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Teen SRC 2018 – Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin

Symptoms of Being Human

This book was so awesome! It portrays the main character’s voice so well! This book is about a kid named Riley who is gender fluid. It means that some days Riley wakes up as a boy, some days as a girl. But, Riley isn’t so sure which category applies. But then Riley starts a blog. Anonymously, Riley starts to share experiences to the public- through the name Alix. But then the blog goes viral, and Riley is in deep trouble. Riley isn’t ready for fame yet. Especially since Riley’s parents don’t know about the “gender fluidity” crisis yet. Riley has no idea who did it, but there’s been a hater posting mean comments lately, and Riley is almost 99.9% sure that the hater is the same person as…..I’m giving wayyyyy too much away, aren’t I?

Anyways, I loved this book, and I know that you guys will too! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Teen SRC 2018 – Little and Lion by Brandy Colbert

Little & Lion

Little and Lion by Brandy Colbert

This book is about a girl named Suzette who comes back home to LA from her boarding school. Her stepbrother, Lionel, has bipolar disorder, and his mood switches constantly. Suzette is trying her best to give him as much support as she can. But as she stays for a bit, she finds herself falling for someone-and that person is the exact girl that her brother’s falling for. But then, her brother’s disorder gets worse. Suzette needs to watch out for her brother more than usual-before he starts to hurt himself-or something worse.

This book was so awesome I cannot. But one thing I definitely felt like needed a bit more tweaking was the bisexual love triangle. Just….no. I felt like it was something extra that wasn’t really necessary. But overall, I think this book was written very well and with so much character.

Teen SRC 2018- Phoebe Will Destroy You by Blake Nelson

Phoebe Will Destroy You

Phoebe Will Destroy You by Blake Nelson

Okaayy….to be completely, utterly honest, I had thought it said Drake Nelson instead of Blake Nelson-and I literally just forget about the whole Nelson thing so-I thought the author was Drake. As in the guy who made the songs: God’s Plan, Hotline Bling, One Dance, etc. You get the idea. So……yeah. That would be the reason I read this book. On to the book! 🙂 🙂

But, I still really enjoyed this book despite my little mistake. *cringe*. This book is about a boy named Nick who has a half alcoholic half author mom. You know, I always find books that have a little twist in them the most entertaining. Anyways. Nick moves to his uncle’s home for the summer after his junior year, and gets to chill out a bit-and work at his uncle’s car wash. Then he meets a mysterious girl named Phoebe. He suddenly finds himself in love with her. Ick. Ack. Bleh. Honestly, I don’t really think she’s his type, but…oh well. Anyways, there goes the whole plot.👍

I felt like the book fell a bit flat at the end, but overall, I would say that it was a pleasant read for people who don’t like stories that are so long it would take you a whole 24 hours to finish. 🙂 I loved how the author made us walk right in Nick and Phoebe’s shoes! It was such an adventure!😊

Teen SRC 2018- #famous by Jilly Gagnon

#famous

#famous by Jilly Gagnon

So, this book is just about what you would expect out of a normal romance story-NOT!!! Oh, and this book is based on ‘Alex of Target’ (a boy who becomes famous because a girl posted a photo of him online. Anyways, this book is about a girl named Rachel who secretly sneaks a photo of her crush, Kyle, when he was working at Burger Barn. She posts it on social media, and doesn’t seem to think it’s that big of a deal. After all, she only has a few followers. But that photo gets seen worldwide, and girls from all over the world are crushing on Kyle. While Kyle’s getting all the fame and love, Rachel isn’t having that great of a life. She starts getting threats and remarks on her looks-and most of them are bad. Plus, some people even decide that it would be extremely entertaining to send DEATH THREATS to her! But through all the chaos, Kyle and Rachel are starting to develop a friendship-and maybe even something more. But then Rachel starts to doubt Kyle-is he really the nice boy he is in front of the cameras? Or not?

So….yeah. I definitely recommend this book to people who are fans of Sarah Dessen or Jenny Han! 🙂 I loved this book so much! I don’t think the Richmond Public Library has this book, but I don’t know because I borrowed my copy from my friend. ;P  Anyways, I really hope you guys read it (trust me, this book will take you on the ride of your life!)

Teen SRC 2018- Waiting For You by Susane Colasanti

So, this book is kind of hard to explain without making it sound like a boring book without Waiting for Youany excitement, so, I’ll try my best to not make you fall asleep. This book is about a girl named Marisa who is ready to turn herself into a new girl. She’s planning on a boyfriend, a great year, and, well, I guess that’s really all. So, when her longtime crush, Derek, asks her out, she feels like a prince has just come to rescue her. But unfortunately, the relationship doesn’t go as great as expected, with so many other problems that rise up along the road, like her parent’s divorce, and a fight with a friend. She isn’t so sure about her dreams of a ‘happily ever after’ now.

I loved this book because it showed Marisa’s perspective so well that I could imagine almost exactly how Marisa was feeling!~ I definitely recommend this book! 💖

Teen SRC 2018- Wired Man and Other Freaks of Nature by Sashi Kaufman

This book is about two boys, Tyler, and Ben. Tyler is the golden boy, and he’s worshipped Wired Man and Other Freaks of Natureby everyone. But Tyler has secrets of his own, and they’re starting to show under the golden boy cover. Ben, on the other hand, is partially deaf. The only things that don’t make him feel like a freak are soccer and hanging out with his best friend Tyler. And then Ben meets Ilona. She’s kind of a weirdo, with blue 💙 hair, tattoos, and no friends. But ever since Ben and Tyler have been drifting apart, Ben doesn’t know what it’s like to be alone-and maybe everyone needs to hang out with a fellow freak now and then.

I loved the whole structure of this book, and although there were a few ‍🌈LGBTQ+ themes in the book, I don’t think the author addressed it very well, so if you’re sensitive in topics like that, I highly doubt you will enjoy this book.

Teen SRC 2018- The Only Thing Worse Than Me is You by Lily Anderson

First of all, I have to say that this cover was sooooo cute. 🙂 Okay. Statement stated, so we The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is Youcan actually start this review in a proper manner. So, this book is about a girl named Trixie. Oh, and can I just say that I LOVE the name Trixie? Anyways, Trixie has 2 goals for her senior year: 1. Save enough money to buy the Doctor Who figurines from the local comic book store, and 2. to place 3rd in her class and knock Ben West down to number 4. Trixie is determined to give up her sleep to knock Ben down. But then her best friend starts dating Ben’s best friend. Aaaannndd….she’s dumped with Ben and told to be nice to him. They develop a shy friendship, but then, Trixie’s best friend gets expelled for cheating, Trixie doesn’t really believe it. Ben and Trixie have to pick who’s side they’re on….and they might not choose the same side.

This book cracked me up and I couldn’t put it down at all! I love Trixie so much! (And Ben….but not as much 😉 ) Oh, and I definitely recommend this book to huge nerds and fans of Marvel stuff. (Not me, but I still enjoyed this book tons). :)💕

Teen SRC 2018 – Paper Towns by John Green

After admiring Margo Roth Spiegelman for so long, Quentin Jacobsen is invited to help Margo plot a revenge attack in the middle of the night. Quentin is finally getting a chance at getting to know Margo until she disappears the next day. Although everyone has lost hope, Q is eager to find Margo. He finds clues that Margo has left for him that will lead him to her.

This book was okay. Many parts of this book let me down. Every time there was a big emotional part, that part would end and I would stop feeling emotional completely. This book was also a slow read since there was not anything that made me want to continue reading more.

Teen SRC 2018 -Looking For Alaska by John Green

Miles Halter is fascinated by last words. He is trying to understand what “The Great Perhaps” by dying poet François Rabelais. He continues his search at his new school, Culver Creek. There Miles meets new friends and a girl named Alaska Young. Miles falls in love with Alaska’s looks and love for literature. She pulls Miles into her storm then suddenly leaves him behind.

This book was not as good as I thought it would be. Many good reviews led me to believe that this would be an amazing book. One of the main characters, Alaska, in my opinion was not as interesting as the characters in the book made her seem. Miles mainly loves Alaska because of her looks and possibly because she enjoys poetry and literature. I also wish John Green put chapters instead on “X Days Before.” This book was overall a let down.

Teen SRC 2018 – Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

Finding Audrey is a book that stars a girl with an anxiety disorder, Audrey. She makes weekly visits to Dr. Sarah who helps her, but she is still making slow progress. However, once she meets Linus, her brother’s friend, everything changes. Audrey suddenly starts improving lots because she feels comfortable being with Linus. 

I enjoyed this book very much. I was able to easily relate to the characters. The story was so good that I was swept up into it. The relationship between Audrey and Linus is heart warming. I would definitely read this book again and I highly encourage others to read this book at least once.