Hi everyone! Today, I’m sharing four mini indulgences reviews for eARCs. I received these all from Netgalley via the publishers. This does not affect my reviews at all.
Spoiler: They were just all so amazing.
- Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz
- Don’t Read The Comments by Eric Smith
- The Gravity Of Us by Phil Stamper
- Foul Is Fair by Hannah Capin
Mini Indulgences are my spin on mini reviews.
Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Published: January 7th, 2020 from Wednesday Books
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Rating: Five Stars
Goodreads Summary:
Bestselling author Laurie Faria Stolarz returns with Jane Anonymous, a gripping tale of a seventeen-year-old girl’s kidnapping and her struggle to fit back into her life after she escapes.
Then, “Jane” was just your typical 17-year-old in a typical New England suburb getting ready to start her senior year. She had a part-time job she enjoyed, an awesome best friend, overbearing but loving parents, and a crush on a boy who was taking her to see her favorite band. She never would’ve imagined that in her town where nothing ever happens, a series of small coincidences would lead to a devastating turn of events that would forever change her life.
Now, it’s been three months since “Jane” escaped captivity and returned home. Three months of being that girl who was kidnapped, the girl who was held by a “monster.” Three months of writing down everything she remembered from those seven months locked up in that stark white room. But, what if everything you thought you knew―everything you thought you experienced―turned out to be a lie?
It was amazing to get an eARC of Jane Anonymous because I loved Stolarz series Blue Is For Nightmares in high school. Jane Anonymous is such a dark read. There were scenes that had me in panic and tears. This was really difficult to listen to. You never see the end of the world coming before it comes for you.
Everything I Loved:
*All The Feels – Let me specify, all the ‘heartbreaking’ feels. Jane Anonymous will take your heart and rip it straight out. I have never read a book dealing with an abduction where the character actively talks about it and goes through it. I read other books like Emmy & Oliver and Afterward but they didn’t delve a ton into it. Jane Anonymous…does. And it’s completely devastating.
* All of The Warnings – One of the most heartbreaking parts is actually seeing Jane’s abduction. It seriously made me panic when I came to that part. There were almost tears, everyone. It’s serious. We see her thinking about all of the warnings she’s been given to avoid this, to get out of this when it’s happening and how to deal with it after it happens. I think that part made my heart hurt even more. Jane knows what she’s supposed to do, how to stop it, but she can’t stop it.
*Alternate Timelines – Jane Anonymous shares the story before and after the abduction. We see how Jane is before, the lead into her abduction and how it affects her after. This really helped get inside Jane’s head. We see her in her prison, we know her thoughts and we understand why she’s so different in the after and struggling so much.
Some Things I Didn’t:
* I’m Horrified – This is a ‘me’ issue and it’s not even a negative. This book did a little number on my mental health afterward so if you are anxious-proned about being abducted, read with caution. It’s a hard read but it’s so, so worth it.
* Jane’s Parents In The Aftermath – When you go through something as traumatic as Jane does, people in your life aren’t going to understand. They can’t even begin to try to understand because it just takes something so intimate from you. How do you even come back to ‘real life’ after something like this? Her parents are kind and patient with her when she returns but eventually, her mom can’t understand why Jane doesn’t want to therapy and why she does certain things. I just wanted to yell at her because Jane’s so clearly still dealing with the aftermath so deeply, let her have her ‘odd’ habits. I didn’t see anything that was destructive to her that she was doing. I know she wanted Jane back the way she was but that couldn’t happen. The trauma is deep and it will require work. Jane does get help eventually but I still wished her parents wouldn’t place her old expectations on her.
Don’t Read The Comments by Eric Smith
Published: January 28th, 2020 from Inkyard Press
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Rating: Five Stars
Goodreads Summary:
Divya Sharma is a queen. Or she is when she’s playing Reclaim the Sun, the year’s hottest online game. Divya—better known as popular streaming gamer D1V—regularly leads her #AngstArmada on quests through the game’s vast and gorgeous virtual universe. But for Divya, this is more than just a game. Out in the real world, she’s trading her rising-star status for sponsorships to help her struggling single mom pay the rent.
Gaming is basically Aaron Jericho’s entire life. Much to his mother’s frustration, Aaron has zero interest in becoming a doctor like her, and spends his free time writing games for a local developer. At least he can escape into Reclaim the Sun—and with a trillion worlds to explore, disappearing should be easy. But to his surprise, he somehow ends up on the same remote planet as celebrity gamer D1V.
At home, Divya and Aaron grapple with their problems alone, but in the game, they have each other to face infinite new worlds…and the growing legion of trolls populating them. Soon the virtual harassment seeps into reality when a group called the Vox Populi begin launching real-world doxxing campaigns, threatening Aaron’s dreams and Divya’s actual life. The online trolls think they can drive her out of the game, but everything and everyone Divya cares about is on the line…
And she isn’t going down without a fight.
Everything I Loved:
* Sexism and Racism – There is a lot of sexism and racism discourse here which I enjoyed a lot. In the gaming world or really anywhere online and in real life, there’s always going to be the privileged trying to push down marginalized people. It’s shown extremely well here and called out for what it is.
* Alternating Viewpoints – I really liked the alternating viewpoints. They were easy to differentiate and I loved Divya’s POV.
* Gaming – I don’t play games at all but I really should change that after reading this book. I have a friend that games so the RPGing (Role-Playing-Game) was pretty easy enough for me to follow. I love how more and more books are telling stories with characters having big internet presences and followings. Divya is a well-known gamer who gets sponsorships and has a loyal following. I was especially impressed with how unique Reclaim The Sun Is, I actually really want to play it. Can someone please make it a game? I want to go discover planets!
* Spotlight on Abuse – From the first paragraph, Divya’s stance is “Don’t read the comments”. We enter with Divya telling her mom this very thing. For a very good reason
Don’t Read The Comments is an excellent example of toxic masculinity. This is such an amazing book that really showcases the struggles that girls, especially girl gamers face in the gaming world. Divya deals with harassment, abuse and even doxxing so much. It can be a draining read for this reason as well. It’s hard reading scene after scene of people being jerks online and in real life. It’s not even just one person, which would be bad enough, it’s a lot of people. People who haven’t even interacted with each other. They just share the same racist, misogynistic view. There’s no escape. It’s scary. It’s amazing the levels that those privileged, generally straight, white males will go to bring down marginalized people.
While it made me so upset and so angry to read about it, I know it’s a very real problem on the internet in general. What teenage girl or women hasn’t dealt with a man telling them really awful things online? It’s a struggle. We can try to protect ourselves – Unfollowing, Blocking, Muting, but assholes will still find a way to harass you. Especially when it’s dealing with a male-dominated area. Don’t Read The Comments doesn’t back away a centimeter when it comes to showing the sexism that occurs. Aaron was a really good ally when it came to sexism, racism and homophobia here. He would shut it down in real life and on the screen. It shouldn’t have to be a real “Oh, this guy is awesome for sticking up for marginalized groups” but it can be hard to find that online. Divya has her moments though when it’s extra hard to deal with and eventually she changes her “Don’t Read The Comments” stance to “Log On. Fight Back.”
* Income Issues – Let’s face it, I’m always going to love a book where finances are a bit of a struggle. Divya’s home life has it’s issues too income-wise. Not only does Divya have to worry about assholes taking away her fun with the game, but it even affects her income and she relies on the sponsorships she gets. It seriously hurt my heart to see how she worries when issues begin occurring in the gaming world.
* Divya’s Best Friend, Bekah – I LOVED Bekah. She was so awesome and I love how she did the camera work for Divya on her streams. She names her cars after her favorite books! How adorable is that? I love how more books are having their characters name real YA books in the story.
* Aaron’s Homelife – In contrast to Divya, Aaron’s parents are pretty well off, his mom is a doctor. However, they won’t financially support what they think is just a casual hobby. This really sucks for him as he’s had to build his computer out of old parts from scraps. It’s impressive he did this but also sucky because so much time. Aaron has his own family issues going on regarding what his parents want him to do with his life. It’s your classic art vs realistic job. In this economy, I don’t blame them one bit. I completely understand why they didn’t want Aaron risking his future because life is hard. Aaron’s dad does go easier on him than his mom and he supports Aaron’s dreams.
* Internet Bonding – Divya and Aaron become really close friends throughout Don’t Read The Comments because of Reclaim The Sun. I love seeing how they connected and began trusting each other. Online friendships are so precious. This is a romance though so they do end up going that route and I loved the way it was done. It was a slow-burn that was worth every second.
* Aaron’s Sister, Mira – I loved Aaron’s relationship with his little sister. It was so sweet.
* Fun – Even though there’s a lot of abuse and harassment shown, there’s a lot of fun here too with the friendship-to-romance and gaming parts.
The Gravity Of Us by Phil Stamper
Published: February 4th, 2020 from Bloomsbury YA
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Rating: Five Stars
Goodreads Summary:
As a successful social media journalist with half a million followers, seventeen-year-old Cal is used to sharing his life online. But when his pilot father is selected for a highly publicized NASA mission to Mars, Cal and his family relocate from Brooklyn to Houston and are thrust into a media circus.
Amidst the chaos, Cal meets sensitive and mysterious Leon, another “Astrokid,” and finds himself falling head over heels—fast. As the frenzy around the mission grows, so does their connection. But when secrets about the program are uncovered, Cal must find a way to reveal the truth without hurting the people who have become most important to him.
Expertly capturing the thrill of first love and the self-doubt all teens feel, debut author Phil Stamper is a new talent to watch.
Everything I Loved:
* Space Talk – The Gravity Of Us is obviously a space centered book and I loved it so, so much.
* Reality TV – The premise is so unique to me because it combines a fictional NASA mission and reality tv. If you like reality tv, this is seriously the book for you. There’s also the paparazzi to deal with given this isn’t just any group of people, they’re all competing to go to Mars. It’s very high-profile. I kind of wish we had seen more going on with the paparazzi but it was still good. There was a lot of gossip going on though and I loved it.
* Audiobook – The Gravity Of Us has as full cast and it was so amazing when it came to the gossip show.
* Cal’s Life Goals – Cal is a person who knows exactly what he wants to do with his life, he wants to be a journalist. His online following is outrageous. This causes conflict between him and his dad. Cal not only has to move complete states but he also has to stop doing videos. As you can expect, he doesn’t go down without a fight with that. I do like how it resolved itself.
* Mental Health Rep – Cal’s mom deals with anxiety and Leon has depression. I loved seeing this threaded in so seamlessly. Cal’s mom has a lot of issues regarding the move, especially the reality tv aspect. I can understand her fears because this sounds like an absolute nightmare. Not only does Cal’s dad have to be on tv as the competition goes on but so does the rest of his family. This worries Cal’s mom a lot and we see her really struggle with it. Leon has depression which he talks to Cal about. I loved how the characters were so open about their mental health.
* Leon and His Family– Leon used to be a gymnast and I liked how even though he liked it during his life, he doesn’t make it his life or career. It was nice to do it professionally for a time but he gives himself time to figure out what he wants for his life. I loved Leon’s mom a ton. She was so confident and poise in front of the cameras. Leon’s sister, Kat was a nice addition too but more on her below.
Some Things I Didn’t:
* Deb – I related to Deb a lot. Especially when it came to her home issues. I’ve been there. When you grow up like Deb has, struggling with income, you kind of know what you have to do sometimes in regards with making your own money. It sucked seeing how Deb had to help out her family because she worked but it’s a reality. I wish Cal hadn’t judged her parents quite so harshly because you do what you have to do. This isn’t to say it doesn’t suck when you’re a teen and have to help out financially but…it is what it is. I wish there had been more Deb content but given the Cal’s move, it makes sense for why there wasn’t. Still, I related to that girl a lot.
* Leon and Kat Friendship With Cal – I felt like their friendship with Cal came pretty fast and it wasn’t as done well as I feel it could have been. This is mostly between Cal and Kat, I would have loved to see Kat engage more with Cal. She was underused in my opinion.
*Cal’s Need For Other People’s Structure – As I said, Cal knows what he wants in life and when other people don’t, well, it upsets him. It upsets him a LOT. It upset me how much it upset him because guy, calm down. They’re both only SEVENTEEN. Not everyone knows what they want to be at 17 or 18 or you know, even 28. It was extremely season 5 Paige Michaelchuck. He never stops pushing Leon into deciding to do something more with his life but he gets a little better.
Foul Is Fair by Hannah Capin
Published: February 18th, 2020 from Wednesday Books
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Rating: Five Stars
Goodreads Summary:
Elle and her friends Mads, Jenny, and Summer rule their glittering LA circle. Untouchable, they have the kind of power other girls only dream of. Every party is theirs and the world is at their feet. Until the night of Elle’s sweet sixteen, when they crash a St. Andrew’s Prep party. The night the golden boys choose Elle as their next target.
They picked the wrong girl.
Sworn to vengeance, Elle transfers to St. Andrew’s. She plots to destroy each boy, one by one. She’ll take their power, their lives, and their control of the prep school’s hierarchy. And she and her coven have the perfect way in: a boy named Mack, whose ambition could turn deadly.
Foul is Fair is a bloody, thrilling revenge fantasy for the girls who have had enough. Golden boys beware: something wicked this way comes.
Everything I Loved:
* Bloodthirsty – Foul Is Fair is the book I wanted The Female of The Species to be so badly. It is every bit as dark and driven and bloodthirsty as Sadie was. This is the kind of revenge my heart calls for. Mercy? Elle doesn’t know her.
* Friendship Group – Friendship groups in books are my weakness and I absolutely loved these girls here. Their loyalty to each other knows no bounds. When Elle decides she wants to take down the boys of St. Andrew’s, they are 1,000% on board with it. Did I mention they’re all part of a coven? Because they are and it is amazing.
* Loyal Parents – Not only are Elle’s friends ready for Elle to do what she wants to do, but she has her parents support as well. I really did love this because they love Elle. They are ready to fight for her and they know she can take matters into her own hands and her fight for herself.
* Lilia – Lilia was the only good at St. Andrew’s and that’s the story. I really wish there had been more close interaction between her and Elle, but I loved where it ended up.
* Elle Takes No Crap – Okay, there is actually one exception to this but it ends up being okay. I loved how ruthless Elle was. She will take down everyone at St. Andrew’s and not think twice. She doesn’t feel regret for it, she knows what she wants, she knows her endgame and she won’t be satisfied until she gets it. And she does.
* It Sticks With You – This is one to read this year. Foul Is Fair sticks with you. It inspires and empowers, yes, it actually requires I half-rhyme to get my point across. Foul Is Fair is for every victim and survivor out there who wanted justice.
Some Things I Didn’t:
I didn’t dislike anything about Foul Is Fair. It is a Macbeth retelling which I haven’t read but other than that, I adored it so much.
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