Tag Archives: reviews

Book Review: Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle, Illustrated by Rafael Lopez

Posted in Books by

Book: Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle, Illustrated by Rafael Lopez

Published March 2015 by HMH Books For Young Readers|48 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: None

Genre: Children’s- Picture Books

Girls cannot be drummers. Long ago on an island filled with music, no one questioned that rule—until the drum dream girl. In her city of drumbeats, she dreamed of pounding tall congas and tapping small bongós. She had to keep quiet. She had to practice in secret. But when at last her dream-bright music was heard, everyone sang and danced and decided that both girls and boys should be free to drum and dream.

Inspired by the childhood of Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a Chinese-African-Cuban girl who broke Cuba’s traditional taboo against female drummers, Drum Dream Girl tells an inspiring true story for dreamers everywhere.

This picture book was amazing!  Seriously, it was.  I didn’t realize it was a picture book when I got the e-book from the library, but the description is what got my interest.

It would have been nice to go with the print version for this one, mostly because the illustrations are absolutely beautiful.  I apparently don’t love picture books in e-book form, because it just wasn’t the same reading it on my phone.

It didn’t stop me from loving this book, and the story it tells.  It’s about how a young girl became a drummer- after practicing in secret and dreaming of the day she can become a drummer, she has the chance to drum in public.  And because of her, all children are able to drum.  It really is a great story, and I’m going to have to read more about Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, who inspired this story.

5 stars.  This book was so cute, with great illustrations and a great story.

Book Review: Admission by Julie Buxbaum

Posted in Books by

Book: Admission by Julie Buxbaum

Published December 2020 by Delacorte Press|352 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

It’s good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer. She’s headed off to the college of her dreams. She’s going to prom with the boy she’s had a crush on since middle school. Her best friend always has her back, and her mom, a B-list Hollywood celebrity, may finally be on her way to the B+ list. It’s good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer–at least, it was, until the FBI came knocking on her front door, guns at the ready, and her future went up in smoke. Now her mother is under arrest in a massive college admissions bribery scandal. Chloe, too, might be facing charges, and even time behind bars. The public is furious, the press is rabid, and the US attorney is out for blood.

As she loses everything she’s long taken for granted, Chloe must reckon not only with the truth of what happened, but also with the examination of her own guilt. Why did her parents think the only way for her to succeed was to cheat for her? What did she know, and when did she know it? And perhaps most importantly, what does it mean to be complicit?

This was an interesting book!  I wasn’t sure about it, but I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.

So, this book is a take on the whole college admissions scandal from a couple of years ago.  It focuses on Chloe, who has to deal with the fall-out of what her parents did.  That part was interesting to me, seeing the aftermath of what happened.  Seeing what she knew and when she knew it…the pieces were there, but it took her opening the door to the FBI to put everything together.

This book has two different timelines- before her mom was arrested and after she was arrested.  The dual timeline was done okay.  I didn’t love it, but I think it’s the best way to tell the story.  You see Chloe struggle with what her parents want, even though it doesn’t necessarily match up with what she wants.  There was so much pressure on her, and it makes me grateful that I didn’t have that kind of pressure to deal with.

What her parents did was pretty horrible.  I know they want the best for her, and wanted things to be easy for her.  Easier for her than things were for them.  But it really was like they thought she couldn’t do it on her own, and had to bribe their way into a college acceptance letter.  Their lack of confidence and pressure…I feel like that’s part of why she’s insecure.  I hate that they got time accommodations, even though she didn’t need them.  It was infuriating to read in this book, the way it was infuriating to hear about it in real life.

Then there’s the fact that they didn’t even tell her they knew an arrest was coming for her mom.  She ends up talking to some of the other kids who were wrapped up in the scandal, and they all knew what was going to happen.  I don’t know, maybe they thought they were protecting her.  It doesn’t make it okay, and I’m curious about how they thought they were going to explain what was going on.

She’s pretty privileged, obviously, and I remember being so angry after the real-life scandal broke.  It didn’t seem like college was a good fit for Chloe, at least right away, because she was so unsure about what she wanted to do.  But because of this pressure to go to college right out of high school, she winds up finding out what her parents did to get her there.  She does figure it out, and I really hope that this is a turning point for her in recognizing how privileged she is, and how she has a lot of opportunities that others, like her friend Shola, don’t have.

It was hard to like Chloe and her mom.  Her mom, especially, because she thinks she can fight the charges against, and can’t accept that there are consequences for her actions.  She was definitely in denial for most of the book.  It was a little hard to like her dad, though I don’t feel like we got enough of him for me to have stronger feelings either way.

The one I felt really bad for was her sister.  I have to say, she was right when she talked about how hard it was going to be for her because of what her parents did for Chloe.  I hope college isn’t horrible for her but I feel like people are going to question her place there now.  Her parents were so busy trying to buy Chloe’s way into college that they didn’t think about how it would affect Isla.

Honestly, it felt like they didn’t care about Isla at all.  At least, not the way they thought about Chloe.  The comments about Chloe were horrible, and while I don’t know what kind of comments were directed towards Isla, I can imagine what Isla got was only a fraction of what Chloe dealt with.  Still, it won’t be easy for her after all of this.

3 stars.  I liked it, and though most of Chloe’s family was frustrating, it was an interesting read.

Book Review: Into The Heartless Wood by Joanna Ruth Meyer

Posted in Books by

Book: Into The Heartless Wood by Joanna Ruth Meyer

Published January 2021 by Page Street Kids|368 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Fantasy

Epic, heartbreaking, and darkly atmospheric, Into the Heartless Wood is the story of impossible love between a monstrous tree siren and a boy who lives at the edge of her wood.

The forest is a dangerous place, where siren song lures men and women to their deaths. For centuries, a witch has harvested souls to feed the heartless tree, using its power to grow her domain.

When Owen Merrick is lured into the witch’s wood, one of her tree-siren daughters, Seren, saves his life instead of ending it. Every night, he climbs over the garden wall to see her, and every night her longing to become human deepens. But a shift in the stars foretells a dangerous curse, and Seren’s quest to become human will lead them into an ancient war raging between the witch and the king who is trying to stop her.

I LOVED Into The Heartless Wood!  It’s so beautiful, and if you haven’t read it, I recommend it!

Honestly, I wasn’t sure about it at first.  But the more I read it, the more I fell in love with it.  It’s beautiful and musical, and Seren’s chapter’s are particularly beautiful and heart wrenching.  Don’t get me wrong, I really liked Owen’s chapters too, but there was just something about Seren’s chapters that I absolutely loved.

Everything fell into place at the end of the book, and I was actually interested to see how everything came together.  And how this war not only came to be, but how it all ended.  It really felt like Owen and Seren were pawns at times, but they did make their own choices.  Owen in particular allowed Seren to see that she did have a choice, and I’m glad Owen finally saw that she wasn’t the monster he thought she was.

I also love the idea of tree sirens.  It sounds strange, because when I hear siren, I think vast oceans and sailors being lured to their death.  It’s basically that, but in a forest instead of an ocean.  The whole story behind Seren and her family is one I really liked reading, and I loved seeing how Seren wanted more.  I loved that she protected Owen, and save him again and again.  I hated seeing her be forced to do things she didn’t want to do, but that she had the chance to do something different.  Be something different.

Now that I’m thinking about it, Seren’s chapters made me think of the Shatter Me series.  Particularly Juliette at the beginning of the series.  I think it’s how it’s formatted, and though Seren’s mind isn’t fractured the way Juliette’s is, there’s just something about the way their thoughts are formed, and how they tell they their story that go pretty well together.  Though their stories are so completely different, it was interesting that there was something similar about how we saw them.

5 stars.  I loved this book, and would happily reread it!

Book Review: The Iron Raven by Julie Kagawa

Posted in Books by

Book: The Iron Raven by Julie Kagawa

Published February 2021 by Inkyard Press|416 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: The Iron Fay: Evenfall #1

Genre: YA Fantasy

Wicked faeries and fantastic danger… Welcome to book one of the new trilogy in N ew York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey fantasy series, as infamous prankster Puck finally has a chance to tell his story and stand with allies new and old to save Faery and the world. For fans of Holly Black and Cassandra Clare!

“YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF ME…”

Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Prankster, joker, raven, fool… King Oberon’s right-hand jester from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The legends are many, but the truth will now be known, as Puck finally tells his own story and faces a threat from a time before Faery began. A threat that brings him face-to-face with a new enemy…himself.

With the Iron Queen Meghan Chase and her prince consort, Puck’s longtime rival Ash, and allies old and new by his side, Puck begins a fantastical and dangerous adventure not to be missed or forgotten. Evenfall is coming, and with it a reckoning that even their combined powers and wits may not vanquish, as a shadow falls over the lands of Faery and the world slips into chaos.

I really enjoyed this book!  It’s really nice to be back in Faery, and to get Puck’s story.

I loved this world in the Iron Fey series, I loved this world in the Call Of The Forgotten Series, and even though we’re only one book into this trilogy, I already love the world we’re seeing in this series.

Nothing is ever easy, and there’s always an adventure and danger and new threats.  This series is no exception, but I can’t wait to see how Puck, Meghan and Ash deal with Evenfall.  I mean, how do you deal with something that is from before the world of Faery even started?  All I can say is that we will find out.

Just when I thought it wasn’t possible to tell more stories in this world…well, Kagawa proved me wrong!  The first trilogy was always Meghan’s story (plus a book from Ash’s perspective), and the second was always about her brother and son.

But now we get Puck’s story!  I’m glad we finally get his story, because he’s been through a lot.  He’s changed a lot over the centuries, and I liked learning more about his past.  I really hope we learn more about Puck’s past in the rest of the series.  Puck really deserves to be happy, and I hope he finds happiness and peace.  Whether it’s with Nyx, someone else or just himself,  I hope he finds it.  My guess is that he’ll end up with Nyx.  But only because I’ve read pretty much all of her books, and I have a good sense of where things are going to go.  I could be wrong, but Nyx and Puck are interesting together.

And Grim!  I love that cat so much it’s not even funny.  I doubt we’ll get ever get a series from Grim’s perspective, but I’d take a novella at this point.  Grim does not show up enough, that’s for sure.

I’m glad we get to see what’s going on in the Iron Court, and that we get to catch up with Meghan, Ash and Kierran.  It’s good to have the gang back together, though I don’t like where things are headed.  I’m sure things will end up fine but getting there will be a journey.  It always is, and I’m just along for the ride.

4 stars.  I don’t know why, but I didn’t love this book.  I still really, really liked it, and it’s good to be back with Puck, Grim and everyone else!

Book Review: You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson

Posted in Books, diverse books by

Book: You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson

Published June 2020 by Scholastic Press|336 pages

Where I Got It: I own the hardcover

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Liz Lighty has always believed she’s too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it’s okay — Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor.

But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz’s plans come crashing down…until she’s reminded of her school’s scholarship for prom king and queen. There’s nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington.

The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She’s smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams…or make them come true?

I really liked You Should See Me In A Crown!  It’s really cute and Liz is really, really cool.

Liz is such a great character.  I can relate to not wanting to be in the spotlight, but I also admire her determination to get the scholarship so she can go to Pennington.  Even if it means going through the public events and dealing absolutely terrible competitors.  She has a really good group of friends, though she has some issues with one of friends throughout the book.  It wasn’t surprising but also understandable, and I get why her friend acted the way she did.  It doesn’t make it okay, of course, but I get why she acted the way she did.

I really liked her family too.  I really do love when grandparents show up, and I’m glad they were there for Liz and her brother.  Especially after losing her mom years earlier.  She’s really lucky to have them, and they seem great.

I also liked her relationship with Mack.  I don’t completely get why she wasn’t upfront about the scholarship with Mack.  And of course, Liz not sharing that and not being open about them dating leads to some issues between them.  It all works out in the end, but I’m still frustrated and angry that Liz had to keep her relationship with Mack hidden because it goes against the rules for going for not just prom court but also prom queen.

I’m angry that, if she were straight, it would totally cool for her to go to prom with, say, Jordan, but going with her girlfriend isn’t.  It’s not surprising that some places aren’t okay with anyone who’s not straight, and clearly, Liz lives in one of those areas.  But it’s also sad she has to hide a part of herself just so she can go for a scholarship that will help her go to the college of her dreams.  Still, it all works out for Liz, and I’m glad it does.

4 stars.  I’m really glad I finally read this book, and I definitely recommend it!

Book Review: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Posted in Books, diverse books by

Book: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Published September 2020 by Margaret K. Elderberry Books|501 pages

Where I Got It: I own the hardcover

Series: Legendborn #1

Genre: YA Contemporary/Re-Telling

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.

I really liked Legendborn!  I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure about it at first,  but I’m glad I kept reading.

I’m not sure why, but at first, I didn’t particularly like this book.  I struggled to get through it, at least in the beginning.  It’s why it took me so long to finish Legendborn.  But I’m glad I did because I ended up really liking it and needing to know what happened next.

I really felt for Bree- she has so much grief to work through, and at such a young age.  And when we find out what happened to her mom, and why…that really broke my heart, because she’ll never have more time with her mom.  She has a grandmother she’ll never meet, and the reason makes sense, once we know about it.  But that doesn’t take away from the fact that she lost her mom, who lost her mom, and so on.

Honestly, I was surprised when the magical war started.  I mean, I knew it was coming, because how else were things going to go?  But it happened in a way I wasn’t expecting.  It makes me curious to see how things are going to go, but it looks like they were wrong this whole about the different knights and bloodlines.  At least a little, and I want to know how they’re going to deal with it in the next book.  Especially since it became clear that Bree was not who they expected to be involved with things.

I really liked this take on King Arthur.  It’s so different, but it also makes so much sense!  If this world were real, I could see something like this happening.  Or at least, this being how King Arthur is still with us today.  Maybe not these exact circumstances, of course, but something like it.  I’d love to see how all of this fits in with history, and if this secret society randomly popped up in things like the Civil War or the American Revolution.  I feel like something like that was mentioned, but I honestly can’t remember it, so I could be wrong.  But something about that idea feels really familiar.

4 stars.  I really liked Legendborn, and think it’s a book everyone should read!  Especially if you like King Arthur re-tellings.

Book Review: Quiet In Her Bones by Nalini Singh

Posted in Books by

Book: Quiet In Her Bones by Nalini Singh

Published February 2021 by Berkley|384 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: None

Genre: Adult Thriller

In this gripping thriller set in New Zealand, New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes you into the twisted world of an exclusive cul-de-sac located on the edge of a sprawling forest.

My mother vanished ten years ago.
So did a quarter of a million dollars in cash.
Thief. Bitch. Criminal.
Now, she’s back.
Her bones clothed in scarlet silk.

When socialite Nina Rai disappeared without a trace, everyone wrote it off as another trophy wife tired of her wealthy husband.

But now her bones have turned up in the shadowed green of the forest that surrounds her elite neighborhood, a haven of privilege and secrets that’s housed the same influential families for decades.

The rich live here, along with those whose job it is to make their lives easier. And somebody knows what happened to Nina one rainy night ten years ago.

Her son Aarav heard a chilling scream that night, and he’s determined to uncover the ugly truth that lives beneath the moneyed elegance…but no one is ready for the murderous secrets about to crawl out of the dark.

Even the dead aren’t allowed to break the rules in this cul-de-sac.

I did not like this book as much as I thought I would.

I’ve really enjoyed her Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series, and thought I’d give some of her other books a try.  I was confused for pretty much the whole book, and was really close to not even finishing it.  But I decided to keep reading, just so I’d know what happened to Aarav’s mom.

I had trouble keeping track of who was who, and how they were connected to each other and to Aarav.  There were a lot of characters in this book, and even after finishing, I couldn’t begin to tell you who the characters were and how they were all related.

It’s a pretty complex case, what happened to Nina Rai.  It was a surprise to see why she disappeared and who had a hand in her disappearance.  And for her to be so close, but no one knowing about it for a solid decade…that doesn’t surprise me, that she wasn’t far from home, but the person involved was not the person I expected.

I think what made this book hard to get through is how confused and unreliable Aarav is.  He has a lot of issues, and some memory issues on top of that.  Maybe that’s why the book seemed so confusing to me- because Aarav had his own issues he was dealing with.  Some of it is explained, but there’s a lot he doesn’t remember.  The story was repetitive at times, and it would have been nice to get outside of his head a little bit.  Just to see what other people think happened, you know?

At any rate, I think I prefer her romances- I just wasn’t thrilled with this book, and I had a hard time keeping track of the characters and what was going on.

1 star.  I really wanted to like this one, but I struggled to get through it.

Book Review: A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

Posted in Books, diverse books by

Book: A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

Published June 2020 by Tor Teen|288 pages

Where I Got It: I own the hardcover

Series: A Song Below Water #1

Genre: YA Fantasy

Tavia is already at odds with the world, forced to keep her siren identity under wraps in a society that wants to keep her kind under lock and key. Never mind she’s also stuck in Portland, Oregon, a city with only a handful of black folk and even fewer of those with magical powers. At least she has her bestie Effie by her side as they tackle high school drama, family secrets, and unrequited crushes.

But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation; the girls’ favorite Internet fashion icon reveals she’s also a siren, and the news rips through their community. Tensions escalate when Effie starts being haunted by demons from her past, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice during a police stop. No secret seems safe anymore—soon Portland won’t be either.

I liked this one!  Not as much as I wanted to, and it took some time for me to get into it.

I struggled with this one, especially at first.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad we got to follow both Effie and Tavia, and how much they needed each other.  But I found Effie’s story particularly confusing at first, and for the life of me, I could not figure out why she was living with Tavia.  It didn’t make sense to me initially, though it became much more clear in the end.

I hated how people saw sirens, and how just the possibility that someone was a siren meant they deserved what happened to them.  It’s something we see throughout the book, and it made me both sad and angry to see how people were treated because of it.  It made me think of the Salem Witch Trials, but I’m sure there are a lot of comparisons/parallels you could draw.

I don’t blame Tavia for trying to remain silent and not give herself away.  We really see her struggle with that, and how her dad in particular worries about her and what will happen if people find out that she’s a siren.  You see that people are scared of others using their voice, and do whatever they can to make sure that people aren’t using their voice.  I hate that this is a world that Tavia lives in, and I especially hate that this is something we see in our current world.  Morrow does a really good job at combining racial injustice and police brutality with fantasy elements.

I love the take on sirens, though, and I love this alternate Portland.  It’s a world where sirens are real, and I can’t help but wonder what other mythological creatures are real, considering sprites and gorgons are mentioned, and we have sirens.  We get a little bit of the unique history in this book, and it makes me want to know more, because I really liked what we saw in this book.  Hopefully, we’ll get more in the next book.  Even though I know it won’t be as much as I probably want to know, I’ll take what I can get, and I’m curious to see what happens next for Tavia and Effie.

They just want to be themselves and not hide who they are.  They’re tired of hiding and hurting and want to be accepted for who they are.  They were there for each other, and did what they could to protect each other while trying to be themselves in a world that wants them to be different.  They’re trying to be themselves in a world that doesn’t accept people for who they are, and they, together, learn to be themselves in a world that hates differences and people being themselves and speaking up.

3 stars.  There are some things I really liked and even loved, but I definitely had a hard time getting into this book at first.

Audio Book Review: Interpreter Of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, Narrated by Matilda Novak

Posted in Books, diverse books by

Book: Interpreter Of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, Narrated by Matilda Novak

Published January 2017 by HighBridge|Run Time: 6 hours, 15 minutes

Where I Got It: I own the audio book

Series: None

Genre: Adult Fiction

Navigating between the Indian traditions they’ve inherited and the baffling new world, the characters in Jhumpa Lahiri’s elegant, touching stories seek love beyond the barriers of cultures and generations. In “A Temporary Matter,” published in The New Yorker, a young Indian-American couple faces the heartbreak of a stillborn birth, while their Boston neighborhood copes with a nightly blackout. In the title story, an interpreter guides an American family through the India of their ancestors and hears an astonishing confession.

Lahiri writes with deft cultural insight reminiscent of Anita Desai and a nuanced depth that recalls Mavis Gallant.

I liked Interpreter Of Maladies!  It was an interesting read, and I’m glad I listened to it.

So, Interpreter Of Maladies is several short stories.  Unfortunately, some ended up being background noise that I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to, but I did like the ones that weren’t background noise!  I really liked the last story, and how important the lady was to the boarder.  She seemed like quite the old lady, with a really long life.  It was nice to see how she was remembered, and the impression she made on him.  I really wish I remembered names of the characters, but sadly, I don’t.

There was a common thread of how the characters adapted to life in the U.S.  They all settled around Boston, and had a range of experiences- from missing India, to settling in a new country, to keeping secrets, and making new connections.  I can’t help but wonder if they ever crossed paths and never knew it.  It’s possible they did, and I either missed it or it was never mentioned in the stories.  Either way, they also had their own lives and worries, and each story was a glimpse into the lives of professors and doctors.

It’s definitely worth reading!  I know I missed parts of this book, and maybe audio wasn’t the best choice, but maybe one day, I’ll revisit it in print for a different kind of reading experience.

Matilda Novak did a good job narrating.  There was something very soothing about her voice, and maybe that’s why I had a hard time focusing at times.  O maybe I just picked the wrong book to listen to this weekend.  Either way, it was nice listening to her.

3 stars.  I liked it, and the narrator was really good!  But I had a hard time paying attention to some of the stories, so I’m a little fuzzy on what happened to some of them.

Book Review: I’ll Be The One by Lyla Lee

Posted in Books, diverse books by

Book: I’ll Be The One by Lyla Lee

Published June 2020 by Katherine Tegen Books|336 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

The world of K-Pop has never met a star like this. Debut author Lyla Lee delivers a deliciously fun, thoughtful rom-com celebrating confidence and body positivity—perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Julie Murphy.

Skye Shin has heard it all. Fat girls shouldn’t dance. Wear bright colors. Shouldn’t call attention to themselves. But Skye dreams of joining the glittering world of K-Pop, and to do that, she’s about to break all the rules that society, the media, and even her own mother, have set for girls like her.

She’ll challenge thousands of other performers in an internationally televised competition looking for the next K-pop star, and she’ll do it better than anyone else.

When Skye nails her audition, she’s immediately swept into a whirlwind of countless practices, shocking performances, and the drama that comes with reality TV. What she doesn’t count on are the highly fat-phobic beauty standards of the Korean pop entertainment industry, her sudden media fame and scrutiny, or the sparks that soon fly with her fellow competitor, Henry Cho.

But Skye has her sights on becoming the world’s first plus-sized K-pop star, and that means winning the competition—without losing herself.

I really liked I’ll Be The Only One!  It’s cute and heartwarming and Skye is just awesome.

I loved Skye and thought she was a great character.  I really felt for her, and people are terrible, particularly one of the judges in the competition.  She clearly has a lot of talent, but it’s like that’s not important because of her looks.  Some people on social media are terrible, of course, but there’s a lot of support for her, and she’s determined to make it.  Not just for herself but for the people who feel like they’re not good enough.

Her mom was so frustrating!  I get why she acts that way, but it doesn’t mean it’s okay to treat Skye the way she does.  Skye does talk to her about it, and hopefully, her mom will realize that Skye is wonderful just the way she is.  And be more supportive.  I just want them to have a more healthy relationship, if her mom is willing and able to change her behavior, and if that’s what Skye wants.  It just goes to show how fraught mother/daughter relationships can be, especially in a world where Skye wants to be a K-pop star.

At least her friends and dad are great.  I wish we saw more of her dad, but he was really supportive, and tried to explain why her mom acted the way she did.  Her friends were great too, both her friends from school, and the friends she made along the way.  I loved the support she had, and she has a great group of people around her.  She’s going to need it!

The competition was cutthroat, but not as much as I thought it would be.  Then again, it’s a book, so there’s only so much you can see on page.  I’d love to see this as a movie or t.v. show, because it would work really, really well on screen.  One can only hope!

Also, I wouldn’t mind a sequel.  Just to see how she’s doing in Korea, as a trainee.  And to see how things go with her mom and with Henry.  It’s not often I want a sequel, but Skye was amazing, and I want to follow her on her K-pop journey.

4 stars.  Skye was awesome and I loved how she accepted herself, and was determined to go for what she wants.