3 stars A powerful coming-of-age story. This novel-in-verse takes a young poet, a forbidden love interest, a strict, religious mother, an apathetic father, a secretive brother, a supportive best friend, and an encouraging teacher, mixes them together, and presents a story of hardship, hope, and healing. This book tackles so many issues such as mother/daughter…
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4 stars A great resource for those starting on their anti-racist journey. Though it’s targeted toward teens, it can be beneficial for adults as well. Jewell goes through the basic progression of 1) recognizing racism, one’s own identity (both socially constructed and the traits beyond that get to the heart of the individual), and one’s…
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4 stars Another fantastic volume featuring Charlie and Nick. I really enjoyed getting to see more of the side characters in this one. Of course, Darcy and Tara are adorable as always, and it was exciting to see Elle and Tao finally face their feelings. We also see a little more of Aled. Hoping to…
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4 stars So happy I finally got to read this! Another adorable, fantastic volume. The story picks up right where the last volume ended (that cliffhanger from book one still gets me). The second volume deals more with Nick’s journey to figuring out his identity, and Charlie’s amazing supportiveness along the way. <3 Plus, we…
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4 stars That. Was. Adorable. Sometimes when a book gets a lot of attention, I go into it thinking it’ll be overhyped. Here, that was not the case. I loved watching Charlie and Nick’s friendship and romantic feelings develop. This book is so sweet and fun and adorable. Despite all the sweetness and romantic tension,…
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3 stars For me, this one was just okay. There’s no doubt the artwork is amazing. There is so much detail and emotion packed into the settings and characters. Each page pulls the reader in and really sets the mood. The story itself is very character-driven, rather than heavy on plot. There are a lot…
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