monday minis

I enjoyed all three of these books but none of them were WOW reads so whipped up a batch of mini reviews to say what I loved and what didn’t work for me but they might be perfect for you!


Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Publication date: September 19, 2017

Source: ARC provided my the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads

An unlikely teenager starts a feminist revolution at a small-town Texan high school in the new novel from Jennifer Matheiu, author of The Truth About Alice.

MOXIE GIRLS FIGHT BACK!

My thoughts: Vivian’s (anonymous) zine Moxie Girls Fight Back! spreads way beyond herself as other girls run with and expand on it as a way to fight back against the sexist double standard dress codes and the vulgar/abusive behavior the football team gets away with. I loved all the support and inclusiveness of the girls but almost wish this was told in alternating pov’s rather than just Viv’s.

The romance was totally lack luster for me but isn’t a huge part of the story.

I know Kirkus slammed this book for excluding guys from the feminist narrative but I didn’t see that at all. It's the girls story of empowerment so that is the focus but I thought Mathieu did a good job of showing differing opinions between the girls and between Viv and her boyfriend that spurred discussion.

There’s also discussion of inter-sectional feminism (which, honestly, I think could have been done better – with multiple pov’s) and Viv’s mom is awesome as a former Riot Girrrl turned responsible single mom… who is torn between her rebel days and wanting her daughter to stay quiet and get into college.

Moxie was a fun story that’s, yes, about feminism but also about Vivian finding her voice and standing up for others instead of avoiding all conflict. Something I think every shy, introverted person *points at self* could use. The healthy relationships & disagreements between the girls, her boyfriend and her mom are a good message for everyone to have.


Noteworthy by Riley Redgate

Source: ARC provided in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads

A cappella just got a makeover.

Jordan Sun is embarking on her junior year at the Kensington-Blaine Boarding School for the Performing Arts, hopeful that this will be her time: the year she finally gets cast in the school musical. But when her low Alto 2 voice gets her shut out for the third straight year—threatening her future at Kensington-Blaine and jeopardizing her college applications—she’s forced to consider nontraditional options.

My thoughts: Chinese-American Jordan Sun's low Alto 2 voice keeps her from getting cast in her eilte performing arts boarding school musicals year after year.

With her parents threatening to make her drop out and return home to help with the climbing health expenses for her paraplegic father, Jordan takes on desperate measures when there’s an opening on the all male a cappella octet.

Dressing as a boy, she manages to get the spot with the group but now she has a new set of problems on her hands trying to fit in with the group and keep her secret.

The boys in the group were really wonderful, varied and complex and I appreciated that they weren’t just caricatures of asshole teen boys.

The backdrop of a performance boarding school and a capella doesn’t do much for me (SORRY!) so that limited my enjoyment of this one a bit because the singing is a big part of things but it’s a refreshingly original story  that covers familiar YA/New Adult-ish themes of class & economic issues, cultural expectations, academic pressures, isolation and sexuality with plenty of humor and heart.

Noteworthy is very light on romance for readers who are looking for more of that. (I know there are a LOT of you!


In Some Other Life by Jessica Brody

Source: ARC provided in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads

Kennedy Rhodes turns down an acceptance to an elite private school, instead choosing to stay at her high school and jump at the opportunity to date the boy of her dreams. Three years later, Kennedy walks in on that same boyfriend cheating with her best friend—and wishes she had made a different choice.

My thoughts: I’ve always enjoyed Brody’s “the grass is always greener on the other side” kind of stories. In Some Other Life is a parallel universe - second chance at life tale.

Kennedy is an overachiever – over planner – over everything - but she has a great family and she’s happy running the school newspaper with her boyfriend and best friend by her side. The only thing she regrets a teeny bit is ignoring the acceptance letter to the elite private school of her dreams so she could stay closer to her boyfriend.

Then she walks in on her best friend and boyfriend kissing and her world comes crashing down.

Lucky (?) for Kennedy, a bonk on the head sends her to a parallel universe where she chose the school over the boy and now she can live the life to her full potential with all the cool friends and fancy, high tech school that lacks for nothing.

This was cute-ish. Loved the concept but Kennedy in the alternate world isn’t fleshed out as well as the old Kennedy. How did she end up this way? Nothing about this world – her interests, her friends, is really developed. We’re all viewing it as an interloper with old Kennedy so the impact is lessened while we instead focus on a cheating scandal at the elite school.

There’s also a message a message about moving on and forgiveness which, yes – that’s great- but seriously? I don’t think it’s wrong of Kennedy to NOT forgive her BF and BFF for cheating for MONTHS behind her back. That’s not a friend girl!

The new romance was eh…kind of unecassary IMO – and that’s from someone who loves my romances but it felt shoehorned in to prove a point – don’t chose the boy! lol

I mostly enjoyed this one but despite the 449 page length, I felt like a lot of Kennedy's life was very surface-y and not explored in a way that proved she learned something about herself. The whole thing could have been accomplished without the parallel universe angle so it felt wasted as a plot device.