Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston

To say that EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR is a book about rape severely undermines what this book is about. Hermione is a cheerleader in Ontario, Canada. The book starts out with her at a cheerleading camp, completely in her element, as she navigates her friendships and her stormy relationship with her boyfriend, Leo. Then at a party, everything goes wrong-- someone drugs and rapes her.

I loved the way the author handled this subject and was honestly surprised that this was published in the 2000s because it feels so progressive. The way that Hermione processes her rape and starts to heal from it, her support network, her therapy, and the chilling realization that her rapist might be someone she knows-- might even be the boyfriend who is now avoiding her-- were all handled with extreme care. I also liked how Johnston portrayed the fishbowl dynamic of high school, and how Hermione's rape put her in the spotlight of the student body in the absolute worst way. The author was never too specific about details and didn't linger over things, but she still managed to convey how people victim-blame and slut-shame and gossip and speculate, to the point where it begins to feel very dehumanizing in a way that adds to the already-extant trauma, and I think that's an important message.

My favorite thing about this book was probably Hermione's relationships with her friends, especially her best friend, Polly. At the end of the book, it's revealed that she is a lesbian, and again, considering that this was published in the 2000s, it felt super progressive. There weren't any icky jokes, Hermione just full-heartedly embraces her friend's coming out without asking any invasive questions; it was so respectful and loving, and ended up serving as a wonderful callback to the many times that Polly supported Hermione through her traumas. The support that these girls had for each other was so real, and it's rare to see such healthy and non-toxic friendships portrayed so convincingly and compellingly in YA (sadly).

It's weird to call a book that focuses on SA joyful, but EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR is; it's a story of a girl who seizes her life back when someone tries to take it, and who, in the end, gets vindication through love, empowerment, and vengeance. I fucking loved that for her. This is the sort of book that needs to be in libraries, because I could totally seeing this being THE BOOK for a teen feeling wounded and alone.

4 to 4.5 out of 5 stars

Gorgeous Gruesome Faces by Linda Cheng

GORGEOUS GRUESOME FACES is like a cross between Suspiria, Jennifer's Body and The Grudge. Sapphic K-pop horror with a paranormal twist, this story took a little while to get rolling, but once it started, it was all a downhill speedrun of twisted romance, morally grey baddies, and lots and lots of body horror.

Sunny used to be part of a successful K-pop trio but then she was struck by what seems like massive bad luck: she stole another girl's boyfriend, watched one of her bandmates, Mina, commit suicide in front of her eyes, and had a falling out with the remaining girl, Candie, who she has an extreme love-hate relationship with and can't stop obsessing over all these years later. When she sees that Candie is trying to revitalize her career by training as an idol at a sort of idol bootcamp, Sunny signs up too, desperate for closure-- and a return.

I just loved this book so much. The female rage, the viciousness of teen girls, the sapphic dark romance (soooo well done), the horror elements-- this felt like it had the pacing of an excellent movie. And as a certified horror wuss, I felt like it struck the perfect balance between making me super uncomfortable but unable to look away. That ending montage was just *chef's kiss*.

In addition to all of the good stuff, there's also a lot of really great commentary in here about how the entertainment industry chews up young women and then spits them out, and how fucking brutal it is to be a teen girl working in an industry filled with adults who want to adultify you and make you grow up too fast while also turning a blind eye to you when you desperately need an adult's help.

Absolutely obsessed and cannot wait for the sequel.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Companion to the Count by Melissa Kendall

I got this during Dragonblade publishing's big sale. COMPANION TO THE COUNT was so satisfying: it's got the rake-with-the-heart-of-gold trope and some of the most relatable anxiety rep I've encountered in a while. Saffron and her younger sister, Angelica, are in dire straits since their brother's disappearance and possible death: their estate and money have gone to a distant relative who doesn't have much interest in their keep, so all of their hopes are being poured onto Angelica, the beauty, who has to make a marriage that will be their salvation.

One day, at a party, Saffron has a run-in with Leo, catching him in what appears to be in flagrante delicto. At first, she thinks he's a disreputable cad, but he's got his share of tragedies too: a sister who painted under a male pseudonym. Someone appears to be trying to steal all of his sister's work and he's doing his best to flush out the potential thief, by hosting an auction with the "last" of her work.

I enjoyed this so much. Kendall's work reminds me of Amanda Grange's: a strong but realistically flawed heroine, a dashing and slightly brooding hero, and action blended with angst and romance. There's a much gentler, tamer similarity to Elizabeth Hoyt's Maiden Lane series, too. I wouldn't call this a mystery, exactly, but it's got mystery as part of the story, and I'm excited to read the sequel.

3.5 to 4 out of 5 stars

The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes

THE LESBIANA'S GUIDE TO CATHOLIC SCHOOL was so cute and made me feel literally all the emotions. After Yami is outed at her old school by her ex-best friend (and crush) and starts getting bullied, she and her brother decide to start anew at Catholic school. The only problem is, unlike her old school, it's mostly white, and she feels like she doesn't get to be her whole authentic self living in the closet.

One thing I loved about this book was all the nuance. Exploring one's cultural identity when one feels isolated from it. The conflict when faith turns to sanctimony. Loving your parents but being afraid that they won't love you for who you are. The adultification of children of color, and the very real fear of what happens when you get kicked out of your home. Mean girls. Redemption stories. The discussion of how "coming out" is a privilege and isn't always safe. Depression and suicide. Rejection and acceptance. And love, in so many forms.

Sonora Reyes totally outdid themselves with this book, okay? I felt like I was reading a real Latina girl's diary. I laughed, I cried, and felt real anger on behalf of this girl, who I got to know over the course of the 300-or-so pages of this book. I loved Cesar, and her mother. I loved Bo, and the gay joy of her existence. I loved Bo's parents. I loved how Latinx culture was inserted into the book and colored the heroine's world. I loved this book.

I see complaints about how YA these days seems too afraid to tackle the tough stuff. If you've been complaining about that, too, you need to read this book. In a sea of YA where the young characters feel like a mouthpiece for their adult authors, Yami feels like an authentic teenage voice.

4.5 to 5 out of 5 stars

Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

Jeneva Rose is one of my autobuy authors when it comes to mysteries. Her books are like potato chips; they're super easy to consume, and by the time you get to the bottom of the bag, you still kind of want more. HOME IS WHERE THE BODIES ARE might actually be my new favorite of hers, even more so than YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE COME HERE. She absolutely nails the bickering sibling vibe, and the pacing had me paging until the end, with a twist that was *chef's kiss.*

This book is about three adult children: Beth, Nicole, and Michael. Beth is a single mother, Nicole is a heroin addict, and Michael is the success story of the family. When their mother dies of a terminal illness, they're forced to put their differences aside as they come together to mourn their mother's death. While dividing up her assets and cleaning up the house, they come across a box of old family video tapes and decide to watch one from the summer of 1999. But what should be a bittersweet exercise in fond reminiscence ends up becoming dark, fast, when they see evidence of what appears to be the cover-up of a murder on one of the tapes.

I saw some reviews complaining about the pacing and I do think that the focus of the story is on the interpersonal relationships as much as it the whodunnitry. We get to know Beth, Nichole, and Michael as people, and how they view each other and their very troubled relationship with their parents, and it's meant to set the stage for the suspicion and paranoia that will come next, and how being products of their various upbringings will affect how they respond to fear and pressure. Every time I read one of the different POVs, I found my loyalties shifting, which just shows the power of a compelling narrator; sometimes they can trick you into thinking that they're reliable when they're not.

4 to 4.5 out of 5 stars

His Darkest Craving by Tiffany Roberts

Tiffany Roberts needs to make me stop falling in love with weird monsters. They're seriously putting human men to shame.

Also, I am shocked at the number of reviews criticizing this book-- which is about a horned forest lord by the way-- for not being The Domestic Abuse Survivor's Handbook of Good Decision Making. Was it stupid that Sophie fled into the woods from her abuser, in a place that has poor cell phone reception, without giving an exact address? Probably. Do we all panic and make poor decisions sometimes, especially if we're characters in a book with a plot that's gotta move?

I mean...

HIS DARKEST CRAVING is a cottagecore monster romance with a darker edge that keeps it from being too light. It has a similar vibe to I'M IN LOVE WITH MOTHMAN by Paige Lavoie and GIVEN TO THE GHOUL by Desiree M. Niccoli. I do think I liked their spider centaur romance more because it had a better balance of character development and world-building to plot, but this was still a fun read.

3 out of 5 stars

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore

I preordered this all the way back when it was still called THE BLUEBELL BOOKSTORE. I can see why the title changed; I'm sure after the success of the first book, the publisher thought the food/seasonal theme would make the series feel more cohesive. But unlike the previous book, this one is set during summer. Given some of the reviews and the ratings, it seems like some people bought this expecting more autumnal goodness and were angry that it was a beach read (which seems silly, but people, you know?).

Personally, I thought THE CINNAMON BUN BOOKSTORE was a better book than THE PUMPKIN SPICE CAFE. Both Hazel and Noah have more depth as characters and the sex scenes had actual chemistry. Even the mystery element was fun, although like TPSC, this is a mystery only in the most rudimentary sense of the word. Someone is hiding secret messages inside books that are prompting the introverted Hazel to step outside of her shell and go on "risky" adventures. It's a mystery the way P.S. I Love You is a mystery, in that it's basically not.

Mostly, this is a book about people who aren't sure if they're worthy of love discovering that they are, after breaking free from the societal cage of expectations that they've been placed in. Hazel learns that she's not boring, and that growing up means stepping out of the neat circle of your everyday life sometimes. And Noah learns that success takes many different forms and may not look like the sort of success your parents envisioned for you, and that growing up for him means stability.

Also, we love a reverse age-gap where she's the older one. Although they sure made turning thirty sound like it turns you into the Crypt Keeper.

2.5 out of 5 stars