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Teen SRC 2022 – People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry

Written by kayla
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I’d like to say first off I read this book (People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry) only because I saw it in a neighbourhood tiny library, like the ones that look like birdhouses. I don’t usually see anything not ancient in those so I swapped it, this book is a modern day rom-com book with minimal colours and cartoon-like covers, it’s generic at this point. I have seen too many. So about the book, Poppy and Alex who used to be best friends who took vacations to new places every summer but then something happened and now they don’t speak at all. It features a lot of time skipping, one chapter will be set five years ago, and the next is “present” day, it was annoying to keep up with but fun, the time skips slowly move towards the big happening that split up the best friends. Poppy is loud, straightforward, and friendly, but I found her somewhat annoying, Alex is quiet but different around Poppy, more extroverted, the book makes his entire personality khakis at the start, so he’s reduced to a pair of trousers that had a falling out with Poppy. It all changes though when they take a trip for the first time in years together so Poppy can write for her travel career. The rest is history, I liked this book because of the quick pacing, and I disliked this book because it’s generic and some parts made me shrivel up inside, I would rate this a 4.5/10, I do know some people that like this book, but it’s just not for me.

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Teen SRC 2022 – Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

Written by kayla
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Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi was pretty good overall, it deals with issues with the characters and their moms, anxiety, and the characters are flawed but lovable. Penny and Sam are the two narratives and each chapter they switch, I liked seeing how their characters slowly changed throughout the book. It also has a unique layout with “texts” and banter between characters are witty. The ending is really sweet. I did not like the use of internet slang within this book, it’s awful and I was about to put down the book, but it goes away thankfully in the later chapters, I don’t know why though, kinda inconsistent. Anyways so about the book it’s about Penny and Sam, they meet each other and they go through a lot of problems together, but become friends over text first, it’s heartwarming but also really sad, and the main characters have issues themselves, also therapy is mentioned, the characters need therapy, it’s a mostly feel-good book, quick to read, rom-com(???), bit dark, underlying issues, but I liked it, 7.5/10 thank you.

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Teen SRC 2022 – The Girl With Nine Lives

Written by Romina
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This book was about a girl named Ellie, who, in her difficult childhood, had only one friend. A cat named Benedict. One day, the cat died of old age when she was still very young. Then, after a few years, the cat reappeared right when Ellie was going through a stage of depression. The rest of the story is about the adventurous life of Ellie and Benedict.

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Teen SRC 2022 – Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Written by Cianna Ho-Kuang
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Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli is told from the perspective of Leo Borlock, a shy high school student. At Mica High, there was an unspoken rule where everyone stays inside the lines and does not stand out no matter what. And so that’s what he did. Until a new kid came in, shaking his world upside down.

This book emphasizes the act of being true to you, no matter what. The book was a gift from a friend, and I ended up loving the ending, especially because I did not see it coming. I would definitely recommend this read to others, however there were some parts in the book where it felt like it was dragging on and on.

Overall, I would rate it a 8/10.

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Teen SRC 2022 – Rebound by Kwame Alexander

Written by Ethan L
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Rebound: Alexander, Kwame: 9780544868137: Books - Amazon.ca

Rebound by Kwame Alexander

Charlie Bell is a 12-year-old that ice skates and dreams about going pro in basketball. He lives with his mother in a basement they rented. Charlie has two best friends named Skinny, who thinks he is a basketball prodigy, and CJ, which is a really smart girl. Ever since his dad died, Charlie has been acting different, and he and his mom would frequently argue. During summer break, Charlie’s mom decided to send him to go stay with his grandparents for the entire summer. At first, Charlie didn’t like it since his grandpa is always making him do chores, but later he plays basketball with his cousin Roxie, he starts to enjoy the sport, and practices every day. He starts finding joy in life again. Has he finally been able to come off the bench, or can he get up and rebound back to his normal lifestyle?

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Teen SRC 2022 – Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Written by Noor
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***Contains minor spoilers****

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover is a book which I got tempted to buy after reading It Ends With Us. This book did not disappoint me, and I enjoyed every bit of it. This book is for mature readers as it discusses sensitive subjects such as the loss of a child and other topics that might trigger certain readers. This book is not only realistic but also sad and happy and makes you feel various emotions. 

This book revolves around Miles and Tate. They’re two people on and off without any label and pretty much limited themselves to using each other in bed and bed only. Tate catches feelings, and she knows Miles has to, but he’s not ready to commit and like her. This book revolves around ups and downs and plot twists on why Miles is so reluctant to be in a relationship with Tate. This book has other characters on the side, which flow nicely into the book’s storyline. In the end, everything ties back together and gives this book the plot twist and ending it needed. Not only does this book show the pretty side of love, but it also shows its ugly sides. 

Overall I would rate this book an 11/10. After all, it’s a realistic book because it engages you and is a quick summer read. I would recommend anyone who loves romance to read this book because it does not disappoint. My favourite part of this book would be how Tate and Miles met and how they slowly ended up getting closer and closer. 10/10 for character development and keeps you hooked! 

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Teen SRC 2022 – It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Written by Noor
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WARNING! Spoilers Ahead!

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover is a book I’ve seen on BookTok for quite a while. When I picked up this book from the shelves of Walmart, I expected it to be another typical romantic book, but after I finished reading it, I was pretty shocked and left thinking about how impactful it was. This book is for mature readers as it shows abusive relationships and other topics that might be triggering for certain readers. 

This book starts with Lily Bloom, a 23-year-old redhead woman who has a dream of opening a flower shop and moving to Boston after the funeral of her abusive father. Her entire life, she’d seen her father hit her mother and even witnessed him trying to rape her. On a rooftop in Boston, on the day of her father’s funeral, Lily meets Ryle, also known as Dr. Ryle Kincaid, a neurosurgeon. His looks have Lily swooning, but unfortunately, he only does one-night stands and does not want to get into a serious or committed relationship. Little does Lily know that that rooftop is not the only place she will see Ryle. Fast forward a couple of months, Lily finally bought a place to open her flower shop when a happy and charismatic woman named Allyssa offered to help her run it and work for her. Lily soon runs into Allyssa’s husband Marshall and her brother which is coincidentally Ryle. Lily and Ryle interact more than intended and eventually end up dating. After Lily and Ryle finally end up dating after being so crazy about each other and flirting for months, Lily is ecstatic. Their relationship is strong until she runs into Atlas, her teenage love, and this is where the novel takes another twist. The reader is kept hooked and wondering about the choices Lily will make. Throughout the novel, Lily’s letters to Ellen DeGeneres are shown. They talk about Atlas, a homeless boy who lived in the abandoned house behind her home. Lily reads these letters whenever free, taking the reader to the past along with her. 

Overall, I rate this book a 9/10 and would recommend anyone who loves romantic books to read it. This was the first Colleen Hoover book I read, and it definitely got me to read her other books. My favourite part about this book would be when Lily opened up her flower shop or when she was put into her mother’s shoes and had to deal with an abusive relationship. 

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Teen SRC 2021 – This is How We Fly by Anna Meriano

Written by Casey
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I would call myself a casual Harry Potter fan. I have memories of the books and movies from when I was younger. So when I saw This is How We Fly by Anna Meriano, a book about Quidditch in real life, I was curious.

Ellen Lopez-Rourke just graduated high school, and she has one summer left until she’s off for college. Her plans are thrown out the window, however, when her step-mom grounds her for the whole summer. Her only out is begging to join the local Quidditch team with her friend, Melissa. Ellen expects a bunch of Harry Potter nerds, but what she finds are committed, loyal team members playing a super athletic game. Quidditch is just the distraction Ellen needs from her drama with family and friends, but she’ll find she can’t outrun them for long.

I enjoyed this story about finding yourself and finding community. This book captures the feelings of a teenager moving on to adulthood, and of someone finding a supportive place where they feel they belong. There are plenty of aspects of Ellen’s life, such as her struggles with identity and social activism, that succeed in rounding her character. There was growth from each character presented, I just wish the book had better handled Ellen’s relationship with her step-mom. Overall, an interesting read.

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Teen SRC 2019- the perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Written by Max
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Hey! This is my first teen SRC review I’ve ever done so I wanted to dedicate it to a book that meant a lot to me. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I first read this book when I was around the age of 10 and to be honest, I had no idea what was going on half of the time. I actually thought this book was pretty pointless. A few years later, I saw it at the local library and I thought I’d give it another try, given the fact that I was literally 10 when I first read it. I started reading through it, when it hit me how dumb I was as a child. I saw Charlie’s writing through a whole different perspective and it amazed me how much I related to his thoughts. I felt as if Charlie and I were somehow reaching out to each other. Charlie and I shared a fascinating connection of poetry and reading. As I flipped through the pages in this book, I felt myself get more and more attached to Charlie. It blew my mind knowing that I could connect with a character in such a way.

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Teen SRC 2019 – Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero

Written by Biscuits
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Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero

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TL;DR at the bottom because I’m apparently incapable of writing shorter reviews now.

Gabi is a book that tackles a multitude of subjects, including body positivity/self image, race, gender, rape, drug addiction, grief, religion, and sex without being too preachy, stretching itself too thin, or cramming anything down your throat, so I applaud it for that alone. (The aforementioned issues also serve as a trigger warning for the book, in case you are sensitive to any of them.)

Beyond these abstract issues, we get the story of Gabi, as told through her diary. A Mexican-American girl in her last year of high school, Gabi’s going through some shi—crap. Her best friend, Cindy, gets pregnant, her other best friend, Sebastian, is trying to come out to his homophobic parents, her father is a meth addict, and she’s constantly told by the people around her that she’s too fat, too white, and never going to be good enough. So yeah. There’s a lot on her plate. But Gabi discovers poetry as a means of self-expression, and she has plenty of humour, cheer, and love to lean on.

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