Hi, it's Olivia, and today I have a very large book haul for the month of May.
And since there's so many books, may we get right into it.
That didn't come out as cute as I thought it was gonna come out.
The vision didn't meet reality.
Anyway, so first step is this beautiful little book by
the National Book Award winning author and poet, Elizabeth Acevedo.
This is an illustration.
It's her most famous spoken word poem that is brought to life with these really
beautiful illustrations.
Yeah, I love all the different shades of brown on this page.
This was another page that I liked.
It's so sweet, and this whole thing really has themes of
decolonization of beauty standards and radical self-love.
And Elizabeth Acevedo has an impressive backlist of books including The Poet X,
Clap When You Land, and With the Fire on High.
I listened to the audiobook for The Poet X a few years ago and
highly recommend it because she also narrates it herself.
Next we have Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl.
And this is another heartfelt, funny, smart rom com by author Joya Goffney,
who is also the author of Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry.
Some themes and tropes you'll find in here are enemies to lovers, slow burn romance
that, unlikely, but actually really great friend group, great family dynamics.
But most importantly, our main character Monique is on this journey to self-love
and realizing her worth.
Next is Breathe and Count Back from Ten by Natalia Sylvester.
And like the main character here, Veronica,
the author, Natalia, is also a Peruvian American and also has hip dysplasia.
And so while the book does deal with topics like sex positivity and
mental health, and the main character's experiences with hip dysplasia.
It also features that sweet and
swoony summer romance when this new boy Alex comes into town.
Next up is Cafe Con Lychee by Emery Lee,
which has the most delicious looking food and pastries on the front and back.
But anyway, this is a gay enemies to lovers rom com.
And I wanted to mention, in this really great short thread on Twitter,
Emery explains that this is a rom com.
Its main plot structure is a romance, but Emery also states,
hold on, I have it on my phone right here.
Also said that it tackles serious themes like coming out and exploring
queerness in the context of Asian American and Latinx American families.
And I thought that was really nice to give this,
you have a good idea of what you're gonna get in this book.
And this blurb on the back is perfect, I have to end off with this.
As sweet as the baked goods and Boba that fill up its pages.
So next up is The Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson.
And this follows our main character, Lou, who identifies as demisexual.
Just like the title says, this does have its bitter and sweet moments.
This does have heavier topics like sexual assault and racism, but
there's also brighter elements that are weaved into the story,
like this heartwarming friends to lovers story.
We have celebration of Indigenous culture.
And also, of course, Lou discovering her demisexual identity.
Next up we have Some Mistakes Were Made by Kristin Dwyer.
And this is like Sarah Dessen books meeting Adam Silvera books.
And we have dual timelines in the story,
where we are tracking both the history and the present of this very complex and
messy but beautiful relationship between the characters Ellis and Easton.
So we're exploring friendship, and love, and
also really what makes a family a family [LAUGH] in the story.
Next up is How To Live Without You by Sarah Everett.
And this is a relatable and heartfelt story
of a complicated sisterhood that also has a mystery element.
So we follow our main character, Emmy, who has returned home to really uncover
the truth behind her sister's disappearance.
And in doing so, secrets start to come to the surface.
So this one will take us on an emotional roller coaster with suspense and thrills.
This would also be a good pick for fans of Monday's Not Coming and Sadie.
Next we have Gideon Green in Black and White by Katie Henry.
And this is a blend of comedy and the vibe of Veronica Mars.
[LAUGH] This is also a tribute to classic film noirs.
And I think I'm just gonna read this part at the front cuz I liked it.
It said, the third greatest tragedy of Gideon Green's life,
he doesn't live in a film noir.
The second being stuck in high school for 498 more days.
And the first, don't worry about it, it's not important.
[LAUGH] So that's kind of the vibe you're getting with this book.
And it also has a really cute story of first love as well.
Next up is The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes.
And if the chapter titles are any indication, then this is one
of the funniest books [LAUGH] to come out recently, because let me read.
You could just tell that the author, Sonora,
that they had a great time with these chapter titles.
Chapter number one is, thou shalt not trust a two faced bleep.
[LAUGH] Yeah, and chapter five is, make unto thee nonracist friends.
So this one follows the humor, heartache, and
self-discovery of our main character, Yami Flores.
And I must say this might be one of my favorite covers of today's haul.
So next we have Twin Crowns by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber.
And as the back says, two princesses, one throne, what could go wrong?
This is the romantic fantasy that you've always wanted.
This follows twin sisters who are complete opposites.
They were separated at birth.
And so on one end, we have Wren, who is a witch and has been trained since birth to
steal the crown from her sister to avenge her parents' murder.
And then you have Princess Rose, the other sister, who has been kidnapped and
is now experiencing life out of the palace for the first time and
also discovering a life changing secret.
So this book is fun, with funny dialogue, and two steamy romances.
And also at its core, the bonds of sisterhood.
Speaking of which, the two authors, they're sisters in law.
[LAUGH] That's so cute.
So next up we have How We Ricochet by the critically acclaimed author Faith Gardner.
She is also the author of Girl on the Line.
The author's writing is both beautiful and haunting as we follow our main family who
is dealing with the aftermath of a tragedy that they experienced while at the mall.
And so this is following them trying to heal, and
really trying to reorient their place in the world.
And so this is gonna be one of those books that sticks with you well after you finish
reading it.
Next we have Only on the Weekends by the Stonewall award-winning author,
Dean Atta, who is also the author of the Black Flamingo.
So not only is Dean himself a very talented poet,
he also performs his own work.
And this book itself is written in verse.
It is perfect, right?
[LAUGH] So next we have Milo and Marcos at the End of the World by
Kevin Christopher Snipes, who is also the creator of the Two Princes podcast.
This is not only a story about discovering love for somebody else, but
discovering love for yourself.
In here follow Milo, who just wants to get through senior year smoothly.
And then in comes a certain dreamy Marcos who comes to town.
And now all of these kinds of long buried feelings start to come up.
But on top of that, this is taking place in a Florida town where suddenly
sinkholes and blackouts and hailstorms have been starting up.
And so what's going on, read this to find out.
Next is, all these books are so colorful, by the way.
And this is no exception, Queer Ducks and Other Animals by National Book Award
finalist and best selling author Eliot Schrefer, who is an author that has spent
over a decade writing about and researching animals.
So this is about exactly what the tagline says,
which is about the natural role of animal sexuality.
This also features illustrations by Jules Zuckerberg with these
hilarious comics throughout.
Yeah, and other illustrations, and so this is just a really fun and
unique nonfiction book.
Next up is Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches by Kate Scelsa.
So this uses tarot card imagery throughout the novel.
It's the perfect modern witchy book, though it is not a fantasy.
This is a contemporary story with self-proclaimed witches
in modern day Salem.
So think Friends with tarot cards and holding seances.
Next up is Out of the Blue by Jason June,
and this follows our main character, Crest.
And they are a gender queer merperson who is stuck on land for a month because they
have to help out a human before they're allowed to return back to the ocean.
That's a journey that all of the teen merfolk take.
So Crest starts fake dating, cuz we got the fake dating trope,
this boy named Sean, and they're trying to make Sean's ex jealous.
But as you might imagine, some real feelings start to bloom.
And then now they have to deal with the fact that they're from such different
worlds and what their future looks like and
the difficult decisions that will come up.
So then we also have Private Label by Kelly Yang,
who is the New York Times bestselling author of the Front Desk series.
So this follows a very beautiful friends to lovers romance that is also
taking place amidst a family tragedy.
And it's set in this high stakes high fashion world.
And not only is this the author of the Front Desk series but
she also wrote Parachutes, which is a book that I've heard amazing praise for.
So I'm sure we've got another great book on our hands.
And last, but as we know, not least, we have Flip the Script by Lyla Lee.
This one follows a bisexual K-drama star who is finding herself in
a love triangle with her male co-star and rival actress [LAUGH].
And this is also the author of I'll Be the One.
And this is just a book that will make you smile.
It's fun, it's got a heartwarming romance.
It's certainly something that would be a great pick heading into the summer.
So that is all the books that I have for you today.
I'm going to take the challenge and try to hold them all real quick, let's see.
You can't see me off camera, but things are not going well over here.
But as I try to fix this situation, just know if you're interested in any of
the books, please feel free to check out the links in the description or
seek out your local library and see if they have any.
Okay, I think [LAUGH] I have to slowly lifting them up, here we go.
Can you see them?
Yeah, kind of.
[LAUGH] Thank you so much for watching.
Let me know your thoughts on any of these books.
And I will see you in another video.
Bye, you can picture me waving, bye.