By Ava Shaffer
Typically my February reading month is chock-full of cheesy romances with bad plots and worse covers. But not this time! Mayhaps I am maturing past trashy romcom books (not likely), or mayhaps I just have a YA Literature class this semester that has been guiding a lot of my TBR. This February I got to read some YA books I have been wanting to read for a long time, such as Ace of Spades, Last Night At The Telegraph Club, and Firekeeper's Daughter. Overall it was a solid reading month!
After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Awh, this was cute! Taylor Jenkins Reid is such a talented writer! Even though the story and ending were kind of cookie-cutter and cliche, she does a great job of developing interesting characters and making me care about their relationships. TJR is an auto-read author for me, and I'm excited to start working through more of her backlisted books!
Last Night At The Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
Set in San Francisco's Chinatown in the 1950s, two girls discover something in common when they visit a lesbian bar together. A simultaneously heartwarming and heart-wrenching account of first love, this story is a love letter to queerness, connection, and what it means to find home.
Although the pacing of this was quite slow (especially the first half), I enjoyed the lyrical writing and unique setting of San Francisco and The Telegraph Club. This book speaks boldly yet delicately about the queer community of the 1950s and was the first YA novel I’ve read that openly talks about butch and femme women. I recommend this book if you enjoy history set in unique locations and exploration of deep connections between well-written characters.
Also, this cover is GORGEOUS!
Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall
This story depicts the main character, Norah's, struggle with OCD and agoraphobia as she meets a new boy who just moved next door to her.
Personally, I did not enjoy this book, but I believe it is a valuable story with a unique narrative that deserves its place in YA literature. Reading this felt like a great deal of effort, and I found myself exhausted after reading only a few chapters at a time. I think that’s done intentionally, to replicate the tediousness of living with this specific mental illness, but did not make an enjoyable read for me.
However, I did like the mother-daughter relationship and the surprise ending!
I would recommend this to someone who is a more patient reader or who is interested in hearing a unique narratorial voice not commonly found in YA literature.
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
“She is a woman who is complex and sometimes exhausted, but mostly brave. She loves imperfect people fiercely.”
Firekeeper’s Daughter follows an unenrolled tribal member named Daunis as she uncovers the secrets impacting her community. This story includes romance, suspense, drug investigations, grief, family, friendship, community, and finding one’s path in life. Firekeeper’s Daughter wears many hats and covers so many important topics in such a beautiful, respectful, and delicate manner.
This book checks off EVERY box that makes a good story. Compelling characters, well-developed plot, lyrical writing, great pacing, memorable quotes- and it made me cry! A lot! There was sad crying and frustrated crying and happy/relief crying. Lots of tears, in general.
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
In this page-turning mystery, two students at Niveus Private Academy face harassment and scandal from an anonymous texter, Aces.
Ace of Spades strikes the perfect balance between crafting a complex story and presenting relevant social commentary. Also, I love that this is a standalone! I think a lot of YA mysteries feel like they need to be trilogies and then save the big reveal until you buy the third book, so I enjoy how you find out exactly what you want to know in this mystery!
This book is marketed as “Gossip Girl meets Get Out meets Pretty Little Liars” which is a great hook for YA readers! However, at times this narrative was a little bit too close to those inspiration pieces (some of the anonymous texts were word-for-word things I’ve heard watching Gossip Girl).
Also, why does every YA novel feel like they need to talk about Marvel? Is it to connect with the youths? I don’t care for it. But besides my tiny pet peeves, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!
My February Reading Stats
Books Finished: 5
Pages Read: 2,003
Book images courtesy of GoodReads