Love, Creekwood by Becky Albertalli

25 Sep 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 2 Stars, Audiobook, LGBTQIA, Novella, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , ,

Published: 30 June 2020 (print)/23 July 2020 (audio) Goodreads badge
Publisher: Penguin/Penguin Audio
Pages: 128/2 hrs and 47 mins
Narrator: Michael Crouch, James Fouhey, Kate Rudd, Bahni Turpin
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult Romance
★   ★ – 2.5 Stars

A gorgeously romantic new novella set in the world of Becky Albertalli’s bestselling and beloved Simonverse novels- Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, The Upside of Unrequited, and Leah on the Offbeat.

It’s been more than a year since Simon and Blue turned their anonymous online flirtation into an IRL relationship, and just a few months since Abby and Leah’s unforgettable night at senior prom.

Now the Creekwood High crew are first years at different colleges, navigating friendship and romance the way their story began – on email.

I know I can’t complain that a book called Love, Creekwood would be filled with so much romance, but I wasn’t expecting the entire book to be these characters going on and on about how in love they are with each other? Is there no plot? The answer to that is no. There is no plot.

This is the universe from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and even that book, the book of romance and pining, didn’t feel this annoyingly love obsessed. Especially given Simon and Bram are two years into their relationship, there is no reason they should be as distraught at being apart as they are.

These people are a few hours way from one another and they act like they will never see each other again. Which is absurd given how many times they do actually see each other. Some of them are lamenting being separate for three days or two weeks and it is exhausting to try and find a fun plot around the mourning and pining. There is a bit in there about a fun roommate and playing soccer which is never really expanded on but it was something.

I liked the email format, I liked getting snippets of their lives and references to things that have happened or will happen. It succeeds in telling you about their lives outside of the emails and you don’t need full context because the characters are talking to each other in places. The emails aren’t the sole point of information and are fun love letters on the side, even if they do branch into slightly different things as well. Which is sweet, and ties into the Simon origins, I’m just saying a bit more plot would have been nice than an entire book about characters talking about missing touching and smelling one another.

There was a moment of self-awareness when I think it was Leah or Abbey who mention that not seeing your girlfriend for six days is cause for people to bring out the world’s smallest violin and is a classic first world problem; so Albertalli knows the dramatics these people are exhibiting.

I did this as an audiobook which was fun because the multiple different narrators were all those who I’ve heard in other books, a bit of a who’s who in narration. It was quite fun because they are so familiar they reminded me of all the other great books I had heard them in and the different characters they voiced.

I appreciated the audiobook experience but I’d forgotten how rough it can be hearing emails through audio, especially and entire book of them. The downside of social media in books is hearing everyone’s email addresses read out in full every single time, which for group emails was a long wait to get to whatever the email was actually about. When I read books with emails it’s easy to skim and see the to and from, and subject if necessary and get straight into the message. Hearing the fun name at whatever dot com over and over was hard but I understand they can’t chose to abridge that for ease because that goes against what an audiobook is.

For those who loved the original Simon story (which I did to be fair), and the companion Leah on the Offbeat, it is nice to see the next stage of their lives, I’m just a bit bummed it was so focused on the being in love to the point of nothing else side. Even a novella, keeping the lamenting and including a bit more plot would have been nice, but again, goes against the fun of the email format.

You can purchase Love, Creekwood via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery |  Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

 Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler

16 Sep 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 2 Stars, Audiobook, LGBTQIA, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , , ,

Published: 11 May 2021 (print)/11 May 2021 (audio) Goodreads badge
Publisher: Wednesday Books/Macmillan Audio
Pages: 259/6 hrs and 20 mins
Narrator: Natalie Naudus
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
★   ★ – 2.5 Stars

Lara’s had eyes for exactly one person throughout her three years of high school: Chase Harding. He’s tall, strong, sweet, a football star, and frankly, stupid hot. Oh, and he’s talking to her now. On purpose and everything. Maybe…flirting, even? No, wait, he’s definitely flirting, which is pretty much the sum of everything Lara’s wanted out of life.

Except she’s haunted by a memory. A memory of a confusing, romantic, strangely perfect summer spent with a girl named Jasmine. A memory that becomes a confusing, disorienting present when Jasmine herself walks through the front doors of the school to see Lara and Chase chatting it up in front of the lockers.

Lara has everything she ever wanted: a tight-knit group of friends, a job that borders on cool, and Chase, the boy of her literal dreams. But if she’s finally got the guy, why can’t she stop thinking about the girl?

I am so glad this is my second Adler book because I have wanted to read her stuff for years and I’m glad I loved the first one because I’d be disappointed if this was my first introduction, though the sliding doors element of Going Bicoastal might have tempted me past this mediocre read. There is no real plot except Larissa having a crisis over her feelings. The benefit is it’s a fast read because I kept waiting for the plot to start and I realised it was already two thirds of the way through and nothing had actually happened yet.

Instead of having a character look on at the popular kids Adler has written this from the inner circle and perspective from those in that group. The characters are exhausting. The effort they go to to be in their friend group is so much more work than friends need to be with a lot more rules. The US American trope of popular kids is on clear display and they are vacuous and shallow. There are some examples where they show some depth, but they are all still shallow and showing compassion within your shallow and entitled group doesn’t hold much sway. Plus they aren’t given a lot of depth so most of them are easily forgettable. It doesn’t do much to break the stereotypes. I feel bad for Larissa even having these people as friends sometimes. It’s always a fascinating study reading these kinds of books. We didn’t have this in my school, we had groups sure, but not the hierarchy these US high school books always contain. It makes it a strange novelty and a tired trope to see it in these books.

There were some good moments. I enjoyed the stuff with Jasmine, it felt like the only time Larissa was her real self, less performative, which was possibly the point even though it’s never addressed. I did enjoy the casualness of Larissa’s bisexuality. It wasn’t an issue, dealing with it wasn’t the plot (technically), and it was an established thing. I do like it when diverse books can have a character have an identity but not make the entire plot about that identity.

It felt like a novella despite being a full length book, and could easily have been cut down to a short story. No plot would be lost since there isn’t any and with a tighter story it could have been a lot more enjoyable.

You can purchase Cool for the Summer via the following

Booktopia

 Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

#AussieYAChallenge Update 2

02 Sep 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in Aussie YA Challenge, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , , , ,

September snuck up on me in a weird way, but as I started writing this I was thinking thankfully my Aussie YA Challenge had been chugging along consistently; at least I felt like I’d been having a good run. Comparing my first update to my second I am not as pleased, but I am still pleased…I think. Two were July and one was an August read which is failing my one a month plan, but I have now read eight so I am technically on track. Given the hard task of finding Aussie YA in audio form, and how hard it is to find time to read a physical book it is a good addition at any rate. The problem is other, non Aussie, books are also around and they are shiny and intriguing and terribly distracting. How weird it is to say you’ve read 99 books but only 8 have been Aussie YA. That’s some kind of fail, right?

Once again I am boldly taking chances on books simply because they fill the challenge which is giving me some great reads that I have never heard of and may never have tired. It is also making me finally read books I’ve had on my TBR list for literal years which can’t be a bad thing.

I will endeavour to hit my goal by my final update and I am excited to see what other great stories I find.

Latest Additions:

Take A Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden

Surface Tension by Meg McKinlay

Impossible Music by Sean Williams

 

Take A Bow, Noah Mitchell was a nice story about online friends, the truth, and realising a few things about your family.

Surface Tension was a fascinating story that I find myself thinking of a lot. A town that gets intentionally flooded and the power of a single voice in righting wrongs of the past.

Impossible Music was fascinating in how the newly deaf learn to adjust and the impact it has on your dreams and identify.

 

The total list so far:

All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield

 Tin Heart by Shivaun Plozza

 Because of You by Pip Harry

Wrong Answers Only by Tobias Madden

 100 Remarkable Feats of Xander Maze by Clayton Zane Comber

Take A Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden

Surface Tension by Meg McKinlay

Impossible Music by Sean Williams

 

I hope your own Aussie YA Challenge goals are going well and you have discovered some amazing reads yourself. Feel free to shout out in the comments some you have read so far, or even those you are looking forward to reading. If you’re interested in signing up it’s not to late, head over to my info page and declare your goal on social media, your website, or in the comments of this years post.

Wundersmith (#2) by Jessica Townsend

05 Aug 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, Audiobook, Australian Women Writers, Junior Fiction, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Published: 30 October 2018 (print)/26 November 2018 (audio) Goodreads badge
Publisher: Lothian Children’s Books/Hachette Australia
Pages: 467/11 hrs and 50 mins
Narrator: Gemma Whelan
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Junior Fiction Fantasy
★   ★   ★   ★   ★ – 5 Stars

Wunder is gathering in Nevermoor …

Morrigan Crow may have defeated her deadly curse, passed the dangerous trials and joined the mystical Wundrous Society, but her journey into Nevermoor and all its secrets has only just begun. And she is fast learning that not all magic is used for good.

Morrigan Crow has been invited to join the prestigious Wundrous Society, a place that promised her friendship, protection and belonging for life. She’s hoping for an education full of wunder, imagination and discovery – but all the Society want to teach her is how evil Wundersmiths are. And someone is blackmailing Morrigan’s unit, turning her last few loyal friends against her. Has Morrigan escaped from being the cursed child of Wintersea only to become the most hated figure in Nevermoor?

Worst of all, people have started to go missing. The fantastical city of Nevermoor, once a place of magic and safety, is now riddled with fear and suspicion…

I loved Nevermoor and Wundersmith exceeds it by being even more amazing. I loved seeing Morrigan’s growth as a person, in her abilities and this new world she has become a part of. The same fun and flighty characters are there but in new ways as more of the world and school is explored. Not to mention as new dangers arise.

There is a darker theme running under the story, but with this strange world Morrigan’s in there was always the capacity for darkness given we start off the series with her having a curse. It’s a dangerous world and seeing Morrigan try to understand it and navigate it is wonderful.

Jupiter is always a brilliant character, his erratic nature is balanced by his desire to protect Morrigan, but per usual he always knows more than he lets on and isn’t as flighty as he appears. There’s new and returning characters to fall in love with and the different knacks of the other people in Morrigan’s unit are creative and it shows that everyone’s abilities are diverse but can always have a use.

The lead up to the ending was absolutely divine. It brings together so much and plays out so brilliantly it was hard not to admire this book for those moments alone. I am so keen to see where Townsend is taking Morrigan’s story because I’m certainly hooked so far.

You can purchase Wundersmith via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

  Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Points of Departure by Emily O’Beirne

03 Jul 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Audiobook, Aussie YA Challenge, Australian Women Writers, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , , ,

Published: 15 June 2016 (print)/28 June 2022 (audio) Goodreads badge
Publisher: Ylva Publishing/Tantor Media, Inc
Pages: 274/8 hrs and 43 mins
Narrator: Angela Dawe
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
★   ★   ★ – 3 Stars

In this young adult novel, best friends Kit and Liza have been looking forward to this trip forever.
Five girls, five tickets overseas. It’s exactly what they all need after the final slog of high school. But when Kit’s suddenly forced to drop out, Liza’s left with three girls she barely knows. 

There’s Mai, committed only to partying. There’s Tam, who already has her doubts about leaving her sick father behind. And there’s Olivia, so miserable about screwing up exams she’s not even sure she wants to get out of bed, let alone on a plane. Meanwhile Kit’s stuck working double shifts to pay off a debt, wondering if she’ll ever get it together.

All Liza wants from this trip is to discover a new version of herself. She just hadn’t planned on doing it without Kit by her side.
And they’re all learning that travel isn’t just about the places you go, but who you’re with at the time.

I am no stranger to having a subpar narrator for audiobooks, it’s rare but not unheard of. There have only been maybe two books I couldn’t listen to at all because of the narrator, other times there are narrators who aren’t great at the start but I can get used to by the end of the book. This one, however, annoyed me right until the final minutes. The nasal imitation Australian accent was bad enough when there was dialogue, but the fact the rest of the book was spoken in an American accent was annoying. The main things I kept thinking were why was an American narrating this Australian book and why would you switch between accents?

When I had a small whinge online I did see one response that said audiobooks should be narrated by people who are the nationality of the characters, which would be ideal, support local talent and all that, but if we can’t have that at least can they be vetted that they can do a decent Australian accent that doesn’t make you cringe every time a character spoke? I have to be careful here and not spend the entire time ragging on the narrator, it’s probably not her fault, but it goes to show that the narrator can influence a book’s enjoyment.

I enjoyed that the characters were older teens; they’d finished their schooling and were looking at their open ended future trying to decide what to do with the rest of their lives. It was a great dynamic having the five of them plan this trip with really one person being a key connector between them all. When you remove that connecting point it was interesting to see the interactions these near strangers have as a result.

The story follows multiple points of view but the problem is some characters are a lot more interesting than others. I liked Kit’s story best, and I enjoyed Olivia and Liza, but overall it was a little bit boring. Maybe not boring exactly, but definitely slow. And considering I never got used to the narrator I was very conscious of not letting it impact my enjoyment. Even with an Australian narrator I feel it would still have been slow, under developed, and slightly repetitive.

With multiple points of view you got a little bit of their lives, but their narrative voices mixed together. Kit’s story was the only one that felt separate and her voice unique, and not only because of her isolation at home made her easy to identify. Keeping track of who was who was easier by remember their one defining narrative feature – Liza was a former runner, Olivia worried about her uni scores, and Tam had a sick father. There wasn’t any other way to distinguish them and their voices were non-descript, I don’t think I even got a picture of any of them in my head. The similarities in written voice especially between Liza and Olivia weren’t helped by ?? barely altering her voice either as she switched between the two, and there was definitely an imbalance between perspectives. Olivia and Liza dominated, Kit did as well, Tam barely gets a look in so much I kept forgetting about her, and poor Mai didn’t get a voice at all.

The exploration of European countries, hostels, different approaches and appreciations to each country was a nice insight into how to travel around the world (and how easy it is to jump from country to country when you aren’t girt by sea). Seeing each girl grow and develop friendships through the book and overcome their insecurities, find themselves, and work out who they want to be was nice too.

Overall a nice read, probably one that could have been expanded further in terms of character and balanced better in terms of pace, but it was enjoyable and an interesting look at the older side of young adult and teen lives: not quite complete adults but not bound by schoolyard antics.

You can purchase Points of Departure via the following

Blackwell’s | Wordery | Angus & Robertson

 Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

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