Ronni Davis
This book will bring out all the feels. It will break your heart and put it together, break it and mend it again and again. A deep lesson in love and finding oneself, even if that means things need to fall apart to come back together.
Rachel broke my heart over and over with this book and it's beautiful.
This book is titled Suffer Love, and I, as a reader, suffered in the most exquisite, amazing way.
The writing in this book paints crystal clear pictures of the scene. Most of the time when I'm reading, I find myself skipping descriptions to get to the meat, the dialogue, but in this, I savored them.
The tension was perfect—this book is going to be my study in good pacing. And the people in this book. Oh my gosh. They were so flawed and so beautiful in their imperfections.
Ashley is a master as getting you to FEEL so MUCH.
I enjoyed this book so, so so much!
Zora is inspirational and adorable, and Owen is amazing.
What I loved about this book was that it wasn't too angsty (we all know YA can get pretty dang angsty). It was a love story, but with a prince who was considerate, thoughtful, and had the most adorable crush, and a girl who wore natural hair and was unapologetically black, whose family and friends loved her fiercely, and who was making a difference in her community.
This book will be perfect for pre-teen Black girls who are desiring to see themselves in a fluffy, fun book. More rom-coms starring girls of color, please and thank you!
This book is an absolute joy. Broody is a wonderful main character, laugh out loud funny. But the book isn't just a tongue-in-cheek look at YA tropes. It also touches on some major issues, but in a very sensitive way. In addition, there are such neat sections, such as fun quizzes.
I also like how Broody breaks down parts of books, story structure, and fandom into fun, bite-sized pieces.
I have the ARC, so I didn't get to see all the lovely artwork yet (I've pre-ordered my copy of the finished book, though), but I think readers will find this delightful. I know I did.
This book is quiet, yet powerful.
I love that I was able to just be with Jade.
It's so nice to read a story about a black girl that's not high stakes, drama driven, full of black pain. Instead, we are given glimpses into Jade's world, her life, her mind. And those glimpses help us journey along with Jade as she grows strong and becomes brave enough to use her voice.
I wish I'd had this when I was a teen.
I'm glad I have it now.
It'll stay with me for a long time.
In the kidlit world, the accepted black narratives tend to focus on a few things: slavery, gang violence, or sports. But beyond that, the main point in all of them is black pain, which can come across as entertainment for some. Just look at how black kids getting shot and posted online are shared over and over.
Angie's book has gang violence, it has sports. There is black pain. The pain of seeing friends die in front of you, by the hands of white and black people. The pain of losing friends. The pain of wondering why my life doesn't matter. And why people destroy their neighborhoods when they're angry. WHY they're angry.
Hard choices, like letting go of people who don't serve you. And people who sacrifice in the name of love.
But what makes this book unique? There is also black JOY. So much black joy. Family, love, togetherness. In YA, disappearing parent syndrome is a thing. But Starr's parents are present–all up in her business even–and they are amazing. So much love in her family. So much love from her white boyfriend who doesn't understand everything... but he's trying.
I could hear the cadence of the voices. I got the inside jokes. It felt like home reading this book.
EVERYONE needs to read this book. It gives a glimpse into the complex emotions of being a black teen–heck, a black person–in a country, a world, that is often hostile towards us. Nothing in this book is simple. Just like nothing in our lives is simple. Layers of joy, pain, love, sweat, tears, laughter. Empowering, engaging, and very, very important.
Here's the thing that speaks to me so much about American Panda. I'm not Taiwanese, and my home life was so different growing up. But I felt like I was Mei, and she was me. It's rare that I connect so deeply with a character, but there was something so heartfelt and earnest and raw in the voice of this book, that I feel like anyone will be able to find a piece of themselves. There is something about #ownvoices novels by marginalized authors that help me relate to the characters in special way. There is a richness there that I feel all the way in my bones.
This book has everything one could ask for in a contemporary YA novel. It's HILARIOUS. I'm talking scream laugh funny. There is also a sweet romance, and tidbits about MIT that are fascinating for this outsider. There are family dynamics, urban legends, and vivid settings. Plus, the book will make you hungry.
I can't say enough good things about American Panda. It's one of my favorites of 2018. Highly recommended.
Jaime Reed has a way with description. Seriously, if anyone needs a lesson in showing vs. telling, pick up one of her books and get schooled.
Phrases like this:
Words flew from my as if they were being chased while my knee knocked Morse code underneath my desk.
I mean what? Jaime fills her books with rich descriptions like this.
But moving on from that. Let's talk about Liam and Ellia and how realistic they are. They are deeply flawed, three dimensional characters with personality and flair. Even the parents, the therapists. Every character, even the secondary ones, were fully fleshed.
Lots of laugh out loud moments, and ones that will make you cry, too.
