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heykellyjensen's reviews
2591 reviews
Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid
If you enjoy classic YA dystopian reads like The Hunger Games, this is a fun homage to the genre. It follows Inesa, who lives with her younger brother Luka and mother in a half-sunken town. Inesa and Luka are barely surviving financially through their taxidermy shop. They are very poor, thanks in part to their mother's insistence that she is ill. Dad left a long time ago, wanting to put to work the survival skills he'd been practicing and preaching. Inesa's mom's debt is enough to qualify her for The Gauntlet, a livestreamed assassination show put on by Cearus, a very rich and powerful company in the City.
Melinoë is an Angel, or one of the people groomed to be the killers in The Gauntlet. Melinoë has never failed in the game, and thanks to Caerus's ability to Wipe and recondition her brain, she hasn't had to suffer the psychological effects of her job. But that doesn't mean she hasn't felt things like love or desire or compassion or empathy, as those brain resets haven't really been as successful as they should hav been–and indeed, those very human feelings are what drive her to switch courses when the opportunity arises in The Gauntlet as she faces Inesa.
When Inesa and Melinoë face off, things don't go as they should. The girls begin to see each other for what they are, and both realize that their survival is dependent upon one another as they race through the wilderness. But Cearus isn't going to let this game fail. They need the ratings to help maintain their power.
This f/f romantic dystopian has a compelling world. I do think there were several unanswered questions about the world and what does and does not work within it, but they were easy to set aside. The reality is this is a character-driven dystopia, and readers quickly find themselves rooting for BOTH Inesa and Melinoë. . . while rooting against big corporations, big technology, and the human-driven realities of climate change. In some ways, this book felt a little TOO on the nose in today's sociopolitical climate (but that's not Reid's fault).
Melinoë is an Angel, or one of the people groomed to be the killers in The Gauntlet. Melinoë has never failed in the game, and thanks to Caerus's ability to Wipe and recondition her brain, she hasn't had to suffer the psychological effects of her job. But that doesn't mean she hasn't felt things like love or desire or compassion or empathy, as those brain resets haven't really been as successful as they should hav been–and indeed, those very human feelings are what drive her to switch courses when the opportunity arises in The Gauntlet as she faces Inesa.
When Inesa and Melinoë face off, things don't go as they should. The girls begin to see each other for what they are, and both realize that their survival is dependent upon one another as they race through the wilderness. But Cearus isn't going to let this game fail. They need the ratings to help maintain their power.
This f/f romantic dystopian has a compelling world. I do think there were several unanswered questions about the world and what does and does not work within it, but they were easy to set aside. The reality is this is a character-driven dystopia, and readers quickly find themselves rooting for BOTH Inesa and Melinoë. . . while rooting against big corporations, big technology, and the human-driven realities of climate change. In some ways, this book felt a little TOO on the nose in today's sociopolitical climate (but that's not Reid's fault).
Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang
I both liked a lot of it–Enka and Mathilde were compelling characters–but there were so many things going on that a lot of them got lost along the way.
Church Camp: Bad Skits, Cry Night, and How White Evangelicalism Betrayed a Generation by Cara Meredith
Meredith ends this book talking about how it's not about her deconstruction of faith, and she's not wrong. This isn't a book about how her faith was wrong and how damaging it was to her. It's instead a story of coming to better understand what she actually believes and doesn't, and it's explored through the lens of church camp.
I grew up in the 90s and attended a church camp for years. I loved the camaraderie, even if I didn't always understand why we only sang songs about God or we had to sit through so many counselors telling us about how they finally opened their hearts to Jesus. I ignored it, putting my time and energy into running around playing kickball or looking forward to 90 minutes of swimming and hitting up the canteen. But this book opened my eyes so widely–I indeed went to a white evangelical church camp where the mission wasn't to have kids have a good time away from home. It was to convert young people into the evangelical faith. The stories Meredith shared from her time as a camp speaker mirrored so much of what I remember sitting through.
This book does a good job reckoning with race and the evangelical strain of faith. It's white and the messaging of so many of this belief that "they don't see color" is explained through the fact they only see people in two ways: converted or not. They lay out the idea of choices in life as only one choice, either accepting their faith and beliefs or not. Meredith explained a lot of things I've been thinking about in terms of why such a narrow minded view of faith has become so mainstream and so embedded in American politics, giving language to patterns and observations I hadn't quite gotten my tongue around.
If you've read any of the bevy of recent memoirs about leaving evangelicalism, this will be up your alley. But even if those aren't your usual reads but you remember church camp and/or want a lens into the far-right, extremely strict confines of evangelicalism we're seeing culturally and politically in 2020s America, this short read will give a lot to think about.
I grew up in the 90s and attended a church camp for years. I loved the camaraderie, even if I didn't always understand why we only sang songs about God or we had to sit through so many counselors telling us about how they finally opened their hearts to Jesus. I ignored it, putting my time and energy into running around playing kickball or looking forward to 90 minutes of swimming and hitting up the canteen. But this book opened my eyes so widely–I indeed went to a white evangelical church camp where the mission wasn't to have kids have a good time away from home. It was to convert young people into the evangelical faith. The stories Meredith shared from her time as a camp speaker mirrored so much of what I remember sitting through.
This book does a good job reckoning with race and the evangelical strain of faith. It's white and the messaging of so many of this belief that "they don't see color" is explained through the fact they only see people in two ways: converted or not. They lay out the idea of choices in life as only one choice, either accepting their faith and beliefs or not. Meredith explained a lot of things I've been thinking about in terms of why such a narrow minded view of faith has become so mainstream and so embedded in American politics, giving language to patterns and observations I hadn't quite gotten my tongue around.
If you've read any of the bevy of recent memoirs about leaving evangelicalism, this will be up your alley. But even if those aren't your usual reads but you remember church camp and/or want a lens into the far-right, extremely strict confines of evangelicalism we're seeing culturally and politically in 2020s America, this short read will give a lot to think about.
No Rules Tonight: A Graphic Novel by Ryan Estrada, Kim Hyun Sook
It's 1984 South Korea and the one night of freedom for all under the country's dictatorship and strict laws: Christmas Eve. But rather than spend the night enjoying whatever it is she wants, Kim Hyun Sook is running away from who she is and what she knows she's meant to do. This is a story of romance, resistance, and life under harsh rules and even harsher punishment.
I wish I'd read BANNED BOOK CLUB first, as I think I'd enjoy this more with some of that background, but this can be read stand alone!
I wish I'd read BANNED BOOK CLUB first, as I think I'd enjoy this more with some of that background, but this can be read stand alone!
The Last Bookstore On Earth by Lily Braun-Arnold
When the Storm hit, Liz holed up in the now-abandoned bookstore where she’d once worked. In it, she trades books for supplies, hoping to survive. It feels like the safest place to be when the world outside has become more than dangerous. In addition to trying to stay safe, Liz is mourning that her former coworker Eva has left her alone, which is just another loss in a long line of losses Liz has experienced…and has avoided acknowledging and mourning.
But as a second Storm brews, a girl named Maeve barges into the bookstore hoping for safety. Immediately, she and Liz are at odds until they realize that each holds a special skill that can help them survive. Maeve is difficult, unfriendly, and, well, she barged into Liz’s space without asking and refuses to find her own shelter–or at least that’s the perspective we get from Liz. As readers, we pretty quickly see that Liz’s perspective might not be the truthful one but one marred in some of her own difficulties and sometimes-challenging and, well, unlikable characteristics. But then Liz realizes Maeve has some skills that make her stay appealing, namely that she might be able to help fix up the store and prepare it for whatever storm will come next. Liz says she can stay.
Perhaps it’s the fact they’re potentially witnessing the end of the world and perhaps it’s the fact that opposites can attract and perhaps it’s the fact they are holed up in an abandoned bookstore together, but Liz and Maeve are weathering the storm together and growing closer and closer.
But Liz’s inner demons are roaring and Maeve’s secrets are also showing up, all thanks to a trip the two of them make outside the bookstore in order to gather more supplies. Despite how many good feelings are growing between the girls, their potential relationship might be over before it begins. Can they set their pasts behind and hang on to one another through the rapidly devolving world around them…and potentially survive not only the storm but long enough to have a true, meaningful relationship?
A sapphic dystopian climate change novel? This book had all of the fixings for one that I would like, and I really did. It’s a tightly-written "small" story in that there are few characters and the difficulties they encounter are both big–climate change–and small–when Maeve tells Liz they need to leave and Liz stays behind, is it because there is a real need to leave or is it because Liz herself is stubborn and difficult when she doesn’t get her way? Maybe it’s all of the above. There is a lot of loss in this book, and while it certainly approaches grief and mourning, at the center of this story is what it means to be a survivor and how being a survivor may fundamentally change who you are. Did you want to survive in the first place or would it have been better to be a victim to an unfriendly world?
Get Real, Chloe Torres by Crystal Maldonado
Chloe and her former BFFs Sienna and Ramona haven't talked in a long time. But Chloe cannot stop thinking about them, as the boy band they grew up with and adored, INTONATION, is having a one-night-only charity show in Las Vegas. Despite begging her dad for tickets to the show, Chloe's dad won't budget. No way is he letting his daughter go across the country to see this band, even if she's just graduated high school and is about to go to college.
But then, on her birthday, Chloe's dad relents. He has many rules related to her attending the concert, including that she will be driving and staying in hotels he designates; she, however, is less interested in those than in convincing Sienna and Ramona to join her, despite how the three of them haven't been friends in a long time.
By luck, they agree. They are all very different from when they were friends, and each has a different motivation for going on this road trip. What unfolds is a story of how friendships shift and change and how sometimes, bigger romantic feelings can alter the dynamic of a friend group (and that's not necessarily anyone's fault).
This is a fun story featuring three queer brown girls on a road trip to see a boy band. It's a story of complicated friendship, as well as a story about finding out who you are as an individual. Chloe's life is anything but put together, even if it can look like it from the outside. The message is, of course, that that is okay. We are always learning about ourselves and growing. Sometimes there are detours, but you can make the best of them, just as sometimes you need to pull over and simply rest along the way.
You'll suspend a lot of disbelief in this one, but who cares? It's fun, and Crystal writes teens who feel like the kinds of friends you wish you had in high school. Readers who love The Fall of Whit Rivera will like this book, as Whit will make a few appearances in the story. If you want queer coming-of-age stories with a road trip and a sweet f/f romance, this'll be one you want to pick up.
But then, on her birthday, Chloe's dad relents. He has many rules related to her attending the concert, including that she will be driving and staying in hotels he designates; she, however, is less interested in those than in convincing Sienna and Ramona to join her, despite how the three of them haven't been friends in a long time.
By luck, they agree. They are all very different from when they were friends, and each has a different motivation for going on this road trip. What unfolds is a story of how friendships shift and change and how sometimes, bigger romantic feelings can alter the dynamic of a friend group (and that's not necessarily anyone's fault).
This is a fun story featuring three queer brown girls on a road trip to see a boy band. It's a story of complicated friendship, as well as a story about finding out who you are as an individual. Chloe's life is anything but put together, even if it can look like it from the outside. The message is, of course, that that is okay. We are always learning about ourselves and growing. Sometimes there are detours, but you can make the best of them, just as sometimes you need to pull over and simply rest along the way.
You'll suspend a lot of disbelief in this one, but who cares? It's fun, and Crystal writes teens who feel like the kinds of friends you wish you had in high school. Readers who love The Fall of Whit Rivera will like this book, as Whit will make a few appearances in the story. If you want queer coming-of-age stories with a road trip and a sweet f/f romance, this'll be one you want to pick up.
Homebody by Theo Parish
Parish's coming-of-age YA memoir is a stellar addition to the small but growing body of trans and nonbinary narratives for teens. We get to follow Theo come to understand their gender identity and the interactions along the way that had them questioning–for good and for bad–who they are in the body they inhabit. Ultimately, we see Theo come to understand themself as trans and nonbinary. Their biggest revelation and euphoria emerge when they come to name themselves. Theo is a powerful ode to their youth and a promise to their future.
The art is lively, and the colors of the book are perfect. The purple/blue wash is one that I always enjoy seeing in graphic novels, and Parish's work was no different.
This will be an empowering memoir for many young and not-so-young readers. It'd be a solid book to hand to readers before they progress to Gender Queer or to hand to readers who love Kobabe's memoir. The repeat appearance and humor tied to Theo's cat was bonus.
The art is lively, and the colors of the book are perfect. The purple/blue wash is one that I always enjoy seeing in graphic novels, and Parish's work was no different.
This will be an empowering memoir for many young and not-so-young readers. It'd be a solid book to hand to readers before they progress to Gender Queer or to hand to readers who love Kobabe's memoir. The repeat appearance and humor tied to Theo's cat was bonus.
The Unboxing of a Black Girl by Angela Shanté
A knockout, gut punch of a poetry collection. The book is Shante's memoir and it focuses on not only her coming of age, but how she came to understand that she needs to break out of the boxes she's been presented in order to thrive. Those boxes, she describes, are cultural and historical, are part of trauma and part of education, but no one–especially people who live at the intersections of varying identities–needs to choose to keep those boxes on.
A Catalog of Burnt Objects by Shana Youngdahl
Caprice's brother just got back home from intensive rehabilitation for substance use and a subsequent accident that changed his life forever. As she's navigating what their relationship will be like, she's finding that her brother's fun spirit seems to have returned–he's teasing her for developing a little fascinating with a new boy who regularly runs by the house.
But it's not just that boy, River, that has Caprice's attention. She's been working hard on developing an app with some seed money from a local investor. The app would help people take advantage of all the things there are to do in her home town of Sierra, California.
As Caprice is getting to know River and her brother, as well as spending more time with her best friend Alicia, things take an unexpected turn. Sierra is experiencing a wildfire like they have never experienced before. It wasn't entire unexpected–living there was being aware wildfires could be a reality, especially thanks to climate change–but the extent to which Sierra is destroyed and Caprice's life is turned upside down could never be properly prepared for.
This book is inspired by the Paradise, California, wildfires. Reading it during the LA wildfires in January 2025 was a little too close to home and made reading Youngdahl's author's note about the fires yet to be experienced chilling.
It's a compelling novel, and Caprice is herself an engaging and complex character. There is a lot of loss in this book, both in material and immaterial things. Throughout the book are interstitials written by members of the Sierra community about the objects lost in the fire. Readers will come to understand the why of that later in the book, but it added a layer to the narrative that made the story take on even more depth.
One thing upon reflection that I don't think was adequately wrapped up was Mason's story. In the first bit of the book, where we meet Caprice's brother and learn about the accident that hurt Mason, Mason comes up quite a bit. But following the fire, there is nearly nothing about him or his story, although it took up a bit of real estate initially. A lot happens in between, especially when it comes to loss, but I wish this had come up again–how did the fires impact his family?
This might be a difficult book for folks to read when it comes out because of its immediacy and relevance. But even if it's too raw, it's worth picking up when you can. There's a strong message about the impact of humans on the climate and about mental health. We get to understand the challenges of living with someone who has had their life upended by addiction, but we also get to see the ways grieve ravages those who have no history of mental illness and yet find themselves struggling with their mental health when processing a major event like a wildfire.
But it's not just that boy, River, that has Caprice's attention. She's been working hard on developing an app with some seed money from a local investor. The app would help people take advantage of all the things there are to do in her home town of Sierra, California.
As Caprice is getting to know River and her brother, as well as spending more time with her best friend Alicia, things take an unexpected turn. Sierra is experiencing a wildfire like they have never experienced before. It wasn't entire unexpected–living there was being aware wildfires could be a reality, especially thanks to climate change–but the extent to which Sierra is destroyed and Caprice's life is turned upside down could never be properly prepared for.
This book is inspired by the Paradise, California, wildfires. Reading it during the LA wildfires in January 2025 was a little too close to home and made reading Youngdahl's author's note about the fires yet to be experienced chilling.
It's a compelling novel, and Caprice is herself an engaging and complex character. There is a lot of loss in this book, both in material and immaterial things. Throughout the book are interstitials written by members of the Sierra community about the objects lost in the fire. Readers will come to understand the why of that later in the book, but it added a layer to the narrative that made the story take on even more depth.
This might be a difficult book for folks to read when it comes out because of its immediacy and relevance. But even if it's too raw, it's worth picking up when you can. There's a strong message about the impact of humans on the climate and about mental health. We get to understand the challenges of living with someone who has had their life upended by addiction, but we also get to see the ways grieve ravages those who have no history of mental illness and yet find themselves struggling with their mental health when processing a major event like a wildfire.
A Greater Goal: The Epic Battle for Equal Pay in Women's Soccer-And Beyond by Elizabeth Rusch
Rusch's work of nonfiction tells the story of the decades-long fight by US Women's Soccer players to achieve equal pay (and equal treatment) as their male peers. It pulls together the stories of many of the women in the fight, which brings it a different flavor than reading about the fight from the women individually–I've read at least two of the player memoirs and this comes up, but Rusch gives a greater scope of the story.
That said, I do wish more of the players had their voices in this one. It felt a little too play-by-play, especially in the middle. The final chapter about how you can fight for equal pay in your workplace felt tacked on, especially since one of the suggestions was to go into higher paying fields.
I listened on audio, and the production was just okay. There were several points the edits were easy to hear which. It's fine in this format if you want to listen to the book. I did push the speed up, since I found myself wanting to get through the book more than savor the performance.
That said, I do wish more of the players had their voices in this one. It felt a little too play-by-play, especially in the middle. The final chapter about how you can fight for equal pay in your workplace felt tacked on, especially since one of the suggestions was to go into higher paying fields.
I listened on audio, and the production was just okay. There were several points the edits were easy to hear which. It's fine in this format if you want to listen to the book. I did push the speed up, since I found myself wanting to get through the book more than savor the performance.