Always and Forever, Lara Jean

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han (2017), 336 pgs.

High school is coming to an end, and Lara Jean is looking forward to the next four years at her dream school--with her dream guy! She will soon realize, though, that her future is not yet set in stone. Between applying for schools, going to lacrosse games, planning a wedding, and baking the perfect chocolate chip cookie, Lara Jean has a lot on her plate (literally and figuratively). As she tries to make the most of her time with her boyfriend, friends, and family before graduation, Lara Jean must also figure out what she wants to do next. 

It is tough being a senior--caught in the balance between enjoying the present and planning for the future--and this book captures that struggle well. Jenny Han ends the To All the Boys I've Loved Before series on a high note of nostalgia and growth and good vibes (mixed with some expected angst). Change is hard but also good.

P.S. I Still Love You

 

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han (2015), 337 pgs.

Lara Jean Song Covey is back for another semester of junior year--this time with a boyfriend! She is finally living out her dreams of having a real-life romance, but between the drama of last semester, "advice" from her heartbroken sister, and the re-emergence of old crushes and exes, everything is not quite as magical as she had hoped. 

It is nice to be back in the To All the Boys I've Loved Before universe. Lara Jean continues to make mistakes--like any other high schooler (or adult for that matter)--but really tries her best to take care of her family and herself. This is a fun summer YA romance and a great continuation from the first book. 

To All the Boys I've Loved Before

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han (2014), 368 pgs.

Lara Jean has never had a boyfriend, but she has had five great loves in her 16 years of living. For each of the boys she has loved, Lara Jean has written one letter to contain her deep feelings. She never intended for her letters to be read--for her feelings to be reciprocated or even known at all--but one day, she finds that they have all been sent, and their recipients have questions for her. Now, all of a sudden, Lara Jean is not only forced to deal with her new role as the oldest girl at home (while her older sister is in Europe for college), but she is also forced to confront the other side of her one-sided love stories. Could the life she has only fantasized about be hers for real? 

As a fan of the movie, I knew most of what I was getting into before I started reading, but I was still pleasantly surprised. It is nice getting to know Lara Jean's thoughts and anxieties through her point of view, as well as seeing more of her relationships with her sisters. Jenny Han captures the awkward teenage girl experience well. Lovers of YA Romance will enjoy this new(er) classic.

The View From Mount Joy

The View From Mount Joy by Lorna Landvik (2007) 349 pages

Joe is ready to start his senior year of high school when he and his mother move because they can't make it on her income in a small town after his father dies. They share a house with his mother's sister in Minneapolis. Joe gets a job at the local grocery store and gets to be great friends with the owner. Joe is considering a career as a journalist. He wishes that Kristi, the head cheerleader at school, would go out with him. Well, that is not exactly what happens. Meanwhile, his best friend is Darva, a young woman who is not afraid to follow her own dream, up to a point.

This novel follows these mostly realistic people into adulthood and shows how life doesn't always turn out the way we plan. Except that Kristi's path is rather strange, and reminds me somewhat of our own society almost 20 years later. Slice-of-life with some weirdness built in. Nice book.

A selection of February graphic novels

 Marie Curie: A Quest for Light by Anja C. Andersen and Frances Andreasen Osterfelt, with art by Anna Blaszczyk (2018) 136 pages

The writing is succinct. The art on every page looks like collages with paper cut outs of different colors and textures. Diary entries and letters make this biography very personal. I really enjoyed the creativity of this one.

 

 

 

 

Heartstopper: Volume 1 by Alice Oseman (2018) 288 pages

I'm working on the Hoopla challenge for 2025 while focusing on reading more graphic novels this year. February is Romantic Reads.  I flew through this first volume in one day. There is a lot of space between the panels on many pages and not much text in speech, thought, or mobile texts. Very creative how it tells the story visually as often as it does. I have not seen the TV series yet, and I'll probably wait to continue this comic series.

 

 

 

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell (2019) 289 pages

Compared to the one above, I liked the art and writing a bit better. The pages are denser with emotive visuals. Freddy Riley has her group of queer friends in high school. Laura Dean doesn't see their relationship as monogamous. Laura has so much extrovert energy and doesn't seem to care that she discards Freddy so easily when she wants attention from others. Freddy is so enamored with Laura's brief moments of attention that she doesn't notice her other truly good, close friends, or the new girl working several part-time jobs in town to pay for college. Freddy's eye opening journey is pretty special.

 

 

The Puerto Rican War: A Graphic History by John Vasquez Mejias (2024) 112 pages

I appreciate the timeline and interview with the author that is included at the end. It is a short story of Puerto Rican history that I was not familiar with before. The author makes prints from woodcuts. The text is challenging to read at times, but with concentration it could all be understood. The unique style is visually expressionistic and very detailed.

Deep Cuts by Kyle Higgins and Joe Clark with various artists (2024) 312 pages

I loved this! #1 in New Orleans 1917, the art and story are amazing, looking at the roots of modern jazz. #2 in Chicago 1928, a novice Broadway songstress has an adventure that references The Wizard of Oz. You begin to see that there are threads that connect the stories. #3 in Kansas City 1940, Alice, a young black girl, tries to solve the mystery of why her dad stopped his music career. This includes research at her local library! #4 in New York City 1956, is documentary-like looking at the jazz scene and the influence of harder drugs. #5 in Los Angeles 1968, shows threads connecting some of the previous stories, but is more countercultural and the art took me longer to embrace. #6 in multiple locations 1977, ties all the issues together. Characters and themes return. Jazz history comes full circle. Oh, and the lead sheets at the end are a cool bonus. I, too, wonder if there are audio tracks somewhere of this music.

Solitaire

 

Solitaire by Alice Oseman (2014), 400 pgs.

Tori Spring finds no particular joy in being alive. She goes to school, talks to as few people as possible, and returns home as quickly as she can to create an entry on her blog, watch a film, or talk to her brother (who is, quite probably, her best friend). Tori finds almost everything uninteresting, not worthy of a second glance, until one day, she notices a trail of bright sticky notes which lead her to a blog called "Solitaire." She meets another student, Michael Holden, who has discovered the blog, and they embark on a journey neither of them could have expected. 

After reading, and loving, the Heartstopper graphic novels, this book's much darker tone took me a bit by surprise, but it fits well within the universe Oseman has created. Tori's external indifference and internal cycle of discovery and doubt create a frustrating, but very real, experience for readers as they see the world simultaneously through her eyes and from the outside. She discovers something new, then hides from it; she reaches out, then recoils; and no one in her life seems to understand her, except perhaps Michael Holden. Overall, the book was a bit drawn out for me--especially with the cycle of actions and emotions Tori experiences--so I would have enjoyed a slightly condensed version more, but I liked getting to know Tori better and found Oseman's world building to be very impressive.

Anger is a Gift

 

Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro 463 pp.

It's not often a book gives me a strong, visceral reaction but this one hit me hard. The story is one we have seen too often in the news: police overstepping their boundaries, causing death to the innocent African-Americans. The story centers around a high school student named Moss who, when he was younger, saw his father gunned down by an officer and suffers from PTSD as a result. His father's crime was being a known protester against injustice who just happened to be shopping. When the Oakland high school in a rundown building with no money for books or other services, enters into a contract with the police department to make things "safer" the first thing that happens is the serious injury of a previously injured student by "malfunctioning" metal detectors. A student walk-out turns into a violent travesty with the police injuring and ultimately killing a teen, a young man who is Moss's first real boyfriend. Further demonstrations also turn violent and eventually the Oakland mayor and police chief back down somewhat - after a white girl is killed by police. Events in this book are sickening because they are going on in too many places in this country, Reading this book brought back the same feelings I had as a junior high student when I read Kristen Hunter's The Soul Brothers and Sister Lou. Just the idea that we still need books about racial injustice against young people over fifty years later is sickening. When will it ever end? This is one of the books I will be discussing with high school students as part of the Great Stories Grant. 

Heartstopper vol. 1

 Heartstopper vol. 1 by Alice Oseman, 263 pages.

This sweet and simply colored graphic novel follows Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson as they meet, become friends, and then start developing a different kind of feelings for each other. 

Kara already wrote about these books here, and I'm only sad it took me this long to finally pick up the first one. The story was adorable and classic, and as soon as I finished volume one I was sad I hadn't taken out volume two as well. This story seems to be exactly what it says on the tin, an adorable and easy to read romance.

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces

 Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero  294 pp.

Gabi Hernandez is a food loving, overweight, Mexican-American high school senior. In this book she chronicles her life during her senior year with all its joys, difficulties, and tragedies. Her best friends have their own crises, one getting pregnant and the other coming out as gay and getting kicked out by his parents. Through it all Gabi deals with her problems with a restrictive mother and a drug addicted father and her struggles with weight. Her one real joy is the poetry group one of the teachers starts. Through that she finds a real boyfriend and gets accepted to college at UC-Berkeley, her dream school. This story is very well written and really makes you care for the characters and their lives. This is one of the selections for my high school book club and I'm looking forward to discussing it with them.

Yellow Brick War and The End of Oz

Yellow Brick War and The End of Oz (Dorothy Must Die #3 & #4) by Danielle Paige (2016 & 2017) 270 & 277 pages

I listened to the audiobooks on Hoopla narrated by Devon Sorvari. It was back in 2020 when I listened to part two of this YA series. This year I've been continuing many series I read years ago. I remember the main cast of characters and generalities, but find that I have forgotten many specifics. I wasn't acclimated for several chapters of Yellow Brick War. Ultimately I thought #3 was a weaker entry in the series. Even though I needed reminders of certain things, I thought this one became repetitive by going over plot points from books #1 and #2 too many times. The objective for Amy Gumm is the same as it has been through the first two books. She is working with the Order of the Wicked, who are the "good guys," to kill the tyrant Dorothy. Amy spends a good portion of the story back in Kansas reconnecting with her mom and getting to know her "reformed" bully. The Nome King, who appears several times in Baum's adventures and in the movie Return to Oz, is introduced, but his impact on the plot here is hazy. When Amy returns to Oz there is a bit of strategizing for the upcoming battle amidst her blossoming love for Nox. This epic war was not very exciting despite Amy turning herself into a dragon-like monster at one point. It was long and pointless. I don't mean in the sense of the futility of war. I mean that the battles have very few consequences on the plot and central characters. 

Book four was better. Dorothy is still not dead. Amy has a supernatural meeting with Lurline the past fairy queen of Oz, and that is a deep cut for Oz fans. About half the chapters are from the point of view of Dorothy as she is saved, imprisoned, and engaged to the Nome King. The threat of Dorothy's power combined with the Nome King's is more consequential. There are so many plans at cross-purposes. The other half involves Amy, Nox, and Amy's former bully Madison travelling from Oz to Ev, where the Nome King rules. Characters are introduced that people would recognize from the movie Return to Oz, but of course Ms. Paige adds a twist. The romance between Amy and Nox is taken to the next level. Amy and Madison clear the lingering tension between them further. The showdown and resolution between Amy and Dorothy is creative. The epilogue is fun too.

Go with the Flow

 Go with the Flow by Lily Willliams & Karen Schneemann  627 pp.

This graphic novel should be read by all teenagers, no matter their gender. As the title suggests, it is about menstruation and it is a much needed attempt at removing the stigma surrounding menstrual periods, which one half of the population experiences. This is not that cutesy little book girls were given in health class (Do they still do that?). The story centers around four girls, their friendship, and their experiences with their periods and the lack of support given by their school regarding necessary hygiene products and how every female experiences periods differently. What starts with complaints to the school principal and one of the girls blogs on the subject grows into a larger protest by one of the girls that goes viral and provides much needed publicity to the issue. The book is appended with good information on menstruation and activism. 

Twelfth Grade Night

 Twelfth Grade Night by Molly Horton Booth, Stephanie Kate Strohm, and Jamie Green, 160 pages.

Vi started at Arden High, a magical public high school, for a fresh start and an escape from uniform skirts. But the school isn't the same without her twin brother, who was supposed to switch with her and decided to stay at the private school they had been attending. Luckily, Vi is quickly swept up in the excitement of the new school. She's swept into helping plan the twelfth grade night dance, and swept away by Orsino (aspiring poet and influencer). The only problem is that he wants her to ask Olivia to go to the dance with him, and Olivia keeps flirting with her, not to mention that all of her new friends seem to assume she's not even interested in guys.

This is a shockingly true adaptation for a high school au that also removes the most central plot element of the original play (ie, Vi is not masquerading as her twin brother). Somehow it still comes together into something that feels like Twelfth Night (which, fun fact, is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays). This comic is fun and weird, and it's super fun to see how the author's twisted some things to make the story feel completely natural in the modern day. Apparently there's another upcoming book in the series called King Cheer and I'm very excited for it.

High School

High School by Sara Quin & Tegan Quin, 369 pages

In 2019, the twin queens of Canadian indie rock, Tegan and Sara, published this memoir of their high school years. These were the years when they started learning to play music (by stealing their step-dad's guitar out of his office while he wasn't home and playing along to whatever grunge music they had playing at the time), write songs (many of which were spurred by their confused feelings about their best friends/girlfriends), and work together musically while fighting tooth and nail otherwise. 

This was a great book, and I can see why it's being adapted into a TV series for Amazon. It's relatable, captivating, and full of stories that are a bit more dramatic than anything I experienced in high school (of course, I was a band geek, so what do I know?). I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, which is read by the the twins (thankfully they announce their name before each chapter they read, as their voices are pretty similar) and is interspersed with low-fi recordings of their first songs. More than once, I found myself humming the songs, none of which I'd heard before, despite being a big fan of theirs. It also includes a short interview between Tegan and Sara about writing the book and recording the audiobook. A great book and an even better audiobook.

The case of the missing men

The case of the missing men / Kris Bertin & Alexander Forbes, 300 pages.

Fans of Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys will like the vibe of this odd graphic novel that tells the story of a small town with big issues.  People are going missing, others are being murdered but the cops don't seem to be on the case.  A high school detective club starts looking for one particular missing man and finds many others.  What is happening in Hobtown?  Only a group of crazy kids can solve this mystery but at the same time, they are dealing with their own teen-age and hormonal issues.  I had a hard time following this at times and I can't say the art elevated my experience. Maybe this one was just too odd for me.

 

Normal People

Normal People  by Sally Rooney (2018) 273 pages

When the story begins, Marianne is rich and as smart as can be, but isolated from most people, having no friends at school, although she doesn't seem to mind that much. Connell is one of Marianne's classmates, also quite smart, but he is not in a privileged class—his single mother works for Marianne's mother as a housekeeper. He is quiet but well-liked at school. He picks his mother up from Marianne's house regularly and gets to know Marianne, starting off a quiet friendship and later a sexual relationship as well, but he will not acknowledge Marianne at school, where his friends are openly unkind to her. Marianne encourages him to apply for the college she plans to go to and he gets in, but at college, he is somewhat listless, feeling like he doesn't really belong.

This compelling story takes us through four years of their intersecting lives, sometimes from Marianne's point of view and sometimes from Connell's. Angst comes almost as a given, considering their youth, and the author shares their mindsets clearly, with few words. It's a somewhat haunting novel.

Trust Exercise

Trust Exercise / Susan Choi, 257 pgs.

I feel like I didn't manage this book very well.  I started then stopped and it took awhile to get back to it.  In the end, I enjoyed it.  Three sections from three different perspectives, the first part seemed too long, the second about right, the third too short. An interesting conceit that may have been better all at once.  The characters all attend a well known "arts" high school but the setting is secondary to what happens to the characters.  In the end, we aren't exactly sure what to believe, the first section being a story written by one of the characters, the second, a reaction to that story and the third, seemingly "real life."  See, I'm a little confused even after reading.  Some reviews say the ending makes the "puzzle fall into place."  Sure, maybe, or maybe it brings more questions.

The swallows

The swallows / Lisa Lutz, read by a full cast, 402 pgs.

Stonebridge Academy is a small New England prep school.  Alex Witt is a new teacher there who had a hard time at her previous teaching job.  This new school seems fine, the kids typical, the head master an old friend of the family.  But are things really as they seem?  A random creative writing assignment turns up some responses that make Witt wonder what is going on.  As she finds out more, she wonders why other teachers have not intervened, instead, one has used oddities at the school as plot for his new book.  The plot turns when an exploited population takes a stand.  This book is narrated by a cast that does a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life. 

Magic for Liars

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey, 336 pages

Ivy Gamble is a private investigator with a long history of catching adulterers and cons. But Magic for Liars finds her taking on her biggest case yet — the murder of a teacher at a high school for magical children...where her twin sister works...and is therefore a suspect. Magic-free and trying to hide it, Ivy heads to Osthorne Academy for Young Mages to try to untangle the motives, magic, and high school rumors that surround this crime.

While a lot of people would hear "magical school" and immediately think of Harry Potter, this is thematically much closer to Veronica Mars in its examination of teenagers and the very real hijinks they can get up to. I enjoyed Gailey's take on high school, and I liked Ivy as a boozing PI character. I was able to figure out the twists way before I should have, but really, I loved the setting and the story enough to overlook it. I look forward to their next novel!

The Poet X

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, 361 pages.
Xiomara Batista, daughter of immigrants, high-school student in a tough school, twin, a young woman trying to get comfortable with her new larger self, and the self-named Poet X of the title, tells in a long beautiful series of poems the story of herself. She fights with her mother, does her best to protect her twin brother, questions her faith, and tries to navigate encounters with male classmates and grown men and their unsolicited and often crude comments regarding their desire for her. The Poet X emerges slowly, after her break-up with her boyfriend, after her move away from the church, and after she feels the loosening of the lifelong bond with her twin, as Xiomara starts to read and perform her poems in public. A very well-written, engaging and moving book written for a young-adult audience.

The Best Kind of People

The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall, 430 pages

When a high school teacher is arrested, accused by four students of sexual misconduct on a class ski trip, his life and the lives of his family are turned completely upside down. The author transports the reader delicately into the evolving points of view of  his wife, adult son, and high school-aged daughter. We see how the crisis changes relationships within and outside the family. Like his family, I kept wondering whether to believe the man or his accusers. Whittall's novel, published in 2016, evokes the #MeToo movement that has lately resonated through our society.