I have been reading a lot more YA contemporary lately, and wanted to share my thoughts on my four most recent contemporary reads.
The Distance Between Us by Kasie West
I know this will mean nothing to most of you who read through your books much faster than I do, but I read this book in two days. It was just a fun, quick, easy read. It didn’t change my life and I had a couple minor issues with it, but overall I just really enjoyed getting to know Caymen and Xander and watching them interact. It was definitely worth the $1.99 I spent on it!
Rating: 4 stars
Content Advisory: Pretty clean. I don’t recall any language; some kissing.
The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand
Believe it or not, this is probably actually the first really heavy issue book I’ve read, at least in the YA contemporary genre. I was hooked right away with Alexis’ voice as she wrote in a journal provided to her by her therapist, bemoaning the idea of writing out her feelings and comparing it to bleeding out with leeches. But the book definitely gets heavy, with Alexis constantly wishing she could go back and change the night she found out her brother killed himself, trying to deal with her mom and others in her life, and worrying that she is seeing the ghost of her brother. The ending was very emotionally satisfying, and I’m very glad I read this book to gain more insight about the aftermath of a suicide.
Rating: 4 stars (If I gave quarter stars it would be 4.25. I know that sounds ridiculous but it’s just not quite to 4.5, but almost!)
Content Advisory: Moderate language; some kissing.
The Unlikely Hero of Room 13 B by Teresa Toten
I impulsively borrowed this from the library because I knew it focused on characters with OCD, and there are secondary characters in my WIP with OCD. This was a very interesting read for me; there were many things I liked but many I wasn’t crazy about as well. First, despite the fact that he struggles with OCD at a level I doubt I will ever understand, Adam is the most realistic character in this book, aside from maybe his stepmother and neighbor. His dad, therapist, Father Rick, Ben, and the other OCD kids felt real sometimes, and Sweetie and Adam’s mom NEVER felt real. (Sweetie is for real the strangest 5 year old ever. I don’t think a single kid on the planet talks like that.) Sometimes the characters and the dialogue took me out of the book (Adam and some of the kids constantly say stuff like, “That’s superior!” and other things I have just never heard anyone ever say).
Yet the book is quirky and full of humor, and I really did feel empathy for Adam. I enjoyed Robyn too and enjoyed their friendship-turned-relationship. And also yet again, this book was often awkward and hard to read, which I think was part of the point, because these characters are struggling with very real issues and disorders and it does hurt, but the added layer of Adam’s mom’s craziness was sometimes too much for me to bear. The ending was very unsatisfying as there is very little finality, but I know that doesn’t bother everyone, and it doesn’t always bother me, but I didn’t feel I got the full arc from Adam that I wanted, though we do see it going in that direction.
Rating: 3 or 3.5 stars (I really can’t decide.)
Content advisory: Moderate language; some kissing.
The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
I saved my favorite of the bunch for last. I mean, where do I even begin?! I ADORED Max. I loved him so much at first I couldn’t properly ship him and Paige because I didn’t think Paige deserved him. But when she starts to come around and really understand her feelings towards him, I felt for her and definitely got all aboard their ship! The last chapter was such perfection that I can’t even. I LOVED all the nerdy banter and just about everything really. The friendships were so spot-on!
My only complaint about the book really is at Max’s birthday party when they played Spin the Bottle and I was like, really?, but even the characters knew it was juvenile, and it was what gave Paige the push she needed to confront her feelings.
So seriously, READ THIS. I have never loved a YA contemporary to this degree.
Rating: 5 stars!!! (I borrowed this from the library and then immediately ordered the hardcover from Amazon because I LOVED IT THAT MUCH.)
Content advisory: Sporadic and mostly mild swearing.
Have you read any of these? What are your thoughts?
NO I haven’t read any of these! I think I was most interested in The Unlikely Hero […] because it just sounds like such a unique premise, but I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t like it as much. I think I would find the 5 year old unbelievable too, just because I interact with 4 and 5 year olds lot.
Awesome reviews Amy! Glad to see you loved The Start of Me and You!
I don’t interact with many kids, but when I do I usually don’t understand what they’re saying. This kid could speak way too coherently for a 5 year old, sounding like a strange adult most of the time!
I know what you mean about reading The Distance Between Us quickly — I think I paced through that book in a matter of hours while I was on a work trip. I certainly stayed up later than I should have, but I was still messed up from timezone changes and figured, why put a good book down?!
And so far this summer I have been reading a lot of contemporaries, and it is pretty fun! I am going to look into The Start of Me and You. Heck, I should just get a copy from the library.
I would definitely recommend checking it out!
I really enjoyed The Distance Between Us and loved the dry humour in it, just perfect for when you want a cute read. The Start of You and Me is on my wishlist and I’ve just bumped it up a bit now.
The dry humor was fun! And I hope you love The Start of Me and You!
I really liked The Distance Between Us too! Caymen’s humor is perfect 🙂 I did have a couple of issues with it too, mainly the ending. I thought it was too abrupt and rushed. Kasie West writes great fluffy romances 🙂
I agree the ending was a bit abrupt!
I adored The Distance Between Us. Contemporary isn’t usually a genre I read, but Kasie West is just so cute and fun. And The Distance Between Us is my favorite of hers.
My sister loves Emery Lord. I haven’t had a chance to read her yet (I have read almost nothing this year) but I’m sure I will once I’m reading again 🙂
I think you’ll love The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord because there are some great nerdy references, plus the slow-burn! I recently finished Kasie West’s On The Fence and that one is my favorite of hers so far. I still have The Fill-In Boyfriend left to read.