Jennifer Dugan

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley.)

When Tessa's longtime crush Maddie passes her a note referencing 'all that they have in common,' Tessa is stoked: could Maddie possibly a werewolf too? Maybe the "curse" she's been wishing away her whole life finally has an upside. Or, no, that's clearly too much to hope for; if Maddie isn't a werewolf, what kind of supe could she be? (Witch? Banshee? Vampire? The possibilities are endless.)

But the big reveal goes show more horribly wrong, and Tessa is left feeling even more alone and alienated (from her pack, classmates, and the world in general) than before. When her pack alpha and surrogate dad, Mack, gets some intel about a group of hunters who are working with a rogue witch to cure werewolves, Tessa strikes out on her own in search of them. Not to neutralize the threat, but to offer herself up as a guinea pig: she's sick of being a werewolf, and a middling one, at that. (Her younger sister, Kylie, shifted a full two years before Tessa, and Tessa has yet to shift fully.) But a lone wolf is a dangerous one, and Tessa's teenage angst quickly puts everyone she loves in danger. Can she finally surrender to the wolf inside of her, before it's too late?

FULL SHIFT is such a great book that I'm willing to add it to my favorites bookshelf, even if I could barely make out the artwork. When it comes to e-ARCs of graphic novels, I usually get a digital copy that has some degree of pixelation; worst case, it's bad enough that I can't read the text without getting some serious eyestrain. This was a little different in that the text was crystal clear, while the artwork was nearly indecipherable. Luckily I was able to follow the story, even if I didn't get to marvel at Kristen Seaton's gorgeous illustrations. I mean, I'm inferring from the cover, but my hopes are high, especially for the wolves.

The story itself is entertaining and filled with pathos and heart. Tessa's feelings of loneliness - even in a lodge packed to overflowing with her extended wolf family - is the stuff of epic ballads. I love her scenes with Maddie (and Maddie's scenes with Mac), and the convo that kicks off the story is pretty hilarious. Ditto: the "what are your intentions with my daughter" interrogation; I'm not usually a fan, but the queer/werewolf spin makes it work. There are so many great little details, from the FAQ about werewolves to Tessa and Kylie's relationship and Tessa's meeting with her dad in the afterlife. Speaking of dads, I was all geared up to hate the replacement dad, but Mac is a pretty stand up guy. And his backstory with Anderson is fantastic too. I even loved the TWILIGHT references.

Honestly, I just can't say enough good things about FULL SHIFT. Gay werewolves? Sign me up! show less

I liked how well Dugan captured messy teen emotions. The pressure to have an amazing, story-worthy summer. Every setback feeling world ending. The accidentally centering yourself and your feelings to the detriment of all else. Not to mention the way every single character feels like they are the biggest loser on the planet, and surely everyone knows it. Lou gets herself caught up in her convoluted schemes, to the point she almost ruins all her friendships. It's the exact kind of plot a teen show more would hatch. show less

3.5

Birdie is a trust fund kid whose mom vlogged her entire childhood. She’s a prop child unsure if she wants to know who she is if she isn’t a streamer. Cass is a lifeguard who sees her island turned into a beach resort too expensive for normal people to live in and is generally pissed at rich people.
They are forced to spend the summer together and of course they fall in love. I came for a lighthearted silly romcom, but I stayed for the way the rich kid x averge kid was written.

Birdie is show more repulsed by the idea of working a minimum wage job, but then starts to see that this is mainly because of shame over how her rich peers will react. When her mom shows the same disdain for that job later, she recognises how wrong it sounds.
Cass is filled with the same repulsion towards rich people, and I loved how the book turned the tables on her to show that brushing off Birdie as shallow and unhelpful was a form of gatekeeping too. Telling her off when she tries awkwardly to be more informed doesn’t help anyone, nor does reminding her of the money all the time.

“You talk about me supposedly looking down on ‘townies,’ but it’s you looking down your nose at me, like both our lives weren’t just the luck of the draw.”

Most of all, I liked how Birdie accidentally uses demeaning words, even when she doesn’t mean any harm. It’s those accidental things that confirm Cass’s idea that Birdie is a shallow rich girl, even though Birdie was genuine. I think this form of miscommunication worked very well, because they do not refuse to talk, they simply use the wrong words to communicate. Birdie is not unwilling or resistant to seeing things differently, she merely expresses it clumsily. It was a very realistic spin on the ‘rich x poor’ type couple, because the way they were raised is not so easily overcome. Their differences are seeped into their small habits.

After going back and forth the entire book, with messy fights and arguments, I thought the finale fixed things a little too neatly. They’re gonna keep arguing and accidentally saying the wrong things, right? But I’m not complaining overall. show less

I'VE GOT SOME BIG FEELINGS.

this is 100% a horror book. and i had some hopes all the way through, right up until the bitter end, that things would maybe come out alright for the girls, BUT ALAS.

there is no way i can talk abt all my feelings without spoilers, so, the short version is: IT'S WORTH IT if you like queer psycological slow burn horror and are also ready to be SAD.

(and raging. I’m also, absolutely raging).

the spoiler version is: I'M SO SAD FOR CHERRY. THIS GIRL LITERALLY MET A show more CUTE GIRL AT CAMP, SAVED HER GODDAMN LIFE, CONTINUTED TO TRY AND HELP HER RECOVER, SHOULDERED THE BURDEN OF ALL THE KNOWLEDGE, AND HAD TO KEEP EXPLAINING THINGS TO SLOAN, TRIED HER DAMNDEST TO CONVINCE HER THAT SHE AND HER MOTHER WERE NOT, IN FACT, CULT MURDERERS AND THAT SHE LOVED HER GIRLFRIEND, AND THEN HER GIRLFRIEND HORRIFICALLY MURDERED HER IN THE ONE PLACE THAT SHE MANAGED TO SURVIVIE AND ALSO SAVE SAID GIRLFRIEND'S LIFE, BC SHE BOUGHT INTO A BULLSHIT CULT CONSPIRACY. I!!!! AM !!!! UPSET!!! FOR !!! CHERRY !!! THE GIRL TRIED SO HARD AND WAS SO GOOD WHEN THERE WERE MULTIPLE TIMES WHERE SHE SHOULD HAVE JUST BROKEN UP WITH SLOAN AND LEFT HER TO HER OWN PARANOIA.

i just feel so baaaaadddd for literally everyone. sloan's mom. sloan's brother. beth. CHERRY'S MOM. CHERRY, HERSELF. god, sloan, YOU ABSOLUTE BAFFOON, I AM FURIOUS WITH YOU.

this was a solid audiobook and a steller performance. justice for cherry, the end. show less