In a Nutshell Reviews

In a Nutshell Reviews are my version of mini-reviews, because sometimes, you just want the highlights.

I Never
Laura Hopper
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Rating: 4  out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Janey King’s priorities used to be clear: track, school, friends, and family. But when seventeen-year-old Janey learns that her seemingly happy parents are getting divorced, her world starts to shift. Back at school, Luke Hallstrom, an adorable senior, pursues Janey, and she realizes that she has two new priorities to consider: love and sex.

Inspired by Judy Blume’s classic Forever, I Never features a perfect, delicious, almost-to-good-to-be-true high school relationship . . . and it doesn’t shy away from the details. Destined to be passed from teen to teen, this is a young adult debut that will get readers talking.

This is a book about the things Janey had never experienced before, and it was quite a wistful walk down memory lane for me. It is blurbed as being the modern day Forever, which I can agree with, as I read that book back when I was 15. It opened my eyes to a lot of new things I was feeling and thinking about, and I found some solace in knowing that I was not the only one.

• Pro: This book is very sex-positive. There were frank discussions about sex between Janey and her girlfriends, Janey and her mom, Janey and Luke. I really appreciated all the different angles from which Hopper approached the subject. 
• Pro: Janey was not only experiencing first love, she was encountering a lot of other firsts: the first time seeing her parents as people, seeing them as flawed; she was starting to see that the world is not all black and white, but rather, there is a lot of grey, and this is a really pivotal time in a teen's life. 
• Pro: Hopper showed how the dynamic changes in one's other relationships, when they begin a romantic relationship. Janey's friendships changed, as did the way she related to her parents. She had to adjust. There were bumps, but she evaluated and made the adjustments necessary to make it all work. 
• Con: The ending was tough for me. I am an HEA girl, and although the ending was pre-determined from a very early point in the story, and is true to its inspiration, I still found it a little sad.  
• Pro: This was a story about Janey exploring her autonomy. That time in a teen's life, where they pull away a little from their parents, and begin to keep some things to themselves, while they make some of their own decisions. It was very realistic and relatable. 
• Pro: I liked Luke and Janey together. I thought he pushed her in a lot of good ways. He was patient and caring, and smooth-boy said all the right things. 
• Pro: I did think Janey grew some over the course of the story. She had quite a few ideological shifts with respect to her parents and sex. She was not totally over her insecurities, but she knew she wanted to work towards that. She knew she wanted to be able to feel wanted, beautiful, and desirable even if she was not attached to a man telling her that. I felt like she was moving in the right direction. 
• Pro: This book is really honest and realistic. I worked in a high school for 12 years, so if you think this is not the stuff going on in some teens' lives, you are mistaken. 

Overall: A bittersweet and honest story of firsts, which left me a little teary-eyed and wistful.

*I would like to thank the publisher for the review copy of this book.

Kat and Meg Conquer the World
Anna Priemaza
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rating:  4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

For fans of Nicola Yoon’s Everything, Everything, Emery Lord’s When We Collided, and Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl, Anna Priemaza’s debut novel is a heartwarming and achingly real story of finding a friend, being a fan, and defining your place in a difficult world.

Kat and Meg couldn’t be more different. Kat’s anxiety makes it hard for her to talk to people. Meg hates being alone, but her ADHD keeps pushing people away. But when the two girls are thrown together for a year-long science project, they discover they do have one thing in common: They’re both obsessed with the same online gaming star and his hilarious videos.

It might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship—if they don’t kill each other first.

“Kat and Meg Conquer the World will hit home for anyone who has ever been waist-deep in fandom, doubt, or new relationships; Kat’s and Meg’s unique voices are outstanding, and their friendship brings this story to vibrant life."—Francesca Zappia, author of Made You Up and Eliza and Her Monsters

This book begins with Kat sharing her observations on high school, which were dead on and made me laugh. I was immediately hooked and wanted to read more. Let it be known, the beginning was not a fluke, as the more I got to know Kat and Meg, the more I loved this book.

• Pro: A science project brought them together, MMORPG made them friends. 
• Pro: Speaking of MMORPG, the fandom in question, Legends of the Stone, played a huge role in this book, and I really enjoyed getting to know this fandom. 
• Pro: I really loved Meg. She was dealing with a lot of abandonment issues, which she felt were directly related to her ADHD, but she was so much more than her ADHD. She was smart, funny, vibrant, daring, and so outgoing. She was sort of the opposite of Kat, and that is why they made such a great pair. 
• Pro: Kat's battle with her panic disorder was so realistic. We saw the good, the bad, and the ugly side of it, but we also saw Kat face it, head on, and I think I fist pumped with each of her personal accomplishments. 
• Pro: Meg and Kat's friendship may have started out a little shaky, as Meg just sort of inserted herself into Kat's life, but it grew to be really special. They would do little things, which showed that they understood each other's needs, and Kat does something really major for Meg, which almost made me cry. OK, maybe I shed a few tears. It was very endearing. 
• Pro: LoTSCON! So many major things happened at the con, and I have to say, I loved it! 
• Pro: I always go gaga for solid YA families, and both Kat and Meg were obviously loved. Their parents were supportive, but also set boundaries, and I found them to be both wonderful and realistic. The siblings were pretty great too, and don't forget - the way to my heart is through a grandparent.
• Pro: Science! That is the other way to my heart. Their science fair project plays a huge role in this book, and it was fun to see them work through the process. 
• Pro: Kat's romance was as sweet as her. I wore a sappy grin on my face during all her romantic interactions. 
• Pro: Both Meg and Kat experience tremendous growth over the course of this book, and I couldn't help but jump for joy, because I was rooting for them the whole time. 
• Pro: I was so happy with the ending. 

Overall: This was such a wonderful and fun story of friendship, family, and fandoms.

*I would like to thank the publisher for the review copy of this book.

The First to Know
Abigail Johnson
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Rating:  4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Dana Fields's father never knew his parents. When Dana secretly does a DNA test for her dad, hoping to find him some distant relatives for his birthday, her entire world implodes. Instead of a few third cousins, Dana discovers a half brother her age whose very existence means her parents' happy marriage is a lie.

Dana's desire to know her half brother, Brandon, and the extent of her dad's deception, clashes with her wish not to destroy her family. When she sees the opportunity to get to know Brandon through his cousin, the intense yet kind Chase, she takes it. But the more she finds out about Brandon, her father's past and the irresistible guy who'll never forgive her if he discovers the truth, the more she sees the inevitable fallout from her own lies. With her family crumbling around her, Dana must own up to her actions and find a way to heal the breach—for everyone—before they're torn apart for good.

This was one of my Can't-Wait Wednesday picks, so I had pretty high hopes for this book. I am happy to report it did not disappoint me. What would you do if you were the first to know something that could destroy your family? This is the question Dana struggled with in this book, and I couldn't stop flipping the pages as I watched Dana build her house of cards.

• Pro: Many different types of families are explored. Single mom, single dad, foster kid, large family, extended families, adopted families. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and it's nice to see them represented. 
• Pro: Dana! This young woman was put in a tough position, and she had to hold so much inside as she tried to make the right decision. I couldn't imagine having that sort of information, and knowing it could destroy my life as I know it. She didn't always make good decisions in this book, and her decisions often had major repercussions, but they all came with good intentions, and she learned a lot of herself, her family, and she was better for it. 
• Pro: This books is packed with great characters. I found them all to be well developed and they made significant contributions to the story. I also cared about them. 
• Pro: Speaking of caring, I found myself quite emotionally invested in this family. The joy, the loss, the pain, the betrayal -- it was all there. 
• Pro: There were a lot of side plots, and when I stood back and took in the big picture, I was able to see how they were all part of the big picture. 
• Con: The ending, though good, left me glad about some things, a little sad about others, and with a bunch of questions about yet more things.  
• Pro: The drama was delicious! I kept sneaking little pieces of this book, because I had to know what happened next. It was quite addictive. 
• Pro: There is a lot of love and grace shown and there were a few times I thought my heart would burst. 
• Pro: I loved Dana's romance. Her romantic interest won me over with the first overture he made towards Dana, which was far from your typical romantic gesture. 
• Pro: This book blended stories of families, friendships, relationships, and romance, and it did it well.  

Overall: A heartfelt story of family secrets, filled with great characters and lots of feels. 

Have you read any of these books?

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