Given that Younger is one of my comfort shows (a show with Hilary Duff and Sutton Foster? C'mon!) and my obvious love of books (is that a spoiler?) when I heard that the source material had a sequel I had to get my hands on both books to do a bit of a binge read. While I really, really enjoyed Younger, Older was a little more of a lukewarm experience for me. 

The good news is I'm still trash for mysterious and indulgent campus (boarding school, university) set stories. The better news? THIS MAY BE MY FAVOURITE OF THE VARIETY. At least, since S.T.A.G.S. and Truly Devious. (Also, before you ask, yes I'm excited for the adaptation and the inevitable newly drawn obsession.) 

After years of hearing nothing but great things about Penelope Douglas' brand of steamy romances, I finally icked up one. Picked. Well, actually, also ick. Credence was kind of like a mix of contemporary NA romances with V.C. Andrews and... it did not work. (For me.) 

Ricochet was an unexpectedly thrilling read. And completely unique--it left me feeling jolted by its final pages.

The Black Kids had me hooked immediately with its stunning cover and highly engaging synopsis. There was something about it that screamed 'READ ME' almost instantly and it's such a fantastic read. Trust me on this one, guys. The Black Kids is another must-read release of 2020.

We all know I love a good Arthurian Legend retelling--and Legendborn is one of the best since Once & Future. Get ready for Black Girl Magic and a well woven fantasy. Legendborn kept me on the edge of my seat and was the perfect retelling.

 

When Once Upon a Book Club reached out to send me their YA box last month, I nearly exploded in excitement. (And, yes, it is totally worth it. Not to be all Influencer, but use my code for 10% off: JESSICAB10!) Raybearer just might be my favourite fantasy of the year. 

 

Nina LaCour is one of those authors who writes such lyrical stories, she continues to outdo herself in the best ways possible. Naturally, Watch Over Me was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and it definitely lived up to the hype! (Well, the hype I gave it.) 

Fans of Rachel Hollis, beware: I didn't like this one. Which is probably unsurprising, considering I'm not a huge fan of hers to begin with--but I still wanted to give her a shot after all the buzzy praise that has surrounded Girl, Wash Your Face since its release. Really, I did. (It just didn't work out.) 

I know what you're thinking: it's been so long since you've done an entry for Top Ten Tuesday! It's true. I've been taking a much needed hiatus and sticking to the surreal experience that has been my TikTok (ahem, BookTok) account. How I've got almost 36k followers on there is beyond me. Even further beyond me? The fact that my account was featured on PopSugar AND Penguin's sites. (It makes me cheesily emotional and utterly speechless.) 

But, I'm back. For now. (I would have been back last week but the blogger interface and I have been having several disagreements and I had to log off before I started grumbling under my breath.) I've missed you all and I hope things are going as well as they can be in such weird circumstances. (Ugh, 2020.)

Felix Ever After is the novel we all need in our lives. It's the young adult contemporary we've been waiting for! Needless to say, Kacen Callender did it AGAIN and delivered one of the best books of the year. Felix Ever After is must-read material and an instant classic. (Sorry in advanced if this post shows up weirdly formatted--no matter what I do, the new Blogger interface fails me.)

Long time no speak! With all the changes Blogger has recently made to its interface (I hate how everything looks right now and it's made me want to not update this blog or switch to a different site), general anxiety over the global pandemic and keeping up with my TikTok/BookTok, I had to take a little unplanned hiatus from the blog. 

Everything was just kind of... a lot, recently, and I found myself needing to take a step back temporarily. But, I'm back! And I read a lot. So get ready for a slew of upcoming reviews. 

This story tackles a lot of heavy subject matter, jumps between genres, and gets under your skin in a similar way to My Dark Vanessa. (Although, these stories aren't the same. It's just a similar feeling and exploration.)

Let's step back to 1991! Which is now, cringe, considered historical fiction. If the 1990s are now in the historical fiction genre, does that mean I am a historical artifact? (I legitimately asked my friend this. Hello, Sammy.)

How many times have I exclaimed, in the purest form of excitement, that even though this year is not a good one, we've been seeing some exceptional releases in literature? I say it at least six times a month, I think, but that doesn't make it any less true--Lobizona is proof of that.

Before we get started, please consider donating to Quileute Move to Higher Ground. Click the link to learn more. Thank you! Somewhere in time, super-young-Jessica has been slowly having a complete emotional fit of excitement over Midnight Sun. I mean, how long have we been waiting for this to be released in full? A LONG TIME. And Stephenie Meyer finally delivered.

I was going to wait until a bit closer to its November, 2020, release date but I can't anymore. I have no self-control and this novel has had me grinning in memory of it for weeks. Written in the Stars is certifiably warm and fuzzy.

Everyone say thank you 2020 for doing one thing right: some really great books. The Secret of You and Me? ONE OF MY FAVOURITE WLW BOOKS OF THE YEAR.

At first glance, I thought this week's prompt was going to be difficult for me to actually answer. Mostly because I feel like I often forget what books I review. I have a fairly good memory but that's one of my blind spots. So, I was basically bouncing around in confusion trying to think about what books I've reviewed and which I've not.

It's time to get colourful! (If you sang this in your head to the tune of Let's Get Physical: good news! We share the same brain cells!) Ah, this week's prompt was a lot more difficult then I expected! But, I do love a good challenge.

Looking for an under-hyped gem to round out your summertime reading list? Destination Wedding is here to save the day!

This Is My America is destined for beloved status. This is the young adult contemporary you need to be reaching for this year. Toss everything aside to boost it up on your TBR. It's time. But. How can I begin to describe its beauty?

Retellings. Give us all the glamorous and witty retellings, Kevin Kwan. IT'S WHAT WE DESERVE. (Also, yes, I am making grabby hands at my screen. No, I have no regrets.) Sex and Vanity was kind of everything, okay?

Erin Hahn proves once again that she's one of the best voices to come to modern young adult fiction.

Woo, woo! Still catching up with prompts. Fortunately for me, there was a freebie week this week! And nothing says, "Jessica has good timing for once!" quite like listing a few books that make me smile.

Obviously Sasha Laurens had me at the comparison to Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and The Craft. (And I'm over here wishing desperately for autumn to hurry up and arrive.) I'm not going to lie to you guys, there was a HUGE disappointed sigh from me knowing that I am not reading this during the autumn.

Did I request The All-Night Sun solely because of its stunning cover art's aesthetic? Yes. But, boy, oh boy,  you guys: this book was fantastic and so much more than I expected.

Spoiler alert: He Must Like You is yet another book I wish I'd had when I was just starting, or the middle of, high school. AND IT'S SO GOOD.

Remember last weekend when we knew peace and didn't have the faintest clue that Taylor Swift was about to drop a folksy inspired record full of some of her best, most atmospheric, story-telling lyrics? Nope, neither do I. The bottom line is folklore is basically the older sister record to Red that longtime fans have been waiting for. AND IT IS SO GOOD. (Also!! If only I had money for the cardigan she's selling. It's so perfect.)

Filed under: books I cannot stop thinking about. Or grinning over. Or attempting to shove down people's throats. (Er, okay, I wouldn't do that to a book. I AM, HOWEVER, BUYING COPIES TO PUT IN SOME LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES BECAUSE I HAVE NO CONTROL. All caps.

Sheila Williams should have been on my radar sooner. But, better late than never, right? The Secret Women was everything I didn't know I wanted from the year in fiction.

Ah, I've been having a bit of a case of writers block AND laptop issues these last few weeks. It's good to be back. (Although, my laptop is still frustrating me.) You know what that means. Time to play catch up with Top Ten Tuesday prompts! I decided to take on a prompt from a couple of weeks ago instead of discussing book events.

Last year if you told me that, exactly one year later, I'd be frothing at the mouth for vampire fiction during a global pandemic I would have asked you who your dealer was. This year, I'd say, "READ THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED. Both are by Renée Ahdieh and you are missing out." Word for word.

Am I still avoiding reading the third installment of Thornchapel? Yes. Was I having withdrawals of the Sierra Simone variety? Also yes. So, on a whim, I decided to start the Markham Hall trilogy. And. Um. Hoo, boy.

Page Street Kids continues to slay with their highly engaging, diverse YA novels and I'm forever in awe. Forest of Souls is the latest atmospheric release from their lineup--and you definitely need to be keeping an eye out for Lori M. Lee.

Young Adult Fantasy in 2020 continues to be the only saving grace of an otherwise shit-tastic year. I stand by that and am listing Cinderella is Dead as a leading example. (ALSO!! That cover!!!)

If your question is, "Does Jessica still hate Bill?" The answer is a resounding YES. (Seriously. Thank you, Charlaine, for Club Dead and its lack of Bill.)

The explosive conclusion to House of Night Other World is finally here. AND I'M SO SAD ABOUT IT? In an excited, feeling revitalized, way? It's time to get Found.

Season two of True Blood is, honestly, my favourite season of the show and maybe even my favourite season of any series ever. Although this is where the series starts to deviate pretty evenly from its source material, I had high hopes for Living Dead in Dallas.

Although I adore Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City series, we all know my feelings for the Throne of Glass series are mixed at best. I definitely delayed diving into the novellas in The Assassin's Blade.

Already familiar with Charlaine Harris' characters, via its television adaptation True Blood, and fed up with 2020's general tone, I decided now was as good a time as any to begin this series. And, spoiler alert? It's just as fun and trashy as the show.

I'm going to be real with you guys, though! It was almost overwhelming figuring out what series title to call the Sookie Stackhouse novels by. I sat down for a good half hour asking myself, "Should I call it True Blood? Should I call it the Sookie Stackhouse series? Southern Vampire Mysteries?" I mean, really, we're lucky my head didn't explode in confusion.

There was a substantial amount of hype surrounding Marissa Meyer's Renegades series. Alas, it was not my favourite. (Although, I can see why so many people might love it.)

After rereading the Divergent trilogy and lowering my rating considerably, and the miss that was Roth's Carve the Mark, I've come to the conclusion that I just don't connect with her writing. (But, because of her connection to Chicago and my youthful nostalgia for Divergent I always want to.)

So many books, so little time. It's wild to me that 2020 is halfway over. (But also, it's wild to me that 2020 has felt like at least six years crammed into one.)

In an absolutely unsurprising move I'm ecstatic to inform you guys that I am still 100% Sarah Rees Brennan and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina trash.

Non-spoiler spoiler alert: The Crow Rider is brilliant. Just as brilliant as The Storm Crow. No, no, I take that back. It's even better. UGH. I'm in love.

We all know how much I adored Tanaz Bhathena's debut novel A Girl Like That. So, it should come as no shock to anyone that I was absolutely excited for her first dive into fantasy. Boy, oh boy, did Hunted by the Sky live up to every hope I had.

After reading Ren's post re: this tag, I decided I'd join in on the fun! (Note: the original tag was created by ReadLikeWildfire and Earl Grey Books; it has since gone through several variations!) I always find myself wanting to go all out for the mid-year book freak out tag, but I kind of always forget to actually do it. And then suddenly it's a new year. This year, I was determined! Out of pure luck, I remembered to do it. I'm very proud of myself.

Recently, I had the pleasure of binge-reading The Brown Sisters, and oh my God, it was perfect. And one thing is official: The Brown Sisters series is taking its place on my shelf with my favourite series, Krista and Becca Ritchie's Addicted/Calloway Sisters/Like Us/Bad Reputation. I. AM. IN. LOVE.