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Book Reviews, Young Adult · June 11, 2019

REVIEW| NO PLACE LIKE HERE

NO PLACE LIKE HERE - Book Review

Summary: No Place Like Here

In No Place Like Here, Ashley Zanotti’s summer plans do a 180 when her dad is sentenced to jail time for tax evasion. Her mother is severely depressed and has to check herself into rehab. Ashley, on the other hand, can’t spend time at home with her best friend, Tatum. Instead she’s shipped off to work at an outdoorsy retreat center with a cousin she barely knows.

At the center, she meets a college boy named Mark, another camp worker named Baxter, and many other interesting characters. Her time away is also punctuated by visits to her dad in jail and calls from her mother in rehab.

The Good

I really enjoyed the summer camp setting. Ashley works at a retreat center where organizations and families come for “team-building” exercises. This book vividly chronicles the summer retreat experience — everything from bon-fire nights to trust falls and hikes. As a lover of the outdoors, reading about swimming and zip lining is always fun. I also liked reading about Ashley’s relationship with her cousin and watching her growth throughout the book. Another part of the story I liked was the unraveling of the not-quite mystery surrounding the center’s current manager.

However, the most important plot in this book for me was that of Ashley and her dad. Ashley’s father is verbally/emotionally abusive and often puts her down. His praises are scarce and hard to win, but he’s eager to find fault with everything she does. Author Christine June really shows readers through Ashley’s thoughts and the way she constantly swallows her opinions, how much damage such abuse can cause. It was also refreshing to see depression handled positively and to reflect accurately that it’s not a condition that ever really “goes away.”

Of course, there’s a bit of love in this one, but it’s not the book’s center. I also loved Tatum and Ashley’s friendship. Reading about great female friendships in books is always a win.

The Bad

I listened to this book on audio and I did not enjoy the narration — it felt more like a reading than audiobook narration. That definitely impacted my experience of the book. I also had mixed feelings about the resolution with Ashley’s dad.

Overall: No Place Like Here

No Place Like Here is refreshing young adult novel chock-full of summer vibes. Yet, this one is not all a fluff pick. This novel features parental mental illness, parental incarceration, and mature female friendships. No Place Like Here is a perfect summer read for lovers of camp stories, books featuring tough family dynamics, and stories with strong female friendships.

[bctt tweet=”No Place Like Here is a perfect summer read for lovers of camp stories, books featuring tough family dynamics, and stories with strong female friendships.” username=”afomaumesi”]


Buy This Book

No Place Like Here

More Book Reviews

  • To Be Honest by Maggie Ann Martin
  • We Are the Perfect Girl by Ariel Kaplan
  • I Wanna Be Where You Are by Kristina Forest

[bctt tweet=”No Place Like Here by @ChristinaJuneYA is refreshing young adult novel chock-full of summer vibes. Yet, this one is not all a fluff pick. This novel features parental mental illness, parental incarceration, and mature female friendships.” username=””]

Have you read this book or anything by Christina June? What did you think? Also, what are your favorite camp-related YA books? I’d love to know!

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Backlist Love: 14 Backlist Middle-Grade Books on My TBR

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✨how ‘bout a little virtual reality?✨

☀️ Addie has reluctantly moved across the country with her dad for his summer job in the virtual reality industry. He's working on research to use VR for therapeutic purposes, such as helping people cultivate empathy. Addie is not into VR, but that starts to change when she meets Matteo another kid on campus, and tries out VR on her own. Eventually, the two find a helpful use for VR that helps other people.

🥽 I loved the illustration style in this one and while I found the VR setting a bit disorienting, I appreciated the unique lens of the story. The graphic novel format works brilliantly for helping readers appreciate the power of VR. I think with text, it would have just been too much “world-building.” This is more engaging and exciting for kids.

🐢 Lo and Behold is a clever middle grade graphic novel about virtual reality, grief, and parental addiction. Readers who enjoy VR will love this one, but as the Author's Note mentions, it will also be a fantastic introduction for those who, like me, aren't familiar with it. A fun summer read with hints of serious themes.

#mglit #middlegrade #bookstagram
✨surprisingly heartwarming middle grade✨ 🗺 ✨surprisingly heartwarming middle grade✨

🗺️ Ginny’s summer is thrown off when her dad gets a surprise redeployment in the middle of their family’s moving to another city. Then, her geography camp gets canceled. Her sister seems to be making new friends, but no one appears to like Ginny–even when she starts her own geography camp. 

❤️ I loved this book way more than I thought I would (from the synopsis). Ginny has such a great voice and she isn’t always the most likable character but she’s always real. I loved watching her grow throughout the story.

📍This sweet, unique young middle grade book made my heart grow and ache for Ginny and her family as they navigated a season of change. Features illustrations and a new geography fact in each chapter.

#amreading #mglit #middlegrade
My current adult reads! HAPPY TRAVELER is a non- My current adult reads! 

HAPPY TRAVELER is a non-fiction title about making travel work for you and creating enjoyable, memorable experiences. So far, I’m enjoying the author’s musings on travel.

HELLO BEAUTIFUL is a bookstagram darling (need I say more?) and I already know I’ll be reading it for a while. It’s one of those books that really forces you to slow down. The writing is so tender; it feels like the author loves her characters ❤️

#bookstagram #amreading #readersofinstagram
✨growing up is full of bumps on the way✨ 🤓 ✨growing up is full of bumps on the way✨

🤓 Sixth grade is off to a rocky start for Rex. His district moved most of his elementary school to another middle school, his best friend ditches him for the popular crew, and his blurry vision means he has to get clunky new glasses–the only kind his family can afford. 

❤️ This sweet graphic novel for fans of Telgemeier is an ode to middle school, family, and finding your people.

#graphicnovel #middleschoolbooks #kidlit
Do you like to hop on the “buzz train”? I find Do you like to hop on the “buzz train”? I find that buzzy books are often worth the hype. Even the few people who dislike them tend to have STRONG feelings about them 👀 which to me is a sign that the story got to you somehow. Of course, not every book is for every reader — hype or not. I share my tip for finding a hyped book that matches your reading tastes.

Which hyped books did you love? And which ones missed the mark for you?

#reader #bookstagram #unpopularopinions
✨a different kind of sunshine✨ I loved this g ✨a different kind of sunshine✨

I loved this graphic memoir about the author’s time as a counselor at a camp for kids with cancer. It was my first time reading anything by this author and I totally get the appeal.

This one didn’t end up being as sad as I thought it would be but it was very moving, especially because Krosoczka shares newspaper clippings and pictures of one the families with whom he forged a particularly close relationship even until his college years.

If you’re looking for an engaging graphic memoir for older kids ages 11+ this is a great choice.

#graphicnovel #kidlit #yareader
✨a devastating debut✨ This book! Brilliantly ✨a devastating debut✨

This book! Brilliantly written, impressive characterization, and a plot so unexpected. It left me physically shaken (it's not feel-good), but it feels so necessary, so timely. A solid debut about the search for the great American Dream, familial sacrifices, and confronting our ugly inner selves -- all in less than 300 pages. 

You'll like this if you like:

Multiple perspectives (3 perspectives, 3rd person POV)
Character-driven stories
Time-jumping plots
Devastating endings

If you prefer straightforward, plot-rich, fast-paced stories, you might struggle a bit with this one at the start. But it's worth it!

#bookstagram #amreading #fiction
☀️ Meet the Bookstagrammer ☀️ Hi, new fol ☀️ Meet the Bookstagrammer ☀️

Hi, new followers! It’s such a pleasure to have a few new faces around. I love finding new readers to follow on the gram. 

My name is Afoma and I run a book blog called Reading Middle Grade. I also run a Facebook Group and newsletter related to my blog. In my day job, I’m a freelance writer and editor, with a degree in medicine.

I’ve lived in three continents (born in Nigeria, med school in Ukraine and the Caribbean). I live in Nigeria now with my husband and many, many books 🤭 I love to cook and travel and run. This year, one of my goals is to become a better runner. I’m currently able to run 2K without stopping. 

Even though we don’t have traditional four seasons in Nigeria, the summer months are my favorite. From childhood, they were the one time when my overachieving, perfectionistic self could RELAX. And do nothing! And even now, I try to take time off in the summer to do nothing.

Some of favorite books this year have been LASAGNA MEANS I LOVE YOU, THE LOST YEAR (I lived in Ukraine for 3 years, so this resonated with me!), and MAAME. 

Thank you so much for following my reading journey! Tell me something about yourself — hobbies, favorite books, anything! ❤️
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