PopSugar 2020 Reading Challenge Prompt: N/A

Other PS 2020 reading prompts this would satisfy: A book recommended by your favorite blog, vlog, podcast, or online book club, A book with only words on the cover, no images or graphics, A book featuring one of the seven deadly sins, A book by a WOC, A book with at least a four-star rating on Goodreads, A book by or about a journalist, A book with more than 20 letters in its title

TW: Cruelty/abuse, racism, racial slurs, violence, death, classism



I was surprised by the content in Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race. I mean, I knew the book was obviously about race and the role that white folks play in perpetuating racist policy and acts. What I was surprised by was that this book is about the history of racist policy and laws in the U.K. And I mean, I realize that racism isn’t just in the U.S., but I ignorantly never really thought about how Black and Brown folks were subject to slavery and racist acts in other countries. I associate the U.S. so strongly with racism, I didn’t think about it elsewhere. I was really glad to read this book and open my eyes to other policies and historical events that have taken place in and shaped the U.K.


In a critical exploration of the history of racism in the U.K., Eddo-Lodge explains what it is like to be POC in Britain. 


Like most books about race and the history of how Whites have continuously ingrained policy, laws, and acts with racism, this is an incredibly uncomfortable read. But it’s absolutely necessary anti-racist reading. It educated me on things that I never even had an inkling in. While the U.K. isn't anywhere as violent as the U.S. when it comes to things like gun violence and such, there have been a lot of events in older and recent history that are in many ways comparable to what happens in the U.S. on daily scales. I feel so much more knowledgeable after reading this book, and I’m so glad I read it.

I’ll say that the book was really dense at times, which made it feel more like a textbook, but it’s understandable due to the book’s content.






This wasn’t an easy book to read, but it isn’t incredibly long and the chapters are manageable. At times, the writing was dense and hard to follow, but by reading it slowly I was able to take in the content to better educate myself and become more knowledgeable about racism in the U.K.




Goodreads rating: ★★★★☆

PopSugar 2020 Reading Challenge Prompt: No prompt used

Other PS 2020 reading prompts this would satisfy: A book that's published in 2020, A bildungsroman, A book that passes the Bechdel test, A book you picked because the title caught your attention, A book by a WOC, A book with a three-world title

TW: Domestic abuse, systemic abuse, homophobia, animal death, violence, abduction, death, misogyny



As soon as I heard about Cinderella is Dead, I knew I had to read it. A retelling of Cinderella about queer girls trying to overthrow the patriarchy? Yes, please.


Cinderella has been dead for 200 years. But the town of Lille and the surrounding Marseille still follow a set of rules set forth by Prince Charming. At 16, all girls must attend the annual ball to be claimed by men. Girls only have three chances to be claimed, and if they aren't, they become forfeits. And it's unknown to where those girls disappear. But Sophia is having none of it. She wants nothing to do with the men in Lille. She'd prefer to marry Erin, her childhood best friend, and leave Lille forever. So the night of the ball, she escapes, where she meets Constance, the last living descendent of Cinderella, and together they band together to try and destroy the patriarchy that is Lille.


I really loved this book. I thought the story was really great and I would love to revisit with Sophia and Constance and get to know them better. I thought they were both so strong-willed, though at times hard-headed and stubborn. They were both flawed, but their attributes really complemented each other.

I really liked the premise of the book. Unlike an adaptation, this retelling is based 200 years after Cinderella’s story ends, though within this book, the reader learns more about the “true story of Cinderella.” The world is very different than that is which we know from traditional fairy tales (the sweet ones, not the old gory ones!). Men control this space. Girls are basically sold to men once they reach 16, and if they’re not desirable, they disappear. It’s a horrifying world that is very realistic in some parts of the world today. But Sophia is smart, brave, and while she seems to come to trust easier than I’d expect, she isn’t a naive character. I really liked that she was so strong-willed, but also very soft and human too. I love when stories show that women/girls can be both strong and emotional, and this was very much one of those books.

Now while the story was great and I really enjoyed the characters, I will say that, at times, the dialogue was a bit confusing and messy. I noticed it more at the start of the book, then less and less as the story progressed. There was also this epilogue-style wrap up that did not do the story justice. I think the ending could have been left a bit more open, thus setting up a second story that I would’ve loved to see, and I think other readers would have loved as well (of course, I’m speculating here). It all just felt like it wrapped up too quickly and I hated that. It made the end seem less real and less aligned with the rest of the book.






Overall, I really loved this book. I loved the queer love stories entwined in the pages. I love the interracial relationships. I definitely loved the smashing of the patriarchy. This book was a really great, engaging story, and I’d love to see more in line with this theme.




Goodreads rating: ★★★★☆

PopSugar 2020 Reading Challenge Prompt: N/A

Other PS 2020 reading prompts this would satisfy: A book that's published in 2020, A bildungsroman, A book published the month of your birthday, A book by a WOC, A book with at least a four-star rating on Goodreads, A book with more than 20 letters in its title

TW: Lynching, death, racism, racial slurs



It's weeks later and I can't even think about The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones without my eyes filling up with tears. This was a heartbreaking, beautiful, hopeful, powerful story. I truly feel like it should be required reading, and I wish I would've read it back in middle or high school.


After getting in trouble back home in Arcadia, Washington, Ethan, a biracial 14 year-old, is sent to small-town Ellison, Alabama to spend the summer with his aunt and uncle. It's 1955, and while things aren't perfect back in Arcadia, Ethan is at least allowed to exist with minimal confrontations due to his race. But Ellison is much different, and no one looks like Ethan there. Fortunately, Ethan makes friends with Juniper Jones, an odd red-headed girl who's known as the town loony, but has a heart of gold. Juniper and Ethan vow to have an invincible summer together, marking everything from learning to swim to planting flowers off their to-do list. But neither Juniper or Ethan are invincible when it comes to racism in the South, and together they must learn to navigate a new era. 


I can't say I'm surprised by home much I loved this book, but I will say it was such a heartfelt read and I am so glad I read it. I cannot believe that the author is so young and wise beyond her years. Her characters are well thought-out, wonderfully developed, and both flawed and inspirational. Juniper Jones was like taking a beautiful breath of fresh air after drowning, and Ethan was someone worth fighting for - a character that you can connect with even if you cannot fully understand his personal struggles. I think it was so important to have a biracial main character who really struggles with being in a racial middle ground where he suffered for being "not white enough" and realized that those who were considered "entirely Black" suffered even more extreme acts of racism than himself.

This story pulled on my heartstrings, and infuriated me. For a book set in the 50s, the parallels to the racism folks face today was impossible to ignore. 2020 racism may not be as overt, but it's certainly still present in many of the same ways as it was 70 years ago.





McQueen told a beautiful story throughout the pages of Juniper Jones, and created a plot line that was so surprising in many ways I wasn't expecting. This is a story I would urge everyone to read. It's an incapsulating exploration into YA literary fiction with a powerful plot and well-written word.



Goodreads rating: ★★★★★













*I received this book free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are entirely my own.

*This is a collaborative post.


Though summer looks quite different this year, we’re still all basking in the glory of summer sunshine. The hot rays bouncing off our face make us thirsty. And, of course, you'll want your refreshing beverage to be accompanied by something, right? But during summer, I'm always craving something light and delicious. So this is when the summer salad comes to the rescue. There are an array of summer salads to choose from, and they’re most fun when you make them up on the spot with what you have at home. But it's not a case of just throwing anything in the bowl, you have to match flavors to make it the best of summer salads.




Another kind of caesar salad

Some of the best summer salads we know are the caesar salad, chicken salad, and tuna salad. They all have one thing in common. Their main ingredient is being tossed in a creamy mayonnaise sauce (though I don't like mayo on sandwiches, I do enjoy tuna and chicken salad, and caesar dressing or ranch). This shrimp salad would be perfect with a glass of iced tea. It's a simple 4-step recipe and you start off with simply leaving the shrimp out overnight to soften up to room temperature. Then you need to put them in a bowl and let the fun begin. Add in lemon juice, salt, pepper, and then toss. Now add in mayonnaise, sour cream, chopped celery and dill. Give it one more mix until everything is incorporated. You can serve on its own, or put the shrimp salad between some buns. If you want, you can add this to a pasta salad, which makes the dish go a lot further than it would otherwise. If you have a large family to feed, this is a no-brainer. Enjoy!



Pesto chicken salad



Prepare for a Mediterranean mix! This part of the world is famous for its unique salads and this one is no exception. With a mixture of Greek and Italian cuisines, you start off with grilled chicken that has been covered in green pesto. When cooked through, add the sliced chicken breast into a bowl. Now add grilled tomatoes and some sun-dried tomatoes (to taste). Grill some halloumi cheese and also add this to the salad. Slice some red onions and throw in some sweet basil. Drizzle over some extra virgin olive, Greek or Italian, either is fine. Give it a toss and you have a beautiful mouth-watering, but very healthy snack.



Ooey-gooey salad



If you’re a vegetarian, you’ll love this one. Make some mozzarella balls by buying some bocconcini, then coating the little balls in some beaten egg. You’ll then dip the balls into some fried bread crumbs and pan-fry them in some olive oil. Take them out as soon as the outside is crispy and golden brown. You want the inside to still be melted and ooey-gooey. Get yourself a bowl and in it, you’ll throw some sweet basil, some sundried tomatoes, some lightly fried croutons. Add in some raw baby spinach leaves, season with salt and pepper and, finally add a sprinkle of oregano. Yum!


Summer salads are very tasty, healthy, and most of all, really easy to make. This is something you can have with a glass of iced tea, a milkshake, or even a beer while out in the garden enjoying the sunshine.

PopSugar 2020 Reading Challenge Prompt: A book with a pun in the title

Other PS 2020 reading prompts this would satisfy: A book that's published in 2020, A bildungsroman, A book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated to it, A book featuring one of the seven deadly sins, A book with a three-word title,

TW: Discussions in racism, sexual assault, pedophilia, classism



I first started reading Best Laid Plans from an excerpt on Netgalley. I read the first six chapters and immediately needed more! Unfortunately, I had to wait until I could get a copy from my library, and I finished the rest of the book in a day. It was such a good read and I was totally enthralled as soon as I started reading.


Keely is a high school senior, and the only virgin left in her class. It's not something she's necessarily ashamed of, but she would like to get it out of the way before graduating. So when she starts a new job at the local video store alongside a modern-day James Dean, she's maybe going to get what she wished for sooner rather than later. But this James Dean heartthrob is in college, so her virginity seems shameful, and she doesn't want to appear like she doesn't know what she's doing. Luckily, her oldest and best friend is a bit of player, so just maybe he can give her a pointer or two.


I went into this book thinking it'd be a similar vibe to The Anti-Virginity Pact, but the books were polar opposites. Where Pact went wrong and was a total mess, Plans was well-written and smart, fun and sexy. I did really like the very intersectional story for Pact's MC Mare, and felt that it was the one place where Best Laid Plans fell short. The characters in Plans were all very one-dimensional and I would have very much like more background and development for them. But overall, the story was so good and sex positive, that I just couldn't help but love it.

I would've liked to see more diversity in the characters, but I very much felt the connection between Keely and her best friend Andrew. There were several moments in the book that I literally laughed out loud.

I loved that there was a lot of focus on consent and safe-sex practices. There were also many conversations surrounding the double standards set between male and female characters (ie, it's cool for a guy to be a player, but a girl is called a slut), and I really enjoyed seeing how the characters handled those situations and stood up for each other. I've also found that with stories such as these, there are usually a focus or a scene involving really assault-like scenarios, and while I find that those can be meaningful and powerful statements, I find they're often used as some big climatic scenario unnecessarily. I was really glad to see that wasn't a theme here. Again, I really appreciated the sex-positivity, conversations about safe sex practices, as well consent being a pretty consistent theme.





Cameron Lund really knocked it out of the park with her debut novel. I will definitely be reading more from her in the future, and I can absolutely see myself re-reading Best Laid Plans. I fell in love with the characters and their connections.



Goodreads rating: ★★★★★