Hi friends! Can you believe we’re about half way through June? This month has been a crazy one, as the summer camp program I’m in charge of began. Which means that at any given point there can be 7 camps running in one week, so to say that my life has been busy would be an understatement!
With my busy work schedule, I thought that this week it would be nice to share some mini reviews of books that I’ve read in the last few months! For this set of mini reviews I’ll be featuring: See You Yesterday, Boulevard of Dreams, Rivals, and This May End Badly. So grab a glass of iced tea (is it as insanely hot where you are as it is over here?) and get comfy!
✩ Indicates read as an ARC
✩ See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon
I was worried that because this is a Groundhog Day type of plot line that the writing and storytelling would get monotonous, but luckily it didn’t! The first few chapters were a little similar but that was clearly done to set up the narrative and the main details of September 21st for Barrett. I really enjoyed the mystery aspect to the story and found myself most intrigued by that plot line, and I would’ve loved for it to have been a bigger focus, but I understand why it wasn’t.
It was also great to see how Barrett and Miles grew as the story went on and I enjoyed their dynamic a lot! I definitely appreciated the fun pop culture references —- sometimes authors can go overboard with those, but to me, these references felt like part of Barrett’s character, not just the author dropping a bunch of random pop culture references, especially since most of them were from the 90’s and 2000’s. It didn’t feel as though RLS was trying to say, “look at how cool I am and how I know all about current trends!” like a lot of pop culture references can feel at times. Also, shoutout to RLS for mentioning two of my favorite shows of all time, Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars.
Overall I thought that this was a fun read, and definitely had that signature Rachel Lynn Solomon feel!
Barrett Bloom is hoping college will be a fresh start after a messy high school experience. But when school begins on September 21st, everything goes wrong. She’s humiliated by the know-it-all in her physics class, she botches her interview for the college paper, and at a party that night, she accidentally sets a frat on fire. She panics and flees, and when she realizes her roommate locked her out of their dorm, she falls asleep in the common room.
The next morning, Barrett’s perplexed to find herself back in her dorm room bed, no longer smelling of ashes and crushed dreams. It’s September 21st. Again. And after a confrontation with Miles, the guy from Physics 101, she learns she’s not alone—he’s been trapped for months.
When her attempts to fix her timeline fail, she agrees to work with Miles to find a way out. Soon they’re exploring the mysterious underbelly of the university and going on wild, romantic adventures. As they start falling for each other, they face the universe’s biggest unanswered question yet: what happens to their relationship if they finally make it to tomorrow?
Links for See You Yesterday: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
Boulevard of Dreams by Mandy Gonzalez
Mandy Gonzalez is a huge musical theatre inspiration for me, and I was super excited when she announced that she would be releasing her first middle grade novel, Fearless, last year. I read it and absolutely adored it, so I had been eagerly awaiting the day when I could read the sequel, Boulevard of Dreams. This book truly filled me with so much joy; I was laughing and crying and found my foot tapping to an imaginary melody the entire time.
Boulevard of Dreams had a really fun mystery plot that I adored, which included time travel — it was so fun seeing these kids back in the 1950s — but this book was so much more than a fun mystery. This book was a love letter to theatre, most specifically, Black theatre. The theatre community would not be what it is if it weren’t for the Black artists who created so many of the signature musical and choreography styles that people love in theatre, so to see Black theatre and Harlem represented through Relly and his family was such a beautiful thing. Speaking of, if you’re interested in musical theatre, specifically the influence of Black artists in theatre, you should run to grab a copy of Footnotes by Caseen Gaines. Additionally, I think that tap dancing is an under-appreciated art form, and loved that Relly was truly so passionate about tap dancing and often tapped more than he walked.
I just adore how diverse the middle grade genre is now, as I would’ve loved to read so many diverse stories as a kid. I’m not sure if there will be more books in this series — I’m really hoping there will be as there are two members of the squad, Hudson and April, and would love to read stories focused on them. No matter how old you are, if you love theatre, I think you should absolutely read this series!
Better Nate than Ever meets Love Sugar Magic in this spooky second novel in the Fearless middle grade series from Hamilton and Broadway star Mandy Gonzalez about a group of young thespians who time travel back to 1950s Broadway.
Twelve-year-old Relly can’t wait for his beloved grandfather to finally see him on stage! Along with the rest of the Fearless Squad, Relly has just opened Our Time, a brand-new musical at the infamous Ethel Merman Theater. Though his grandfather would prefer his grandson pursue something more “practical,” Relly just knows when he sees the show, he will change his mind and come around on Relly’s love of theater and dance.
But right before their night show, a member of the Squad loses their phone down an open manhole. When the entire Squad goes down to help retrieve it, they find themselves in 1950s Manhattan. A big problem, considering the curtain goes up in about two hours—and over sixty years in the future!
With a series of clues, Relly discovers that his grandfather was a popular tap dancer, working the nightclub circuit and pursuing his dream of performing—something he’s been discouraging Relly from doing lately. Perhaps this accidental fall into a different time wasn’t so accidental after all. Can Relly help his grandfather and make it back in time for places in the show?
Links for Boulevard of Dreams: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
Rivals by Katharine McGee
Personally, I find the American Royals series so fun! It’s a great series to pick up when you want a fast-paced, entertaining, and escapist read. I love that the series focuses on four women owning and recognizing their power — both as royalty and commoners. The third installment had all the drama and intrigue of the ones before it, while also going into some more serious topics such as grief after the loss of a parent, and the racism people of color face in the media when being in a relationship with a (white) celebrity or public figure. The latter had been discussed in previous books, but it is a much more prominent storyline in this book.
I breezed through Rivals, just as I did the first two books in the series, and let me tell you, after that ending I am so glad that this series is not a trilogy. I can’t wait to see what happens in the fourth book when it’s released in 2023!
Beatrice is queen, and for the American royal family, everything is about to change.
Relationships will be tested.
Princess Samantha is in love with Lord Marshall Davis—but the more serious they get, the more complicated things become. Is Sam destined to repeat her string of broken relationships…and this time will the broken heart be her own?
Strangers will become friends.
Beatrice is representing America at the greatest convocation of kings and queens in the world. When she meets a glamorous foreign princess, she gets drawn into the inner circle…but at what cost?
And rivals will become allies.
Nina and Daphne have spent years competing for Prince Jefferson. Now they have something in common: they both want to take down manipulative Lady Gabriella Madison. Can these enemies join forces, or will old rivalries stand in the way?
Links for Rivals: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
This May End Badly by Samantha Markum
I was looking forward to this one because I love enemies to lovers and fake dating, and I think that rival schools in a prank war just sounds like a fun storyline! I wasn’t immediately captivated by the book, but I kept going and unfortunately it went downhill from there.
Truthfully, I found the main character, Doe, to be incredibly annoying. I felt that she was really selfish and didn’t listen to those around her. Additionally, I was incredibly upset with how she was so dismissive of her classmates and how they weren’t upset about the boys and girls schools merging. I understand that her school was a place where she felt safe and she didn’t want things to change, however, she wouldn’t listen when people were telling her that the schools being gendered could be extremely harmful to any students who are trans or non-binary. Eventually, she basically has a realization of, “Oh, maybe they’re right and having this be an all girls school could be invalidating!” but it was really bothersome with how long it took her to understand that, no matter how many times people told her.
However, my biggest issue with the book was the side plot of a male teacher being a sexual predator that wasn’t handled well at all. All the girls at the school know that this teacher is sketchy. They tell each other to avoid being alone with him whenever possible, and Doe tells a younger classmate to call her in case that girl is ever called into that teacher’s office alone again. The girls have all heard the rumors, and yet no one says anything. I know that not all victims are able to safely speak out against their abusers, and it’s especially hard for young girls. Then there’s the issue of adults and law enforcement not listening to them or not taking action, but in this case it felt more like the girls were trying to keep it a secret, which is far more harmful.
Eventually, when one of the girls calls Doe in tears because the teacher in question made a pass at her, the girls and boys schools stand together to take action. When their parents finally get involved and ask why they never said anything, they say that they didn’t want to cause their parents any stress or cause trouble, which just drove me crazy. What’s really upsetting is that this storyline felt much more like a “cautionary tale” as opposed to a serious issue that needed to be handled. It wasn’t introduced in full until the last thirty or so percent of the book, which meant that there was no real weight to it as it felt like a throwaway plot point. If you’re going to make a teacher being a sexual predator a plot point of your story, you need to actually make it a plot point, discuss it throughout the entire story and give it the importance that it deserves. And I don’t think that the summary saying, “a teacher long suspected of inappropriate behavior messes with a younger Weston girl” is enough to alert the reader of the real seriousness of the situation.
Overall this book was a real disappointment.
Pranking mastermind Doe and her motley band of Weston girls are determined to win the century-long war against Winfield Academy before the clock ticks down on their senior year. But when their headmistress announces that The Weston School will merge with its rival the following year, their longtime feud spirals into chaos.
To protect the school that has been her safe haven since her parents’ divorce, Doe puts together a plan to prove once and for all that Winfield boys and Weston girls just don’t mix, starting with a direct hit at Three, Winfield’s boy king and her nemesis. In a desperate move to win, Doe strikes a bargain with Three’s cousin, Wells: If he fake dates her to get under Three’s skin, she’ll help him get back his rightful family heirloom from Three.
As the pranks escalate, so do her feelings for her fake boyfriend, and Doe spins lie after lie to keep up her end of the deal. But when a teacher long suspected of inappropriate behavior messes with a younger Weston girl, Doe has to decide what’s more important: winning a rivalry, or joining forces to protect something far more critical than a prank war legacy.
This May End Badly is a story about friendship, falling in love, and crossing pretty much every line presented to you—and how to atone when you do.
Links for This May End Badly: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
Have you read any of these books? If so, share your thoughts and opinions with me in the comments! Until next time!
