Girls Like Girls

Girls Like Girls / Hayley Kiyoko

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
Girls Like Girls
By: Hayley Kiyoko
Genre: YA, Romance
Number of Pages: 336
Published: May 30, 2023
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Dates Read: October 9, 2023 - October 10, 2023
Format: ARC / eBook / Audiobook

Trigger Warnings: mentions of suicide, grief, loss of a parent, homophobia, underage drinking and drug use

It’s the summer of 2006 and 17-year-old Coley has been forced to move to rural Oregon after losing her mother. She’s in no position to risk her already fragile heart – but then she meets Sonya, and everything she’s tried to keep down goes flying. Both girls have a lot to figure out and realize before they can step up.

Based on Hayley Kiyoko’s hit song and music video with the same title, Girls Like Girls is about young, queer love between two girls.

The writing of this isn’t perfect, I didn’t think it would be, especially being Hayley Kiyoko’s debut novel, but it made up for it in the parts that really hit it home. Sure some parts were a bit cringey and filled with teenage dramatics, but it was also very lyrical and still realistic in parts.

Though, Tenton drove me so nuts! I understand in a way that it’s set in a small town and you don’t always have a wide selection of people to hang out with but like – come on! Sonya would continuously defend him but we never saw anything good from him.

Overall, this is a cutesy YA sapphic romance that gives a bit of a “cinematic extension” to Kiyoko’s song and music video with the same title. Don’t hold it up to high standards of regular romance, it is Young Adult – other than that, I can see quite a few people enjoying the read.

*Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Stoked for This: May 2023

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment

I was already pretty bad at keeping up with this, wasn’t I? April kind of got out from under me, but I am trying to get my feet back on the ground for these next few weeks. I was lucky enough to have two extra days off last week and that allowed me to get caught up in some things. Of those things included my Stoked for This: May 2023 edition!

RELEASE DATE: MAY 2, 2023

Warrior Girl Unearthed

by: Angeline Boulley

Why am I stoked for this release?

Angeline Boulley wrote Firekeeper’s Daughter, which is one of my all time favorite Young Adult books – I’m constantly recommending it at work. In this book, Perry Firekeeper-Birch and a group of Misfits work together to give Warrior Girl and twelve other Anishinaabe ancestor’s remains back to their tribes. Boulley brought up Indigenous issues in her last book that I honestly wasn’t aware of and I’m anticipating I will learn a lot in this book as well.

Where You See Yourself

By: Claire Forrest

Why am I stoked for this release?

Always a goal of mine is to read more books with different representation. This one is about Effie, a senior in high school with cerebral palsy who uses a wheelchair, and her journey in finding the right college to attend the following year. I’m actually in the process of finishing this book right now and, while there is some romance to this, it’s not really the main focus (I’m not the biggest fan of YA romance anywho…). But the complexity of the disability representation is amazing and I’m exciting for this to hit the shelves.

Hula

by: Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes

Why am I stoked for this release?

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month so it’s a perfect time for this release and read. I’m going to be honest and admit that I haven’t read a lot of novels set in Hawi’i culture so I’m excited to read this one that dives into mother-daughter relationships, dysfunctional families, and the history and culture of Hawi’i.

RELEASE DATE: MAY 9, 2023

A Shadow Crown (The Halfling Saga #2)

by: Melissa Blair

Why am I stoked for this release?

Technically I’m excited for both books of this Saga. I already knew I was going to love the first book and shortly after I had picked that one up, did I realize there will be another. I’m kind of weird when it comes to series – and weird in the way that I hate waiting to have to read one and will just wait for the next one to come out (but what if it’s a longer series – then I usually cave) Anywho… assassin female spies in a Fantasy land? Count me in.

Daughters of Snow and Cinders

by: Núria Tamarit, Jenna Allen (Translator)

Why am I stoked for this release?

Kaite got this in as an ARC from the publishers at work and I immediately asked for it because I loved the artwork. This will be the English debut of Spanish cartoonist and illustrator Núria Tamarit. But again, I’m so excited to see the storyline that goes with the art that I saw when I did a flip through.

RELEASE DATE: MAY 16, 2023

The Guest

by: Emma Cline

Why am I stoked for this release?

Did anyone else read Emma Cline’s book The Girls? I did quite a few years ago and I don’t remember a lot of it (it was before I would review all my reads) but I do remember that it was a crazy book. This one a young girl pretends to be someone she isn’t as a homeless “grifter” in Long Island.

The God of Good Looks

by: Breanne Mc Ivor

Why am I stoked for this release?

First off, please look at the cover of this book and tell me you aren’t intrigued! This one is about a young Trinidadian woman finding her voice and new kind of happy ending. I have a patron I adore who is from Trinidad & Tobago and this is novel will hopefully give me a bit more to insight to her island so the next time she tells me about her home, I may have more connection.

Paper Planes

By: Jennie Wood, Dozerdraws (Illustrator)

Why am I stoked for this release?

A summer camp for troubled youth after “an incident” where now to ex best friends have to rekindle their relationship? Give me.

RELEASE DATE: MAY 30, 2023

Witch King

by: Martha Wells

Why am I stoked for this release?

The description of this says, “A story of power and friendship, of trust and betrayal, and of the families we choose”. That pretty much checks off a lot of my favorite tropes, so that’s pretty self explanatory as to why I’m stoked for this…

Girls Like Girls

by: Hayley Kiyoko

Why am I stoked for this release?

A YA novel based on hit song, Girls Like Girls from Hayley Kiyoko. I was the type of girl who grew up reading fan fiction of stories based on songs. I’m curious to read the actual story of a song from the singer.