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Read Swoon Repeat 2021
2021 is the year for love--read on for a sneak peek at some of Penguin Teen's most exciting romance titles coming this year!
This sampler includes a look at:
What’s Not to Love by Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley
From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn
Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi
Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan
The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons
Heartbreakers and Fakers by Cameron Lund
The Summer of Lost Letters by Hannah Reynolds
Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon
This sampler includes a look at:
What’s Not to Love by Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley
From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn
Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi
Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan
The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons
Heartbreakers and Fakers by Cameron Lund
The Summer of Lost Letters by Hannah Reynolds
Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon
390 pages, ebook
274 people want to read
About the author
Austin Siegemund-Broka
17 books590 followersAustin Siegemund-Broka cowrites YA contemporary with Emily Wibberley. His debut with Wibberley, ALWAYS NEVER YOURS, publishes from Puffin/Speak in 2018.
A former journalist in the entertainment industry, where he covered the courts and, yes, met a couple celebrities, he graduated from Harvard in 2014 with a degree in English and a focus on Shakespeare. When he's not writing (or reading) YA, he enjoys combing every corner of contemporary music and watching Buffy with Emily.
He lives in Los Angeles.
A former journalist in the entertainment industry, where he covered the courts and, yes, met a couple celebrities, he graduated from Harvard in 2014 with a degree in English and a focus on Shakespeare. When he's not writing (or reading) YA, he enjoys combing every corner of contemporary music and watching Buffy with Emily.
He lives in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 30, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for providing me with a copy of this sampler in exchange for my honest review!
I went into this sampler almost entirely blind as I'd only heard of one of these books before this. I feel like I haven't been reading much YA lately so I was hoping to find something new in here and I would say this preview delivered! Every book that was previewed here isn't for me but I think they all have promise and I've found a few that I'd really like to read when they come out. I'd also like to say that overall it felt like a lot of diverse stories were being told here and I did really appreciate that, not every story resonated with me personally but none of the stories seemed bad in any way and I really think there was something for everyone here.
What's Not to Love (April 20th 2021) is a school based rivals to lovers story about the top two students in a school who have been competing for the #1 spot for years. The preview gave us a good look at the dynamic between the two characters but didn't really get into the actual plot very much which I personally found a little frustrating. This is essentially the beginning of the book and it felt pretty slow/the main female character came across as really obnoxious (think early Paris from Gilmore Girls vibes). That being said I recently read another book from this author duo that started out slow with an unlikable MC and I ended up really enjoying that one so I will still be giving this one a try. I also love enemies to lovers so how could I not try this book, y'know?
From Little Tokyo, with Love (May 11th 2021) This preview really didn't give very much away which makes it a little bit hard to form an opinion on this one tbh but from I saw in the preview this does have a lot of promise. The story follows Rika who is an orphan being raised by her aunts, alongside their two daughters. Rika is a a highly competitive judo practitioner who doesn't really fit in with her cousins who are quite girly. She's also biracial while most of her community is fully Japanese and it's pretty clear that she doesn't feel like she fits in with her community/wants to know more about her parents. It looks like the book will be about her going on an journey of sorts to figure out who her parents were/what they were like, alongside a cute heartthrob actor. Like I said, we don't get too much on this one so I'm kind of in the middle about it but I am intrigued. I think as long as the MC doesn't end up being too "I'm not like other girls" then this will be good!
Perfectly Parvin (May 18th 2021) is about a young Iranian-American girl who is starting high school and trying to recover from the humiliation of having her first boyfriend dump her within days (maybe even one day) of starting their relationship. Even though I am more than twice the age of the main character here (cue existential crisis) I found Parvin so relatable. I still remember the overwhelming dread of being a young teenage girl and just feeling like nothing you do is right/you have to change everything about yourself and I really felt for Parvin here. This seems like it's going to be a fun, wild ride full of hijinks but the only thing is that it reads as really young. I'm obviously much older than the target audience for any of these books but this one in particular comes across as younger in tone than the others in the collection. I'll probably still give it a try but with the full knowledge that I am too old (tm) for this book. I do think it will be a great read for middle grade/young YA readers though!
Some Girls Do (May 18th 2021) follows Morgan, who is a "disgraced" athlete starting over at a new school late in her senior year and Ruby, a pageant queen who cares more about her car than pageants. This preview was very short but I loved what we got and I am ashamed of myself for not knowing anything about this book before I read the preview here. I really like the characterization of both girls and the little we did see shows a strong start to the book. My notes for this one were basically gibberish but basically this was my favourite out of the sampler and I love everything about this, including the title and cover. I can't wait to read this.
The Passing Playbook (June 1st 2021) is about Spencer Harris, a transgender young man who was forced to switch schools after being relentlessly bullied at his old school. Spencer passes as cis so when he starts his new school Spencer decides to not tell anyone he's trans and just live his life. The synopsis explains more of the plot but he clearly struggles with that decision and after a discriminatory law forces him off the soccer field he has to decide if he wants to come out to everyone in order to fight the law or accept the law and stay closeted. This one has a lot of potential and was definitely one of my top reads from the book. My only real concern with this book is that there was one character who gave me really bad vibes and I'm pretty sure he's the love interest. Obviously, I get that characters can grow throughout a story so even if he is the love interest things might end up totally fine but I am a little hesitant because of that. I'll probably still read this and I really hope it's good but I'm trying to be cautiously optimistic.
Heartbreakers and Fakers (June 8th 2021) I can just tell this one is going to be wild ride. It's about Penny, who after struggling to get rid of a bullying nickname from middle school ruins her life (socially at least) by drunkenly kissing her boyfriend's best friend who also happens to be /her/ best friend's boyfriend. You honestly don't get into too much of the plot here but from the synopsis it looks like this is going to also include fake dating and probably enemies to lovers and I'm here for the drama. The premise reminded me of the 99 days books and while I know not everyone enjoys cheating plots/subplots I think they can be really interesting (and I feel like not everything is how it seems here) so I'm definitely looking forward to this one.
The Summer of Lost Letters (June 15th 2021) This one follows Abby, who after coming across her grandmother's stash of secret love letters goes to Nantucket for the summer to try and track down the man who wrote them and find out more about her grandmother's early life (something her grandmother, who fled the holocaust, never really talked about). Of course things can't be easy so when she gest there she meets the grandson of the letter writer who doesn't really want her digging around his family's past and things just get more complicated from there. I really liked this preview and I feel like it will be an excellent summer/beach read so I will definitely be picking this one up.
Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions (February 8th 2022) this one is about high school senior Sunny Gill, who after losing his older brother decides to reinvent himself and centers his transformation around having the perfect prom experience. Of course things do not go perfectly and it begins to look like he overhyped prom in his own head when Mindii (a girl he knows but isn't super familiar with) steals the notebook his brother left behind. This notebook also contains Sunny's own life changing plans and it seems like the two of them then go on a night of adventure as he tries to get it back from her. This book takes place in one night which is a premise that's always been hit or miss for me personally but I do think this one sounds like fun! I'm not 100% sure if it's for me but I'll wait until closer to the release date (which is quite far off) to see more before making a decision.
I went into this sampler almost entirely blind as I'd only heard of one of these books before this. I feel like I haven't been reading much YA lately so I was hoping to find something new in here and I would say this preview delivered! Every book that was previewed here isn't for me but I think they all have promise and I've found a few that I'd really like to read when they come out. I'd also like to say that overall it felt like a lot of diverse stories were being told here and I did really appreciate that, not every story resonated with me personally but none of the stories seemed bad in any way and I really think there was something for everyone here.
What's Not to Love (April 20th 2021) is a school based rivals to lovers story about the top two students in a school who have been competing for the #1 spot for years. The preview gave us a good look at the dynamic between the two characters but didn't really get into the actual plot very much which I personally found a little frustrating. This is essentially the beginning of the book and it felt pretty slow/the main female character came across as really obnoxious (think early Paris from Gilmore Girls vibes). That being said I recently read another book from this author duo that started out slow with an unlikable MC and I ended up really enjoying that one so I will still be giving this one a try. I also love enemies to lovers so how could I not try this book, y'know?
From Little Tokyo, with Love (May 11th 2021) This preview really didn't give very much away which makes it a little bit hard to form an opinion on this one tbh but from I saw in the preview this does have a lot of promise. The story follows Rika who is an orphan being raised by her aunts, alongside their two daughters. Rika is a a highly competitive judo practitioner who doesn't really fit in with her cousins who are quite girly. She's also biracial while most of her community is fully Japanese and it's pretty clear that she doesn't feel like she fits in with her community/wants to know more about her parents. It looks like the book will be about her going on an journey of sorts to figure out who her parents were/what they were like, alongside a cute heartthrob actor. Like I said, we don't get too much on this one so I'm kind of in the middle about it but I am intrigued. I think as long as the MC doesn't end up being too "I'm not like other girls" then this will be good!
Perfectly Parvin (May 18th 2021) is about a young Iranian-American girl who is starting high school and trying to recover from the humiliation of having her first boyfriend dump her within days (maybe even one day) of starting their relationship. Even though I am more than twice the age of the main character here (cue existential crisis) I found Parvin so relatable. I still remember the overwhelming dread of being a young teenage girl and just feeling like nothing you do is right/you have to change everything about yourself and I really felt for Parvin here. This seems like it's going to be a fun, wild ride full of hijinks but the only thing is that it reads as really young. I'm obviously much older than the target audience for any of these books but this one in particular comes across as younger in tone than the others in the collection. I'll probably still give it a try but with the full knowledge that I am too old (tm) for this book. I do think it will be a great read for middle grade/young YA readers though!
Some Girls Do (May 18th 2021) follows Morgan, who is a "disgraced" athlete starting over at a new school late in her senior year and Ruby, a pageant queen who cares more about her car than pageants. This preview was very short but I loved what we got and I am ashamed of myself for not knowing anything about this book before I read the preview here. I really like the characterization of both girls and the little we did see shows a strong start to the book. My notes for this one were basically gibberish but basically this was my favourite out of the sampler and I love everything about this, including the title and cover. I can't wait to read this.
The Passing Playbook (June 1st 2021) is about Spencer Harris, a transgender young man who was forced to switch schools after being relentlessly bullied at his old school. Spencer passes as cis so when he starts his new school Spencer decides to not tell anyone he's trans and just live his life. The synopsis explains more of the plot but he clearly struggles with that decision and after a discriminatory law forces him off the soccer field he has to decide if he wants to come out to everyone in order to fight the law or accept the law and stay closeted. This one has a lot of potential and was definitely one of my top reads from the book. My only real concern with this book is that there was one character who gave me really bad vibes and I'm pretty sure he's the love interest. Obviously, I get that characters can grow throughout a story so even if he is the love interest things might end up totally fine but I am a little hesitant because of that. I'll probably still read this and I really hope it's good but I'm trying to be cautiously optimistic.
Heartbreakers and Fakers (June 8th 2021) I can just tell this one is going to be wild ride. It's about Penny, who after struggling to get rid of a bullying nickname from middle school ruins her life (socially at least) by drunkenly kissing her boyfriend's best friend who also happens to be /her/ best friend's boyfriend. You honestly don't get into too much of the plot here but from the synopsis it looks like this is going to also include fake dating and probably enemies to lovers and I'm here for the drama. The premise reminded me of the 99 days books and while I know not everyone enjoys cheating plots/subplots I think they can be really interesting (and I feel like not everything is how it seems here) so I'm definitely looking forward to this one.
The Summer of Lost Letters (June 15th 2021) This one follows Abby, who after coming across her grandmother's stash of secret love letters goes to Nantucket for the summer to try and track down the man who wrote them and find out more about her grandmother's early life (something her grandmother, who fled the holocaust, never really talked about). Of course things can't be easy so when she gest there she meets the grandson of the letter writer who doesn't really want her digging around his family's past and things just get more complicated from there. I really liked this preview and I feel like it will be an excellent summer/beach read so I will definitely be picking this one up.
Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions (February 8th 2022) this one is about high school senior Sunny Gill, who after losing his older brother decides to reinvent himself and centers his transformation around having the perfect prom experience. Of course things do not go perfectly and it begins to look like he overhyped prom in his own head when Mindii (a girl he knows but isn't super familiar with) steals the notebook his brother left behind. This notebook also contains Sunny's own life changing plans and it seems like the two of them then go on a night of adventure as he tries to get it back from her. This book takes place in one night which is a premise that's always been hit or miss for me personally but I do think this one sounds like fun! I'm not 100% sure if it's for me but I'll wait until closer to the release date (which is quite far off) to see more before making a decision.
June 22, 2021
I received an eARC from Netgalley and Penguin Group in exchange for an honest review.
This collection of previews was very modern and contemporary. I will be picking up several of the books from this collection because I enjoyed the previews so much! Most of them were LGBTQ+ and had diverse main characters. Normally I don't do reviews like this, but since it was only previews in this book, I tried my best to give reviews of each singular book included.
Here's a quick run down of the books in this ebook:
- What's Not to Love
- From Little Tokyo, with Love
- Perfectly Parvin
- Some Girls Do
- The Passing Playbook
- Heartbreakers and Fakers
- The Summer of Lost Letters
- Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions
So I'll start off with What's Not to Love. I really enjoyed this preview! It is super relatable to me because the main character, Alison Sanger, is competing against a boy over grades. I can already see her and Ethan's relationship blossoming. So excited to see them go from enemies to lovers - I was definitely swooning! I will definitely pick this up when I have the chance!
Secondly, From Little Tokyo, With Love was culturally interesting. I would love to pick it up and explore more about the asian society in California. It made me angry when Rika's Aunt told her she couldn't fight for her judo, despite all her hard work to make it to the top. I'm so glad she found a way to still participate in the parade! I am curious to see why Grace reacted so violently to seeing Rika though. Her missing mom, possibly? And how will Hank Chen play into the story?
Next, Perfectly Parvin - I wasn't a big fan of this one. I've seen in on several sites but it was very contemporary and LGBTQ+ forward. The character on the cover, Parvin, looks to be in her junior or senior years. In the book, she's going into her freshman year. Parvin has caring parents and I'd actually like to see more of them. It is kind of a funny story and Parvin is the classic freshman girl. I probably won't pick this one up.
Then, Some Girls Do. Ruby has a rough home life, that much is obvious, but she is a witch at school. However, I AM interested in Morgan and her progression in track. I ran track in high school, so I'd be very interested to see how she does. Also, why did she have to change schools so quickly? What happened? I also had several lol moments already, such as when Morgan said this: "Yeah, hell hath no fury like a suburban mom late for her latte." I will definitely pick this one up.
Next, The Passing Playbook. This one was . . . weird for me to read. I totally support people who are trans, because that's who they want to be, but I'm not comfortable with reading it. I did read this preview still though. I was honestly surprised that Spencer was trans, but I guess it made sense. This whole collection is almost ALL LGBTQ+. Spencer is nice and sweet, but I HATE Justice. He is such a mean guy. Spencer deserves better than him. The best part about this preview - definitely Theo. He's a mini-genius. But alas, he is not the main character, so I will not be picking up this one.
Next, Heartbreakers & Fakers. This one was very confusing at first. I didn't like the time jump really, but I do understand why it was needed. Olivia is pretty cool though. I hated Kai. Penny was an idiot teenage girl, but I can respect her for how she thought too. THIS IS WHY YOU DON'T DRINK Y'ALL! Despite it being confusing, I'll still probably pick this up because I LIVE for drama and I want to know what happens between Jordan, Olivia, Penny, and Kai - will they work their problems out or will they remain broken up?
Then, The Summer of Lost Letters. "but honestly, who wouldn't at least consider a whether a storm heralded a serial killer?"This is one is very intriguing, but also VERY wordy. I started skimming simply because it had so many large paragraphs (maybe this is just because it's an ebook edition though). I was fascinated by the idea of finding the letters and then Abby going to Nantucket for the summer to solve the mystery of who sent them. It is REALLY fast-paced though - we're already in Nantucket in the second chapter. I will definitely pick it up because I see something between Noah and Abby, and I'm super curious to see if Abby finds out more about her O'Ma's secret Edward.
Finally, Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions. This one . . . wasn't all that great. It was very confusing with all of the fanfiction references and the names and such. It was definitely culturally-influenced, which I would've enjoyed . . . if I had known what it meant. It has POC characters, so if that's what you're looking for, this is it. There is some foul language too, which surprised me. I probably won't pick it up, despite my interest in what happened to Goldy - I think he got drunk and was in a car accident, but I'm not completely sure.
Overall, a great collection of swoon worthy reads with diverse characters and different tropes that will having readers do what we do best - READ.
This collection of previews was very modern and contemporary. I will be picking up several of the books from this collection because I enjoyed the previews so much! Most of them were LGBTQ+ and had diverse main characters. Normally I don't do reviews like this, but since it was only previews in this book, I tried my best to give reviews of each singular book included.
Here's a quick run down of the books in this ebook:
- What's Not to Love
- From Little Tokyo, with Love
- Perfectly Parvin
- Some Girls Do
- The Passing Playbook
- Heartbreakers and Fakers
- The Summer of Lost Letters
- Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions
So I'll start off with What's Not to Love. I really enjoyed this preview! It is super relatable to me because the main character, Alison Sanger, is competing against a boy over grades. I can already see her and Ethan's relationship blossoming. So excited to see them go from enemies to lovers - I was definitely swooning! I will definitely pick this up when I have the chance!
Secondly, From Little Tokyo, With Love was culturally interesting. I would love to pick it up and explore more about the asian society in California. It made me angry when Rika's Aunt told her she couldn't fight for her judo, despite all her hard work to make it to the top. I'm so glad she found a way to still participate in the parade! I am curious to see why Grace reacted so violently to seeing Rika though. Her missing mom, possibly? And how will Hank Chen play into the story?
Next, Perfectly Parvin - I wasn't a big fan of this one. I've seen in on several sites but it was very contemporary and LGBTQ+ forward. The character on the cover, Parvin, looks to be in her junior or senior years. In the book, she's going into her freshman year. Parvin has caring parents and I'd actually like to see more of them. It is kind of a funny story and Parvin is the classic freshman girl. I probably won't pick this one up.
Then, Some Girls Do. Ruby has a rough home life, that much is obvious, but she is a witch at school. However, I AM interested in Morgan and her progression in track. I ran track in high school, so I'd be very interested to see how she does. Also, why did she have to change schools so quickly? What happened? I also had several lol moments already, such as when Morgan said this: "Yeah, hell hath no fury like a suburban mom late for her latte." I will definitely pick this one up.
Next, The Passing Playbook. This one was . . . weird for me to read. I totally support people who are trans, because that's who they want to be, but I'm not comfortable with reading it. I did read this preview still though. I was honestly surprised that Spencer was trans, but I guess it made sense. This whole collection is almost ALL LGBTQ+. Spencer is nice and sweet, but I HATE Justice. He is such a mean guy. Spencer deserves better than him. The best part about this preview - definitely Theo. He's a mini-genius. But alas, he is not the main character, so I will not be picking up this one.
Next, Heartbreakers & Fakers. This one was very confusing at first. I didn't like the time jump really, but I do understand why it was needed. Olivia is pretty cool though. I hated Kai. Penny was an idiot teenage girl, but I can respect her for how she thought too. THIS IS WHY YOU DON'T DRINK Y'ALL! Despite it being confusing, I'll still probably pick this up because I LIVE for drama and I want to know what happens between Jordan, Olivia, Penny, and Kai - will they work their problems out or will they remain broken up?
Then, The Summer of Lost Letters. "but honestly, who wouldn't at least consider a whether a storm heralded a serial killer?"This is one is very intriguing, but also VERY wordy. I started skimming simply because it had so many large paragraphs (maybe this is just because it's an ebook edition though). I was fascinated by the idea of finding the letters and then Abby going to Nantucket for the summer to solve the mystery of who sent them. It is REALLY fast-paced though - we're already in Nantucket in the second chapter. I will definitely pick it up because I see something between Noah and Abby, and I'm super curious to see if Abby finds out more about her O'Ma's secret Edward.
Finally, Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions. This one . . . wasn't all that great. It was very confusing with all of the fanfiction references and the names and such. It was definitely culturally-influenced, which I would've enjoyed . . . if I had known what it meant. It has POC characters, so if that's what you're looking for, this is it. There is some foul language too, which surprised me. I probably won't pick it up, despite my interest in what happened to Goldy - I think he got drunk and was in a car accident, but I'm not completely sure.
Overall, a great collection of swoon worthy reads with diverse characters and different tropes that will having readers do what we do best - READ.
December 2, 2021
Ready Swoon Repeat contains 8 YA romance samples that will be released throughout this year. This was such a fun read! Loved the diversity in every sample; from ethnicity to age to sexuality and romance trope! You bet I will be adding some of these to my already extensive list!
-What’s Not to Love by Austin Siegmund-Broka and Emily Wibberley:
In What’s Not to Love, we get to know Alison, a high-schooler who does not like to be second place to her rival Ethan. You know where this is going lol who doesn’t love a good enemies to lovers trope! The story has short chapters (I love short chapters :D) and the characters sound fun, especially her parents! However, Alison is really hung up on being the best in her class and having good grades. Do not get me wrong, I was into getting good grades as well lol but hers was a bit annoying, borderline obsessive. Also the way she treats her sister, ehhh did not like that. I rate this sample a 3/5 straight A's!
-From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn:
In From Little Tokyo, With love, we meet Rika Chen, who is Japanese American and finding it difficult to fit in. This story has to be my favorite, the writing had me hooked and I was highly impressed.The characters were funny and had so much personality in just those few chapters. The readers were also rudely teased by only getting a snippet of the love interest! Disrespectful lol Oh! and let’s not even talk about how the sample ended in a cliffhanger……I need more and I need it now! I rate this sample a 4.5/5 judo kicks!
-Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi:
In Perfectly Parvin, we are introduced to Parvin, an Iranian-American freshmen who is trying to navigate the struggles of high-school and boys. All of these samples are considered YA, but this one reads more middle school to me. The characters that we were able to read about sound nice, the main character is very naive and has the mentality of wanting to change herself in order to get a boy…… I rate this sample a 2.5/5 yelps.
-Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan:
In Some Girls Do, we get to know Ruby and Morgan! Ruby is a high-school senior and a pageant girl who would rather do anything else than be in pageants and Morgan is the new student who is into track and field and has a reputation from her previews school. This sample was another good one! The characters were spunky and the dialogue was witty. Compared to the other snippets, this read is a bit more mature. I rate this sample a 4.5/5 intense gazes!
-The Passing Playlist by Isaac Fitzsimmons:
In the Passing Playbook, we meet Spencer, a transgender boy who was bullied into a new school. While in the new school, we see him keeping his transition to himself, even to the majority of QSA (Queer Straight Alliance) group. I enjoyed reading about Spencer’s relationship with his mom and how his mom has supported him. I have never read about a transgender character before and this story seems like it has potential. Other than the main character, his mom, and his best-friend, all the other characters were pretty bland including the possible love interest. Nevertheless, I am still intrigued in reading more about Spencer and his journey! I rated this sample a 3.5/5 stars.
-Heartbreakers and Fakers by Cameron Lund:
In Heartbreakers and Fakers, we read about Penny, who has worked hard to achieve the “popularity’’ and the friends she has gained; including Olivia, who is the HBIC. This story started off with a wild night and had me pretty intrigued. Honestly a lot happened in the little bit that I was able to read, I enjoyed the past to present style of it as well. I don’t know how I felt about the characters lol the story had me whiplashed with liking and disliking them at the same time. I rated this sample a 4/5 drunken nights!
-The Summer of Lost Letters by Hannah Reynolds:
In The Summer of Lost Letters, we meet Abby, a seventeen year old who recently lost her grandmother. Abby finds love letters that belonged go her grandmother and her past life in Nantucket. So what do you do when you find your grandmothers old love letters with a man from Nantucket? You take a trip to the place and hunt the man down of course! lol There were a lot of characters in this read and the majority were funny and let’s not even talk about the possible love interest and that meet-cute *giggles*! I rated this sample 3.5/5 letters lol!
-Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon:
In Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions, we read about Sunny, an awkward teen who is trying to reinvent himself by following a list of rash decisions on a notebook that his recently decided brother left behind. Although Sunny was awkward to the point of being funny (died laughing at the “I’m going to go urinate” bit! iykyn lol), I just wasn’t really into the story. The sample left me a bit confused. I rated it a 2.5 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy!
-What’s Not to Love by Austin Siegmund-Broka and Emily Wibberley:
In What’s Not to Love, we get to know Alison, a high-schooler who does not like to be second place to her rival Ethan. You know where this is going lol who doesn’t love a good enemies to lovers trope! The story has short chapters (I love short chapters :D) and the characters sound fun, especially her parents! However, Alison is really hung up on being the best in her class and having good grades. Do not get me wrong, I was into getting good grades as well lol but hers was a bit annoying, borderline obsessive. Also the way she treats her sister, ehhh did not like that. I rate this sample a 3/5 straight A's!
-From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn:
In From Little Tokyo, With love, we meet Rika Chen, who is Japanese American and finding it difficult to fit in. This story has to be my favorite, the writing had me hooked and I was highly impressed.The characters were funny and had so much personality in just those few chapters. The readers were also rudely teased by only getting a snippet of the love interest! Disrespectful lol Oh! and let’s not even talk about how the sample ended in a cliffhanger……I need more and I need it now! I rate this sample a 4.5/5 judo kicks!
-Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi:
In Perfectly Parvin, we are introduced to Parvin, an Iranian-American freshmen who is trying to navigate the struggles of high-school and boys. All of these samples are considered YA, but this one reads more middle school to me. The characters that we were able to read about sound nice, the main character is very naive and has the mentality of wanting to change herself in order to get a boy…… I rate this sample a 2.5/5 yelps.
-Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan:
In Some Girls Do, we get to know Ruby and Morgan! Ruby is a high-school senior and a pageant girl who would rather do anything else than be in pageants and Morgan is the new student who is into track and field and has a reputation from her previews school. This sample was another good one! The characters were spunky and the dialogue was witty. Compared to the other snippets, this read is a bit more mature. I rate this sample a 4.5/5 intense gazes!
-The Passing Playlist by Isaac Fitzsimmons:
In the Passing Playbook, we meet Spencer, a transgender boy who was bullied into a new school. While in the new school, we see him keeping his transition to himself, even to the majority of QSA (Queer Straight Alliance) group. I enjoyed reading about Spencer’s relationship with his mom and how his mom has supported him. I have never read about a transgender character before and this story seems like it has potential. Other than the main character, his mom, and his best-friend, all the other characters were pretty bland including the possible love interest. Nevertheless, I am still intrigued in reading more about Spencer and his journey! I rated this sample a 3.5/5 stars.
-Heartbreakers and Fakers by Cameron Lund:
In Heartbreakers and Fakers, we read about Penny, who has worked hard to achieve the “popularity’’ and the friends she has gained; including Olivia, who is the HBIC. This story started off with a wild night and had me pretty intrigued. Honestly a lot happened in the little bit that I was able to read, I enjoyed the past to present style of it as well. I don’t know how I felt about the characters lol the story had me whiplashed with liking and disliking them at the same time. I rated this sample a 4/5 drunken nights!
-The Summer of Lost Letters by Hannah Reynolds:
In The Summer of Lost Letters, we meet Abby, a seventeen year old who recently lost her grandmother. Abby finds love letters that belonged go her grandmother and her past life in Nantucket. So what do you do when you find your grandmothers old love letters with a man from Nantucket? You take a trip to the place and hunt the man down of course! lol There were a lot of characters in this read and the majority were funny and let’s not even talk about the possible love interest and that meet-cute *giggles*! I rated this sample 3.5/5 letters lol!
-Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon:
In Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions, we read about Sunny, an awkward teen who is trying to reinvent himself by following a list of rash decisions on a notebook that his recently decided brother left behind. Although Sunny was awkward to the point of being funny (died laughing at the “I’m going to go urinate” bit! iykyn lol), I just wasn’t really into the story. The sample left me a bit confused. I rated it a 2.5 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy!
March 5, 2021
This title contains 8 samples for upcoming YA romance novels from Penguin Teen, and was an excellent chance to see if there were any books missing from my want-to-read list for this year.
What's Not to Love by Austin Siegmund-Broka and Emily Wibberley
Two high school students compete for a chance to attend Harvard, the perfect set-up for a YA enemies-to-lovers romance. The story hadn't really started by the end of the sample, but there was already some potential for an entertaining read.
From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn
The main character is half-Japanese, half-white and struggling to find her place in her neighbourhood in Los Angeles. She has never known her father and is being raised by her aunt and uncle after her mother died. I have a feeling of where this book might end up going, but I was very intrigued by what I have read so far and I'll definitely read this one once it comes out.
Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi
This felt very young, maybe a little bit too young in this collection. The main character has just started her freshman year of high school, but she's definitely still stuck in a middle-school mindset. I'm sure some people might enjoy it, but I doubt I'll even remember it exists by next week.
Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan
This was the story I clicked with the most out of the whole collection, although I'm still slightly hesitant because I've been burned by a Dugan book in the past. I liked the writing style and both main characters pretty much immediately, and I'm interested in seeing what happens to them in their individual lives as well as in their romance.
The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimmons
Spencer, a trans boy, switches schools after getting bullied at his old school. He wants to stay under the radar at all costs, not wanting a repeat of the previous year and causing more problems for his family. But the soccer coach wants him on the team, and Spencer wants to prove himself worthy, but a discriminatory law forces Spencer to choose between passing or coming out again. I liked what I've read so far, and I'm pretty sure I'll read the rest of it eventually, but it's not high on the list of priorities for me.
Heartbreakers and Fakers by Cameron Lund
This story flips between the present and the past, showing the complicated friendship/relationship dynamics that lead to the main character cheating on her boyfriend with her best friend's boyfriend. I'm slowly making my way through Lund's previous book, but I can already tell I'll probably like Heartbreakers and Fakers more. The interactions between Penelope and Kai are fun enough to hold my attention.
The Summer of Lost Letters by Hannah Reynolds
Main character decides to spend the summer in Nantucket after discovering old love letters from a mysterious man to her recently deceased grandmother. She does some sleuthing and finds out the man's identity, and he's now the patriarch of a wealthy family. She gets a job catering a big event at this family's house and has a run-in with the teenaged grandson. This was a mix of contemporary and historical fiction, with a love story unfolding both in the present and the past. I might eventually check out this book, although something about the writing style didn't really work for me.
Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon
The main character has a notebook with list of rash decisions he's written after his older brother died. Number one on the list: stop looking like a Sikh. Which also means that he stops looking like himself. Sunny shows up as a new version of himself at prom, pretty much immediately running into a racist classmate and having a bad time, until a girl runs off with his notebook and he has to chase her. I don't see myself continuing with this book because the story didn't really speak to me.
(I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
What's Not to Love by Austin Siegmund-Broka and Emily Wibberley
Two high school students compete for a chance to attend Harvard, the perfect set-up for a YA enemies-to-lovers romance. The story hadn't really started by the end of the sample, but there was already some potential for an entertaining read.
From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn
The main character is half-Japanese, half-white and struggling to find her place in her neighbourhood in Los Angeles. She has never known her father and is being raised by her aunt and uncle after her mother died. I have a feeling of where this book might end up going, but I was very intrigued by what I have read so far and I'll definitely read this one once it comes out.
Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi
This felt very young, maybe a little bit too young in this collection. The main character has just started her freshman year of high school, but she's definitely still stuck in a middle-school mindset. I'm sure some people might enjoy it, but I doubt I'll even remember it exists by next week.
Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan
This was the story I clicked with the most out of the whole collection, although I'm still slightly hesitant because I've been burned by a Dugan book in the past. I liked the writing style and both main characters pretty much immediately, and I'm interested in seeing what happens to them in their individual lives as well as in their romance.
The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimmons
Spencer, a trans boy, switches schools after getting bullied at his old school. He wants to stay under the radar at all costs, not wanting a repeat of the previous year and causing more problems for his family. But the soccer coach wants him on the team, and Spencer wants to prove himself worthy, but a discriminatory law forces Spencer to choose between passing or coming out again. I liked what I've read so far, and I'm pretty sure I'll read the rest of it eventually, but it's not high on the list of priorities for me.
Heartbreakers and Fakers by Cameron Lund
This story flips between the present and the past, showing the complicated friendship/relationship dynamics that lead to the main character cheating on her boyfriend with her best friend's boyfriend. I'm slowly making my way through Lund's previous book, but I can already tell I'll probably like Heartbreakers and Fakers more. The interactions between Penelope and Kai are fun enough to hold my attention.
The Summer of Lost Letters by Hannah Reynolds
Main character decides to spend the summer in Nantucket after discovering old love letters from a mysterious man to her recently deceased grandmother. She does some sleuthing and finds out the man's identity, and he's now the patriarch of a wealthy family. She gets a job catering a big event at this family's house and has a run-in with the teenaged grandson. This was a mix of contemporary and historical fiction, with a love story unfolding both in the present and the past. I might eventually check out this book, although something about the writing style didn't really work for me.
Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon
The main character has a notebook with list of rash decisions he's written after his older brother died. Number one on the list: stop looking like a Sikh. Which also means that he stops looking like himself. Sunny shows up as a new version of himself at prom, pretty much immediately running into a racist classmate and having a bad time, until a girl runs off with his notebook and he has to chase her. I don't see myself continuing with this book because the story didn't really speak to me.
(I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
February 23, 2021
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Teen for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Read Swoon Repeat is a sampler including 8 romance novels that will be released throughout the remainder of 2021. I really enjoyed this format because it allows you to get a feel for these stories before purchasing them. I added more than half of them to my TBR for this year. Here are my brief thoughts on each book so far:
What's Not to Love by Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley
This has the potential for a great enemies to lovers romance with two high school kids competing for a spot at Harvard. Short chapters but not much happened so far and the story seemed to drag on in my opinion although it could just be the setup of the plot. (3/5)
From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn
Focuses on Japanese Americans in Los Angeles where our main character is struggling with her place within Asian culture because she is only half Asian. Filled with beautiful writing that sucked me in from the first page. I'm excited to see what happens after the cliff-hanger and to learn the bonds and relationships between all of the characters because there are a lot of them. We saw the lover interest for only one scene and I need more. (4/5)
Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi
There's nothing inherently wrong with this story but the characters feel very young and naive which makes it difficult to connect to them personally. They are freshmen in high school but it feels more like a middle school romance to me. I won't be adding this to my TBR but I think it has potential if you're looking for a younger romance. (2/5)
Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan
The writing style clicked with me right away as did both of our main characters. I enjoyed that the story is told from dual perspectives and that both of our main characters are queer. One of my favorite sneak peeks by far! (4/5)
The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons
The main character is transgender which I have never read about before so I am very excited to become more educated through his experiences. I also loved that the story focuses on soccer too because it is one of my favorite sports. (3.5/5)
Heartbreakers and Fakers by Cameron Lund
This story flips back and forth between the past and present-day which I love. I am very invested in the plot and the fact that our main character is not the victim in the cheating situation but will end up having to deal with a lot of guilt. There is a lot of chemistry between Kai and Penelope and I am excited to see more of their relationship. (4/5)
The Summer of Lost Letters by Hannah Reynolds
Very interesting plotline and it seems to include small elements of historical fiction from the first glimpse which is fun. Our main character decides to spend the summer in Nantucket diving into her grandmother's mysterious past because of some love letters from the 1950s. The plot itself is very intriguing but there was something about the writing style that didn't quite click for me. (3.5/5)
Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon
I was honestly very confused while reading this sneak peek. All I know is that the main character's brother is dead and one of his classmates is very rude and kept making racist jokes. I can't see myself continuing to read this one personally. (2/5)
Read Swoon Repeat is a sampler including 8 romance novels that will be released throughout the remainder of 2021. I really enjoyed this format because it allows you to get a feel for these stories before purchasing them. I added more than half of them to my TBR for this year. Here are my brief thoughts on each book so far:
What's Not to Love by Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley
This has the potential for a great enemies to lovers romance with two high school kids competing for a spot at Harvard. Short chapters but not much happened so far and the story seemed to drag on in my opinion although it could just be the setup of the plot. (3/5)
From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn
Focuses on Japanese Americans in Los Angeles where our main character is struggling with her place within Asian culture because she is only half Asian. Filled with beautiful writing that sucked me in from the first page. I'm excited to see what happens after the cliff-hanger and to learn the bonds and relationships between all of the characters because there are a lot of them. We saw the lover interest for only one scene and I need more. (4/5)
Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi
There's nothing inherently wrong with this story but the characters feel very young and naive which makes it difficult to connect to them personally. They are freshmen in high school but it feels more like a middle school romance to me. I won't be adding this to my TBR but I think it has potential if you're looking for a younger romance. (2/5)
Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan
The writing style clicked with me right away as did both of our main characters. I enjoyed that the story is told from dual perspectives and that both of our main characters are queer. One of my favorite sneak peeks by far! (4/5)
The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons
The main character is transgender which I have never read about before so I am very excited to become more educated through his experiences. I also loved that the story focuses on soccer too because it is one of my favorite sports. (3.5/5)
Heartbreakers and Fakers by Cameron Lund
This story flips back and forth between the past and present-day which I love. I am very invested in the plot and the fact that our main character is not the victim in the cheating situation but will end up having to deal with a lot of guilt. There is a lot of chemistry between Kai and Penelope and I am excited to see more of their relationship. (4/5)
The Summer of Lost Letters by Hannah Reynolds
Very interesting plotline and it seems to include small elements of historical fiction from the first glimpse which is fun. Our main character decides to spend the summer in Nantucket diving into her grandmother's mysterious past because of some love letters from the 1950s. The plot itself is very intriguing but there was something about the writing style that didn't quite click for me. (3.5/5)
Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon
I was honestly very confused while reading this sneak peek. All I know is that the main character's brother is dead and one of his classmates is very rude and kept making racist jokes. I can't see myself continuing to read this one personally. (2/5)
February 21, 2021
I read this to review for Net Galley.
This is a sneak peak into 8 books coming out soon from Penguin Teen's romance selection. The books included are What's Not to Love by Austin Siegemund-Broka, From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn, Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi, Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan, The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons, Heartbreakers and Fakers by Cameron Lund, The Summer of Lost Letters by Hannah Reynolds, and Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Sigh Dhillon.
Each book gave me at least one chapter to read from each book. It reminds me of the read a chapter tag off of you tube's booktube channels. I almost DNF'd it since it wasn't really a novel but decided to read it anyway to see if anything would stand out that I might be interested to read someday. If I were to decide on which book I would want to read first out of all of them it would be Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan. The least favorite out of all of these was the last book Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions. I am not going to give my opinion as to why I chose those because it was a hard decision after reading only a little bit from each book.
I am glad in the end I decided to try this because I might just go to Penguin's website to what else they have for me to read for something different. Sometimes you just have to read the beginning of some books to figure out what looks good to you. I probably should mention that the stories I read do have lgbtq in them and some of them were straight.
This is a sneak peak into 8 books coming out soon from Penguin Teen's romance selection. The books included are What's Not to Love by Austin Siegemund-Broka, From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn, Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi, Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan, The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons, Heartbreakers and Fakers by Cameron Lund, The Summer of Lost Letters by Hannah Reynolds, and Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Sigh Dhillon.
Each book gave me at least one chapter to read from each book. It reminds me of the read a chapter tag off of you tube's booktube channels. I almost DNF'd it since it wasn't really a novel but decided to read it anyway to see if anything would stand out that I might be interested to read someday. If I were to decide on which book I would want to read first out of all of them it would be Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan. The least favorite out of all of these was the last book Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions. I am not going to give my opinion as to why I chose those because it was a hard decision after reading only a little bit from each book.
I am glad in the end I decided to try this because I might just go to Penguin's website to what else they have for me to read for something different. Sometimes you just have to read the beginning of some books to figure out what looks good to you. I probably should mention that the stories I read do have lgbtq in them and some of them were straight.
June 25, 2021
I received a free copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Read Swoon Repeat 2021 contains 8 young adult books that focus on romance. There was a wide range of different book samples for a while range of readers. Not all of them are for me but after reading them all, I added most of them to my TBR (if they weren't there already)
- What's not to love by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegmund-Broka
○ In this sample, we meet Alison and Ethan two school rivals. They do everything they can to best each other. Immediately I knew I was going to love this sampler because enemies to lovers! Yes Please!! The chapters are short and enjoyable. When I reached the end of the sampler I was so disappointed because I just wanted to keep reading. This book is going to be full of so much good banter between the two main characters and I can't wait to see how everything unfolds (5/5 based on the sampler)
- From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn
○ In this sample, we meet Rika, an orphaned girl with a temper living with her auntie and cousins, Belle and Rory. Belle is the Nikkei Week Queen of Little Tokyo and Rory is one of her princesses, Rika however doesn't want to be one but wants to participate in a Judo demonstration instead. I was liking this sampler, though I'm not sure where it's going to go. The way the sampler ended had me wanting more. (4/5 based on the sampler)
- Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi
○ In this sample, we meet Parvin who just had her first kiss and got her first boyfriend, Wesley, right before high school. However, Wesley dumps her at orientation just days after they started going out because she's "too loud" and "too much" so Parvin hatches a plan to change herself to get a boy that will take her to homecoming. I was not a huge fan of this sampler, Parvin was so whiny, childish, and naïve. She's a freshman but she seemed too childish for even that. Felt more middle school to me. I also didn't like the idea that she's going to change herself just to attract a boy. I however do want to give the full book a shot and see if things look up past the first few chapters. (2/5 based on the sampler)
- Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan
○ In this sample, we meet Ruby, who does pageants but would rather be doing anything else, and Morgan, a new student who loves track and field but comes with a reputation from her old school. I love these characters. They are going to have some great interactions with each other and I can tell I'm going to love this book (5/5 based on the sampler)
- The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons
○ In this sample, we meet Spencer, who is transgender and has just transferred schools after an "incident". He is recruited to play soccer for his new school. I can tell this book is going to be interesting and intense. The storyline is going to lead to some intense topic discussions and I can't wait to see how everything plays out. I want to read more and get to know the characters. At the moment I’m not liking justice, who I believe will be the love interest but I look forward to seeing a different side of him (hopefully) in the full book. (4/5 based on the sampler)
- Heartbreakers and fakers by Cameron Lund
○ In this sample we meet Penelope, "Penny", when she wakes up on the front lawn of her boyfriend's house after a party. She can't remember what happens and comes to find out that she kissed her best friend's boyfriend. I can already tell that things are going to get interesting in this story. The one thing that I hope for is that Penny will grow as a person. She seems super stuck up at the beginning of the story, so I'm interested to see if she grows into a less stuck-up girl. (3/5 based on the sampler)
- Summer of Lost Letters by Hannah Reynolds
○ In this sample, we meet Abby after a breakup with her boyfriend. She finds a box of love letters from her late grandma and decides to find the man who sent them to learn more about her grandma's past. I wasn't sure if I was going to be interested in this book, but it has potential. I think with the love interest for Abby, it'll have some cute moments. I think it'll also be interesting for history lovers because of what Abby could potentially uncover about her grandma's past. (3/5 based on the sampler)
- Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon
○ In this sampler, we meet Sunny G, who tries to reinvent himself and have a perfect prom night after losing his brother. He has a notebook with a list of his life-changing plans, which a girl steals. I struggled a lot to get into this one. It left me confused and disconnected. The story seems to take place in one night and that can be really hard to pull off correctly without huge info dumps of past information and uninteresting scenes. I'm not sure if this book will be able to pull it off, but it's hard to tell from only a few chapters. The story could take a whole 180 after the sampler. (1/5 based on the sampler)
Read Swoon Repeat 2021 contains 8 young adult books that focus on romance. There was a wide range of different book samples for a while range of readers. Not all of them are for me but after reading them all, I added most of them to my TBR (if they weren't there already)
- What's not to love by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegmund-Broka
○ In this sample, we meet Alison and Ethan two school rivals. They do everything they can to best each other. Immediately I knew I was going to love this sampler because enemies to lovers! Yes Please!! The chapters are short and enjoyable. When I reached the end of the sampler I was so disappointed because I just wanted to keep reading. This book is going to be full of so much good banter between the two main characters and I can't wait to see how everything unfolds (5/5 based on the sampler)
- From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn
○ In this sample, we meet Rika, an orphaned girl with a temper living with her auntie and cousins, Belle and Rory. Belle is the Nikkei Week Queen of Little Tokyo and Rory is one of her princesses, Rika however doesn't want to be one but wants to participate in a Judo demonstration instead. I was liking this sampler, though I'm not sure where it's going to go. The way the sampler ended had me wanting more. (4/5 based on the sampler)
- Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi
○ In this sample, we meet Parvin who just had her first kiss and got her first boyfriend, Wesley, right before high school. However, Wesley dumps her at orientation just days after they started going out because she's "too loud" and "too much" so Parvin hatches a plan to change herself to get a boy that will take her to homecoming. I was not a huge fan of this sampler, Parvin was so whiny, childish, and naïve. She's a freshman but she seemed too childish for even that. Felt more middle school to me. I also didn't like the idea that she's going to change herself just to attract a boy. I however do want to give the full book a shot and see if things look up past the first few chapters. (2/5 based on the sampler)
- Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan
○ In this sample, we meet Ruby, who does pageants but would rather be doing anything else, and Morgan, a new student who loves track and field but comes with a reputation from her old school. I love these characters. They are going to have some great interactions with each other and I can tell I'm going to love this book (5/5 based on the sampler)
- The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons
○ In this sample, we meet Spencer, who is transgender and has just transferred schools after an "incident". He is recruited to play soccer for his new school. I can tell this book is going to be interesting and intense. The storyline is going to lead to some intense topic discussions and I can't wait to see how everything plays out. I want to read more and get to know the characters. At the moment I’m not liking justice, who I believe will be the love interest but I look forward to seeing a different side of him (hopefully) in the full book. (4/5 based on the sampler)
- Heartbreakers and fakers by Cameron Lund
○ In this sample we meet Penelope, "Penny", when she wakes up on the front lawn of her boyfriend's house after a party. She can't remember what happens and comes to find out that she kissed her best friend's boyfriend. I can already tell that things are going to get interesting in this story. The one thing that I hope for is that Penny will grow as a person. She seems super stuck up at the beginning of the story, so I'm interested to see if she grows into a less stuck-up girl. (3/5 based on the sampler)
- Summer of Lost Letters by Hannah Reynolds
○ In this sample, we meet Abby after a breakup with her boyfriend. She finds a box of love letters from her late grandma and decides to find the man who sent them to learn more about her grandma's past. I wasn't sure if I was going to be interested in this book, but it has potential. I think with the love interest for Abby, it'll have some cute moments. I think it'll also be interesting for history lovers because of what Abby could potentially uncover about her grandma's past. (3/5 based on the sampler)
- Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon
○ In this sampler, we meet Sunny G, who tries to reinvent himself and have a perfect prom night after losing his brother. He has a notebook with a list of his life-changing plans, which a girl steals. I struggled a lot to get into this one. It left me confused and disconnected. The story seems to take place in one night and that can be really hard to pull off correctly without huge info dumps of past information and uninteresting scenes. I'm not sure if this book will be able to pull it off, but it's hard to tell from only a few chapters. The story could take a whole 180 after the sampler. (1/5 based on the sampler)
July 30, 2021
This was a sample of upcoming 2021 YA releases, featuring the below books:
- What's Not to Love
- From Little Tokyo, with Love
- Perfectly Parvin
- Some Girls Do
- The Passing Playbook
- Heartbreakers and Fakers
- The Summer of Lost Letters
- Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions
I've never actually read a sampler before, but I think this offered a bunch of books that had a similar vibe, which is great if you read one of these books and are looking for something similar. I read What's Not to Love and enjoyed it, so I will definitely be checking out some of the other books that I sampled here. My only real issue was that the previews were far too long. For a couple of them, it made me want to read the book less the more I read.
A huge thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.
- What's Not to Love
- From Little Tokyo, with Love
- Perfectly Parvin
- Some Girls Do
- The Passing Playbook
- Heartbreakers and Fakers
- The Summer of Lost Letters
- Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions
I've never actually read a sampler before, but I think this offered a bunch of books that had a similar vibe, which is great if you read one of these books and are looking for something similar. I read What's Not to Love and enjoyed it, so I will definitely be checking out some of the other books that I sampled here. My only real issue was that the previews were far too long. For a couple of them, it made me want to read the book less the more I read.
A huge thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.
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