Skip to main content

Featured

Chosen. Again. by J. Emery

She saved the kingdom once. She didn't expect there to be a repeat performance. At sixteen, Ari fell into a portal and found herself in Callaria, a magical alternate world in need of a hero. So she did the coming-of-age quest. She saved the kingdom and kissed the farmboy turned King. And when she was done... she went home. She never forgot about her time in Callaria. It never forgot her either, and now thirteen years later, she's back. Drafted into the role of Champion once more, Ari discovers that magic doesn't mean freedom from consequences. Her actions a decade ago caused ripples that didn't go away when she did. The gawky apprentice wizard she once called a friend is now a cynical Royal Wizard with a penchant for floor length velvet robes and dangerous secrets. Her magic sword is giving her the silent treatment. The evil ruler she thought she defeated is living in the dungeon, making cryptic predictions that sound a little too much like fact. The farmboy turned King...

Who I Was With Her by Nita Tyndall

There are two things that Corinne Parker knows to be true: that she is in love with Maggie Bailey, the captain of the rival high school's cross-country team and her secret girlfriend of a year, and that she isn't ready for anyone to know she's bisexual.

But then Maggie dies, and Corinne quickly learns that the only thing worse than losing Maggie is being left heartbroken over a relationship no one knows existed. And to make things even more complicated, the only person she can turn to is Elissa--Maggie's ex, and the single person who understands how Corinne is feeling.

As Corinne struggles to make sense of her grief and what she truly wants out of life, she begins to have feelings for the last person she should fall for. But to move forward after losing Maggie, Corinne will have to learn to be honest with the people in her life...starting with herself.

TITLE: Who I Was with Her
AUTHOR: Nita Tyndall
PUBLISHER: HarperTeen (an imprint of HarperCollins)
YEAR: 2020
LENGTH: 348 pages
AGE: Young Adult
GENRE: Realistic Fiction, Contemporary
RECOMMENDED: Yes

Queer Rep Summary: Lesbian/Sapphic Main Character(s), Bi/Pan Main Character(s), Ace/Aro Secondary Character(s).

WHO I WAS WITH HER follows a teenager who finds out her secret girlfriend has died, and doesn't know how to move on when almost no one knows they were together. 

This is a story about agency, about a girl growing up and learning to make certain decisions for herself. The title is "Who I Was With Her" and I had assumed we would learn a lot more about "Her" (Maggie). Instead we have a lot more "I", following Corey's stress and fears, the way she feels like she has nothing to talk about with her friends because of this big thing she can't say... Ultimately the story is more about Corey learning to be her own person and not trying to fit what other people want, than it is about the actual girl who died. Corey's dreams were wrapped up in visions of them together in the college-bound future and now she has to figure out what she wants her life to look like when she's not running after someone else. I wish we knew more about Maggie, but ultimately the book isn't really about her, it's about who Corey was with Maggie, and who she's going to be after.

CW for biphobia, homophobia, sexism, racism, sexual content, grief, alcoholism, car accident (not depicted), child death, major character death, death.

TW for Harry Potter reference (page 24).

Bookshop Affiliate Buy Link

Add this on TheStoryGraph

A white girl in a white tank top, her long blonde hair pulled up into a ponytail secured with a lime green scrunchie, she shares boldly into the camera. Behind her, dimmed by a pale pink tint is a girl with long dark hair wearing a black sweater, her head is turn to look down and away.


Comments

Popular Posts