JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

Leah Burke—girl-band drummer, master of deadpan, and Simon Spier’s best friend from the award-winning Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda—takes center stage in this novel of first love and senior-year angst.

When it comes to drumming, Leah Burke is usually on beat—but real life isn’t always so rhythmic. An anomaly in her friend group, she’s the only child of a young, single mom, and her life is decidedly less privileged. She loves to draw but is too self-conscious to show it. And even though her mom knows she’s bisexual, she hasn’t mustered the courage to tell her friends—not even her openly gay BFF, Simon.

So Leah really doesn’t know what to do when her rock-solid friend group starts to fracture in unexpected ways. With prom and college on the horizon, tensions are running high. It’s hard for Leah to strike the right note while the people she loves are fighting—especially when she realizes she might love one of them more than she ever intended.

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli is a young adult novel set in the United States. It acts as a sequel to the events in Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, but you can read this book on its own and you’ll still be able to follow the plot very easily. Leah on the Offbeat takes place one year after the events in Simon.

I’ve read every single novel written by Becky Albertalli, and I think she has a real talent for capturing the teenage voice. Leah on the Offbeat is very dialogue-heavy, and a lot of the scenes are written in text format. It captures the teenage slang and dialect perfectly. Every single character in Leah on the Offbeat — and all of her other books — felt real and relatable, and their dialogue was not at all forced upon the reader.

“I wish you’d give him a shot.”
“Who, Garret?” I ask, my voice jumping half an octave.
“Wells.”
My face burns. “Oh.”
I glance at Mom, who’s sitting rigidly straight, chewing on her lip. She looks vaguely distraught. I don’t entirely know what to make of it.
She sighs. “Okay, what if—”

“I’m not getting brunch with your boyfriend.”

Once I got to the end of the novel, I spent some time reflecting on the book and I noticed that there doesn’t really seem to be much plot to this. What actually happens? Sure, the characters mature and learn and relationships form and disintegrate, but what really happens? Not much.

And I don’t agree with how Leah treats some of the other students. I found it hard to connect with her, given how rude and negative she is for most of the novel. She criticises another student because she identifies as ‘low key bi’ and I don’t think that’s acceptable because it’s okay to not fully know who you are in high school. Leah is also really horrible to her mum and her new boyfriend, and although this may be relatable for some teenagers, Leah’s horrid attitude just seems over the top and I found myself deeply repulsed by some of her behaviour.

And in this moment, it’s easy to imagine this working. This friendship. Maybe we really could be roommates. We could hang around in pyjamas and Skype with Simon and eat cookies every night and make straight As all the time. She can have a boyfriend, I can hopelessly pine for a sophomore, and we’ll be legit best friends.

Ultimately, I felt fine about this book. I certainly didn’t hate it, but I wasn’t ecstatic upon finishing it. I simply enjoyed it. I do applaud that the book brings LGBTQ+ relationships to the forefront, because I think that’s really necessary in YA fiction.

Readers who aren’t as familiar with Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda will probably love this story anyway because they won’t be as familiar with the characters and they can go into this book with a fresh mindset.

Young readers who are looking for a story featuring LGBTQ+ characters will be pleased to discover Leah.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Leah on the Offbeat
Becky Albertalli
May 2018
Penguin Random House

Dear Mrs Bird by AJ Pearce

London, 1940. Emmeline Lake and her best friend Bunty are trying to stay cheerful despite the Luftwaffe making life thoroughly annoying for everyone. Emmy dreams of becoming a Lady War Correspondent and when she spots a job advertisement in the newspaper she seizes her chance – but after a rather unfortunate misunderstanding, she finds herself typing letters for the formidable Henrietta Bird, the renowned agony aunt of Woman’s Friend magazine.

Mrs Bird is very clear: letters containing any form of Unpleasantness must go straight into the bin. Emmy finds herself dismissing problems from lovelorn, grief-stricken and morally conflicted readers in favour of those who fear their ankles are unsightly or have trouble untangling lengths of wool. But soon the thought of desperate women going unanswered becomes too much to bear and Emmy decides the only thing for it is to secretly write back . . .

Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce is a warm, moving, funny tale about female friendship, courage, heroism and life in in 1940s wartime.

Emmeline Lake is a plucky young girl who desperately wants a career as a Lady War Correspondent. She’s determined and she’s confident, and she’s hired by Woman’s Friend magazine to help Henrietta Bird type letters to her readers. It’s not her ideal job, but it’s a start. The problem is that Henrietta doesn’t like ‘unpleasantness’ and so Emmeline is forced to discard the majority of the letters that they receive.

“She won’t. Oh, Bunts, you should see some of them,” I said. I really wanted her to understand. “They’re so sad. People are ever so worried about things — you’ve just said yourself about the war. Everyone’s trying their best, but some of them are in a fix. And Mrs. Bird just throws their problems in the bin. It’s not fair.”

Dear Mrs. Bird puts women in the foreground — it sheds a refreshing light on the women of wartime.

Emmeline is moved by the stories she’s hearing, and the women who are reaching out for help. Emmeline has a kind heart and wants to help others, and I think a lot of readers will find her a thoroughly enjoyable protagonist.

Dear Mrs. Bird is a really touching tale. The friendship between Emmeline and Bunty is really beautiful, and its their chemistry that drives this novel. The war does not consume these ladies’ lives — they’re concerned, yes, and cautious, but they’re also career-driven and they’re seeking a fulfilled life.

This book was (surprisingly) a favourite of mine. I loved Emmeline’s voice and her determination, and I loved the wonderful cast of characters that AJ Pearce has created.

“On nights when there wasn’t a raid, we were allowed to sleep in the volunteer room so we’d sit on our bunk beds and drink cocoa and talk nonsense. And on the nights when the raids were bad, if we had any breaks we’d talk nonsense even more to take out minds off it. Finding me a husband was perfect on that front.”

Unfortunately, the pacing is rather inconsistent — the first half of the book is really slow-moving, with the reader unsure where the story is headed. The romances are drawn out. However, the final third of the book is where most of the action happens. There’s heartbreak and tragedy and Emmeline and Bunty’s lives are turned upside down.

And then everything is resolved in a short amount of time. I think the first half of the book could’ve been trimmed or quickened, and the climax of the novel could’ve been drawn out a little more so that the reader didn’t feel like everything was moving too fast.

“In the middle of Europe being battered by a derange madman and Britain doing its best to keep the hope of a free world alive, the three of us were playing like children in the snow. For these moments it was as if nothing had changed from a time when everything was simple and Mother and Father could make anything horrid just go away.”

I’d recommend this to those of you who love women’s fiction — romance, rural romance, historical fiction. Dear Mrs. Bird is moving and fun, but it’s also got a lot of heart and romance as well. This is a story you’ll devour.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Mrs. Bird
AJ Pearce
April 2018
Pan Macmillan Publishers

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia’s family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess–a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.

For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She’s endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.

Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn’t always won on the battlefield.

For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here.

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian is the first novel in a new YA fantasy series. It explores power, family and grief amidst the backdrop of a crumbling tyranny.

The crux of the plot is a young princess who vows revenge on the cruel man who stole her throne. She seduces the prince to aid her mission.

The plot is not unique or original, but it is readable and enjoyable. There are SO many YA fantasy series in the market at the moment, and if I’m being honest, I don’t think this one feels too different from the others. It is well-written and the characters are interesting, but I wasn’t blown away by the book. And I was unimpressed with the stereotypical tropes used in the book — love triangle being the most obvious one.

“This time, I let myself remember how my mother would sometimes let me wear her crown, how it was so big it would fall down around my neck. But while my mother’s crown was wrought from black gold and set with rubies, the one the Kaiser sends me is folded from ashes, and as soon as it is in place, it begins to crumble, streaking my hair, skin, and dress.”

Ash Princess is ripe with tension, suspense and drama. None of the characters can be trusted, and yet you find yourself invested in all of their storylines. The novel is punchy and pacy, and this launches a series that I am interested in continuing. It may not be original, but it is engaging enough to keep me entertained.

I would’ve preferred this novel if Theo had more control over her safety and her future. She needs her friends to help break her out, and it’s their determination that spurs her newfound confidence. And later in the novel, it is her allies that help her out of confinement.

Theo needs other people. She needs other people to save her.

“I’ve been dreaming of freedom every day since the siege, waiting and waiting and waiting for just this moment, when someone would take me as far away from this place as possible.”

I wanted this book to be about a young girl who takes charge and forges a new path for herself. Instead, it’s about a girl with friends and allies who help her forge a new path. She’s determined, yes, but she’s not cold or ruthless. I wouldn’t call her frightening or scary. Once she starts enacting her vengeance, she seems to be incredibly lucky. Almost too lucky.

“Through the wall, I can almost feel Blaise’s thoughts running the same path as mine. Throughout the past decade, the idea of the After has been all that’s kept me going, and i don’t have to ask Blaise to know that a part of him years for it as well. I’ve imagined my mother there, waiting for me.”

This series will appeal to those of you who love YA fantasy. It follows the usual tropes from the genre, but it is really well-written with strong prose and realistic dialogue. Despite it’s 400+ page count, you’ll find yourself tearing through those pages rather quickly.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ash Princess
Laura Sebastian
May 2018
Pan Macmillan Publishers

As She Fades by Abbi Glines

On the night of her high school graduation, Vale McKinley and her boyfriend Crawford are in a terrible car accident that leaves Crawford in a coma. They were supposed to spend the summer planning for college, for a bright future full of possibility. Together. Instead, Vale spends long days in the hospital, hoping Crawford will awaken.

Slate Allen, a college friend of Vale’s brother, has been visiting his dying uncle at the same hospital. When he and Vale meet, she can’t deny the flutter of an illicit attraction. She tries to ignore her feelings, but she’s not immune to Slate’s charm. Slowly, they form a cautious friendship.

Then, Crawford wakes up . . . with no memory of Vale or their relationship. Heartbroken, Vale opts to leave for college and move on with her life. Except now, she’s in Slate’s territory, and their story is about to take a very strange turn.

As She Fades is a young adult novel that explores love, relationships, family and friends. It captures that time in a person’s life when they’re forced to move on from someone because they’re no longer the same person that they were when they met.

Set in America, Vale struggles with the decision to venture to college because her boyfriend Crawford is in a coma and it doesn’t look like he’s going to wake up anytime soon. She tries her hardest to live her life, and this includes sparking up a friendship with the mysterious Slate.

“I’m not sure what happened that day in the library, but something unspoken was said. Things were not the same. Slate started texting me regularly. Not simple Good night texts, either. We had actual texting conversations. About classes, Everly’s obsessive issues, coffee, the fact I’d had coffee with Charlie again, and even what we were eating.”

When people go through a traumatic event in their life, it causes them to reevaluate things. You often hear about people splitting up or people moving house because of a wake up call.

In As She Fades, Crawford’s accident makes Vale realise that their relationship wasn’t as perfect as she once thought it was, and it forces her to really think about what she wants. I think Abbi Glines portrayed this really well. She illustrates how the trauma affected both Vale and Crawford, and how their relationship needed to be reevaluated. These may be teenagers, but I think adult readers would be able to relate to this situation.

The novel is separated into two parts, with a really surprising twist that completely upturns the plot. It was something I wasn’t expecting, but it was something I found refreshing. Too many novels follow a stereotypical structure and storytelling, but As She Fades genuinely stumped me with that twist.

“She straightened her shoulders that were now so often slumped over. ‘I’m not your mother and I can’t force you to do anything. But when Crawford wakes up, he will not want to know you wasted your life up here waiting on him. He’ll blame himself for it. I don’t him to awaken to anything that will upset him. Think about him instead of yourself for a change. You always did make him do what you wanted. He never got to make his own decisions if he wanted to keep you happy.’

Vale is a considerate teenager who is quite self-aware. At times she’s too self-aware, considering how young she is. This novel is quite heavy with internal dialogue, but I think that’s important given what Vale has been through.

I really loved Slate. I found him mysterious, but also funny and intriguing and engaging. I was completely sucked into his and Vale’s budding relationship, and I found myself desperately turning the page to find out what would happen with them.

The pacing in the novel is inconsistent. The first half of the novel — before the twist — is really well-paced, but the second half is too rushed — we didn’t have enough time to adjust to the new direction that the novel was taking us on, and the climax of the story was not realistic. The reader needed time to understand what was happening, and instead we were thrown into the final chapters of the book.

Something else that bugged me about this book is that the blurb isn’t entirely accurate. Crawford wakes up but doesn’t remember Vale or their relationship? That’s not what happens, and I can’t explain it too much without giving away that twist.

This is a quick read and a book I’d recommend to young readers — tweens would be the perfect readership for this novel. If you love romance novels or stories about childhood sweethearts, then you’ll be intrigued by this story. It has its flaws but I did really enjoy the read, and I read the entire book in one sitting.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

As She Fades
Abbi Glines
January 2018
Pan Macmillan Publishers

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Thou Shalt Kill

A dark, gripping and witty thriller in which the only thing humanity has control over is death.

In a world where disease, war and crime have been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed (“gleaned”) by professional scythes.

Citra and Rowan are teenagers who have been selected to be scythes’ apprentices, and despite wanting nothing to do with the vocation, they must learn the art of killing and understand the necessity of what they do. Only one of them will be chosen as a scythe’s apprentice and as Citra and Rowan come up against a terrifyingly corrupt Scythedom, it becomes clear that the winning apprentice’s first task will be to glean the loser.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman is a speculative fiction novel set in a world where people don’t die of natural causes. They can live for decades, and they can even reset their bodies and turn themselves young again.

In order to curb the population growth, Scythes are employed to kill people. They act like assassins. There is a system to their decisions, but ultimately, a lot of the time the deaths are random. They could be women, men or children. They could be hundreds of years old, or toddlers. They could be teenagers with lots of promise, or someone evil who hasn’t lived a very moral life.

“That afternoon, just as the scythe had said, they went to the shipping company where the woman worked, and they watched — just as Rowan had watched Kohl’s gleaning.
‘I have chosen for you a life-terminating pill,’ Scythe Faraday told the speechless, tremulous woman. He reached into his robe and produced a small pill in a little glass vial.”

This novel is both original and engrossing; Neal has set this series up really well, drawing the reader into this crazy and chaotic world. The characters are all really different, but the danger is real. The book may be long, but it’s fast-paced and the stakes are high. Despite the fact that the final third of the book dragged on a little too much and it could’ve been edited down, I did really like this read.

The world building is the biggest strength of this series — technology is incredibly advanced and society is a lot more civilised. And yet, fear is so dominant. Despite the fact that people in this world don’t feel pain and they don’t suffer and war doesn’t exist, there is still something in the world that scares them — petrifies them. And that is death. Because it is something they can’t control.

“The scythe attack came less than a minute after she was given her slice, piping hot from the oven. ..Esme turned to see them. Four of them. They were clad in bright robes that glittered. They looked like no one Esme had ever seen. She had never met a scythe.”

Citra and Rowan are moral and compassionate, one of the reasons that they were chosen as apprentices. I liked their dynamic, and their budding relationship. They were in competition with each other, always challenging one another to be the best.

“There were men and there were women. The subjects represented different ages, ethnic mixes, and body types, from muscular to obsess to gaunt. He yelled and screamed and grunted with every thrust, slice and twist. He had trained well. The blades sunk in with perfect precision.”

I’d recommend this to fantasy or science fiction lovers. The storyline is still grounded in reality, but with alternate, fantastical elements. Young adult readers may find this to be a little long, but it’s still a great launch for the series and I think readers will follow Neil onto book number two.

I don’t think this book is necessarily just for young adult readers, but for people who love adult fiction as well. If you love crime or thrillers, you’ll love how Neal has woven fact with fiction, the real vs. the unreal. The main characters may be young but they’re mature and they’re self-aware, and they drive the book. The concept of the series is intriguing enough to pull in even the most reluctant of readers.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Scythe
Neal Shusterman
February 2018
Walker Books Australia

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