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Review: And They Lived . . . by Steven Salvatore

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: And They Lived . . . by Steven SalvatoreAnd They Lived by Steven Salvatore
Published by Bloomsbury on March 8, 2022
Pages: 384
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
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five-stars

From the author of Can't Take That Away comes a sex-positive, fairytale-inspired YA novel that celebrates first love and self-acceptance, perfect for fans of What If It's Us.

"My heart didn't stand a chance. I loved it from once upon a time all the way to its joyfully complex ever after." - New York Times bestselling author Becky Albertalli

Chase Arthur is a budding animator and hopeless romantic obsessed with Disney films and finding his true love, but he's plagued with the belief that he's not enough for anyone: he's recovering from an eating disorder and suffers from body dysmorphia fueled by his father, and can't quite figure out his gender identity. When Chase starts his freshman year of college, he has to navigate being away from home and missing his sister, finding his squad, and contending with his ex-best friend Leila who is gunning for the same exclusive mentorship. If only he can pull together a short for the freshman animation showcase at the end of the semester.

Then Chase meets Jack Reid, a pragmatic poet who worships words and longs to experience life outside of his sheltered world. But Chase throws everything into question for Jack, who is still discovering his sexual identity, having grown up in close-knit conservative family. Jack internalized a lot of homophobia from his parents and childhood best friend, who unexpectedly visit campus, which threatens to destroy their relationship. Chase will have to learn to love--and be enough for--himself, while discovering what it means to truly live

I think this is the hardest book I’ve ever had to review because of how hard it punched me in the gut. It was just… Amazing, wonderful, perfect. Powerful. Meaningful. It broke me in the best possible way. There were moments when I had to stop reading. Just had to put the book down and take a breath. Chase’s struggles with his body image/body dysmorphia were painfully relatable. One line in particular, especially:

“When I heard him tell mom that I’d never find anyone to love me because of how I looked, I cried myself to sleep.”

I’ve actually had someone in my life tell me this. That no one would love me unless I lost weight. That line was a gut punch because I knew exactly how Chase was feeling in that moment. It hurts when someone you love says shit like that. It hurts and it leaves mental and emotional (and sometimes physical) scars.

Another line that stood out: “People like me rarely get the storybook ending.” Because.. Ouch. That’s a mood. It was uplifting and heartwarming to see Chase get his HEA because it gives me hope that maybe I will, too, someday.

Jack’s coming out story was wonderfully handled. Often times, it’s the queer MC who has the coming out narrative, so it was refreshing to see a secondary character/love interest get that instead. And Jack was such an interesting character, in general. His character development was amazing.

I loved Benny so much. He was hilarious and an amazing friend. Most of his lines made me laugh out loud. Like: “This is truly the gayest thing I’ve seen in a really long time. And I looked in the mirror this morning.” Truly, Benny just had me cackling the whole time. Chase’s whole friend group was amazing, honestly. It made me nostalgic for college and the friends I could have made, had I known then that I was queer. It was easy to picture myself in Chase’s position, especially given that CIA was based on my real life alma mater, Ithaca College. I could easily picture myself on campus, living Chase’s life and story. Being friends with Benny and Sofia and Chloe; meeting a Jack of my own..

Anyway, I digress. Tangent done, heh. Anyway. My point is, this book was just wonderful and relatable and perfect. Also, incredibly sex positive, which I think is super important for teens in general, but especially queer teens. Teens need to see what a healthy, consensual relationship – romantic and sexual – looks like. This book covered so many important topics, my review doesn’t even touch the surface of what it covered – including (but not limited to) Chase’s struggle with his gender identity. There are some TW’s for misgendering, outing, homophobia, bulimia, and a few other things. This book also encourages – even normalizes – the idea of seeing a therapist and struggling with suicidal ideation/thoughts.

This book just let me feeling so raw and vulnerable an exposed, but also hopeful and warm. Like everything would be okay eventually. I fell in love with this book on page two. I hugged it when I finished it. I laughed. I cried. I just… Could keep babbling on and on about it, but I honestly don’t think my rambling is doing it the justice it deserves. So I just highly recommend you go ahead and buy it and read. Steven Salvatore, you broke me with this one. Thank you, truly. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for writing this story. I needed it. And I’m sure many others did, too.

Now that I’ve written an incredibly emotional review that has left me feeling incredibly exposed and vulnerable… *Clears throat.* Please go read this book. I’ll be over here hiding now… *Runs away.*

five-stars

Guest Review: Reign the Earth by A.C. Gaughen

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Guest Review: Reign the Earth by A.C. GaughenReign the Earth by A.C. Gaughen
Series: The Elementae #1
Published by Bloomsbury on January 30, 2018
Pages: 438
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
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five-stars

Shalia is a proud daughter of the desert, but after years of devastating war with the adjoining kingdom, her people are desperate for peace. Willing to trade her freedom to ensure the safety of her family, Shalia becomes Queen of the Bonelands.

But she soon learns that her husband, Calix, is motivated only by his desire to exterminate the Elementae—mystical people who can control earth, wind, air, and fire. Even more unsettling are Shalia’s feelings for her husband’s brother, which unleash a power over the earth she never knew she possessed—a power that could get her killed. As rumors of a rebellion against Calix spread, Shalia must choose between the last chance for peace and her own future as an Elementae.

This intense, richly drawn high-fantasy by the author of Scarlet will hold readers spellbound.

A message from Meredith: Hey everyone! Today, I have Lissa here with a guest review for Reign the Earth by A.C. Gaughen!

You can find Lissa on Twitter!

Without further adieu, here’s Lissa’s review! Enjoy!

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I adored A.C. Gaughen’s Scarlet trilogy, in all its dark, and brutal glory. It has been a long time since we have had a new book by this author, so I was alternately ecstatic and concerned in the lead up to the release; however, any fears I had as to whether or not I would love it were unfounded.

A.C. Gaughen has a unique ability to write complex and emotional characters in such distressing situations, without making the squeamish (i.e. me) turn away. The intensity of her writing creates such vivid scenes, I am thankful I can hide behind the distance pages (as opposed to movie images) give me.

Shalia’s sacrifices and loses tore me to pieces, and the brief moments of happiness she was allowed were a trickle compared to a waterfall. I need the next book ASAP! Highly recommend this one.

five-stars

Review: The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: The Start of Me and You by Emery LordThe Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
Published by Bloomsbury on March 31, 2015
Pages: 384
Source: the publisher
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five-stars

Following her pitch-perfect debut Open Road Summer, Emery Lord pens another gorgeous story of best friends, new love, & second chances.

Brimming with heartfelt relationships and authentic high-school dynamics The Start of Me and You proves that it’s never too late for second chances.

It’s been a year since it happened—when Paige Hancock’s first boyfriend died in an accident. After shutting out the world for two years, Paige is finally ready for a second chance at high school . . . and she has a plan. First: Get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to date her—the perfect way to convince everyone she’s back to normal. Next: Join a club—simple, it’s high school after all. But when Ryan’s sweet, nerdy cousin, Max, moves to town and recruits Paige for the Quiz Bowl team (of all things!) her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live?

I absolutely loved Emery Lord’s debut, Open Road Summer. So as soon as I heard she had another book coming out, I added it to my TBR – And I’m so glad I did!!! The Start of Me and You was beautiful and epic and perfect. Like, as much as I loved Open Road Summer, I loved The Start of Me and You even more – and that’s saying a lot, because I don’t think I had even a single negative thing to say about ORS! Same goes for The Start of Me and You. It had an amazing plot, adorable, realistic, lovable characters and an ending that has me begging for a sequel. I also lost count of how many times it made me cry!

I adored Paige. She was so real, raw and honest. She wasn’t without her flaws, but I liked her so much that her flaws were barely a thought in my mind. And her flaws made her feel that much more real. I felt everything she felt – her sadness over Aaron, her guilt over enjoying life, her determination to start fresh and enjoy life, her anger and confusion towards her parents, her relationship with her friends, her feelings toward Ryan and then Max – I could go on and on.

Max Watson is the love of my life. Kidding.. Maybe.. But seriously, I adored him beyond words. He was nerdy and bookish, cute, funny and flawed. I know this seems silly, but… He wore glasses! Like, in most YA novels, everyone basically has 20/20 vision, right? Or everyone can magically wear contact lenses with no problems at all. Or, if nothing else, it’s the nerdy girl who wears glasses. It was so adorably refreshing to see the guy wearing glasses. I know, I know. It’s a stupid thing to be excited about, but I loved it. Plus, I adored and shipped him and Paige like crazy!

Ryan was super sweet and I actually really shipped him and Paige in the beginning. It was very stereotypical YA to have her crushing on the cute jock, but Ryan was also really smart and funny and I loved his relationship with Max. He didn’t abandon him for fear of what his popular friends might think.

I really loved the friendships in this book. And the idea that girls and boys can be friends. It wasn’t all jealousy and love triangles. I loved the strong bond between Paige, Tessa, Morgan and Kayleigh. They were always there for each other and they were never catty or mean. They fought sometimes, but they always made up and, even when fighting, they always put their problems aside when one of them needed the others. I also liked how Max and Ryan hung out with the girls – sometimes even one on one – and it was just because they had common interests, or had classes together so they studied together. And when Tessa, Morgan and/or Kayleigh hung out with Ryan and/or Max without Paige, it wasn’t because they secretly liked the guys and they were sneaking around behind Paige’s back – They were honestly just friends hanging out. I can’t emphasize that enough. I loved it! It was so refreshing!!

I also loved Paige’s relationship with her grandmother. It was so wonderful and sweet. I loved that she could confide in her grandmother. But I also have to admit, those scenes were also the hardest to read and 98% of my crying happened because of things with her grandmother.

Another thing I loved (besides the entire book, period)? The pop culture references! I saw several Gilmore Girls references, some Bewitched references, I’m pretty sure there was a Harry Potter reference… And so many more! There was also an Open Road Summer reference, which was epic.

Overall, The Start of Me and You was epic. Seriously, I don’t have anything negative to say about it. Even parts that should have been cheesy were epically adorable and hilarious. Every time Paige and Max interacted, I either grinned like a fool or cried like a baby. If you loved Open Road Summer, then The Start of Me and You is a MUST read. And if you haven’t read Open Road Summer OR The Start of Me and You… Well, we can’t be friends anymore… *Turns around, stalks off*

I kid, I kid! But.. No, really. Go read them both. Like, now. Please? I promise, you won’t regret it! Oh, and one last thing and then I promise I’ll stop gushing over this book (Not really, though. I’ll never stop gushing over this book)… I REALLY want a sequel! And I can’t wait to read Emery’s next book. Or her next next book. Or her next next next book. Basically, I want ALL the Emery Lord books NOW. Please :)

~*~*~*~

Favorite Quote: “With true friends, no one is keeping score. But it still feels good to repay them – even in the tiniest increments.”

five-stars