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by Justin A. Reynolds

I was first intrigued in Opposite of Always because I saw that Angie Thomas, one of my favourite authors, had commented that she thoroughly enjoyed this book. I can confirm that this book is one of the best love stories I have ever read. Justin A. Reynolds has done a beautiful job with this novel. When reading the back of the novel, you might think that it could come across as a bit “sci-fi”, but I guarantee it isn’t like that at all.  

Opposite of Always follows the story of two teenagers, Jack and Kate. When Jack and Kate meet at a party, they are instantly compatible. Jack feels as though he might be falling hard for this girl. Soon enough, Kate is meeting Jack’s best friends, Jilian and Franny, who she wins over just as quickly as she did Jack…  

But then Kate dies. Typically this is where the story would end, but no. Kate’s death sends Jack right back to the party where they met. Jack thinks he might be losing his mind because there is Kate standing right next time him, breathing, alive and healthy. Jack doesn’t know what is happening, but if he has the chance to save Kate, he will take it. Will he be able to save Kate, or will their story end just as abruptly as it did the first time? 

This novel is funny, heartfelt, beautiful and everything in between. I strongly suggest this book to any YA reader or even a young teen who loves unexpected love stories. Justin A. Reynolds had me hooked right from the first sentence all the way to the last. This book is definitely one of my top three favourite books that I have read. I look forward to reading more books by this amazing author.

4.5 Stars

Emma O.

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Directed by: Justin Baldoni

The movie Five Feet Apart, directed by Justin Baldoni, follows Stella Grant, a fun-loving seventeen-year-old cystic fibrosis patient whose life is filled with routine and boundaries. Stella meets Will Newman, a charming teenage boy that has the same illness as her. They develop an instant connection even though they must keep a safe distance between them. To reduce the risk of cross-infection that can potentially be dangerous and life-threatening, cystic fibrosis patients are strictly kept six feet apart. As Will and Stella begin to fall for each other, they secretly go on their first date and stay only five feet apart from each other. Their intensifying feelings for each other build an irresistible temptation to disregard the rules and break the boundaries.  

This film moved me to tears and was truly touching from the romance, heartache, and illness. The movie gave me an insight into the struggles those suffering from chronic diseases have to endure, which was very inspirational. The overall storyline was beautiful and hopeful, giving the audience an eye-opener into the life of individuals suffering from cystic fibrosis and the challenges they must overcome every day. The main actors, Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson did a phenomenal job portraying teens with cystic fibrosis, and their emotions within the film felt so real. Five Feet Apart is a fantastic movie that I would recommend to anyone, as it is not only an entertaining young love story but is also a great learning experience about people that are suffering from this chronic illness.

4.5 Stars

Emily K.

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Directed by: Lee Issac Chung

A Korean American family moves to California in 1983. Father Jacob and mother Monica move with their two American-born children, a mature girl named Anne and a six-year-old boy named David, to farmland in Arkansas. Jacob hopes to build a sustainable farm growing Korean produce to sell to vendors in Dallas and live the American Dream. As Jacob and Monica busily work, Monica’s mother, Soon-ja, travels from South Korea to help watch the children. Soon-ja is a mischievous but loving character. She adjusts to life in America and tries to bond with the children despite David avoiding her as she does not conform to his idea of a “normal” grandmother. The family deals with many issues that test the resilience of the household, and through the pain and struggles, the family becomes closer and stronger together.  

The film showcases spectacular cinematography, excellent story-telling, and beautiful acting. Minari captures a family of immigrants who came to America in hopes of a better life and the struggles they faced doing so. The message from the film is something that will stick with me forever. The film teaches you that as a family, we can overcome and navigate our way through the challenges in life. It is okay to struggle at times and fall down, however, we must remember to keep going together. I love how the storyline was simple, yet still thoughtful and well delivered. This is a perfect film for the whole family to enjoy and take away an inspiring message.  

Emily K.

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by Jenny Han

P.S. I Still Love You is a romance novel written by Jenny Han that is the sequel to the novel To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. After recovering from a heated fight, Lara Jean and Peter’s relationship begins to grow, and Lara Jean learns what it is like to be in a real relationship. She begins volunteering at the Belleview retirement home and gets closer to Stormy, an elderly woman who gives Lara Jean relationship advice. One day, Lara Jean receives a letter from a grade school friend John Ambrose McClaren, informing her that he received the old love letter she wrote to him. They become pen pals, and when Lara Jean discovers that the neighbourhood tree house she and her friends used to hang out in will be cut down, she plans a reunion party and invites John. When John and Lara Jean reconnect, her past feelings for him suddenly begin to resurface, causing her to be more confused than ever. Lara Jean finds herself being pursued by two boys, discovering that love is often painful. Between her current boyfriend, Peter, and her past crush, John, she must decide who she should really be with.  

P.S. I Still Love You is a lighthearted and adorable book centred on romance. If you enjoyed the previous book, I would highly recommend picking this one up! I love how relatable Lara Jean is and how the storyline kept me guessing throughout. This book is all about finding yourself, finding love, and experiencing heartbreak. If you are looking for a heartwarming young adult romance novel, this is the ideal book to read!

4 Stars

Emily K.

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by Holly Black

The romance/fantasy Fiction, The Cruel Prince, written by Holly Black, was a dangerous yet charming book. It tells the story of Jude, her parents were murdered when she was only seven. But by whom? The person that murdered her parents is the person that adopted her and her sisters. Can you believe that? I would’ve never seen that coming. Throughout the book, you truly get to see how Jude develops as a character. Honestly, the character she becomes at the end isn’t what I was expecting and neither did I like the way she turned out.

But what else would she have done? Ever since she entered fairy land, she was treated horrible by the prince and his friends because she wasn’t like anyone of them. She doesn’t have their ears, their eyes, their skin or their body. She wants to be them, but she can’t. Eventually, as so many events happen throughout the book, you won’t be able to put the book down. When I mean I don’t like to read books like this, I couldn’t stop once I finished reading it. I just wanted to read the second book. Did I mention this book is a part of a series? Well, there are three more books, and I can’t wait to read them. I definitely recommend this book to anyone over the age of 14 and up. Overall, I rate this book a 4/5 stars!  

Hoda D.

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by Adi Alsaid

The fiction, Come On In: 15 Stories about Immigration and Finding Home, edited by Adi Alsaid, was a very breathtaking book. Books like these aren’t the type of books I’d easily be attracted to, but the second I looked at the cover of the book, I just couldn’t resist myself. This story has 15 different authors that wrote their own short stories. All these authors wrote such fascinating stories that I just couldn’t put the book down. Especially, the first short story, All The Colors Of Goodbye, written by Nafiza Azad, was so awe-inspiring to read. Although the short story is very upsetting, it’s still so amazing. All the other short stories were also super fascinating, each short story I read I couldn’t even put the book down.

The second I finished the book, after taking in all the stories and all the messages in, I can say I was very emotional. With all that emotion going through me, all I wanted to do was just read the book all over again. As I mentioned before, I would’ve never read a book like this, and honestly I never would have thought there would be so many stories by different authors in one book. But the second I read all the stories from all the 15 authors, I honestly am so glad I read this book. I have no idea whose idea it was to write a story like this, but I’m guessing it was Adi Alsaid idea, and I will say that such an amazing idea. I definitely recommend this book for people over the age of 12 and up, especially younger adults. Nevertheless, I rate this book a 5/5 stars!  

Hoda D.

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by Nichola Sparks

The romance/domestic, The Rescue, written by Nicholas Sparks, was a very addictive and fascinating novel. It tells the story of a young single mother, Denise Holton, who has a four-year-old son, Kyle. As a young mother, she faces lots of challenges, especially in the town she lives in, she has no family and no close friends nearby. Although having several shifts as a waitress, she gets enough money for the both of them to survive. Having no one nearby, Denise feels very lonely sometimes, although she does have her son, but there’s one problem. Kyle can’t talk, he can, but only a few words. She spends most of her time teaching him how to speak, and sometimes it’s very hard for the both of them. Denise stresses a lot, especially when it comes to Kyle. On a short trip, thunderstorms happen to come, as Denise is driving, which happens to frighten Kyle. But Denise tries her best to get to their destination, but she was a little too late. Their car goes down and Denise loses her consciousness, once she’s awake she’s faced with a volunteered fireman, Taylor McAden. Kyle is missing, he is nowhere to be found, as a mother you would be very stressed, but Taylor tries his best to calm her down and calls 911 to get her to the hospital. Taylor calls the whole team for a rescue to find her son, they try their best, and the whole town even comes down to help find Kyle. Eventually, they find Kyle and slowly but surely throughout the story Taylor and Denise become really good friends and slowly more than friends. But something stops Taylor from their relationship, and Denise is struggling to find out what happened or what she did wrong. A lot happens in this novel, but as I mentioned before, this story is very addicting, and you honestly won’t be able to put it down. Overall, I rate this book a 5/5 stars!  

Hoda D.

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