The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton: Wenches and Girl Knights and Feminism, Oh My!

The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton
Published: May 5th, 2020
Publisher: Page Street Kids
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
# of pages: 384
My rating: 5 stars
Acquired this book: From the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for honest consideration
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Working as a wench―i.e. waitress―at a cheesy medieval-themed restaurant in the Chicago suburbs, Kit Sweetly dreams of being a knight like her brother. She has the moves, is capable on a horse, and desperately needs the raise that comes with knighthood, so she can help her mom pay the mortgage and hold a spot at her dream college.

Company policy allows only guys to be knights. So when Kit takes her brother’s place and reveals her identity at the end of the show, she rockets into internet fame and a whole lot of trouble with the management. But the Girl Knight won’t go down without a fight. As other wenches join her quest, a protest forms. In a joust before Castle executives, they’ll prove that gender restrictions should stay medieval―if they don’t get fired first.

This book was such a delight. The title and cover piqued my interest immediately, and the synopsis had me certain I’d be cheering for Kit, which is exactly what happened.

As a history nerd, Kit Sweetly knows the history books have an unfortunate tendency of leaving out or overlooking badass women. As a teenage girl who works in a medieval-themed restaurant called The Castle, she knows some people still have fairly medieval views when it comes to what women can and can’t do. Wanting to channel her inner Joan of Arc and become a Castle knight like her brother, Kit is tired of being told only cis men can perform in the nightly jousting shows, so she sets out to do something about it.

I loved Kit. She was feisty and smart and determined. She’d been knocked down by life - her family lived in poverty and her dad was an addict - but she refused to stay down, and I admired her tenacity. It’s not every day one gets the chance to do their part in challenging the patriarchy, and while I loved that aspect of the story and rooted for Kit and her friends, this book was about much more than that. Kit was a regular teen with normal ups and downs - family drama, friend issues, worrying about college - and she felt real and relatable.

This is the second book I’ve read recently about teenage girls challenging patriarchal views and shaking up the status quo (the other one was Rules for Being a Girl by Katie Cotugno and Candace Bushnell). I wish there had been more books like this when I was a teen, but I’m so glad they’re being written now. I also truly appreciated the poverty representation - something that’s familiar in real life to many people, but rarely seen in books - and the diversity within Kit’s friend group. There was also an adorable, swoony friends-to-more romance that had me grinning and squeeing.

The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly is a sparkling debut from Jamie Pacton. It strikes a perfect balance of fun romcom and heartwarming story about friendship, life, and overcoming obstacles. This is one of those books I'd love to see adapted for the big screen!

Have you read The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly? What did you think? Have you read any books recently with strong themes of feminism?

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Tweet Cute by Emma Lord: Grab a Grilled Cheese and Prepare to LOL

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
Published: January 21st, 2020
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Tropes: Enemies to lovers, anonymous relationship
Heat level: As sweet as Monster Cake and Kitchen Sink Macaroons
# of pages: 368
My rating: 5 stars
Acquired this book: From the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for honest consideration
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Buy now: Amazon CA || Amazon US || Indigo 

Meet Pepper, swim team captain, chronic overachiever, and all-around perfectionist. Her family may be falling apart, but their massive fast-food chain is booming ― mainly thanks to Pepper, who is barely managing to juggle real life while secretly running Big League Burger’s massive Twitter account.

Enter Jack, class clown and constant thorn in Pepper’s side. When he isn’t trying to duck out of his obscenely popular twin’s shadow, he’s busy working in his family’s deli. His relationship with the business that holds his future might be love/hate, but when Big League Burger steals his grandma’s iconic grilled cheese recipe, he’ll do whatever it takes to take them down, one tweet at a time.

All’s fair in love and cheese ― that is, until Pepper and Jack’s spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while they’re publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, they’re also falling for each other in real life ― on an anonymous chat app Jack built.

As their relationship deepens and their online shenanigans escalate ― people on the internet are shipping them?? ― their battle gets more and more personal, until even these two rivals can’t ignore they were destined for the most unexpected, awkward, all-the-feels romance that neither of them expected. 

Tweet Cute was an absolute delight. Emma Lord managed to create the perfect balance of adorable, funny, and emotional. The story was lighthearted and heartfelt at the same time, and it hit me in the feels as often as it made me laugh out loud.

Pepper and Jack were fantastic characters. They were realistic and relatable, and I loved how layered they were. On the surface, they seemed so different, but they were dealing with many of the same issues: complicated family dynamics, pressure and expectations from others (and themselves), trying to figure out who they truly were and what they wanted in life. I really felt for both of them as they learned some difficult, painful life lessons. They were easy to root for separately and together. Their inner dialogue was witty and real, and their banter was hilarious. Jack and Pepper weren’t the only great characters; there was an entire cast of friends and family members, and all of them had something to add to the story.

2020 is starting strong for me reading-wise, and books like this one continue to set the bar extremely high. I rediscovered my love of YA last summer, and Tweet Cute is the exact type of book that continues to fuel that love. This book will make you laugh out loud, feel all the feels, and crave grilled cheese and baked goods.

Have you read Tweet Cute? Do you have a favourite book that deals with an anonymous relationship or one that started online? This book is being called a modern-day take on the movie You've Got Mail - am I the only one who hasn't seen it? *hangs head in shame*

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Review: You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan

You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan

Series: Standalone
Published: June 7th, 2016
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
248 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult/LGBTQ
Acquired this book: From the library
Warning: May contain spoilers
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Who knows you well? Your best friend? Your boyfriend or girlfriend? A stranger you meet on a crazy night? No one, really?

Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed.

That is, until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way.

When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other—and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.

You Know Me Well is the type of book I think a lot of people have been looking for, myself included. I’ve been desperate for more books where characters are out, happy, and just living life. I know we will always need coming-out stories and stories about queer characters struggling with their sexuality, gender, etc., but I want so many more stories about happy queer people, teens especially, who are living their lives and who get a happy ending.

And this book...holy queer characters, Batman! I think just about everyone in this book except the parents was queer. You get so used to reading books with no queer characters or maybe the gay friend/side character, so it was refreshing to see this eclectic group of queer kids.

My favourite part of this book was the friendship aspect and the idea that a stranger can see you more clearly and know you better than the people who have known you forever. With longtime friendships, people can see you the way they want to see you or the way you used to be or as what they need you to be and not who you truly are. I think this is particularly true for teens when you’re trying to figure out yourself and the world, and you’re constantly changing but some people only ever see you one way. The uncertain teen who still lives inside me connected with this story and these characters, and while Adult Me realized the story was a touch idealistic at times, it was Teen Me’s emotions that overruled and loved this story for exactly what it was: a story about friendship, love, and figuring out life. I think it was one of those ‘right time’ books for me - the type of book where if I read it at another point in my life, it might not have resonated as much, but I picked it up at the exact right time and it really struck a chord. It left me smiling, teary eyed, and completely satisfied.

You Know Me Well is beautiful and poignant in its sweetness and simplicity. If you’re looking for a quick contemporary, especially one with LGBTQ+ characters, be sure to give this one a try.

Have you read You Know Me Well? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Do you know what I mean by 'right book, right time'? Does that ever happen to you?

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Review: If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
Series: Standalone
Published: May 3rd, 2016
Publisher: Flatiron Books
280 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult/LGBTQ
Acquired this book: Library
Warning: May contain spoilers
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Amanda Hardy is the new girl in school in Lambertville, Tennessee. Like any other girl, all she wants is to make friends and fit in. But Amanda is keeping a secret. There’s a reason why she transferred schools for her senior year, and why she’s determined not to get too close to anyone.

And then she meets Grant Everett. Grant is unlike anyone she’s ever met—open, honest, kind—and Amanda can’t help but start to let him into her life. As they spend more time together, she finds herself yearning to share with Grant everything about herself…including her past. But she’s terrified that once she tells Grant the truth, he won't be able to see past it.

Because the secret that Amanda’s been keeping? It’s that she used to be Andrew. 

 

I’m going to be perfectly honest: I read If I Was Your Girl because I knew it was an ‘important book’. I’ll read just about any LGBTQ+ book, and since a) I hadn’t read any books with a main character who’s trans, and b) this is an own voices book, it felt like something I should read so I’d be able to recommend a book with a trans MC if anyone asked.

What I’m basically trying to get at is something Dahlia Adler said better than I seem to be able to: “You know books people say are great just because they're so necessary in concept and premise, but then the execution and/or style kinda suck but no one wants to admit it?

This is not that.”

I’ve read those books. Those books that fill a gaping hole in publishing, that some people truly do need, but that end up falling flat on a personal level for whatever reason. If I Was Your Girl was truly not that. I went into it expecting I would probably like it and knowing I’d learn a few things, but I didn’t expect it to resonate so deeply and on so many levels.

Amanda is a fantastic, layered character. She’s smart, she’s funny, and she wants what most girls want: to be safe, to be loved, and to have healthy relationships with family and friends. There was so much more to her than just being a trans girl. I’ve read my share of books where the main character’s sexuality or ID was the main focus of the book and there was little plot or character development, but I felt like I got to know who Amanda was and I was proud of her strength and growth throughout the story. The flashback chapters were a nice added touch. It was interesting and insightful to see Amanda as a child - as Andrew - wanting to be a girl when she grew up, certain there had somehow been a mistake somewhere along the way, and then bits of her transition and what led her to moving in with her dad.

There were great secondary characters in this book, from Amanda’s parents to her new friends to Grant, the love interest. I appreciated how we got to see Amanda’s parents before, during, and after her transition. It was raw, it was painful, and it was honest. It wasn’t easy for any of them, and I was glad we got to see their struggle, but also that they were trying. There were some beautiful, real, emotionally-charged moments with her parents that I loved. Amanda’s group of new friends were the exact type I like to see - very different personality wise, but they love each other unconditionally even if there are certain things about each other they don’t understand.

Before reading this book, I was aware of some of the obstacles trans people face, but this book really opened my eyes. I learned so much, and while Russo mentions in the author’s note that her goal wasn’t to educate but to tell a story, I really did feel like my eyes were opened to a lot of things. Amanda’s story could have easily been filled with even more heartache and pain, abuse, and worse, but I appreciated so much that we got to see a trans character forming relationships, finding love, and being happy. There are enough tragedies for LGBTQ+ people in real life - abuse, suicides, murders, mental health issues - that it was refreshing to see a girl like Amanda get the happy ending (or more aptly, the happy beginning) she deserved.

If I Was Your Girl made me run the gamut of emotions - sadness, anger, happiness, hopefulness. It’s a story I think so many people will connect with, whether they’re cisgender, trans, gay, straight, or anything in between. At the heart of it, Amanda is just a regular girl, and this is a beautiful story about friendship, first love, family, and self-discovery. A definite must-read for teens, and for anyone else who enjoys well-written, heartfelt, emotional contemporary YA.

Have you read If I Was Your Girl? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Do you have any recommendations for books with trans characters?

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Review: The Best Possible Answer by E Katherine Kottaras

The Best Possible Answer by E Katherine Kottaras
Series: Standalone
Published: November 1st, 2016
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
272 pages (eARC)
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Acquired this book: Via NetGalley in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
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AP Exams – check
SAT test – check
College Application – check
Date the wrong guy and ruin everything you’ve spent your whole life working for– check

Ultra-high-achiever Viviana Rabinovich-Lowe has always had a plan—and no room to be anything less than perfect. But her quest for perfection comes to a screeching halt when her boyfriend leaks racy pictures of her to the entire school. Making matters worse, her parents are getting divorced and now her perfect family is falling apart. For the first time, Viv feels like a complete and utter failure.

Then she gets a job working at the community pool, where she meets a new group of friends who know nothing about her past. That includes Evan, a gorgeous guy who makes her want to do something she never thought she’d do again: trust. For the first time in her life, Viv realizes she can finally be whoever she wants. But who is that? While she tries to figure it out, she learns something they never covered in her AP courses: that it’s okay to be less than perfect, because it’s our imperfections that make us who we are.  

 

Viviana is having a rough few months. Her ex-boyfriend spread her nude selfies around the school, she’s feeling an immense amount of pressure to do well in school, her dad has moved out and barely contacts them, and her relationship with her mother is strained. She hopes for a quiet, relaxing summer, but between her anxiety, a job that’s more stressful than she anticipated, and the fact her best friend is moving away and they spend half the summer fighting over a boy, things aren’t going as planned.

On the surface, The Best Possible Answer is a fun, light summer read, but it balances out the lightness with some serious issues like mental illness, lies, cheating, bullying, and school/parent pressures. While I appreciated that this book tackled so many big, real-life problems, at times it felt like there was too much going on. For such a short book, I think it was ambitious to address such huge issues but do it quickly and with a healthy dose of fluff in between. If it had focused more on a few of the issues instead of so many different things, it wouldn’t have felt like such a hodge podge of ‘big issue’ elements thrown together.

That being said, I liked Vivi a lot and found her easy to relate to and sympathize with. She wanted to make everyone happy - her parents, her little sister, her best friend, her teachers - and it left her anxiety-ridden and struggling to cope. I think a lot of people, especially teens, will be able to relate to this. I liked that the story featured a strong female friendship. Vivi and Sammie fought and had disagreements and misunderstandings, but they loved each other unconditionally. If one needed the other, even during a fight, they were there for each other without question. This is the type of female friendship I’d love to see more of in YA. I do wish we’d learned a bit more about Sammie since she was such an important part of Vivi’s life, and it would have been nice to see more from them other than just talking about Evan, but it really was great to see such a strong friendship.

The Best Possible Answer was a fun, thought-provoking read. It was different from anything I’ve read, and I appreciated the overall message of not letting your past or your mistakes define you or hold you back. Vivi had plenty of growing pains through the course of the story, but she came out stronger and smarter, and with the knowledge that it’s okay not to be perfect - what matters is that you remain true to yourself.

{Read my review of How to be Brave}

Have you read The Best Possible Answer? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Did you feel a lot of academic or parental pressure during high school?

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Review: How to be Brave by E. Katherine Kottaras

How to be Brave by E. Katherine Kottaras

Series: Standalone
Published: November 3rd, 2015
Publisher: St. Martins Press
288 pages (eARC)
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Acquired this book: Via NetGalley in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
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Reeling from her mother's death, Georgia has a choice: become lost in her own pain, or enjoy life right now, while she still can. She decides to start really living for the first time and makes a list of fifteen ways to be brave - all the things she's wanted to do but never had the courage to try. As she begins doing the things she's always been afraid to do - including pursuing her secret crush, she discovers that life doesn't always go according to plan. Sometimes friendships fall apart and love breaks your heart. But once in a while, the right person shows up just when you need them most - and you learn that you're stronger and braver than you ever imagined.

In many ways, How to be Brave wasn’t what I was expecting. Despite the synopsis, the cutesie cover made me think it would be light and fluffy, so a lot of it really surprised me. It was more mature than I expected, while still managing to really capture the feeling of being a teen. It was beautiful, heartbreaking, sweet, funny, and ultimately hopeful.

I really liked Georgia. She had a great voice and she was easy to connect to. She was flawed, she made mistakes, she did stupid things, and she hurt and disappointed people - including herself at times. But she also went through a lot, learned a lot of important lessons, and grew a lot. One of the things that surprised me about this book was some of the things Georgia did. There were things that shocked me, but then I was like ‘this is what life is like for a lot of teens - drinking, drugs, experimenting’. It’s stuff I haven’t seen in a lot of books, so while I know it’s happening, it’s strange to read about. That being said, I appreciated the honest portrayal and the fact the author didn’t shy away from real life stuff.

Having watched a parent and grandparent/best friend die, many parts of the story really hit home for me. My dad wasn’t even fifty when he died, and he suffered so much, just like Georgia’s mother did. I can understand that feeling of wanting to do things to honour someone, do things they maybe didn’t get to do, and continuing to live even though part of you wants to just curl up and cry and scream and grieve forever. I liked the idea of the list being a way for Georgia to honour her mother, as well as getting her to try new things, keep going, and learn to be brave. She started out doing things for and because of other people and then learned to do things for herself. She learned that sometimes being brave is just living. Just getting by, surviving. It doesn’t have to be about grand gestures and occasions and milestones. It can be the quiet, everyday things that take courage. It can be realizing difficult things about yourself. Watching Georgia learn to be brave was a mixture of amusing, painful, and inspiring, and it was easy to cheer her on as she stumbled, fumbled, and succeeded.

When things related to Georgia’s crush took up a few spots on her list, I was worried it would be one of those books where the guy saves the girl, but it wasn’t like that at all. The romance was actually a very small part of the plot, which I actually appreciated because it suited the story. Daniel did help Georgia, and their interactions were adorable and sweet and completely believable (the awkwardness rang so true and made me laugh because I’ve been there), but all of that was a small part of Georgia’s overall journey. Their slowly evolving relationship was actually probably more accurate and true-to-life than a lot of other portrayals of teen relationships.

How to be Brave is a brave story. Kottaras took some chances, and they paid off, at least for me. This story was real and it was honest. It made me smile, laugh, and tear up. I think Georgia is a character a lot of people will be able to relate to and see themselves in. The things Georgia learned about being brave made me think and inspired me to be brave in my own life.

Have you read How to be Brave? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? What have you done lately that's brave? Let's talk here or on Twitter!

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Review: I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios

I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios

Series: No

Published: February 3rd, 2015

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

400 pages (eARC)

Genre: Contemporary young adult

Acquired this book: From the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Warning: May contain spoilers

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If seventeen-year-old Skylar Evans were a typical Creek View girl, her future would involve a double-wide trailer, a baby on her hip, and the graveyard shift at Taco Bell. But after graduation, the only thing standing between straightedge Skylar and art school are three minimum-wage months of summer. Skylar can taste the freedom—that is, until her mother loses her job and everything starts coming apart. Torn between her dreams and the people she loves, Skylar realizes everything she’s ever worked for is on the line.

Nineteen-year-old Josh Mitchell had a different ticket out of Creek View: the Marines. But after his leg is blown off in Afghanistan, he returns home, a shell of the cocksure boy he used to be. What brings Skylar and Josh together is working at the Paradise—a quirky motel off California’s dusty Highway 99. Despite their differences, their shared isolation turns into an unexpected friendship and soon, something deeper.

I’ll Meet You There is one of those books that breaks your heart and then stitches it back together again. It makes you feel the gamut of emotions, from sadness to anger to joy to love and everything in between. Demetrios skillfully wove together a story that was both raw and painful, but also full of beauty and hope.

Sky was a great character. She had a very authentic voice and was easy to relate to. Even though I’ve never been in a situation quite like hers, I saw bits of myself in her - I lost my dad when I was young, I know what it’s like to feel stuck in your life, I know what it’s like to struggle financially, although not to the degree she did. She was such a real character, and I found it impossible not to like her. Even when she was being stupid and I wanted to shake her, I couldn’t fault her for it, because she acted like a real teenager, letting her hormones and emotions drive her. It was a pleasure watching her grow and learn through the course of the book.

My heart broke for Josh. I cried during most of his short POV scenes. It’s hard to imagine what people go through during wars, and his memories and his struggle post-war were gut wrenching. He was dealing with so much - the loss of his leg, the loss of friends in the war, plus having to come back to a place he’d found a way to escape from, even if that escape was something that could get him killed. He was a player in his former life, and still appeared to be a player, but he had actually lost a lot of his confidence because of his injury. He wasn’t always easy to like - he could be a jerk, and he didn’t always say or do the right things - but I loved how realistic he was. He was suffering mentally and physically, and that came across so clearly.

Skylar and Josh’s relationship was so sweet. I loved the slow build, watching them become friends and then something more, and I also appreciated the bumps along the way, because, again, it was completely realistic. They seemed so mismatched, but that’s actually what made them perfect for each other. They needed each other, they understood each other, and they made each other better.

I’ll Meet You There was a beautiful story about overcoming adversity, the painful process of growing up, and finding love in unexpected places. The characters and the setting came alive on the pages with crystal clarity. It was emotional and heartbreaking, but it was also sweet, romantic, and made me smile as often as it made me cry. This is one of those books that will take a lot of people outside their comfort zone, but in the best ways possible. If you’re looking for a contemporary that’ll grab your heart and hold on tight, I’ll Meet You There is a must read.

   

Have you read I'll Meet You There? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Have you read any other books where a main character is a war vet? Let's talk here or on Twitter!

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Review: First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

Series: Waverley Family #2

Published: January 20th, 2015

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

304 pages (eARC)

Genre: Contemporary women’s fiction/magical realism

Acquired this book: From the publisher NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Warning: May contain spoilers

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Read my review of Garden Spells (Waverley Family #1)

 It's October in Bascom, North Carolina, and autumn will not go quietly. As temperatures drop and leaves begin to turn, the Waverley women are made restless by the whims of their mischievous apple tree... and all the magic that swirls around it. But this year, first frost has much more in store.

Claire Waverley has started a successful new venture, Waverley’s Candies. Though her handcrafted confections—rose to recall lost love, lavender to promote happiness and lemon verbena to soothe throats and minds—are singularly effective, the business of selling them is costing her the everyday joys of her family, and her belief in her own precious gifts.

Sydney Waverley, too, is losing her balance. With each passing day she longs more for a baby— a namesake for her wonderful Henry. Yet the longer she tries, the more her desire becomes an unquenchable thirst, stealing the pleasure out of the life she already has.

Sydney’s daughter, Bay, has lost her heart to the boy she knows it belongs to…if only he could see it, too. But how can he, when he is so far outside her grasp that he appears to her as little more than a puff of smoke?

When a mysterious stranger shows up and challenges the very heart of their family, each of them must make choices they have never confronted before. And through it all, the Waverley sisters must search for a way to hold their family together through their troublesome season of change, waiting for that extraordinary event that is First Frost.

Sarah Addison Allen’s Garden Spells is one of my favourite books, so I was excited when I found out First Frost was a continuation of the Waverleys story. While First Frost can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading Garden Spells first. Not only is Garden Spells an incredible book, but it will also help the reader understand more about the Waverleys and how they got where they are.

I loved the Waverley women in Garden Spells, so it was nice catching up with Claire, Sydney, Bay, and Evanelle a decade later. Claire and Sydney have flourished in the last decade. They’re both happily married with successful businesses, and they’ve become a strong unit - the kind of close sisters they weren’t while growing up. Bay has grown into a smart teenager who embraces her Waverley magic, and the fact that she’s different. Each of the characters has something they’re dealing with, something keeping them from true happiness.

Like with Garden Spells, First Frost moved from character to character, giving each Waverley woman the spotlight in turn, and also featuring a few side characters. Even though the book went back and forth between characters, I was surprised that the majority of the story seemed to be about Bay. As women’s fiction, I wasn’t expecting a good chunk of the story to be about a teenage girl. I love young adult fiction, though, so despite my surprise, I enjoyed it, especially since I thought Bay’s part of the story was the most compelling. I enjoyed the overall messages about belonging, acceptance, family, friendship, and love.

While a good book, I didn’t enjoy First Frost as much as I did Garden Spells. I was completely enchanted by Garden Spells, engrossed every second of the story, and bewitched by the magic the Waverleys possessed. Even though returning to Bascom felt like coming home in a way, and even though I still loved these characters, I felt their stories weren’t really enough to warrant a sequel. The main conflict seemed out of place and anticlimactic, and the entire story lacked that engrossing, enchanting feeling that Garden Spells had. Allen’s writing is still lovely, and the story did have moments that captivated my heart and imagination, but it was lacking in many ways. I’d recommend First Frost for fans of Allen’s books, especially those who have read Garden Spells and are curious what happened to the Waverleys. However, if you haven’t read any of Allen’s previous books, I wouldn’t suggest starting with this one. 

3.75 stars

 

"Was it really that simple? Choosing a life? Maybe you don’t have to be led into the future. Maybe you can pick your own path. Maybe you don’t fall in love. Maybe you jump. Maybe, just maybe, it’s all a choice."

~94% of ARC of First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

 

   

Have you read First Frost? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Have you read any of Sarah's other books? What are some of your favourite magical realism books? Let's talk here or on Twitter!

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