Tag: Renee

Captain Marvel: Liberation Run by Tess Sharpe

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Captain Marvel: Liberation run

Author: Tess Sharpe
Reviewer: Renee

Content warnings

Imprisonment, suggested sexual assault, execution of parents in front of kids

Summary

Carol Danvers–Captain Marvel–narrowly stops a spacecraft from crashing. Its pilot Rhi is a young Inhuman woman from a group who left for a life among the stars. Instead they were imprisoned on a planet where an enslaved Inhuman brings her owner great power and influence. Horrified by the account, Carol gathers a team–including Ant-Man, Mantis, and Amadeus Cho–and they set out to free Rhi’s people.

Find this book on Goodreads.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Talk about an empowering novel! Carol (aka Captain Marvel) is on leave when an alien spacecraft appears through a rip in space and heads straight for a crash landing. She stops the craft and tosses it in the river to deal with the flames. When a girl appears through the hatch asking “Did I find you? Are you her?” Carol has no idea what she’s talking about. She decides to oversee the survivor’s treatment and takes her to their headquarters.

There she learns the girl’s name, Rhi, and her story. Rhi was part of the Inhuman group that left New Attila for a new world where they could live by their beliefs. However, they stumbled upon a planet where men fear women with powers and they either killed or imprisoned the Inhumans. The girls with power were locked away and brainwashed into believing their only worth was to whichever male they were given. Rhi said the girls always reminded each other that they were strong so they couldn’t be brainwashed, but she had to go back to save them.

Carol is horrified by what she hears and agrees to help Rhi. She recruits Mantis, Ant-man, and Amadeus Cho to take Rhi back and liberate her family. Their focus is rescuing Rhi’s brother (Zeke), Zeke’s girlfriend (Atela, who’s pregnant), and Rhi’s girlfriend (Umbra). Rhi also wants to save all the Inhuman girls from the Maiden Houses. They form a plan on the way and immediately run into trouble upon arriving near the planet. Luckily, a last-minute call made by Carol is answered and help arrives from a friend. They survive to adjust their plan, but their plans never go as planned.

Rhi is a great character who, despite the odds, always rises. They try so hard to “put her in her place” but she always fights back, from stealing the president’s ship to hiding her real power from them. She’s focused on saving just the Inhuman girls and her brother, but she’s presented with new information and questions if it’ll be enough with the entire culture of the planet suppressing all women. She also struggles seeing somebody like Carol, a powerful woman with powers, openly use her powers and lead others, including men.

Carol struggles when they reach the planet and her ability to fly is taken because of a suppression weapon on the planet. She’s grounded for the mission so she has to improvise. Ant-man can’t use his powers for long, and Amadeus can’t change into Brawn. This changes how they can execute their plans.

It was inspiring how the girls fought against the brainwashing and how they looked out for each other, especially the younger ones who didn’t remember arriving on the planet. They all lost so much. The parents who weren’t willing to separate from their daughters were murdered, while they all watched. They could have blamed Rhi for bringing them to the planet (she’s the one who found it), but they don’t. Rhi blames herself for everything, but she learns to accept what has happened and make things better in the future.

The banter between the characters was fun and helped between the action and tense scenes. I enjoyed the team and how they interacted with each other. They trusted when others called them out (especially pointing out how Carol likes to rush in but doing so would jeopardize their ability to sneak into each section and free their targets).

There are so many valuable lessons in this book. I highly recommend it, especially if you’re a fan of Captain Marvel.

Spark by Sarah Beth Durst

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Spark

Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Reviewer: Renee

Summary

When a shy girl and her dragon-like companion discover their country’s idyllic weather comes at a steep—and secret—cost, they recruit fellow students to defy authority and attempt to spread the truth.

Storm beasts and their guardians create perfect weather every day, and Mina longs for a storm beast of her own. But when the gentle girl bonds with a lightning beast—a creature of fire and chaos—everyone’s certain it’s a mistake. Everyone but Mina and the beast himself, Pixit. Quickly enrolled in lightning school, Mina struggles to master a guardian’s skills, and she discovers that her country’s weather comes at a devastating cost—a cost powerful people wish to hide. Mina’s never been the type to speak out, but someone has to tell the truth, and, with Pixit’s help, she resolves to find a way to be heard.

View this book on Goodreads.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This book is a great example of how you don’t have to be the loudest person to be heard or acknowledged. It also has dragons that control the weather.

When Mina hatches a lightning dragon, her family immediately thinks something is wrong. Those who bond with lightning dragons are loud and unruly, the complete opposite of Mina. Mina tries to tell them she loves her dragon, Pixit. They don’t listen and try to get her another dragon despite Mina trying to make them listen. They feel they know what’s best for her. Mina ends up going to lightning dragon school with Pixit, where she sees how loud the other lightning dragon guardians can be. Maybe her parents were right after all.

Mina has trouble using lightning and she thinks it’s because she’s not like the other guardians. Pixit keeps telling her she can do it, but she has to do it her way because she’s not like the other guardians. Mina has her doubts. When she starts playing lightning ball with the other students, she gets creative in guarding the goal since she can’t use lightning. Some of the students realize Mina doesn’t do things the way everybody else (which is the way things have always been done) and they see the advantage her creative solutions.

During her first thunderstorm, Mina is thrown across the mountains and meets the people who live on the other side. This is forbidden. The world beyond the mountains is cruel. They are supposed to stay within the mountains, where it’s safe and the weather is always perfect.

She learns that the perfect weather created and maintained by the storm beasts and guardians comes at a great cost to those who live outside. She figures out the 10 year celebration is the cause of so much destruction to the outside world. When she gets back, Mina feels like she needs to inform everybody, but nobody listens to her. Her friends listen to her and they come up with a plan to spread the word that the 10 year celebration needs to be canceled or innocent people will die past the mountains. They don’t do it by shouting and demanding to be heard. They follow Mina’s lead. As more students believe and question the need for the 10 year celebration, it’s decided the lightning school will be shut down. Nobody and nothing in or out until the celebration is over. And they moved up the celebration. However, the people outside don’t know the celebration is moved up and are in danger. Mina needs to lead the others if she’s to stop the celebration and save the outside world.

Some scenes are repetitive and keep reminding Mina (and the reader) that Mina is quiet and nobody listens, but overall it’s a great story that demonstrates how you don’t need to be the loudest person to make a difference. There are different ways to be heard.

Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi

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Tell Me How You Really Feel

Author: Aminah Mae Safi
Reviewer: Renee

Summary

Sana Khan is a cheerleader and a straight A student. She’s the classic (somewhat obnoxious) overachiever determined to win.

 Rachel Recht is a wannabe director who’s obsessed with movies and ready to make her own masterpiece. As she’s casting her senior film project, she knows she’s found the perfect lead – Sana.

 There’s only one problem. Rachel hates Sana. Rachel was the first girl Sana ever asked out, but Rachel thought it was a cruel prank and has detested Sana ever since.

 Told in alternative viewpoints and inspired by classic romantic comedies, this engaging and edgy YA novel follows two strong willed young women falling for each other despite themselves.

View this book on Goodreads.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

It took me a few chapters to really get into this book but I ended up enjoying it. Rachel is on a scholarship and aiming to go to college in NYC for film. I related to her personality, but I also got really annoyed with her (probably says more about me than her!) She’s very focused on her goal and expects others to see things her way.

 Sana is the definition of the perfect student, cheerleader, daughter, everything. She struggles with keeping her mask in place all the time in order to make everybody else happy. Her grandparents are disappointed in her mother and place their expectations on her instead. She’s always known what she’s wanted to do after high school, but now she’s questioning if it’s what she really wants.

 When Sana and Rachel first met, Sana asked Rachel out on a date. Rachel thought it was all a joke since she was the new kid on scholarship and there was no way somebody as perfect as Sana would be into her. Fast forward to senior year and Rachel is carrying all the filming equipment back to the office when it looks like she’s going to fall and Sana tries to help. Except the very expensive camera breaks and the film professor declares they have to work together to finish the movie. Things don’t go so well at first, but as they start spending more time together, they start seeing past their initial impressions of each other.

 Rachel starts seeing through Sana’s mask while Sana has increasing difficulty dealing with her family’s expectations. They start trusting each other, slowly at first. I enjoyed watching them go from hating each other based on their initial impressions to thinking they may not have judged the other well to realizing they have feelings for each other. Things get complicated when Rachel has to change her film against Sana’s recommendations and things escalate for both of them at that point.

 There was one character who showed up when needed but wasn’t really around for most of the book. It was kind of weird to me that he would just be there when one of them needed him. I was definitely hooked by the end and needed to know what happened with Rachel and Sana: their post-graduation plans and with each other. I recommend this book to anybody who likes contemporary, enemies to lovers, and not quite slow burn but more like slow realization and acceptance.

Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan

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Hot Dog Girl

Author: Jennifer Dugan
Reviewer: Renee

Summary

Elouise (Lou) Parker is determined to have the absolute best, most impossibly epic summer of her life. There are just a few things standing in her way:

  • She’s landed a job at Magic Castle Playland . . . as a giant dancing hot dog.
  • Her crush, the dreamy Diving Pirate Nick, already has a girlfriend, who is literally the Princess of the park. But Lou’s never liked anyone, guy or otherwise, this much before, and now she wants a chance at her own happily ever after.
  • Her best friend, Seeley, the carousel operator, who’s always been up for anything, suddenly isn’t when it comes to Lou’s quest to set her up with the perfect girl or Lou’s scheme to get close to Nick.
  • And it turns out that this will be their last summer at Magic Castle Playland–ever–unless she can find a way to stop it from closing.

View this book on Goodreads.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This book was so fun! I loved the ending and a few scenes near the end were just so perfect. Lou has a hard time accepting that the Magic Castle Playland, an amusement park that has always been there, is closing after this summer. It was there when she and her father needed to get away after her mother left. It’s been her summer job. It’s the one fun place in their town. She wouldn’t even mind wearing the hot dog costume again if it meant the park stayed open. She tries to come up with a plan to save the park, while everybody tries to convince her it’s time to say goodbye.

On top of the park closing, she has a major crush on Nick, a Diving Pirate, who also works at the park. He’s currently in a relationship with the girl who plays the princess so things are a little complicated, but she’s not willing to let that stop her. She’s also trying to set up her best friend, Seeley, so she can get over her breakup with her last girlfriend. It’s a lot for one person to keep track of so it’s no surprise that things don’t always go according to plan.

While explaining her latest plan to get Nick to notice her, he almost overhears everything. Luckily Seeley has her back, for a while. Seeley doesn’t think this latest plan is a good idea and tells Lou that it will backfire. Lou is determined to have the perfect summer and that includes being in a relationship with the boy she’s been crushing on, getting Seeley over her breakup, and saving the park. She’ll do whatever it takes…until it all goes wrong and she can end up losing everything.

I didn’t always buy into Lou’s schemes, but I really enjoyed the journey with the characters. They are all figuring out what they want since they’re almost out of school. There was one character that I felt deserved a little more attention based on her role early on, but overall I loved this book. I read the ending a few times because it was so perfect.

Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins

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Her Royal Highness

Author: Rachel Hawkins
Series: Royals #2
Reviewer: Renee

Summary

Millie Quint is devastated when she discovers that her sort-of-best friend/sort-of-girlfriend has been kissing someone else. And because Millie cannot stand the thought of confronting her ex every day, she decides to apply for scholarships to boarding schools . . . the farther from Houston the better.

Millie can’t believe her luck when she’s accepted into one of the world’s most exclusive schools, located in the rolling highlands of Scotland. Everything about Scotland is different: the country is misty and green; the school is gorgeous, and the students think Americans are cute.

The only problem: Mille’s roommate Flora is a total princess.

She’s also an actual princess. Of Scotland.

At first, the girls can barely stand each other–Flora is both high-class and high-key–but before Millie knows it, she has another sort-of-best-friend/sort-of-girlfriend. Even though Princess Flora could be a new chapter in her love life, Millie knows the chances of happily ever afters are slim . . . after all, real life isn’t a fairytale . . . or is it?

View this book on Goodreads.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is easily one of the best contemporary stories I’ve ever read! It has a perfect ending that stays with you. I loved reading about Millie and Flora’s relationship – from hating each other to maybe, kind of having feelings for each other. Millie is in a boarding school in Scotland because she loves Scotland and she needs some space from things at home. After insulting her roommate within seconds of being together, she finds out her roommate is Flora, the princess of Scotland. Oops.

Flora tries to get kicked out since she doesn’t want to be there and Millie ends up in trouble with her even though she is just trying to focus on school. The two argue a lot and try to stay away from each other but they have to work together for the Challenge, a yearly competition at the school. This year, instead of working in groups, everybody is partnered with their roommate. During the Challenge, Flora loses their packs and the two end up stranded. Millie was really looking forward to this event and is angry with Flora for getting her in trouble, again. However, while they are alone and without resources, they end up actually talking to each other and it looks like they could start to tolerate each other a little bit.

Millie quickly develops a crush on Flora but knows it could never happen. Flora is a princess, rich, and not exactly the nicest person. Millie is only there because she earned a scholarship. Flora is used to getting her way all the time and doesn’t have the same appreciation of the simple things that Millie does.

I love Flora’s personality. She seems hard and distant, but she has to be because people are always watching and waiting for her to screw up. One of my favorite parts of the book is when Flora keeps saying she doesn’t hate Millie and Millie responds that all Flora has done is judge her. Flora clarifies she’s just stating facts and that doesn’t mean she hates Millie. Millie decides to let it go.

It’s a fun, enjoyable read. I can’t think of anything I didn’t like or wish was different. I loved the different personalities of the characters.

Crier’s War by Nina Varela

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Crier’s War

Author: Nina Varela
Series: Crier’s War #1
Reviewer: Renee

Summary

After the War of Kinds ravaged the kingdom of Rabu, the Automae, designed to be the playthings of royals, usurped their owners’ estates and bent the human race to their will.

Now Ayla, a human servant rising in the ranks at the House of the Sovereign, dreams of avenging her family’s death…by killing the sovereign’s daughter, Lady Crier.

Crier was Made to be beautiful, flawless, and to carry on her father’s legacy. But that was before her betrothal to the enigmatic Scyre Kinok, before she discovered her father isn’t the benevolent king she once admired, and most importantly, before she met Ayla.

Now, with growing human unrest across the land, pressures from a foreign queen, and an evil new leader on the rise, Crier and Ayla find there may be only one path to love: war.

View this book on Goodreads.

Review

Rating: 4,5 out of 5 stars

I received an arc of this book at BookCon 2019. It was the one thing I needed out of BookCon and I stood in line for as long as I needed and it was definitely worth the wait! If you like super slow burn (it hurt!) with enemies to lovers in a sci-fi world, this book is for you. 

The Automae are human-like robots (they have skin and organs) who basically rule the world. There was a war and they won so now the humans have to follow the Automae rules or they die. The humans are struggling to survive. There are different factions within the Automae – some hate humans and want them all gone, others think they can learn from humans and they should co-exist.

 Ayla has spent most of her life seeking revenge for her family, who were murdered by Automae. She finally gets a position at the House of the Sovereign where she plans to kill his daughter, Crier, to make him suffer as she did. One night, Crier is in danger and instead of killing her, Ayla saves her life. Crier decides to make Ayla her handmaiden. Ayla uses this position to feed the resistance information. She was taken in by the resistance leader when she escaped and has been working with them since.

 Crier wants to be more involved with decisions and is working very hard to earn a place on the council. She believes humans and Automae can live together peacefully. She often speaks up when she has an idea but this is looked down upon from her father. She starts questioning her father’s motives when she’s betrothed to Scyre Kinok, who believes all humans should be killed and new Automae-only cities should be built. Kinok doesn’t have the resources to do this, but Crier’s father does. So the two make a deal, and leave Crier and her opinions out of it. She doesn’t understand why her father, who claims to value human’s ways, would work with Kinok.

 After making Ayla her handmaiden, Crier begins to open up to her about her desires. Ayla is suspicious and continues to listen for information to help the resistance. The two reach an uneasy alliance as they realize they both don’t trust Kinok and think he’s up to something. Crier can’t stop thinking about Ayla and does her best to protect her, but that isn’t always enough. Ayla always seems to be around when Crier’s alarm goes off so her father and Kinok intervene. Crier defends Ayla and her father uses this as proof Crier can’t make her own decisions. Ayla hasn’t forgotten about her goal of killing Crier, but Crier unknowingly gives her information that would be very helpful to the resistance. Ayla just has to find a way around Kinok’s defenses to get the proof the resistance needs.

 There’s so much going on but it’s revealed slowly so I never felt lost or like there was too much going on. The world grows the more you read and the characters motives change as they learn more along with the reader. The ending is satisfying on one level, but also painful. It wraps up this part of the story well, but I really need the next book to find out what they decide (several options are opened to the characters near the end).

Aladdin: Far from Agrabah by Aisha Saeed

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Aladdin: Far from Agrabah

Author: Aisha Saeed
Reviewer: Renee

Summary

One magic carpet ride to a mysterious land, one unforgettable adventure….

Princess Jasmine has always wanted more out of her life – to travel beyond the palace walls, to get to know her people better…to one day become sultana and lead Agrabah. Unfortunately, her overprotective father does not agree. And he keeps introducing her to foreign princes, including a strange – if admittedly charming – one named Ali.

Prince Ali has a secret. He’s not actually royalty from the far-off kingdom of “Ababwa”, as he’s claimed to be. He’s really Aladdin from the streets of Agrabah, who’s stumbled upon an all-powerful genie and a magic carpet and used the first of three wishes to become a prince. Because he, too, longs for a different life.

And when “Prince Ali” presents the magic carpet to Princess Jasmine, she agrees to embark on a journey with him…and asks that he take her to his homeland, Ababwa.

On an adventure in a fantastical kingdom, Aladdin and Jasmine get caught up in the magic therein. But soon sinister outside forces come into play, threatening to strand them there forever.

Will they learn from legends past? Or will the alluring promise of a path to a new life get the best of them?

View this book on Goodreads.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I enjoyed getting to spend more time with Aladdin and Jasmine but Aladdin’s lie got to me a bit. I really hate when people lie and throughout this story he has to keep up the appearance that he is a real prince and they are actually in Ababwa. It got a little annoying at times (there are only so many times I needed to be reminded he was lying to be with Jasmine) but it was great seeing Jasmine observing and trying to decide what type of leader she could be, if given the chance. She has a better arc than Aladdin because she’s not pretending and was able to change in the end.

 This story takes place during “A Whole New World.” While traveling everywhere on the magic carpet, where time and space work differently, Jasmine says they should visit Ababwa, Prince Ali’s home. He gets creative and Genie creates his perfect kingdom from ruins. Unbeknownst to them, somebody is actually living nearby and witnesses the kingdom spring up out of nowhere.

 While there Aladdin, ahem, Prince Ali, asks Jasmine to help with making decisions and helping the citizens. Jasmine is delighted. She’s always wanted to be more involved but the Sultan and Jafar would never let her. She listens to each citizen and feels like she’s actually making a difference as she helps them solve their problems. Everything is going perfectly, until that one real person decides to cause trouble that could ruin the illusion and expose Aladdin and keep them trapped in Ababwa.

 Stories that take place in the middle of a movie are usually difficult for me to get invested in since I know how it ends (I’ve watched the movie so I know they make it back to the palace). However, this story excelled at having Jasmine and Aladdin explore their feelings, ideas, and identities. I knew they would get back safely to the palace, but I was still worried about some choices they were being forced to make and how they would handle it.

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

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We Hunt the Flame

Author: Hafsah Faizal
Series: Sands of Arawiya #1
Reviewer: Renee

Summary

People lived because she killed.
People died because he lived.

Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the king. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways.

Both are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya—but neither wants to be.

War is brewing, and the Arz sweeps closer with each passing day, engulfing the land in shadow. When Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz, Nasir is sent by the king on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds—and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine.

View this book on Goodreads.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I had high expectations for this book and it delivered. I immediately fell in love with Zafira. She is independent, strong willed, and does her best to provide for her family and village. She hunts in the forbidden Arz to feed the poor village. She has to pretend to be a man since the leader of her caliph hates women and blames them for everything bad, including the disappearance of magic. Her hunting skills have caught everybody’s attention and she’s known as the Hunter throughout the kingdom. She would do anything for her sister and village.

It took awhile for me to warm up to Nasir and I may still not really like him. He still has a bit of growth to do. He’s his father’s, aka the king’s, puppet. He does whatever the king orders, even if he disagrees with it. If he shows any hesitation or weakness, his father has ways of punishing him. His father uses Nasir to assassinate anybody who threatens his position. Nasir knows what he’s doing is wrong and sees the darkness in his father, but continues doing the king’s bidding, hoping the person he used to be is still inside.

Zafira and Nasir are on a collision course as they both need to acquire an artifact to bring back magic. Zafira does it because she wants to protect her village from being consumed by the Arz. With magic returned, the Arz will disappear. Nasir does it because his father ordered him to. He doesn’t know why and he doesn’t ask. Nasir also needs Zafira since she’s the only one who can find it. A few new characters join them as they journey closer to the artifact.

I enjoyed the distinct character personalities and how they interacted. Zafira has been providing for her family and village alone for so long she has trouble adjusting to working with a group. Nasir knows his mission and is wary of getting close to anyone, but he was sent with the Captain, who is his opposite in so many ways. He also knows Nasir’s secrets.

You see the characters get to know each other in one on one settings as well as within the group dynamics. They are all withholding information so they choose at different times to trust and at times to refuse to move without more answers.

The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston

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The Princess and The Fangirl

Author: Ashely Poston
Series: Once Upon a Con #2
Reviewer: Renee

Summary

The Prince and the Pauper gets a modern makeover in this adorable, witty, and heartwarming young adult novel set in the Geekerella universe by national bestselling author Ashley Poston.

Imogen Lovelace is an ordinary fangirl on an impossible mission: save her favorite character, Princess Amara, from being killed off from her favorite franchise, Starfield. The problem is, Jessica Stone—the actress who plays Princess Amara—wants nothing more than to leave the intense scrutiny of the fandom behind. If this year’s ExcelsiCon isn’t her last, she’ll consider her career derailed.

When a case of mistaken identity throws look-a-likes Imogen and Jess together, they quickly become enemies. But when the script for the Starfield sequel leaks, and all signs point to Jess, she and Imogen must trade places to find the person responsible. That’s easier said than done when the girls step into each other’s shoes and discover new romantic possibilities, as well as the other side of intense fandom. As these “princesses” race to find the script-leaker, they must rescue themselves from their own expectations, and redefine what it means to live happily ever after.

View this book on Goodreads.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I’m kind of new to contemporaries but I couldn’t miss out on a book titled Princess and the Fangirl that takes place at a fantasy convention! I have not read the first book in the series, Geekerella. I love Imogen’s and Jessica’s arcs. They start out enemies with different views of the character Jessica plays, Amara. They start seeing things differently when they are forced to work together.

Imogen is trying to save the character Jessica plays in the sequel being planned. She believes Amara was fridged and should come back. She can’t understand why Jessica is so willing to let them keep Amara dead. Soon Imogen is mistaken for Jessica and rushed to a panel in her place. In the panel, Imogen states her support for saving Amara, which angers Jessica and surprises many since Jessica has been outspoken about letting Amara stay dead so she can move on.

Jessica didn’t expect the movie and her character to become such a big success, but she wants out of the franchise so she can move on and get “real” roles. She doesn’t understand why people are trying so hard to bring her character back. Soon the script for the next movie starts leaking online and Jessica is worried about being blamed for leaks to the sequel. She needs to investigate but can’t miss her scheduled events at the convention. Reluctantly, she strikes a deal with Imogen to let her pose as Jessica as long as she stops trying to save Amara. Imogen agrees, but still has plans to save her favorite character.

The two have to dodge fans and Imogen’s family (who have a booth at the convention) all while trying to track down who’s leaking the script. Jessica’s assistant is tasked with keeping an eye on Imogen and making sure she keeps up appearances. The two can’t stand each other but find out they don’t like being separated. While Imogen is masquerading as Jessica, Jessica has to pretend to be Imogen while looking for clues to who’s releasing the script. She meets Imogen’s online friend, Harper. Harper convinces Jessica to go out and have fun, something she hasn’t done in a long time. She stops worrying about her image and what everybody is going to think for a little while, until the next part of the script is released.

I loved reading about Imogen and Jessica’s point of views and how they finally come to listen to each other. In the beginning, they both keep pushing for what they want without listening to why the other is against it. As they continue spending time literally in each other’s position, they start allowing themselves to see the other’s perspective. I really enjoyed this book and hope there are additional books with these characters.

Books in this series

Starworld by Audrey Coulthurst, Paula Garner

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Starworld

Author: Audrey Coulthurst, Paula Garner
Reviewer: Renee

Summary

Sam Jones and Zoe Miller have one thing in common: they both want an escape from reality. Loner Sam flies under the radar at school and walks on eggshells at home to manage her mom’s obsessive-compulsive disorder, wondering how she can ever leave to pursue her dream of studying aerospace engineering. Popular, people-pleasing Zoe puts up walls so no one can see her true self: the girl who was abandoned as an infant, whose adoptive mother has cancer, and whose disabled brother is being sent away to live in a facility. When an unexpected encounter results in the girls’ exchanging phone numbers, they forge a connection through text messages that expands into a private universe they call Starworld. In Starworld, they find hilarious adventures, kindness and understanding, and the magic of being seen for who they really are. But when Sam’s feelings for Zoe turn into something more, will the universe they’ve built survive the inevitable explosion?

View this book on Goodreads.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

So. Many. Emotions. I laughed and got teary eyed (which is a big deal for me; this book may have leveled up my Emotions). This book is about friendship, finding out who you are, seeing yourself as others see you, realizing others don’t have the perfect lives we think they do, looking deeper than the surface, and so much more.

I love Zoe and Sam’s self image journeys. They both feel something is wrong with them and they have different techniques for coping and navigating their lives. When they meet, they learn about each other and build each other up. They have some bumps along the way and have to find their way back and figure out what works for each of them and their situation.

I read Starworld in 2 days, which is rare for me. I just couldn’t stay away. Every time I put the book down, I couldn’t stop thinking of their next adventure in Starworld so I just stopped putting the book down. I may need to read it again to help sort out these emotion things. 🙂

I thought I’d relate more to Zoe since she puts up “walls” (which my mom is always telling me I do), but part of Sam’s story hit really close to home. A lot of this book was relatable to me and I wasn’t expecting that. I also wasn’t expecting a lot of the heavy topics, but it’s clear the authors did their research and they represent these topics well. They even include resources after the story (for OCD, pregnancy loss, disabilities and ableism, adoption and adoptees).