Thanks to partners NetGalley and Penguin for the digital ARC of Ivy Pochoda’s Ecstasy. The book will be published on June 17!

I’ve seen many reviewers calling Ivy Pochoda’s Ecstasy a fever dream, and that feels exactly right. This loose retelling of The Bacchae (which I’ve read about but haven’t read) immerses the reader in a world of entitlement and luxury and oppression, in a battle between masculine and feminine forces, in a power struggle whose fate feels pre-determined. It was a one-sitting read for me.

The book begins with a quartet of travelers (not “vacationers”—they’re too cultured to “vacation”) to the island of Naxos where Lena, her best friend Hedy, Lena’s son Drew, and Drew’s pregnant wife Jordan will stay at the family’s luxe hotel, which is in the last stages before its grand opening.

Some of the dynamics become immediately clear. Lena and Hedy were dancers together until Lena married Stavros, who swept her away from the excitement of that life into an existence driven by an obsession with class and wealth and putting forth the right facade. It’s a world centered on Stavros in which Lena is a type of prop.

Drew has clearly taken it upon himself to continue the dominant role of his father, who recently died on the island’s beach.

When the group arrives, they find that there’s a major hiccup with the preparations: there’s a group of women who are refusing to leave the beach. They assert that it’s a cultural and historical landmark that belongs to the island, not to the hotel. Drew, of course, disagrees and is willing to do whatever it takes to eject them from the property. Legally, though, that’s a more complex proposition than he’s willing to accept.

That’s the setup. What seems a fairly straightforward tale of class and misogyny quickly, however, shifts because of Luz, the leader of the women on the beach. As Lena is drawn into her circle—into drugs and dancing and unfettered self-expression—she begins to push back against the relationship dynamics that have controlled her life for so long.

So much about this book worked for me. I appreciated the shifts in narrative perspective, which allow the reader a glimpse into the group’s slow immersion into surreality, and Pochoda’s writing is undeniably gorgeous. I thought that the changing group dynamics beautifully illuminated the messages of the book: the despicable Drew’s entitled, brought about by his wealth and his gender; the ways that Hedy served as a grounding influence for Lena; Jordan’s attempts to maintain her own agency in the face of Drew’s micromanaging and close-mindedness. I did wish, however, that parts of the book’s message were more subtle, some of the plot elements less predictable. Still, Ecstasy is an absorbing tale that is compelling and thought provoking. ​

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Audio for the ALC of Jason Reynolds's Soundtrack. This audio-only novel was just the book I needed at the perfect moment.

Reynolds's story, read by an amazing full cast, centers on Stuy who has always lived alone with his mom, who raised him to love music—especially the drums—as much as she does. She and his dad were founding members of The Bed-Stuy Magic Dusters, but when he found out she was pregnant with Stuy, he left for California. Stuy has never met his dad . . . but he also hasn't missed him much. His mom is nurturing and encourages Stuy to follow his passion for music.

All of that changes when she starts dating (for the first time in Stuy's life) and the guy, eventually, moves in. Things become unbearable, so Stuy moves in with his uncle and meets Dunks, who is just as passionate about music as Stuy is.

Dunks and Stuy go on the hunt for other members to fill out their band, and they find Alexis (bass), Keith (trumpet), and Frankie (TBD). As the group works to find their identity, together and separately, a gorgeous soundtrack helps to tell their story.

Reynolds, as always, has such a gift for teenage voices, and I came to love these characters so much. The novel has twists and turns that I enjoyed, but the music is always at the center. This would be a perfect addition to anyone's summer TBR!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of Katherine Center's The Love Haters, which will be out on Tuesday!

Is The Love Haters my favorite book by Katherine Center? It is not. It was still, however, a good read, and I continue to be infatuated with Center's ability to tell a story, to create compelling characters.

Here's the synopsis: "Katie Vaughn has been burned by love in the past—now she may be lighting her career on fire. She has two choices: wait to get laid off from her job as a video producer or, at her coworker Cole’s request, take a career-making gig profiling Tom 'Hutch' Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. The catch? Katie’s not exactly qualified. She can’t swim—but pretends that she can.

"Plus, Cole and Hutch are brothers. And they don’t get along. Next stop: paradise! But paradise is messier than it seems. As Katie gets entangled with Hutch (the most scientifically good-looking man she has ever seen . . . but maybe a bit of a love hater), along with his colorful aunt Rue and his rescue Great Dane, she gets trapped in a lie. Or two. Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses ensue—along with chances to tell the truth, to face old fears, and to be truly brave at last.

"Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses ensue—along with chances to tell the truth, to face old fears, and to be truly brave at last."

Parts of this one stretched my credulity in ways I didn't love, and I've seen other reviews point out that this one should probably come with content warnings about body image issues. I thought Center worked through Katie's process of coming to accept herself well, but I do agree that, for some readers, parts of this might be very tough to read.

I did enjoy the awkwardness of Katie and Hutch's early meetings, and Aunt Rue and her friends are a delight. And I'm always a sucker for the complications a dog (in this case, a BIG dog) brings to a romance.

Overall, this one is a fun, summer read . . . and I'll definitely keep reading whatever Center writes. (I'm almost a completionist!)

​Thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the egalley of Kristin Koval's Penitence, which is available for purchase.

The foundation of Penitence rests on a horrific murder: thirteen-year-old Norah shoots her older brother, then calls 911. She's immediately taken away from her family and into a juvenile detention center.

Norah's parents are ill equipped—as anyone would be—to deal with the simultaneous loss of both of their children. They do what's needed: they bury their son, and they hire an attorney, Martine.

As the narrative shifts points of view and timelines, there's a murkiness that shades everyone's understanding of Norah's motivation. Koval explores the history of Norah's mother, Angie, who dated Martine's son, Julian, for much of her young adulthood. It seems their relationship is in the past . . . and then Martine brings in Julian as lead attorney on Norah's defense.

I found Penitence to be a compelling read. I definitely wanted to know what happened, and I was intrigued by the complexity of each character and of the ways their lives intertwined. Ultimately, there was something about the narrative that kept me at a distance, but I admired it greatly and enjoyed the reading experience.

​Thanks to partners NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC of Emma Lord’s The Rival, which will be published on January 21. 

Emma Lord has such a talent for writing YA romances with compelling premises that don’t fall victim to oversimplification. (It’s why she’s one of my auto-read authors.) With her newest novel The Rival, she tells a sort of enemies-to-lovers romance that confronts the challenges of being a college freshman and the best way to stand up for a cause we believe in.

Sadie earned her high school’s single, coveted spot at Maple Ride University, winning out over her family friend—and secret, long-time rival—Seb, who’s attending a different, prestigious school. Sadie is determined to make her mark at Maple Ride and to earn the one staff position for a freshman at the college’s zine Newsbag, all as a way of setting up her comedy career.

There’s a twist, of course. Seb, who was waitlisted, has shown up on campus. And he also wants to join the Newsbag staff.

Sadie had looked forward to escaping the constant challenges of her rivalry with Seb but also of establishing a new, true college identity, the one she had never been able to live out when she was with our family. With them? Well, they’re A. LOT. And Sadie always finds herself in the role of mediator, smoothing things over, evening out everyone’s emotions. Now? She may want to be a lot, too.

That’s the initial setup. Add in a budget controversy in which the college is pulling money away from extracurriculars like Newsbag to fund their sports teams, and there’s the perfect recipe for a compelling, complicated, wonderful YA novel.

The romance is at the center of the book here, but it’s not the only focus. There are wonderful conversations about Sadie and Seb’s challenges as they leave their families—they’re excited to be on their own, homesick for their families, ready to carve out new identities, but not quite prepared to leave who they were behind. There are great considerations of friendship, of how to be an advocate and an ally without dismissing the concerns of those who may be affected by change. There’s a fantastic subplot about romantic relationships—Sadie is completely inexperienced and, now that she’s in college, is having a hard time moving past the feeling that she is the ONLY one who is in her same position.

That may sound like too much, but Emma Lord makes it work. The Rival navigates these various threads easily, with humor and empathy and swoony romance. It epitomizes everything I love about Lord’s writing.