I’ve always been a fan of the Romance Novel – I started reading them in junior high – but there has been a big shift in recent years from stories that revolve around two fairly one-dimensional people falling in love to stories about two complicated people, with depths of emotions and life experiences and medical conditions and diverse cultural and racial and socio-economic backgrounds and a full spectrum of gender and sexual identities falling in love, and we get to really learn about who they are as people while still getting that fun endorphin rush from the meet-cutes and built-up tension and happily-ever-afters.  Plus, our will-they-won’t-they protagonists always have a slew of quirky besties that enrich the story. Maybe these deeper romances existed 30 years ago, but I certainly didn’t know about them, and they are just so good. 

My new favorite is The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood.  I’m really tired right now because I read it in 24 hours. I could not put it down.  First of all, it’s hilarious, and a RomCom is even better than a Romance. This one ranks in hilarity with two of my all-time favorites: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell and The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abi Waxman.  The lovebirds here are biology PhD student Olive and Professor Adam (not her professor, that would be weird) who enter into a Fake Relationship for reasons I won’t spoil for you, but the ridiculous situations created by their web of lies do not disappoint. This is a classic romance trope, but this book gets a little bit meta with it to humorous effect. While told in third person, we are inside Olive’s messy brain at all times and the contrast between her self-deprecating thoughts and her sarcastic sass is sad and sweet and funny all at once.  

Before I’d even finished this book, I went looking for others by the author because give me more! As it turns out, Ali Hazelwood has many other published works, but they are all in scientific journals because she is, in fact, a scientist, just like her characters. How did this side career come about when she is clearly very busy being a successful academic? It turns out Hazelwood used to write Star Wars and Star Trek Fan Fiction for fun, and she got so much positive feedback and encouragement from the FanFic Community that she decided to try writing something original.  Somehow this story makes the book itself even better!

Romance novel disclosure: This one is middle of the road in the Steaminess Department: descriptive but not explicit. 

Book rating: ALL THE STARS! Take it on vacation, unless you want to actually hang out with your friends and family, in which case stay home alone and read it guilt-free in a single day like I did. 

Review from Bri

Finding Langston is the first in a trilogy by Lesa Cline-Ransome. It’s a story about Langston, an 11-year old boy uprooted from his life in Alabama and thrust into 1946 Chicago where he moves with his Dad, seeking a better life after his mother dies. We follow Langston to school through his city neighborhood, witness his struggles as he deals with a bully, a new school and the difficulty of not fitting in anywhere – even with his Dad. He soon realizes that he can always escape his everyday world with a book and also discovers that he shares a love of poetry with his mother. Lots of historical facts are peppered throughout this fast paced book – we learn much about writers and other historical figures in Chicago, what life was like for African Americans during those years in the city and how it differed from life in the south, yet remained the same. 

For ages 9 -12; grades 2-5.

From Library Journal: Cline-Ransome’s novel is an engaging, quick, and relatable read that skillfully incorporates themes of race, class, post-war American life in the North and South, and a bit of Langston Hughes’ poetry.

Find this book at the library here

Get book 2, Leaving Lymon, and book 3, Being Clem.

Reviewed by Susan.

This book was an absolute delight to read from start to finish. Probably my most enjoyable read from last year and perfect effervescent escapism with just enough bite to keep you absolutely hooking and chomping at the bit for the next installment.

This book is narrated by teenage El, who is at a school for wizards, but unlike any one I’ve ever seen. Built into a void, the school has no teachers and isn’t for the faint of heart as it’s infested with monsters that eat the magically inclined to consume their power. Students survive by wheeling and dealing and forming alliances, but El has a hard time with this, as her natural affinity for total destruction is a bit of a turn-off and she covers this up with a sarcastic wit which is so much fun to read.

This book effortlessly combines complex world-building with action and character development in this exciting new magic world. Knowing that Novik has drawn from fairytales for past books, I wouldn’t be surprised if this one had some influence from old myths, but none that I have ever heard of. This is an exciting story with engaging characters and I’m so excited for the next installment of the series (scheduled for this June) to see what happens next!

Reviewed by Pam.

Set in Paris, and told from the point of view of animals who make this wonderful city their home, this book is transportive, to another place, yes, but even better in these times, to another way of life, one outside of human concerns. Featuring a dog who has lost her master, an intrepid horse who ran away from the racetrack, a raven, a couple of ducks, and a little boy who crosses their path, Smiley deftly navigates this tightrope while remaining fairly realistic and never veering too far into the “cutesy” realm. This book is a delight to snuggle up against, like your favorite pet.