Hi besties, happy Thursday! I hope that August is treating you well so far đź’ś
At the beginning of July, I read a lot of adult horror and mystery/thrillers for Summerween, and I can’t lie, although I enjoyed it, it kind of burned me out and once Summerween ended I didn’t do a whole lot of reading. Towards the end of July, I decided to pick up some YA books for a change of pace, and it absolutely helped me get back into the swing of things.
Whenever I’m in a bit of a slump, switching genres or age ranges tends to help and it definitely did in this case. I’ve been reading a lot these last few weeks, and I thought it’d be fun to share some mini-reviews of a few of the YA books I’ve read lately.
Get cozy and let’s chat!
Bring Me Your Midnight by Rachel Griffin
As a low-fantasy/magical realism fan, Rachel Griffin’s books are exactly my cup of tea. I loved her debut, The Nature of Witches, and enjoyed Wild is the Witch, so Bring Me Your Midnight was definitely an anticipated read and I had a great time while reading it.
Writing atmosphere is one of the things that Griffin does best, and the setting of Bring Me Your Midnight was one of my favorite things about the book. I love stories set in small seaside towns, and to me, it’s the perfect backdrop for a story involving magic — Griffin catered to my interests with this one.
My favorite thing about Griffin’s books is how her stories make me feel so connected to nature! Her characters always have such a love for the earth as their magic is connected to it, and I can feel their love for nature reflected in her writing. Her books make me want to go sit on the beach, or in the woods, and unplug and observe the world around me which I think is a beautiful thing.
Tana was a lovely main character to center this story around — I admired her love for her family, friends, and their coven. I respected her sense of duty and wanting to do what was best for the people around her, and understood her logic behind putting these things above her own needs. I loved seeing her come into her own and learn that she didn’t have to follow the life that seemed predestined for her. Her relationship with Wolfe was so lovely — they had really fun banter, beautiful heartfelt moments, and they brought out the best in each other. They gave me some serious willow and ivy vibes, which as an evermore girlie, made me extremely happy.
There were great lessons and commentary on the importance of education and history, and how if we don’t share the stories of our past, we’re destined to make the same mistakes. As well as how important it is to have honest and open communication with those that we care about. This book felt like a warm hug, and I can’t wait to read it again. I’ll continue to read anything that Rachel Griffin publishes.
The Summer of Broken Rules and What Happens After Midnight by K.L. Walther
This past week and a half or so I read two K.L. Walther books — The Summer of Broken Rules and What Happens After Midnight — and had a lot of fun while reading both!
I found it easy to get lost in Walther’s writing. I would start reading and then suddenly I’d blink and I was 75 pages in. Did I find anything in these stories or the writing particularly groundbreaking? No, but I was entertained and that’s what mattered.
Both books were quick, fun, and enjoyable reads that dealt with some important subject matter and representation I hadn’t anticipated. Additionally, I thought these topics were handled very well and not shied away from. I appreciated the exploration of grief in The Summer of Broken Rules and that Walther made it clear that grief is not a linear process and that after you’ve lost a loved one, some days you’ll be fine, and the next day can be the hardest you’ve ever experienced. That all felt very real to me, and it added a level of depth to the book that I didn’t expect.
What Happens After Midnight featured a love interest with diabetes and I was so glad that it wasn’t something that was mentioned once and then forgotten. He explained how his insulin pump works, he had open conversations with his friends about his diabetes and how he monitors it throughout the day, his friends recognized his symptoms and knew how to help him when symptoms occurred. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book — at least not a YA book — where one of the main characters has diabetes, let alone is so open about it and I thought that was nice.
So, yes, while these books weren’t revolutionary or groundbreaking, they were enjoyable to read and I could see them being adapted in a similar way to The Summer I Turned Pretty. They were a lot of fun and I’ll probably check out K.L. Walther’s works when I’m looking for a fun and relaxing read.
The One of Us is Lying series by Karen M. McManus
Whenever I’m looking for a chill mystery that won’t stress me out too much but will be exciting enough to hold my attention, I turn to Karen M. McManus. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, while I don’t think there’s necessarily anything new McManus does with the YA mystery/thriller genre, her books are a fun time so I will keep reading them as she releases them.
One of Us Is Back,the third book in the One Of Us is Lying series, came out at the end of July, and I knew I wanted to read it fairly quickly after the pub date. However, I needed to reread the first two books since I hadn’t read One of Us is Lying or One of Us is Next since their releases in 2017 and 2020 respectively.
It was nice to revisit the books and remind myself of the storylines in both because there were some things that I remembered really clearly and other things that I had completely forgotten — the refresher was absolutely needed! A lot of my original opinions held up which was kind of nice!
I think my favorite part of One of Us is Back was the bond between the Bayview Crew. I loved seeing how supportive they were and how they looked out for each other and worked through their trauma together. I enjoyed those relationship dynamics and getting to see more of them. The mystery around this one I enjoyed — I liked how it all circled back to the original plot in the first book and explained more about why the Bayview Crew was targeted.
Overall, I think the last book in the series wrapped things up pretty well, and it was just a lot of fun. This also means that I can finally check out the TV series since I now remember what happens in the books!
And there you have it! It’s been a fun 2ish weeks of reading and focusing on some lower-stakes YA books. Sometimes you just need a few weeks of low-key reading to help reset your brain!
What have you been reading lately? Let me know in the comments below ↓
Until next time!
