March 2018 Wrap Up!

March usually seems like an extraordinarily long month, but with the addition of spring break this year, it went by too quickly. Also, in honor of the fact that March is Women's History Month, we elected to read books written only by women. Here's what we read:

Annalise:

I read a total of 7 books, all of which were written by women, and most of which follow a strong female protagonist. Because this month was so long, I was able to get a couple more books than January and February in. I also was able to read two of my 12 books to read this year list. I read: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo, Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo, Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Emily of Deep Valley by Maud Hart Lovelace, Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia, and The Gentlemen's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee.

Siege and Storm: This month I was able to complete the Shadow and Bone/GrishaVerse trilogy which I was very happy about. Generally, I either love or hate book two of trilogy - but more often than not, I love them. This novel was probably my favorite of the three . I thought that it had a lot of character growth and that the politics intensified. The pacing was quick and I didn't have any major complaints! My favorite character Nikolai was introduced, which I was super excited to see more of him in book three. He ramped up not only the stakes, but procured the changes within Alina and Mal, making the book much more enjoyable. He was really why I loved this book so much, especially because Alina and Mal's relationship got a little annoying at times. I felt it was (understandably) too on and off, and I wished that they sorted themselves out a little better and either grew into each other or out of one another, rather than this weaving in and out of a relationship. *Minor spoiler* that being said, I loved Alina and Mal together, but part of me would have been happy if she and Nikolai had gotten together. I gave this book a 4/5 stars.

Ruin and Rising: I really enjoyed this book, and thought that it was a solid concluding novel to this trilogy. I still love Leigh Bardugo even though I didn't enjoy this series as much as Six of Crows, but I can see how much she improved from these books. This last book was politically heavy, it was well done, but it seemed so cat and mouse to me. I definitely loved the new settings and the darker magic that was introduced throughout the story, but I felt like it was the same thing that we saw in Siege and Storm, with a new cast of main characters. That being said, this didn't take away from my enjoyment of the novel. I thought that Bardugo was really going places with this one, and I wish that a lot of this had been explored in the second book, so that she could have seriously expanded this world and magic system in the third book. However, I thought that the pacing of this novel, and the entire series was snappy and tense, and I enjoyed being back in Ravka and the GrishaVerse. I love Leigh Bardugo and her works, and there was nothing that in this series that could keep me from saying that wholeheartedly. I gave this book a 4.25/5.

Why Not Me?: Another celebrity audiobook that kept me company while trudging through snow to get to my classes, Mindy Kaling is a pleasure. I haven't actually seen anything that she is in, that I know of, but read her first book and have successfully listened to her second. I thoroughly enjoyed this read, it was funny, it was smart, and it had a certain flair that I am assuming is all Kaling. If you like celebrity audiobooks, The Office/The Mindy Project, Mindy Kaling in general, or a hilarious and genuine collection of essays that keeps a smile on your face, I can't recommend this highly enough. Definitely check it out. I gave this book a 4/5 stars.

The Hate U Give: This book is AMAZING. I never doubted that the hype that surrounded this story was anything but true, but wow. I was stunned. I read this book in four hours, and devoured every second of it. This story is absolutely incredible. It is so emotional, and the storyline is perfect. The characters are all flawed and real and because of that, this story is so raw. It discusses such important and topical things, and right off the bat you can see that Thomas does it in a smart and emotional way. She has a knack for writing empathic situations and for really drawing the reader in. Thomas ranged from survivor's guilt and the stages of grief to gangs, drugs, police brutality and racism, to friendships and their faults and interracial relationships. I was incredibly impressed with Thomas' dialogue and with how she conveyed important parts of the story through showing, not telling. This story is heartbreaking, it is honest, and it is out there for the world to see. Riveting, stunning, and an absolute must read for everyone - seriously. I gave this book a 5/5.

Emily of Deep Valley: I cuddled in on a snow day, and read this lovely little novel by one of my favorite authors. Ellie and I talk about Maud Hart Lovelace a lot, and reading this standalone Deep Valley novel was something both of us want to get to this year. Much like with my experience with Heaven to Besty, the first 100 pages or so were pretty slow, but then, as soon as I passed that mark, the book instantly picked up and I fell in love with Emily the way that I fell in love with Betsy. This story is so progressive, talking about not only mental health, but immigration and bigotry. This story was so stunning and had so many serious and inspiring undertones to Deep Valley's usual cheerful self. This story probed at relationships, familial, romantic, and platonic, as well as looked at the importance of finding your passion and using your time to create your life. Emily was a strong and relatable protagonist who's personality is not only agreeable, but encouraging. This novel was a perfect winter read, and not only was is lovely as a standalone, but as a Deep Valley addition. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I gave this book a 4.5/5 stars.

Eliza and Her Monsters: I picked this book up after Ellie read it in one sitting and recommended it to me with claims of total cuteness. She was right, it was definitely cute! This book was exactly what I was looking for towards the end of March break. Eliza was an interesting character who had aspects to her life that I totally related to, and some that I totally didn't, but the way that Zappia wrote it made me understand completely. It definitely reminded me of Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, but used different elements that altered the track that this book took. I enjoyed all of the characters, they all melded together well. Zappia also did a wonderful job describing mental illness, and it didn't feel romanticized in the slightest, something that I reject. I also felt that the family portion of this story was well done. Generally, in YA, the main character has a troubled family, or if not troubled, they are missing one of their parents, or parents are completely irrelevant to the entirety of the story -- this was not that. I was happy to see family life that worked in the complicated ways that family life really works. Eliza's mom, dad, and two brothers were considerably fleshed out compared to other YA books, and towards the end, moved from more flat traits to dynamic characters that were believable. I thought that Zappia created a quirky story that read well. (*SPOILER* I did have one minor complaint, at the end when Wallace is blaming Eliza for basically ruining his life and telling her she is so privileged and selfish for not finishing Monstrous Sea while she's basically become a hermit because of this intense anxiety that she is experience really hit a nerve for me. I thought that it was A) out of character for Wallace, since the whole time he is really shy and has gone through some stuff himself and B) because it was just a horrible thing to do. Part of me was glad that they made up, but I was seriously upset that this series of events happened in the first place. Before it, I adored the book, but found this to be very upsetting.) I gave this book a 4/5 stars.

The Gentlemen's Guide to Vice and Virtue: This book was so fun. Plain and simple, it was an adventure that picked up from the first sentence. There was never a moment when the storyline lulled, and Lee did a wonderful job of creating tension even when there was nothing particularly tense happening. I loved the setting, traveling Europe and experiencing the world for the first time in the 1700s was right up my alley. It had really great LGBTQ+ representation, as well as good race representation and interesting race dynamics that were related to the time period. All of the characters were fun and flamboyant. Percy was absolutely adorable and a really fascinating character to learn about. (*Semi-spoiler* His tragic illness was super interesting to learn about in this context. It was an aspect of the story that I was impressed to read about and made me realize that Lee really did her homework!) Monty was a little annoying at times, but he was definitely a character with a personality. I thought he actually made a good choice of narrator because of his very specific voice. And Felicity was literally amazing. She was such a talented and feminist ass-kicker who made me want to jump up and down and say "forget about this book, give me Felicity's!" I am very excited to continue on with Lee's storyline and follow this group a little longer, and if not Percy and Monty, than Felicity. Definitely. This book was absolutely perfect to end my month on. It was fabulous and amusing and nothing short of a delectable read. I gave this book a 4.75/5 stars.

---

Ellie:

This month, I read a total of six books. This month, Annalise introduced me to Libby, an app that connects your library card to your local online library, and allows you to read books on your phone. And wow, I love love love this app! I read four books on Libby this month, and highly recommend this app! I also read only books written by women this month, in honor of women's history month.

The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry: This book follows our protagonist, Natalie, as she tries to survive the summer before college-while also appearing in multiple parallel universes. Her life has been marked by visits from her "Grandmother", who is a figure who tells her stories about the creation of the universe. Natalie meets Beau at the beginning of the summer, and they work together to figure out the parallel universes and the prospect of a new relationship. I think that this book would be perfect for someone who liked The Square Root of Summer. I, however; didn't love that and didn't love this. I couldn't always follow the plot, and was always a little confused while reading this story. I loved the character of Beau, and wanted to see how Natalie would survive this trying summer, but the parallel universe trope just isn't for me. The first twist at the end was well-thought out, but the last two pages made me so confused. 2/5 stars.

Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab: WOW. I read This Savage Song in February, and was so excited to pick up this sequel literally the first day of March! This, again, follows Kate and August as they try to remedy the hell that is their city. The hint of romance and the beautiful characters made this book for me, and I cried while reading it. SPOILER ALERT: when Kate asked August if the souls he took stayed with him, I immediately started sobbing. Because I knew that he'd take her soul and that her spirit would live in him and it made my heart hurt. I won't go into too much more detail, so you can go and read Annalise's full review of this incredible duology here! 5/5 stars.

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia: If you liked Fangirl, this is the book for you! Eliza is this quirky teenager who is internet famous for drawing the Monstrous Sea comic. She doesn't have a lot of in-person friends (relatable), but starts to fall for new-boy Wallace-who turns out to be the most famous fanfiction author for Monstrous Sea! We get to live in Eliza's head as she makes real-life friends, as her parents learn how successful Monstrous Sea is, and as she debates about whether or not to tell Wallace who she is. This novel also deals with anxiety and depression themes, and portrayed them in such real ways. I am always a little cautious when reading books about anxiety/depression, because books and TV tend to romanticize these mental illnesses-but Francesca Zappia did an incredible job of showing the real-life consequences from having these illnesses. All in all, I really loved this story. 4/5 stars!

Everyday by David Levithan: I'm sure everyone has either read this or seen the trailer (link here!), but if you haven't, you should. This follows A through their crazy life of waking up in a different body every day. A is always their age (16), and is always in around the same area, but is never in the same body twice. They've lived this way their whole life, but once they meet Rhiannon, everything changes. They fall in love with her, and they work for the next month or so to see her every day-no matter what body they're in. I cannot wait to see this movie, and to read the two companion books: Another Day and Six Earlier Days. (Honestly, I'm giving this a 4 instead of a 5 because I wanted a different ending...but know that the writing was beautiful and I truly loved this novel). 4/5 stars.

Hugo and Rose by Bridget Foley: Our main character, Rose, has a great life, a great husband, and 3 children, but always liked her dream world more than her real life. In her dreams, she's not a pudgy mom of 3 who's husband is never home, she's a warrior, fighting on an island with Hugo-her partner in crime. Rose always thought Hugo was an imaginary person, manifested from her childhood biking injury that left her in a coma when she was 5. Her dreams of Hugo started while she was in a coma, and continued as she woke up and lived her life. One day, Rose runs into the real life Hugo at a fast food drive through window. She follows him (which is a little creepy, a little stalker-ish), and then they eventually meet to talk about their shared dreams. This completely (pardon my french) fucks up Rose's real life. Rose luckily eventually realizes that Hugo should have stayed in her dreams, because meeting him in real life messed up her relationships with her husband and her children. It all comes to a crazy conclusion that left me a little confused, and a last line that made me sigh with a "oh, that's a nice ending". The book overall, however; left me a little disappointed in Rose as a character, as she lied and lied and lied and LIED the whole book. I thought she'd finally have someone to talk to (Hugo) but she couldn't tell anyone that this was the boy from her dreams, and all that just frustrated me to no end. I know this is the longest wrap up post I've ever written about one book, but I needed to explain the plot so that anyone who wants to read it would know what they were getting into. Overall, eh. 2/5 stars.

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy: I read Dumplin' last summer or the summer before, and I thought it was good but I wasnt in love with it. I really want to read Ramona Blue so when I found this on libby, I decided to read it to see if I actually liked Julie's writing or not (spoiler alert, I do like the way she writes!!). This book is a dual-perspective novel that is also set in two times-then and now. We see Alice as she deals with her cancer diagnosis in the 'then' and as she deals with learning she's in remission in the 'now'. We also see her childhood best friend and maybe lover ish person, Harvey, as he deals with her crazy bucket list of revenge in the 'then' and his need for her love in the 'now'. I thought this was such an interesting format for this novel, and I loved seeing then stark contrast between then and now. I didn't love the character of Alice, but, even though she went to all extremes, I understood why she was doing what she was doing. I had hopes that Alice and Harvey would end up together, and this novel ends on a note that lets you decide what happens next. There's a subplot of Harvey not knowing his dad and wanting to find his family, which was subtly mentioned in the beginning and which was the sole focus of the last 15 pages (which was strange, but I kind of liked it hahah). This book showed the effects of cancer really well, and was very well-written. 3.75/5 stars.

#MonthlyWrapUp