Expectation: A “Wednesday” meets “The Sixth Sense” gay horror-romance set in suburban Atlanta.
Reality: The subject matter was darker than expected – a plus – but the execution faltered near the end.
All tagged ya
Chlorine – Jade Song
Expectation: A horror story of a high school swimmer turning into a bloodthirsty mermaid in an act of rage.
Reality: Aimless and boring, a few body gore sections weren’t enough to keep me interested before throwing in the towel.
Punching the Air – Ibi Zoboi
Expectation: An exploration of criminal justice inequities framed around the true story of one of the “Central Park jogger” teens.
Reality: While the verses are beautiful, the story and characterizations fell victim to typical YA tropes versus breaking new ground.
Heartstopper: Volumes One – Five – Alice Oseman
Overall, I’d rate this a solid effort. Each volume is good, and three are great, but it also felt like there was a lot of filler, which made the more emotional moments feel hidden. I say this fully recognizing that the length of the series – about 1,700-pages – is what allows the relationship between Charlie and Nick to unfold in a natural, unrushed way, however.
Felix Ever After – Kacen Callender
Expectation: A YA romance with a different point-of-view.
Reality: A disconnected effort with a strong plot focused on identity and acceptance brought down by the typical YA tropes of too smart, too woke kids being mad at the world.
The Black Flamingo – Dean Atta
Written for younger readers, it’s an accessible introduction to conversations about intersectionality as we see Michael process the various facets of his identity before fully embracing and sharing openly the parts that make him feel seen, not as a “this or that,” but as a person.
A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness
Expectation: A mushy, hopeful tale of a teen manifesting a monster to help him grapple with the death of a parent and the ways it will change his life.
Reality: A simply told, yet incredibly impactful exploration of the ways in which we lie to ourselves.
Surrender Your Sons – Adam Sass
Expectation: A “Lord of the Flies”-esque novel about survival at any cost.
Reality: A pandering, mediocre and problematic novel that represents everything that’s wrong with young adult fiction.
Flamer – Mike Curato
Expectation: A quick read about those early moments when you start to accept that you might be gay.
Reality: A beautifully drawn, impeccably written and emotionally raw graphic novel that many queer people will find relatable.
A Harry Potter Retrospective
What can you possibly say about Harry Potter that hasn’t already been stated? Overall, I'd give the series 4.5/5 stars. There were parts of each novel that could have been cut, but, this world and these characters are ones that have stayed with me for years.
When Harry Met Andy
Six years ago this week, I began reading the Harry Potter series for the first time. Being in my early 30s, and facing one one of the most challenging periods of my life, I didn’t expect much. What I got was everything I needed.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes – Suzanne Collins
This Hunger Games prequel serves as a decent queue-up to the original series, but the President Snow baggage does make it difficult to connect with him the same way you could with Katniss and crew.