Mini Reviews of What Light & Dreamology

What Light by Jay Asher

Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary

Page Length:  251 pages
Format: ARC won at BookItCon
Publication Date: October 18, 2016
Publisher: Razorbill

About What Light (via Goodreads):

From Jay Asher, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Thirteen Reasons Why, comes a romance that will break your heart, but soon have you believing again. . . .

Sierra's family runs a Christmas tree farm in Oregon—it's a bucolic setting for a girl to grow up in, except that every year, they pack up and move to California to set up their Christmas tree lot for the season. So Sierra lives two lives: her life in Oregon and her life at Christmas. And leaving one always means missing the other.

Until this particular Christmas, when Sierra meets Caleb, and one life eclipses the other.

By reputation, Caleb is not your perfect guy: years ago, he made an enormous mistake and has been paying for it ever since. But Sierra sees beyond Caleb's past and becomes determined to help him find forgiveness and, maybe, redemption. As disapproval, misconceptions, and suspicions swirl around them, Caleb and Sierra discover the one thing that transcends all else: true love.

What Light is a love story that's moving and life-affirming and completely unforgettable.

What Light by Jay Asher is a cute and festive read for the Christmas season. While I was a bit cold-hearted and grinch-like when I first started reading the book, my heart slowly thawed and the story made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. While the romance was a bit rushed, I didn't think it was overly unrealistic (like instalove often is) and still found Sierra and Caleb's romance charming.

However, as characters go, I didn't find them all that engaging. They were far from bad by any means, but I never fully connected with them. Furthermore, although there was some character development, I thought there could have been a bit more growth based on the events that happened. On that note, the conflicts within the plot seemed to resolve a bit too quickly and too easily for my liking. I understand under the characters' circumstances, they did not have much time to resolve issues, but it still seemed a bit ridiculous.

The writing style was fine, but nothing extraordinary. Although I did not notice as much when I became more engrossed in the story, the sentence structures were very similar throughout and had minimal variation in length, making the story a bit hard to read when I first started reading it.

Overall, What Light was a fun and entertaining read. It left me laughing out loud on several occasions, and made me smile, flail, and fangirl, helping me get more in the holiday spirit.

My rating: 3 stars

Dreamology by Lucy Keating

Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary
Page Length: 336 pages
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: HarperTeen

About Dreamology (via Goodreads):

Vibrantly offbeat and utterly original, Lucy Keating’s debut novel combines the unconventional romance of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with the sweetness and heart of Jenny Han.

For as long as Alice can remember, she has dreamed of Max. Together, they have traveled the world and fallen deliriously, hopelessly in love. Max is the boy of her dreams—and only her dreams. Because he doesn’t exist.

But when Alice walks into class on her first day at a new school, there he is. Real Max is nothing like Dream Max. He’s stubborn and complicated. And he has a whole life Alice isn’t a part of. Getting to know each other in reality isn’t as perfect as Alice always hoped.

Alarmingly, when their dreams start to bleed into their waking hours, the pair realize that they might have to put an end to a lifetime of dreaming about each other. But when you fall in love in your dreams, can reality ever be enough?

Dreamology by Lucy Keating is one of the most adorable books I have ever read. Filled with whimsy at every turn, I completely devoured this novel. The concept of this story was so unique and fun, and the story was overall fast-paced and an enjoyable read.

I also appreciate that although it was a lighter novel, it still dealt with some difficult situations and there was definitely character development involved. I was able to connect with the characters and fall in love with them, both in their reality and their dreams.

Dreamology was a truly delightful interlude after a long period of stress and craziness in my life, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a book that will put a smile on your face.

My rating: 3.5 stars

Mini Reviews: The Serpent King and Symptoms of Being Human ~ Apparently Guys Named Jeff Really Know How to Break My Feels

The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner
Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary
Format: eBook
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers

About The Serpent King (via Goodreads):

Dill has had to wrestle with vipers his whole life—at home, as the only son of a Pentecostal minister who urges him to handle poisonous rattlesnakes, and at school, where he faces down bullies who target him for his father’s extreme faith and very public fall from grace.

He and his fellow outcast friends must try to make it through their senior year of high school without letting the small-town culture destroy their creative spirits and sense of self. Graduation will lead to new beginnings for Lydia, whose edgy fashion blog is her ticket out of their rural Tennessee town. And Travis is content where he is thanks to his obsession with an epic book series and the fangirl turning his reality into real-life fantasy.

Their diverging paths could mean the end of their friendship. But not before Dill confronts his dark legacy to attempt to find a way into the light of a future worth living.

I honestly wasn't expecting to like The Serpent King, despite all the rave reviews, but it quickly grew to become one of the most wonderful and rawest books I've ever read. This book slithered into my heart (pun intended) and shattered my soul a million times. It hurt to read, and I was a sobbing mess for probably half the book (pretty sure I used up a whole tissue box sobbing over this book), but it was so so so worth it.

The characters were INCREDIBLE. All of them were so unique, but also so ordinary and relatable (even though that probably sounds really contradictory). As the plot thickened and things grew worse and worse for them, my heart constricted and twisted more than it ever had before. Because I connected to them on such a deep level without even realizing it.

The plot was like nothing I've ever read, and Zentner's storytelling was captivating, painful, and beautiful all at once. Although it took several chapters to get into the story, once I did I was hooked for good. I could not stop reading, and stayed up extremely late to finish it.

It's really hard to capture the brilliance of The Serpent King. It's also really hard to explain the plot without going into the spoiler zone, but the story was extremely well done and the characters really went through a beautiful metamorphosis that cannot be ignored. Even if you're uncertain about The Serpent King, I really suggest giving it a try. It blew me away in ways I couldn't have fathomed.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin
Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary/LGBTQIA+
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Balzer + Bray

About Symptoms of Being Human (via Goodreads):

The first thing you’re going to want to know about me is: Am I a boy, or am I a girl?

Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. The thing is…Riley isn’t exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in uber-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley’s so-called “normal” life.

On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it’s REALLY like to be a gender fluid teenager. But just as Riley’s starting to settle in at school—even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley’s real identity, threatening exposure. Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created—a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in—or stand up, come out, and risk everything.

Symptoms of Being Human was like nothing I'd ever read before, but I am so glad I picked it up. It was such an eye-opening and heart-shattering story; it really exposed me to things I knew next to nothing about before. I knew there can be a lot of unnecessary hate toward the LGBTQIA+ community, but I never truly realized the horrors that many of them have to face until I read this book. And it's devastating.

Riley's story was inspirational. Even though I can't truly fathom the scope of what Riley goes through, it was amazing seeing Riley grow and flourish as a character, as well as work up the nerve to finally come out (even if the circumstances weren't the best).

I also appreciated how even though there was so much hate, there was so so so so so much more love. Riley's identity may have shaken the worlds of those closest to Riley, but Riley also had so much support, not only online, but also in Riley's everyday life. There was still plenty of confusion and misunderstanding, but there was still an abundance of acceptance nonetheless. Baby steps in the right direction.

I myself still have a lot to learn about the LGBTQIA+ community, but reading in-depth about the horrors Riley (and others like Riley) had to face caused me to be a complete emotional wreck. It was absolutely terrifying and awful. Nobody, and I truly mean NOBODY, should have to deal with these horrifying, mind-numbingly awful things. Every person is still a human being, and each and every person deserves to be treated that way.

Symptoms of Being Human was an extremely important story that needed to be told. I knew I wanted to read it the minute I heard about it, and it did not disappoint. It was such an informative and heart-warming (as well as heart-wrenching) book, and I highly recommend people read it.

My rating: 4 stars