June Reviews

There have been some incredible books released this month, and I've been fortunate enough to have received copies of a few of them from publishers in exchange for reviews! Here are my thoughts on those recent releases.

THE LAST SUMMER OF THE GARRETT GIRLS by Jessica Spotswood
Standalone
320 pages
Published by Sourcebooks Fire, June 1, 2018
Diversity: of 4 main characters, one is a lesbian and one is probably aroace (no labels used); of major supporting characters, one is a Latina bi girl and one is a Korean-American bi guy
Content warnings: one character outs another without permission, mentions of past eating disorder, discussion of past suicide attempt, discussion of parental death in car crash
Rating: ★★★★½

I knew I was going to love this book from the description! I love the relationships between sisters explored in YA (though I admit that, not having any myself, I can't speak for how realistic they are), and I love that each of the sisters was so different.

This had tropes galore, but they were all done so well that everyone else who uses these tropes needs to step it up. For example, there's a fake dating storyline. It was so adorable I screamed. I'll admit that not all of them were for me, however. Slight spoilers ahead: there was also a cheating storyline, which I am always very uncomfortable reading. I thought it was handled very well, but I still would have liked the book more without it.

My favorite part of this was the characters. I couldn't pick a favorite of the sisters, and each of their storylines was developed so well. I was a little apprehensive about having four alternating points of view, but it worked so well! I can't imagine this book working without them.

One summer will challenge everything the Garrett sisters thought they knew about themselves—and each other.
Kat lands the lead in the community theater’s summer play, but the drama spills offstage when her ex and his new girlfriend are cast too. Can she get revenge by staging a new romance of her own?
Bea and her boyfriend are heading off to college together in the fall, just like they planned when they started dating. But Bea isn’t sure she wants the same things as when she was thirteen…
Vi has a crush on the girl next door. It makes her happy and nervous, but Cece has a boyfriend…so it’s not like her feelings could ever be reciprocated, right?
As the oldest, Des shoulders a lot of responsibility for her family and their independent bookstore. Except it’s hard to dream big when she’s so busy taking care of everyone else.

FINAL DRAFT by Riley Redgate
Standalone
272 pages
Published by Harry N. Abrams, June 12, 2018
Diversity: Ecuadorian pansexual girl MC, Korean lesbian LI, multiple supporting characters of color
Content warnings: Depression/mental health, teacher death as a result of being hit by a car
Rating: ★★★★½

I've read a book by Riley Redgate before, NOTEWORTHY. Considering that that one was an instant favorite, I was pretty sure that I was going to enjoy this one. What I wasn't expecting was how different it was going to be. If I hadn't already known, I'd never have guessed that these are from the same author. While NOTEWORTHY was light and humorous, FINAL DRAFT is a slice of life and mental health in all its gritty, unpleasant realness. And it is beautiful.


I will admit that I wasn't a tremendous fan of the first part of this book, probably because I had no idea where it was going to end up and was therefore pretty confused. However, when I started realizing what this book was about, it drew me in completely and totally emotionally destroyed me. I don't know how to describe the sheer honesty that is this book. Laila is one of the best main characters that I have ever read about, not because of any particular quality on her part, but because she lets her author show off her craft.

Before reading this, I thought Riley Redgate was a great author. After this, I know that I have only started to see her brilliance.

The only sort of risk 18-year-old Laila Piedra enjoys is the peril she writes for the characters in her stories: epic sci-fi worlds full of quests, forbidden love, and robots. Her creative writing teacher has always told her she has a special talent. But three months before her graduation, he's suddenly replaced—by Nadiya Nazarenko, a Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist who is sadistically critical and perpetually unimpressed.
At first, Nazarenko’s eccentric assignments seem absurd. But before long, Laila grows obsessed with gaining the woman’s approval. Soon Laila is pushing herself far from her comfort zone, discovering the psychedelic highs and perilous lows of nightlife, temporary flings, and instability. Dr. Nazarenko has led Laila to believe that she must choose between perfection and sanity—but rejecting her all-powerful mentor may be the only way for Laila to thrive.

THE UNBINDING OF MARY READE by Miriam McNamara
Standalone
336 pages
Published by Sky Pony Press, June 19, 2018
Diversity: Nonbinary pansexual MC, bisexual girl LI, bisexual guy supporting character, Black minor character
Content warnings: Sexual assault, domestic violence
Rating: ★★★★

Oh, this is exactly what I have wanted for so long! Not only queer historical fiction, but queer historical fiction based on real people! And from what I've read (which is admittedly not much), a lot of the events on the book are based on real events.

It was a bit hard for me to get my bearings at first. I love stories told in multiple times at once, but there was enough ambiguity at the beginning of both of the stories that I had some trouble figuring out exactly what was going on. Once I did, though, I was fully engrossed in Mary's adventures and very excited to find out what would happen.

One thing I really loved about this is that Mary and Anne didn't always do things that I could root for. Even with that, I always wanted to root for them, and it really helped them become fully-developed characters. It also made it so that I never quite knew what was going to happen next, even when I had a general idea of where the story was going.

If you're looking for more queer books, or more historical fiction, I would definitely recommend this book!

A clever, romantic novel based on the true story of a girl who disguised herself as a boy to sail with the infamous pirates Anne Bonny and Calico Jack—and fell in love with Anne Bonny.
There’s no place for a girl in Mary’s world. Not in the home of her mum, desperately drunk and poor. Not in the household of her wealthy granny, where no girl can be named an heir. And certainly not in the arms of Nat, her childhood love who never knew her for who she was. As a sailor aboard a Caribbean merchant ship, Mary’s livelihood—and her safety—depends on her ability to disguise her gender.
At least, that’s what she thinks is true. But then pirates attack the ship, and in the midst of the gang of cutthroats, Mary spots something she never could have imagined: a girl pirate.
The sight of a girl standing unafraid upon the deck, gun and sword in hand, changes everything. In a split-second decision, Mary turns her gun on her own captain, earning herself the chance to join the account and become a pirate alongside Calico Jack and Anne Bonny.
For the first time, Mary has a shot at freedom. But imagining living as her true self is easier, it seems, than actually doing it. And when Mary finds herself falling for the captain’s mistress, she risks everything—her childhood love, her place among the crew, and even her life.
Breathlessly romantic and brilliantly subversive, The Unbinding of Mary Reade is sure to sweep readers off their feet and make their hearts soar.

THE MUSEUM OF US by Tara Wilson Redd
Standalone
288 pages
Published by Harry N. Abrams, June 12, 2018
Diversity: Multiple Black supporting characters
Content warnings: Multiple car crashes with one fatality, hallucinations, self-harm, mental health problems regarding trauma
Rating: ★★★★

This one surprised me. It was a lot more intense than I thought it would be, and it kept being more intense than I thought it would be.

I wasn't sure how this was going to go in the beginning. I think I was just reading too fast, because I had no idea what was going on. I couldn't figure out whether her parents were alive or not, or how old she was, or a lot of other basics. That all sorted itself out when I slowed down a bit, though. There are more complicated things that are only put together at the end of the book, and I think those reveals were done quite well.

There is one thing that I have to bring up, with the disclaimer that this quote is from the ARC and might have been changed by the final copy. Next time I'm in a bookstore, I'm definitely going to check the final copy to see. At one point when Sadie is trying to figure out whether a person being discussed is who she has in mind, she asks the clarifying question: "Like, gym Nazi Mr. Rigley?" Casual Nazi comparisons are never okay. I highly doubt that Mr. Rigley is a literal neo-Nazi, and unless he is, the use of the term to describe him works to normalize the actions of some of the worst people to ever exist.

Overall, I think that this book handled complex and heavy subjects quite beautifully, and if you're looking for a different angle on a mental health book, this could be right up your alley.

Secrets are con artists: they trick you into letting them out.
Sadie loves her rocker boyfriend Henry and her running partner and best friend Lucie, but no one can measure up to her truest love and hero, the dazzling and passionate George. George, her secret.
When something goes wrong and Sadie is taken to the hospital calling out for George, her hidden life may be exposed. Now she must confront the truth of the past, and protect a world she is terrified to lose.