Books I read in 2020, and How I Feel About Them
WARNING: All of these reviews are just my opinions, don't let anyone tell you what books you can cannot like, also I tried to spoil as little as possible
1.
Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle
4/5 Stars
Famous in Love follows the story of Page Townson, a regular high school student, as her life gets turned upside down when she gets cast in the movie adaptation of the hit book Locked. Paige now finds herself slowly becoming famous as word gets out about the movie, all of this sounds great until she gets sucked into the middle of a love triangle between of Hollywood's biggest stars, who also happen to be her costars.
I was quite skeptical about this book before reading it because I had seen the first episode of the tv show and I wasn't really a fan but upon beginning the book I realized the book and the tv show are very different, and the book is SOOOOOOOO much better, after watching just the first episode I can tell that the tv show is a completely unfaithful adaptation of the book and misses some of the crucial points that make the story so special. Although a bit cliché at times I really enjoyed this book it was full of sweet romance and the glitz and glamour of new stardom.
Link to buy Famous in Love: https://www.amazon.com/Famous-Love-Rebecca-Serle/dp/0316366358
2.
Folded Notes From High School by Matt Boren
1/5 Stars
Folded notes from high school is a story about a group of teens in high school, but the unique thing about this book is that it's told completely in notes passed back and forth between students. Now this book seemed very intriguing because the whole concept of a book told through notes very interesting, but the main character, Tara Maureen Murphey, was so unbearably full of her herself that it ruined the whole book for me. This was definitely my least favorite read of the year. Throughout the book, Tara felt the need to force down the throats of everyone else that because she was a Senior and she was playing Sandy in the school's production of Grease that she was so much better than everyone else. I thought that the story would be a lesson about treating people right and that Tara would turn herself around by the end of the book, but nope she's just a bitch to everyone, then everyone hates her and the book ends.
Link to buy Folded Notes From High School: https://www.amazon.com/Folded-Notes-School-Matthew-Boren/dp/0451478207/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2TRSLHGJ29G7Z&dchild=1&keywords=folded+notes+from+high+school&qid=1611098860&s=books&sprefix=folded+no%2Cstripbooks%2C146&sr=1-1
3.
Words On Bathroom Walls by Julia Walton
3.5/5 Stars
Words on Bathroom Walls follows the budding high school romance of Adam and Maya, but what Maya (and nobody but his family for that matter) knows is that Adam is struggling with Schizophrenia. Adam spends the story trying to just be a "normal" kid, hiding his paranoia and hallucinations from everyone at school, but especially Maya. I originally decided to read this book because I saw the trailer for the movie that came out this year was like wow that looks amazing. After that, I rushed out to get the book, and don't get me wrong I really enjoyed the book, but it just wasn't as good as I thought it would be. The trailer for the movie really promotes this to be a romantic story but I felt like the characters' relationships were somewhat lacking. I still definitely recommend this book but it didn't live up to what I was expecting ( I still really want to see the movie though)
Link to buy words on Bathroom Walls: https://www.amazon.com/Words-Bathroom-Walls-Julia-Walton/dp/0399550917/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=words+on+Bathroom+walls&qid=1611098933&s=books&sr=1-1
4.
The Moon Within By Aida Salzar
3/5 Stars
This novel follows Celi Rivera as she goes on the journey of learning to celebrate becoming a woman and her family's cultural traditions. This is not the kind of book I would have traditionally picked out for myself, but I ended up reading it in college for a children's literature course I actually found the story quite moving. It's such a relatable story for all of the girls who have gone through this and I would highly recommend it to middle grades readers. Honestly, the only reason I give this a three out of five stars is that this really isn't my preferred kind of book, but also I am not the target audience so.
Link to buy The Moon Within: https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Within-Scholastic-Gold/dp/1338283383/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+moon+within&qid=1611098997&s=books&sr=1-1
5.
Stranger Than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer
5/5 Stars
Stranger than fanfiction is the story of four recent high school graduates, Topher, Joey, Sam, and Mo, as they go off on their final adventure before college. The four teens have spent forever planning their big road trip but on the day of the most unexpected thing happens, they are joined by Cash Carter, the star of their favorite tv show. THIS IS MY FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR!!! I didn't know much about this book before I started but by the time I finished the book, it was 3 am and I was balling my eyes out. This is an inspiring story of growing up and embracing your true self, all of the characters of the book go through their own amazing journeys and learn to face their own realities and that true friendship is unconditional. I seriously cannot recommend this book enough for everyone but especially for recent high school graduates. (Also if the author sounds familiar that's because Chris Colfer is also known for playing Kurt Hummel on Glee)
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