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heykellyjensen's reviews
2577 reviews
Pretty Furious by E.K. Johnston
Maddy, Jenny, Jen, Louise, and Mags are long time best friends and textbook good white girls. Now, for their final birthdays before they graduate, each makes one wish to get revenge. That revenge begins small, but with each subsequent wish, the stakes get higher. This was a fun, well-paced, and short YA book that packed in a lot of fully-developed characters. The book takes on a lot of big, meaty topics, including hypocrisy and the church (religion and faith are handled thoughtfully!), abortion, white privilege, socioeconomic class, gender identity, and more.
Yes, there are a lot of similar names throughout. There is a character chart at the start of the book and more, this pretty accurately captures life in a small town: there are both very few people and a whole lot of people simultaneously.
Yes, there are a lot of similar names throughout. There is a character chart at the start of the book and more, this pretty accurately captures life in a small town: there are both very few people and a whole lot of people simultaneously.
Toxic: Women, Fame, and the Tabloid 2000s by Sarah Ditum
I wanted to like this much more than I did, but I've actually read books on this topic that did it a lot better. Maybe the most interesting and fresh chapter was on Jennifer Aniston, since I don't know her story as well as Britney, Paris, and others in this collection.
I think Ditum being British makes a difference–her chapter on Amy Winehouse was much stronger than those of US-based celebrities because truly, you can't understand growing up under that culture unless you're completely steeped in it (she gets close, but not close enough). My biggest quibble, though, is that she consistently mispronounces "Tila Tequila" as tie-la, not tee-la. This isn't a result of a British accent–"tea time" there is not "tie time"–and it's a VERY Googleable pronunciation. I don't get why that was allowed to slide.
I think Ditum being British makes a difference–her chapter on Amy Winehouse was much stronger than those of US-based celebrities because truly, you can't understand growing up under that culture unless you're completely steeped in it (she gets close, but not close enough). My biggest quibble, though, is that she consistently mispronounces "Tila Tequila" as tie-la, not tee-la. This isn't a result of a British accent–"tea time" there is not "tie time"–and it's a VERY Googleable pronunciation. I don't get why that was allowed to slide.
The Collectors: Stories by A.S. King
Like with any anthology, some stories resonated more than others for me. Overall, though, it is an incredibly strong array of entries from a wide range of authors, all with the premise of what a collection is–or is not. The missive is that in addition to exploring the idea of "collection," the authors were invited to experiment with style, format, and storytelling. Those who ran with it did, I think, have some of the strongest stories.
Among the standouts for me were Play House by Anna-Marie McLemore (beautiful, lyrical, engrossing writing), Take it From Me by David Levithan (the idea of giving things away was a clever take!), Museum of Misery by Cory McCarthy (the illustrative format of a museum was brilliant), A Recording for Carole Before It All Goes by Jason Reynolds (sweet and sorrowful all at once), and my hands-down favorite, Pool Bandits by G. Neri (skateboard boys in the 1970s trying to prove themselves cool by honing their wheel skills in pools they drained was not just clever but just so very teen). I was less impressed with King's entry, but even as the least exciting one for me as a reader, I read it thoroughly and didn't skip it.
It's a tight ten stories. Does it fulfill the missive in the introduction? Certainly, it goes into the exploding of format in some cases. But to capture the idea of collections, it does–and it doesn't. That's likely a point in and of itself.
Among the standouts for me were Play House by Anna-Marie McLemore (beautiful, lyrical, engrossing writing), Take it From Me by David Levithan (the idea of giving things away was a clever take!), Museum of Misery by Cory McCarthy (the illustrative format of a museum was brilliant), A Recording for Carole Before It All Goes by Jason Reynolds (sweet and sorrowful all at once), and my hands-down favorite, Pool Bandits by G. Neri (skateboard boys in the 1970s trying to prove themselves cool by honing their wheel skills in pools they drained was not just clever but just so very teen). I was less impressed with King's entry, but even as the least exciting one for me as a reader, I read it thoroughly and didn't skip it.
It's a tight ten stories. Does it fulfill the missive in the introduction? Certainly, it goes into the exploding of format in some cases. But to capture the idea of collections, it does–and it doesn't. That's likely a point in and of itself.
Snowglobe by Soyoung Park
I think this was a case of being really into the book in the first third, setting it down for too long, then returning uninspired. I skimmed the last 1/3 of the book and found the middle third kind of a slog. I really loved it when I began it though, so chances are this is more a reader failure than book failure. The premise and writing were fresh and engaging.
Ephemera by Briana Loewinsohn
This memoir mixes a story of family trauma and mental illness with a little bit of fabulism to create a moving portrayal of how nature and nurture, while intertwined, cannot and do not fully encapsulate the human experience. The main character, presumably Briana, lost her mother to mental illness as a child, and the story starts with her adulthood and moves into that past, exploring how she as a young girl never understood what made her mother sad, hopeless, and angry. But through the magic of plants and nature, the young girl becomes a young woman who begins to better understand the complexities of soil composition, nutrients, and water needs of various species. She's able to then apply that to better understanding that there may never have been answers or solutions to her mother's illness.
The soft palate of greens, creams, and browns adds to the ambiance and mood of the book, without making it feel maudlin.
The soft palate of greens, creams, and browns adds to the ambiance and mood of the book, without making it feel maudlin.
Freshman Year by Sarah Mai
This one took me back to my freshman year in college, alongside the ups and downs and challenges of learning how to adjust to "adult" life. Mai's story brings her from the Milwaukee suburbs to college in Minnesota, where she early on connects with her roommate and a roommate's friend from high school. But in the course of navigating what she wants to major in and do for a career, she finds herself experiencing a difficult breakup with her high school boyfriend and the crushing loneliness of being on her own. Sarah works hard to make new friends and have new experiences, but she's also struggling with anxiety and depression along the way. As the story unfolds, we also get to see how these feelings and experiences Sarah feels so alone in are actually not only common, but happening to her roommate and so many other people in her immediate circle. At heart, it's about where and how people process feelings and new experiences and how different it looks for every single person.
This would likely be a very different book with a person of color at the heart, but those feelings of loneliness and newness in college–especially when you've been promised such an amazing time–are resonant. The book isn't easy nor is it cut and dry with its beginning and end; it's a slice-of-life and honest in what it feels like to have certain mental expectations about college but those butt up against the reality of what college looks like.
A book like this would have made me feel so much less alone my freshman year of college. I suspect it's the kind of book that incoming students would find a lot of value in, if for no other reason than it offers a different picture of entering a whole new exciting phase of life.
This would likely be a very different book with a person of color at the heart, but those feelings of loneliness and newness in college–especially when you've been promised such an amazing time–are resonant. The book isn't easy nor is it cut and dry with its beginning and end; it's a slice-of-life and honest in what it feels like to have certain mental expectations about college but those butt up against the reality of what college looks like.
A book like this would have made me feel so much less alone my freshman year of college. I suspect it's the kind of book that incoming students would find a lot of value in, if for no other reason than it offers a different picture of entering a whole new exciting phase of life.
Just Happy to Be Here by Naomi Kanakia
Tara is an out trans girl at her private Virginia school. She's also a Brown girl, and she sees her marginalized statuses as "plus" marks to help her get into the Sybils, an elite group at the school. She doesn't want to have those as brownie points, but she's also not going to deny they might help her achieve what she desperately wants–even though she is perfectly capable on her own.
The problem is that the group is overseen by a woman who enjoys power. This all parallels the reality of Tara's life as a trans teen in Virginia. The laws there have made her living authentically illegal, and because of her parents' immigration status, while they are deeply supportive of her, they fear for what happens were she to stand out for any reason. And indeed, at one point in the story, Tara is sought out by the government. This is a key thread in the story, and it is the reality for so many of today's trans teens.
Although the secret society element didn't work for me (I was far more interested in the nuances of this group and its history, including its obsession with Greek women and I never quite felt like I got that in a way that was satisfying), I thought Tara was such a fantastic and compelling character. I loved seeing her discover what it is to be trans and what it is to trust herself through that process and all of its facets. Her parents are complex and well-drawn as well.
This book will be so meaningful to so many teens, trans and not. The author's note is a MUST read. It's frank and loving and holds so much space for all of the ways it is to be trans–even and especially in a culture where trans is seen as dangerous, wrong, illegal.
The problem is that the group is overseen by a woman who enjoys power. This all parallels the reality of Tara's life as a trans teen in Virginia. The laws there have made her living authentically illegal, and because of her parents' immigration status, while they are deeply supportive of her, they fear for what happens were she to stand out for any reason. And indeed, at one point in the story, Tara is sought out by the government. This is a key thread in the story, and it is the reality for so many of today's trans teens.
Although the secret society element didn't work for me (I was far more interested in the nuances of this group and its history, including its obsession with Greek women and I never quite felt like I got that in a way that was satisfying), I thought Tara was such a fantastic and compelling character. I loved seeing her discover what it is to be trans and what it is to trust herself through that process and all of its facets. Her parents are complex and well-drawn as well.
This book will be so meaningful to so many teens, trans and not. The author's note is a MUST read. It's frank and loving and holds so much space for all of the ways it is to be trans–even and especially in a culture where trans is seen as dangerous, wrong, illegal.
One in a Millennial: On Friendship, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In by Kate Kennedy
The audiobook of this is fantastic in terms of performance–when Kennedy is emotional, you hear and feel it–though note the production and editing are not seamless. That said, the book itself is an excellent pop culture meets memoir about growing up in the 90s and 00s and where and how the cultural zeitgeist of those eras impacted millennials as adults. There is a particularly excellent chapter in here about infertility and the lies perpetrated by abstinence only sex education.
Rez Ball by Byron Graves
This is a much-needed book in the YA world. It's got excellent representation and it features a younger YA character. I enjoyed it quite a bit and know that there are so many readers for it. That said, while the actual sports writing was fantastic–I was right there in the games!–a lot of the writing left something to be desired and required quite a bit of suspending disbelief. I'm not sure Tre was particularly well-developed (and I had a hard time buying how he was so quickly able to become a stand-in captain with the ability to persuade his entire time to make a behavioral change) but more, I did not think his parents or teammates were developed. The budding romance didn't work, either, though Khiana was herself a character I wanted to spend more time with.
For the teen readers of this book, these quibbles won't matter because it is such an engaging story.
For the teen readers of this book, these quibbles won't matter because it is such an engaging story.