evelyn says this of others, it can also be seen as her speaking of herself, her drive and motivations to get to where she wants to go.
As the story unfolds, the formatting of the book gives light to news and magazine excerpts within the biography of Evelyn Hugo that rests inside The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, these contain headlines and dates of publication, with scandalous tidbits imagined by gossip columns or celebrity magazines. Many of these titles also contain information between sections of the text, how a situation was perceived by the other world versus how Evelyn Hugo tells her tale, or heartbreaking news you hadn’t expected before turning the page. Another interesting observation is looking at the evolution of magazines and news corporations covering Evelyn Hugo as her story unfolds, they begin with small town newspapers and evolve into the worldwide trending Now This.
The interview-style format of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo lends itself well to its audiobook format, with three voice actors working in tandem to bring the voices of Evelyn, Monique, and the other characters to life.
Evelyn Hugo is a powerful woman, who knew what she wanted and went out and got it. Her story tells us that fame, money, and success won’t bring you everything you desire, Evelyn’s successes and failures bring with them their own unique struggles. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo may sound like it’s about the rich and famous, complaining about their lives and in pursuit of more accolades, but in reality, it’s the story of a girl from Hell’s Kitchen, New York who did everything she could to escape her life and get what she wanted, while dealing with the harsh realities of stardom and the people it brings into your life.
I give The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, five stars.
Reid’s most recent novel, Daisy Jones & The Six, came out in 2019 and is currently being adapted into a web-based miniseries, produced by Reese Witherspoon. Sam Claflin has recently been announced to play the main male-lead Billy Dunne.
Tweet Cute is about Pepper, who moved with her mom to New York after her mom separated (amicably) from her dad. She’s been trying to blend in at the elite high school for the past 3 years, but she’s regarded as more of a study robot by her classmates. Pepper’s family own a fast-food burger chain and being the Gen Z-er that she is she often has to help them with their social media campaigns, primarily by posting memes on their official Twitter. But Pepper is more interested in baking and running her baking blog with her sister. Jack’s family run a small deli in New York, they’re known for their Kitchen Sink Macarons and grilled cheeses. Pepper and Jack end up in a twitter war between their parent’s business twitter accounts, and their story becomes viral.
I went into this book thinking it sounded cute and like a light rom-com. I was both right and wrong, in the best ways. It was cute and a rom-com but it also dealt with things such as parental pressures, familial problems, and loss. I was surprised in so many ways and read this book in a 24 hour period. I forced myself to sleep at 2am, so I would be able to continue enjoying it in the morning.
It was a little bit of a slow start, I wasn’t sure what was going on in the first few pages, but then it all started clicking into place. I understood there was a distance between the mother and Pepper’s sisters, there was something there that was waiting to be uncovered. Then we switched to Jack’s POV and I felt a little thrown off, but it was coming together, he also dealt with family expectations but in a different way. And slowly the larger plot came together.
The twitter war wasn’t what I had expected, it was better. And the moment that the ship name “Pepperjack” appeared made me cackle with joy. I am so grateful I was able to read this book in advance, it has given me strength to tackle the new school year. And now I have a few months to rave about it to my friends before I make them read it in January 2020.
I LOVED this graphic novel! I ate it up sometime in the middle of the night, in one sitting. I love the diversity presented in this story in the ethnicities of the characters as well as the characters’ personalities.
Charlie is a transfer student to Georgia O’Keefe College of Arts and Subtle Dramatics, she’s a former basketball star who has stepped away from the sport. Liv, a drama student with basketball aspirations coaxes Charlie to join her newly formed ragtag team as the school’s first basketball team.
The representation in this story is so important and is just one story among many more that is diversifying the shelves of readers and reviewers. It felt real. I have read other graphic novels in which the characters feel more like characters in a story rather than real people dealing with real things.
I love the connections that grow throughout the story arc. Although I would’ve loved for it to be longer, I think the length plays very well with where the story left off. It left off with the suspense and want for more issues in the future. And as always I appreciate the cover images in the back of the novel, beautiful work!
The beginnings of romance in this story make me giddy and excited. I’m so ready to read volume two. I have only positive feed back for this lovely story and I look forward to reading more work from author Carly Usdin and artist Noah Hayes in the future.
Soleil's Stories & Screens 