When We Were Infinite, by Kelly Loy Gilbert // Thoughts & Ramblings on a New Favorite

It’s been a long time since I last read a book that left me feeling viscerally changed. That is, until I finished reading When We Were Infinite a few days ago.

Sitting in the back of my family’s minivan, hurtling down a highway in Tennessee as rain pounded the windshield, I just stared at the blank page at the end of the book and thought- about the novel and the characters, yes, but also about how my life would never quite be the same now that I had read it. I could tell that the emotions I’d felt and the thoughts provoked by what I’d just read would be staying with me for a long, long time.

I’ve always read only recreationally, but ever since I started blogging and especially as I’ve become more involved in the world of Goodreads and ratings and reviews and to-be-read shelves and releases, I’ve become a much more critical reader. I no longer rate a book only on my enjoyment, but I’m also considering so many other factors as I read: do I truly like the characters? Am I bored at all? Is the writing exceptionally good?

Within the last year, I’ve found myself rating very few books five stars, and often I’ll already be thinking about the rating I’m going to give a book as I’m reading. (This might be unhealthy reader behavior.) When I was about a fourth of the way into When We Were Infinite, I knew it was going to be five stars. When I was halfway through When We Were Infinite, I knew I was going to need to talk about this book with someone, anyone. By the time I finished it, I knew that writing a blog post solely about this book was non-negotiable.

I’ve (much to my dismay) abandoned my blog terribly over the last school year. I wish I could attribute it to just being busy, but I know the reasoning lies much more with a lack of motivation or compelling content to blog about. But after finishing When We Were Infinite, I was overflowing with motivation and a desire to get all my thoughts out about this novel. Even if they’re scattered, even if this post isn’t as formatted as I normally would want and doesn’t follow the patterns of my ordinary content (something that caused me a lot of anguish over whether or not I should even post this), I ultimately decided that this is my book blog and there is no right or wrong way for me to talk about a book I truly loved (with no spoilers). So, here’s me doing just that- and thank you for being here. :’)

5 Books To Read While You’re Social Distancing // Aka My Top Cozy & Heartwarming Recommendations

For me, reading has been such an escape these past few weeks.

Before COVID-19 had blown up where I live, before I was quarantined in my house and I was doing online school and taking dance classes over Zoom, I hadn’t read solidly in months. A book here, finishing a book there, reading this or that required book for school- but I really wasn’t reading for fun anymore.

I definitely still haven’t caught up to my Goodreads challenge yet (I’m still more or less 10 books behind), but with more free time, I’ve started reading a lot more. These days, it feels like my mind is going a million different directions and is perpetually anxious both about the present and future, and reading has become something that’s been able to calm me down, be an escape, and allow me to end my days (and often fill my days) with something that entertains me well.

I’ve discovered some new books recently that I want a chance to talk about (because that’s just me, always screaming about books), and I also of course have some older recommendations, but ultimately, I hope this post can offer you the same comfort books have been giving me lately, and give you something to do while social distancing!

What I’ve Been Reading Lately // ft. mini reviews & YA recommendations!!

I’m back at it again with the mini reviews.

This summer has basically been one massive reading and blogging marathon for me, and I’ve been slacking on my reviews lately, so it’s no surprise that today’s post features lots of mini reviews. Shh, no, I’m not scared of full reviews at all. I read all these books in June, but I still can’t wait to scream about them today!

Much to everyone’s shock, especially my own, this post will not only have YA contemporaries in it but also a fantasy novel! I know, the day that I don’t post solely about contemporaries deserves to become some sort of holiday. Or it should at least have a plaque in its honor because this is monumental.

I’m looking forward to talking about all the good books I’ve been reading lately, so without more nonsense rambling, besides this important reminder to go vote in the 2019 Book Blogger awards, let’s get into the reviews!

3 Hard-Hitting YA Novels I Loved // ft. mini reviews + adoration!!

Sometimes you need a little more than fluff.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all here for a cutesy, fluffy contemporary. I mean, take a look at my bookshelf. But often it’s so necessary to read a YA novel that’s more than fluffy. It’s so important to read books that address more difficult topics, or aren’t only sunshine and happiness all the time.

Today I’m going to be reviewing (in a miniature fashion) three novels I recently read that were incredibly hard-hitting. Each of these sent powerful messages and really got me thinking. Like I said, I have nothing against fluff, but fluff isn’t everything, and these three books really proved that point!

I know I just did a mini reviews post last week, but there are just too many books and too little time that I read and then didn’t get to talk about, so after this post I’ll finally be caught up on my reviews and we can go back to more of my regular scheduled programming. 😉

All right, without further ado, let’s get into the reviews!

5 Books To Overwhelm Your TBR With (!!) // ft. Emma Mills & Other Mini Reviews

It’s that time of the year again.

January is the month of announcing new releases. Your reader is probably full of posts about books coming in 2019, and if you’re like me, your TBR is filled to overflowing- and then you add even more to it, because GOOD BOOKS.

Well, don’t worry, I’m here to make your to-read pile suffer even more. 😉

Today I’m going to be talking about five YA contemporaries that I read in the past few weeks! These have all been released in 2018 or before, but I still think these books deserve all the love in the world.

I’m excited to start screaming, so without further ado, let’s begin!

5 YA Contemporaries You Should Be Reading // Mini Reviews!

I have read so many wonderful books lately.

I owe that all to the many book blogs I read, all of which have provided me with ample book recommendations and succeeded in burying me in my TBR. 😉 I’ll make it out someday. I think. Today I’m really excited to be doing a few mini reviews of some books I’ve been especially loving lately!

I read all of these books in the past two months or so, and they’re all books I highly recommend to you all. Oh, and a disclaimer- there will be no spoilers in any of these reviews (I try to never do spoilers, and definitely not without saying so), so feel more than welcome to read on even if you haven’t read any of these.

Let’s get right into the reviewing!

The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls Review + Author Interview!! // ft. me screaming, as usual

Half the time you can catch me obsessing over contemporaries.

And today, in a shocking turn of events, I will be obsessing over one of my favorite contemporary YA novels, The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls. I’ve been talking about this book a lot over the past few months, and in this post I’m going to be reviewing it and also sharing an interview with the author, Jessica Spotswood.

I first read this book back in July, and that’s when I originally wrote this review, but due to the logistics of everything, it’s just now getting to see the light. I’m so excited to finally be sharing all my thoughts, and doubly excited that I had the opportunity to interview the author for this post.

Without further ado, let’s get started. 😉

8 YA Contemporary Recommendations! // Mini Reviews & All the Heart Eyes

Hi, I’m Olivia, and I love contemporaries way too much.

Okay, maybe not way too much, because there’s no such thing as loving contemporaries too much. They deserve all the love and hugs and heart eyes in the world, am I right?! The answer is yes.

Today’s post is my long-awaited at least by me mini reviews of the books I got in my last library haul, as well as reviews of a couple other books that I read but that didn’t come from the library. All of these are YA contemporaries that I would recommend to all of y’all, and I hope this post helps your TBR turn into even more of a monster. 😉

Without further ado, let’s get started!

MINI REVIEWS! // 5 Contemporaries That Are Perfect For Summer

Do I ever stop reading contemporaries?

The answer to this question is a resounding no. Lately I’ve been reading contemporaries more than ever, and loving them more than ever, too. Today I’ll be sharing five contemporaries I read recently and loved so much that I had to share them with you, too!

All of these books were featured in my June library haul, and this is the long-promised follow-up to that post in which I share my thoughts and ratings. I’ve been looking forward to this for ages now. 😉

If you’re looking for summer book recommendations, you’re in the right place! I’m here to help you find the perfect contemporary (or five) to add to your TBR. Let’s get started!

Review: A List of Cages // My New Favorite Book & A Must-Read

Today I have the honor of reviewing my new favorite book.

You know those books that keep you up all night? The ones that you can’t put down? The ones where you fall in love with the characters? Well, A List of Cages was each of those things, and more. It was simply amazing.

I don’t do reviews a lot, but I had to make the exception for this book. It deserves a full review that properly displays just how much I loved it. Prepare yourself for lots of raving.