Book Review: Just Between Us by Adeline Kon

Title: Just Between Us

Author: Adeline Kon

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Graphic Novels, Sports, Romance, Young Adult

Pages: 320

Publisher: Dial Books

Year Published: 2026

Format: Paperback (Library Copy)

"In this gorgeous debut graphic novel, Lydia tries to fall back in love with figure skating without falling for her competition.

Lydia Chen knows how good she is on the ice. Technically perfect, she's been the one to beat since her debut years ago.

Except now, something is missing in her performances- a spark that's been gone for a while. Between the constant training, appealing to sponsors to fund her, and the pressure to perform, Lydia's passion for skating has disappeared.

When her rival Elaine Yee starts training at the same rink, Lydia's struck by the emotion in Elaine's routines and unwillingly finds herself getting closer to her as they compete for a spot in the Olympics.

As the tension between them comes to a head, Lydia's about to find out how a competitor can become an ally and figure out how to feel alive on the ice again."

My Rating: 3/5

This was a fun YA take on sports romance, but it felt a little disjointed. The characters were very clearly stereotypes, and while we started to see growth and changes, I wish that it had been more direct. It was hard to like Lydia throughout, and while she made an effort to change by the end, it wasn't enough for me. The art was gorgeous but it was maybe just a bit young for me.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

Title: When Stars Are Scattered

Author: Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Graphic Novel, Middle Grade, Nonfiction

Pages: 264

Publisher: Dial Books

Year Published: 2020

Format: Hardcover (Library Copy)

"Heartbreak and hope exist together in this remarkable graphic novel about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a Somali refugee to the Newberry Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl.

Omar and his little brother, Hassan, arrived in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya, seven years ago. Their father was killed the day they left home, and they haven't seen their mother since they joined their neighbours who were fleeing to Dadaab. Now Omar is eleven and Hassan is nine, and Omar has quit school to look after his brother, who has an intellectual disability.

When Omar is given the opportunity to return to school and carve out a future for himself and Hassan, he feels torn. He loves school and could have the opportunity to earn a coveted scholarship to a North American university- and with it a visa for himself and Hassan. But is it worth the risk and heartache of leaving his vulnerable brother for hours each day?

Told in Victoria Jamieson's engaging and accessible graphic-novel style and based on Omar Mohamed's gripping true story, this book is an intimate, important look at day-to-day life in a refugee camp."

My Rating: 5/5

I am currently taking courses to get my library tech diploma, and in one of my classes we were asked to discuss a middle grade age graphic novel, one of my classmates brought forward this one. What an incredibly moving and impactful novel!? For children and adults alike this offers an inside look at what being a refugee in a camp after going through incredibly traumatic life events looks like. I would highly recommend it. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Between the Spark and the Burn by April Genevieve Tucholke

Title: Between the Spark and the Burn

Author: April Genevieve Tucholke

Series/Standalone: Between Duology (Book #2)

Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Fantasy, Romance

Pages: 320

Publisher: Dial Books

Year Published: 2014

Format: Hardcover Copy (Own It)

First Line: "My dead grandmother Freddie once told me that the Devil created all the fear in the world."

"The conclusion to Between the Devil and The Deep Blue Sea, this gothic thriller romance with shades of Stephen King and Daphne Maurier is a must-read for fans of Beautiful Creatures and Anna Dressed in Blood.

Freddie once told me that the Devil created all the fear in the world. But then, the Devil once told me that it's easier to forgive someone for scaring you than for making you cry. 

The problem with River West Redding was that he'd done both to me.

The crooked-smiling liar River West Redding, who drove into Violet's life one summer day and shook her world to pieces, is gone. Violet and Neely, River's other brother, are left to worry-- until they catch a two a.m. radio program about strange events in a distant mountain town. They take off in search of River but are always a step behind, finding instead frenzied towns, with hunts, and a wind-whipped island with the thrum of something strange and dangerous just under the surface. it isn't long before Violet begins to wonder if Neely, the one Redding brother she thought trustworthy, has been hiding a secret of his own..."

My Rating:  1.5/5

This book wasn't what I hoped it would be and I can't even say that I'm surprised because I knew that the second book was far less liked then the first. I guess what I'm surprised by is how nothing really seemed to happen or feel the same way as the first book. I was so intrigued on going on this road trip style hunt for a person, and then to watch as nothing seemed to truly have consequences... was just kind of boring. I am interested in reading other work by this author, and I'm hoping that her next instalment is a little better paced. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Title: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Author: April Genevieve Tucholke
Series/Standalone: Between Series (Book #1)
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Horror
Pages: 360
Publisher: Dial
Year Published: 2013
Format: Hardcover Copy (Own it)
First Line: "' You stop fearing the Devil when you're holding his hand.'"

"Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White's sleepy, seaside town... until River West comes along. River rents the guest house behind Violet's crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard.

Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more?

Violet's grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun,m who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery... who makes you want to kiss back.

Violet's already so knee-deep in love, she can't see straight. And that's just how River likes it.

Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevive Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying a debut to watch."

My Rating: 3/5

Trigger Warnings for Gore/Violence, self-harm, suicide, to name a few.

I'm going to write this review and be aware that it will make little to no sense. If I was rating based just on my enjoyment I would say that this book was like a 4.5 or a 4 star book. But I know deep down that this book just came to me at the perfect time. I needed something to distract me like a good teen CW show, you know what I mean? And that's exactly what this was for me. Something where the characters were very basic, but the intrigue was based in the town and the background story. I was happy with those two aspects of the story and therefore this story was a 3 star read. I do plan on reading the next one, even though I've heard not great things, I just need something to totally distract me with weird paranormal teen show vibes. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

Title: Highly Illogical Behavior
Author: John Corey Whaley
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Pages: 250
Publisher: Dial Books
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT, Mental Health
Year Published: 2016
Format: Audiobook


"Sixteen-year-old Solomon is an agoraphobic. He hasn't left the house in three years, where is fine by him.

Ambitious Lisa desperately wants to get into the second-best psychology program for college (she's being realistic). But is ambition alone enough to get her in?

Enter Lisa.

Determined to 'fix' Sol, Lisa steps into his world, along with her charming boyfriend, Clark, and soon the three form an unexpected bond. But, as Lisa learns more about Sol and he and Clark grow closer and closer, the walls they've built around themselves start to collapse and their friendships threaten to do the same."

My Rating: 4/5

I got this audiobook when I found out it included mental health elements as well as an LGBT main character. These are two things that when represented in YA either go over very well or poorly with an audience. I really enjoyed this book overall. It definitely has some anxiety triggers which should be anticipated based on our main characters illness. I think that this novel did a great job of showing how people with a mental illness feel and how those around them might feel. It really encompassed what panic feels like and how panic can affect a person's everyday life. It also did an interesting job in speaking about the idea of "fixing" someone which a lot of people agree is not the way to think of helping people with mental health. As someone who has both known people with mental health problems and has experienced them herself, it was frustrating to have the idea that one character planned on fixing someone, but throughout the novel you see a different approach taken towards someone who might need help.

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Spoiler: Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

If you guys are looking for a quick and diverse book I would definitely recommend it to young adult readers. This short book encompasses so much. The idea of mental illness, mental health, LGBT, teenage angst, and the walls we all put around us. 

I think that this author did a magnificent job showing the idea that "fixing" someone is not the right approach to helping someone with a mental illness, and while I've never experienced agoraphobia, I understand anxiety and panic attacks. I also thought the many perspectives we witness in the book were interesting. The friend who follows Christianity standards, the mom who thinks that being gay is a choice, the people around Sol who see him as he really is,  and those on the outside looking in assuming how things are.


Characters (Just to name a few):
Soloman: His character is so fleshed out for only have 250 pages worth of story. I think the fact that he follows his urges to get help and find what he can manage. The ideas that swarm his brain, made me feel for him so much and I loved that he was working towards doing what he could, knowing that he may never be "better", as so many people expected him to be. I loved the way we left his story in the end! Beautiful.

Lisa: I docked a whole star for this ass hole. I did not like her the majority of the book. She just seemed to have a lot of trouble remembering that not everything was about her. And while she helped Soloman, I think that he needed a friend, not another person trying to make him "better". And this is why I loved the essay in the back of the book. She grew so much as a character, thank goodness. 

Clark: I liked how chill he was. I think he really helped Soloman and gave him something to hope for.

Soloman's Parents: I know a lot of adults might give them shit about letting Soloman stay home. And it's not that they didn't care, in fact, they cared more than so many. Anxiety is often crippling and they understood this and didn't push him if he wasn't ready. Maybe that's what helped him see what he might be able to do on a good day.

Lisa's Mom: She clearly has some mental health issues, and doesn't seem to care that those around her are affected by her actions. At the same time, the way she speaks with Lisa was so frustrating. To see her be the type of person to write it off on Soloman's parents, or a trend was frustrating as an open minded person. It leads me to realise that many people deal with judgements like these more often than being met with an open minded opinion.

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Book Review: I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

Title: I'll Give You The Sun
Author: Jandy Nelson
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, LGBTT*
Pages: 371
Publisher: Dial Books
Year Published: 2014
First Line: "This is how it all begins."

"Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them.
But three years later, at sixteen, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways... until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else- an even more unpredictable new force in her life.
The early years are Noah's story to tell. The later years are Jude's. What the twins don't realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to each other, they'd have a chance to remake their world."

My Rating: 4/5

I started reading this at the beginning of this past week and kind of got bogged down with how heavy the writing was. I found that this was a slow start to the book. I thought that it was really hard to get into with the longer sentences and the character driven plot. After about 100 pages I got more interested in the characters but still found the  main characters less interesting then those in the background. I really enjoyed the view from two vastly different characters and the view in on twins. I also found it interesting as there is a bit of mystery as readers make the connection between past and present.

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Spoiler: I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

I found that this book was slow to start but got interesting as the character progressed and changed. I thought that the character driven story was difficult to get into but worth it in the end. The two perspectives told the story well and helped to build a family drama/ mystery about the town but the family as well. I think that around 100 pages I was really drawn in and found my groove with this story.

Characters:
Jude: I think that she was really bratty in the beginning. She watched her brother have trouble fitting in and being pushed away by her father but got jealous about her mother noticing him instead. Life is tough. I found that her pity me act in the high school ticked me off even more. But as I watched her grow closer to Guillermo and Oscar I noticed how many things she regretted and that her self-loathing was eating her alive.

Noah: I think that the beginning Noah was hard to read. He had so many run on sentences from his perspective. I found that he grew on me though. It was heart warming to read that he found someone he could relate to like Brian, but heart breaking when they got caught. Finally how he lashed out was hard to watch but it helped build the story to where it was.

Oscar: I want to know so much more about his past. I thought that he was a great "bad boy" but when he starts to bring back other girls, I got annoyed. 

Brian: I wish that he felt like he could be himself around others but as time goes on you see that he is able to be more comfortable in his skin rather than shy away from who he really was. I thought that he was a sweet characters.

Heather: I'm glad she didn't assume that her and Noah were going out.

Guillermo: I really, really enjoyed this character how broken he was and how much he must have loved the twins mom was beautiful. It was horrible that he believed for so long that she was going to leave him without rhyme or reason. I wish that he found love in the end but 
maybe over time, after grieving he would be able to.


Moments to Remember:
Pg.  174
"And no hot guy should be allowed to have an English accent and drive a motorcycle."

Final Line: "Remake the world."

Thanks for reading,
Sidny