Monthly round up is a journal where I record my reading progress each month.
What did you read this month? Leave a comment!
~Saruuh
31 August 2017
12 August 2017
Review: Girl Against The Universe
Published by: HarperTeen, May 17th 2016
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Mental Illness
Pages: 400
Format: Ebook
Source: Publisher, via Edelweiss
From the author of The Art of Lainey and Liars, Inc. comes a fresh, contemporary story about a girl coping with PTSD and the boy who wants to help her move on from the past.
Sixteen-year-old Maguire knows the universe is against her. No matter how many charms she buys off the internet or good luck rituals she performs each morning, horrible things happen when she's around. Like that time the roller coaster jumped off its tracks. Or the time the house next door caught on fire. Or the time her brother, father, and uncle were all killed in a car crash--and Maguire walked away with barely a scratch.
Despite what her therapist tells her, Maguire thinks it's best to hide out in her room, far away from anyone she might accidentally hurt. But then she meets Jordy, an aspiring tennis star who wants to help her break her unlucky streak. Maguire knows that the best thing she can do for him is to stay away, but it turns out staying away might be harder than she thought.
From the author of The Art of Lainey and Liars, Inc. comes a fresh, contemporary story about a girl coping with PTSD and the boy who wants to help her move on from the past.
Sixteen-year-old Maguire knows the universe is against her. No matter how many charms she buys off the internet or good luck rituals she performs each morning, horrible things happen when she's around. Like that time the roller coaster jumped off its tracks. Or the time the house next door caught on fire. Or the time her brother, father, and uncle were all killed in a car crash--and Maguire walked away with barely a scratch.
Despite what her therapist tells her, Maguire thinks it's best to hide out in her room, far away from anyone she might accidentally hurt. But then she meets Jordy, an aspiring tennis star who wants to help her break her unlucky streak. Maguire knows that the best thing she can do for him is to stay away, but it turns out staying away might be harder than she thought.
I knew I was going to love this but I didn't guess HOW MUCH I'd love it. This book was pretty much made for me - tennis, romance, and anxiety? Yes to all this in one book. I waited way too long read it though and I wish I'd read it last year because I love it so much. Honestly this whole book is perfect, from the tennis to the characters and family life (I loved her step-dad) and the friendships in this. My favourite bits were of Jordy, the love interest who is so real and messed up and lovely that I fell for him so hard. And I really loved the main character and her recovery, how messy and raw it was for her to face her fears and move past them. This is just written so well, especially the therapy. I'm so glad I read it. I wish it was longer though - I wasn't ready to say goodbye to this book.
Characters ★★★★★
Setting/world ★★★★☆
Writing ★★★★☆
9 August 2017
Review: Shade The Changing Girl, Volume One
Published by: Young Animal, July 4th 2017
Genre: YA, Comics, Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Pages: 144
Format: Ebook
Source: Publisher, via Netgalley
Part of Gerard Way's new imprint, DC's Young Animal!
Far away on the planet Meta, Loma's going nowhere fast. She's dropped out of school, dumped her boyfriend and is bored out of her mind. She longs to feel things. That's where her idol, the lunatic poet Rac Shade, and his infamous madness coat come in. Loma steals the garment and makes a break across galaxies to take up residence in a new body: Earth girl Megan Boyer.
Surely everything will be better on this passionate, primitive planet with a dash of madness on her side and this human girl's easy life. Only now that she's here, Loma discovers being a teenaged Earth girl comes with its own challenges and Earth may not be everything she thought it'd be. Megan Boyer was a bully who everyone was glad was almost dead, and now Loma has to survive high school and navigate the consequences of the life she didn't live with the ever-growing and uncontrollable madness at her side. Not to mention that there are people back on her homeworld who might just want Shade's coat back.
Written by Cecil Castellucci (The Plain Janes), drawn by Marley Zarcone (Effigy) and overseen by Gerard Way, Shade, the Changing Girl starts a whole new chapter in the story of one of comics' most unique series.
Collecting: Shade, the Changing Girl 1-6
Part of Gerard Way's new imprint, DC's Young Animal!
Far away on the planet Meta, Loma's going nowhere fast. She's dropped out of school, dumped her boyfriend and is bored out of her mind. She longs to feel things. That's where her idol, the lunatic poet Rac Shade, and his infamous madness coat come in. Loma steals the garment and makes a break across galaxies to take up residence in a new body: Earth girl Megan Boyer.
Surely everything will be better on this passionate, primitive planet with a dash of madness on her side and this human girl's easy life. Only now that she's here, Loma discovers being a teenaged Earth girl comes with its own challenges and Earth may not be everything she thought it'd be. Megan Boyer was a bully who everyone was glad was almost dead, and now Loma has to survive high school and navigate the consequences of the life she didn't live with the ever-growing and uncontrollable madness at her side. Not to mention that there are people back on her homeworld who might just want Shade's coat back.
Written by Cecil Castellucci (The Plain Janes), drawn by Marley Zarcone (Effigy) and overseen by Gerard Way, Shade, the Changing Girl starts a whole new chapter in the story of one of comics' most unique series.
Collecting: Shade, the Changing Girl 1-6
I liked this but it was weird as hell and I'm not a hundred percent sure what I just read. The story kinda lost me in parts but I like the main character and the friends she makes and it was interesting to see a possession from the intruders POV. But what even is this coat about? How was it in two places at once? How was she? None of this was explained.
I did like it but ... I'm not sure if ill read the next volume.
Characters ★★★☆☆
Setting/world ★★★☆☆
Writing ★★★☆☆
5 August 2017
Review: You Were Here
Published by: Sourcebooks Fire, March 1st 2016
Genre: YA, Contemporary (but with a horror tone in parts), Comics
Pages: 400
Format: Ebook
Source: Sourcebooks Fire,, via Edelweiss
Grief turned Jaycee into a daredevil, but can she dare to deal with her past?
On the anniversary of her daredevil brother's death, Jaycee attempts to break into Jake's favorite hideout—the petrifying ruins of an insane asylum. Joined by four classmates, each with their own brand of dysfunction, Jaycee discovers a map detailing her brother's exploration and the unfinished dares he left behind.
As a tribute to Jake, Jaycee vows to complete the dares, no matter how terrifying or dangerous. What she doesn't bargain on is her eccentric band of friends who challenge her to do the unthinkable: reveal the parts of herself that she buried with her brother.
Grief turned Jaycee into a daredevil, but can she dare to deal with her past?
On the anniversary of her daredevil brother's death, Jaycee attempts to break into Jake's favorite hideout—the petrifying ruins of an insane asylum. Joined by four classmates, each with their own brand of dysfunction, Jaycee discovers a map detailing her brother's exploration and the unfinished dares he left behind.
As a tribute to Jake, Jaycee vows to complete the dares, no matter how terrifying or dangerous. What she doesn't bargain on is her eccentric band of friends who challenge her to do the unthinkable: reveal the parts of herself that she buried with her brother.
Stunning and strange and nothing like I expected. I treasured every page of this, and to be honest I wasn't sure I'd even like it in the beginning. I LOVED it, from tortured, grieving Jaycee, to serious Bishop, sad Zach, and seriously messed up Natalie. And my absolute favourite, precious Mik with his dramatic trench coat and his full-of-words silences.
The format of this book really made it stand out - there's prose, art, and comic pages (which were my favourite.) It did such a good job of telling the story that when I finished it, I immediately wanted to reread it. I fell in love with their idiotic daredevil stunts, their shared grief, and their messy friendships, and I loved every creepy setting from the crumbling mall to the abandoned theme park. This book is perfect. I miss it already.
Characters ★★★★★
Setting/world ★★★★★
Writing ★★★★★
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