A Wish Upon the Stars by TJ Klune

I received an advanced copy of this book from Dreamspinner Press in exchange for an honest review.

5/5 STARS

Wow. That was a ride. This book is absolutely amazing. I really loved this entire series, but I felt like this was the best book out of the four. The first book was so great and the second and third were really good, but man, TJ brought it in this one!

At the end of the previous book Sam had left everyone without a goodbye and went to spend a year in the woods with the Great White to train and become a full fledged wizard. This book starts with Sam returning after 11 months of no contact. He has become a true wizard and now has more power than any wizard before. He has gathered all the dragons required. He is ready to fulfill his Destiny of Dragons. He is also terrified to return to his loved ones because he knows they are Pissed.

I really like how TJ handled the reunion. All his loved ones accepted him back quickly and willingly. Things weren't prefect. They all had some anger to work through still, which is to be expected. But I liked that he didn't dwell on the anger and make it something to keep them apart. On some level they knew Sam did what he had to even if they didn't understand it. And their love for Sam and his safety was more important than their anger. I felt this was a very realistic reaction.

There was a good balance of humor and seriousness. I feel like TJ has mastered the perfect balance in this. He is very, very good at getting emotional reactions out of you. I found myself sobbing at points, laughing hysterically, sometimes both at the same time. It is truly great to read a book that touches you at such a level.

I was really impressed with the ending. I'm not really good at analyzing the text and all the deep messages throughout and the reflection of society into the story stuff. But I liked the internal struggle Sam had at basically being human. We all have a choice in our lives on who we are and how we act and who we become. Everyone has the option to become a good person or a bad person. To intervene into a situation or sit back and let it happen. To love someone or to hate someone. To trust someone or to lean on only yourself.

Sam's struggled with feeling like his choices were truly his one in the face of a Destiny. He didn't want things to be a certain way just because they were foretold. He wanted to be his own person and make his own decision, which he did in the end. He defied his destiny in small ways, he made it his own. I won't go into the details for spoiler reasons (at one part I couldn't believe what was happening! I was so shocked, but great job TJ!). He faced a choice at the end. To take all the power he could, all that he was owed from those who had taken from him. Or to let it go and do the right thing. He really struggled with this to the point of almost going Dark. It was a very close thing. But of course love saved the day.

But what I really found fascinating was that Sam struggled afterwards with what he had almost done. He struggled knowing that he was so close to giving in. That he had enjoyed his small revenge by killing Ruv and Caleb. That he could have, and wanted to, kill all the Darks. That he enjoyed all the power he could have. That he could show all the people who had forsaken him and hated him just how mistaken they were. But isn't that something that everyone struggles with? Not usually on such a grand level, but still. Every day when we choose not to say something nasty to someone who was once nasty to us. Or when we choose to trust someone who once betrayed out trust. When we choose to be a good person over being a bad person. It's human nature to want revenge when something happens to us. Its human nature to want to hate people who aren't always good to us. But most people overcome and make the decision to take the high road and be a good person. Maybe it's just me, but I know I have struggled with some negative and nasty thoughts before. But like Sam, I choose not to act on them for reasons. And I think it was important to see this struggle in Sam. Because all though he is the most power person alive, he still struggles with something so naturally human.

That got a little away from me, but that part really stuck with me. And I may be way off base, but there it is.

Back to happy things, dude. The ending though! I feel at least 1 Justin book coming in the future and I am so ready! I'm really pleased with this book. I was worried, as I always am, about what would happen and if there would be the happy ending I wanted. But I was worried for nothing. TJ delivered and it was beautiful and amazing.

Boomerang by Helene Dunbar

I received an eARC of Boomerang from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 STARS

Intentionally (or at least I felt it was intentional), it takes a while to get your bearings in this book.

Michael disappeared 5 years ago and suddenly shows back up now going by the name Sean. We get bits and pieces of Sean’s story of what happened slowly. It takes a bit to piece together what happened. Everyone thinks Michael was kidnapped, but really he ran away to escape his addicted mother. He wanted to find somewhere he felt he was noticed and mattered.

He convinced an older couple a town over to keep him hidden. He changed his hair color and barely left their property. He grew to love this couple as his family. What he wasn’t expecting was Trip, the boy next door. Trip’s parents died and now he is living with his abusive uncle. Trip visits Sean’s new house to escape his uncle. The boys become close quickly, a very strong bond between them.

Then Trip sets a plan for Sean to go home in motion earlier than expected. Sean has a trust fun from his grandparents that they plan to use to get away from Trip’s uncle. Problem is, Sean wasn’t aware of the stipulations of the trust, which very clearly state that the money is only to be used to go to a specific college or it gets donated to a charity.

While trying to figure out a loophole to gain access to his trust Sean must deal with what he left behind years ago. His mother seems to have gotten her life back together. She’s been sober for a while, is in AA, and has a steady job. His old best friend, Jenny, has been holding on to 12 year old Michael and is in love with him. He meets a new girl who was at a party shortly before he came back who knows some of his secrets. He is feeling pressure from the cops to press charges against the couple who “kidnapped” him even though he has told them several times he wasn’t kidnapped.

One of the things I really liked about this book was that Sean’s sexuality wasn’t a major plot point. Yes, he struggles with what he had with Trip and some feelings he has for another girl. But his sexuality isn’t ever really a problem. He knows he likes Trip (just not to what extent) and he knows he likes the girl. I feel like more of his problem with who he wanted to end up with was if he should take the easy route and be with the girl or the more complicated route with baggage and be with Trip. I don’t really ever think he was worried about the fact that he was choosing between a girl and a boy. The only indication that he even thought about it was when he says he’s not really surprised his mom isn’t disappointed when he tells her he loves a boy.

This book had me on edge the entire time. For a long while I was unsure we were going to get a clear cut ending. I was worried it was going to leave a lot of things unsettled. But everything was tied up nicely for the most part and I was very happy with the ending and the way things with Trip and his uncle were handled.

There is a lot of stuff in this book I didn’t touch on in this review. There is just so much good stuff packed in it’s almost hard to cover it all. But, go read this book!! 

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A little about me...

I have worked for 3 different bookstores and currently work at a Public Library. 
I love books, obviously. 
I especially love Young Adult books. 
If they are lgbt+, even better! 
I didn't get into reading until after college.
I'm not an excellent reviewer. 
I tend to write my reviews based on my feelings and emotions, more than any special insight into the book and it's topics.
Sometimes my reviews are extra long, some times they are a few sentences. 
I have a 3 year old son who is my everything.
So my reviews aren't super consistent. 
I read when I can, squeezing it in after bed time and other free moments.
I try to review every book I read, even if I don't have too much to say about it. 
I get a lot of eARCs from edelweiss and netgalley, so a good amount of my reviews will be books that haven't been released yet. 
I go through bursts of reading a book a day, to reading one book over several weeks. 
If anyone actually reads this, hopefully you enjoy my slightly unconventional book reviews!