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Literally Lenny

Lover of all books, big or small, old or new. I read and review books in the Young Adult genre. Welcome to my blog and I hope you stick around for more to come!


Title: Famous in a Small Town
Author: Emma Mills
Published: January 15th, 2019
Pages: 309

Quick synopsis: For Sophie, small-town life has never felt small. She has the Yum Yum Shoppe, her beloved marching band, and her four best friends. Then August moves in next door. A quiet guy who seems determined to keep everyone at arm's length. Sophie in particular.

Goodreads Rating: 4.17
My Rating: 5.00

Would I recommend?: Absolutely!
Why?: Famous in a Small Town is a wonderful contemporary read that will take you back to high school summer fun. I absolutely adored this book. I had been in a reading slump prior to picking this book up, and this finally saved me! I struggled to put it down as it had me hooked from beginning to end. There were no “dull parts” as I find in a lot of other contemporary books, and the characters had vivid personalities, which made them fun and relatable.

I also enjoyed the simplistic yet realistic storyline, with some serious bits thrown into it. The book was a quick, fun read, but still touched on important and difficult topics found in friendship and families. Even though the main storyline follows the relationship between Sophie and August, there’s still conversation about death, relatives in prison, and family conflicts.

If you’re wondering what to read next, this is definitely a book you should pick up on January 15th, especially if you already have the winter blues and are dying for an escape into a cute and fun story.


Thank you to MacMillan Publishers for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy of Famous in a Small Town.
1:18 PM No comments

Title: Sky in the Deep
Author: Adrienne Young
Published: April 24th, 2018
Pages: 340

Quick synopsis: Raised to be a warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient rivalry against the Riki clan. One day she sees the impossible on the battlefield—her brother, fighting with the enemy—the brother she watched die five years ago.

Captured by the Riki, she is forced to live as a servant for her brother and his adopted family, that is, until the Riki village is raided by a ruthless clan. She is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend, who sees her as a threat. They must unite the clans to fight together, or risk being slaughtered one by one. Driven by a love for her clan and her growing love for Fiske, Eelyn must confront her own definition of loyalty and family while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life hating.

Goodreads Rating: 4.06
My Rating: 3.50

Would I recommend?: Depends.
Why?: I received this book in a monthly OwlCrate box but I was reluctant to read this book since it didn’t sound like something up my alley. Eager to reach my Goodreads goal before the end of the year, I picked it up since it was “relatively short.”

I will say, I liked this book more than I had expected. And I now understand all of the hype around it, I just don’t necessarily agree since I still didn’t LOVE it. If you’re into fantasy and action books, then yes, I would definitely recommend. I loved the unique time period of this book as vikings are not a common culture focused upon in YA literature.

My problems with this book were generally in the beginning, when things happened that didn't quite make sense. My biggest problem was when the main character brought on her own downfall (and she had PLENTY of time to fix it). Then there was the ending, which for me, just kinda…ended. It was strange because it seemed to just end very abrupt. Kind of like, “FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT! ….Ok we’re done.”

Apart from there being a few things that didn’t seem to line up properly, it was a good book. And if you’re into the YA fantasy genre, I’d definitely give this a go. If you’re not so into that, I’d pass.
7:28 PM No comments

Title: A Very Large Expanse of Sea
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Published: October 16th, 2018
Pages: 320

Quick synopsis: It’s 2002, a year after 9/11. It’s an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who’s tired of being stereotyped.

Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She’s tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments—even the physical violence—she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. So she’s built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother.

But then she meets Ocean James. He’s the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. It terrifies her—they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds—and Shirin has had her guard up for so long that she’s not sure she’ll ever be able to let it down.

Goodreads Rating: 4.39
My Rating: 5.0

Would I recommend?: Yes! Everyone needs to read this.
Why?: This book is everything this world needs. Tahereh offers us a look into the lives of Muslims after 9/11 and how cruel and prejudice the world was at that time. I'm disgusted with humanity. The fact that anyone should ever feel so hated and so scared for their own life in this country makes me sick. I'm grateful for this book and perspective, because everyone needs to understand how their words have major impacts on people. We are going nowhere in this world if we don't learn to accept everyone and move forward together. The story of Sharin teaches us to respect people's differences, not judge them.

9:48 AM No comments
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Reading Challenge

2018 Reading Challenge

2018 Reading Challenge
Lenny has read 16 books toward their goal of 52 books.
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16 of 52 (30%)
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Lenny's books

Lumberjanes, Vol. 5: Band Together
Cinder & Ella
Starry Eyes
As She Fades
Lumberjanes, Vol. 4: Out of Time
The Cruel Prince
Winter
Cress
Scarlet
Cinder
Look For Me
All the Missing Girls
Herding Cats: A Sarah's Scribbles Collection
Big Mushy Happy Lump
Wires and Nerve, Volume 1
Adulthood Is a Myth: A Sarah's Scribbles Collection
Ever the Hunted
Ms. Marvel, Vol. 3: Crushed
Ms. Marvel Vol. 2: Generation Why
Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal


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  • ▼  2018 (30)
    • ▼  December (3)
      • Famous in a Small Town by Emma Mills
      • Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young
      • A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
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