I READ LIKE BOOKSANDLALA FOR A WEEK

    I started watching Lala at the start of quarantine and her videos have been on constant repeat since. I love watching her videos because she reads so many books that I have never heard of and are of genres that I don't read from, mainly YA contemporary and adult thrillers. 

Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson 5/5

"Mila Flores and her best friend Riley have always been inseparable. There's not much excitement in their small town of Cross Creek, so Mila and Riley make their own fun, devoting most of their time to Riley's favorite activity: amateur witchcraft.

So when Riley and two Fairmont Academy mean girls die under suspicious circumstances, Mila refuses to believe everyone's explanation that her BFF was involved in a suicide pact. Instead, armed with a tube of lip gloss and an ancient grimoire, Mila does the unthinkable to uncover the truth: she brings the girls back to life.

Unfortunately, Riley, June, and Dayton have no recollection of their murders, but they do have unfinished business to attend to. Now, with only seven days until the spell wears off and the girls return to their graves, Mila must wrangle the distracted group of undead teens and work fast to discover their murderer...before the killer strikes again."

     - This was such an enjoyable read, and a great start to a reading week! I loved how it felt like a contemporary but then there would be a mention of rotten flesh and I'm like oh yeah that's happening. As funny as I though this was, there were also more serious parts that I really appreciated. Mila's best friend had just passed away so there's conversation around grief and the different ways people deal with it. Riley's brother was a source of comfort to Mila because not only did he lose a sister, but he also lost two of his friends. Mila avoided talking about Riley's death to the people around her (her family, the school counselor) so I liked that she had Riley's brother for that. And that plot twist at the end? Didn't see that coming.

Blanca & Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore 5/5

"The biggest lie of all is the story you think you already know.

The del Cisne girls have never just been sisters; they’re also rivals, Blanca as obedient and graceful as Roja is vicious and manipulative. They know that, because of a generations-old spell, their family is bound to a bevy of swans deep in the woods. They know that, one day, the swans will pull them into a dangerous game that will leave one of them a girl, and trap the other in the body of a swan.

But when two local boys become drawn into the game, the swans’ spell intertwines with the strange and unpredictable magic lacing the woods, and all four of their fates depend on facing truths that could either save or destroy them. Blanca & Roja is the captivating story of sisters, friendship, love, hatred, and the price we pay to protect our hearts."

     - This book was so good!! When I read that the sisters would be involved in a game, I though it would be something like Hunger Games style but it's not like that. The summary says that they're rivals but it never felt that way in the book. Even when Roja was angry at her sister, there would be glimpses where you're reminded that these two have tried their whole lives not to fall into the swans plans for them. When Yearling and Page first got introduced, I was confused because I had no idea how they would play into the story. But man, at the end of the book, I was ready to lay down my life for both of them. When Yearling apologized because he wanted the world to be good for Page? I CRY.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon 4.5/5

"Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways."

     - I rarely read contemporary but this one is a new favorite! There were times that Dimple felt too close to the "I'm not like other girls" trope but it wasn't too bad. Not going to lie, Rishi was the star of the show for me. I liked that he was still nice towards Dimple even when she said she wasn't interested and he stuck up for her when she was fine with just letting people make comments. I loved how Rishi fully embraced his heritage and how much he wanted to keep to tradition. It was nice to read instead of the "stuck between two cultures" narrative usually found in novels. Sandhya Menon tweeted that there was going to be a movie being released on Netflix this fall that's inspired by this novel and I am hyped!!

When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore 5/5

"To everyone who knows them, best friends Miel and Sam are as strange as they are inseparable. Roses grow out of Miel’s wrist, and rumors say that she spilled out of a water tower when she was five. Sam is known for the moons he paints and hangs in the trees, and for how little anyone knows about his life before he and his mother moved to town. But as odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel’s skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love. And they’re willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up."

     - You guys, this book was so beautiful. From the dedication, to the acknowledgements, to Miel and Samir, to the author's note. I swooned, I sighed, I teared up, and nothing I say here will do it justice. If you read just one book from this pile, make it this one. 

    Three five star books and a four and a half. I think this is proof that Lala has good taste and I should read everything she recommends. I kind of want to read her favorite thrillers now, a genre that I have never read from before.

iscelle robee