Couple: Shahrzad al-Khayzuran and Khalid Ibn al-Rashid from The Wrath and the Dawn and The Rose and the Dagger by Renée Ahdieh Ages: 16 and 18 Who Are Shahrzad and Khalid? Khalid is the Caliph of Khorasan, a boy-king who came to power when he was fourteen years old, a monster who has been marrying a different girl…
Favorite Couple: Eleanor and Park
It’s absolutely no surprise that we are huge fans of Rainbow Rowell. Between the two of us, we’ve read all of her books. In fact, without discussing it, we both read and finished “Landline” within days of each other last week. We will definitely be discussing that book in future posts, but this post is…
Love and Fame: Open Road Summer and Something Real
In the past month I’ve read two contemporaries — “Open Road Summer” and “Something Real” — that really struck a chord, because they were romances, yes, but they were also commentaries on celebrity, fame, friendship, and family. “Open Road Summer” by Emery Lord and “Something Real” by Heather Demetrios are not fluffy bubble-gum reads; they’re…
Selective Collective: ‘Ink’ Roundtable Discussion
Our Selective Collective book for June is “Ink” by Amanda Sun. It’s one of the first times in a while we’ve read a fantasy series, and it was quite fascinating to explore Japanese mythology with an orphaned American teen as our guide. “Ink” offers not only romance (it is a Harlequin title, after all) but…
The Problem With Love Triangles in YA
I’ve been meaning to write about this for a while, and of course there are SO many articles about this topic I hesitate to throw in my own two cents. But after reading three love-triangle-heavy series (“Unravel Me,” “Clockwork Princess,” “Vampire Academy”) in the last month, I couldn’t bite my tongue any more. Love triangles…
Fan Art: Eleanor & Park by Simini Block
It’s been a busy week with deadlines and migraines and missed blogging opportunities, so I’m going to just share one of my all-time favorite Simini Blocker pieces — this kissing scene from “Eleanor & Park.” It lifts me up and brings a smile to my face and makes me think of how Eleanor thinks of…
Editor’s Pick: Just One Day by Gayle Forman
Just One Day by Gayle Forman Publisher: Dutton | 368 pages | Buy It A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay When sheltered American good girl Allyson “LuLu” Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable…
Favorite Couple: Terra and Jacob from North of Beautiful
In anticipation of our Book Club Day later this week for Justina Chen Headley’s newest book “Return to Me,” we are featuring her previous book’s central characters Terra and Jacob as our latest “Favorite Couple.” Couple: Terra Cooper and Jacob Fremont of “North of Beautiful” by Justina Chen Headley Ages: They’re both seniors in…
Teen Romance in Books: It Can Be Slow and Powerful
I have often been asked why I like Ron and Hermione so much. I mean, they only kiss exactly once, after thousands of pages of them bickering and teasing and giving each other the silent treatment. But that’s not at all what I see. I publicly discussed my Potter fangirl love of Ron and Hermione…