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Teen SRC 2021 – Misfit in Love by S.K. Ali

Written by Inshal
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TL;DR 8/10. Misfit in Love was a beautiful and heart-warming read that touched on unexpectedly deep topics without ever subtracting from the fun of, as Janna puts it, the “big fat Muslim wedding” at the heart of the story.

Misfit in Love is the sequel to Saints and Misfits written by S.K. Ali, but can also be read as a stand alone. The description of the book can be found here.

Okay, I have to admit that I wasn’t super excited by the premise of the love square/triangle thing. As I’m already not a huge romance fan, a book centered around one girl’s search for love with three possible love interests sounds like the last possible thing I’d read. BUT!! S.K. Ali is a Canadian-Muslim author and being as desperate for good Muslim rep as I am, I simply had to give this a chance. Without getting too serious (this is a summer wedding story after all!!) I have to say that I am always personally disappointed with how Muslims are usually portrayed in fiction, whether it be in books or TV. To see a hijab-wearing MC who loves her religion, who isn’t afraid to quote the Qur’an or practice what she believes in, be the main character of her own story is so refreshing and beautiful to me. Too often Muslims are either vilified or victimized in the media, and that can translate into acts of hatred in real life. Still, Misfit in Love is NOT about Islamophobia–the only time Muslims get to have a voice should not be when they have been attacked. Instead, this book is simply about Muslim characters living their lives as they ought to, eating ice cream, preparing for a wedding, and feeling safe (although a little lovelorn). Simply put (as if I haven’t gone on long enough) the representation in this book is so heart-warming and beautifully integrated that it didn’t feel preachy or informational at all, and instead felt as if S.K. Ali had personally written this book to me.

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Teen SRC 2019 – They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera

Written by Inshal
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They Both Die at the End

When I first picked up They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera, I thought it would be one of those depressing books where the general suckiness of the world is discussed at length before everyone dies. (slight exaggeration, but you get the idea) I was pleasantly surprised when this book ended up being anything but.

Death-Cast is a company that calls you on the last day of your life to inform you about your impending doom, to make sure you live the last hours of your life to the fullest.

Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio get the call on the same day. Mateo’s dad is in hospital, in a coma, and he doesn’t want to tell his best (and only) friend, Lidia, that he is going to die because he’s scared of how she is going to react. Mateo knows that he needs to go outside, he needs to live his last day to the fullest, but maybe he’s destined to stay inside his apartment forever, just like he’s been doing his entire life.

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Teen SRC 2019 – The Truth Commission by Susan Juby

Written by Inshal
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The Truth Commission

Hilarious, powerful, and deep. The Truth Commission by Susan Juby is one of those rare books that makes you want to forget what you read, just so that you can read it again and again.

Normandy Pale goes to an art school in Nanaimo. She knows that she was only accepted there because of her sister; the infamous Keira Pale, author of the graphic novel series, the Diana Chronicles, in the hope that she also has some of those talented genes. Despite that, Normandy has made a life for herself, everything is going relatively fine for her until her sister suddenly comes back from college with no explanation. It wouldn’t be much of a problem for other families, but ever since the first Diana Chronicle was published, Normandy has had a complicated relationship with her sister, that is if she has had any relationship with her at all.

Why? The Diana Chronicle’s supporting characters are Normandy and her parents. The graphic novel series are inspired by incidents that happened in her family, none of which are flattering, and all of which are exaggerated. Normandy hates the distorted version of herself and her family in the Diana Chronicles, but can do nothing about it, not when her parents are happy to pretend that it doesn’t matter. Needless to say, when Keira moves back in, the entire family is on tiptoes, trying not to do anything embarrassing enough to be featured in the Chronicles, while at the same time trying to provide the very picky environment Keira needs to finish working on her latest book.

On top of all this, Normandy and her two best friends Dusk and Neil, after having confronted a classmate about her plastic surgery, decide to form a Truth Commission. “The truth will set you free,” they claim, and with that begins their mission to discover and confront their classmates’ and teachers’ secrets, not for the purpose of juicy gossip, but simply because living a lie isn’t something anyone should have to do. After their first few successes, the Truth Commissioners are on a roll. But when a truth hits too close to home, even the Truth Commissioners know that some lines just aren’t meant to be crossed…

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Teen SRC 2019 – P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

Written by Zhang
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P.S. I Still Love You

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han. This is the continuation of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, and it is just as amazing as the first book. Everything has gotten deeper into the story but when you read it, it makes you sink right in.

Lara Jean and Peter have been pretending to be together, just for personal benefits… until they actually fell in love. This is Lara Jean’s first relationship, and it all started with a dramatic make-believe. Things got complicated when another boy who received her letters came back for her. He was very charming, and he liked her too. Lara Jean was feeling the same way, but she also loves Peter. What will she do? Can she be in love with two boys at the same time?

P.S. I Still Love You is definitely some romance trouble again. It’s quite interesting and entertaining to see inexperienced Lara Jean slowly unravel her love life. I love this book just as much as the first, I would really recommend this series.

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Teen SRC 2018 – The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Written by Rosie
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The Fault in Our StarsI said I would review this and I am a woman of my word so here comes The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Out of all of the books I have read from John Green, I would have to say that this is the only one I actually enjoyed. It’s a classic romance but with one tiny twist: the two main characters are both dealing with cancer, in one way or another. As I said in a prior review, John Green isn’t exactly one of my favourite authors, I find he focuses too much on the characters and not the actual plot instead. However, this book is really quite awesome, because there was no plot to begin with so I didn’t get frustrated because there was no mystery or crime that we needed to get to the bottom of anyways. I think that if more of his books were like this,  I’d enjoy them a lot more because then I’d be content just focusing on characters. I give this a 4/5 stars just because real-life fiction just isn’t my favourite genre but it was insanely better than most of the other books in said genre, including his own. I will have a summary below to give you a short intro and yes, I would recommend this.

Summary:

This is the story of Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters. It sounds like a typical fairy-tale but it really is not. Why? Hazel and Augustus are both dealing with the un-curable disease: Cancer. This book talks about how Hazel is reluctant at first, but is eventually won over by Gus, ever the charming one. They are having the time of their lives together but then cancer comes back..to bite them once more. The ending is a pretty sad one but surprisingly, I was not as affected as my friends warned me I would be, which was very weird because I think under normal circumstances I most definitely would have been very emotional.

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