My Dark Vanessa By: Kate Elizabeth Russell

My Dark Vanessa
Author: Kate Elizabeth Russell
Publisher: William Morrow
Published: March 2020
Format: Paperback
Pages: 373
Rating: 2.5/5
Summary:
Exploring the psychological dynamics of the relationship between a precocious yet naïve teenage girl and her magnetic and manipulative teacher, a brilliant, all-consuming read that marks the explosive debut of an extraordinary new writer.

2000. Bright, ambitious, and yearning for adulthood, fifteen-year-old Vanessa Wye becomes entangled in an affair with Jacob Strane, her magnetic and guileful forty-two-year-old English teacher. 

2017. Amid the rising wave of allegations against powerful men, a reckoning is coming due. Strane has been accused of sexual abuse by a former student, who reaches out to Vanessa, and now Vanessa suddenly finds herself facing an impossible choice: remain silent, firm in the belief that her teenage self willingly engaged in this relationship, or redefine herself and the events of her past. But how can Vanessa reject her first love, the man who fundamentally transformed her and has been a persistent presence in her life? Is it possible that the man she loved as a teenager—and who professed to worship only her—may be far different from what she has always believed?


Alternating between Vanessa’s present and her past, My Dark Vanessa juxtaposes memory and trauma with the breathless excitement of a teenage girl discovering the power her own body can wield. Thought-provoking and impossible to put down, this is a masterful portrayal of troubled adolescence and its repercussions that raises vital questions about agency, consent, complicity, and victimhood. Written with the haunting intimacy of The Girls and the creeping intensity of Room, My Dark Vanessa is an era-defining novel that brilliantly captures and reflects the shifting cultural mores transforming our relationships and society itself. 

Dear Universe By: Florence Gonsalves

Dear Universe
Author: Florence Gonsalves
Publisher: Little Brown For Young Readers
Published: May 2020
Format: ARC Paperback
Pages: 352
Rating: 3.5/5
Summary:
Dear Universe,
Sorry for interrupting you with my presence, but I'm wondering if you could have my back for once. I recently had a massive chin zit and a period stain you could see from space and my boyfriend kissed someone else and also my dad is dying faster than usual. If you could show up during my last English class so I can graduate and like achieve my potential or something, I'd appreciate it.


It's senior year, and Chamomile Myles has whiplash from traveling between her two universes: school (the relentless countdown to prom, torturous college applications, and the mindless march toward an uncertain future) and home, where she wrestles a slow, bitter battle with her father's terminal illness. Enter Brendan, a man-bun- and tutu-wearing hospital volunteer with a penchant for absurdity, who strides boldly between her worlds—and helps her open up a new road between them.

The Boyfriend Project By: Farrah Rochon

The Boyfriend Project (The Boyfriend Project #1)
Author: Farrah Rochon
Publisher: Forever Romance
Published: June 2020
Format: Paperback
Pages: 368
Rating: 4/5
Summary:
Samiah Brooks never thought she would be "that" girl. But a live tweet of a horrific date just revealed the painful truth: she's been catfished by a three-timing jerk of a boyfriend. Suddenly Samiah-along with his two other "girlfriends," London and Taylor-have gone viral online. Now the three new besties are making a pact to spend the next six months investing in themselves. No men, no dating, and no worrying about their relationship status . . .


For once Samiah is putting herself first, and that includes finally developing the app she's always dreamed of creating. Which is the exact moment she meets the deliciously sexy, honey-eyed Daniel Collins at work. What are the chances? When it comes to love, there's no such thing as a coincidence. But is Daniel really boyfriend material or is he maybe just a little too good to be true?

Toronto International Festival Of Authors 2020

 Welcome back bookworms! If you've been following me for a while, you'll know exactly what I'm about to share and discuss with this years Toronto International Festival Of Authors (TIFA) event that was held Virtually this year due to the pandemic. TIFA has been a festival that helps bring readers and authors together for an eleven day event with plenty of panels and discussions to choose from. This year the event is being held from October 22nd to November 1st. There are still many events to attend virtually and since it's all online, that means anyone from around the world this year can sit in and watch, which I think is AMAZING!

I've been able to attend quite a few events between work, and I have to say they have been pretty great! There have been a lot of discussions that have been talked about based off what we've been witnessing this year, and I think that it was a great way to open these discussions up even further, and to get people talking about what is happening in the world. I also have been enjoying listening to their writing process, how they deal with writers block, and so much more that I know many fellow writers love to listen about!

Finding Yvonne By: Brandy Colbert

Finding Yvonne
Author: Brandy Colbert
Publisher: Little Brown Books
Published: August 2018
Format: ARC Paperback
Pages: 276
Rating: 3.5/5
Summary:
Since she was seven years old, Yvonne has had her trusted violin to keep her company, especially in those lonely days after her mother walked out on their family. But with graduation just around the corner, she is forced to face the hard truth that she just might not be good enough to attend a conservatory after high school.


Full of doubt about her future, and increasingly frustrated by her strained relationship with her successful but emotionally closed-off father, Yvonne meets a street musician and fellow violinist who understands her struggle. He’s mysterious, charming, and different from Warren, the familiar and reliable boy who has her heart. But when Yvonne becomes unexpectedly pregnant, she has to make the most difficult decision yet about her future.

Elektras Adventures In Tragedy By: Douglas Rees

Elektras Adventures In Tragedy
Author: Douglas Rees
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Published: May 2018
Format: ARC Paperback
Pages: 288
Rating: 3/5
Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Elektra Kamenides is well on her way to becoming a proper southern belle in the small Mississippi college town she calls home. That is, until her mother decides to uproot her and her kid sister Thalia and start over in California. They leave behind Elektra's father—a professor and leading expert on Greek mythology, and Elektra can't understand why. For her, life is tragedy, and all signs point to her family being cursed.

Their journey ends in Guadalupe Slough, a community of old Chicano families and oddball drifters sandwiched between San José and the southern shores of San Francisco Bay. The houseboat that her mother has bought, sight unseen, is really just an ancient trailer parked on a barge and sunk into a mudflat.


What would Odysseus do? Elektra asks herself. Determined to get back to Mississippi at all costs, she'll beg, cheat, and steal to get there. But things are not always what they seem, and home is wherever you decide to make it.

Everything Everything By: Nicola Yoon

Everything Everything
Author: Nicola Yoon
Publisher: Delacorte Books
Published: September 2015
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 306
Rating: 4/5
Summary:
My disease is as rare as it is famous. It’s a form of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, but basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in fifteen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives. New next door neighbors. I look out the window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black t-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly. I want to learn everything about him, and I do. I learn that he is funny and fierce. I learn that his eyes are Atlantic Ocean-blue and that his vice is stealing silverware. I learn that when I talk to him, my whole world opens up, and I feel myself starting to change—starting to want things. To want out of my bubble. To want everything, everything the world has to offer.


Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.