Welcome to my second week of doing Bite Size Reviews: Week of 3/28! I won’t have nearly as many books for this week as I did last week. Mainly because I didn’t read as many graphic novels. Also, I’ve been working hard at finishing up school projects so I don’t have to worry about them anymore. Some of the projects are just taking much longer than anticipated.
Anyway, this will be my wrap up of reviews from 3/28 to 4/3! I’m also hoping next week to create some more reading recommendation lists. If there’s something specific that you’re interested in seeing, let me know in the comics! I’m especially well-versed in YA fantasy, graphic novels, and YA contemporary fiction. But I can branch out, too!
Check out previous week’s reviews: 3/21
Bite Size Reviews: Week of 3/28
P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han (3/29)
This is the sequel to To All the Boys I Loved Before, which I wanted to read before I watched the Netflix adaptation. I’m going to be honest–I don’t understand the hype around these books. Basically nothing happened in this book! The main conflict with John Ambrose McClaren didn’t even get introduced until halfway into the novel; I thought it was going to play a much bigger part than it did. And let’s be honest, I was a John Ambrose fan anyway. Lara Jean should have ended up with him instead (3 stars).
The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner (3/29)
So I lied, I did read some graphic novels this week. Two, actually! This was the first, a cute graphic novel about Moth who learns that she’s a witch when she turns 13. While she’s super excited about it, her mom is worried about the danger of being witch so she forbids Moth to use magic. Complete with her own talking cat sidekick, this is everything you want in a fantasy graphic novel. A perfect companion to The Witch Boy by Molly Ostertag (4 stars).
NewsPrints by Ru Xu (3/30)
Blue disguises herself as a Newsboy in a city where girls aren’t allowed to deliver the newspaper. When she runs into a mysterious figure named Crow, she starts to unravel the mystery behind the war that’s going on. I didn’t realize this was more of a fantasy graphic novel than historical fiction, but it was still enjoyable! The art was absolutely gorgeous, actually. The pacing just seemed a bit off to me; it was too slow in the beginning, and then everything happened too quickly at the end. There’s apparently a sequel, so I might just have to read it to see what happens next (3 stars).
Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han (3/31)
And with that, I have finished this trilogy! Though, I don’t think it needed to be a trilogy (don’t hate me!). I think Lara Jean’s story wrapped up okay in the first book. However, I did like this more than the second book. There was more conflict and more of a driving force behind the story. At least I’ve finally knocked this trilogy off my TBR (3 stars).
The Science of Breakable Things by Tae Keller (4/2)
This was my first book of April, and my final middle grade book I had to read for my class. It follows Natalie, a seventh grade girl whose mom has sunk into a deep depression. In order to get things back to normal, Natalie decides she has to win the local egg drop competition. There are so many good things about this book, from the diverse cast of characters to the way the story deals with mental health issues. Natalie goes to therapy, which is seen as a positive thing. At its core, its about changing friendships and coping with depression. And the book is formatted like a science notebook. Bonus: it’s also a STEM focused book with a strong female lead. What’s not to like! (5 stars)