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Review: This is Not a Personal Statement by Tracy Badua

From rising star Tracy Badua comes a poignant, propulsive standalone YA novel about a teen who, after getting rejected from her dream college, forges her own acceptance and commits to living a lie—perfect for fans of Mary H.K. Choi and Gloria Chao.

An incisive, relatable tale of acceptance, self-discovery, and the infinite possibilities that await when we embrace our imperfections.

As the youngest graduating senior at her hypercompetitive high school, Perla Perez is certain all the late nights, social isolation, and crushing stress will be worth it when she gets into the college of her (and her parents’) dreams: Delmont University.

Then Perla doesn’t get in, and her meticulously planned future shatters. In a panic, she forges her own acceptance letter, and next thing she knows, she’s heading to Delmont for real, acceptance or not. Perla’s plan? Gather on-the-ground intel to beef up her application and reapply spring semester before she’s caught.

But as her guilty conscience grows and campus security looms large, Perla starts to wonder if her plan will really succeed, and if this dream she’s worked for her entire life is something she even wants. 

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Mini Reviews: Shakespeare Reading Wrap Up

Hi everyone! Happy May! Last month I spent a lot of time consuming Shakespeare-related media as I do on the regular, but especially in April. I read a lot of really great books — including 3 non-fiction novels! — and thought it would be fun to do a little wrap-up and talk a bit about the books that I read.

So, get cozy, grab a cup of your beverage of preference, and let’s talk about some of my Shakespeare-related April reads!

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Caitlyn’s Monthly Wrap Up: April 2023

Ah, here we are again, at the end of another month and I’m sitting here going “How are we at the end of (whatever month)? Didn’t it just start?” I’m aware I say the same thing every month, but it’s true of every month. And April especially was especially quick for me.

I’m excited to share my April reads with you all, so get comfy, grab your favorite beverage, and let’s chat!

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Let’s Talk: Favorite Shakespeare Adaptations & Retellings

Hi friends! I hope your month is going well! As you all know (because I literally never shut up about it, you’re welcome), I love all things Shakespeare —- what you may not know is that William Shakespeare’s birth date and death date is April 23rd. Because of this, I always like to consume lots of Shakespeare-related media at this time, and I figured, why not make a blog post out of it?

In this post, we’ll be talking about some of my favorite books, movies, and musicals inspired by the Bard and his works. So as always, grab a cup of tea, get cozy, and let’s talk Shakespeare!

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Review: Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson

Senior year at Ellingham Academy for Stevie Bell isn’t going well. Her boyfriend, David, is studying in London. Her friends are obsessed with college applications. With the cold case of the century solved, Stevie is adrift. There is nothing to distract her from the questions pinging around her brain—questions about college, love, and life in general.

Relief comes when David invites Stevie and her friends to join him for study abroad, and his new friend Izzy introduces her to a double-murder cold case. In 1995, nine friends from Cambridge University went to a country house and played a drunken game of hide-and-seek. Two were found in the woodshed the next day, murdered with an ax.

The case was assumed to be a burglary gone wrong, but one of the remaining seven saw something she can’t explain. This was no break-in. Someone’s lying about what happened in the woodshed.

Seven suspects. Two murders. One killer still playing a deadly game.

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Mini Reviews: The Appeal, Last Violent Call, The Witch and the Vampire, The Writing Retreat, and Spells for Forgetting

Happy April, besties! I hope that the month is off to a good start for you. As I mentioned in my March Monthly Wrap Up, I ended up reading 20 books last month, and if we’re being totally honest, I just didn’t feel like writing a lot of full length reviews. That being said, there are some books that I definitely had thoughts on (both positive and…slightly negative) so I figured, why not share some mini reviews!

So get comfy and let’s chat about a few of my March reads!

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Caitlyn’s Monthly Wrap Up: March 2023

Hi friends! I know I say it every month, but this month really did seem to fly by. March was really busy — I was kind of just busy/on the go the entire month. So, without further ado let’s talk about my favorite books of the month, how the month went for me as a whole, and what I’m looking forward to this month! Grab a cup of your favorite beverage, get cozy, and let’s chat!

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Book Recs: Recommendations for Theatre Fans

Hi besties! In honor of World Theatre Day on the 27th, I thought it would be fun to share some recommendations for books involving theatre. We all know that if a book mentions theatre in any way I will be picking it up, and the five on this list are some that I really love!

This list could’ve been VERY long, especially if I decided to include non-fiction recs, but I decided to keep it short and sweet this time around — I know, you’re all shocked! So, grab a cup of tea, turn on your favorite cast recording, and let’s get to the recs.

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Let’s Talk: 30 Books I Want to Read in My 30th Year

Hi friends! This past week was a pretty exciting one, I had my 30th birthday on the 12th (yay!) and honestly, I’m really looking forward to starting my 30s. I feel like in the last 5 years (yes, that was an intention theatre reference) I’ve really started to grow into the person I’m supposed to be — and even if some days are hard, I’m definitely growing into a person I love and respect, so I’m excited to see how that continues as I enter the third decade of my life.

With this new decade of my life starting, I thought it would be fun to do a post on 30 books that I want to read during my 30th year. I started it and thought “Wow, picking 30 books feels oddly daunting?” then I decided to split it into three categories — so, in this post I’ll be sharing 10 backlist books, 10 2023 releases, and 10 new to me authors that I want to read over the next year.

So, grab your favorite beverage and a snack, get cozy, and let’s talk about books!

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ARC Review: Enter the Body by Joy McCullough

In the room beneath a stage’s trapdoor, all of Shakespeare’s tragically dead teenage girls–Juliet, Ophelia, Cordelia, and others–compare their experiences and retell the stories of their lives in their own terms.

Enter the Body gives voice to a cast of the young women who die in Shakespeare’s most iconic plays. Focusing on the stories of Juliet, Ophelia, and Cordelia, bestselling author of Blood Water Paint Joy McCullough brilliantly weaves retellings of Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet, and King Lear into a larger story about how young women can support each other in the aftermath of trauma.

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