young adult | Lost in a Good Book

Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden

28 Jun 2021 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, LGBTQIA, Young Adult Tags: ebook, four stars, lesbian, lgbt, LGBTQIA, nancy garden, young adult

Published: 5th September 2017
Publisher: Open Road Media
Pages: 183
Format: ebook
Genre: Young Adult
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

When Liza Winthrop first lays eyes on Annie Kenyon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she knows there’s something special between them. Soon, their close friendship develops into a deep and intimate romance. Neither imagined that falling in love could be so wonderful, but as Liza and Annie’s newfound sexuality sparks conflict in both their families and at their schools, they discover it will take more than love for their relationship to succeed.

This was a beautiful story to read. I found whenever I stopped reading I longed to come back. Garden tells the story of Liza who is reminiscing about meeting and becoming friends with Annie before a mysterious incident happens that has kept Liza from contacting her.

The writing is easy to fall into and it flows beautifully as you read so you find yourself turning page after page. There was a lovely story being told and I loved the naivety, the passion, and the free spirited nature of these girls. The descriptions are beautiful and honestly it’s incredible how Garden has captured the growing relationship and the act of falling in love between these two girls.

It is of course also a heartbreaking story. For all the beauty and eloquent writing about two teens finding each other and falling in love there is the society around them intent on demonising them if they ever found out. It isn’t only Annie and Liza’s lives under scrutiny either and Garden does a fantastic job of capturing the whole story and all the players in it. Garden balances telling the story while also pointing out society’s failings remarkably well. It says so much but it works within the realm of the story world and never seems out of place or comes across as moralistic or pushy.

Garden tells the story in both past and present tense and the mixing of flashbacks and Liza’s present situation as she writes letters to Annie is incredibly well done. There are well placed clues and mystery around what separated these girls and as readers you’re caught up between watching them fall in love while also wondering what has come between them.

What I found amazing about the whole story is you never felt unsatisfied and it was sometimes surprising to be flung back into the present after having escaped so completely into the past through Liza’s words. I loved this book from early on and it stayed an amazing story throughout. From being a ground-breaking book of its time in the 1980s this story has held up and remains a fabulous and emotional story about first loves and the power and intensity they can have.

You can purchase Annie on My Mind via the following

Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo

24 Jun 2021 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, LGBTQIA, Young Adult Tags: #ownvoices, Audiobook, lgbt, LGBTQIA, meredith russo, own voices, samia mounts, three stars, trans, transgender, young adult

Published: 3rd May 2016 (print)/4 August 2016 (audio)
Publisher: Flatiron Books /Macmillan Audio
Pages: 280/6 hrs and 59 mins
Narrator: Samia Mounts
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult
★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars

A new kind of big-hearted novel about being seen for who you really are.

Amanda Hardy is the new girl in school. Like anyone else, all she wants is to make friends and fit in. But Amanda is keeping a secret, and she’s determined not to get too close to anyone.

But when she meets sweet, easygoing Grant, Amanda can’t help but start to let him into her life. As they spend more time together, she realizes just how much she is losing by guarding her heart. She finds herself yearning to share with Grant everything about herself, including her past. But Amanda’s terrified that once she tells him the truth, he won’t be able to see past it.

Because the secret that Amanda’s been keeping? It’s that at her old school, she used to be Andrew. Will the truth cost Amanda her new life, and her new love?

Meredith Russo’s If I Was Your Girl is a universal story about feeling different and a love story that everyone will root for.

I read this after Russo’s other book Birthday but while I liked this I think Birthday was a more powerful story. Even though some tough issues are raised here like transphobia, bullying, abuse and violence towards trans people, it was still a relatively minor part of the story. The main plot points are about Amanda at her new school, making new friends, falling in love and trying to reconnect with her estranged father.

There are stereotypes and easy roads taken to make Amanda’s story work which Russo admits to, but that is ok because this isn’t a story about Amanda’s transition (though we do get her full backstory through well placed flashbacks), this is about her life now and how she is navigating a new school, new relationships and her first love.

Russo’s author note at the end talks to her readers, trans and otherwise about how to approach Amanda’s story. She admits she took liberties and made the process seamless for Amanda where it otherwise shouldn’t have been to make the reader accept Amanda more easily, but she acknowledges that many other people don’t have such luxuries in real life. I liked this addition because it would be so easy to dismiss Amanda’s experiences because she had it easy and things were perfectly aligned for her, not to mention for people to assume this experience was universal when it isn’t. In doing so Russo makes the story afterwards the focus and Amanda’s life now rather than before where the main story lies.

Having said that, it isn’t a perfect road for Amanda – I hated that for the entire time I was waiting for the reveal about her past and for the town and/or her friends to turn on her. There are so many trans stories and they shouldn’t all end in revelations resulting in abuse and rejection but while some of Amanda’s story had rule bending, I appreciated Russo not sugar coating the entire experience.

Despite being #OwnVoices it still falls into YA tropes and stereotypes; it is cheesy and sappy at times, but if you’re after a sweet romance with the small town aesthetic that so many US YA books have then this is right up your alley.

You can purchase If I Was Your Girl via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Birthday by Meredith Russo

22 Jun 2021 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, LGBTQIA, Young Adult Tags: five stars, lgbt, LGBTQIA, meredith russo, trans, transgender, young adult

Published: 31st May 2019
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd
Pages: 300
Format: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars

Meet Eric and Morgan.

Born on the same day, at the same time, in the same place. They’ve always shared this one day together, but as they grow up they begin to grow apart.

Everyone expects Eric to get a football scholarship, but no one knows he’s having second thoughts.
Former quarterback Morgan feels utterly alone, as she wrestles with the difficult choice to live as her true self.

Both of them are struggling to be the person they know they are. Who better to help than your best friend?

Told on one day every year, over six years, this is a story about how change pulls people apart… and how love brings them back together.

This book. Oh my gosh, this book. Birthday is an absolutely beautiful story that in part broke my heart and moved my soul.

I am not going to lie, it was heart wrenching and painful to read at times but Russo does a superb job getting you inside the minds of Eric and Morgan, especially Morgan. We feel their pain and anguish and the discovery of self when not a lot was being said and anything LGBTQIA was a punchline or a flippant insult. The same is said for the sexism because there is plenty of that as well. It’s full of the harm of toxic masculinity and the pressure and heartbreak boys are put through in order to live up to what they are “supposed to be”. It was incredibly sad, even in fiction, to read about how these characters were told off for saying they loved each other and weren’t allowed to cry.

Russo captures the derision of a town obsessed with football coupled with the reality that it is the only way out of a place that is dying. The dead end existence of their small town is well explained and the catch-22 of hating football but knowing it’s the only opportunity you’ll have to get into a good university and escape was a refreshing approach to other US novels where football is simply the town obsession for no reason (I mean it is a bit of that too). At least Russo makes it evident there is no real escape otherwise and the way this plays into both character’s choices and mentality is amazing.

Structurally I love how this story is laid out. With one day each year we see the lives of Morgan and Eric, their alternate views on same experiences and different lives as they start to grow up. Every year that passed for Morgan made me hurt, but every year that passed I saw how much Eric was still a loyal friend. Even with this one day we still discover how the rest of the year has been, it never felt like we were missing information of chunks of time. It was incredible how through one day over many years we get to see the whole lives of these characters and see their lives unfold.

I cannot praise this story enough. It is full of pain and sorrow, the confusion of being a teenager and the failure of the adults, but it is also about the power of friendship – especially friendship struggling under the damaging rules of society, bigotry, and ‘being normal’. There are many content warnings obviously such as parental death, self harm, homophobia, depression and bullying, but there are also moments of pure joy and the love, exploration and value of true friendship.

It’s a brilliant book because being inside Morgan and Eric’s head makes you angry and sad, and this isn’t even the distant past – there’s no exact year stated but with references to VHS video cameras, YouTube, and getting Netflix in the mail it’s not that long ago. It’s relatively recent in the scheme of everything and the story does an amazing job in showing how damaging this whole mentality can be while also showing there is always hope and there will always be people who love you and surprise you. I loved this book even though it made me hurt and I think even though it covers some tough subjects it’s an important story to tell and being an #OwnVoices story I think there is even more power and importance in these words.

You can purchase Birthday via the following

QBD | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee

16 Jun 2021 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, LGBTQIA, Young Adult Tags: asexuality, four stars, kathryn ormsbee, lgbt, LGBTQIA, young adult

Published: 26th June 2018
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Pages: 372
Format: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

After a shout-out from one of the Internet’s superstar vloggers, Natasha “Tash” Zelenka suddenly finds herself and her obscure, amateur web series, Unhappy Families, thrust in the limelight: She’s gone viral. Her show is a modern adaption of Anna Karenina–written by Tash’s literary love Count Lev Nikolayevich “Leo” Tolstoy. Tash is a fan of the 40,000 new subscribers, their gushing tweets, and flashy Tumblr gifs. Not so much the pressure to deliver the best web series ever. And when Unhappy Families is nominated for a Golden Tuba award, Tash’s cyber-flirtation with a fellow award nominee suddenly has the potential to become something IRL–if she can figure out how to tell said crush that she’s romantic asexual. Tash wants to enjoy her newfound fame, but will she lose her friends in her rise to the top? What would Tolstoy do?

I bought this book because of the high praise of asexuality rep and I’m glad I did because it is a great book. Alice Oseman has set a high standard with Loveless but what I liked about this was that is showed not all LGBTQIA books have to be the same. Some are about coming out, some are about realising your identity, some are about living your life and your gender and sexuality has nothing to do with any of it but is still represented. Tash Hearts Tolstoy is a little bit of all three.

There’s diversity without it being a focal point, Tash’s family is split between Buddhism and Eastern Orthodox Chrisian, as well as a celebration of different cultures. I love how things are a non-issue so the things that are an issue become the focus. The divide in the family between food preference and faith is easily managed and has become a routine practice in the family. The celebration of family is a huge factor which highlights how close knit and important family is to Tash and I loved seeing it discussed and expressed so beautifully, both through absence, distance and change.

The story explores friendship and family dynamics really well and the complexities of friendships as you grow up. Knowing someone their whole life doesn’t mean you know everything about them and people’s own assumptions can cause tensions and Ormsbee shows this throughout.

Ormsbee gives us a strong family bond but also shows that they’re not perfect and you never know what’s going on inside people’s heads. The imperfect sisterly relationship shows that there’s no rule that sisters have to get along and I loved how Tash acknowledges that being close in age doesn’t mean that sisters will be best friends.

To her credit, Ormsbee blends all of these complicated feelings and topics together well. A lot of themes are touched on throughout but they sit comfortably side by side and mix together well that it never feels like too much is happening.

I loved the exploration of YouTube and making a web series. I have watched some fantastic web series over the years and despite having never read Anna Karenina I would love to see how Tash’s web series was done. I liked Tash’s complexity as a character, her love of Tolstoy, her ambitions as a film maker, but also her side vlog about reading and tea shows how invested in the online and book community she is.

The built up to the awards was done so well and we see Tash fall deep down the rabbit hole of internet fame and juggling fans and subscribers and being a team player. I also loved the ending because Tash’s growth and reflections are important and Ormsbee could have ended it so many ways but I loved the route she took.

I bought this for the asexuality rep but I think I ended up loving it for everything else. The story flows easily and you keep turning the page, the story pulling you along. Even when I picked it up with the intent of only reading a few pages I found myself drawn back in to this story of Tash and her web series and these characters and couldn’t put it down until I had finished it.

You can purchase Tash Hearts Tolstoy via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silveri

08 Jun 2021 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, LGBTQIA, Young Adult Tags: adam silveri, becky albertalli, four stars, gay, lgbt, LGBTQIA, young adult

Published: 18th October 2018
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
Pages: 437
Format: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it.

Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things.

But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them?

Maybe nothing. After all, they get separated.

Maybe everything. After all, they get reunited.

But what if they can’t quite nail a first date . . . or a second first date . . . or a third?

What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work . . . and Ben doesn’t try hard enough?

What if life really isn’t like a Broadway play?

But what if it is?

I love collaboration novels because it is interesting to see the two different authors and voices coming together to make a single story. Both Albertalli and Silvera bring their characters to life on the page and their uniqueness and their complicated relationships and histories are captivating to read which results in an incredibly sweet story that pulls you along through the endearment of the two narrators.

This is a massive character driven novel. The relationships each character has with their friends and family is the centre point of their lives and the different relationships they have with those around them drive this story. The combination of the quiet, reserved Ben with outgoing and talkative Arthur sounds like it wouldn’t work but it does, they are super cute together and watching them fall in love and develop a friendship in unconventional and uncertain steps was great. Both Arthur and Ben are flawed but they also are allowed to grow in this story and find their feet which is amazing.

I love Arthur’s optimism and hope in the world around him, but I also love that he isn’t entirely idealistic either and understands there are harsh realities in the world as well. Compared to Ben’s introverted life of playing Sims and writing a fantasy novel the two are total opposites in some aspects but have a lot of similarities in others. Their personalities come across so well on the page that Arthur jumps right off while Ben’s reserved nature sits quietly in the background.

Ben’s story explores the issues about people overlooking his culture and assumptions made based solely on appearances. I like that he gets to show off his culture at home so freely and that we understand as readers without it feeling like a Message is being forced upon us. Ben’s conversations are important and perfectly suited in story and even with misunderstandings it’s a great way to get Arthur and Ben to get to know each other, it adds to the fragility of their relationship and the newness of knowing one another.

As someone who hates being late to things I cannot cope with Ben’s complete casual nature of being late to everything. It would drive me absolutely insane, especially if there are reservations or starting times to adhere to. So that is some fun stress and anxiety in the story I can side with Arthur on. I loved though how these factors impact on their fragile relationship, which is an odd thing to say I know, but sometimes it doesn’t always need to be huge events, sometimes people conflict and clash over little things and that’s where tension comes from.

There are cute romance scenes and small gestures, little relationship moments that make you smile; Arthur and Ben respect each other’s limitations and boundaries, and their nervousness and eagerness to know one another is incredibly sweet while they try and work out what they’re doing. These two make even the simplest things seem sweet and wonderful. The entire world revolves around them and even when other friends get involved, it is so much the Ben and Arthur show it’s pure delight going on this road of discovery with them both.

Do-overs are a big factor in this and I for one would like a do over of that ending because I demand more concrete answers and the ending I have fabricated in my mind while nice may not be right. Thank goodness there is a sequel coming because I cannot not know how this plays out. I love these two and I need to stay invested in their lives for a lot longer.

You can purchase What If It’s Us via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust