Girl Made of Stars--"Now she lives in the sky, a memorial to the time sacrificed because of another's choice, another's obsession, another's selfishness"

Title: Girl Made of Stars

Author: Ashley Herring Blake


LGBTQ+ Representation: Main character is bi.


Content Warnings: Sexual assault, PTSD, panic attacks, victim blaming.


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Mara is very close to her twin brother, Owen, but everything becomes confusing and upsetting when Mara's friend, Hannah, accuses Owen of rape. Mara doesn't think Hannah would lie--but how can she believe Hannah over Owen? The whole situation forces Mara to deal with unresolved trauma from her recent past. Meanwhile, things are awkward between Mara and her ex-girlfriend, Charlie, and Mara channels her frustration into her Empower group and her (maybe more-than?) friend, Alex.


What I think (in 250 words or fewer): The #MeToo movement rouses very strong emotions--both empowering and discouraging. (Read my review of Girl Mans Up to see how my emotions unfolded in real time.)

How to Be Remy Cameron--"Discovery is in the journey, not the destination"

Title: How to Be Remy Cameron

Author: Julian Winters


LGBTQ+ Representation: Main character is gay.


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Remy Cameron is pretty well-known at school: he is out and proud, surrounded by friends, and is confident that he wants to attend Emory after he graduates. However, when he is asked to write an essay defining himself, Remy does not know where to start. Gay? Black? Adopted? Single? When he meets a surprising new person and starts a new romance, Remy is more confused than ever. How should he define himself?


What I think (in 250 words or fewer): I read a lot of young adult literature--years of working with teenagers and happy memories of reading as a teenager fuel my love of books for teenagers. Every once in a while, I read a book in which the character's voice is extremely realistic: it hits that happy, confusing, hormonal, mature-yet-immature medium of teenage-hood.

How to Be Remy Cameron is that book.

The Hidden Oracle--"When one is a god, the world hangs on your every word. When you're sixteen . . . not so much."

Title: The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo, Book #1)

Author: Rick Riordan


LGBTQ+ Representation: Main character is bisexual, secondary characters are gay.


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Apollo, the (rather arrogant) god of the sun, music, and poetry, has been cast down from Olympus to Earth by Zeus as punishment. Apollo is appalled (ha!) that he is now a gawky teenage boy named Lester Papadopoulos. He must restore five oracles to to regain his godly status, and since he no longer has powers, Apollo must seek the assistance of Percy Jackson and the other campers at Camp Half-Blood.


What I think (in 250 words or fewer): I adore Riordan's Percy Jackson and Magnus Chase series; the narrators written in first-person point-of-view have amazing voices. Apollo's voice is also amazing, and I think I was smiling and lol-ing throughout much of this book, even through the suspenseful parts.

The Dangerous Art of Blending In--"Maybe the only real ugliness is what lives inside some people."

Title: The Dangerous Art of Blending In

Author: Angelo Surmelis


LGBTQ+ Representation: Main characters are gay


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Evan is the only child of Greek immigrant parents: an abusive mother who sees him as a "disappointment" and workaholic father who avoids all conflict. Evan escapes in his art and writes about his pain in his journals, and it takes Evan falling in love with his best friend Henry to realize that he deserves more than his mother's harsh words and physical violence; he is capable and deserving of love.
 

What I think (in 250 words or fewer): When I was about ten, I read Don't Hit Laurie!, which made a lasting impression because of its vividly terrifying descriptions of child abuse. My mom was NOTHING like Laurie's mom in that book, yet I read it over and over because it was morbidly fascinating and still memorable thirty years later.

I have reviewed books with terrible parents and been horrified by many of them, but none have upset me as much as the way Evan's mom treats him in The Dangerous Art of Blending In.

"You didn't think this was the end of the story, did you?"--Books that need sequels

Top 10 Most-Wished-For Sequels

I just bought a long-awaited sequel today, I have another one on order, and I literally squealed with excitement when this one was announced! (And if this one ever becomes a reality, I will be so, SO overjoyed). Ooh, and I almost forgot about this upcoming one!

Clearly, I enjoy a good sequel, so let's ignore the 20 or so books in my to-be-read pile and the 10 in my I've-read-but-still-need-to-review pile and talk about the books that need sequels. Sometimes, I am just so in love with the characters, universe, and/or plot that I need MORE.

I need to know what happens next for these beloved people whose lives I've shared through the pages of their stories. I would camp outside of a bookstore to buy these sequels, like us older people had to do for concert tickets in the pre-Internet dark ages.

In fact, most of these books had me have immediately visiting Archive of Our Own to see if there are any fanfictions about these books, and if there are, I will link to the pages.

Uma said it best.



In alphabetical order, here are my top 10 most-wished-for sequels: