Books 2019 - What if it's Us and The Up Side of Unrequited
Two books at once, but only one of them counts for a challenge this time, because they're both new... I couldn't resist giving myself a treat after the dentist last week, just for the sheer relief of things!
Mount TBR so far = 5/24 (still)
Lj Book Bingo Masterpost
What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silver
Meet Arthur and Ben.
Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it's that the universe can deliver a show-stopping romance when you least expect it.
Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its own business. If it had his back, he wouldn't be carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend's things.
But after a chance meeting at the post office, the boys leave wondering what exactly the universe does have in store for them.
What if they can't find each other again? What if they do...and then can't nail a first date? What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work, and Ben doesn't try hard enough? What if life really isn't like a Broadway musical? But what if it is?
This was a cute book. I was a bit worried that it wouldn't be as good as Albertalli on her own (and maybe it wasn't quite, but I think that's just the nature of back-and-forth viewpoints), but Silvera is obviously good in his own right - I must go and look up They Both Die at the End! It's about two boys in New York City, and although there's a definite upbeat vibe to it (that amazing teenage vibe when the whole world is just out there, waiting for you - I miss that vibe!), it doesn't shy away from the things that are out there ready to bite us either. Ben and Arthur are good fun too, and neither of them are anywhere near perfect sparkly kids, which I always appreciate - we might adore them, but they have their flaws, and it makes them more real. Basically - excellent book, recommended!
The Up Side of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love. No matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly is always careful. Better to be careful than be hurt.
But when Cassie gets a new girlfriend who comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick, everything changes. Will is funny, flirtatious and basically the perfect first boyfriend.
There's only one problem: Molly's co-worker, Reid, the awkward Tolkein superfan she could never fall for... right?
Even if I hadn't been open to buying everything Becky Albertalli has ever written, she would have had me at awkward Tolkein superfan. *g* I'm still liking Albertalli's fresh view of the world - things are naturally diverse, and although they're not always unproblematic, it's so good to read things from a perspective where it's accepted that they will be, rather than assumed that the non-hetero-normative characters will die at the end... Molly and Cassie have two mums (moms!) and a little brother, and the world the family's in just seems to reflect the real world. Some people have girlfriends, some people have boyfriends, and those people are all colours, shapes and sizes. Its... relaxing! Definitely recommended!
I couldn't fit either of these books into the ljbookbingo square, until I realised that smack in the middle of it was a Free Space, so I'm using it up with What If Its Us, just for the sake of it. Which means I've got another row of three... *g*
Booklist 2019
1. Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift (bookgroup)
2. You take the Hippy, I'll take Goldilocks by Gil Hale (fanfic re-read)
3. In a Land of Shadows by Gil Hale (fanfic re-read)
4. The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham (MountTBR, LjBookBingo)
5. A Walk on the Beach by E.T. (fanfic re-read)
6. Chasing the Light by Jesse Blackadder (Mount TBR, LjBookBingo)
7. November by Sebastian (fanfic re-read)
8. Time Travelling with a Hamster by Ross Welford (Mount TBR, LjBookBingo)
9. The Greatcoat by Helen Dunmore (Bookgroup, LjBookBingo)
10. Cold Water Morning by Fictonwriter (fanfic)
11. All or Nothing by Kate MacLean (fanfic re-read)
12. Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli (LjBookBingo, Mount TBR)
13. Chameleon's Dish by Kitty Fisher (fanfic re-read)
14. Less by Andrew Sean Greer (LjBookBingo, Mount TBR)
15. Gravity's Angel (by Jenny Parkinson?) (fanfic re-read)
16. Band Sinister by K.J. Charles (LjBookBingo, re-read on paper)
17. Whisper of a Kill by Lois Welling (fanfic re-read)
18. Redemption by Kate Maclean (fanfic re-read)
19. What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera (new book, LjBookBingo)
20. The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli (new book)
21. The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam by Chris Ewan (Mount TBR, LjBookBingo)
Mount TBR so far = 5/24 (still)
Lj Book Bingo Masterpost
What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silver
Meet Arthur and Ben.
Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it's that the universe can deliver a show-stopping romance when you least expect it.
Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its own business. If it had his back, he wouldn't be carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend's things.
But after a chance meeting at the post office, the boys leave wondering what exactly the universe does have in store for them.
What if they can't find each other again? What if they do...and then can't nail a first date? What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work, and Ben doesn't try hard enough? What if life really isn't like a Broadway musical? But what if it is?
This was a cute book. I was a bit worried that it wouldn't be as good as Albertalli on her own (and maybe it wasn't quite, but I think that's just the nature of back-and-forth viewpoints), but Silvera is obviously good in his own right - I must go and look up They Both Die at the End! It's about two boys in New York City, and although there's a definite upbeat vibe to it (that amazing teenage vibe when the whole world is just out there, waiting for you - I miss that vibe!), it doesn't shy away from the things that are out there ready to bite us either. Ben and Arthur are good fun too, and neither of them are anywhere near perfect sparkly kids, which I always appreciate - we might adore them, but they have their flaws, and it makes them more real. Basically - excellent book, recommended!
The Up Side of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love. No matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly is always careful. Better to be careful than be hurt.
But when Cassie gets a new girlfriend who comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick, everything changes. Will is funny, flirtatious and basically the perfect first boyfriend.
There's only one problem: Molly's co-worker, Reid, the awkward Tolkein superfan she could never fall for... right?
Even if I hadn't been open to buying everything Becky Albertalli has ever written, she would have had me at awkward Tolkein superfan. *g* I'm still liking Albertalli's fresh view of the world - things are naturally diverse, and although they're not always unproblematic, it's so good to read things from a perspective where it's accepted that they will be, rather than assumed that the non-hetero-normative characters will die at the end... Molly and Cassie have two mums (moms!) and a little brother, and the world the family's in just seems to reflect the real world. Some people have girlfriends, some people have boyfriends, and those people are all colours, shapes and sizes. Its... relaxing! Definitely recommended!
I couldn't fit either of these books into the ljbookbingo square, until I realised that smack in the middle of it was a Free Space, so I'm using it up with What If Its Us, just for the sake of it. Which means I've got another row of three... *g*
Booklist 2019
1. Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift (bookgroup)
2. You take the Hippy, I'll take Goldilocks by Gil Hale (fanfic re-read)
3. In a Land of Shadows by Gil Hale (fanfic re-read)
4. The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham (MountTBR, LjBookBingo)
5. A Walk on the Beach by E.T. (fanfic re-read)
6. Chasing the Light by Jesse Blackadder (Mount TBR, LjBookBingo)
7. November by Sebastian (fanfic re-read)
8. Time Travelling with a Hamster by Ross Welford (Mount TBR, LjBookBingo)
9. The Greatcoat by Helen Dunmore (Bookgroup, LjBookBingo)
10. Cold Water Morning by Fictonwriter (fanfic)
11. All or Nothing by Kate MacLean (fanfic re-read)
12. Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli (LjBookBingo, Mount TBR)
13. Chameleon's Dish by Kitty Fisher (fanfic re-read)
14. Less by Andrew Sean Greer (LjBookBingo, Mount TBR)
15. Gravity's Angel (by Jenny Parkinson?) (fanfic re-read)
16. Band Sinister by K.J. Charles (LjBookBingo, re-read on paper)
17. Whisper of a Kill by Lois Welling (fanfic re-read)
18. Redemption by Kate Maclean (fanfic re-read)
19. What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera (new book, LjBookBingo)
20. The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli (new book)
21. The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam by Chris Ewan (Mount TBR, LjBookBingo)