I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez

“I just feel like it’s unfair, that my whole life is unfair, like I was born into the wrong place and family. I never feel like I belong anywhere.”

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Julia Reyes loves to write, and she always dreams of moving out from her parents’ house, go to college and see the world. But that’s not how a ‘Perfect Mexican Daughter’ supposed to be. ‘Perfect Mexican Daughters’ do not go away to college and move out of their parents’ house. They’re never abandon their family, they dedicated their life for their family like Julia’s older sister – Olga. But her sister Olga is dead and Julia’s family has been shattered to pieces. Julia’s mother channel her grief into pointing out every possible way Julia has failed, and compare her to Olga. No on in her family seems to acknowledge that Julia is broken by this tragedy too. But then Julia found out that Olga hides another life from her family, another personality that she never shows to any of her family member. Julia then determined to find out if there’s more to her sister story while dealing with not being a ‘Perfect Mexican Daughter.’

The Inevitable Collision of Birdie and Bash by Candace Ganger

“There are reasons—many reasons—some particles shouldn’t combine, no matter how curious you are about the outcome. Sometimes things explode; sometimes they dissipate, evaporate, disintegrate. And sometimes they collide and become something so much more than you ever thought they could.”

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sebastian ‘Bash’ Alvarez was only come to a party at a roller skate rink where he works to make sure that his sort-of-best-friend Wild Kyle didn’t do stupid things when he met Birdie Paxton, the ‘Couch Girl’ who shouldn’t be at that party at all. There’s a bit of traction and friction between the two of them, but they got separated before both of them can act on it. Their two worlds collide again when Wild Kyle’s car hit Birdie’s baby bother. Bash was on the passenger seat, Birdie doesn’t know that. Bash also didn’t know that the kid that Kyle hits is Birdie’s brother. The two getting closer when Birdie begin to work at same roller skate rink as Bash. When they begin to really fall for each other, the truth is slowly unfolding and could change their life in a way that both of them won’t be expecting.

Paintbrush by Hannah Bucchin

“We’re a mess, aren’t we?”

“All the best people are messy.”

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Paintbrush tells a story about Mitchell and Josie, two teenagers who live in a communal village along with a lot of other colorful people in the mountain of North Carolina called Indian Paintbrush. Mitchell and Josie used to be best friend, but now they are not as close as they used to be. Josie doesn’t really enjoy going to high school and wish she could spend all her life at Paintbrush, while Mitchell can’t wait to get out of Paintbrush to escape the bizarre noisy community and live a normal life. Luckily for both of them, they’re weeks away from graduating high school. But when Mitchell’s mother makes a scandalous announcement that might rock the peaceful Paintbrush community, and Josie’s younger sister keeps on making bad decisions, the two find themselves leaning on each other for support. Their childhood friendship change into something more as they deal with their families. But as graduation approaches, Josie and Mitchell forced to figure out what exactly their relationship is and which path they will choose in the future.

City of Saints and Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson (ARC)

“People don’t look for revenge to make them happy.

They do it because they must.”

City of Saints and Thieves tells a story about a girl named Tina, who escaped from Congo with her mom years ago as refuges and begin their new safer life in Sangui City. Unfortunately for them, safe doesn’t last long. Her mother was murdered, shot dead in the middle of the night. Seeking for revenge, Tina spends her life on the street and training as a master thief with local gang, the Goondas. Four years went by, and now her job with the Goondas brings her back to a place where her mother was killed and open a path for Tina to avenged her mother’s death. But revenge is not an easy game to play as the faces from the past starting to haunt her and unravel some dark truths that Tina might not ready to face.

Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner

“Funny how people move through this world leaving little pieces of their story with the people they meet, for them to carry. Makes you wonder what’d happen if all those people put their puzzle pieces together.”

I win a signed ARC of Goodbye Days from OwlCrate Giveaway on Instagram. Thank you, OwlCrate! OwlCrate is one of the most awesome YA book subscription box, check them out on their website here.

Goodbye Days is the second YA novel by Jeff Zentner. It tells a story about Carver Briggs who lost three of his best friends when he sent a text to one of them right before they were killed in a car crash. Carver can’t stop blaming himself, and neither can one of his best friend’s twin sister and one of his best friend’s dad. Carver might even go to jail because his best friend’s dad is pressuring the district attorney to open a criminal investigation on Carver’s role in that horrible car accident. Fortunately, Carver found an unexpected allies in one of his best friend’s grandmother who asks him to spend a Goodbye Day with her and share their memories and say a proper goodbye. Soon his other best friends’ families are asking for a Goodbye Day with Carver. But their motives might be different than one of his best friends’ grandmother. This is a story about how we handle our grief when we lose someone or someones we love.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

“My mother and father held hands.

I wonder what that was like, to hold someone’s hand.

I bet you could sometimes find all of the mysteries in the universe

in someone’s hand.”

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe tells a story about Dante, an angry, loner teenage boy who meets Dante, another loner, but also a know-it-all teenage boy. When they first meet each other at a swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as they spend the whole summer together, they discover that they share a special kind of friendship—the kind of friendship that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And through their friendship, Ari and Dante will learn the truth and secrets about themselves, and about the kind of people they want to be.

The Night Circus

“You think, as you walk away from Le Cirque des Rêves and into the creeping dawn, that you felt more awake within the confines of the circus.  You are no longer quite certain which side of the fence is the dream.”

This is gonna sounds so cheesy, but that quote above is exactly how I feel when I finished this book. The Night Circus is a stand alone fantasy book written by Erin Morgenstern. The story revolved between two magicians who set against each other in a magical challenge by their venerable masters with Le Cirque des Rêves as their battle ground. Things get complicated when the two of them start to fall for each other and their thread of fates got tangled with others who live inside the circus.