Amy | Lost in a Good Book

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales

26 Jun 2026 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Audiobook, Aussie YA Challenge, Australian Women Writers, Young Adult Tags: #AussieYAChallenge, Audiobook, aussie books, Aussie YA Challenge, four stars, lgbt, LGBTQIA, loveozya, mark sanderlin, sophie gonzales, young adult

Published: 3 March 2020 (print)/7 January 2021 (audio)
Publisher: Wednesday Books/Macmillan Young Listeners
Pages: 281/7 hrs and 48 mins
Narrator: Mark Sanderlin
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult Romance
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Will Tavares is the dream summer fling – he’s fun, affectionate, kind – but just when Ollie thinks he’s found his happily ever after, summer vacation ends and Will stops texting Ollie back. Now Ollie is one prince short of his fairy-tale ending, and to complicate the fairy tale further, a family emergency sees Ollie uprooted and enrolled at a new school across the country. Which he minds a little less when he realizes it’s the same school Will goes to…except Ollie finds that the sweet, comfortably queer guy he knew from summer isn’t the same one attending Collinswood High. This Will is a class clown, closeted – and, to be honest, a bit of a jerk.

Ollie has no intention of pining after a guy who clearly isn’t ready for a relationship, especially since this new, bro-y jock version of Will seems to go from hot to cold every other week. But then Will starts “coincidentally” popping up in every area of Ollie’s life, from music class to the lunch table, and Ollie finds his resolve weakening.

The last time he gave Will his heart, Will handed it back to him trampled and battered. Ollie would have to be an idiot to trust him with it again.

Right? Right.

Once again Sophie Gonzales has written a book about a US high school without making me so consciously in-your-face aware we are in a USA high school. I love this. I love I can enjoy overseas books without having to endure the way the school is usually written.

It is promoted as Clueless x Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, which I can see. But there is a little bit of Grease in there too. The secret romance, the unexpected return of a summer fling. It’s even got great character development.

There is a good development from casual homophobic jokes to friendly support. There’s a healthy balance of standing up for friends, knowing when to keep quiet and when not too. Gonzales has made this a book about the characters and their lives and not about being in school. It’s fabulous.

Gonzales explores the issue of terminal illness and grief in a way that is always there but doesn’t take over the story. It’s the reason for everything and yet the story still moves on without there needing to be detailed explanations and descriptions of hospitals. Having Ollie be the babysitter and still a teenager means he is there to help and mind the kids while the adults deal with the serious side of things. It keeps the intensity and the emotional impact whilst not taking away from the other story.

Even the “epic summer” that is told through various flashbacks is about the connection between Will and Ollie. I think the usual blatant references to the fact someone is in high school, not sure what to do with their life, how summer break is a major event – all of that which annoys me normally in American books is subdued while still being key factors in the plot. Having it not blatantly pointed out and constantly referenced means you can focus on the story. We understand these are important times, it doesn’t need to be drilled into the reader and Gonzales does a spectacular job exploring the same themes without doing that.

The development of Will and Ollie as a pair while Will is trying to be a different person at school and Ollie coming to terms with his new situation and surprise secrets was good. Realistic progression of feelings, realistic behaviour around friends and their own issues. You could feel them planning their lives, still having teen drama, and living their high school experience without it feeling like it was shoved in your face. I think I need Gonzales to write all future USA YA books set in a high school please.

You can purchase Only Mostly Devastated via the following

QBD | Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery | Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Spin With Me by Ami Polonsky

23 Jun 2026 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Audiobook, LGBTQIA, Young Adult Tags: amanda dolan, ami polonsky, Audiobook, LGBTQIA, three stars, young adult

Published: 16 February 2021 (print)/16 Feb 2021 (audio)
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)/Tantor Audio
Pages: 224/5 hrs and 6 mins
Narrator: Amanda Dolan
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult
★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars

In this elegant dual narrative, Essie is a thirteen-year-old girl feeling glum about starting a new school after her professor dad takes a temporary teaching position in a different town. She has 110 days here and can’t wait for them to end. Then she meets Ollie: delicate, blue eyes, short hair, easy smile. At first, Essie thinks she has a typical crush on a beautiful boy. But as her crush blossoms, she soon realizes that Ollie is not a boy or a girl, but gender non-binary.

Meanwhile, Ollie is experiencing a crush of their own . . . on Essie. As Ollie struggles to balance their passion for queer advocacy with their other interests, they slowly find themselves falling for a girl whose stay is about to come to an end. Can the two unwind their merry-go-round of feelings before it’s too late?

As much as I love the range YA offers, it’s important to remember this ranges characters from 13 to 17 or 18 at times. This is one of those times a character is 13 and I think that’s important in how you view the story. There’s nothing bad, but you can definitely attribute the naivety and the newness of puberty and feelings being worked out in a clumsy way that feels right for a thirteen year old. Polonsky does a great job of pointing out that it is a weird thing Essie does and in a gentle way pulls her up on how she treats Ollie and their identity. On the flip side, the circumstances of being more mature than a parent would think but also needing the guidance one can give is explored wonderfully.

I like that it isn’t normalised to start asking private questions, even if it is innocent curiosity and trying to understand. Sometimes you have to leave it alone. But it’s also great as Essie suddenly realising she might have to look at her own identity, while still lamenting why anyone needs a label and what that means.

It is a fast read, one clearly directed but it’s a good exploration of family, friends old and new, growing up and new beginnings. It’s not quite an introduction to gender – Polonsky doesn’t go that deep. But it is a personal reflection about what it means when these feelings come up and how to navigate them. As one character says the kids are far more ok with it than the adults so it isn’t a big deal, but it still is something that requires understanding and as a gentle introduction this is a good start.

I loved that this story makes a point to constantly remove itself from being a book About Gender. As Ollie gets to narrate we see the struggle to be themselves instead of their sole identity being their identity. There’s more to being a person than their gender and it’s a fight Ollie has and the balance to be seen as other than the non-binary kid is real.

The story is told from 110 days down to the final days from Essie’s perspective then it switches to the same 110 day countdown from Ollie’s. I knew it was a duel narrative but I thought it was alternating simultaneous, but I didn’t mind, especially cause we get a speed run of Ollie’s since their side is less detailed than Essie’s while still getting their story in their own words.

This is a great book to bridge the gap between primary school read and early high school. It’s about starting a new school, finding friends, growing up, and it still reads like a YA novel. There’s gripes with parents, trying to grow up and be cool but still dealing with being children and discovering their footing in a changing world.

You can purchase Spin With Me via the following

QBD | Dymocks | Booktopia

Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

18 Jun 2026 Leave a comment

by Amy in 2 Stars, Audiobook, LGBTQIA, Young Adult Tags: Audiobook, casey mcquiston, contemporary young adult, lgbt, LGBTQIA, natalie naudus, two stars, young adult

Published: 3 May 2022 (print)/14 October 2024 (audio)
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press/Macmillan Digital Audio
Pages: 356/9 hrs and 24 mins
Narrator: Natalie Naudus
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
★ ★ – 2 Stars

Chloe Green is so close to winning. After her mums moved her from SoCal to Alabama for high school, she’s spent the past four years dodging gossipy classmates and a puritanical administration at Willowgrove Christian Academy. The thing that’s kept her going: winning valedictorian. Her only rival: prom queen Shara Wheeler, the principal’s perfect progeny.

But a month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe and vanishes.

On a furious hunt for answers, Chloe discovers she’s not the only one Shara kissed. There’s also Smith, Shara’s longtime quarterback sweetheart, and Rory, Shara’s bad boy neighbour with a crush. The three have nothing in common except Shara and the annoyingly cryptic notes she left behind, but together they must untangle Shara’s trail of clues and find her. It’ll be worth it, if Chloe can drag Shara back before graduation to beat her fair-and-square.

Thrown into an unlikely alliance, chasing a ghost through parties, break-ins, puzzles, and secrets revealed on monogrammed stationery, Chloe starts to suspect there might be more to this small town than she thought. And maybe—probably not, but maybe—more to Shara, too.

After seeing this book for months I finally caved and read it. At least now I know what it’s about and can stop thinking about it. The downside is I now know it wasn’t that good. This is a story I think may have worked well in a movie but in a book it sounds stupid played out.

Once you tolerate the Annoyingly American High School shoved in your face, the story is ok. I kept going for the mystery and the scavenger hunt but you suffer some annoying plot and dialogue decisions in the process. I wasn’t even a fan of the narrator, her voices are grating but the narration voice outside dialogue is good.

It is like a worse version of Paper Towns, and at least McQuinston acknowledges the similarities. But the fact that Paper Towns was pointedly not about tracking someone down, Margot was not someone who needed saving, just goes to prove this is a terrible way to bring it to a new audience because that misses the point of Paper Towns entirely.

I enjoyed the familiar scepticism that “cool” people only talk to you when they are lining you up for a trick or to humiliate you. I also enjoyed the real time evolution of the rumour mill and how even those who witness something with their own eyes start to believe what they hear about an event and try and spread it around. There was some self-awareness as other characters shoot that down. It was a new approach and I liked the pushback.

There is no satisfactory conclusion to this and it should have ended a lot sooner. Even with the “revolution” it felt tacked on at the end, even the few comeuppances weren’t that satisfying. If you wanted a grand reveal have it all happen and then throw in an epilogue, but the fact we have to endure the messed up life of a character, not even the main character, who helps her undo all her BS and her manipulation because she’s a lost fawn, was unnecessary. I’d rather sit through a wrap up epilogue that tells us this instead of having Chloe do all the work to save Shara, even if she does at least point out her crappy behaviour and manipulative tendencies in lieu of an actual conversation.

Yes, there is the whole suppressed high school, Alabama town thing going on which is supposed to be a justification, but it doesn’t make for an enjoyable read. Shara is not a character worth investing in, her manipulation despite how misguided it was isn’t worth the effort afterwards. Chloe goes through a whole thing tracking her down and it’s a lot of effort for no satisfactory ending.

The scavenger hunt part was intriguing, but when that fell apart the book wasn’t as enjoyable. The writing wasn’t pulling its weight and I don’t know whether it was the narrator or not, but the dialogue and story weren’t good. The first half was good then promptly drops off a cliff into the sea by the end. Four hours too long which at a nine hour book is just plainly a bad second half.

I am now unsure whether McQuinston is an author for me. It happens unfortunately and it’s happened before. I stop reading One Last Stop, and while I assumed Red, White, and Royal Blue was not great was because it was so about US politics, but it might just be this isn’t my kind of writer. But hopefully this queer, Sapphic romance is right up someone’s alley and maybe even the fact that Chloe does call Shara out on her nonsense is a small saving grace for the story. No one entirely gets away unaccountable despite their sob story.

You can purchase I Kissed Shara Wheeler via the following

QBD | Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery | Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

When Aiden Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff

12 Jun 2026 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, LGBTQIA, The Picture Book Corner Tags: children's picture book, four stars, kaylani juanita, kyle lukoff, lgbt, LGBTQIA, picture book, transgender

Published: 7th May 2019
Publisher: Lee and Low
Illustrator: Kaylani Juanita
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

When Aidan was born, everyone thought he was a girl. His parents gave him a pretty name, his room looked like a girl’s room, and he wore clothes that other girls liked wearing. After he realised he was a trans boy, Aidan and his parents fixed the parts of life that didn’t fit anymore, and he settled happily into his new life. Then Mum and Dad announce that they’re going to have another baby, and Aidan wants to do everything he can to make things right for his new sibling from the beginning–from choosing the perfect name to creating a beautiful room to picking out the cutest onesie. But what does “making things right” actually mean? And what happens if he messes up? With a little help, Aidan comes to understand that mistakes can be fixed with honesty and communication, and that he already knows the most important thing about being a big brother: how to love with his whole self.

The story is of a transgender character, but the main point of the story is Aiden’s journey on becoming a big brother. The first few pages explain about Aiden but then the rest of the story is how they are preparing their home for a new sibling.

With Aiden’s voice it keeps the narrative at a child’s perspective. Aiden’s concerns about how the new baby will feel in their room, in their clothes, while throughout there are references to how he felt before he found the words to express who he was.

The illustrations are detailed and colourful. The various scenes are on display, often bringing the right emotion connected to the story whether it’s fun, adventurous or uncertain. Juanita captures Aiden’s emotions well and it adds another element to the story.

It is a sweet story and one that balances the new sibling apprehension and the trans child experience. Aiden’s journey isn’t the point of the story, but it is a foundation for his worries and his own experience that he doesn’t want the new baby to have. It’s great for kids as it’s from the perspective of a child and shows they have a lot of thoughts and worries that may go unnoticed.

You can purchase When Aiden Became a Big Brother via the following

Booktopia | Wordery | Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar

09 Jun 2026 Leave a comment

by Amy in 2 Stars, Audiobook, LGBTQIA, Romance, Young Adult Tags: #ownvoices, adiba jaigirdar, Audiobook, lgbt, LGBTQIA, priya ayyar, romance, two stars, young adult

Published: 8 June 2023 (print)/8 June 2023 (audio)
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends/Hodder Children’s Books
Pages: 336/8 hrs and 27 mins
Narrator: Priya Ayyar
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Contemporary YA Romance
★ ★ – 2.5 Stars

“Welcome to the first ever Junior Irish Baking Show!”

Shireen Malik is still reeling from the breakup with her ex-girlfriend, Chris, when she receives news that she’s been accepted as a contestant on a new televised baking competition show. This is Shireen’s dream come true! Because winning will not only mean prize money, but it will also bring some much-needed attention to You Drive Me Glazy, her parents’ beloved doughnut shop.

Things get complicated, though, because Chris is also a contestant on the show. Then there’s the very outgoing Niamh, a fellow contestant who is becoming fast friends with Shireen. Things are heating up between them, and not just in the kitchen.

As the competition intensifies, Shireen will have to ignore all these factors and more— including potential sabotage—if she wants a sweet victory!

This is a hard one to review because so many issue I had with it are specific plot points but being vague about the problems is doing it a disservice as well. I’ll try my best to be vague but spoiler free. It begins with an established Romeo and Juliet (or Juliet and Juliet) type situation that’s already transpired, but that isn’t the focus as the post break-up of Shireen and Chris is where we come in.

We learn a lot about Shireen early on, her love of baking shows and baking, her friendship with Fatima and her recent break up. Her parents run a doughnut shop which has a rivalry with the one across the street which is where her relationship with Chris comes from. I enjoyed getting to know about Shireen’s life and it was great to have everything be established without chunks of exposition, Jaigirdar reveals things seamlessly as the story goes on.

I was curious about the format of the Junior Irish Baking Show. The filming and show structure decisions go against what I know from the baking and reality TV world but it worked for the plot and when you create your own made up show you can do what you like. One peculiar aspect was the fact the judges would have more sway than producers, and that the producers would hide cheating, despite the truth being they would jump on that drama and get views out of it or at best be accused of favouritism and unfair conditions for everyone else in the competition if they didn’t act.

There are a lot of confusing elements of this story which, as I said, if I start to unpack I’ll be breaking down the plot points, but Shireen’s relationship with her parents swung between being supportive, to indifferent, to contradictory. They were unsure about her being on the show which was understandable, but then they became supportive, but also never minded Shireen never stayed and watched the show with them or seemed invested to talk to her about it. It may be a cultural thing, Shireen mentions how they display affection a few times, this might be the way it goes in her Bangladeshi house.

The less confusing aspects were just plain potholes. As the story went on the basic structure from the start started to fall apart and things just didn’t make realistic sense. It was already hard to believe that the judges are in charge, but to believe there is no security in the studio, and what security there is so is unfathomably unrealistic. It takes you away from the story because it just would not happen. It’s one thing to put your disbelief aside if the characters and the story is compelling enough, but since the characters were slightly flat and underdeveloped, and the storyline was a little outlandish, there is a point where you can’t drive around a plot hole anymore and you have to fall into them.

Shireen’s selfish and judgemental attitude is easy to pin on her being a teenager, as well as being hurt and lashing out when she is upset. By the end there is an attempt at character development but unfortunately it felt rushed and shallow and didn’t feel much more than her apologising for her behaviour without actually changing it. To her credit she is flawed without becoming unlikable, there is a good balance there.

Chris was a confusing character. She is on the baking show, but has been established as not being much of a baker, but she needs to win, but also doesn’t think she’s good enough to and doesn’t really like to bake. Shireen isn’t her only competition so it was a weird reason to have this cause conflict between them. If we’re supposed to be invested in Chris and Shireen patching up their friendship/relationship Jaigirdar doesn’t give you much to work with. We got so little from Chris on the page it was hard to understand her character at all aside from the few points Shireen mentions on the page.

The love triangle or potential love interest angle was also barely addressed. It hovered in the corner but I never felt it became really viable. The past drama over Chris was more of a focus than diving into anything with Niamh who was also underdeveloped.

There were positives to admire. The representation of Asian cultures was strong and the celebration of their cuisine was positive. The exploration of online bullying, racism, and fatphobia are addressed naturally and with respect. That was one part of the story that felt real. Of course the adults would reach out to make sure the kids were ok it was strange again that it was the judges taking the lead and not an on set counsellor or producer but I understand the connection Jaigirdar was trying to make with Shireen.

Ayyar does a good job at narrating. The accent switches were good and helped establish characters though it was an interesting choice to have an Irish/Bangladeshi be narrated as American when everyone else got their own character’s accent.

There are puns a plenty if that’s your thing and you have to admire Jaigirdar for creating a set of judges who are the unsubtle off brand versions of real celebrity judges. Padma Bollywood is the Paul Hollywood you can put in a book without it being Paul Hollywood. Mary Berry and Gordon Ramsey also get their own alternate selves. Overall, it’s light hearted full of baking and culture so if you are after an easy read this would be perfect, but even light reads shouldn’t throw some parts of reality out the window.

You can purchase The Dos and Donuts of Love via the following

QBD | Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery | Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible