Tag: advanced reader copy

“Taproot: A Story About a Ghost and a Gardener” by Keezy Young, Book Review

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★ ★ ★

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.

By the Book by Amanda Sellet

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★ ★ ★ ★

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 Think I Love You by Auriane Desombre

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★ ★ ★ ★

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.

Teen Titans: Beast Boy by Kami Garcia & Gabriel Picolo

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★ ★ ★ ★

Image of the Teen Titans Beast Boy Cover.

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.

The State of US by Shaun David Hutchinson

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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.