Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer [Spoiler-Free Review]

Letters to the Lost 

by Brigid Kemmerer 

Genre: YA contemporary romance

My Rating: ★★★★★

Description: 

Ever since her mother, a famous photographer, died, Juliet Young has left letters on her grave. They're personal, private. 

That is, until Declan Murphy, working in the cemetery for court-ordered community service, finds one of Juliet's letters. And writes back. 

What happens next will change both their lives. 

Overall Thoughts

This book is beautiful and heartwrenching and hopeful all at the same time. I loved every minute of it. I loved the characterization and the writing style and the plot. I've always had mixed feelings about the young adult contemporary genre -- I either love the books, or there's something that takes away from my overall enjoyment of an otherwise good book. That was not the case with Letters to the Lost. 
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read.

The Characters

I love the cast of this book so much. You have Juliet, who's mourning the loss of her mother and dealing with that grief as she struggles with school and relationships. She makes a lot of mistakes, like judging people on face value, but I loved how much growth she experienced over the course of the book.
Then there's Declan, who is working in the cemetery for his court ordered community service. His struggles with guilt and depression felt genuine and honest, and I loved his personal growth as well.
The secondary characters were excellent. I want to thank Brigid Kemmerer for creating some excellent parental figures in a YA book -- Juliet's dad, Rev's parents, and Frank all felt very genuine and real and human, which is more than I can say for a lot of YA parental figures.
I can't really get into a discussion about every single character in this book, but just know that they're all amazing.
(And sidenote, I loved the portrayal of a Christian character in a piece of secular media in a way that doesn't make me angry. In fact, I would say that Rev is one of my favorite portrayals of a Christian character in media.)

Writing/Plot

Something I found very interesting about this book was the fact that although it's a first person, dual perspective book, the chapter headings don't tell you who's narrating the chapter. A few times early in the story, I had to do a doubletake when I realized that it wasn't Juliet's POV that I was reading (or vice versa.) But once I was into the story, it wasn't confusing at all.
I liked how every chapter starts with one of Juliet's or Declan's letters to each other, and I loved seeing the way their relationship develops through those messages.
The plot was well-paced and compelling. This book is definitely character driven, but the plot events hold up well and helped to structure the book.

Content

Recommended for ages 15 and up.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: References to physical abuse. References to a suicide attempt.
There is some swearing. Not too much as I can recall, though.
A few sexual references. At one point in the story, a character finds a photo of two people in bed (with the implication of sex.) An instance of nudity.
There isn't any horribly violent content that I can recall.
A character smokes. 

YA Romance Tropes That Need to Stop [Part 2]

This post is a continuation from a previous installment. Check out the first part: YA Romance Tropes That Need to Stop [Part 1]

You guys knew I'd come back to this eventually, right? I mean, what can I say? I love complaining. :P
I hope you all love complaining, too, or you might want to exit this tab right now, because we are about to get into a lot of complaining. Specifically, I'm going to be complaining about romance. And even more specifically, romance in fiction. And what better time to do it than Valentine's Day?

Hey, I have nothing against romance in real life. Or Valentine's Day. But so often, in fiction, it's done wrong. Badly wrong. It's cheesy at best, and toxic at worst. And it's everywhere.
Since my last post, I've come up with a few more annoying tropes (or not tropes, but just Annoying Things™) in fictional romances that need to stop. 

Sound like fun? Good.
Let's get into it.

1. Everyone's a Couple Syndrome

My brother actually pointed this out to me at first, and now I can't stop noticing it in everything I read. Thanks for that. But literally so many YA books do this.
You know what I mean: there's a group of kids. And those kids all end up pairing up by the end of the series just because. Books that I can think of off the top of my head that do this: The Lunar Chronicles, Six of Crows, Renegades. 
It's annoying. And it's also unrealistic. In a large friend group, it's likely that a few people will find a significant other among them. But all of them? And all of them have their love requited? Very unrealistic. Instead, maybe leave some characters single? Because, you know, being single is actually okay. I'm single. I'm fine with it. Have at least some of the characters be fine with it, too.

2. No Chemistry, No Nothing, No Anything at All

They're in love. They're happy. They're meant to be. They literally have nothing at all between them, and the reason for their mutual affection is lost upon everyone reading their story.
I hate it when characters get together for seemingly no reason other than the fact that "they have to". There's no reason that every single novel ever written needs a romantic subplot, and if it works better with the characters to not have a romantic subplot, please just let them be friends!

3. Forbidden *dramatic gasp* Romance

Forbidden romance can be really annoying at best, and creepy at worst. Sometimes, it's just the classic trope of "my father doesn't approve of him!" Which, granted, can be creepy, too, but the most weird take on this trope involves the (usually male) love interest telling the girl who's involved with him that "he's dangerous" and that she should stay away from him. But she's obsessed, so she gets involved with him anyway. Which is not okay and very creepy.
I don't know about you, but if some weirdo told me he was dangerous to be around, the first thing I'd do would be to call the police. Or at least get out of that situation as fast as I possibly could.
I'm not saying forbidden romance can't work as a plot device, but please think twice before wildly throwing into books.

4. No Friends Allowed Past This Point

This kind of ties in with Everyone's a Couple Syndrome. I hate it when everyone has to pair up, and can't just stay friends. The amount of times I've ground my teeth with frustration as yet another awesome friendship goes down in the flames of a badly conceived romance is way too often.
Friendships are allowed. Friendships can be awesome. Friendships make me happy. (And sidenote: just because two major characters of opposite genders happen to run into each other someplace does not mean that they have to become romantically involved down the road. There's no need for that.)

5. Her Boyfriend is Her Brother? What the Heck?

I don't think this needs much explanation. But here's one anyway. I think it's so weird and disturbing when two people in a story fall in love and then find out they're siblings. What point does it add to the story? Is there any reason for it apart from drama?
Please, this needs to stop. For real, guys.

6. Will You be My Valentine Disease

AKA gushy, long, cheesy speeches about the characters' undying and eternal love for each other. Everything feels fake, because everything is fake. The characters are constantly making eyes at the other person, thinking about them, telling them they love them, kissing, and otherwise being a "happy couple" -- but they're both flat as pancakes, and so is their supposed relationship. No one wants to read about gushy, cheesy, cringey romance -- at least, no one I know does.

7. Let's Not Talk About Our Problems

This is super common in fiction, especially YA. This is the trope where the two people involved in a relationship, and yet manage never to have a mature conversation throughout the whole book. This is the couple that's always having falling-outs and getting angry with each other because they can't communicate.
I also hate any scene in a book where one person is trying to communicate (usually frustration) with their love interest, and instead of actually listening and understanding, the love interest just kisses the other person until they stop talking. Which is awful, and not a healthy behavior in a relationship whatsoever.
I think we've all read at least one book that includes this trope. And I think we can all agree that it's just plain annoying.

8. Baby-Faced Romance

This might be just a personal preference thing, but I'm always weirded out by romance subplots in middle grade fiction. The age group for MG is 8-12, which means the characters are usually anywhere from eight to fourteen years old. (Sidenote: I'm not calling anyone in this age range babies. I just needed a catchy title for the section. :P) And having romance subplots between characters this young... I don't know, it just doesn't sit right with me. That's one of the reasons Keeper of the Lost Cities didn't work for me. The fact that Sophie is involved in a love square at age twelve... like, what? At twelve, I was fencing with sticks in the yard and playing in haylofts, not getting involved in complicated romantic drama. What happened to good old friendships in middle grade fiction?


In conclusion, I guess it's pretty obvious that I have a lot of problems with romance in YA. But that doesn't mean that authors should stop writing romance! I'm not against having romance in stories. But please, let it be developed, let it be interesting, let it be relevant to the actual plot, and let the characters be genuine and developed before getting involved with each other. Please and thank you.

So, now it's time for your opinion! Do you have any pet peeves with YA romances? Do you agree with any of my complaints? Are there any books you've read with really awesome, non-stereotypical romances? Let me know in the comments! I'd love to chat with you! 

Fictional Couples I Actually Ship

In honor of Valentine's Day (and partially because I wanted to do this anyway and Valentine's was a perfect excuse) let's talk about fictional couples.

You guys already know that I generally have problems with fictional romances. So many of them are
a) contrived b) pointless and c) annoying, and I have little to no patience for it.

That being said, I do have a few fictional couples that I actually ship, and fictional romances I'm actually on board with. And that's what I'm going to talk about today! So prepare for fangirliness.

1. Vin and Elend Venture from The Mistborn Trilogy

These two are probably my favorite fictional couple I've ever read about. Hands down, no questions asked. I loved the way their relationship progressed throughout the trilogy, and I love their interactions, and how they support each other and genuinely care about each other and respect each other and just everything about their relationship is so perfect. Wow, that was like three sentences all stuck together. I'm going to leave it, though, because my thoughts about Elend and Vin are very much just a collection of run-ons and sentence fragments.





2. Shallan Davar and Adolin Kholin from The Stormlight Archive

I know that some Stormlight fans ship Shallan and Kaladin, but I'm sorry -- I 100% support Shallan and Adolin's relationship. I think I got sold with that one scene in Oathbringer when Adolin is teaching Shallan how to use her Shardblade... I just loved that scene so much.
Also, this is an example of an arranged engagement/marriage/whatever-you-want-to-call-it done well.
To be completely honest, I ship 90% of all the couples Brandon Sanderson creates, because honestly, he knows how to write romance so well.




3. Winter Blackburn and Jacin Clay from The Lunar Chronicles

I think Jacin and Winter are the most awesome couple from the Lunar Chronicles series. I know it's not the most popular opinion, but the way I see it, Jacin and Winter are perfect together. They've got great chemistry, plus I think their relationship is the most realistic of the four main "ships" in the TLC universe. Why? Because they've known each other since they were kids. They were friends before they fell in love. And that's something I really like.







4. Scarlet Benoit and Ze'ev Kelsey from The Lunar Chronicles

I'm kind of cheating by including two couples from the same series, but this is my blog and I can do what I want. (Just kidding, but not really. :P)
I know how I was just saying that Jacin and Winter were my favorite couple in the Lunar Chronicles. I would say that Scarlet and Wolf are a close second. I love the way their relationship develops through the series, and I also love their interactions.
Also, my brother (who hates fictional romances as a general rule) thinks they're a great couple, so I think that that's a pretty good indicator that they're awesome.




5. Puck Connolley and Sean Kendrick from The Scorpio Races

I love these two so much. Their relationship is a really slow build from friends to slightly-more-than friends, and I loved watching it develop and grow! Both Puck and Sean have deep and complex personalities, and their interactions -- as well as the way they fueled each other's growth -- made me very happy. Makes me very happy.
Man, I need to read this book again soon.






That about wraps it up! Obviously there are a few more fictional couples that I ship (only a few), but those are my top five favorites. 
Do you have a favorite fictional romance that you've read about? Have you read any of the books I talked about here, and if so, do you agree with me? Let me know in the comments! And happy Valentine's Day!

(Stay tuned for part two of my Romance Tropes That Need to Stop post, which I'm planning on putting up on the 14th. It's going to be great. :P)

Stargirl [Stargirl, #1] by Jerry Spinelli

Stargirl [Stargirl, #1]
by Jerry Spinelli

Genre: Middle grade contemporary

My Rating: ★★★★

Description:

Leo Borlock's life is pretty ordinary. He goes to an ordinary school in an ordinary town filled with ordinary people who blend with the crowd and try not to stand out too much. And then one day, a new girl shows up at Mica high school -- a girl who doesn't blend in, who doesn't even try. Her name says it all: Stargirl Caraway.
Stargirl becomes a bright spot in Leo's ordinary life. But in a school like his, unique and popular are two different things entirely. Soon, he's forced to ask himself -- what does his value more? His social standing, or the girl he's quickly beginning to fall in love with?

Overall Thoughts

My brothers were actually reading Stargirl for literature class this year, and my Mom (aka, the Literature teacher) told me I'd really like it. And guess what? I did. I actually read the whole thing in just a couple of hours. I liked the message of celebrating nonconformity. The writing style. And the homeschool rep! (Which I do not see enough of in fiction).

The Characters

Most of the characters were fairly stereotypical, but I'm going to venture to say that that was an intentional choice made by the author. The character that truly stands out is Stargirl herself, both in the story and on the page. Everyone else feels average, one of the crowd, including the narrator, Leo. But I think that this really helps emphasise the themes of the book.

Writing

The writing was really simple and also really impactful at the same time. I find that a lot of middle grade falls into one of two camps -- simplistic, dumbed down language choices, or simple, purposeful language choices that can be enjoyed by any audience. Stargirl falls into the latter category. I especially loved the descriptions of the desert, because those were just beautiful. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Stargirl. 

Content

Recommended for ages 9 and up. 

No swearing that I can remember. Mentions of kissing. Stargirl is bullied. 

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

The Sun is Also a Star
by Nicola Yoon

Genre: YA contemporary romance

My Rating: ★★★★

Description:

Natasha is a believer in facts. Logic. Things concrete and tangible. Once, she was a dreamer. But now, with her family twelve hours from being deported to Jamaica, she has no room in her life for dreams. And especially not for love.
Daniel is the obedient son. He doesn't want to become a doctor, but that's what his parents want, and so he keeps his dreams of being a poet out of the picture. But when he meets Natasha, everything changes.
Will twelve hours change the course of both their lives forever?

Overall Thoughts

The Sun is Also a Star was a wild ride for me. In the beginning of the book, it was a four star. Near the middle, I got irritated and decided that I should give it a three point five. And now, it's listed on my Goodreads that I rated it five stars (though in complete honesty, I gave it 4.5). But yeah. It was an interesting book, and I'm ultimately glad I read it.
Thematically, this book is stunning. It's showing how people's lives intersect, how one small action can change everything, and I loved that theme. The theme of destiny/fate was not as well done, in my opinion -- the first theme definitely overshadowed it.

The Characters

The characters were interesting. I instantly liked Natasha, and I found her point of view the most interesting to read. It took me a long time (like 75% of the book) to warm up to Daniel... some of his motivations were random, and I couldn't really sympathize with his stereotypical "teenage boy-ness"... if that makes any sense. I did grow to like him during the last act of the story (the end pretty much decided my eventual rating), and I also liked that he was a poet. I also liked how random side characters in the story -- people Natasha and Daniel walk past on the street, or talk to in an office, or hear over a loudspeaker -- get their own backstories from the point of view of an omniscient narrator known as the Universe. I really enjoyed seeing how all of these different people's stories linked together.

Plot/Pacing

The plot was well paced and engaging. The entire story takes place over the course of twelve hours, which I feel could become boring or awkwardly paced if written badly. But Yoon pulled it off very well, skipping over the boring bits and not including so much that it seems unrealistic to take place within a single day. 

I did have a bit of a problem with the romance in the beginning. It is insta-love, after all... and some of the scenes near the beginning of the romance plot seemed a little forced, mostly on the part of Daniel, whose motivations in these scenes were hard to understand. But again, by the last 40% or so of the book, I really liked it. 

Content

Recommended for ages 15 and up. 

Kissing. Daniel thinks about going further with Natasha physically (which annoyed me, as they've only known each other for half a day at this point.) Sexual jokes/innuendo. 

Language is strong, including at least seven counts of the f-bomb, as well as other possibly offensive language. 

Mention of suicide. Discussion of racism, and includes racist characters. The actions and words of these characters are shown to be wrong.