THE LUIS ORTEGA SURVIVAL CLUB by Sonora Reyes
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Ariana Ruiz doesn’t quite know what happened at the party last night. She knows she went with popular, attentive Luis Ortega. She knows that she and Luis had sex, and that she didn’t 100% want to. And she knows that now she feels dirty, empty, and panicked that someone will find out, someone like Luis’s ex-girlfriend Shawni who warned Ari to stay away from him. Of course Ari had thought she and Luis were just friends, and if he’d asked her if she wanted to have sex she’d have said no. Or at least she’d have wanted to say no. Autistic with selective mutism, Ari can’t speak in situations where she isn’t completely comfortable–and she was very uncomfortable in that bedroom with Luis.
But shouldn’t he still have asked first?
Before she’s had a chance to process, someone (probably Shawni) starts spreading the rumor that Ari and Luis had sex, and other boys start sexually harassing her in the hallways now that they know she’s “easy.” Desperate for someone to help her make sense of this mess, she responds to a cryptic note left in her locker and discovers the Luis Ortega Survival Club, a group of classmates who have been hurt by Luis’s behavior in the past, led by Shawni. When the little group decides to plot revenge, Ari is all in. She may not be sure how things got out of control at the party–and she’s certainly not ready to talk about it–but she knows that Luis deserves revenge. Because if Shawni wasn’t the one setting Ari up for harassment and assault, the culprit is obvious–and he needs to be stopped before he hurts anyone else.
A strong community and vengeful justice keep this trauma narrative hopeful and triumphant. Reyes sensitively portrays the challenges of navigate high school, social groups, and family with a disability that others don’t understand (or in some cases, believe in) and how this affects Ari’s self-actualization. Ari’s sensory sensitivities and post-traumatic stress symptoms also read as authentic, although the emphasis is not either autism or PTSD but on community building after trauma. Ari and several other characters are queer or nonbinary, and romantic threads enter in the second half. This novel will appeal to fans of high-concept YA contemporary novels, such as DANGEROUS PLAY or DOES MY BODY OFFEND YOU.
Note: While Ari’s speech increases throughout the story, signaling her growing closeness with her Survival Club friends, this experience should not be mistaken as representative for all nonspeaking autistic people. Of course, this is true for all depictions of characters from marginalized communities in all books, but the nonspeaking autistic experience is so rarely represented that I wanted to call attention to it here. (Also, the term “nonverbal” used in this book is not preferred by majority of the nonspeaking autistic community, but may be preferred by some individuals. The autistic community is extremely diverse!)
EVER SINCE by Alena Bruzas
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Content warning from the publisher: Contains descriptions of sexual assault, child sexual abuse, suicidal ideation, and drug and alcohol use/abuse.
Ever since she was 11-years-old, Virginia has been searching for a safe haven, away from her belligerent father, her emotionally unavailable mother, and of course, Him, the man who once made her believe he was her friend before revealing himself to be a monster, a beast worthy of the darkest fairytales and myths. Of her four close friends in the neighborhood, Virginia most often seeks refuge with Poppy, but when Poppy unexpectedly leaves for the summer, Virginia is desperate for another ally. After years escaping traumatic memories through drugs and alcohol and accepting that her body will be used by boys for sex, Virginia is surprised when Poppy’s boyfriend Rumi takes an interest in her as a person and expresses disgust at the way another boy is using her. Virginia struggles to reconcile the way Rumi sees her with the way she’s always seen herself–as a bad person and a slut, a view that she feels is confirmed by her growing attraction to her best friend’s boyfriend. But when Virginia recognizes that Rumi’s 11-year old sister is being groomed by a predator, she finds the drive to dig past the myths she and others have built around her and find the strength to tell her true story so that she can save another little girl from having to live it.
Gorgeous poetic prose and embedded fairytales and myths carry readers through Virginia’s intense experience of childhood sexual assault and its aftermath. At times graphic and deeply disturbing, all of the assaults by the adult “Him” occurred in Virginia’s past, allowing Bruzas to show (realistically) how children often lack the power and agency to escape their abusers but also to give Virginia power and agency at the moment of this story so that she can rediscover her voice and a supportive community of peers and adults to help her find safety and heal. In this novel, storytelling is not only a catalyst for healing but a bridge of connection between isolated survivors which will no doubt reach readers as well. Bruzas concludes with an author’s note acknowledging her lived experience with CSA. An impactful read for fans of heavy YA/NA contemporary fiction.
ONLY, ONLY MARISOL RAINEY by Erin Entrada Kelly
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Nothing can dampen Marisol’s joy at riding her beloved bicycle Ginny–nothing except Daggers. Marisol doesn’t know whether her neighbor’s German Shepherd is really called Daggers, but she and her best friend Jada think it’s the perfect name for such a big scary dog. Fortunately, Daggers is penned up behind a fence where he can’t get near Marisol.
When Lost Dog posters appear around the neighborhood, Marisol is terrified. Daggers, whose real name turns out to be Gregory, could be anywhere! What’s to stop him from eating Marisol now? Determined to find Gregory and get him back behind the fence, Marisol enlists the help of her friend Felix, who can communicate with animals, in exchange for promising to teach him how to ride a bike. But as Marisol starts spending more time with Felix, Jada starts acting strangely grumpy, and with efforts to contact Gregory failing, Marisol will have to figure out how to be a good friend and neighbor even when it’s scary.
Third in the Marisol Rainey series, Erin Entrada Kelly’s latest is as charming, funny, and uplifting as its predecessors. Marisol’s emotions rise to the surface in simple, honest prose that invites connections and giggles at the warm humor and expressive illustrations. I’d recommend this one to younger middle grade and chapter book readers, fans of Ramona Quimby, Clementine, and Jada Jones.
GHOSTS, TOAST, AND OTHER HAZARDS by Susan Tan
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When her stepfather leaves the family, Mo, her half-sister, and their mom cram into her hippie great-uncle Ray’s house in a new town. Anxious about starting a new middle school–as well as more serious dangers like toaster fires and overloaded electrical outlets–Mo does her best to take care of her sister and her depressed mom and to shake off comments from new neighbors, some of whom assume she is a tourist because there are no other Chinese American families around, and a boy at school whose class clown act borders on bullying. Bonding with Uncle Ray over classic rock music helps Mo unwind a bit after school, but at night, she experiences a recurrence of her childhood sleepwalking habit, this time with vivid dreams that linger into the mornings with unexplainable physical connections to a town legend of the ghost of Maudie, a circus elephant that died in a fire. Determined to get to the root of her dreams, Mo enlists the help of her classmate Nathaniel, an authority on ghosts and exorcisms, but as they dig deeper into the town’s past, they begin to realize that the stories about Maudie were distorted and to find peace–for the elephant and themselves–they will have to read between the lines to find the truth, about the circus and the tragedies in their own lives.
Mo’s funny, honest voice propels an enthralling narrative with fantasy elements that function on both a literal and metaphorical level. I had trouble putting this one down and highly recommend it to fans of middle grade contemporary fiction with embedded fantasy elements, such as The Stars of Whistling Ridge by Cindy Baldwin or The Midnight Children by Dan Gemeinhart. This is also a great pick for book clubs!
QUEEN BEE by Amalie Howard
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Heiress Miss Lyra Whitley has come to the London Season with one goal in mind: revenge.
Her first Season shouldn’t have been like this. Lady Ela Dalvi, daughter of an earl, should have arrived in London with every expectation of making a good match, maybe even to the boy she loved: Lord Keston Osborn, Marquess of Ridley, son and heir to the Duke of Harbridge, who moved near her family’s ancestral seat when they were fifteen. But that was before her childhood best friend Poppy, consumed with jealousy for Ela’s friendship with Kes, spread a vicious rumor that ruined her reputation and got Ela banished to a reform school for “ruined” girls in Cumbria. For years, Ela stewed in her desire for vengeance, and now with a benefactor’s fortune behind her and her true identity hidden, she is going to destroy the friend who wronged her and the boy who believed the lies and turned his back on her.
But revenge is more complex than she anticipated, and although her plans go well from the start, allowing her immediate access to her enemies’ inner circles, new friendships make her question how brutal she is willing to be to take Poppy down. Worse, every time she’s with Kes, her old feelings stir to the surface–and Kes seems to be falling in love with “Miss Whitley.” Could Kes be worth letting go of years of anger? And even if she forgives him, will he forgive her for a Season of lies?
Beckoning to fans of Netflix’s Bridgerton, Howard incorporates an “anti-history” of racial and ethnic diversity and tolerance into her Regency-esque world, although she doesn’t grapple with racism and colonialism in this work they way she typically does in her adult romances. Tailoring the Regency Romance genre for a younger audience, she also eschews steamy love scenes (and sex in general) and focuses not on the more mature themes of matrimony and parenthood typically on the minds of Regency teenaged heroines but instead on cliques, crushes, and more modern-feeling teen camaraderie. It is a compelling foray into the YA sphere, and I hope that Howard continues bringing her wonderful sense of humor and perspective as a biracial author to this age group.
STARS AND SMOKE by Marie Lu
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When shadowy intelligence agency Panacea approaches pop superstar Winter Young to ask his help in an upcoming mission, he’s inclined to say no. After all, he’s one of the most recognizable people on the planet–hardly an ideal choice for a spy. But the stakes of this mission are astronomical. British billionaire shipping magnate and ruthless head of a criminal underworld Eli Morrison has acquired a deadly biological weapon, scheduled to ship to a terrorist nation the day after his daughter’s birthday celebration–a celebration at which Winter has been invited to perform.
Winter can hardly refuse to help stop a chemical war, especially once he learns that his late brother who supposedly died in an accident was really a Panacea agent, killed on a mission. It’s a chance for Winter to reconnect with his brother’s memory, contribute to the work he knew nothing about, and do a “thankless good deed” to offset the guilt of living such a charmed life. Unfortunately, he’s paired up with a formidable young agent-in-training and reformed shoplifter, Sydney Cossette, who is none too thrilled to be “babysitting” a pop star but desperate to prove herself. Once they’re in the field, however, the reluctant allies soon discover that once they get past their verbal sparring, they make an effective team–maybe too effective as their cover as a pop star who’s hooking up with his bodyguard comes a little bit too naturally. But romance is a distraction they can’t afford, and when the mission takes a shocking and deadly turn, they’ll have to decide what they’re willing to sacrifice to stop the chemical weapon from reaching its target.
Found families shine in this high stakes thriller as two well-balanced protagonist’s from radically different backgrounds each try to add meaning to their lives by chipping away at the evil in the world. Detailed character backstories add depth to the straightforward thriller plot, emphasizing depth of character and relationships. I listened to the audio book, fluidly performed by Becca Q. Co whose character voices and narration kept me engaged throughout. I’d recommend this one to fans of character-rich and/or romance-adjacent YA thrillers.
TO SWOON AND TO SPAR by Martha Waters
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When Viscount Penvale’s uncle offers him the chance to buy Penvale’s childhood home–on the condition that he marry his uncle’s socially inept ward, Jane Spencer–Penvale feels it’s worth the sacrifice. The lady may be insufferable, and not particularly attracted to him, but she assures him she isn’t being coerced and agrees to a chaste marriage of convenience. It’s only after they are married that his uncle reveals the second catch: the estate Penvale has just purchased is haunted.
Jane’s scheme worked too well. When she began faking the haunting of Trethwick Abbey, she’d hoped to merely drive her odious guardian to spend more time in town, to free herself from his micromanagement while getting to stay in the beautiful estate she’d come to love. Unfortunately, the bloody christening gown in his bedchamber scared the man so badly he went and sold the manor–and Jane’s hand in marriage along with it. Now she has another wealthy, controling man to frighten out of her life. But Penvale doesn’t seem as easy to scare away as his uncle, and he may be as attached to Trethwick Abbey as she is. Determined to find out which of the staff is pretending to haunt–and why–Penvale begins nightly searches of the manor, dragging an increasingly anxious Jane along with him. The more time they spend together, however, the more Jane’s feelings of antagonism warm to friendship, and as Penvale comes to better understand his abrasive bride, their determination to remain married “in name only” begins to fade until ghosts aren’t the only secrets lurking between them.
This steamy enemies-to-lovers Regency romance continuation of Waters’ series that includes To Marry and to Meddle will delight fans of the series or newcomers to Waters’ work (although I recommend reading To Love and to Loathe first since it’s hero/heroine feature prominently as secondary characters in this one, and it is also my personal favorite in the series). The antagonism is believable, the premise deliciously absurd, and the sparring full of crackle. I recommend the whole “Regency Vows” series to fans of the genre!
A TEMPEST AT SEA by Sherry Thomas
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Following the events of Miss Moriarty, I Presume, Charlotte Doyle has spent months in hiding, isolated from her closest allies, even her lover Lord Ingram. Nothing tempts her to risk exposure to Moriarty’s numerous spies until Lord Remington offers his protection in exchange for Charlotte performing a service for the crown and retrieving a sensitive item from a possible spy. Remington’s protection might actually allow Charlotte to return to normal life, and so she reaches out to her allies and dons a new disguise to board a passenger vessel and hunt a spy. With Lord Ingram, Mrs. Watson, and Lydia aboard, Charlotte has plenty of allies to help achieve her mission, but the presence of a police inspector on board and the unexpected arrival of Lady Holmes throws a wrench into her plans and threatens her exposure. And when one of the passengers is murdered–and Lady Holmes a suspect–Charlotte must discover which of her fellow passengers is a murderer and which an agent of her most sinister enemy.
It might have been difficult to keep momentum up in an enclosed setting, especially after the dramatic finale of Charlotte’s previous adventure, but Thomas does so with seeming ease, immediately reestablishing every delightful Lady Sherlock trope–from clandestine meetings between Charlotte and her allies to disguises and hidden identities–within a tightly plotted, Agatha Christie-esque mystery. Fans of the series will not be disappointed! Newcomers, however, will want to begin with book one to fully appreciate the tie-ins from previous Moriarty encounters.
UNDER A VEILED MOON by Karen Odden
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Inspector Michael Corravan has found his stride at Scotland Yard, although some will never accept him due to his Irish heritage and background as thief and boxer in Whitechapel. Corravan has tried to distance himself from his past, but that grows more difficult when murders and vandalism in his old neighborhood get dangerously close to his foster family–leading him to suspect that his foster brother Colin might be mixed up with the vicious gang that drove Corravan out of Whitechapel years earlier.
When a tragic boat crash on the Thames leaves hundreds dead, Corravan’s superiors suspect the Irish Republican Brotherhood might be involved. Corravan has his doubts, but when the papers get wind of a possible Irish scandal–with a Parliamentary bill for Irish Home Rule gaining traction–they’re quick to leap to conclusions. The only remedy is for Corravan to continue his detailed inquiry, to shake off the threats and suspicions of anti-Irish colleagues trying to get him thrown off the case, and find out what Colin’s gotten mixed up in before he’s just another body in the gutters of Whitechapel.
Character depth and cogent themes balance high-stakes in this Victorian mystery which will appeal to fans of police procedurals. Clues unfold at an even pace while the interwoven family drama ramps up intensity toward a thrilling climax. The second in the Inspector Corravan series, UNDER A VEILED MOON picks up where the previous book left off, but includes enough context (and a wealth of character development) that it will be easy for new readers to fall right into the well-developed historical world. Both this novel and its predecessor (DOWN A DARK RIVER) are perfectly plotted, character-rich procedurals for fans of the genre!
DEATH ON A WINTER STROLL by Francine Mathews
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Police Chief Merry Folger is used to the logistical hassle of high-profile politicians spending Christmas on Nantucket. Unfortunately, this year the holidays will include not only the Secretary of State and her family but a Hollywood film crew–and a couple of dead bodies.
The Sec’s stepson Ansel recently learned that his estranged mother was squatting on their old house on Nantucket, despite the fact that his father told him she was dead. He spends two days with her, admiring her artwork and watching her photograph island birds on the moor before she turns up dead for real–murdered. Grief-stricken Ansel confides in his new friend Winter, daughter of the lead actor in a film shooting nearby, who lost her own mother years earlier to suicide. But Winter has problems of her own, being sexually harassed by a vindictive, abusive Hollywood agent, husband of the film’s director, who has spent every day of his short time on the island making enemies. When he goes missing, it’s too much to hope that the two incidents could be unconnected, and it will be up to Chief Folger and her team to untangle the secrets and hidden connections between the stars and the suits before the killer strikes again.
Grudges galore and shifting points of view yield abundant suspects for this evenly-paced, traditional murder mystery. With echoes of the COVID-19 pandemic and the #MeToo movement in Hollywood, DEATH ON A WINTER STROLL juxtaposes timely explorations of grief and trauma with a charming Nantucket Christmas backdrop for a satisfying, suspenseful read with moderate edginess. No need to have read the previous books in this series to jump right in with this one!
Susan the Librarian 