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The Bookish Fairy

Young adult, magical realism, and every book in between infused with fairy dust...

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

January 25, 2019

The Sun is Also a Star Published by Delacorte Press on November 1, 2016
Genres: contemporary, YA Contemporary, YA Romance
Pages: 384
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Goodreads
five-stars

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

 

Catfairy’s Booktape

Natasha is my ultimate music twin due to our mutual love of 90’s grunge and Daniel is a poet so of course, Bob Dylan is the perfect mix to add into this playlist!  Here is a little bit of Eddie Vedder, Dylan, Chris Cornell, and some good old teen spirit!

Catfairy’s Starry Bookish Babbles

When I finished listening to Nicola Yoon’s book I rewinded the ending like seventeen times because my heart couldn’t handle that the book was over! The book had all the elements of being a fluffy book while showing the intensity of first love. She writes the feelings of first love the way a sixteen-year-old actually experiences first love. Yoon brings you back to the days when falling in love is an all-encompassing feeling and it’s all you think about, ruminate about, sing about, write about, and obsessively dream about as if your own life depends on it! 

Catnopsis

“I see us in old age. I can’t see our faces; I don’t even know where or even when we are. But I have a strange and happy feeling that I can’t quite describe. It’s like knowing all the words to a song but still finding them beautiful and surprising.”

-Daniel

Daniel and Natasha are in a record store in New York and from the moment Daniel lays eyes on Natasha he has a feeling he is going to spend the rest of his life with her…

But he has approximately twelve hours to convince her to fall in love with him…

Natasha is a girl about facts and science and currently, she has a hard time facing reality. Her family is about to get deported and she has twelve hours to try to get her family to stay in New York and then she bumps into Daniel in the record store and her whole world changes. 

Daniel has always been the perfect son but faces pressure from his family to be someone that he is not when all he wants is to be a poet. He is a boy who lives in his own head and is a true romantic at heart. When he meets Natasha he sees his own future right before his eyes…

Pop Culture Purr-References

via GIPHY

I know I have mentioned this pop culture reference just recently but obvi Before Sunrise has been on my mind lately! I really need to watch it tonight and just get it over with! 

But honestly, The Sun is Also a Star perfectly represents the insta-love that Before Sunrise does! 

Nicola Yoon’s Writing

The chapters in this book are written in the point of view of the characters and this is my favorite kind of book because I love books that are character driven more than plot driven. Even though the chapters are mainly dedicated to the main characters Natasha and Daniel, there are surprise chapters from the strangers they meet along the way such as the security guard from the immigration office and even the etymological history of the Jamaican term irie! 

Nicola Yoon represents diverse characters in her story with Natasha being Jamaican and Daniel being Korean American. Not only does Yoon represent the characters diverse backgrounds in this story, but she also touches on immigration which is a hot topic in our Trump era. The author writes about the struggles about facing deportation and really humanizes the struggle of immigration.   

Glittery Introspections

The format that I used to read The Sun is Also a Star was a mix of reading and listening but I was listening to this book 70% of the time. If I wasn’t listening to this book for most of the time I would have probably tabbed almost the whole book because the language was even more lyrical than Yoon’s last book Everything, Everything.

Nicola Yoon is becoming the queen of insta-love but she is one of the few authors that REALLY knows how to write insta-love! This book captures the exhilarating experience of running around New York while falling in love! What can be better than that?!

More importantly, this is a book about fate and about how everything is connected in some way or another and that was one of the most beautiful things about this book! This book teaches us how strangers can sometimes have a significant impact on our lives when we aren’t even aware of it. 

 

five-stars

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Filed Under: Catfairy Categories<3, Reviews by Title Tagged: Humanizing Immigration, Insta-Lovey Done Right, New York Love, Nicola Yoon=Queen of Insta-Love, Queen of Insta Love, Running Around New York, Yoon: Queen is Insta-Love, young adult

Cover Reveal: The Meaning of Birds by Jaye Robin Brown

January 10, 2019

Cover Reveal: The Meaning of Birds by Jaye Robin BrownThe Meaning of Birds on April 16, 2019
Genres: contemporary, LGBT, YA Contemporary
Pages: 368
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Goodreads

Before, Jessica has always struggled with anger issues, but come sophomore year that all changes when Vivi crashes into her life. As their relationship blossoms, Vivi not only helps Jess deal with her pain, she also encourages her to embrace her talent as an artist. And for the first time, it feels like the future is filled with possibilities. After In the midst of senior year, Jess’s perfect world is erased when Vivi suddenly passes away. Reeling from the devastating loss, Jess pushes everyone away, and throws out her plans to go to art school. Because art is Vivi and Vivi is gone forever.

Desperate for an escape, Jess gets consumed in her work-study program, letting all of her dreams die. Until she makes an unexpected new friend who shows her a new way to channel her anger, passion, and creativity. Although Jess may never draw again, if she can find a way to heal and room in her heart, she just might be able to forge a new path for herself without Vivi.

This sapphic read comes out on April 16, 2019, and I am definitely adding this to the top of my TBR list! Meaning of Birds has one of the most beautiful and simplistic covers I have ever seen! 

After reading the synopsis, I have a feeling I am going to experience many ugly cries through reading this own voices novel! I love books that are filled with emotion and depth because they are the kind of books that I never forget. Being a huge arty girl myself, I am excited that Brown’s MC has a love of art. Even though, I tend to gravitate towards fluffy contemporaries I am always game for a good emotionally gripping story.

 

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Filed Under: Catfairy Categories<3, YA News Tagged: coming of age read, emotional read, lgbt, sapphic read, ya contemporary

Analee, in Real Life by Janelle Milanes

January 4, 2019

Analee, in Real Life by Janelle MilanesAnalee, in Real Life by Janelle Milanes
Published by Simon Pulse on September 18, 2018
Genres: contemporary, YA Contemporary, YA Romance
Pages: 416
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Goodreads
four-half-stars

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?

Catfairy’s Booktape

Here is a mix of the songs that I grew up with being raised in a Cuban family and the songs that I am into right now that have those fluffy contemporary YA feels…

Catfairy’s “Real” Bookish Babbles

Analee, in Real Life, sneaked up on me unexpectedly and I am so happy it did! The year 2018 was the year where so many amazing diverse books were being published and Analee, in Real Life came at a perfect time since it was published during Latinx month in September! 

Janelle Milanes’s book was the best-underrated book that I have read in 2018 because it is written by an own voices Cuban American author and the MC Analee is Cuban American! This book took me back to a time when I was a shy emo teenager writing unrequited love to one of the popular jocks in school. I can identify with Analee so hard because as a Cuban American I love that this story is not really about a girl who is Cuban, it’s just about a girl who is just trying to exist in the media-saturated world we live in. 

Catnopsis

Analee Echeverria is a girl who juggles between two identities. She is an awkward and shy girl at school that prefers to be invisible and she is the kickass online avatar elf hunter named Kiri of her favorite online game. Analee lost her mother three years ago and she struggles with finding her own voice. She wants to be more like the online character of Kiri who always takes action but she keeps holding herself back until she finally decides to stop hiding behind her computer and face the real world.

The character is going through many changes in her life and she prefers to escape reality more than deal with it head-on. Her dad is going to marry a yogi lifestyle YouTuber named Harlow and her best friend won’t speak to her anymore. She finds comfort in her friend Harris who is her online gamer buddy who she has never met and to make things more complicated she has love feelings for him. Analee’s world begins to change when she gets an offer to pretend to be the girlfriend of the most popular jock in school. She finds herself in the process and realizes that she may be more like Kiri the elf hunter than she thinks…

The Meow Casting Call

Meet Analee (Played by Isabella Gomez)

“I’m a crappy excuse for a Cuban anyway. My Spanish is awful. I don’t know proper vocab, only slang words that would get me laughed out of actual Spanish-speaking countries.”

-Analee

via GIPHY

One Day at a Time was one of my favorite shows of 2018 and I have said before that this show is like the Cuban version of Full House! The show gave me all the warm and fuzzy feelings and my favorite character was, of course, Elena Alvarez! Elena is a loveable and geeky Cuban American character who reminded me so much of Analee!

Pop Culture Purr-references

via GIPHY

Of course, I have to reference One Day at a Time once again! Analee, in Real Life, reminds me so much of this show because there were many times where Analee’s family made me crack up! There is a hilarious scene in the book where the future stepmom of Analee, named Harlow tries to cook a healthy version of ropa vieja for Analee’s Cuban grandparents and the look of horror on their face is classic! The dynamics of the family in One Day at a Time has the similar heartfelt humor to Analee, in Real Life and it gives me all the nostalgic feelings of growing up in a Cuban family myself. 

Catfairy’s Glittery Introspections

I love how this book didn’t end the way I expected it to. Analee, in Real Life, is kind of similar in the vein of the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series but with a twist. This is a story about a girl who finds herself and gets the people she loves back in her life. Analee finally finds the strength that is inside of her and realizes that life is best lived outside of her online gaming world. Milanes’ book gets 4.5 stars for me because I felt that the relationship between Harris and Analee was unnecessary and I just wasn’t invested enough in that part of the story. Although, I totally ship the relationship that evolved between Analee and Sebastian even though I have very conflicted feelings about the Sebastian character! There were some choices that Sebastian made in the story that really aggravated me but then again he is a high school jock! I can’t expect perfection from Sebastian! 

Janelle Milanes wrote the kind of book that was extremely special because it is a book about a Cuban character who simply existed as a Cuban character. This book had all the dynamics about how it is like to grow up in a Cuban family but the book wasn’t really about that. I love that this book just simply has Cuban characters and that it doesn’t just center the writing on their own culture. Books that are diverse are not solely relegated to just hone in on the character’s cultural background, it can just be about the character’s journey whether it be fighting warlocks or crushing on popular boys. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

four-half-stars

10 Comments
Filed Under: Reviews by Title Tagged: analee, Cuban American Rep, Janelle Milanes, Janelle Milanes Latinx, Kiri, Latinx Books, Own Voices Novel

Cover Reveal: Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett

December 18, 2018

Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett
on April 16, 2019
Genres: contemporary, YA Contemporary, YA Romance
Pages: 432
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Goodreads

After an awkward first encounter, Birdie and Daniel are forced to work together in a Seattle hotel where a famous author leads a mysterious and secluded life in this romantic contemporary novel from the author of Alex, Approximately.

Mystery-book aficionado Birdie Lindberg has an overactive imagination. Raised in isolation and homeschooled by strict grandparents, she’s cultivated a whimsical fantasy life in which she plays the heroic detective and every stranger is a suspect. But her solitary world expands when she takes a job the summer before college, working the graveyard shift at a historic Seattle hotel.

In her new job, Birdie hopes to blossom from introverted dreamer to brave pioneer, and gregarious Daniel Aoki volunteers to be her guide. The hotel’s charismatic young van driver shares the same nocturnal shift and patronizes the waterfront Moonlight Diner where she waits for the early morning ferry after work. Daniel also shares her appetite for intrigue, and he’s stumbled upon a real-life mystery: a famous reclusive writer—never before seen in public—might be secretly meeting someone at the hotel.

To uncover the writer’s puzzling identity, Birdie must come out of her shell…discovering that most confounding mystery of all may be her growing feelings for the elusive riddle that is Daniel.

Happy Holidays! When I laid eyes on this book cover I seriously thought that this was a YA-cozy-winter-read with the Hallmark feels! This book just SCREAMS a winter read for me and I was surprised to find out that this book comes out on April 16, 2019! Just feast your eyes on this adorable cover by Jenn Bennett who is also the author of the much-talked-about summer book Alex, Approximately!

 

The synopsis of the book sounds like the perfect cozy read. This book has a mystery element to it and I am not an avid mystery reader but I love the fact that it has a combination of a romance and that the mystery is set in a historic Seattle hotel. Serious Moonlight sounds like the perfect novel to read on a rainy day with some pie and a warm cup of coffee! Pre-order your copy here! 

14 Comments
Filed Under: YA News Tagged: contemporary, cozy read, Jenn Bennett, romance, ya, ya contemporary

The Poet X

April 14, 2018

The Poet XThe Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
on March 6, 2018
Genres: YA Contemporary
Pages: 368
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Goodreads
five-stars

A young girl in Harlem discovers slam poetry as a way to understand her mother’s religion and her own relationship to the world. Debut novel of renowned slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo.

Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.

But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself.

So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out, much less speak her words out loud. But still, she can’t stop thinking about performing her poems.

Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.

Catfairy’s Bookmix

Here is the actual bookmix that Elizabeth Acevedo herself created for her book!

Catfairy Thoughts

When I heard the voice of Elizabeth Acevedo yell out, “Pero tu no eres facil,” (Translation: “You sure ain’t an easy one.”) I was immediately hooked! I had the amazing opportunity of meeting the real powerhouse known as Elizabeth Acevedo and as soon as I heard her read an excerpt of her book I ran out to get myself a copy for her to sign!

Poet X is so original because it’s essentially a whole story from beginning to end only it’s written in poems and it’s not just your typical poetry it’s slam poetry! For those of you that aren’t familiar with slam poetry, it’s basically a personal and emotional kind of poem that describes the struggle that someone is facing. Many times, slam poetry describes urban life and is associated with a hip-hop vibe. Even though I bought a copy of The Poet X I found the audible version a million times more gripping than the physical copy because the poet herself Elizabeth Acevedo narrates the story! Hearing Ms. Acevedo narrate the story was such an intense experience and it made me think back through the struggles and growing pains that I experienced in high school. Even though society tends to undermine the struggles that teenagers girls go through Acevedo GETS IT and she tells the story of Xiomara Batista who is Dominican (Latina representation woop woop!) and tells the story with such a raw honesty that it’s almost heartbreaking to read. 

Catnopsis

Xiomara Batista lives in Harlem, New York City and she is a girl that struggles with her identity. She is trying to figure out her place in the world and she is constantly feeling the pressure from her family, her friends, society, boys, and even the men around her. This is a girl who is very self-conscious because her body has developed faster than most girls and is uncomfortable when grown men begin to notice her and high school boys grope her and call her a slut. She lives with a very strict religious family and her mother is always controlling her every move. Xiomara also meets a boy she develops a major crush on in Bio class named Aman. 

Xiomara is someone who feels alone. She feels that no one understands her and that no one hears her. Until Xiomara finds herself channeling her frustration and struggles through her writing and figures out that she has a true passion for slam poetry. Only this is a gift that she hides from her family until she gets the opportunity to be a part of the Slam Poetry club in her school and she needs to make a decision if she should hide in her room with her slam poetry or share it with the world?

Pop Culture References

This book totally gave me the Michelle Rodriguez vibes back when she made the movie Girlfight! There were a lot of parallels to Xiomara and the main character of Girlfight! They both are latina, they both had that tough girl persona who didn’t feel understood, and then found themselves with something that they loved! It’s uncanny! What do you guys think?

via GIPHY

Catfairy’s Final Thoughts

“Burn it! Burn it. This is where the poem are”, I say, thumping a fist against my chest. “Will you burn me? Will you burn me, too?”

–Elizabeth Acevedo

Usually, I am not someone that gravitates to poetry but this book grabbed me and I am so glad that meeting Elizabeth Acevedo convinced me to give this book a try! 

There are so many topics in this book that are so relatable and at times controversial when she touches on the topic of her religious upbringing. There is a line in this book that I love.

“What’s the point of God giving me life

if I can’t live it as my own?”

– Elizabeth Acevedo

These are such beautiful and honest questions, that I find myself often asking. I believe in God but I am not someone that believes in organized religion and growing up as a girl who had to do my communion because it made my Great Grandma happy, I always questioned the teachings of the Bible. I believe no matter what we believe in we should always ask questions and dig deeper for the answers. It was so refreshing to read about a character that pushed the envelope and always asked questions even if they were uncomfortable.

I also loved the bond between Xiomara and her brother who she affectionally nicknamesTwin! It has been awhile since I have read a YA book with such a strong brother and sister relationship and it was so touching to see how protective and loving Xiomara was towards her brother. Throughout the book, there are some struggles that the brother will face and it makes Xiomara and Twin’s relationship even stronger in the end. 

“Every time I think about Aman poems build inside me like I’ve been 

gifted a box of metaphor Legos that I stack and stack and stack.”

-Elizabeth Acevedo

Being a big contemporary romance girl, one of my favorite parts was seeing the bond that develops between Xiomara and her crush in Bio named Aman. There is a poem where Elizabeth describes them listening to the same song together and sharing the headphones and as I read it I could just feel the sparks/hormones flying high! The relationship between both of them was intense and powerful that it just popped out of the page! I read and listened to the poems with Xiomara and Aman and I just felt the hunger and longing of this crush.

Of course, the Latina representation is what gravitated me towards this book! She describes her Dominican upbringing with such humor and eloquence. I love how she talks about the social expectations for her as a Latina and how she struggles to meet them. As a Latina, I struggle with these expectations such as being told that I have to be a perfect housewife who cooks, cleans, dances salsa, and breeds babies at the same time!

Honestly, I cannot rave about Elizabeth Acevedo more! I hope to read more of her books in the future. Her slam poetry was so powerful and brutally honest. Acevedo’s words perfectly describe the pain and beauty of growing up!

Let me know in the comments below if you have read any poetry lately and if you plan on reading Elizabeth Acevedo’s book!

five-stars

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Filed Under: Reviews by Title Tagged: diary, emotional, pero tu no eres facil, poetic, slam poetry

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