School for Spirits by Aron Lewes [book review]

school for spirits

Book: School for Spirits

Published: January 11, 2018

Publisher: Self-Published

Genre: YA Romance

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By Invitation Only by Alexandra Brown Chang [book review]

By Invitation Only

Book: By Invitation Only

Published: September 2, 2025

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Genre: YA Contemporary

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Soulmatch by Rebecca Danzenbaker [book review]

Soulmatch

Book: Soulmatch

Author: Rebecca Danzenbaker

Published: July 29, 2025

Publisher: Simon and schuster

Genre: YA Dystopian

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Best Summer Reads for 2025

We’re in the thick of summer break, and summer hasn’t even really started yet at the point I’m typing all of this out. It’s crazy to me that summer hasn’t even started yet (Like I said at the point I’m writing this. By the time this comes out, it will be “summer”). That’s mostly because I live in the south in the United States, and it gets very hot and humid here. So in reality, I already feel like summer is here. Plus, hurricane season here has started, and I’m so not looking forward to that. So, whether you’re trying to beat the heat or trying to avoid bad weather, here are some of the best summer reads for a good distraction!

What makes a book one of the best to you? What boxes do you need to tick off when you consider the best summer reads? I know a lot of you will probably say romance. They have to have romance. If that’s the case, then these books are probably not going to be on your best summer reads.

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True Colors by Melissa Pearl [book review]

True Colors

Book: True Colors

Author: Melissa Pearl

Published: February 16, 2014

Publisher: Evatopia Press

Genre: YA Fantasy/Romance

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Admission by Julie Buxbaum [book review]

Admission

Book: Admission

By: Julie Buxbaum

Published: December 1, 2020

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Pages: 342

Genre: YA Contemporary

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About Admission

Admission follows Chloe. The story takes place in her Junior and senior years as she navigates high school, SATs, and getting into college. For the life of her, she struggles to make a decent grade on the SAT. She knows that she isn’t that smart. At least not as smart as her sister or her best friend. But she wishes she could at least do well on the SAT for her parent’s sake. They are pushing for her to get into a certain school that she knows she doesn’t belong to. When her parents start to take matters into their own hands is when things start to change for her.

What I thought

I have been reading a lot of meh books lately. Don’t get me wrong though the story isn’t necessarily bad or anything.

I do have to admit that I kind of like Chloe’s and her mom’s growth in the story. A lot of stories don’t have a lot of growth in them and when they do it’s very limited. I love a good book where you see a ton of growth rather than just a little bit. They both change for the better as well. I state that because a lot of characters change for the worse. They start to realize just how wrong things are.

My main thing is that I really don’t care for the back and forth between the past and present. There are very few things from the past that are relevant to the present. Part of me wishes that the author would have just stuck with the present and maybe limited what was actually relevant to the story. To me, a lot of the story could have been cut back or twisted differently. I feel like most of it was to make the book longer and to drag it out.

My other issue is that I enjoy Chloe’s sister more than I did her. I’m not a fan of the idea of liking a character that’s not even a main character. If she had a bigger part then I would be more understanding. I found myself rooting for her more than I did Chloe. On top of that, I didn’t like Chloe all that well. She was a bit of a dumb character and not very likable in my opinion.

Even though parts of the book are fast-paced and kept my interest for the most part I’m not happy with how things ended either. I’m glad that things ended up on a happier note for Chloe but there are other things I wish would have ended better for her.

So, would I go out of my way to recommend Admission? In short, no. I’m sure there are many out there who would enjoy the story but if I’m asked for recommendations then this would not be the first book I think of.

If you enjoy books like these then make sure to check out Oona Out of Order.

Oona Out of Order By Margarita Montimore

Oona Out of Order

Book: Oona Out of Order

By: Margarita Montimore

Published: February 25, 2020

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Pages: 339

Genre: Contemporary/Sci-Fi

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Flutter by Gina Linko [book review]

Flutter

Book: Flutter

By: Gina Linko

Published: October 23, 2012

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Pages: 352

Genre: Ya Romance

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We Were Liars by E. Lockhart [book review]

We Were Liars

Book: We Were Liars

By: E. Lockhart

Published: May 13, 2014

Publisher: Declacorte Press

Pages: 242

Genre: YA Mystery

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Hold Still by Nina Lacour [book review]

Hold Still

Book: Hold Still

Author: Nina Lacour

Published: October 20, 2009

Publisher: Dutton Books

Genre: YA Contemporary

Pages: 230

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