Tag: ya contemporary

Saints and Misfits & I See London, I See France | Mini-Reviews

July 19, 2017 / 2 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Mini-Reviews, Review
Saints and Misfits & I See London, I See France | Mini-Reviews

Review: Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali Janna Yusuf is a teen who is living with a secret. She’s been sexually assaulted by her friend’s cousin, a guy who her community sees as a pillar of Muslim teenagerhood. Meanwhile, her parents are divorced, her brother is taking a year off from school and dating the local perfect Muslim girl, and she’s got a crush on a guy who isn’t Muslim at all. All of this, plus dealing with her job caring for an elderly man, the delicate girl friendships, and trying to get great grades is taking its toll. Janna’s […]

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Three Swoony Summer Reads That Get It Right | Ramona Blue, Coming Up for Air & When Dimple Met ..

June 27, 2017 / 5 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Mini-Reviews, Review
Three Swoony Summer Reads That Get It Right | Ramona Blue, Coming Up for Air & When Dimple Met Rishi

Review: RAMONA BLUE by Julie Murphy Beautifully intersectional, Ramona Blue is equal parts complex family dynamics, small-town poverty, friendship goals, and swoony romance. Julie Murphy has an incredible gift of being able to bring all of these pieces together in a way that never feels forced, but always lyrical. Ramona Leroux is 17, entering her senior year of high school, with no plans for the future other than staying in Eulogy, Mississippi. She’s got her part-time jobs, her friends, and her sister Hattie, who is pregnant at 19. And she has a summer romance with Grace, a vacationer who’s not […]

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The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord | Blog Tour + Review

May 17, 2017 / 0 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Blog Tour, Review
The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord | Blog Tour + Review

Hi guys, I’m delighted to be part of the Canadian blog tour for THE NAMES THEY GAVE US by Emery Lord. As some of you know, Emery is one of my all-time favorite, auto-buy authors. I love her so much that I hosted a week-long celebration of her work a few years ago! For this blog tour, I got to ask Emery one question, and I’ve also got a review of this wonderful book. Check it out. Review: The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord THE NAMES THEY GAVE US was a unique and personal read for me, and […]

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Noteworthy by Riley Redgate | Review

May 2, 2017 / 6 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Review
Noteworthy by Riley Redgate | Review

Review: Wow, wow, wow. If you are not putting Noteworthy on your to-be-read list right now, you are missing out. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I adored this a cappella-themed diverse, contemporary YA novel. It’s way WAY more than I expected it to be. I mean, yes, it’s a cute premise (cross-dressing to join a boys a cappella group? GIVE IT TO ME). Yes, it has an incredibly diverse and honest cast. Yes, it’s #ownvoices. But all of that doesn’t tell you just how deep author Riley Redgate goes to create rounded characters – characters who […]

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Giveaway + Guest Post : Me (and) Me by Alice Kuipers | Blog Tour

April 21, 2017 / 13 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Blog Tour, Exclusive Content, Giveaways, Guest Post
Giveaway + Guest Post : Me (and) Me by Alice Kuipers | Blog Tour

Hi guys, today I’m excited to be part of the blog tour for Me (and) Me by Alice Kuipers! This is a Canadian book that deals with an impossible choice: if two people you love are drowning, who do you save? The novel looks, in parallel, at what happens to protagonist Lark after each choice. Read on for more about the book, Alice’s own decision that changed her life (it’s REALLY good), and a chance to win a signed copy of Me (and) Me! Please welcome Alice Kuipers to Mostly YA Lit! “What is your one moment and one decision that […]

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Fireworks by Katie Cotugno | Review + Playlist

April 19, 2017 / 10 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Review
Fireworks by Katie Cotugno | Review + Playlist

Review: Fireworks by Katie Cotugno Fireworks by Katie Cotugno features Olivia and Dana, best friends who live in small town Georgia in the 90s. Dana is poor, with a mother who drinks too much, and no prospects after high school. Meanwhile, Olivia has been dreaming of being famous her whole life. When the opportunity to audition for a new girl group by a famous producer comes up, Dana accompanies Olivia to Orlando – and ends up being picked as part of Daisy Chain as well. I’m a sucker for any kind of music story, especially ones where people have to […]

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5-Star Review: The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

April 17, 2017 / 4 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Review
5-Star Review: The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

Review: The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli The Upside of Unrequited is my favorite read of 2017 so far. You know how all the rest of you felt about Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda? That it was perfect and wonderful and so so cute? So, bookish confession here: I really liked Simon, but it didn’t completely blow me away. I know, I know. I loved Simon and Blue, and it was really fun. But it wasn’t like, completely and totally my book. This book, though. The Upside of Unrequited is MY Simon Vs. For me, it was utterly […]

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Highly Recommended: Letters to the Lost & My Lady Jane | Mini-Reviews

April 10, 2017 / 6 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Mini-Reviews, Review
Highly Recommended: Letters to the Lost & My Lady Jane | Mini-Reviews

Review: LETTERS TO THE LOST by Brigid Kemmerer Letters to the Lost is a captivating book that delves deeply into two characters’ lives. Juliet Young is a girl who lost her photographer mother in a car accident a few months ago. She is still deeply grieving. Meanwhile, Declan Murphy is an angry guy who is currently doing community service after a traumatic and dangerous incident. The book is beautifully narrated, switching between Juliet and Declan’s perspectives. There’s also really strong dialogue between the characters and their best friends and families, who are well-rounded and real. The romance between Juliet and Declan […]

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March 2017 Uppercase Box Review (& Unboxing Video)!

April 4, 2017 / 3 Comments / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Product Review
March 2017 Uppercase Box Review (& Unboxing Video)!

Hi all, happy April! I’m delighted to be showing you the March 2017 Uppercase Box! This is my last review of Uppercase Box, and I have to tell you: I’m super sad that it’s not continuing. I’ve ADORED working with Uppercase Box founder Lisa Parkin, and obviously, the boxes have been amazing. In case you don’t know the drill, Uppercase Box is a YA exclusive book subscription box. In each box, you get: A new hardcover YA book The book will be signed, or there will be a signed bookplate Signed Book or Bookplate Signed by the Author 1-2 exclusive […]

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Just Another Girl by Elizabeth Eulberg | Mini-Review

March 30, 2017 / 1 Comment / Posted by Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit in Mini-Reviews, Review
Just Another Girl by Elizabeth Eulberg | Mini-Review

Mini-Review: Just Another Girl by Elizabeth Eulberg A surprisingly serious read for Elizabeth Eulberg, Just Another Girl deals with our perceptions of girls, love triangles, and how much we learn when we try to give people the benefit of the doubt. The narrative switches between Hope, who is in love with her best friend Brady, and Parker, who is currently dating Brady and is in a really bad (but also secret) home situation. When the book starts, we get a lot of Hope’s perspective, and a lot of her pain at having a ginormous crush on Brady. It’s desperate, and […]

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