LA LA IN THE LIBRARY: TELL ME TUESDAY #141

LAST. NOW. NEXT.

NUMBER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY

TELL ME TUESDAY is a floating feature, depending on your reading style, where you tell us what you read last, what you are reading now, what you will be reading next from your tbr pile, and why. I am curious why people read what they read, so tell me!
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Joining us this week...
Michelle from IN LIBRIS VERITAS
Jolene from JO'S BOOK BLOG
Stop by and have a look at their latest grabs and tell them yours!

GOODREADS

Really shallow characters. The high schoolers are like middle school kids trying to be what they think cool seniors are like. Like wanna-be hipsters sitting in a mall food court not knowing it is the last place a hipster would be. Plus, I thought hipsters weren't hip anymore. The number of times "cute hipster boy" was said could be used as a drinking game. I will finish it, but I needed a break. I loved Simon Vs., so this is really disappointing. Set aside at 52%.

GOODREADS

Letters from older self to younger self about mental illness. Set aside at 46%. One letter of getting a boyfriend made it all better. Two letters of keep hoping for Prince Charming because that's going to make it all better. Three letters that things never get better, with one saying no one will ever understand - no doctors, counselors, family members, or friends. All in less than 50% of the book. These are supposed to give hope to teenagers with mental illness? The rest were just longer versions of cliché memes. It was so infuriating, I had to take a break.

MY GOODREADS REVIEW

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I buddy read this with Annemieke from A DANCE WITH BOOKS and we had a great time, as usual.

GOODREADS

YOUNG ADULT

STANDALONE

CONTEMPORARY

DIVERSE

ISSUE RELATED

MYSTERY

I was delighted by the description on Netgalley, so after I was approved and went to add it to my ARC/review shelf on Goodreads I was taken aback by all the one star ratings, but let me tell you... this book is brilliantly clever. I know after I get farther into the book the word play will probably have more hidden meanings, but right now it is showing how unsettling it is for a youngster to be dropped in the middle of a country, to live, where they speak a language they don't know, especially when they are five and just getting a solid grip on their first language. It gives you a bit of the confused feeling someone like Sophie would have, while reading her "special language". I think it also shows the progression of integrating two languages when one is still being spoken at home. So, once again, a thrown down of one stars and reviews with descriptions like "stupid", "dumb", and "awful" because of not "getting it". It also handles Sophie's mother's reaction to being a non-language speaking immigrant. I also love that they are English speaking. It might make some "speak English or get out" believers think a little when seeing the shoe on the other foot. I wish more people could differentiate between bad writing and writing that is going over their head. This is why people are always saying YA needs to be dumbed down; reactions like these. Again, you can review a book without giving a star rating if you have an inkling that maybe you just aren't getting it.