Charity Tahmaseb

A brilliant work. Moving, relatable, entertaining, thought-provoking. Beautiful. Charity Tahmaseb: I wish your book had existed when I was fifteen.

With that said, I think The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet can (and should) appeal to a wide audience, even to people like this particular reader who, for the most part, stopped being a young adult fiction reader after her young adult years ended, if not before. Granted, I do still write about young people, and there are plenty of high schooler moments show more in Keeping Quiet to remind me that Jolia and her peers are indeed high schoolers, but the essential question raised in the novel is so universal: what happened to your voice, dear human, and how are you going to bring it back?

I appreciated the dry humor in much of Jolia's narration, which is also full of many other nuggets that gave me pause. Honestly, what does humiliation sound like? Jolia shows us how we focus so much on our defects, real or imagined, past or present, until we've turned them into something they're not. I also found the progression of the friendship and romance dynamics in the story engaging, and Tahmaseb unfolds the storyline with a deft hand.

In the face of failure, embarrassment, insecurity, or what have you, there's hope. This novel, for its brilliance, has earned a spot on my list of all-time favorites.
________________
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. show less

Pansy Little is an Apprentice Field Agent working for the Enclave. Since her mother’s disappearance, she has been the sole guardian of the village of King’s End, protecting it from a supernatural force that few can see. Henry Darnelle is an experienced Field Agent and has been sent to evaluate Pansy and has been directed to fail her. However, the supernatural activity at King’s End, and Pansy herself, intrigues him. Soon it becomes clear that both Pansy and Henry are tied to events in show more the past through their parents and that someone wants to control their futures. If the person manipulating things behind the scenes gets his way, blood will be spilled and the world itself could be in danger.

I really enjoyed this book. Both Pansy and Henry and fun and different characters. They are not the stereotypical romantic main characters from urban fantasy or romantasy books I have read in the past, Pansy is quirky and funny. Henry is far more sensitive, and unsure of himself than he first appears. The building relationship between them seems believable. I also enjoyed the world building. The story takes place in modern day America, with a secret otherworld encroaching on our own. The supernatural threat is mysterious and we learn about it, and the nature of the Enclave who is fighting it, slowly. This is a fun read and it appears to be the first in a series. I look forward to reading more about this world. show less

The Pansy Paradox is a fun slow-burn romance/paranormal suspense with a soft edge. To me it felt a touch formulaic, but honestly that is what I am looking for when I read these sort of books. While it isn't a cozy tale per-say, it feels cozy because of how the characters are presented. I really loved Pansy and the care she takes in everything she does. She may sometimes feel like she is messing everything up, but that is what makes her relatable.

Without spoiling too much, I really enjoyed show more the ending. It left me satisfied and answered nearly all of the questions and tied up most of the loose ends. The only thing I was really left wondering was there I could get an umbrella like that for myself. show less

The Geek Girl's Guide To Cheerleading had been on my radar, but I did not have too much desire to read it due to its lackluster cover until I stumbled across it at the new neighborhood library and thought "Why not? I'll give it a whirl since it attacked me from the shelves." And am I sure glad that I gave it a chance!

I have read the fluffy and sparkly teen books such as The Naughty List (absolutely delish by the way!) and expected this to be of similar nature. However, I was seriously show more impressed with the unexpected depth and insights that this book contained. It felt totally realistic - don't get me wrong, I don't think all geek girls should go out for cheerleading - but I could see how it worked for Bethany and liked how she still kept a good head on her shoulder even if she almost lost all circulation in her legs during a Minnesota winter. I would have loved to be BFFs with Bethany!

I did not expect to be so enthralled with The Geek Girl's Guide To Cheerleading, but realized my complete devotion when I panicked a little towards the end. There did not seem to be that many pages left, but the love triangle between Bethany, the basketball player, and her longtime best guy friend still remained unresolved - I feared that somehow the authors would postpone the answer until next time...and I was not sure if "next time" had happened yet. Talk about nailbiting! But, rest assured, everything worked itself out to its satisfactory end.

All the characters - both good and bad, geek and non-geek - had wonderful pagetime. I loved the mix of bad guys, reformed bad guys, nice guys, and in-the-closet-geeky guys among the jocks and cheerleaders. It made the whole experience very well-balanced, and there were many boys in this book that really warmed my heart. Too bad that there were like 20 of them and only 1 Bethany - although the boy she ends up with is absolutely perfect for her. :)

Go read this book - it takes cheerleading to a whole other level - and the romance makes me sigh like I just ate my fill in white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. show less