Summer of Scandal is a romance that takes place in a made up town “located in a fictional island in the Spanish Caribbean.” It is set in 1911. The unusual setting, the Hispanic and Caribbean cultures, and the time period make for an appealing and refreshing romance with a couple of odd problems. Here’s the plot: Emilia Cruz is the secret author of a series of scandalous stories, including The True Accounts of a Former … Continue reading A Summer of Scandal by Lydia San Andres →
Tomi Adeyemi has been getting a lot of well-deserved buzz around her new book, Children of Blood and Bone. It’s the first book in a planned YA fantasy trilogy. It’s set in a fantasy version of West Africa, and all of the characters are people of color. I loved the setting and the use of fantasy and character to explore issues around racism and oppression. I was not as crazy about the graphic violence or … Continue reading Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi →
Let’s Talk About Love is a romance novel with an asexual heroine (specifically, a bi-romantic asexual heroine). Alice, the heroine, is a university student whose parents want her to become a lawyer, a career in which she has no interest. She has two best friends, Feenie and Ryan, who are engaged to each other, and she struggles with feeling like the third wheel. She also struggles with romantic relationships because she doesn’t want to come … Continue reading Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann →
If the Dress Fits is a body-positive romance set in the Philippines. I loved the cultural elements, the food, and the body positivity. However, I was often exasperated by the heroine, who hurts a lot of people by believing that she cannot be loved in the romantic sense. Although this book is body-positive overall, TW for some discussion of fat shaming and internalized fatphobia. Our heroine, Martha Aguas, is an accountant who travels a lot … Continue reading If the Dress Fits by Carla de Guzman →
Not Your Villain is the second book in the Sidekick Squad series by C.B. Lee. This YA series is set in a semi-post-apocalyptic future (much has been destroyed, but many areas are still doing fine). In this world, some people have super powers. In order to follow Not Your Villain, you need to have read Not Your Sidekick. In the first book, Not Your Sidekick, Jessica Tran struggled with jealousy when she didn’t manifest powers … Continue reading Not Your Villain by C.B. Lee →
Grab a drink and have a seat, because here come some compelling and powerful words and numbers. Bea and Leah Koch of The Ripped Bodice have compiled an inaugural report on the State of Racial Diversity in Romance Publishing. From their press release: In their first year and a half in business, the Kochs grew increasingly aware of the limited number of options for customers looking for traditionally published books written by people of color. … Continue reading The Ripped Bodice Report on Racial Diversity in Romance →
Some of you know my love for Les Liaisons Dangereuses: it’s my favorite play (EVER), has spawned three of my favorite movies, and hands down, is the greatest epistolary novel of all time (OF ALL TIME). It’s got everything – love, sex, revenge, horrible people being horrible, comeuppance, banter, and no one learning anything, at all. Ever. So when Amanda (seriously, this was like SIX MONTHS AGO) said “Hey, there’s a retelling of Dangerous Liaisons … Continue reading Unforgivable Love by Sophfronia Scott →
Heroine Worship is the second book in a series about people with superpowers in San Francisco. I previously reviewed the first book, Heroine Complex, which followed the journey of Evie Tanaka, who broke out of the shadow of her overbearing friend, Aveda Jupiter, AKA Annie Chang. If you had told me, back when I reviewed Heroine Complex, that I would end up identifying more with the problems of Aveda/Annie, than with Evie, I would have thought … Continue reading Heroine Worship by Sarah Kuhn →
When Dimple met Rishi is adorable and funny and utterly delightful. It was just what I needed during a stressful day. Here’s the plot setup: Dimple is eighteen and about to go to Stanford. She resents her Indian-born mother’s attempts to mold her into a traditional woman. Dimple’s plans revolve around school and career, with no interest in marrying and having children. Above all else, she resents any suggestion that she would go to college … Continue reading When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon →
Normally I don’t buy into a lot of YA romance because I’m pretty cynical at the realism of finding HEA in high school. I mean, I know that a lot of people do marry their high school sweethearts; I just remember what I was like at that age. Growing out my bangs was enough to send me into existential crisis – no way did I have the emotional bandwidth to manage a serious relationship. But … Continue reading The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon →
Of Dreams and Rust is a sequel to Sarah Fine’s Of Metal and Wishes . The two books basically function as one single book, and this review contains spoilers for Of Metal and Wishes. Alert – this is a YA story with first person, present-tense narration and a love triangle. Fortunately, the setting, characters, and overall plot made it feel fresh. Of Metal and Wishes is inspired by The Phantom of the Opera, one of … Continue reading Of Dreams and Rust by Sarah Fine →
