Romance is not a category of fiction that I seek out regularly. But give me a good romance on the small screen like Netflix has done with Jenny Han’s book series and I’m sold.
I watched the first one and was exceptionally impressed with the visual beauty of the movie, not to mention the story, casting, and music (of which I have no great knowledge or understanding of). My critiques of movies are simply my enjoyment factor, so I’m sharing, as a reader of young adult literature this advice: watch the movies.
The second one launched near Valentine’s Day just a few days ago and I was excited to clear my queue during my morning workouts for it. And again, it did not disappoint. Similarly stunning visuals took my breath away and the music enhanced every scene that it played. Plus, I’ve already squeezed in a second watch because it was just so damn adorable. And there were jellyfish (even if it was a heartbreaking scene).
So here they are, the reasons that you should be watching:
- The color scheme is stunning.
- The pop culture influences are not overwhelming but reminiscent of the great 80’s-style teen movies of that decade from the texting to the house parties to how it represented school life.
- We need more love in the world.
- Lara Jean’s wardrobe and her baking skills.
- Love wins, every time.
What are you waiting for?
Marie Lu’s Rebel, the fourth book in the Legend world that takes place in the future in which Daniel’s brother, Eden, is attending university in Antarctica where they’ve settled while June is still working in the Republic. The story, like Lu’s others, have two narrators that are differentiated by the text color as they pace the book out with the developing conflict as it switches fluidly back and forth. The world she creates is superb and the futuristic action is heart-pounding.
Monica Hesse’s yet-to-be-released They Went Left that’s anticipated for an April release. Not only have I read Hesse’s other YA historical fiction titles, but her adult nonfiction book American Fire. All showcase her skillful writing. This one fits in a newer focus of YA books on the liberation of Jews after World War II like the Morris finalist from last year, What The Night Sings by Vesper Stemper. Hesse dives into this world with Zofia, who has lost most of her family but still holds out hope that her younger brother Abek has survived. Shifting to several places before settling into a relocation camp where she meets a brooding boy, Josef, she is reunited with Abek but questions about what both boys have been through since the war broke out provide the riveting content of the book’s second half. Put this at the top of your list for April.
Here were some of my favorites to discuss:
So when I began reading Arcos’ book and the first flashback chapter told from Zara’s mom, Nadja’s point of view in 1992 in Visegrad I knew there was something special. It took a little bit to build as there was an uncertainty between the dysfunction of Zara and Nadja’s mother-daughter relationship, but it ballooned once readers began to connect Nadja’s war-torn young adulthood and Zara’s discovery of Nadja’s hardships as Nadja lays comatose after a bomb detonates at the farmers market they were visiting. Zara is wounded and suffering from post-traumatic stress while again, her mother is hospitalized unable to communicate. It becomes less about the present day and more about Nadja’s survival against the atrocities of war while trying to hold on while the trauma of murder and rape burns through their family, neighborhood, and country.
What was I thinking? Plenty of us avid readers have felt sadness in the last book of a beloved series and this one was no different. Reynolds is the GOAT, period. Whoever designed the covers needs a raise. Reynolds’ ability to create deep characters with authentic middle grade voices has been spotlighted in this series and shines again with Lu, another track star under Coach’s tutelage who is helping his father right his wrongs while hopefully looking toward a future with a baby sister when his mother should have never even been able to have him. Rich with inspiration and motivation, it’s the power of our human experience through Lu whose Albinism hasn’t changed his perspective much, in fact his newest job as big brother has allowed him to grow as he passes through the awkwardness of youth.
Readers Be Advised 