Loved this novel, had to reread.

If I was Your Girl – Meredith Russo

LGBTQ+, young adult, contemporary, fiction.

Rating 10/10

Beginning at a new high school, Amanda just wants to make friends and survive high school. She meets Grant and falls head over heels for him but she fears that if she told him about who she was before, that he wouldn’t be as accepting. They grow close together and she finds out that she has to give others the benefit of the doubt. As well as learning more about herself. 

I had to read this book again because I read this years ago and this book never got the recognition that the book should have had. I feel that this book is appropriate for everyone to read because this gives insight of what it is like to be a transwoman in this society. Transwomen are real women just as transmen are real men. I cried throughout this book because I have had a transwoman at my community college assaulted for going to the ‘wrong bathroom’ and thinking of all the teens out there who just want to feel comfortable with their own bodies. This author does paint a happy ending but sometimes in reality there are no happy endings for teens who come out as trans. This author did a good job of writing the plot with the characters. I do have to say go read this book. I liked it a lot. This book needs way more hype and more attention to this novel.

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this was sweet.

I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter – Erika L. Sanchez

Young adult, Mexican heritage, grieving, mental health, fiction.

Rating 8/10

Julia is recovering from the death of her sister, and so does her family. They all are devastated and trying to cope in their own ways. However, her mother tries so hard to understand Julia and why Julia wasn’t like her sister. Julia doesn’t want to be like her sister. Rather she wants to understand why she looked at her phone before she got hit by the bus, or why there was lingerie in her closet. Plus, mysterious emails with some hidden truths. When Julia has had enough of her mother’s ways, something bad happens and caused them to become closer together with a newer understanding.

This book was so good and underappreciated. The book discusses mental health among Mexican families, their heritages, and traditions. A different perspective that is authentic and true because it is never easy trying to do things beyond the household without the parents being concerned for their child and how sometimes parents don’t understand their children and vice versa. I loved this book, and the pacing was nice, and the plot was thorough. Parts did bring tears to my eyes because I understand how it is hard losing a loved one who was close yet so far away. It is never easy, but life comes and goes. When I was grieving my grandfather’s death, I wished he could stay longer, but he had lived a long and fulfilling life. He is never really gone because I know he is with me in my heart. Like the main character, grief is different from person to person. I loved this book and do recommend this novel.

returning to land

Part of Your World – Liz Braswell

Disney, The Little Mermaid, witches, mermaids, retelling, mystery, young adult, fiction.

Rating 9.5/10

Five years gone since Ariel lost against Ursula. Both her voice and her father, King Triton, are in possession of Ursula due to the contact that Ariel had signed that allowed her three days to be on land but the catch was for that Prince Eric would have to kiss her before the sun sets on the third day and the payment for Ursula’s service was Ariel’s voice. When Ariel returned to the Sea, expecting to be punished, her sisters allowed her to be Queen of the Ocean. Her trusty sidekicks and confidants, Sebastian and Flounder, help Ariel speak to the people of Atlantica. When Ariel receives some news of a bird wanting to speak to Ariel, she investigates this. She finds out that after all this time, her father is in fact alive after all. Ariel must use whatever materials she has to try to save him and get her voice back.

I had put a hold on this book as well as the few others of these twisted tales because I wanted to see how this author really can use these Disney stories and add the twists to them. My thoughts on this book is that I felt that the author did a good job with this one as well as the other two I’ve read so far. I can’t wait to possible find more by this author or just the twisted tale series. I loved this book and this one is my second favorite. The first being Straight On Till Morning. The Little Mermaid was one of my favorite Disney stories and reading this twisted tale was enlightening and gave me thoughts about how if it went that way, would there be more movies, or a television stemmed from this concept? Either way I appreciate and love this novel a lot.