Review of The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich, by Deya Muniz

Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Romance, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich

by Deya Muniz

Little, Brown and Company, 2023. 250 pages.
Review written June 20, 2023, from a library book
Starred Review

The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich is a delightfully fun and light-hearted graphic novel about a young noblewoman named Cam who must pose as a man in order to inherit her father’s estate. She moves to the capital city to be far away from the people who knew her before her father’s death – and catches the princess’s eye.

The two of them do many things together, including enjoying grilled cheese sandwiches. (Everyone in the capital city has a name that’s a type of cheese.) As they fall in love, Cam realizes she can’t take things any further because she needs to keep her secrets. And nobody likes to find out the one they love has been hiding who they really are.

I was rather amazed this is a debut. The drawings are wonderful – I especially loved all the outfits. Cam keeps her hair long but wears fake sideburns and nice suits when posing as a man, and it wasn’t too hard to believe that she could have fooled people. (Maybe a little hard. But not too bad, because she did look like a well-dressed young man.) There’s variety in the panel sizes, and the story keeps moving at a nice pace. It only took me about an hour to read, and left me smiling.

I’m writing this before discussing anything with the Morris committee, so my opinions are entirely my own, and I’ll have to wait to publish this review until after we’ve made our decision. But I am looking forward to more from this author, and I think teens are going to love her work.

lbyr.com
theNOVL.com

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Review of The Love Match, by Priyanka Taslim

Contemporary, Romance, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

The Love Match

by Priyanka Taslim

Salaam Reads (Simon & Schuster), 2023. 386 pages.
Review written February 10, 2023, from my own book, sent to me by the publisher.
Starred Review

The Love Match is a light-hearted rom-com novel set among the Bangladeshi Muslim diaspora community of Paterson, New Jersey, where the author grew up.

Zahra Khan has recently graduated from high school and is sad that she’s going to have to let go of her acceptance to Columbia, but with her father’s recent death, she needs to keep the family going. Her best friends are happily making college plans, while she keeps working and setting aside money. Her mother doesn’t respect Zahra’s dreams of being a writer and wants to find a nice Bangladeshi boy to marry Zahra and take care of her.

When her mother sets her sights for Zahra on a Bangladeshi boy from a rich family, neither Zahra nor the boy, Harun, are excited about the idea. But neither wants to disappoint their parents. So instead, they make a plan to convince their parents that this match can’t possibly work.

But while they are doing their fake dates, a new Bangladeshi starts working at the shop where Zahra does. He seems to understand her dreams in a way Harun doesn’t. But he doesn’t have any money or family, so how can Zahra ever get her family behind that romance?

The cover means we’re not surprised by the love triangle. It all plays out in happily predictable ways – a completely fun ride, with all the details about Bangladeshi culture making it all the more interesting. Zahra’s a character readers will be happy to root for. I enjoyed every minute I read this novel.

priyankataslim.com
simonandschuster.com/teen

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Review of The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris, by Evie Woods

Audiobooks, Fiction Review, Romance, Starred Review 0

The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris

by Evie Woods
read by Breffni Holahan

One More Chapter, 2025. 8 hours, 30 minutes.
Review written December 1, 2025, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

Here’s a lovely feel-good romance – with the special touch that it’s set in Paris! Except, wait a minute, it’s not set in Paris. I made the same mistake the protagonist Edie made when she answered an ad to work in a Boulangerie on Rue de Paris and thought of course it’s in Paris – but no, it’s on Paris Street (the “Rue de Paris” – of course!) in Compiègne, a town an hour away from Paris. Okay, but it is true that Edie is from Ireland, and the narrator reads with an Irish accent.

Edie’s mother recently died, and she spent her first decade as a young adult mostly caring for her mother during her long illness, so now in her thirties, Edie is at loose ends, and couldn’t resist the chance to go to Paris – or so she thought.

The owner of the bakery where she’s working is secretive and gruff, and Evie’s not sure she can do the job. But over time, and with a bit of a magic ingredient, Evie makes some friends, including a handsome man who’s a bit mysterious himself.

The story feels a little bit predictable, but the journey there is delightful. Yes, the small business is in danger of going under. Yes, there’s conflict with the handsome young man. No, they don’t tell each other everything when they first meet.

There’s also a small paranormal element to the book, plus rich historical detail – I didn’t realize that Compiègne was an important historical site in both World War I and World War II. We learn this via one of the bakery customers who speaks English and leads tours, and we’re as interested as Evie. But the bakery itself also has an important history during World War II.

And that’s all I should say, to give you a little bit of surprise. Yes, it’s predictable, but the story is sweet, and can fulfill a vicarious dream of running off not to Paris, but at least to France and finding love and purpose and joy.

eviewoods.com

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Review of The Davenports, by Krystal Marquis, read by Joniece Abbot-Pratt

Audiobooks, Historical, Romance, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

The Davenports

by Krystal Marquis
read by Joniece Abbott-Pratt

Listening Library, 2023. 12 hours, 2 minutes.
Review written April 29, 2023, from a library eaudiobook
Starred Review

The Davenports reminds me of a Jane Austen book – a wealthy family trying to get their kids married off – only this one is set in 1910, and the family are successful Black Americans in Chicago. The father of the Davenport clan was born enslaved, but after escaping, ended up making a fortune with a carriage company. And he’s happily giving his family a much better life – maybe sheltering them a little too much.

Now the two daughters and one son are at an age to be married – but nobody falls in love with the person their parents want and expect them to marry. And it’s quite fun watching it happen.

There are four viewpoint characters: Olivia Davenport is getting ready for her second season and really needs to find a husband this time around. When Jacob Lawrence shows up from England, everyone thinks she’s found one. But then she stumbles into meetings of activists when she’s doing charity work and learns the plight of her people in the South.

Olivia’s friend Ruby has been in love with Olivia’s brother, John Davenport, since they were kids. Her father is running for mayor of Chicago, and her parents want Ruby to go ahead and get him to propose. Maybe if she makes him jealous….

Younger sister Helen Davenport is never happier than working in the garage on the modern horseless carriages. Maybe she can help John convince their father to expand the business to automobiles. But instead, her parents hire an etiquette tutor to bring Helen into line.

The final viewpoint character is Amy-Rose, long time friend and maid to the Davenport girls. She’s been saving her money, and now she’s almost ready to start her own business and open a salon.

I thought I knew where this book was going, but all the romances run into snags toward the end of the book, and the author’s note hints at a sequel. So I’m looking forward to more time with the Davenport family in the future. The author’s note also tells us that the family was based on an actual family led by a formerly enslaved Black man who got rich in the carriage business. She wondered what life might have been like for his daughters. And her wondering gave us this delightful book.

krystalmarquis.com

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Review of Wooing the Witch Queen, by Stephanie Burgis

Fantasy, Fiction Review, Romance, Starred Review 0

Wooing the Witch Queen

by Stephanie Burgis
read by Amanda Leigh Cobb

Macmillan Audio, 2025. 8 hours, 33 minutes.
Review written June 12, 2025, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

I’ve long enjoyed Stephanie Burgis’s books for kids – fun fantasy stories with imagination and heart. They always make me smile. So it was something of an adjustment to listen to a sexy romantasy for adults from her – but in the end, it, too, has imagination and heart and made me smile.

The set-up is that Archduke Felix from the ever-expanding Empire has been controlled and abused for most of his life by his father-in-law. He’s not even allowed to study governance, but kept busy with literature and poetry. But now that his beloved wife has died, he knows that his father-in-law is laying plans to kill him. So he has nothing to lose. He’s going to go to the neighboring country where the Witch Queen Saskia has overcome her evil uncle and taken control – because she is the one person who’s successfully stood up to the Empire’s forces so far.

He grabs a dark cloak and is surprised when no one stops him, and he’s apparently welcomed to an audience with Saskia. What he doesn’t know is that she recently placed an ad for a dark wizard to put her magic library in order – her uncle left it in disarray. And as Felix is waiting at the door, he hears her telling her allies how happy she would be to execute Archduke Felix – because of all his father-in-law has done in his name. So when she mistakes him for a librarian, he takes the job.

And it turns out that studying literature and poetry is perfect training for being a magical librarian. And Saskia finds him surprisingly kind and careful – unlike any other dark wizard she’s ever met.

But of course he can’t just settle down and stay a librarian. He’s going to have to tell Saskia the truth at some point, and hopefully before the Empire finds a way to take down Saskia’s magical wall and annex her kingdom.

This book starts a trilogy that includes Saskia’s allies, the other two “Queens of Villainy.” I’m going to want to read them all.

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Review of Same Time Next Summer, by Annabel Monaghan

Audiobooks, Fiction Review, Romance 0

Same Time Next Summer

by Annabel Monaghan
read by Brittany Pressley and Dan Bittner

Books on Tape, 2023. 6 hours, 57 minutes.
Review written September 3, 2024, from a library eaudiobook

When you’re listening to a romance novel, you shouldn’t complain if you know right away what’s going to happen, right? Especially since it was the author’s other book that made you notice the formula.

This book begins with Samantha going back to the beach where her family has spent summers for decades, along with Jack, her doctor fiance. Sam has resisted spending more than a few days there ever since she was seventeen, when Wyatt, her childhood friend and teen boyfriend (whose summer place was next door) left her and broke her heart. But now she’s over all that, engaged to be married, and her parents want her to consider getting married at the beach. Much to her surprise, Sam learns that Wyatt is back in the house next door, for the first time in years.

Okay, do you, like me, know what’s going to happen from that description? I did indulge in some fond hopes that this would be about Sam realizing what a great choice she made dating Jack, but I knew that wouldn’t happen as soon as they started in on a flashback from Wyatt’s perspective.

Like I said, the author’s earlier book, Nora Goes Off Script about a romance channel writer, made me extra aware of the formula, but I did groan a little when Sam (whose straitlaced job was in jeopardy) decided she wanted to be an art teacher for kids.

And there was one little detail that annoyed me. A high school student is not going to get a job at a library “teaching” kids, nor probably doing story times. Shelving books, maybe. Just saying.

But beyond all that? Yes, it’s a fun story. The characters are people you enjoy spending time with. Wyatt has some nice depth to him. And I have to say I did end up being surprised by what it was that broke up Sam and Wyatt when she was seventeen. It was not a letter one of them sent that never got received!

Though some day, I do want to read a romance novel about a heroine realizing she’s found someone much better for her than her first love. This isn’t that, but it’s a sweet romance that leaves you happy for the characters. It’s a feel-good story about finding the person who really gets you – and who can find fault with that?

annabelmonaghan.com

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Review of Sunrise Nights, by Jeff Zentner and Brittany Cavallaro

Audiobooks, Contemporary, Romance, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

Sunrise Nights

by Jeff Zentner and Brittany Cavallaro
read by Alexandra Hunter and Michael Crouch

Quill Tree Books, 2024. 7 hours, 28 minutes.
Review written October 30, 2024, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

Sunrise Nights is a sweet young adult romance described by the publisher as a “novel in verse and dialogue.” Since I was listening to it, I didn’t realize the verse was there until I got to a few spots that were artistically poetry. Most of the book read as the girl and the boy describing their night.

And the book takes place during three all-night parties at the end of a summer camp for the arts. Florence is there for dance, and Jude is there for photography. They don’t meet until the last night – Sunrise Night – of their first year in the program. They go out on the town, and they hit it off in ways that are delightful to witness. Then they make a pact not to contact each other until the next Sunrise Night the following year.

Their first night together, Jude has a girlfriend. So that keeps them both from acknowledging their attraction. The second Sunrise Night, Florence has a boyfriend. But, well, the discussion between the two of them makes her rethink that.

And still, despite Jude saying he’s not going to let a simple misunderstanding make this like a teen rom com, they still don’t talk about their attraction until the third Sunrise Night.

I like that Florence and Jude are nuanced characters. Florence is losing her ability to dance because she has a deteriorating eye condition that destroys her balance. Jude is the first person besides her parents that she’s talked with about it. Jude has OCD that is undiagnosed until he takes Florence’s suggestion to see a therapist. He only knows the first year that his thoughts spiral. He’s also hurting because his parents recently split up, and he’s afraid that he drives away love.

It all adds up to a sweet story of two teens who are open with one another and find a listening ear when they need it most. But then they go a year between these times of connection. Which builds exactly the right amount of romantic tension.

jeffzentnerbooks.com
brittanycavallaro.com

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Review of Nora Goes Off Script, by Annabel Monaghan, read by Hillary Huber

Audiobooks, Contemporary, Fiction Review, Romance, Starred Review 0

Nora Goes Off Script

by Annabel Monaghan
read by Hillary Huber

Penguin Audio, 2022. 6 hours, 57 minutes.
Review written July 29, 2024, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

First, thanks to my friend, the librarian Amanda Sealey, for mentioning this author in a post. Yes, it’s an unashamed romance novel, and this book left me feeling happy – and also happy about my own life and my choices. So that’s a win!

Nora, our heroine in this story writes movie scripts for the Romance Channel. They always follow a formula and always turn out happy. The formula involves a big-city person meeting a person from the country and at first they butt heads, but they fall in love. Big City Person gets involved with the small community and helps with planning an important community event. But then BCP leaves, the one left behind is heartbroken – but something gives BCP an epiphany and they show up at the community event and they kiss and live happily ever after.

Well, this book didn’t *exactly* follow that pattern. But it was pretty darn close. All the same, there was enough introspection and thoughtfulness that it got me thinking about my own life and what love means and standing on your own and learning to let go and all sorts of other good things. And that made it rise above the formula for a win.

As the book opens, a movie company is taking over Nora’s yard and tea house to make a movie. But this time, it’s not for the Romance Channel. After Nora’s husband left her two years ago, she wrote a script about it, not following the formula, not bringing the guy back. And a big Hollywood producer picked it up. So two of the biggest stars in Hollywood are portraying Nora and her husband.

And then the big star sticks around. At first they butt heads, but soon fall in love. He starts helping with a community event – Nora’s fifth grade son’s play. Things are going according to the script, until they don’t.

A lot of the power in this book comes when Nora feels like she’s the kind of person people leave, and she figures out how to cope, with help from her friends. It hadn’t been as bad when her husband left, because things had died between them long before. Nora’s coping doesn’t come easily or flippantly, and I appreciated that.

I think it speaks well of the book that it got me thinking of my own life. My own divorce was much much harder, because I was very much still in love with my husband. For me, it’s now almost 20 years later, and it was nice to think about all the freedom I have as a woman on my own with a career I love – and I enjoyed that this book ticked off those reflections. I’m glad the romance part turned out happier for Nora, though!

annabelmonaghan.com

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Review of A Complicated Love Story Set in Space, by Shaun David Hutchinson

Audiobooks, Romance, Science Fiction, Teen Fiction Review 0

A Complicated Love Story Set in Space

by Shaun David Hutchinson
narrated by Kevin R. Free with Gibson Frazier and Candace Thaxton

Simon & Schuster Audio, 2021. 11 hours, 2 minutes.
Review written December 24, 2021, from a library eaudio

Well, the title of this book tells the truth. This is a very complicated love story, and it’s set in space.

In fact, the book begins when 16-year-old Noa North wakes up in a spacesuit outside a ship. He remembers going to sleep in his own bed and has no idea how he got in space. He’s not feeling good about it. And when he gets to the airlock ready to go into the safety of the ship, a voice tells him that the ship is about to explode and he needs to patch a hole on the outside of the ship. Which is not an easy thing to do.

And that’s just the beginning of their adventures in space. There are only two other people on the ship – DJ, the owner of the voice that helped him fix the ship, and Jenny, whom they later find locked in a restroom. They are all sixteen years old. But are they the only people on board?

The things that happen to them after that, ranging from finding another person on the ship, fighting an alien monster, and getting stuck in a time loop, all seem oddly episodic. On top of that, their efforts to get back to earth are consistently thwarted. But things really get interesting as they begin to discover why they’re on the ship in the first place and who put them there.

But meanwhile, Noa’s wrestling with a bad experience in his past that makes him afraid to give in to his feelings for DJ. Can they find love in such a complicated setting?

The story, once we know what happened, all seems wild and farfetched, but let’s be honest, it’s still a whole lot of fun. Noa is endearing, and you’ve got to feel for a guy who wakes up in outer space. Don’t read this one for believability, but do read it for a fun romance between two guys caught up in extraordinary circumstances.

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*Note* To try to catch up on posting reviews, I’m posting the oldest reviews I’ve written on my blog without making a page on my main website. They’re still good books.

Review of Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, by Joya Goffney

Audiobooks, Contemporary, Romance, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry

by Joya Goffney
read by Jordan Cobb

HarperAudio, 2021. 9 hours, 39 minutes.
Review written October 25, 2021, from a library eaudiobook
Starred Review

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is a teen romance with a lot of depth. Quinn is a senior in high school and one of the few Black girls at her private school. She pours out her private thoughts in her list journal. But one day, she accidentally picks up the journal of that cute guy in her study group instead of her own.

She works to fix the switch, but he’s lost her journal. Or so he says. Then someone anonymously starts blackmailing Quinn. If she doesn’t complete the items in her list to do before the end of high school, the blackmailer will start posting embarrassing pages from her journal on the internet – beginning with the revelation that she didn’t actually get into Columbia.

Quinn’s parents met at Columbia, and they’ve been planning on her going there since she was born, so Quinn didn’t manage to tell them she didn’t get accepted. She even forged an acceptance letter – and then they made the news known far and wide. Part of her list was to tell them the truth, but Quinn isn’t sure she can ever do that. Another item is to tell the guy she’s had a crush on for years how she feels – though that may be changing. Yet another is going to visit her grandmother, who’s in a nursing home with dementia. Quinn’s afraid she won’t even recognize her.

So she begins by tackling an easier item – visiting the two colleges where she did get accepted. And Carter, the cute guy who lost her journal, is willing to come along and help. Maybe he isn’t the blackmailer after all – though Quinn still isn’t sure she can trust him.

As Quinn works through all of this, she makes some new friends and gains some new experiences. And she does some things she was afraid of doing.

It all adds up to a fun read about a teen who made some mistakes, but is trying to pull herself out of them.

The only thing I didn’t like is that Quinn’s use of the list journal is seen as a bad habit. She wrote in the journal so she wouldn’t have to open up to actual people. I don’t think that’s the way it works. Journaling is good for you! And I think that opening up to a journal makes it easier to open up to actual people rather than harder. I think you’d be a lot less apt to stuff your emotions. So I hope she won’t give it up forever.

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*Note* To try to catch up on posting reviews, I’m posting the oldest reviews I’ve written on my blog without making a page on my main website. They’re still good books.