It is time for one of my favorite readathons! This Round of ContemporaryAThon is hosted by Chelsea, Julie, Natasha, and Mel and lasts from February 11-February 17 and has challenges. I’m really excited so let’s get to it!
1. Most Recent Contemporary
On the Come Up came in and I am so excited to read Angie Thomas’s follow up to her NYT bestseller for over a hundred weeks, The Hate U Give. I’m really excited to start reading this, like it’s a good thing I’m going out of town this weekend kind of excited, but I really can’t wait!! This book could also count for the Diverse Contemporary challenge, but I’m aiming to read a book a day, so fingers crossed I manage!
2. A Book with Blurple on the Cover
Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman has such a gorgeous cover. I don’t know much about it. I think it’s queer in some way? Let’s just grab the blurb:
Kiko Himura has always had a hard time saying exactly what she’s thinking. With a mother who makes her feel unremarkable and a half-Japanese heritage she doesn’t quite understand, Kiko prefers to keep her head down, certain that once she makes it into her dream art school, Prism, her real life will begin.
But then Kiko doesn’t get into Prism, at the same time her abusive uncle moves back in with her family. So when she receives an invitation from her childhood friend to leave her small town and tour art schools on the west coast, Kiko jumps at the opportunity in spite of the anxieties and fears that attempt to hold her back. And now that she is finally free to be her own person outside the constricting walls of her home life, Kiko learns life-changing truths about herself, her past, and how to be brave.
3. A Diverse Contemporary
Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kahn, which is about an asexual Black teen who breaks up with her girlfriend (or is broken up with?) and I think it’s because she’s ace? And then there’s a guy she’s intrigued by… I’m not totally sure. But I’m in love with this color and I’m super excited about Claire Kahn’s upcoming release featuring a Black fat teen with the most fabulous cover so here’s hoping I love this one!
4. A Dark, Taboo, or Emotional book
Sinner by Sierra Simone is my choice for this one because even though I think it’s got to be less taboo to have sex with a woman who is about to become a nun as opposed to having sex with a man who IS a priest, I’m pretty sure this is still close enough to taboo to count. And also, I’m just super willing to take any excuse to read Sinner because Priest was so freaking hot. I love Sierra Simone’s books. They’re so steamy, they would break any scale I made, but like… SO good. And so emotional. The emotional depth of her books tends to make me cry even while I’m like fanning myself because my face is blood red. It’s a thing. Anyway…
5. A Contemporary I Meant to Read in 2018, but Didn’t
Lol, the list is endless, but I picked Rafe by Rebekah Weatherspoon for this challenge because I need a soft hero in my life. I always need a soft hero in my life, tbh, but I feel like they aren’t always easy to come by. Anyway, I’m super looking forward to this fluffy read and I can’t wait to get started! Also, I’m not on the challenge for this for Romanceopoly, but if you need a doctor heroine for Heartbreak Hotel or whatever that one was called, this one applies!
6. A Contemporary in a Non-Traditional Format
So, I’m not sure I’m doing this totally right, but I’m going to read Amanda Lovelace’s first poetry collection, the princess saves herself in this one. I think there might be fantastical elements, but it’s poetry so… Idk, we’re counting it! It is very, very rare that I pick up poetry so it’s definitely a non-traditional format for me.
7. A Contemporary with a Picture on the Spine
I’ll be reading Last Chance Rebel by Maisey Yates for this challenge. I started this book approximately a million years ago and then sat it down because I was in the middle of too many books and never picked it back up again. It’s about a small town business owner who was in an accident in high school that changed her life and now the man responsible for said accident is back in town and apparently owns the building she’s been renting. He wants to make amends and she wants to never see him again. It’s definitely a hate to love, so I’m excited to read it, but I think it’s going to be super emotional.
So that’s what I’ll be reading (hopefully) next week! Are you participating in ContemporaryAThon? Do you have any thoughts about any of the books I’ve chosen? Let me know!
xx
firewhiskeyreader 