btwnprintedpgs's reviews
1302 reviews

I'm on the fence with this book. I read it quickly - mainly because Ali Hazelwood's writing is so easy to read - but I feel like I was not invested in the romance at all, which is such a big part of this book, and much of the plot felt a little too easy.

Mallory has left the world of chess when she was fourteen. We meet her when she's a jaded 18, trying to support her family - her mother, who has rheumatoid arthritis, and her two younger sisters, Sabrina and Darcy - with her meagre beginner mechanic salary. When she's offered a chess fellowship after a surprising win at a charity chess tournament, she is hesitant to go back to the sport she left behind, but what other option does she have when the money is good?

I related a lot to Mallory's elder sister mentality - taking on too much of the reality of the family and the burdens of knowing that your family is struggling, while hoping your siblings can be spared the thoughts. I loved her side of things. Despite her flaws, I loved her as a character and related to her a lot. She had a lot to contend with and I appreciate that we get to see so much of her family life and dynamics throughout the story.

Enter the LI, Nolan Sawyer. 20, world champion, and ranked number 1 in chess, he's a god within the chess community. However, I found him as interesting as a cardboard cutout. He's thoughtful and I did feel like he was able to parse Mallory's BS pretty well to get her to see reality, but outside of Mallory's orbit, he was just... there. We never really get to know him that well and anything he does or say is related to chess or Mallory. There's nothing that's just HIM and maybe it's because he's given so much to the sport, but I felt like his best friends, who are tertiary characters, secondary at times, had more personality to them than he did.

Then there was the chess side of things. Yes, Mallory puts in the work to learn and study, plus she has the advantage of being a prodigy of sorts, but it all felt so easy. I saw the twist coming from a mile away, and while I loved how it worked out, it did feel like an idealized, rosy, fairytale end that was wholly unrealistic. The message was heartwarming, but I wish it had been a bit more realistic.

All in all, it's a good and easy read, but I wanted a bit more from it. I'm curious to see what else Hazelwood has up her sleeve, but I do wish she'd leave the broody, unknowable LI behind and start working to develop them more.

Rep: MC's mother has rheumatoid arthritis

TW: sexism, misogyny, financial trouble, chronic illness; mentions sexual content, infidelity, death of a parent, death of a grandparent, institutionalization, dementia, ableism, car accident, alcoholism

Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
World Building: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Pacing: 3/5
Overall: 3/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers via PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group in exchange for an honest review.

Fans of Legends and Lattes and This Will Be Fun will love this cozy adventure fantasy.

Tao is an immigrant, one of very few, it seems, from a rival nation. As such, she sticks out like a sore thumb wherever she goes (and is sometimes shooed out for that reason). But, she is determined to travel her way around the country, telling her small fortunes - she can see little things that'll happen in the future. She'd rather that than go home. Because home isn't quite home to her.

I loved Tao's quiet character. Despite her seeming like a pillar of independence, you can feel her loneliness and craving for love and a place to land. That comes in the form of people - Mash and Silt, friends on a mission to find Mash's daughter; Kina, a baker who makes ugly pastries and is unsure what her goals are in life; and Fidelitus, a curious cat who likes stealing their food. I adored this cast of characters and reading about their little adventure felt like a giant hug. The stakes are mostly low, the vibes are super cozy and mundane, while still having nice fantastical elements to it.

I also appreciated the dialogue around immigration and racism, about feeling out of place even though you've been somewhere for so long, and the loss of identity for a place that was left long ago. I loved how Tao found a place for herself despite these feelings and the judgement of others and how she and her compatriots helped others find their place at the end. It was all so heartwarming and I truly enjoyed my adventure with them.

TW: racism, lost child, alcohol consumption, micro-aggressions, violence, death of a parent

Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 4.5/5
Writing: 5/5
Pacing: 4.5/5
Overall: 5/5

ARC gifted by Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

It's so sad that we live in a world where books like these have to exist to help people and victims process their grief and have people empathize with their loss and experience. But we do, and Emily Barth Isler captures both the heartbreaking sense of loss and trauma, as well as the hope for the future, in this beautiful middle grade novel. 

I love the discussions around grief and the idea that grief can be so different for different people. Our main character just experienced the loss of her younger brother after a terminal heart condition took his life, and now she steps into a new school where many of the kids from her year were victims of a school shooting 4 years ago. Unsure how to talk about her grief in the midst of the grief of all these other children who have collectively experienced something horrible, our main character learns to listen and observe and love people as they are and listen to their stories and they to hers. This was such a beautiful book about friendship and family and loss and grief and truly depicts the impact of today's politics and our world as it is right now and the impact it is having on generations of tomorrow. 

Definitely a standout middle grade for me this year. Despite all of the grief that feels these pages it was truly an uplifting novel and I loved how our characters reach a point of healing by the end. Grief is infinite, but love is infinite as well and I think that's the truly beautiful lesson shared within this novel.

TW: grief, school shooting, death of a sibling, alienation; mentions child death, death, injury detail, bullying

Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Overall: 5/5

ALC gifted via NetGalley by Lerner Digital in exchange for an honest review.

The contents of Happiness Falls matches the cover well. It was such a layered read exploring gender and racial biases, ableism and what makes a person a person, the mystery of their father's disappearance along with questions of his characters, and the linguistic and psychological aspects of biases, authority, and happiness.

This book took me two months to finish, not because it wasn't good, but because every time I read it I felt this overwhelming sense of dread. There's the element of their father's disappearance and the immediate fear we feel for Eugene, who is autistic and has Angelman syndrome, when the family realizes that he is the only person who can confirm exactly what happened to their father. We have Mia as our narrator, sharing her side of the story as a sort of retrospective, and her twin brother John, who tries to see the best in every situation and never seems to panic. Then there's their mother, trying to hold onto her sanity as the story unfolds. It all compounded into this story of fear and dread and unnerving suspense as we wait to hear the truth of how this family ended up here. It was all built up so well, with it slowly unravelling as the story went on, and when I was in the book, I was all in.

I loved the racial overtones of this book. Not simply the elements of being biracial in a mostly Caucasian neighbourhood, but looking at generational traumas, linguistic implications and connections, and the concept of shame, and how that all feeds back into the overarching story. It was such a unique way of approaching these topics and I appreciated how it all felt necessary to understanding the characters and their motivations and biases better. I especially liked how it fed into the idea of what makes a person smart - how "broken-English" is more often used to describe Asians struggling with English rather than someone from say France or Germany; how one's ability to put their ideas into words indicate intellect; how one can be two different people in two different languages; and how all this feed into Eugene's general inability to communicate and what assumptions people make about his intellect as a result. These layers all help to build up each character, but also build up the story and mystery, and again that sense of shame around assumptions.

This book left me feeling simultaneously unnerved, joyful, and very very unsure. I loved the dissonance throughout the story and how that looped back in the end, and I appreciated how it all wrapped up in a way that was almost happy, but still in a minor key (iykyk). I really enjoyed this book, and absolutely inhaled it. I will definitely be picking up Miracle Creek soon, because I need more of Angie Kim ASAP.

TW: grief, racism, microaggressions, ableism; mentions infidelity, death of a parent

Delves into the hurt and grief of the unearthing of the 215 Indigenous kids found on the grounds of a residential school in Canada. Talks about who should be doing the work, whether there can be reconciliation without truth, and the heartbreak that happens when the system fails you and the people you love.

This was an important book about community, activism, and the long history of the mistreatment of Indigenous people.

TW: grief, police brutality, violence; mentions child death, child abuse, religious bigotry.

Finished copy gifted by Highwater Press via ZG Stories in exchange for an honest review.

This book felt nostalgic, despite me not having any camp experiences myself. I loved the strong female friendships that are built, and tested, and made stronger by life happening around them.

I love the snippets we get of Nora's life at home and the short snapshots of the other girls' experiences and lives. Everything is depicted in a way that kind of feels like magic and love all wrapped up for you.

I would definitely try another Vikki VanSickle book in the future. This was a delight!

TW: mentions anorexia, bullying

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4.5/5
World Building: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Pacing: 4.5/5
Overall: 4/5

Finished copy gifted by Penguin Teen Canada in exchange for an honest review.

I flew through this book most because it was a nothing burger in terms of plot. It was very easy, I couldn't get super invested in the characters, and by the end I wasn't surprised that the conflict was super easy to solve (barely an inconvenience).

I loved the idea of the book - cozy fantasy, a haunted ish villa, a wedding, and a romance for the ages. However, what I got was insta-lust, two characters who had one defining trait each, magic that didn't do much after the first quarter of the story, and a wedding that we barely got to see. It felt like the ingredients were all there but the final product went wrong somehow.

Also, there's a green flag and there's a doormat, I feel like the MMC was definitely a doormat. Also, he smirked every other time he was on the page, so that's a no.

Anyways. Three stars for an easy read, two stars knocked for all this story is lacking.

TW: alcohol consumption, injury detail, blood, sexual content; mentions death, grief, vehicle accident, infidelity

Plot: 2/5
Characters: 3/5
World Building: 3/5
Writing: 4/5
Pacing: 3/5
Overall: 3/5

ARC gifted via Indigo by Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

What a great anthology! I learned a lot and really enjoyed every story. The illustrations are stunning, as well. I loved getting a picture of each MC and I appreciate that each story shows how diverse Muslim people are - people from all around the world believe and there's something beautiful about that.

Perfect - Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Family so often feels like being pitted against one another and compared. Loved how these two girls talked it out and came up with creative solutions to their problems.

TW: mentions infertility and microagression

Yusuf and the Great Big Brownie Mistake - Aisha Saeed
Love the element of tradition of the brownies and sharing the responsibility of building something together.

Kareem Means "Generous" - Asmaa Hussein
Loved the lesson of generosity and caring for those around you. This was a sweet story.

Don'ut Break Tradition - S.K. Ali
Finding joy during hard times. Loved how the community came together to celebrate.

TW: cancer

Just Like Chest Armor - Candice Montgomery
Such a sweet story about loving being a hijabi and the reverence that comes with wearing one.

TW: microaggression

Gifts - Rukhsana Khan
I enjoyed experiencing Ramadan with Idrees, and seeing the various views on fasting and gifts around the season.

The Feast of Sacrifice - Hena Khan
Talks through the importance of the pilgrimage to Mecca, and the idea of sacrifice and giving back to the community. Delved more into traditions and what "sacrifice" truly means.

Seraj Captures the Moon - G. Willow Wilson and Sara Alfageeh
A cute adventure comic. Loved this idea to include this.

Searching for Blue - N.H. Senzai
A story of Syrian refugees on the eve of Eid. Heartbreaking and real, a story of community and finding joy. 

TW: racism; mentions war, death of a parent, death

Creative Fixes - Ashley Franklin 
The difficulties of converting to a new religion and trying to conform. The beauty of thinking outside of the box.

Taste - Hanna Alkaf
I love Hanna Alkaf, she had like five minutes to hurt me and she took it.

TW: mentions car accident

Eid Pictures - Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
A lovely poetic piece about the snapshots of our present and our past.

Not Only an Only - Huda Al-Marashi
The isolation of being the only Muslim in the class and one of the few in town. Worrying of being different and the questions of outsiders. Exclusion within community despite being the same.

TW: microaggressions

Maya Madinah Chooses Joy - Ayesha Mattu
Finding joy even when things change. Choosing to be happy with chosen family and understanding that things change, but love remains.

Eid and Pink Bubble Gum, Insha'Allah - Randa Abdel-Fattah
Chaos of a big family and the joys and pain of being an older sibling

Honestly, that end was deserved. Surprised me for a kids book, but I respect the choices made here.

I liked the elements of sustainability and care, over capitalism and harmful actions. 

Also, the art is beautiful.

I can see some parents not liking the end, but you know what? I loved it.

TW: death

Finished copy gifted via Indie Buzz by Annick Press in exchange for an honest review.

A solid sequel. I found some parts a bit repetitive of the first book, but I loved the drama, the action, and the character building in this instalment.

I found myself connecting more with the characters and truly getting to know them more throughout this book, and I'd definitely say this one is very much character-driven, rather than plot-/world-driven like the first. The soft moments between characters really helped me care about them and build them up more. The relationship development was super well done, and I grew to love these characters way more through this story.

The convergence at the end was epic and very reminiscent of a C-Drama, and I couldn't look away. It all comes to a head so well and I never felt like there needed to be more or less. This story as perfectly made to be a duology and I loved how all the history and all that character development and world building is woven together so well by the end.

This is definitely my favourite book by Amelie Wen Zhao so far. Excited to see what her recently announced series will do.

TW: war, blood, injury detail, fire, torture, violence, death; mentions kidnapping, death of a parent

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 4.5/5
Overall: 4.5/5

ARC obtained via NYCC 2023 via Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review.