Try a Chapter (Yallfest 2019 Edition)

One day, I will stop putting “(Yallfest 2019 Edition)” after literally every single post. I have faith!!

I had done a tag like this before where I tried a chapter or two of a book and then shared my thoughts on how I felt about it. I had 5 books left to go the week before Yallfest, and the time was on. There was no way my ability to binge read was going to knock this out of the ballpark, so the only answer was to try a few chapters to see what I needed to spend my cold hard cash on (besides the millions of Disney products I’ve been purchasing recently oopsie).

Synopsis: By day, seventeen-year-old Kiera Johnson is an honors student, a math tutor, and one of the only Black kids at Jefferson Academy. But at home, she joins hundreds of thousands of Black gamers who duel worldwide as Nubian personas in the secret multiplayer online role-playing card game, SLAY.

THOUGHTS.

I was equally really excited for this one, and simultaneously eh about it. I enjoyed Kiera, and the writing is good. Morris definitely has a good writing style, and one of the reasons I was super excited to read this one is that I’ve heard that this book had a lot of fantastic discussions regarding female gamers and featuring a lot of diversity (showcasing and empowering voices ranging from biracial to black non-binary and more), which you get from the very beginning of the story.

However, my issue stems from the gaming aspect. While I knew this book was about gaming and such, I guess I wasn’t prepared for just how much gaming content was included. I enjoyed Warcross a lot, but that was the one and only. I’m still going to enjoy and read it fully eventually, but I decided against purchasing at the moment.

Verdict: Buy or Not to Buy

Synopsis: A fresh, charming rom-com perfect for fans of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and Boy Meets Boy about Nathan Bird, who has sworn off happy endings but is sorely tested when his former best friend, Ollie, moves back to town.

THOUGHTS.

This one is a bit odd. I found myself enjoying it but also not enjoying it? Like, I actually really want to keep actively reading it and I am enjoying Callender’s writing. However, I read 3 chapters of this book, and, like, half of it is everyone focusing on everyone’s love lives? I mean, that’s a very simplified version of it, but it’s definitely throwing me a bit off since it’s legit just the first few pages. There are already characters that rub me the wrong way, but then they semi redeem themselves? IDK??? This was a lot for three chapters, lol. I think I’m going to keep reading it, but at the moment, I’m going to not keep it on the list of purchasing.

Verdict: Buy or Not to Buy

Synopsis: Part Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, part Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Adam Silvera’s extraordinary debut confronts race, class, and sexuality during one charged near-future summer in the Bronx.

THOUGHTS.

After loving What If It’s Us, I knew I needed to try all of Silvera’s works. This book seems like it’s going to be everything – feels and emotions and love and heartbreak and ugh. It has an intriguing world as well, and while I wasn’t the biggest fan of They Both Die at the End, I was impressed with the concept. I really didn’t need to read much of this one, since I’m already pretty convinced I need to go to Silvera’s signing line anyway.

Verdict: Buy or Not to Buy

Synopsis: When Griffin’s first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident, his universe implodes. Even though Theo had moved to California for college and started seeing Jackson, Griffin never doubted Theo would come back to him when the time was right. But now, the future he’s been imagining for himself has gone far off course.

THOUGHTS.

This feels like full on feels fest, and I’m down with it. I already am invested in Griffin and Theo. I liked the vibe, and while it was normal, every-day stuff that was happening, it was interesting. This book feels like I’m already deep in the characterization that I truly do enjoy. This book definitely cemented the need to go to the signing, so I for sure picking it up.

Verdict: Buy or Not to Buy

Synopsis: When Sam and Penny cross paths it’s less meet-cute and more a collision of unbearable awkwardness. Still, they swap numbers and stay in touch—via text—and soon become digitally inseparable, sharing their deepest anxieties and secret dreams without the humiliating weirdness of having to see each other.

THOUGHTS.

Sometimes I can get behind stories that don’t really have plots, where the story is more focused on characterization or even a romance. However, while this had a few intriguing moments, I was definitely on the fence about it after the first chapter. The writing style was felt a bit different from me, and I just…I didn’t connect. There were some intriguing parts, though, so I decided to do a bit of skimming to see about the whole texting aspect. However, I was honestly super bored by the texting items that I did see, and even the back excerpt was quite bland for me. I decided to no-go after it.

Verdict: Buy or Not to Buy

What do you think? Let’s discuss in the comments below!