Book Review: Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

 

    Don't you just love this cover? Art plays a big role in this book and the cover completely fits with the story. 

    Felix Love is a transgender teen who wants to know what it is like to be in love. At the same time, he is struggling with identifying himself and questioning the "labels" that define him. He also wonders if he is worthy of love. When an anonymous person exposes his past and sends him trans-phobic messages, Felix sets up a plan to "catfish" the suspected culprit. But the results to the catfishing plan are not what he expects. Throw in anxiety about what the future holds and this story hits lots of things that many teenagers experience.

The heart of this story is about identity and self-discovery but it also includes the themes of relationships and privilege. Through a diverse cast of supporting characters, Felix's relationship with his friends and family also play a big role in how he evolves throughout the story. The author did a fantastic job of capturing the yearning for acceptance and the longing for love. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a glimpse into what it is like to be a trans-gender teen. Beyond that, I think anyone who enjoys stories about teen relationships - love, family and friends - would also enjoy this story.

Felix Ever After is available in the South library and with your Nashua Public Library card in audiobook and ebook format. It is also currently on the long list for the Flume Award - the NH teen reader's choice award.

Book review: I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall

How long could you survive in the wilderness all alone? What if you had physical challenges that make it difficult to walk let alone navigate the challenging terrain of the Canadian wilderness? Is revenge more important than survival?

Within weeks of her arrival at her estranged father's remote cabin, Jess witnesses his death at the hands of dangerous men and suddenly finds herself with little more than the clothes on her back and a few things scavenged from the smoldering ruins of their cabin. Faced with little to eat and no shelter, Jess needs to figure out what she needs to do to survive as winter is fast approaching and there is no one in her life that will question where she is. Her plan also needs to include what to do when the men that killed her father come back for what they left behind.

I highly recommend this suspenseful thriller. The story dives right in and grabs hold of you. The undercurrent of tension that twists throughout this novel kept me engaged and wanting to read just one more chapter. Jess lacks physical strength but her ability to constantly assess her situation and develop a plan is really where her true strength lies. However, will it be enough to survive the brutal winter and the men that killed her father? 

This book is available from the Nashua South Library and the audiobook is currently available from the Nashua Public Library via the Hoopla app.

Book Review: Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

This was just the fun, escapist story I needed during this pandemic and after reading some pretty heavy books lately! Sawyer Taft is living and working as an auto mechanic in a small Southern town with her restless single mother when her estranged socialite grandmother shows up and offers Sawyer money to participate in the upcoming debutante season. Sensing an opportunity to find out who her father is, Sawyer accepts and moves in with her grandmother. The story opens the evening of the grand final ball of the season with 4 of these debutantes, including Sawyer, all decked out in their formal gowns in a jail cell. The book alternates between their evening in jail and flashbacks to how they ended up there (with photos from a mysterious photo blog thrown in). It's a juicy story full of feisty characters, sarcasm and dark humor, more than one mystery, kidnapping, blackmail, scandal and revenge. Perfect for fans of shows like Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars or Riverdale. This book makes for a great beach - or pandemic - read!

You can find this book in our library and the audiobook (narrated in an entertaining unhurried Southern drawl) is currently on Hoopla.

To preview either format, look it up on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Little-White-Debutantes-Jennifer-Barnes/dp/1368014135/