Once and For All by Sarah Dessen

Publisher: Viking
Published: June 2017
Genre: young adult, contemporary
Rating: ★★★
Summary: Louna, daughter of famed wedding planner Natalie Barrett, has seen every sort of wedding: on the beach, at historic mansions, in fancy hotels and clubs. Perhaps that’s why she’s cynical about happily-ever-after endings, especially since her own first love ended tragically. When Louna meets charming, happy-go-lucky serial dater Ambrose, she holds him at arm’s length. But Ambrose isn’t about to be discouraged, now that he’s met the one girl he really wants. 

Mini Review: I enjoyed Dessen’s latest, but it also left something to be desired. The characters were good (well-rounded, depth, teen voice), the story was good (growth, development, plot), I enjoyed the Easter eggs (classic Dessen!), and it somewhat reminded me of my favorite Dessen novel (The Truth About Forever)…which may be why it was only good. It felt a little recycled, and the stakes, especially the romance, seemed more like afterthoughts. This landed right in the middle of my Dessen rankings: plain ol’ good. She’s a staple in contemporary YA literature, a modern classic, but I do think this could’ve been better.

This qualifies as book 9 of 5 library books in 2017.

Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali

Publisher: Salaam Reads
Published: June 2017
Genre: young adult, contemporary
Rating: ★★★
Summary: There are three kinds of people in my world:
1. Saints, those special people moving the world forward. Sometimes you glaze over them. Or, at least, I do. They’re in your face so much, you can’t see them, like how you can’t see your nose.
2. Misfits, people who don’t belong. Like me—the way I don’t fit into Dad’s brand-new family or in the leftover one composed of Mom and my older brother, Mama’s-Boy-Muhammad. Also, there’s Jeremy and me. Misfits. Because although, alliteratively speaking, Janna and Jeremy sound good together, we don’t go together. Same planet, different worlds. But sometimes worlds collide and beautiful things happen, right?
3. Monsters. Well, monsters wearing saint masks, like in Flannery O’Connor’s stories. Like the monster at my mosque. People think he’s holy, untouchable, but nobody has seen under the mask. Except me.

Mini Review: Janna is angry and hurt, and wants everyone to know that the scumbag who assaulted her is their beloved star boy at the mosque. This is a great exploration of the mind of an assaulted woman, how many of us respond when violated in some way, especially those of us who have difficulty expressing what happened, convincing others of what happened, or trying to move on from what happened but can’t. The novel is character-driven to the core (the plot is entirely about exposing the truth), showing all sorts of dynamics within a family, a community, and among friends. Be forewarned, this may contain some triggers. Root for Janna; be on the side of justice.

This qualifies as book 10 of 5 library books in 2017.