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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was so incredibly sweet and I loved all of the characters, the perfect book to start the new year with!
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Cursing, Alcohol
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting
so mid 😭 extra 0.5 points for naming chapters after gracie abrams and newjeans songs
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Death of parent, Abandonment
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts
it was okay and a super quick read, but “Okay” is just about all it was for me :/
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another super cute YA romance ❤️ Tashie Bhuiyan is a favorite of mine and she deserves more attention from fans of contemporary YA readers. Her love of music always shows through in her books as well, especially this one--I really liked the addition of the playlists throughout this book.
Mental health rep is something that Tashie Bhuiyan does well, and this book is no exception. Lia has depression and anxiety (which she notes are undiagnosed, but which doesn't make them any less real) and she there are many external factors that affect both. Her mother has passed away (before the events of the book), and her relationship with her father has fallen apart since. Both of them are grieving, but neither of them quite know how to deal with their feelings. Her father has decided to dive completely into his work which has basically broken his relationship with his daughter. Lia really just needs her father and he can't understand why him providing materially for her isn't enough.
The only way Lia knows how to connect to her father is through music, since is job as a music executive seems to be the only thing he cares about. She got her love of music from him, and it's really the only thing they have left since Lia's mother died.
Besides the exploration of Lia's mental health and her relationship with her father, I also really liked Lia's relationships with the boys of Third Eye. It definitely had self-insert fanfic vibes (which I do NOT mean in a dismissive or condescending way!). The author mentioned in her note at the beginning how important One Direction was in forming many of her friendships and the fanfic community is strong around that band, so I'm just inferring some things here 😊 Honestly what teenage girl didn't dream of becoming bffs with a band as they rise to fame? It's the stuff every good fanfic is made of.
The romance was very sweet and super slow burn, which I love in YA. Lots of hurdles to get to the HEA, but totally worth it. From the misconceptions of Skyler at the beginning to slowly finding out that Lia and Skyler had a lot more in common than they thought, to the scene at the music competition (shh no spoilers 🤫), I really loved how their relationship progressed throughout the book.
Also I loved the epilogue.Lia and Skyler get their HEA, but Lia's life isn't magically perfect. She still needs to work on her mental health, which her dad basically wants know part in. But Lia has taken the initiative once she's left home for college to see a therapist to try to improve her quality of life, which is extremely powerful. She knows she needs to take this upon herself because her dad isn't there for her. And that relationship is also discussed in therapy, where she realizes that her dad neglecting her is a form of abuse. Lia luckily has a support system with the boys of Third Eye and her cousin so she isn't completely alone, but I can't even imagine how difficult it must be to have essentially lost both her parents. I just really liked that even though Lia got her happy ending with Skyler, the author made a point to show that romance doesn't magically fix everything. You still need to deal with the rest of the problems in your life to keep the romance healthy.
Another awesome book by Tashie Bhuiyan. I'm on a roll with the YA books in 2024 so hopefully my streak continues!!
Mental health rep is something that Tashie Bhuiyan does well, and this book is no exception. Lia has depression and anxiety (which she notes are undiagnosed, but which doesn't make them any less real) and she there are many external factors that affect both. Her mother has passed away (before the events of the book), and her relationship with her father has fallen apart since. Both of them are grieving, but neither of them quite know how to deal with their feelings. Her father has decided to dive completely into his work which has basically broken his relationship with his daughter. Lia really just needs her father and he can't understand why him providing materially for her isn't enough.
The only way Lia knows how to connect to her father is through music, since is job as a music executive seems to be the only thing he cares about. She got her love of music from him, and it's really the only thing they have left since Lia's mother died.
Besides the exploration of Lia's mental health and her relationship with her father, I also really liked Lia's relationships with the boys of Third Eye. It definitely had self-insert fanfic vibes (which I do NOT mean in a dismissive or condescending way!). The author mentioned in her note at the beginning how important One Direction was in forming many of her friendships and the fanfic community is strong around that band, so I'm just inferring some things here 😊 Honestly what teenage girl didn't dream of becoming bffs with a band as they rise to fame? It's the stuff every good fanfic is made of.
The romance was very sweet and super slow burn, which I love in YA. Lots of hurdles to get to the HEA, but totally worth it. From the misconceptions of Skyler at the beginning to slowly finding out that Lia and Skyler had a lot more in common than they thought, to the scene at the music competition (shh no spoilers 🤫), I really loved how their relationship progressed throughout the book.
Also I loved the epilogue.
Another awesome book by Tashie Bhuiyan. I'm on a roll with the YA books in 2024 so hopefully my streak continues!!
Content Warnings
Minor: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Abandonment
Death of a parent occurs before the events of the book. MC has undiagnosed depression and anxiety. She briefly mentions having had suicidal thoughts and thoughts about self harm in the past, but does not act on either of these. She has a terrible relationship with her father, who neglects her in favor of his job. He treats her as a nuisance in most of their interactions and she feels (justifiably) abandoned by him, especially after the death of her mother.
wow this really is the lowest ive ever rated a book in its first try. i swear my mind took off atleast a 0.5 star everytime tashie bhuiyan attempted (yeah) at making a genz reference using the internet lingo. actually that's a lie cause if i did then there wouldn't be any stars left.
let me just reeinterate that this book wasn't horrible at all 😭 but it is so quintessentially wattpad right from the beginning till the end. i don't think i can ever recommend this to someone even just for getting over a slump. there literally is no originality whatsoever and that's my biggest issue whenever i don't particularly like a book. i like to believe in every book that is mostly why i don't dnf them. i like to give every book a redeeming opportunity. the entire storyline could unfold right in front of me within the first 10 pages but the way the author HANDLES the story is where it's at. tell me three things is a perfect example for that. the plot was basic and predictable but i loved the way the circumstances were created and situations were dealt with. if anything was handled differently in stay with my heart i could've easily gone for atleast a 3.5. even show for two was wattpad-core but i truly do not remember there being this much involvement of internet slangs. maybe im wrong. but im never reading it again cause i really did like it quite a bit. cannot say the same for this one </3 it's a cute little innocent book maybe even something i'd recommend to like a 12yo somewhere down the years but yeah that's pretty much it. read a tweet the other day saying second hand embarassment is so much worse than first hand and that is what this book is entirely made of 💔
ALSO THE TAYLOR REFERENCES OMFG 😭😭😭😭😭 GIVE ME A BREAK !!!!!!!! (pop songs in general too like.....except nonsense i can let that slide!).
im back cause i have more to say.
THE MAIN LOVE INTEREST'S NAME IS LITERALLY SKYLER MOON. SKY MOON. ????????????????????
okay im done.
the plot really had so much potential ngl. like wait not the plot plot but the way it could've been handled but no unfortunately it's just a really flat y/a romcom and i can say this even tho i am not necessarily a y/a (18 is still pretty young imo) i devour a good y/a !!!!! some of my favorite books are y/a today tonight tomorrow, better than the movies and even a show for two were really good! maybe it really is the time i found it too. perhaps i would've ate it up when i was 12/13/14 but sadly im not 😕
let me just reeinterate that this book wasn't horrible at all 😭 but it is so quintessentially wattpad right from the beginning till the end. i don't think i can ever recommend this to someone even just for getting over a slump. there literally is no originality whatsoever and that's my biggest issue whenever i don't particularly like a book. i like to believe in every book that is mostly why i don't dnf them. i like to give every book a redeeming opportunity. the entire storyline could unfold right in front of me within the first 10 pages but the way the author HANDLES the story is where it's at. tell me three things is a perfect example for that. the plot was basic and predictable but i loved the way the circumstances were created and situations were dealt with. if anything was handled differently in stay with my heart i could've easily gone for atleast a 3.5. even show for two was wattpad-core but i truly do not remember there being this much involvement of internet slangs. maybe im wrong. but im never reading it again cause i really did like it quite a bit. cannot say the same for this one </3 it's a cute little innocent book maybe even something i'd recommend to like a 12yo somewhere down the years but yeah that's pretty much it. read a tweet the other day saying second hand embarassment is so much worse than first hand and that is what this book is entirely made of 💔
ALSO THE TAYLOR REFERENCES OMFG 😭😭😭😭😭 GIVE ME A BREAK !!!!!!!! (pop songs in general too like.....except nonsense i can let that slide!).
im back cause i have more to say.
THE MAIN LOVE INTEREST'S NAME IS LITERALLY SKYLER MOON. SKY MOON. ????????????????????
okay im done.
the plot really had so much potential ngl. like wait not the plot plot but the way it could've been handled but no unfortunately it's just a really flat y/a romcom and i can say this even tho i am not necessarily a y/a (18 is still pretty young imo) i devour a good y/a !!!!! some of my favorite books are y/a today tonight tomorrow, better than the movies and even a show for two were really good! maybe it really is the time i found it too. perhaps i would've ate it up when i was 12/13/14 but sadly im not 😕