Mini Reviews // Wink Poppy Midnight + American Panda + Only Love Can Break Your Heart + Leah on the Offbeat

Summer is the time for contemporaries. The other four seasons are mostly filled with fantasy reads for me, but in summer I find contemporary YA is a must. For some reason, regardless of when the story is set, books of this genre always feel like ones that can be read in the sun. Here are some of the great books I've been reading in this good weather.

Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tuchlocke

★★★☆☆

Wink Poppy Midnight was a strange yet good read. It's a contemporary mystery with a dash of the fantastical, about three messed-up teens and how they try to take ahold of their own stories. I loved the fairytale vibes present in the book, and how distinct the character's voices were, and the narrators for the audiobook made the story feel all the more haunting.
Whilst reading I kept changing my mind about what I thought the story was, and in the end, I'm not sure that there was an answer. It felt like a blend of Maggie Stiefvater-style storytelling with a dash of Heathers (the movie or the musical, take your pick). I don't know fully what to make of this book, but I can't deny that I was hooked from beginning to end.

American Panda by Gloria Chao

★★★★☆

I finished reading American Panda with a huge smile on my face because IT. IS. ADORABLE! It's about Mei, is a Taiwanese-American college student whose parents expect her to become a doctor and marry a Taiwanese boy they approve of, not knowing that she is terrified of germs and has a crush on her cute Japanese classmate. Throughout the novel, Mei slowly develops the confidence to escape the shadow of her parent's expectations and to follow her real dreams.
This book has such a brilliant commentary on what it is like to live between two cultures. It highlights that culture itself is not the problem, but "a clashing of personalities and interpretations of cultures" that causes conflicts within Mei's family. The relationships between the characters and the way they develop as individuals is beautiful to see unfold. American Panda has the perfect balance of romance, comedy, and family drama, making it a joy to read.

Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Katherine Webber

★★★★☆

This book made me fall in love with the desert. Katherine Webber's smooth and effortlessly dreamy writing style, combined with the setting of starry desert skies, provides a specific feeling that is difficult to describe. It feels like a nostalgia for an experience you've never had; like wading through a dream that you know the ending for but are unable to control.
Only Love Can Break Your Heart is a tale of love and loss and learning to be ok. Reiko and Seth both long for things that aren't real, with Seth wanting a taste of Reiko's world and Reiko wanting to run away from the ghost of her sister. Webber does an excellent job of making you believe you know the characters, then making you question yourself when they behave in ways you don't expect. It really allowed me to get into the minds of what the characters were going through, and consider how people often perceive things in the way they want to see them.
I found Reiko particularly interesting because she stands apart from the typical YA heroine. She is rich, privileged, and popular, and aware of how boys look at her. And she likes the attention. She makes poor and inconsiderate decisions, but I never found her unlikable. She isn't the bratty popular girl. She just is. It was a pleasant change to be rooting for that kind of character.
Although much of the story is focused on the escapism Reiko finds with Seth, the most powerful moments for me were the ones where Reiko truly sees the other people in her life. The way Dre and Zach support her despite her flaws is incredibly touching, and the relationship she rediscovers with her brother Koji moved me near to tears. I would have loved to see more of these relationships, because I think they are ultimately what is at the core of this novel.
Only Love Can Break Your Heart is a book that feels like drowning and waking up at the same time. It's a weirdly pleasant melancholy feeling that I guarantee no other book has made you feel before.

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

★★★★☆

I am grinning LIKE A FOOL. Becky Albertalli's books have that effect on me. They are so cute and cheerful that I could burst with happiness.
It was wonderful to be reunited with the characters in the Simon-verse. Having a story from Leah's perspective let me connect with her so much more as a character. Every other page had me giggling with her deadpan humour, and her experiences were super relatable, particularly the final-year-of-high-school angst (dark times).
It was also AMAZING to see Simon and Blue again. Every time they were on the page I screamed a little. They are such dorks! I didn't know they could get any cuter, but this book proved me totally wrong. There's wasn't the only romance that had me smiling. Leah's romance storyline in this book was absolutely perfect.
All in all, Leah on the Offbeat was the perfect sequel that I never knew I needed.

Have you read any summery contemporaries recently?