Review: MORE HAPPY THAN NOT, by Adam Silvera

More Happy Than Not is the story of a teenage boy in the Bronx who considers undergoing a memory-wiping procedure to escape his sexuality and the harm it's brought to him.

My mind changed several times while reading Adam Silvera's More Happy Than Not; I considered giving up on it more than once. For a while I thought the story was wildly predictable and familiar, and at times the writing was less than wonderful.

I'm glad I stuck it out.

After about the 1/3 mark, the story started getting better and better, and it continued to surprise me. Unlike what I initially feared, this is not your run-of-the-mill YA. Adam Silvera takes big risks in his writing and plot, so much so that by the end of the book I was wholeheartedly cheering him on as a writer.

If you're looking for a boy-meets-boy YA that will make you swoon, this is not the book for you. But if you want to read a brutally honest story that will make you uncomfortable just as often as it makes you smile, you should dive right in. Bonus points if you're into very mild sci-fi.

I give More Happy Than Not 4 stars, because that seems like an appropriate average for my roller coaster of feelings about it. I look forward to reading more of Silvera's books; to be honest, though, I don't think my heart could handle two of them in a row.

Stars: 4/4
Recommended for: Anyone who enjoys dark YA that takes risks and doesn't necessarily follow expected tropes. A love for science fiction is optional.

Review: BECAUSE YOU'LL NEVER MEET ME, by Leah Thomas

BECAUSE YOU'LL NEVER MEET ME has an adorable premise--two boys who become close pen pals, but can never meet because, effectively, one is allergic to the other. I initially picked up this book because the story idea intrigued me, and the author, Leah Thomas, held up to my expectations. The two boys in the story, Ollie and Moritz, are distinguishable and well-developed, each with their own fascinating backgrounds and interests. The development of their relationship was realistic and touching, enough to make me root for them as both friends and potential boyfriends. 

The major drawback for me was the moments where I had trouble connecting with the sci-fi elements. I had difficulty wrapping my mind around the possibilities of some of it, such as the lab experiments and the boys' respective disabilities. However, this shortcoming might be on my part, and Leah Thomas's superb writing more than makes up for it.

Regardless, I look forward to reading the next book in the series, NOWHERE NEAR YOU.

Stars: 4/5
Recommended for: Anyone interested in contemporary young adult stories, especially anyone who enjoys very light speculative fiction and queer characters.

Review: FERAL YOUTH, by Shaun David Hutchinson, et al.

FERAL YOUTH, by Shaun David Hutchinson, Brandy Colbert, Suzanne Young, Tim Floreen, Justina Ireland, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Stephanie Kuehn, E.C. Myers, Marieke Nijkamp, and Robin Talley

Feral Youth was simply fantastic! I'm usually wary of multi-author collaborations, but this one defied all odds and truly shined. While it initially appears to be a set of short stories, they're all tied together with a plot arc, so you won't want to skip around. This book is about a group of "troubled" teenagers dropped in the middle of the woods and trying to find their way back to civilization. Over a bet, each person tells a story about what they did to end up at the camp for troubled teens. This is where the various powerhouse authors come into play, each contributing their own (exaggerated?) tale that shines as much as the last.

I picked up this book because of the incredible authors (Tim Floreen, anyone?) and by the end I'd discovered even more authors that I can't wait to read more from.

Stars: 5/5
Recommended for: Anyone who loves contemporary young adult fiction, particularly with unreliable narrators.

Review: THE SCATTERED AND THE DEAD (BOOK 2.5), by Tim McBain and L.T. Vargus

I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced copy of The Scattered and the Dead (Book 2.5). I flew through it, and not because it was short (it wasn't). This is Book 2.5 in the series, but don't let its "half" value fool you; it's a full-length novel with all sorts of goodies.

As opposed to the broader foci of Books 1 and 2, this story follows only Erin, Delfino, and the enticing characters floating around in their circles. The backstories of Erin and Delfino are explored, giving each character more depth, sympathy, and motivation than seen in previous books. While both main characters have merit, I was most drawn in by Erin and the suspicious happenings at her ride-out-the-apocalypse camp. I enjoyed her stubbornness and smarts from the other Scattered and the Dead novels, but I fell in love with her here.

In true Vargus and McBain fashion, the (relatively small amounts of) gore does not disappoint, and there's a kickass ending! This book is a true gem in the world of apocalyptic fiction. I look forward to reading whatever else these authors bless us with in the future.

Stars: 5/5
Recommended for: Anyone who loves three-dimensional characters in difficult situations and unique takes on end-of-the-world stories. (If you're only into zombie stories for the zombies' sake, this one probably isn't for you.)

Now available in paperback and through Kindle Unlimited. Kindle ebook available for pre-order, scheduled for release October 26, 2017.

Review: INVICTUS, by Ryan Graudin

Time travel and dimension jumping? Heists on the Titanic? Gladiators at the Colliseum? Red Pandas as pets? Yes, please!

INVICTUS was a really fun read that will make your head spin. I loved the well-formed characters, the alternating POVs that offered a multidimensional perspective (no pun intended), and the spot-on writing that kept me locked in. I must admit that some of the technical-talk jumping made me question the plausibility of some scenarios, but for the benefit of the doubt I'm leaving this confusion to my own shortcomings. The author definitely made up for all that with an intriguing and promising premise that didn't let me down. I've never read Ryan Graudin's books before, but after reading INVICTUS I will definitely look into her other works.

Stars: 4/5
Recommended for: Anyone who loves twisty time travel stories with a contemporary young adult feel
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Review: THE PLATINUM AGE OF TELEVISION: FROM I LOVE LUCY TO THE WALKING DEAD, HOW TV BECAME TERRIFIC, by David Bianculli

In The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific, David Bianculli has done a great job exploring the evolution of television, broken down into overlapping genres from children's programs to topical comedy. The author discusses each title in terms of its impact on television, rather than by its ratings, offering a refreshing take on how shows influence each other. This book is long and took a while to finish, but it's formatted for readability in whichever order you choose. You can even skip chapters, though I wouldn't recommend it—I was enlightened even by the topics I dreaded and had no former knowledge of, such as the chapter about westerns.

I wish even more genres had been packed into this already-stuffed book, though it understandably has limitations. Bianculli has established himself as the primary voice in television evolution, and I look forward to reading any of his future books—and articles—on the topic.


Stars: 4/5
Recommended for: Anyone who has ever been touched by a television show (so...pretty much everyone in America).

Review: FRIEND (WITH BENEFITS) ZONE, by Laura Brown

Friend (With Benefits) Zone was a fantastic read, complete with well-developed characters and edge-of-your-seat tension. Laura Brown does a great job pulling her readers in and keeping them hooked until the last page. She plunges her readers into the world of Deaf and Hard of Hearing culture, and every single one of us has emerged a better person on the other side.

I particularly loved the build-up between  the main characters, Jas and Devon, as they explored their feelings for each other and navigated their career paths. This is Brown's second novel with Avon, and it definitely does not disappoint. I adored this one just as much as her first (Signs of Attraction), and I look forward to reading every single novel she writes in the future.

Stars: 5/5
Recommended for: I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in contemporary romances with realistic storylines. People interested in deafness or stories featuring disabilities will also consider this a gem.