#simon pulse

[driveintheaterofthemind]

Original Art - The Nancy Drew Files: Sisters In Crime Cover (1988)

Art by Enric (Enric Torres-Prat)

Simon Pulse

[2021ya]

THE LAST WORDS WE SAID

​by Leah Scheier

(Simon Pulse, 8/31/21)

9781534469396

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Nine months ago, Danny disappeared and everything changed for his friends. Rae’s pouring herself into rage-baking. Deenie's deepening her commitment to Orthodox Judaism. And Ellie—Danny’s best friend and girlfriend—is the only one who doesn’t believe he’s dead. Because she still sees him. Moving back and forth between past and present, the story of Ellie and Danny unspools, from their serendipitous meeting to Danny and Ellie falling for each other. In the past, they were the perfect couple—until it all went wrong. In the present, Ellie’s looking for answers. Her friends are worried about her mental health, but Ellie’s certain that the tragedy that’s rocked their modern Orthodox community isn’t as simple as they all believe. She’s determined to uncover the truth about what happened to the love of her life. But to do that, she’ll have to be more honest with herself.

[mugglenet]

TITLE - https://blog.mugglenet.com/2020/07/book-review-ever-cursed-by-corey-ann-haydu/

[2020ya]

LOVE & OLIVES

Love & Gelato #3

by Jenna Evans Welch

(Simon Pulse, 11/10/20)

9781534448834

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Liv Varanakis doesn’t have a lot of fond memories of her father, which makes sense—he fled to Greece when she was only eight. What Liv does remember, though, is their shared love for Greek myths and the lost city of Atlantis. So when Liv suddenly receives a postcard from her father explaining that National Geographic is funding a documentary about his theories on Atlantis—and will she fly out to Greece and help?—Liv jumps at the opportunity. But when she arrives to gorgeous Santorini, things are a little…awkward. There are so many questions, so many emotions that flood to the surface after seeing her father for the first time in years. And yet Liv doesn’t want their past to get in the way of a possible reconciliation. She also definitely doesn’t want Theo—her father’s charismatic so-called “protégé”—to witness her struggle. And that means diving into all that Santorini has to offer—the beautiful sunsets, the turquoise water, the hidden caves, and the delicious cuisine. But not everything on the Greek island is as perfect as it seems. Because as Liv slowly begins to discover, her father may not have invited her to Greece for Atlantis, but for something much more important.

[brightbeautifulthings]

Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju

"With each passing moment, I'd get that feeling you sometimes have the moment you're about to flip to the final page of a really good book, when your anticipation for what happens next overwhelms you, but you also know that turning the page means you're closer to an end. This was a story I didn't want to end."

Year Read: 2019

Rating: 4/5

Context: I received a free e-copy through NetGalley from the publishers at Simon Pulse. Trigger warnings: homophobia, slurs, gender dysphoria, alcoholism, violence, bullying, abandonment, underage drinking, underage romance, vomiting.

About: Nima is tired of her boring life in small-town Bridgeton, tired of crushing on a straight girl who will never like her back, and tired of waiting and wondering why her mother abandoned her and her father over a year ago without a word. When she wanders into a side tent at a local carnival, she isn't expecting a drag show or to suddenly be whisked into the colorful world of drag kings and queens by Dee Dee, the friendly queen who takes Nima under her wing. With new crushes, hilarious (and mortifying) mishaps, and some amazing friends (both new and old), Nima is ready to face the loss of her mother and discover that, maybe, there's something of a drag king in her as well.

Thoughts: This is a summery, feel-good novel if I've ever read one, and I could recommend it on the diversity alone. Almost every major character is POC or LGBTQ+ or both, and Boteju provides a wonderful introduction into the world of drag, a lot of which was new for me. For the most part, it's written as a safe and welcoming place for teens/new adults (despite numerous scenes of underage drinking), and I think every LGBTQ+ teenager would benefit from having a drag queen fairy godmother like Dee Dee to help them navigate.

There are a couple small things that make it read like a first novel, the first being the overuse of silly metaphors. In part, this is due to Nima's perspective, since she prides herself on her metaphors, but it leaks into the narrative in distracting ways. The other is that it's quite dramatic, which is also just a product of the YA genre. I remember feeling everything too strongly as a teenager, and Nima is no exception to that. She reacts in extremes at times (typically anger or embarrassment), which is probably fine for the target audience but may put off some older readers.

All dramatics aside, I like Nima. She's endearingly awkward, so we really get a sense of how she finds herself and her self-confidence over the course of the novel. Of course, Dee Dee steals the show, as she's probably meant to. She's a force of nature, and her flair is matched only by her kindness. There's also a subplot of a boy who seems to be struggling with gender dysphoria. All in all, a great cast of characters, and they're one of the major strengths of the book. I was hoping for a little more closure on some of the plot threads (or possibly a sequel), but the novel leaves off on a high note. I’ll definitely revisit it in the future when I need to feel better about the world.

[jasdiscoverstheuniverse]

Containment Caryn Lix

[universitybookstore]

New from Simon Pulse and the author of the bestselling series, The Program, Suzanne Young, Girls with Sharp Sticks. “ You know those books you finish and then are like "cool, now what do I do with my life?" This is one of them. I don't want to give too much away, but spoiler alert: this elite "finishing school" for girls is not what it seems. “ - Cosmopolitan Magazine.

[yadaily]

Analee, In Real Life by Janelle Milanes

Review by: Paige

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Publication: September 18, 2018 from Simon Pulse

*OwnVoices for Latinx Rep*

Ever since her mom died three years ago, Analee Echevarria has had trouble saying out loud the weird thoughts that sit in her head. With a best friend who hates her and a dad who’s marrying a yogi she can’t stand, Analee spends most of her time avoiding reality and role-playing as Kiri, the night elf hunter at the center of her favorite online game. Through Kiri, Analee is able to express everything real-life Analee cannot: her bravery, her strength, her inner warrior. The one thing both Kiri and Analee can’t do, though, is work up the nerve to confess her romantic feelings for Kiri’s partner-in-crime, Xolkar—aka a teen boy named Harris whom Analee has never actually met in person. So when high school heartthrob Seb Matias asks Analee to pose as his girlfriend in an attempt to make his ex jealous, Analee agrees. Sure, Seb seems kind of obnoxious, but Analee could use some practice connecting with people in real life. In fact, it’d maybe even help her with Harris. But the more Seb tries to coax Analee out of her comfort zone, the more she starts to wonder if her anxious, invisible self is even ready for the real world. Can Analee figure it all out without losing herself in the process?

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There’s nothing I love more than a fake dating novel. Nothing. And when I tell you that this one is incredibly special, heartwarming, unique, and moving, I mean it. The story follows Analee, a socially-awkward sixteen year old who spends most of her time online playing video games and trying to devise a way to make her online crush like her back. Still reeling from her mother’s death and losing her best friend, Analee is in the process of not only trying to figure out her own person, but also watching her family stretch and change, what with her father getting married to a new woman soon. Right when Analee thinks things can’t get any harder, enter Seb, the soccer-star-most-popular-boy-in-school who suggests to Analee that they should fake date in order to get back what they both need the most. And from there, things spiral.

What I loved the most about this book was how integral the family elements were. Watching Analee try to navigate the complicated process of adjusting to new family dynamics while still feeling such a deep connection to the old ones was far more emotional than I ever expected it to be. By the end, I was literally weeping. But even though grief is at the forefront of this novel, it never once overpowers all the lighthearted, romantic elements. In fact, it just serves to enhance them. And it was surprisingly hilarious, too! The rapport between all of the characters felt so natural, and made relating to them so easily even when their situations were so unique.

But oh, Seb and Analee. I love how gently he coaxed her out of her shell, and how you could see her slowly change and adjust to her new life, her new self. And even though I was so irritated that Analee was so resistant to Seb’s kindness at first, and how she struggled to see that his feelings for her were so genuine, their relationship was so endearing, built on trust and honesty that you don’t often see in fake dating. There was no easy solution to Analee’s feelings, and honestly, there shouldn’t have been. This book was real, through and through, and I could not have appreciated it more.

My only real issue that I have with this book is that there was a little bit too much hatred of stereotypical femininity for my liking. I understood why, but it was constantly pulsing in the background of the story, even when it wasn’t obvious that it was happening. There were also not a lot of actual video game elements to this story. For me, that’s a great thing. For others, maybe not so much.

Overall, I could not have adored this novel more. It was such an incredible take on fake dating, and if you think you’ve seen it all before, this book proves you haven’t. If you’re looking for a good cry, I promise, you’ll be weeping tears of happiness, sadness, and emotions-you’ll-never-be-able-to-name for half an hour over this book. I know I did.