Thank you to David Biddle and The Story Plant for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
// Book Content Warnings: transphobia (deadnaming, harassment, etc.), harassment, assault // – Please be aware that I might have missed some potential content warnings. There is a great deal of transphobia and transphobic characters in this novel, so please keep that in mind before reading.
// Quick Review // While I expected a novel exploring a discovery of identity and self, I was met with a novel full of transphobia that had seemingly no end. I was utterly disappointed by the novel and its many aspects, for I was so looking forward to reading this book.
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// Other Information // Publisher: The Story Plant Page Count: 352 pages Release Date: December 7, 2021 Series: None Genre: Fiction, Young adult, Coming of age, Contemporary
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// Book Description (from Goodreads) // It’s the summer of 2013 and 15-year-old Ivy Scattergood has traveled with her family to their vacation home in Maine. The Scattergoods are a blended, mixed-race family with old Philadelphia area Quaker roots. Ivy loves the Red Sox, one single music group at a time (this year it’s Johnnyswim), helping make dinner every night, and this guy in Maine named Bailey Cooper. Ivy also has no interest in makeup, heels, dresses, and most of the basic assumptions people make about what it means to be a teenage girl — but don’t call her a Tomboy, at least to her face. Then her cousin Robert from San Diego (also 15) comes to visit — as a beautiful, glamorous young woman who has re-named herself Rita Gomez. Thus begins a summer where Ivy’s worldview will expand, where she will discover new layers to herself and those around her, and where stepping forward into the unknown will emerge as a bold adventure. Lyrically written and brimming with spirit, OLD MUSIC FOR NEW PEOPLE is a luminous work of fiction.
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// Characters // The main character, Ivy, is completely unlikable and transphobic (I’ll get into it later). But, to be honest, (besides Rita) all of the characters are. Ivy is a 15-year-old girl with a major case of “not like other girls” syndrome. I found her to be entirely self-obsessed, obnoxious, and snobby.
Rita, the real star of the show, is a teen trans-woman who visits Ivy and her family during the summer at their vacation home. Rita was the only decent character in this novel. I really felt for her and the battle that she must go through while living with her atrocious family. None of the people she comes in contact with are understanding of her identity as a trans-woman and the struggles she endures.
Now, about the transphobia in the novel…
The story is told from the point of view of Ivy, whose internal monologue consists of criticizing and observing Rita. There are many moments where Ivy describes how Rita must be making a mistake in being trans because you are who you were born as. Oh, and let me not forget the scene where Ivy, Rita, and the rest of the family go to a Red Sox game. During this scene, Rita becomes upset and hides from the rest of the family but comes back even more upset. Ivy questions her about the situation, which is a good idea. However, Rita leaves again and this time Ivy decides to follow her. Rita reveals that while in the bathroom, two women and two men cornered her and not only verbally harassed her but also physically assaulted her. Ivy takes this situation and decides to lecture Rita about the difficulties that come with being trans. She uses this as reasoning for why Rita should not be trans, as if it is a choice.
I really hoped that over the course of the story, Ivy would learn more about being trans through Rita and become more understanding. I hoped this evolution of mindset would occur for all of the characters. However, the only difference between the characters at the start and end of the novel is that they no longer hide their opinion of trans people, rather they tell Rita what they think straight to her face. I am not sure whether this was the author’s intention, or not, but either way, 99% of the characters in this novel are unapologetically transphobic.
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// Writing and Setting // The writing was compelling and realistic; it felt like I was inside a teenager’s head.
The vacation home that Ivy’s family owns sounds fantastic and made the book have that summer feel to it. With oncoming snow in my area, the summer vibes were welcome.
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// Plot // The entire novel centers around how much Rita being trans affects the rest of her family. I honestly cannot point out any other point of focus in the book. Ivy’s entire conflict she must overcome is how ‘weird’ Rita is and how ‘unnatural’ being trans is.
It really felt like Rita was supposed to be an antagonist and burden upon the rest of the characters. The use of a trans-woman to push along the plot and be the ‘villain’ of others’ stories really pushed me the wrong way.
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// Overall Review // I had high expectations but was severely disappointed with this novel. The amount of transphobia in this book really put a damper on the self-discovery that was promised. I felt that it did the opposite of what it tried to accomplish.
A huge thank you to Boyle & Dalton and Natalie Symons for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
// Book Content Warnings: death, murder, kidnapping, pedophilia, alcoholism, mental illness, self-harm, eating disorder, attempted drowning, homophobia (slurs), racism, sexual harassment, sexual assault, violence // – There are some graphic and disturbing scenes in this novel, so please educate yourself on the content warnings before reading, as I might have missed some.
// Quick Review // Lies in Bone is a curiosity-inducing novel that examines the fragility of humanity and truth through the lens of a teen in the 80’s. Full of family secrets, lies, and discoveries, Natalie Symon’s thrilling novel took me on an electrifying ride with its vulnerable and realistic characters.
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// Other Information // Publisher: Boyle & Dalton Page Count: 402 pages Release Date: September 6, 2021 Series: None Genre: Fiction, Adult, Young adult, Coming of age, Mystery, Romance, Suspense, Thriller, LGBTQ+
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// Book Description (from Goodreads) // Told by a tart-tongued young woman with a love of Bruce Springsteen, Lies in Bone is at once a mystery and coming-of-age tale fueled by dark secrets involving love, murder, and the truths worth lying for.
On Halloween 1963, eleven-year-old Chuck Coolidge and his brother Danny are lost in a toxic smog covering the steel town of Slippery Elm, Pennsylvania. When the smog lifts, half the town is sick and twenty people are dead. And Danny is missing.
Now, over twenty years later, Chuck’s teenage daughter Frank plots escape from this “busted and disgusted” town. When a murdered child is found in the river, investigators link the crime to the disappearance of Danny in ’63, and Frank’s life is turned upside down. In the face of her worst fears, she must uncover her family’s dark past if she wants to keep her sister Boots from the hands of The State. Led to discover the unimaginable truth about Danny’s disappearance, Lies in Bone culminates in a shocking eleventh-hour reveal and an emotionally charged finale.
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// Characters // Lies in Bone boasts a large cast of realistic and complex characters who are utterly human. I felt such deep connections to many of the characters, especially Frank, the main character whose story Lies in Bone tells.
Frances (Frank) Coolidge is a fiery, determined, and responsible teen whose family is anything but functional. She’s the best big sister who’s always looking out for her little sister, Boots. Frank’s entire life is thrown upside down when her family moves to Slippery Elm to take care of her grandmother. Frank meets her best friend Ray, the taboo gay kid in a small town, and begins to adjust to her future in a dreary small town in a house full of secrets. Frank learns things she never knew about her family, specifically that she has a missing uncle, Danny. Her dad, Chuck, apparently neglected to tell her that on Halloween 1963, his little brother went missing and his own mother thought he was responsible. Frank begins her own investigation into the family secrets that her grandmother and father refuse to discuss. She refuses to give up until the very end, she is determined to solve a 20+-year-old cold case because it is just too personal.
One of my favorite characters, Ray, is Frank’s best friend. I loved the realistic inclusion of a gay and POC character, and the criticism of homophobia. Ray is a relief in the continual darkness of a small town in the ’80s that is wrapped up in murders and disappearances.
Frank’s mysterious and seriously messed up father, Chuck Coolidge, is a bundle of good and bad. I have mixed feelings about him, just as Frank does. To be honest, Frank, the 16-year-old, is more responsible than her father. To give Chuck some grace, he was looked upon as the murderer of two young boys at a young age, one of the boys being his own little brother. But still, his actions are questionable.
Now, while I may love Ray, I love Boots a whole lot more. She is the most adorable character who is just along for the crazy and disturbing ride. I felt so sorry for Boots, as she is a young child experiencing the horrendous events in this novel.
One of the aspects I most admire about this book’s characters is the growth all of them undergo. I was able to watch Frank and Boots grow up and adapt amidst the chaos.
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// Writing and Setting // The novel was full of fast-paced and slower-paced sections that balanced out perfectly and created a thrilling adventure. It was dark, twisted, terrifying, and disturbing. I loved reading about the dark corners of the small town of Slippery Elms during the late ’80s.
The novel takes place in the ’80s (I love, love, love media set in the ’70s-’80s) in the decrepit small town of Slippery Elms that has a history of child disappearances and murders. The atmosphere was chilling and sinister, adding more to the suspense of the story.
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// Plot // There were so many twists-and-turns and ups-and-downs throughout Lies in Bone that I was shaking with anticipation. Discovering answers to questions burning in my mind was satisfying yet torturous since more mysteries were introduced along the way.
Frank describes the moment her life began to plummet into darkness as the ominous move to Slippery Elms to take care of her grandmother. The start of the novel builds up deliciously to an apogee full of thrills. Murder, disappearances, family secrets, town secrets, crooked characters, and shady events can all be found within the pages of this anxiety-inducing novel.
I truly do not want to say much about specific events in this novel, as every little discovery was a magnificent discovery for me and I do not want to ruin that experience for everyone else.
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// Overall Review // Lies in Bone is one of the most thrilling novels I have read in a long time. It has paved its way onto my list of favorite books. It was perfect in many aspects and kept me intrigued until the very end.
// Quick Review // A Corner of the Universe is a novel that not only explores the innocence of childhood, but also the power of hope, discovery, and curiosity.
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"Adam told me about lifting the corners the second time I met him, but I had no idea what he meant. Now I think I do. It's all about changing what's handed to you, about poking around a little, lifting the corners, seeing what's underneath, poking that. Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don't but at least you're exploring. And life is always more interesting that way."
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// Other Information // Publisher: Scholastic Inc. Page Count: 224 pages Release Date: June 1, 2005 Series: None Genre: Fiction, YA, Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Historical fiction, Children's, Family, Contemporary, Coming of age, Juvenile
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// Book Description (via Goodreads) // Hattie Owen enjoys peaceful Millerton summertimes with houses nodding in the heavy air, being in charge of Miss Hagerty's breakfast tray at her parents' boardinghouse, and drinking lemonade on the porch after supper. Yet this year, it's different -- Hattie's uncle Adam is coming home. Returning from a Chicago school that's just closed and whose existence is kept quiet by adult family members, Adam is a 21-year-old man with a child's mind, having a knack for talking quickly, a savant-like ability for remembering weekdays, and a passion for I Love Lucy. Hattie and Adam wind up spending precious time together -- including a visit to the recently arrived carnival with Hattie's new friend, Leila -- which makes her feel soulfully connected to her uncle, especially when he declares that she's one of the people who can lift the corners of our universe. But when Hattie takes Adam on the Ferris wheel one night, it sets off dramatic events that lead Hattie's family to strengthen its bonds and changes her life's outlook forever.
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// Characters // A Corner of the Universe tells the story of Hattie Owen, whose life is forever changed when she discovers that she has another uncle, Adam. Despite Adam's 'unusual' behavior (according to Hattie's family), Hattie and Adam spend a summer of chaos and discovery together in which Hattie discovers the true meaning of friendship.
Hattie, personally, annoyed me. However, I do think that her childhood innocence in various matters was perfectly portrayed. Too often 'children' in middle-grade novels are written to be older.
My favorite character, however, was either Leila (Hattie's friend from the carnival) or Adam, the cutie. Both were very likable and amazing friends to Hattie.
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My father's movies are great, but they don't begin to tell the story of the summer. What's left out is more important than what's there. Dad captured the good times, only the good times. The parts he left out are what changed my life.
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// Writing and Setting // The writing of this novel screams that it is from a child's point of view. Perfectly childish and curious, the novel sucks the reader into Hattie's world.
A Corner of the Universe takes place in the summer of 1960 in Millertown.
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// Plot // A Corner of the Universe is the tale of Hattie's summer in 1960 where she meets Adam and Leila, spends her days at the carnival, and discovers family secrets that her Nana would die before letting other people know.
The novel was decently paced and I was never bored; the liveliness of Hattie's perspective kept me turning the pages.
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// Overall Review // Overall, A Corner of the Universe was an excellent novel that radiates that brightness that is one's childhood.