Latitude
none of my favorite characters from the show were in here
also clarke/thalia forever
I was absolutely DELIGHTED by the first half of this book and in tears for the second half. Rafael Luna is my favorite.
–reread in September: this book continually delights me
Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook at no cost to me ahead of release time!
I read this book via audiobook, and the narrator was solidly mediocre — I'm certainly not an expert, but there's some weird pronunciation of Hebrew words in here. Perhaps a pronunciation guide would be helpful next time? (I also only learned from another reviewer that a character's name is actually Chaya, but the narrator pronounces it Kaya, which is Quite Incorrect.)
This book got a lot of flak before it was published (on Feb 1st, 2022) because it is about people going to Israel on a pseudo-Birthright trip. It's not Actually A Birthright Trip, which is made very clear in the novel, it's just a regular temple-sponsored trip to Israel. The main character isn't sure if she's Jewish Enough, which, Big Mood, All The Time. They talk about Birthright trips as well, and make it clear that these two trips are Separate Things. Which, suspension of disbelief aside, I believe this was originally written and marketed as a Birthright Trip Book until there was serious backlash online and it was hastily rewritten and there were some little “history” lessons dropped into it. It's not a book About Palestine/Israel, it just happens to be set in Palestine(Israel). Sure, Jan.
Still, I think it is kind of weird and unnerving to have a book set in Israel without acknowledging why there is conflict in Israel, just that there is. It's briefly mentioned that there Is Conflict and the general vibe is that it is so sad and so upsetting that Palestinians are so poor and so maligned. It's not really discussed why Israel is important to Jewish people or Judaism as a whole either, and I just think that maybe if you're going to write this book at all you could at least talk about it?
Tally herself is Very Extremely Eighteen and Very Sheltered and also very protective of her brother Max, which, like, trauma, sure. But it's kind of exhausting to deal with over the course of the book, and also Max seems to be doing Okay. It's very voice-y — lots of comparisons have been made to Becky Albertalli etc, and I wouldn't say that those comparisons are incorrect. I just think that like, Becky Albertalli is better at it. It reads really young, to the point where this feels like a middle grade novel over a YA, which doesn't match the age of the characters. (Which is fine! It just is not marketed as a middle grade).
I'm normally very into pop culture references, but Broadway never hits for me because I'm just not that into it. So that's a big miss on my end.
There's lesbian, gay, and asexual representation, which is very? Whatever? to me? Representation matters, for sure, but also the main content of a book matters as well. It's no longer 2015 and I am not reading books exclusively for a background character who is hinted at maybe being gay. The main character is demisexual, and I feel.... unimpressed about it. It's handled well, in a vacuum of Just Demisexuality, which is fine, but again — representation matters, and this is representation of a Jewish demisexual person who does not educate herself about Palestine while in Palestine, actively benefiting from Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Looking for good asexual rep? I would recommend Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman, or Six Angry Girls by Adrienne Kisner instead. I've also heard very good things about Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger.
For other Jewish books that I've enjoyed or am looking forward to, there's Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler, You Asked for Perfect by Laura Silverman, and The Two Wrong Halves of Ruby Taylor by Amanda Panitch. Also a book of short stories that I own but have not read, It's a Whole Spiel: Love, Latkes, and Other Jewish Stories edited by Katherine Locke.
Confused about Israeli/Palestinian conflict? Here's an article from Jewish Voice for Peace as a primer.
I am rating this audiobook one star for its representation of demisexuality and secular Jewish representation. I want to be clear that these were positive aspects of the book; everything else about the book would have otherwise brought it down to half a star or less.
I HATED THIS APPROXIMATELY 2% LESS THAN WHEN I READ IT AT 18
I WOULD DIE FOR SANSA STARK
reading this book right now like “well THAT sure is some Political Commentary for our current time”
This is a voice-driven YA novel with intense characters and really self-aware writing: “And can I just point some messed up shit out? Two high school girls stealing a frozen pizza and hair extensions, and this guy feels it's necessary to draw his weapon. And they wonder why there's a new hashtag against the police every week.” (Copaganda rating? Zero. Excellent job.) One of the things I hate most about YA novels is their frequent refusal to name specifics or make pop culture references, and this book absolutely does not have that problem. However — and I realize this book was probably drafted before 2020 — there are a lot of Harry Potter references and it is now generally considered bad form to include Harry Potter references in queer novels, so I do wish that that had been edited before this book hit ARC metaphorical shelves. Love the casual queers-in-STEM rep. Four stars. Publishes on March 1st, 2022. Bookshop link here.
I really enjoyed this, and it starts off Very Strong, but it simply does not go far Enough. It falls back on tropes - which are fine! - and standards of the genre, but I wish it would examine Even Farther. I paid $15 for this book and would have preferred to pay like, $10. thank you for reading.
Chef's Kiss is a little graphic novel about roommates in a very classic comic book style. There are speech bubbles and clean lines throughout the book. Now, I don't know much about comic books, but this looks like a superhero book from my dad's collection. It's not a style for me! It's also very old-style comic book in the fact that it censors all swears? And this book is meant to be adult or at least new adult, so it doesn't make sense why swears would be censored. The main character also only reads books that are available in the public domain, or so old that they aren't copyrightable, which sure is weird! (His favorite books are 1984, Brave New World, and another that I forget. Come on, dude! Haven't you heard of the Hunger Games? There are people using laptops and tablets in this book so I know it's not set in the 90s!) Despite this, there is a vibrant cast of characters and the portrayal of working in a kitchen is both incredibly idealized and exactly right. Honestly? This is like a comic-book adaption of a gay romance light novel, and it's kind of exactly right. Five stars. You didn't see that one coming, did you? Neither did I. Publishes March 1st, 2022. Bookshop link here.
This book reminds me a Lot of Snow Crash, which is one of my favorite books ever. It has a great beginning and middle, and a very weak end. Also, its characters are effortlessly LGBT, and yes, I mean all of those; there is a woman searching for her wife, a gay man, and a gender-neutral bisexual character. None of these things are ever forced, and none of these things are the “point” of the story; they're not plot points, they just Are. I would recommend this book.
