Finished: June 7, 2018
Candace is one of my fellow writers over at Parliament House Press, and offered me an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. How could I resist, I mean have you seen that cover? And trust me, this book is just as cute and colorful as the cover!
My review:
Oh my gosh, this book is so much fun! It’s full of adorable, romantic silliness but it’s also not afraid to take on darker topics as well. One of the first stand-out pieces (or slices hehe) was the amount of diversity! We have Kiev, who is Mexican and speaks Spanish while at home. We have Lia, who has a mom and two dads (her father and mother got divorced, and now he’s with her second dad). Then we have Barnabus, a goth kid whose family immigrated from Cambodia and is an incredible harpist. I mean, any one of these people sound like they would be fun to hang out with, but all of them in one book? Just fantastic!
Oh and did I mention that Kiev has a pet armadillo? As someone who lives in the southeast of the U.S., we see these little guys a lot, and the idea of him keeping one as a pet just made me smile every time. I don’t want to give anything away, but he totally steals the show too.
It also isn’t afraid to handle some dark topics, but in a light manner so as not to drag the book down, which I appreciated! There was family drama, substance abuse, obsession, and anger issues, but handled in a fairly positive way the entire way through. We need more books like this, that show incredible diversity and give positive examples of managing hurdles in life.
Overall this was a super adorable YA Contemporary that will leave you thinking on this group for a while. Plus the book is on sale on Kindle right now at $0.99, and it’s totally worth picking up! Definitely a great book to take to the beach!
What I consider a 5-star book:
- Is it a fun read? These characters really make you love them!
- Would you recommend it to others? For fans of cute, romantic antics that don’t mind touching on some poignant topics on occaision, this is definitely the book for you!
- Does it stick with you? I’m probably going to think of Bacon Pie every time I see an armadillo to be honest. xD
My overall rating? 5/5