Blue Lily, Lily Blue - Maggie Stiefvater

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

**Read as an audiobook**

I picked this up on a whim. Thinking it would be an audiobook that took me a month or so to finish. But it wasn't that at all! I listened to it on my two hour drive back to school and I was hooked. I started listening to it as I walked to class and as I drove to the grocery store, anytime I could.

This book, in my opinion, is the second best in the series. My ratings right now are

1. The Raven Boys (4.5)

2. Blue Lily, Lily Blue (4)

3. Dream Thieves (3.5)

It's been a year (almost) since I've read the other two, but I think this one had me more captivated than The Raven Boys. I remember being enthralled by the ending of the first book, but this one was the book where I finally felt attached to the characters, like what was happening to them, was happening to me. I wanted what was best for them in all ways.

While reading this book, I might've tried to argue that the pacing for it was off and was slow. But I take back that opinion now that I've finished. It was more trying to build anticipation toward the ending. It was prolonging the journey to make the reader more invested in the livelihoods of all the characters and what they are individually going through within the course of the book.

Like I said before, this is the first time I have felt attached to the characters while reading this series. I'm not sure if it's because this is the third book or if I liked how the audiobook narrator gave each character their own voice, I don't know but this book was was better than the other two in that respect.

I'll definitely be picking up the final book in the series soon.

We Should All Be Feminists - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

While at the library today, I decided on a whim that I would go and see if this book was available. I was lucky, it was. I took it off the shelf, back to the table where my stuff was waiting for me, and I dove into this.

I knew what to expect from this, but at the same time I didn't know exactly what to expect. Was it going to be something was feminist and empowering? Would it be somewhat demeaning to anyone who wasn't a feminist? I wasn't sure. What I did know was that no matter what, it would be powerful and impactful, and I was completely right about that.

The author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is from Nigeria, and the way people treat men and women there is significantly different than in the United States where I am from. In Nigeria a woman is not respected unless she is married. A woman cannot go into a hotel without a man because they are afraid she is a sex worker. A woman cannot go into appraised nightclubs without a man because for a woman to have worth she must be accompanied by a man. She explains in this book, which started as a TED Talk back in 2012, all of the people she knows that have told her "Maybe don't call yourself a feminist" like being a feminist is a bad thing. Specifically, that you hate men, that you are unhappy in your marriage, etc. All these things connected to a word. But I respect what she does after all these people criticize her about being a feminist. She says I am a happy feminist, who does not hate men, who wears shiny lipgloss not for men but for myself. I can't explain how much I respect that.

She gives personal life experiences about her being a feminist. That while in an argument, she was called a feminist by an old friend as an insult. There is nothing wrong with being a feminist. In her childhood class, she could not be the monitor because it was assumed that the monitor would be a boy, because girls wouldn't want to do that. She even mentions the experiences of people she knows, here in the United States (!), that are being put down or not treated the same as men simply because they are a woman. It seriously grinds my gears. Women and Men, have biological differences, but we have equal worth.

This touched a nerve, and I feel now that I will notice these tiny discriminations against women more often now that they have been pointed out to me. This was a powerful read and I would recommend it to everyone, not just women.

How to Build a Heart - Maria Padian

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Received an arc from NetGalley for an honest review.

This book was great, and a lot better than I originally was made out to believe. I thought this was one of those young adult contemporaries that could get lost among the rest but this book provided something that the others did not: Characters I care deeply about, a plot that connected all the characters and made everything interesting, the call out on racism, and the importance of family and friends. Another thing I enjoyed was the romance. It was pure and just cute!

This book also packed a punch! Of many multitudes. Like I previously mentioned, it called out the blatant racism from Isabella's Grandma, and how even from a young age Isabella knew it was wrong. Her dad ended up leaving the family because of it (not a major spoiler I promise). There was diversity, with multiple examples of integration of different languages (which was so cool and made it more real to life) and the culture brought by Isabella's mother, all so great!! I also loved the Habitat for Humanity storyline, it was unique and something I personally haven't seen done before in a young adult book. It's something I knew of already, but it's important to introduce it to younger people because it's an amazing thing.

Overall, this book was great and I would very much recommend it to anyone looking for a heart-wrenching yet heart warming young adult contemporary!