The other day I shared some mini romance reviews and today I thought I would share my thoughts on recent young adult books that I have devoured through mini YA reviews. Today I’m reviewing Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes, Dear Martin (Dear Martin #1) by Nic Stone and The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo.
Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes
Pages: 382
Publish date: May 17th 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
ISBN: 9780062379962
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU
Sixteen-year-old Maguire knows the universe is against her. No matter how many charms she buys off the internet or good luck rituals she performs each morning, horrible things happen when she’s around. Like that time the roller coaster jumped off its tracks. Or the time the house next door caught on fire. Or the time her brother, father, and uncle were all killed in a car crash–and Maguire walked away with barely a scratch.
Despite what her therapist tells her, Maguire thinks it’s best to hide out in her room, far away from anyone she might accidentally hurt. But then she meets Jordy, an aspiring tennis star who wants to help her break her unlucky streak. Maguire knows that the best thing she can do for him is to stay away, but it turns out staying away might be harder than she thought.
Girl Against the Universe:
I’ve been wanting to read this for a while now. The hardback was expensive at first so I had to wait until the paperback was out. Then I forgot about it. But this year my best friend Ely and I decided we wanted to pick a few books for each other to read. And this is what she picked for me. And I’m so glad.
Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes follows Maguire as she tries to navigate her life at a new school while also trying to manger her PTSD as well as her so-called ‘bad luck’. When Maguire’s therapist encourages her to start a sport that includes other people, she is hesitant. Then she meets Jordy. He wants to help Maguire break her ‘bad luck’. And while she tries to push him away, Maguire can’t help but start to fall for him.
Maguire was such an interesting protagonist and I loved her. She was really easy to get along with, even though she wasn’t always likable. Her character arc was fantastic and I loved seeing her grow. The reader can see her growth throughout the novel. And Maguire isn’t “fixed” but she is helped. Maguire is witty but quiet. And that’s what makes her so endearing.
Mental health and PTSD were one of the main focuses of Girl Against the Universe. Like I said she wasn’t fixed by a boy or love, but she was helped. Maguire was given ways to cope and ways to help herself. I loved seeing Maguire’s determination to try and help herself. At first, the reader can see she might have been doing it for others, however, by the end it was for herself. And I loved seeing that.
I loved seeing all the different relationships throughout the novel. They all stood out on their own and were all so important to assisting Maguire. The romance was hella adorable. Like it melted my heart so damn much. I can’t even begin to explain. I love the friendships she builds, and the family bonds she repairs. These were all done so well.
Overall, I adored Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes. It was an excellent novel that does focus on mental health. It’s not a love fixes all kind of novel but explores how those around can help you in a way that you never thought. Maguire and Jordy were adorable and I love them so much. If you are looking for a positive mental health novel that has a little bit of everything then this is for you.
Dear Martin (Dear Martin #1) by Nic Stone
Pages: 210
Publish date: October 17th 2017
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9781101939499
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD
Justyce McAllister is top of his class and set for the Ivy League—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. And despite leaving his rough neighbourhood behind, he can’t escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates. Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr King to find out.
Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up—way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it’s Justyce who is under attack.
Dear Martin:
I’ve been putting off picking this up since I picked it up. I knew that I had to be in the headspace to grasp everything that Dear Martin explores. But I am so glad that I did. I got it last year while I was in the States and was able to read it last week. And it’s going to be one that I remember for a while.
Justyce looks to Dr Martin Luther King Jr. for guidance after a white police officer puts him in handcuffs. It doesn’t matter that his the top of his class, set for Ivy League and left his old neighbourhood behind. But he starts to find some sort of solace writing to Dr King. But then everything changes the day that he does on a drive with his best friend, Manny. When a white off-duty cop fires shots.
I enjoyed Justyce as a protagonist. I loved getting to see him grow and was so easy to get along with. The reader can see Justyce growth throughout the whole of Dear Martin and some of it is because of horrible horrible events. But one should have to go through what he did. Justyce voice is strong and powerful. It hits your right in the guys – and that is what made this book so fantastic.
I loved being able to see different sides of Justyce and his interaction with different people. He can see the true colours of classmates and the world and sometimes that was hard for him to understand. I also loved the different relationships explored throughout the novel. The reader can see Justyce interact with a lot of different people and some of those help shape him.
A slight problem that I had with Dear Martin was that I felt that it was a little too short. I feel that it could have been fleshed out a little more. That doesn’t mean it needed 100 more pages, even just a chapter or two.
Overall, Dear Martin by Nic Stone is an emotional read, but it’s also powerful and beautiful. Justyce was such a fantastic protagonist. He felt real and honest and that made for such an incredible read. Dear Martin explores the injustices of the world and why the #BlackLivesMatter movement is so important to understand as well as support. If you haven’t read this book, please do. It is a powerful but brutal read.
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
Pages: 357
Publish date: March 6th 2018
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
ISBN: 9780062662804
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD
A young girl in Harlem discovers slam poetry as a way to understand her mother’s religion and her own relationship to the world.
Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighbourhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.
But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself.
So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her Mami finding out, much less speak her words out loud. But still, she can’t stop thinking about performing her poems.
Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.
The Poet X:
I am not going to lie, I cried for the last maybe 40 minutes of The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. Like heavy, deep crying. I’m so lucky that I was listening to it on audio because if I was reading a physical copy I would have not been able to see. The Poet X is a stunning debut and if you have the chance, please read it on audio.
The Poet X follows Xiomara Batista, or simply X as she tries to navigate where she fits in life. And she pours all her thoughts and passions into a leather notebook, she words turn into something more. But, X doesn’t know what to do when she is invited to join her schools Slam Poetry Club. Her mother won’t let her, she won’t let her do anything that goes against anything to do with the church. Thrown in new feelings for a boy in her bio class, X is now facing decisions that might tear her apart.
I loved Xiomara, she has to be one of my favourite protagonist I’ve read so far this year. Her passion and determination were strong and bold. I loved that she questioned things in her life, but also understood the importance of those things in other peoples lives. At times I just wanted to give her a big hug and just tell her everything is going to be alright. I’ve seen a few reviews that call X angry and why wouldn’t she be? Why is that a bad thing? I found X honest and so relatable.
There was a big focus on faith throughout the whole of The Poet X and especially regarding her mother and her connection to faith. At times some of these scenes were hard to read because X not only question her connection to faith but herself as well. Her relationship with her mother is another major focus of the novel. It’s not a good or healthy relationship and that is explored throughout The Poet X. I thought the romance was hella adorable and I enjoyed seeing both X and Aman grow both together and apart.
The Poet X is an emotional book. As I said I cried for the last 40 minutes or so of the book. It was hard-hitting and did take a lot out of me. The reader is truly able to feel X’s pain, her troubles and everything in between. There were also times throughout the book that were telling and I loved it, so much.
Overall, I can’t even begin to explain how beautiful and stunning The Poet X is. The passion and thought that went into every word, every poem was just perfect. I love how each poem intertwined, everything felt like it belonged. I don’t read a lot of modern poetry, but I love spoken word and slam poetry. It just sounds beautiful. And I loved how Elizabeth Acevedo presented it here. 
And that is it for today’s mini YA reviews. Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Did you love them as much as I did? Let’s Chat!
Also, a quick reminder to check out these resources regarding #BlackLivesMatter. It’s important to understand and help where you can. It’s not over.
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