mirandaburel's reviews
215 reviews

Young Hag and the Witches' Quest by Isabel Greenberg

adventurous funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Namesake by Adrienne Young

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Fable by Adrienne Young

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Not totally sure how I feel about this book. I think the story was good but the pacing felt odd to me. Felt like there was a lot going on (questioning identity, bullying, difficult relationships with parents, trying to figure out thesis, etc) that had good bones, but needed to dither: 
1. Trim some of that out and focus on only a few topics so you can get more meat to it while still making it short and readable for YA. 
 Or 2. Commit to being super long and go into deeper detail. 

Idk the stakes felt kind of high but mostly low and Felix wasn’t a super likable MC. That said, it’s a very unique and complex story and it should be told. I think a lot of people reading this will really get something out of it! 

I think if I read this when it was first pubbed I would have loved it, but now that I’m a few years out it doesn’t hit the same. 

But overall still enjoyed and would probably recommend! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Transphobia and Bullying

Minor: Religious bigotry and Deadnaming

Funny Story by Emily Henry

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

3.5

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

The Secret Summer Promise by Keah Brown

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This book was very decent! Nothing spectacular, but a fun light hearted read to knock through your TBR. Like many other reviewers said, it felt juvenile at times, and the miscommunication trope was too much. There were a lot of characters that didn’t get fleshed out and I wished it had been more streamlined. That said, still a cute story!