Summer Book Review

I have always struggled with consistency when it comes to reading. I love reading but even when I love a story I find myself getting sucked into the horrific world of doom scrolling which means a week long book takes me two months to finish. However I have been trying to get over this habit of mine and feel I have done myself tremendously proud. I have been using Fable to keep track of when I do and don't read as well as setting myself a goal to read five books through the span of 2026- It is currently September and I have read 6! So with four months to go and my yearly reading goal surpassed I am beyond satisfied.

I know for many readers this many books seems easy and nothing to be boasting about but let me live! Just because you can read a book every hour does not mean others can so shut up and just support the community.

In particular over the summer I have been reading three books that unknowingly all have the same writing style. I was in a non-reading slump and nothing I owned sounded good (much to the dismay of by ever growing to be read pile) so I went to the library instead and checked out three books from different parts of the library that sounded interesting to me. And I found they all had a similar writing style in which the main character would break the forth wall slightly with humour and an awareness for the situation. The best way I can describe this is the main character being stuck in a lift with the love interest and making a joke of how it is like the plot of a romance novel.

Once again this seems a minor detail, I am sure plenty of books break the forth wall this way and it is true. Many books exhibit this same style however they do not always work in the stories favour. I am all for being self aware and making jokes at your own writing skills- it creates a knowing repour with the reader that sure some parts are cliché but at least we are both aware and can move forward knowing this is just a fun story. However doing it right is another thing. I have seen plenty of stories try to attempt this same relationship with its readers but what I also find is they over compensate. If you want to write a story that follows a classic structure that's already been done before and is full of cliches YOU CAN DO THAT! Making one note of it at the beginning that hints at "hey this is gonna be predictable but enjoyable" is understandable but reminding the reader at every chance that you are self aware and isn't this "so random and funny lol" actually continues to decrease the books content.

There are plenty of tropes that are consistently shown through media that I will always love: enemies to lovers, close proximity, fake dating. And if a book has all three I am going to loose my absolute shit! That doesn't mean I need reminding every few chapters that you are aware of how cliché the writing is, let the story speak for itself. And there are certain elements that do not need to be explained. It is the same notion when a book is trying to base the book in reality and in doing so over compensates what modern day is like and in doing so paints the world is this tragic over dramatized sea of words.

That being said the books I read over the summer did a great job at making the characters and the world feel both realistically connected, jokingly self aware and enjoyably predictable. Those three books were Something to be Proud of, The Language of Seabirds and Jays Guide to Crushing It.

Something to be Proud of

Summary: Main character Zoe has Autism and after her friends left her during a shutdown at a pride festival she makes a vow to not only get rid of her old friends but to create the first ever accessible pride for everyone. Step one in this plan is to start a club at school to tackle such issues, which includes getting the schools openly gay jock Ollie to join. But as Zoe begins to find Ollie is going through his own stresses and making a pride festival isn't as easy as they once thought.

The best thing about this book to me is the amount of self deprecating humour. Zoe as a character is built on her ability to make jokes in any situation which is understandable knowing her dream is to go into stand up. At times these jokes and acts can feel a little on the nose but at the same time who hasn't known someone make a joke that just doesn't quite land. It comes across to me the same way. It builds a light-hearted atmosphere, building a level of dream like wonder where we feel nothing could go wrong because Zoe just brings with her this air of unmoving hope. And while the humour is amazingly carried out in a way that doesn't completely shatter the story there are also perfectly crafted moments of heart that really pull on the heart strings. Investing you even more in the story as you follow these characters as if you too are part of the group.

The Language of Seabirds

Summary: Set in a seaside town somewhere in Oregon, this story follows the young protagonist Jeremy as he tackles the possibility of his first love while on a trip with his dad. It also tackles themes of toxic masculinity as Jeremy comes to terms with his parents recent divorce. Stuck between the decision on who to live with and how his life will change with two homes.

I have read this book before however I thought it was so sweet I had to read it again, and the perfect read for my seaside beach trip. Looking back now I'm not sure why I picked so many school aged reads but they were good so who cares. The Language of Seabirds not only had amazing scenery descriptions of being at the beach over summer but it does a great job at really connecting us to the characters. It isn't just well written characters who we enjoy reading about but we really come to understand why they feel how they and why they act as they act. Following from this is does an annoyingly good job at creating complex characters. I want to hate Jeremy's dad I really do (and by about 99% I do) and yet they manage to add moments of redemption for his character. Adding a nuance to this character that doesn't completely exempt him but makes us pause and reflect.

Jay's Guide To Crushing It

Summary: After an incident at their old school, main character Jay and her family move houses and join a new school. Now attending an all girls school Jay does her best to blend in, embracing a new life to the pleasure of her mother and forgetting her old one. But as time passes she finds herself longing for the tomboy-ish style and skateboarding life she used to have.

This is a really good teen story. If I read this when I was 14 I would have obsessed over it. That is not to say the story is only for younger audiences. I believe this is catered towards a younger demographic however the plot is still interesting enough to follow. Not only is the writing down to earth but I am glad it touched on the concept of gender identity and sexuality. I was worried for a while that the story would simply state that Jay's character was a girl with traditionally boy hobbies however there were numerous times when gender identity was brought up. What's more they didn't immediately jump to the conclusion of being transgender. It was hinted at but never explicitly stated but even then the supportive people in her life made it known she does not need a sudden label. Especially being so young I thought it was nice they left it open ended- not to say you can't know about your gender identity of course you can but I personally liked how there was no rush to immediately slap on the label. Furthermore I found the friendships in the book quite relatable, as if those are the ways my own high school friendships would have unfolded.

Definitely my favourite read of the three.

Well those have been my last three reads and while they may not have been my most traditional pick I am glad I read them. But now it is time to get back to my roots. Yep, my next read is going to be The Hunger Games. I have of course seen the Hunger Games movies ,who hasn't, but I am yet to complete the book series. I have tried but to little avail only this time I am determined to find out details I have missed so that I can finally watch Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Sunrise on the Reaping. So if you would like to follow me along on this journey you are more than welcome! I will be reading 1-2 chapters daily and tracking my thoughts over on Fable as well as the occasional Instagram and Tiktok post, just click the logos below for the social media you wish to follow. And may the odds be ever in your favour!