As every avid reader knows, one of the best parts of summer is having the perfect opportunity to read the books you actually want to read. There are no more required school books that bore you to death. Reading can finally be for your own entertainment, and you have the time to do it without the added stress of schoolwork. This summer, five of these books stood out as my favorites.
Girls With Bright Futures by Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman
This was an incredible read.. It integrated incredible humor and heartbreaking, beautiful characters and storytelling into one of the most entertaining books I’ve read. It tells the
story of three families,- specifically three mothers and their three daughters- all of whom attend an elite private school located in Seattle, Washington. Alicia, the elite feminist CEO, Kelly, the nosy middle class mom of three who just wants the best for her kids, and Maren, the struggling single mother with a troubled past, who all want their senior-in-high school daughters to attend Stanford University. The problem is, only one more student from their school will be accepted to Stanford. When one of the girls is hospitalized after being in a tragic accident, the elite community scrambles to figure out “who done it”, and meanwhile, the mothers continue their fight for Stanford. This book navigates through an intriguing mystery while also sharing an in depth look into the lives, motivations, and morals of these three moms. At the end of the book, I deeply understood why each of the characters acted in the ways they did. I also began to question what it truly means to be a “bad person”, and if one can ever truly be redeemed. I cried at the intense descriptions of the hardships some of the characters faced. I also laughed at the incredible humor used to shine a light on the ridiculousness of the way some people go about the college admissions process. This book really highlighted how sometimes parents tend to make things more about themselves than their children. It conveyed that in order to be happy in life, you don’t have to go to an Ivy League university. There is no justifiable reason to drive yourself crazy trying to get into your “perfect school”. You can find happiness wherever you end up, and I personally really needed to hear that. In the end, the resolution of the book made me feel satisfied and content, leaving me with high regards for the authors and this incredible novel they made together.
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
This is one of the most unique fantasy books I’ve ever read. Taking place in 14th century China, this book gives powerful insight into the culture and history of the Mongolian Empire
while also sharing an exciting and beautiful fantasy story. The main character, Zhu, lived in a destitute, starving village when bandits attacked and killed her father. Her brother, Zhu Chongba, was prophesied to have a “great fate”, but he died from his grief. She was prophesied a fate of nothing, so with no family and nowhere to go, she chose to assume Zhu Chongba’s fate. She struggles to become Zhu Chongba, though she strives to achieve greatness. Eventually, she sets her sights on one goal: achieving the Mandate of Heaven. The problem is, in order to do this, she will have to convince heaven that she is in fact Zhu Chongba, fated with greatness. This story was beautifully written with a plot following Zhu’s adventures made of many twists and turns. While reading, I fell in love with Zhu and her persevering spirit. Through her, this book conveyed a strong feminist message with her struggles to be great in a world where women were considered inferior. Through the story you see how difficult it was for her to prove herself. It was vividly clear that if people knew she wasn’t a man, they never would have respected her the same way. She sacrificed an incredible amount of identity in order to achieve the things that she did. She never gave up, and the people respected her for it. She did achieve great things along her journey. Her ambition, perseverance, courage, and faith are what led her through it all. She never needed masculinity to be great. This message seemed even more powerful because this author delivered it so clearly without ever having to say it directly. The whole book feels like an ode to the power of femininity, and the story itself was interesting and action-packed.
The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
This is a really good, light, mood booster of a book. It is funny, witty, sarcastic, infuriating,
ridiculous, and extremely well written all at the same time. This book, as the title suggests, is
written in the style of someone’s diary entries. The main character refers to herself as
“Nanny” and the people she works for as the “Xes”. She is a student at NYU, just trying to get by, when she goes in search of a job as a nanny. She then stumbles upon the elite X Family. Mrs. X hires her to take care of her son, Grayer X. It is only supposed to be a part time job with consistent, weekly pay. However, as Nanny gets wrapped up farther and farther into their lives, her boundaries become less clear. When she discovers Mr. X is having an affair, everything gets even more chaotic. Mrs. X struggles to keep her marriage together while Nanny continues to get further tangled up in their web of drama. This book consistently made me laugh aloud with its clever humor and satirical writing style. Written by two former nannies, this book really reveals the ridiculous ways some of the upper elite handle their lives. Mrs. and Mr. X both say that they want what's best for their child, but in reality the best thing for Grayer would simply be for them to be more present in his life. Reading about the neglect four year old Grayer received made me sad, but the cute moments with Grayer that followed them made me smile. The way Mrs. X treated Nanny, Grayer, and most other people in her life for that matter, made me angry. It furthered the satirical side of the book though, as the way Nanny analyzed her was hilarious. The authors wrote Nanny as an intelligent, caring, unselfish, and funny person. The more I read, the more I liked her. Overall, this book will definitely make you laugh and smile. Though the ending did leave me feeling a little dispirited, the book was still in my top five for this summer.
One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus
I had this book recommended to me what feels like hundreds of times before finally giving it a try. I’m glad I listened, because it was one of the most entertaining books of my entire
summer. An intriguing mystery, this book tells the story of four teens suspected of killing a fellow student. The victim, Simon, died in a school classroom of an allergic reaction. He died because there was peanut oil in the plastic cup he was drinking out of. The only way it could have gotten there is if one of the four teens placed it there, making all of them suspects. His epipen was mysteriously missing, along with every other epipen normally located in the nurse’s office, and all four of the teens had motive. Simon knew a damaging secret about everyone of them, which he was going to post online that very day. The four teens, Bronwyn, the star student, Copper, the athlete, Addison, the popular beauty, and Nate, the criminal misfit, all struggle to figure out what happened while also trying to prove their innocence. This fast paced, suspenseful, fun mystery never left me bored. With romance, friendships, and family drama, the author gives all of the main characters depth in an entertaining way. Also, the ending was unexpected and gratifying. I doubt anyone would be left feeling lacking after reading this story. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery and teen dramas.
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
If you like YA fantasy, you’ll definitely like this book. It’s the first in a trilogy of books. Like most book series, the first book is, in my opinion, the best. The story takes place in Leigh Bardugo’s “Grishaverse”. It starts in a country called Ravka, which is plagued by a large stretch of land inhabited by monsters, known as the fold, dividing the country. In this world,
there are certain people who possess the ability to manipulate a certain aspect of the world called Grisha. There are some who can control wind, fire, water, metals, or more. There are also some who can heal or injure by manipulating one’s anatomy. There is one man who can control darkness, known as the Darkling. He is the leader of all the Grisha who serve in Ravka’s army, and his ancestor created the fold. Alina Starkov grew up in war-torn Ravka and is on her way to becoming a cartographer for the Ravkan Army when everything changes for her. She, along with a group of other soldiers, have to cross the fold. When they are attacked by the monsters, they discover that Alina is actually a Grisha. Not just any Grisha, though; she is the Sun Summoner, foretold to be the only person able to destroy the fold. With everything Alina thought she knew about herself revealed to be a lie, she struggles to adapt to her new reality and learn how to use her power. With newfound purpose, she embarks to destroy the fold with the help of the Darkling. This book was fast paced, with action and adventure that never let you get bored. Along with the exciting plot, there was captivating romance, a love triangle, and a morally gray antagonist. Alina’s sarcastic humor and relatable personality made the book fun to read. She struggled with confidence and self worth, which I find easy to empathize with. This made her friendships in the book even more enjoyable, too. The setting is described so well, and the concept of “Grisha” is so interesting and cool that I got lost in Leigh Badrugo’s world and characters. With a powerful, funny, and relatable main character, a morally gray love interest and antagonist, an action-filled plot, likable side characters, and a world you can get lost in, what more can you ask for in a YA fantasy novel?
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