Reviews

tuckeralmengor's review against another edition

4.0

Many thanks to HarperTeen for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review
"Books are a light. A light that melts ignorance and hate."

Wow. Wow. Just... wow. I was absolutely blown away by this book.

So, what's this book about?
Clara Evans is horrified when she discovers her principal’s “prohibited media” hit list. The iconic books on the list have been pulled from the library and aren’t allowed anywhere on the school’s premises. Students caught with the contraband will be sternly punished.

Many of these stories have changed Clara’s life, so she’s not going to sit back and watch while her draconian principal abuses his power. She’s going to strike back.

So Clara starts an underground library in her locker, doing a shady trade in titles like Speak and The Chocolate War. But when one of the books she loves most is connected to a tragedy she never saw coming, Clara’s forced to face her role in it.

Will she be able to make peace with her conflicting feelings, or is fighting for this noble cause too tough for her to bear?

I just... It's like someone followed me around for a month and then wrote a dramatic version of my life. I absolutely loved the book because... books and bookworms. What's not to love?

But, unlike most books that feature book lovers, this book actually went deep into what it really means to be a reader. What books do for us and why. It questioned things we've all thought. It was passionate and ensnaring.

Overall, this book was unexpectedly lovely!

Bottom Line
4 stars
Age Rating - [ PG ]
Content Screening (Mild Spoilers)
Positive Messages (5/5) - [Sacrafice for the greater good, Questioning the norm, Perserverance]
Violence (2/5) - [Mild violence]
Sex (0/0)
Language (0/0)
Drinking/Drugs (1/5) - [Mention of underage drinking]
Content and Trigger Warnings - Racism, Classism, Homophobia, Suicide
Publication Date: September 17th, 2019
Publisher: HarperTeen (an imprint of HarperCollins)
Genre: YA/Contemporary

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4.5 stars Absolutely brilliant!

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cupcates's review against another edition

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3.0

i liked the formatting. couldn't tell you anything else

rabidmunkee's review against another edition

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5.0

If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would! This book is definitely one of my new favorites!

worldsunlikeourown's review against another edition

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3.0

Read more reviews on my blog at Worlds Unlike Our Own.

Thank you to the publisher, Katherine Tegen Books, and Edelweiss for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Books are wild things. You can't tame them. People are wild things. You can't tame them, either. Put those two together and you can't know what's going to happen, but that's not on you."

This is a hard one to review. Generally speaking, I enjoyed this book quite a lot. I liked the premise of the story and Clara is a witty narrator. Clara's character development throughout the story as she learns to be less judgemental of people and also less self-absorbed is also very well portrayed. And I must say, after reading this, I'm quite curious about the fictional book that Clara is reading throughout the story and taking inspiration from.

However, I did not enjoy the writing style as it felt like it was all over the place. Suggested Reading has a solid concept, but in my opinion, is lacking in execution. Overall, this was a good, but not great read, and would probably be better suited for a younger audience.

diamondgir1's review

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4.0

Fabulous. Absolutely fabulous. No words.

erinkatherin's review against another edition

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4.0

A inner-angst YA story that shows a good perspective of uncertainty within heroism (and includes a bit of light and interesting philosophy). The characters are interesting and likable. The writing is occasionally a bit contrived-to-be-cool (to this middle-aged reader)— but it’s worth overlooking. A fun read, like a good movie — I really liked it.

Recommend to Haylie (it’s a bit like Booksmart. Not really, but almost).

emu2000's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

loreopoly's review against another edition

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4.0

this book was fun and quick. i liked all the characters and appreciated that there was never really any physical descriptions of them (which can sometimes become ponderous) so i was able to form my own opinion. the main character is snarky like me and i just really identified with her despite being in my late 40's.