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If you know me, you know I love romances. Plain and simple. First love stories especially. There is something about first love that just strikes a chord within me as the reader. No Filter is just that, my cup of tea – a first love, contemporary, coming of age story. This had all of my favorite YA literary elements in one. Needless to say, I read this in practically one sitting (with minor breaks to refresh my cup of tea).
“The Boyfriend League” by Rachel Hawthorne is aptly named. Our main character, Dani, wants nothing more than a boyfriend for the summer. Not having ever been in a relationship, Dani imagines having a gorgeous baseball player boyfriend on her arm. Going into her senior year of high school, Dani thinks it is about time she and her best friend, Bird, seriously pursue relationships.
The Wide Window continues the story of the Baudelaire orphans, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. The story began when the children were taken to another new guardian by Mr. Poe, their caretaker.
The Reptile Room opened with Mr. Poe driving the Baudelaires down Lousy Lane. This title indicated that the children were in for another less than hopeful situation. The Reptile Room continues the Baudelaire's unfortunate lives.
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket begins A Series of Unfortunate Events. The reader is introduced to the characters, plights, and Snicket's sense of humor. I loved this series when I was younger and still enjoy it today.
Ex-mas follows the story of Lila Beckwith and her quest to get her little brother back before her parents come home on Christmas Eve. He has runaway to save Santa - needless to say the tale is humorous.
Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle is a phenomenal book. I absolutely loved it! Each author contributed their own story and was able to intertwine the narratives to make the book feel flawless. Instead of reading three separate stories, they overlapped in many ways from tone, humor, and characters.
Maggie Stiefvater is one of the most talented writers I have come across. I highly recommend The Wolves of Mercy Falls series. First love. Supernatural beings. Lovable Characters You Want to Succeed.
For fans of The Fault in Our Stars and What You Left Behind, I recommend reading Love, Lucas. A novel about a girl coping with the death of her brother, Lucas.
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick was a book that caught me by surprise. I LOVED it! When I first started reading My Life Next Door, I thought it was going to be reminiscent of Judy Bloom’s Forever or similar to The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle. But, as the story progressed, it moved past the teen romance element and into something much more intense. Fitzpatrick incorporated romance, moral dilemmas, and friendship dynamics. By around the 200-page mark, I could not put the book down. I was so engrossed in the storyline, I had to see what was going to happen.