Earnest, vulnerable, smart, and funny, I read this book in one sitting. I have followed Gabrielle’s writing on social media for a little whil4.5 Stars
Earnest, vulnerable, smart, and funny, I read this book in one sitting. I have followed Gabrielle’s writing on social media for a little while, so I was VERY excited to read this book, and thrilled that it lived up to the hype. Gabrielle’s writing style is great - engaging and witty, and full of deep care and tenderness. The essays range in topic, but cover a broad spectrum of themes and experiences, largely centered around Gabrielle’s life and her disability. I was charmed and found myself laughing out loud a few times. This felt like a beach read in the ease with which I was able to devour it, which I love. It was fresh, engaging, and compulsively readable.
My one criticism is that the essays didn’t always flow together in the most cohesive way, leaving you wanting a bit *more* connective tissue. We sometimes touched on a topic or an issue lightly, and didn’t really explore it more. Obviously you don’t owe your reader every personal story, thought, and feeling, but I think it would have been valuable to dive into some of these experiences and relationships just a bit more. There’s no denying she’s a talented writer, but I wish the book had been a bit longer, because reading it almost felt like hanging out with a new friend.
As someone with a disability myself, I was expecting to relate to much of what Gabrielle wrote (and I did), but I didn’t expect how much I would feel her words in my own (arthritic) bones. Gabrielle invites you into her life and her world with such care.
You feel for her, and you feel with her. I can’t wait to read more from Gabrielle!
I received an advanced reading copy of the book from the publisher....more
This was compulsively readable (although not necessarily the most enjoyable). The concept was pretty cool, and the author does a great job of buildingThis was compulsively readable (although not necessarily the most enjoyable). The concept was pretty cool, and the author does a great job of building tension. This book is like a dystopian Too Hot To Handle, and it started off kind of fun, but plateaued into kind of a “meh� middle. It picks up again near the end, but the conclusion wasn’t super satisfying to me. Our main character is a bit dull, but there were enough genuine relationships or compelling plot points to keep me reading. I mean, I finished the book in one night! I would definitely read more from the author.
I received an advanced digital copy from the publisher, through Netgalley....more
The premise is SO SO SO compelling, but I felt the execution fell a little flat. It was an engrossing read, and I think it has the poteRating to come.
The premise is SO SO SO compelling, but I felt the execution fell a little flat. It was an engrossing read, and I think it has the potential to be huge.
I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher. ...more
OK, this was UTTERLY delightful. Charming, and sweet, laugh-out-loud funny with a tender emotional core - this book brought me into its world, and didOK, this was UTTERLY delightful. Charming, and sweet, laugh-out-loud funny with a tender emotional core - this book brought me into its world, and didn’t take its hooks out from me until I finished reading it. Jackie Khalilieh has a way of writing teens - with such care and respect for them - that each of her books so far has felt like a love letter to adolescence - the messiness, the yearning, the angst, and the complicated comings of age.
I loved the depiction of a young Arab heroine with mental illness, IBS, and a really rich and complex inner life. I loved the depiction of a sweet, earnest, and exuberant young Arab hero who steals your heart (respectfully).
Jackie Khalilieh is 2/2 with lovely contemporary YA romances, and I can’t wait to read more from her.
I received an advanced digital copy from the publisher, through Netgalley....more
This was fast-paced and fun, if a bit ridiculous. You have to suspend a lot of disbelief (for a book that already requires a lot of disbelief suspensiThis was fast-paced and fun, if a bit ridiculous. You have to suspend a lot of disbelief (for a book that already requires a lot of disbelief suspension, conceptually) with a few of the early decisions, and it ended up making for a quick read, full of action, pining, and high stakes. I felt the introduction of multiple additional characters made this a more enjoyable experience, but everything felt a bit rushed. Overall, this was exactly what I needed it to be, just good, old-fashioned fun.
I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley....more
This is a lovely, feel-good essay about abundance and reciprocity, using the metaphor of the serviceberry. This book uses examples in nature to highliThis is a lovely, feel-good essay about abundance and reciprocity, using the metaphor of the serviceberry. This book uses examples in nature to highlight how we can perceive, imagine, and build our own gift economies, centered on themes of abundance and reciprocity. Depending on where you're coming from as a reader, this book may not be breaking any new ground for you with regards to the concepts of capitalism vs. reciprocity, but paired with the beautiful illustrations, this does make for a beautiful package, and a beautiful story. This is the kind of book you gift to the people you love, to let them know how much abundance and joy you wish for them in this beautiful, beautiful world.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for my honest feedback....more
katherena vermette’s Real Ones is an excellent story about family, identity, cultural appropriation, and much more. Told from the alterna4.5 - 5 Stars
Thoughtful and engaging, I started listening to this as an audiobook, then switched to a physical format, as I wanted to highlight passages I came acrThoughtful and engaging, I started listening to this as an audiobook, then switched to a physical format, as I wanted to highlight passages I came across. Coates has such a way with words. Measured and incisive, he takes the reader on a journey with him, as he unpacks and unearths his own perspectives. Told in the format of three essays, written like letters, with the underlying thesis that the ways we tell stories, and the stories we tell both expose and distort our views of the world.
The first essay follows Coates visiting Africa for the first time, set in Senegal, as the author travels back and forth in time, and reality, as he grapples with his own identity. What does it mean for an African American to ‘return to Africa?�
The second essay is set in the US - sharing the author’s own experiences with a learning disability, navigating the American education system, and bringing us to the modern day, when Coates� own books start to get banned from schools.
The final essay, and the longest, chronicles Coates� trip to the Palestinian Literary Festival, a visit during which he learns what it’s like to move through this land like both Palestinians and Israelis, and through the mistreatment of Palestinian people by a zionist regime, he draws parallels between the apartheid faced by Palestinian people, and the Jim Crow South.
Coates learns a lot in this book, and he faces several reckonings, which we as readers are brought along on. He learns how little he knew about the injustice and mistreatment faced by Palestinian people. He explores what makes a book so dangerous. He explores his own roots, and the complicated duality of what it means to be African American - to have roots on one side of the ocean, and a future on the other.
I’ll admit, I mainly wanted to read this because I was curious as to Coates� perspectives on Palestine, and when his interviews went viral, and I saw the ways he was unabashed and unbending in his principles, I was even more excited to read this book. I had no idea what to expect, and I was thoroughly impressed with the poignancy and urgency with which Coates metabolizes his thoughts.
At its core, this is a book about truth, and embracing it, even when it’s a hard pill to swallow. I can’t recommend it enough.
I received a reading copy of this book from the publisher....more
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