Nicole Kronzer’s debut novel Unscripted comes out at the end of April, and I could not be more excited for this feminist, funny, fresh novel. Sasha was lucky enough to have the opportunity to ask Nicole a few questions about her, her writing, Unscripted and more!!

Hi Nicole! Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Hi, Sasha! Of course! Besides writing books for teenagers (my favorite people), I teach high school English and Creative Writing. Before that, I was a professional actor/improviser. I’m an avid knitter (I once took a vacation that was hiking by day and learning Icelandic knitting techniques by night), and I also love to run.

If you were to describe Unscripted in five words, what would they be?

Feminist, Funny, Scary, Swoony, and Empowering

For those who haven’t heard of it yet, can you tell us a little about Unscripted?

You bet. Unscripted is about a 17-year-old girl named Zelda who has Saturday Night Live dreams. She heads off to a storied improv camp in the mountains of Colorado and lands on the top team. She’s the only girl on her team, however, and there are only four other girls at the entire camp. She finds herself in a den of misogyny and wants to speak up, but worries it will ruin her big shot at her dream. One of the questions the book asks is, “When you’re trailblazing, how much do you owe yourself, and how much do you owe the people you represent?”

What was your initial inspiration for Unscripted?

I almost hate answering this question because my answer feels like cheating, but I woke up with the idea at four in the morning. I stumbled out of bed, grabbed a notebook, and sat on my living room floor and wrote out the synopsis. I have an extensive improv background, love summer camp, and understand a thing or two about gender inequity. Plus, I had had a rash of students asking me for advice about their (abusive) romantic relationships. My subconscious brain kind of put it all together.

Can you tell us a bit about the theme of feminism in Unscripted and how it is discussed?

For sure. I’m surprised that in 2020 I still have students who make a face when I use the word “feminism,” but I do. I mean, it makes sense that the patriarchy wants us to think the word “feminism” means “man-hater.” Systems of oppression only work when we’re all distracted by hatred and division. So for the record, friends, “feminism” simply describes the belief that all people should be treated equitably, no matter their gender.

I definitely felt the effects of the patriarchy in theatre growing up. It started out simply that there were so many more roles for boys than girls (and please excuse my use of binary language here, but that was the prevailing 1990s mindset.) Lots of those roles were not gender specific, so why were the lawyers and mayors and doctors always automatically boys? The only reason, it seemed, that girls were even included were to fall in love or to be someone’s mother. While those are wonderful things, being limited to them felt unfair.

When I started doing improv professionally, I found the patriarchy to be alive and well there, too. I was told by well-meaning men that I was “really funny for a girl.” I was encouraged to audition for certain opportunities because “they need funny girls, and there just aren’t that many of you.” These were things that sort of felt like compliments? But, of course, they weren’t.

I have wonderful men in my life, and when they read my book, they ask me, “Do guys really do stuff like this?” I think they want assurances that this novel I’ve written is completely fictional—how could girls be treated so unfairly?

But the fact that they ask me that question shows us that men—even wonderful, loving, well-meaning men—are so often protected from the vitriol other men direct at women. Women don’t speak up because they’re afraid they won’t be believed, or don’t want to be labeled as emotional or difficult or because it will destroy their career or their family or a thousand other valid concerns.   

Zelda loves being a girl and she loves improv. Some of the guys in this book stand in her way, and others fight along beside her. Through the lens of improv, Unscripted explores the systems that are in place that benefit men—even good, well-intentioned men—and how we can all work together to disrupt them.

Zelda is a complicated and fierce character- could you tell us a little about your journey in writing her?

Thank you! Zelda is probably the character that came easiest to me from the beginning because what she wants is so clear and so universal: a fair shot at her dream.

As a teenager, I remember feeling that if I worked really hard, and was kind, and showed up on time, the world was my oyster. I still want that to be true, so I gave that to Zelda.

A big difference between Zelda and me, however, is that she’s so much braver than I was at her age. I made her brave because I didn’t want people to read this book and make excuses for Ben like, “Why didn’t she just say what was wrong?” or “Why didn’t she tell Ben how she felt?” So Zelda says those things. She asks those questions. And still the patriarchy stands in her way. She’s smart. But being smart isn’t enough to single-handedly take down a system of oppression.

Zelda also hasn’t had a lot (well, any) romantic experience. This makes her vulnerable to the actions of the first guy who shows interest in her. How he treats her seems normal because she has nothing to compare it to. It became really important to me early on in drafting that we get to see what normal relationships should look like–what they can and do look like. So we see her parents’, Will and Jonas’s, and Sirena and Emily’s. But recognizing good relationships are one thing. Thinking you deserve one of your own is another. (Spoiler: you do!)

You must have had to come up with so many hilarious jokes for Unscripted! What’s a joke you’re particularly proud of?

I love when Zelda corrects Ben in her head about Big Ben being the name of the bell, not the clock. (It’s not a great joke out of context—readers, please trust me—it’s better in the flow of the story!) I love that stupid joke so much that once I thought of it, I named Ben “Ben” so I could use it.

What was your biggest struggle when writing Unscripted, and what was your favourite part?

Writing a believable Ben was my biggest struggle. As a writer, you have to get into the heads of all of your characters and empathize with them—even your antagonists. Ben is emotionally abusive, but he doesn’t see it that way. He thinks he’s doing what’s best for his team, and his career, and even for Zelda. Getting into his head was ugly, and tracing his ups and downs were difficult.

My favorite part is two parts: I loved writing the scenes with Zelda and the Boy Scouts, and with Zelda and the Gildas. (The girls at camp stay in a cabin named after SNL great Gilda Radner, and swiftly refer to themselves as “The Gildas.”) They were such breaths of fresh air compared to the Ben parts, and they were funny and fun to spend time with.

Can you tell us about your experience publishing your debut book?

Absolutely! It’s been a really positive experience so far. This is actually the second book I wrote. When I started querying agents with my first, Nina LaCour told me to start writing my next book. (We met when she came to my school as a visiting author, and then we became friends.) I was surprised—start writing the next book already? But Nina’s advice was solid, because when I started getting responses from agents like, “I like your voice, but this isn’t the book,” I was like, “Well then, how about THIS one?”

My dream agent, Sara Crowe, passed on my first book, but offered to represent me six days after I sent her the second. That email was the best I’ve ever received.

She went on to sell my book to Maggie Lehrman at Abrams four months later, and Maggie is brilliant. She also has an improv background, and has told me on more than one occasion, “I feel like I was meant to edit this book.” I agree! She helped me make my book stronger in every way.

Another really exciting thing that happened was that I got to narrate my own audiobook! When my agent wrote me with the audiobook offer, I knew every person in my life was going to ask if I was going to perform it myself (because of my acting background), so I felt really nervous to put myself out there, but asked if I could audition to read it. Dreamscape said yes, and then they loved my tape! Recording it was really exciting and also difficult: there are thirty-three distinct characters in my book. But I did read all seven Harry Potter books out loud to my daughters with all the voices, so I have had some practice. 😉

Besides the super supportive teams at Abrams (my publisher) and Pippin Properties (my agency), I have found a wonderful circle of writer friends here in Minneapolis, Minnesota. There is a truly robust writing community here. We joke that it’s winter for six months of the year, so what else are you going to do? But seriously—some of these folks have been writing for decades and decades, and others are just getting started like me—and they’ve all been wonderful.

What’s a piece of advice you’d like to give to any aspiring authors reading this?

I’m going to start out with a piece of advice that everyone says: read and write everything you can.

But I’d like to add on something that took me a long time to learn: Write what you want to write. I spent too long thinking no one would want to read the story of my heart. But I’m here to tell you: your heart is important. And if that heart is full of dragons or kissing or the mob or vampires or video games or all those things: write that story. Don’t worry about what you think everyone else wants to read.

What are your three favourite books of all time?

This question is killing me, Sasha! There are so many wonderful books!

When people ask me for one book, I always say Pride and Prejudice. Two books, and I add Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I mean, both have serious re-readability and kick-ass girls, which are my top criteria for a favorite book of all time.

But that third slot? Ugh. SO HARD.

I tell you what—there’s a whole subplot I cut from Unscripted where Zelda read A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. My editor told me it sounded too much like an English teacher had written it (guilty!) and she very smartly encouraged me to cut it. So how about I offer up that book (well, play) as my third in keeping with the world of my own book? Streetcar. Seriously—it’s so good.

Unscripted is going to be out really soon! What do you hope readers take away from it?

Unscripted is a little unusual in that it’s both light-hearted and funny, but also has very serious and scary moments, too. I hope readers enjoy the jokes and the swoony romance, but I also hope readers walk away able to recognize the signs of an abusive relationship in their own lives and know they don’t have to live like that. I also hope some readers will feel called to be a better ally to women, and other readers (or maybe all) will feel a little less alone.

Thanks so much for answering our questions, Nicole 🙂 Unscripted is out April 21 from Abrams Books, and we hope you’re as excited as we are!

Thank you, Sasha!

Hi everyone! Today we’re bringing you a post featuring some amazing books by queer and trans authors of colour, so there’s going to be plenty of diverse books for you to add to your TBR! Most of these are YA as that’s what we mostly read! If we missed your favourite QTPOC author or you love one of the authors we included, please drop a comment and let us know! Hope you enjoy 🙂 – Sasha and Amber

 

GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE BY NATASHA NGAN

We both adore this book series so much and are constantly talking about it! Set in a gorgeous Asian-inspired fantasy world, we follow two girls who are concubines for the demon king as they fall in love and plot to kill him. Not only is the romance gorgeous, but the portrayal of sexual abuse is written SO well, the characters are all so unique and dimensional and this book is also very feminist!!

HENNA WARS BY ADIBA JAIGIRDAR

Although it’s not out yet, I loved this book WAY too much to not include it here! If you like rivals-to-lovers, childhood friendship rekindling or a bad-ass mainly female cast, this book is a great one to pick up! We follow two brown girls as they both decide to set up rival henna businesses for one of their classes and end up falling in love ❤ This book deals with homophobia, cultural appropriation, coming out and so many more important topics, I cannot urge you enough to pre-order it!! Review here.

MOONCAKES BY SUZANNE WALKER & WENDY XU

This gorgeous graphic novel is a story about a witch and a werewolf and is full of sapphic goodness, magic, love and self-discovery. The artwork in this novel is also so beautiful and the character’s are so expressive!

JULIET TAKES A BREATH BY GABBY RIVERA

Juliet Milagros Palante has just come out to her family and is unsure if her mum will ever speak to her again. So, when she goes to an internship in Portland, she leaves all of that behind and focuses on getting to know herself and whether or not she’s just running away from her problems.

ANGER IS A GIFT BY MARK OSHIRO

This beautiful story tackles racism and anxiety when we follow Moss Jefferies and his fellow classmates who find themselves increasingly treated like criminals by their own school. New rules. Random locker searches. Moss is faced a difficult choice: give in to fear and hate or realize that anger can actually be a gift.

DARK AND DEEPEST RED BY ANNA-MARIE MCLEMORE

Summer, 1518. A sickness sweeps through Strasbourg: women dance in the streets, some until they fall down dead. Five centuries later, a pair of red shoes seal to Rosella’s feet, making her dance uncontrollably. They draw her toward Emil, whose family was blamed for the fever five hundred years ago, discovering the truth may decide whether Rosella survives the red shoes.

THE NEVER TILTING WORLD BY RIN CHUPECO

Years ago, two sisters fell out, and the world split in half, dividing into two realms. Now the daughters of the sisters must come together to heal their world. This book is one of our favourites and features found family and a f/f romance :)) Review here.

SCAVENGE THE STARS BY TARA SIM

Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception—and as her path intertwines with the son of the man she’s plotting to bring down—the more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she realizes she must trust no one…

THE GOOD LUCK GIRLS BY CHARLOTTE NICHOLE DAVIS

A story of rebellion and crushing the patriarchy in a western-esque world starring five fierce girls as they escape the pleasure house they were indentured to to claim their freedom, in this fiercely feminist fantasy story. Review here.

FELIX EVER AFTER BY KACEN CALLENDER

When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle…

CEMETERY BOYS BY AIDAN THOMAS

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo.  So, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. Pre-order this book now!

CLAP WHEN YOU LAND BY ELIZABETH ACEVEDO

I (Sasha) just finished this gorgeous story, written in poem, and I was crying so much at the ending! When their father dies on a plane crash, two girls from different sides of the world discover that they have a secret sister their father never told them about. This book was absolutely stunning, lyrical and breathtaking. I adored Camino and Yahaira and I can’t wait to read more from Elizabeth Acevedo!

INFINITY SON BY ADAM SILVERA

Balancing epic and intensely personal stakes, this novel is a gritty, fast-paced adventure about two brothers caught up in a magical war generations in the making. In a brawl after a protest, Emil manifests a power of his own—one that puts him right at the heart of the conflict and sets him up to be the heroic Spell Walker his brother Brighton always wanted to be.

HARLEY IN THE SKY BY AKEMI DAWN BOWMAN

Harley has always wished to be a trapeze artist, and after a huge fight with her parents, she runs away, betrays them and joins a travelling circus where she must learn the value of hard work and passion while also coming to terms with the truth about her family.

THE MERMAID THE WITCH AND THE SEA BY MAGGIE TOKUDA HALL

A desperate orphan turned pirate and a rebellious imperial daughter find a connection on the high seas in a world divided by colonialism and threaded with magic. As the pirates prepare to sell their unsuspecting passengers into slavery, Flora is drawn to the Lady Evelyn Hasegawa, and together they set in motion a wild escape that will free a captured mermaid, and involve an opportunistic witch, and the all-encompassing Sea itself.

ASH BY MALINDA LO

Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief. This retelling of Cinderella stars a f/f romance.

DREAD NATION BY JUSTINA IRELAND

Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. Dread Nation reimagines the Reconstruction era, but with zombies.

THE SOUND OF STARS BY ALECHIA DOW

Can a girl who risks her life for books and an alien who loves forbidden pop music work together to save humanity? Two years ago, a misunderstanding between the leaders of Earth and the invading Ilori resulted in the deaths of one-third of the world’s population. Now, the fate of humanity lies in the hands of teenage Ellie and an alien who should be her enemy, but she can’t bring herself to hate.

WE DIDN’T ASK FOR THIS BY ALI ALSAID

We Didn’t Ask for This by Adi Alsaid is a fierce and intelligent story that discusses climate change and the power teenagers have to change the world along with teen angst, emotions and dramatics. Sasha really loved this book and you can find her review here!

THE LOVE AND LIES OF RUKHSANA ALI BY SABINA KHAN

This gorgeous, yet heart-breaking book follows Rukhsana as she is whisked off to Bangladesh after her parents see her kissing her girlfriend. With unlikely friendships and a gut-wrenching plot, this is the perfect book for anyone who loves a good f/f romance, with some amazing representation too!

THE GRIEF KEEPER BY ALEXANDRA VILLASANTE

One of Amber’s all time favourites, this book is about Marisol, who will do anything to keep her and her sister in America after they immigrate to escape danger in their home town. Marisol becomes a keeper of someone else’s grief as a way of staying in America, and although she’s not meant to meet the girl who’s heartbreak she has to now handle, they form a very strong bond ;))))

RUN REBEL BY MANJEET MANN

When Amber runs, it’s the only time she feels completely free – far away from her claustrophobic home life. Her father wants her to be a dutiful daughter, waiting for an arranged marriage like her sister Ruby. Running is a quiet rebellion. But Amber wants so much more – and she’s ready to fight for it. It’s time for a revolution.

WE SET THE DARK ON FIRE BY TEHLOR KAY MEJIA

Dani and Carmen didn’t always hate each other, but they definitely do now, and when they end up married to the same husband, they must put their differences aside to help bring equality to their town. This book is such a gorgeous enemies-to-lovers, and the second book was just recently released so you can read the whole series at once!

I HOPE YOU GET THIS MESSAGE BY FARAH NAZ RISHI

A beautiful story about 3 teens who must face their truths and wrong doings with only 7 days left before the Earth might end. Jesse, Cate, and Adeem’s paths collide even as their worlds are pulled apart and they each have separate missions they hope to complete before their time is up.

DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY BY ADIB KHORRAM

Darius doesn’t think he’ll ever be enough, in America or in Iran. Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He’s about to take his first-ever trip to Iran, and it’s pretty overwhelming–especially when he’s also dealing with clinical depression, a disapproving dad, and a chronically anemic social life.

ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE BY BENJAMIN ALIRE SAENZ

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime.

SHATTER THE SKY BY REBECCA KIM WELLS

Raised among the ruins of a conquered mountain nation, Maren dreams only of sharing a quiet life with her girlfriend Kaia—until the day Kaia is abducted by the Aurati, prophetic agents of the emperor, and forced to join their ranks. Desperate to save her, Maren hatches a plan to steal one of the emperor’s coveted dragons and storm the Aurati stronghold.

NOT YOUR SIDEKICK BY C.B. LEE

Welcome to Andover… where superpowers are common, but internships are complicated. Just ask high school nobody, Jessica Tran. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers and is merely looking to beef-up her college applications when she stumbles upon the perfect (paid!) internship—only it turns out to be for the town’s most heinous supervillain.

THE STARS AND THE BLACKNESS BETWEEN THEM BY JUNAUDA PETRUS

Mabel quickly falls hard for the new girl, Audre and is determined to take care of her as she tries to navigate an American high school. But their romance takes a turn when test results reveal exactly why Mabel has been feeling low-key sick all summer and suddenly it’s Audre who is caring for Mabel as she faces a deeply uncertain future.

THE BLACK FLAMINGO BY DEAN ATTA

Fiercely told, this is a timely coming-of-age story, told in verse about the journey to self-acceptance. A boy comes to terms with his identity as a mixed-race gay teen – then at university he finds his wings as a drag artist, The Black Flamingo. A bold story about the power of embracing your uniqueness. Sometimes, we need to take charge, to stand up wearing pink feathers – to show ourselves to the world in bold colour.

THE WEIGHT OF THE STARS BY K. ANCRUM

Every night without fail, Alexandria waits to catch radio signals from her mother who is on a one-way trip to the edge of the solar system. But when she breaks her arm in a horrific accident and her world collides with Ryann’s, it’s up to Ryann to make sure she can still get onto the roof to hear from her mother every day.

LIKE A LOVE STORY BY ABDI NAZEMIAN 

When Reza moves to the city, Judy quickly becomes his best friend, and they start dating. But Reza is gay, as is Judy’s best friend Art, and as Reza and Art grow closer, Reza struggles to find a way out of his deception that won’t break Judy’s heart–and destroy the most meaningful friendship he’s ever known.

LET’S TALK ABOUT LOVE BY CLAIRE KANN

Alice had her whole summer planned. Non-stop all-you-can-eat buffets while marathoning her favorite TV shows, with the smallest dash of adulting–working at the library to pay her share of the rent. The only thing missing from her perfect plan? Her girlfriend, who ended things when Alice confessed she’s asexual. Alice thinks she’s done with dating, but then Alice meets Takumi and she can’t stop thinking about him or the rom com-grade romance feels she did not ask for.

SOFT ON SOFT BY MINA WAHEED

Contemporary romance where one homebody and one extrovert make one hell of a love story. Soft on Soft is a character-driven without an intense plot or conflict! For fans of something low on the angst and high on the fluff.

EVERYTHING LEADS TO YOU BY NINA LACOUR

A gorgeous novel about a girl who designs film sets who ends up finding a letter from a deceased hollywood star. She then makes it her mission to deliver the letter but finds out that the recipient is also deceased, and this is where she meets Emi, who know’s nothing about her hollywood connection and loves to act 🙂

 

PS: If we’re incorrect, and one of these authors is not part of the LGBTQ+ community, we apologise! There are many POC authors who have great LGBTQ+ representation in their books, but it isn’t clear whether they themselves are LGBTQ+. We didn’t want to invade any author’s privacy by searching too much about their sexuality or gender identity, so we just hope you don’t mind.

Red Hood is a fierce exploration of womanhood, feminism and female friendships that I absolutely adored.

I loved the characters of Red Hood. Loving, unsure Bisou who is fiercer and more powerful than she could ever know. Unapologetic, witty Keisha who provides a reporters eye and invaluable support and advice. Fragile, brave Maggie who deserves better than what life through at her. Bisou’s wise, kind grandmother who plays a pivotal role in the girls’ lives. James, an empathic and loving boy with a kind heart who definitely drinks his respect women juice. These characters powered the story forward and where what kept me invested in it.

“The truth is, I have been among wolves. I’ll bet many of you have been, as well.”

The friendship between Bisou, Keisha, Maggie and even Mémé is powerful and important. They stand together against the vicious wolves, against the world, in solidarity, supporting and loving each other fiercely. I especially loved the three girls relationship and how they built their trust, love and protection of each other.

“It’s not that we need more wolf hunters, it’s that we need men to stop becoming wolves.”

Of course, feminism is the most central theme in this book. In Red Hood, it appears that some boys morph into wolves under the full moon, driven by lust and viciousness, driven to kill innocent girls. These boys who become wolves and their murders represent the vicious and unruly nature of boys who are not given what they want, and who will take it without permission. It’s shown that not all boys are wolves, but those who are are not always easy to see. This lends a fantasy and adventure aspect to the story, leaning into the Red Riding Hood retelling, whilst also serving as a powerful and timely metaphor.

“You are the hunter, and this wolf, though he thinks he is the predator, is your prey.”

Past this, the girls deal with boys in their human form too, who believe they are owed something by women, and they stand up against this. Keisha, especially, raises many feminist topics into discussion throughout the story. Another feminist aspect of this book is how periods are shown to be a special, powerful thing that makes a woman fierce and powerful, and Red Hood doesn’t shy away from talking about periods at all.

“There is a tree at your back. It rises behind you like all of history—your history, the history of girls in forests, the history of wolves and fangs and blood.”

Red Hood is narrated in second person from Bisou’s perspective, which isn’t something that often works in fiction. At first, I felt the second person distanced me from the story and stopped me being able to properly get into it, but I got used to the “you”s surprisingly quickly and after a while I hardly noticed the difference.

“What we need right now,” Mémé says, her voice a cautious warning, “is to get through these next few days. Heads down. Eyes up. The world is not kind to women who cry wolf.”

Elana K. Arnold’s prose is lyrical and stunning, building an atmospheric and sometimes almost dreamlike narrative. The writing of Red Hood is gorgeous and vivid, full of heart-wrenching imagery and intense action.

“You are stronger than you were, and faster than you were, and you, in this moment, are made for this moment. The animal confronting you is both a wolf and not a wolf. And you—you are both a girl and not a girl. You are a hunter, and this wolf, though he thinks he is the predator, is your prey.”

This book is mostly written is prose, but it is dotted with several poems throughout the book. I really loved this addition to the narrative and the poems lent to the atmosphere of the book in a great way.

“who’s afraid of the big bad wolf
i am afraid
of everything.”

The only thing I disliked about this book is that it felt quite unfinished – the message, whilst powerful, wasn’t rounded in off in the way I had hoped it would be. There are also things I’m noticing as I read other people’s reviews that I didn’t whilst reading, so do take heed of those too, especially reviews written by POC and trans people, as this books feminism, whilst not uninclusive, didn’t seem to focus on the issues that non-white/cis women experience.

“Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf?
Not me.
Fuck the wolf.”

Red Hood is a beautiful, metaphorical and stunningly feminist book that puts a dark but powerful twist on the story of Red Riding Hood and proves a gorgeous and important addition to the #MeToo movement. I cannot recommend this poignant, timely book enough.

Hi all! Today we’re bringing you another joint post, this time we’re talking all about ARCs! Ever wondered how to request an arc? What happens once you do? Or how to review an arc? Then this is the post for you! We hope you enjoy this post and find some of the information helpful!

Sasha gets ARCs semi-regularly, when she’s lucky, and Amber is just getting into the game, so here Sasha is answering all Amber’s questions on ARCs!

 

What are ARCs?

ARCs are advanced reader copies of books. They’re released by publishers and sent out to people who request them as an early draft of an author’s book. They are sent out to people in return for reviews which helps do drum up excitement about an upcoming release!

How do I request an ARC?

It’s actually way more simple than you’d think – my process is to find the book on Amazon in your country – I look at the different formats to find the one published by a publisher in the UK. If none are, I’ll look into requesting from the US but usually don’t have much luck with that. I have a pretty standard email I send to request books, talking about my platforms, stats and then a little paragraph on why the book interests me. I just insert the book title, author and correct ISBN into my email and send it!

Who do I contact to inquire about getting an ARC? Where can I find a publisher’s contact information?

Usually, you can find the publicity contact on a publishers website – either under “Contact Us” or sometimes in the Q&A section under a question like “how do I request a review copy of one of your titles?”. The contact is usually either a particular name or something like publicity@publisher.com. Make sure you find the publicity contact rather than rights or general inquiries 🙂 Other bloggers are often happy to help you with contacts too! I often DM my friends and ask if they have a publicity contact for a particular publisher!

What is Netgalley? How do I request an eARC on there?

NetGalley is a GREAT way to start requesting ARCs. You can easily sign up, and then navigate the website to look for books you’re interested in. It’s a pretty simple process to set up a profile and find the right button to request an arc! Especially if the book isn’t published in your country, you’re much more likely to get lucky there! If you’re approved, you can download an ebook copy of an ARC to your kindle, or just to your smartphone or tablet – I use my phone, but I had to download an app called Pocketbook to correctly read the ebook format! I don’t use NetGalley regularly, but there are definitely better guides to it out there 🙂

What happens once you get an ARC? How soon do I have to read and review it?

I usually aim to have my review up on or a few days prior to release day! Release week is probably the best time, as that’s when the book really needs to be hyped up! I usually post a photo of the book to my Instagram on my release day, along with the review on this blog, Amazon and Goodreads. It’s okay if you can’t get to a book by release day, but do try your best to have a review up as soon as possible around then, as it is what you promised by requesting the ARC! If you totally can’t get to the ARC because of extenuating circumstances, the publisher will totally understand, but try not to request an ARC if you don’t think you’ll get to it.

What do I do with ARCs once I’ve read them?

Personally, if I liked the ARC I keep it, just like I would a finished copy, but other people prefer to purchase a finished copy and get rid of their ARC. However, if you don’t want your ARC for whatever reason, the most important thing is that you DON’T SELL IT!! It’s illegal and also kind of unfair, as you would profit off something you didn’t have to purchase, and the author gets no money from that. If you want something in return, the best way is to find someone to trade with – people are usually happy to trade for their own ARCs or books they don’t want. But if you’re not overly bothered, you could donate it to a charity shop, or offer it on social media for shipping – the ARC you don’t want could be one someone else is desperately looking for!! If I didn’t love an ARC, I usually look for a trade and if I can’t find one I just give it away.

Do you have any particular tips about ARCs that have helped you?

My top tip ever is to SEND THE PUBLISHER YOUR LINKS. After you have reviewed a book and posted it to your platforms, shoot the publisher who sent it to you a quick email! Thank them for the book and provide them with the links to your review, Instagram post, or anywhere you talked about the book. Publishers love this, as they are provided with a better estimate of how many people the book has reached, but most importantly it proves that you reviewed as promised and did everything right! I always drop a little line after my links along the lines of “I was hoping I could be added to your blogger database and be kept in the loop about future releases?” I’m not always lucky with this, but some publishers will add you to a mailing list and reach out to YOU about future ARCs, knowing you will review them as promised 🙂

(Seriously, if this doesn’t make you want to pick this book up, I don’t know what will! Childhood friends to rival business-owners where they’re secretly crushing on each other!?!?!)

(This is so sweet! Even as a non-POC reader, I see so much of myself within Nishat, she’s SUCH a relateable character!)

(This sucks, more Bangladeshi protagonists in books please!!!!)

(I am SO excited to read this, I don’t even need to know what it’s about)

(I know I for one was enlightened on so many different things while reading this book, it was super educational for me on certain issues and there are a lot of things that I learnt that I will keep with me forever 🙂

(2 recommendations for us to all check out, they both sound amazing!)

Hi all! Today is World Sibling Day so we thought we would bring to you some of our personal favourite fictional siblings! Enjoy 🙂 – Amber and Sasha

Bo and Nitta – Girls of Storm and Shadow by Natasha Ngan

Is it even a ‘Sasha and Amber Read’ post without us mentioning the Girls of Paper and Fire series? These leopard siblings absolutely stole our hearts in book 2. They’re funny, cheeky and their love for each other is so adorable!

credit: @ battii-art

 

The Blackthorn Siblings – The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare

When coming up with siblings for this post, these lot were one of our first thoughts! They dynamic between each and every one of them is so sweet, and we especially love Julian for being a father figure for them all ❤

credit: cassandra jean

 

Charlie, Oliver & Tori Spring – Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

If any of you have read any of Alice Oseman’s books with these 3 in, you will know just how adorable their relationships are! All 3 of them are super different within their personalities but they get along so well and are always there for each other 🙂

credit: alice oseman

 

Haidee and Odessa – The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco

These stunning siblings had us rooting for them throughout the whole book and the ending was so good! We can’t wait to see more of them and how their relationship grows in book 2!

credit: rin chupeco

 

Andrew & Aaron Minyard – The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavik

These tiny twins stole Amber’s heart throughout the AFTG series, and even if they may not show it, it’s so nice to see that they will always put their differences aside and be there for each other when needed.

credit: llstarcasterll

 

Thomas and Daciana Cresswell – Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

These two completely owned my heart when I recently read this series. I love how Thomas sticks up for Daciana and will not stand for anyone treating her unfairly. Their funny, kind relationship is so sweet and I ADORE them both so much!

credit: phantomrin

 

Woferl and Nannerl Mozart from The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

The Kingdom of Back gives a magical and feminist look into the life of Nannerl Mozart, the forgotten sister of Wolfgang Mozart. In this book though, the two are so close, bonding over music and the fairy world only the two of them can see. Even if Nannerl envies Woferl’s privilege and the fact that he’s allowed to compose, she loves him fiercely and is always there for him.

 

Kizzy and Lil from The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

No matter what, Kizzy and Lil are each other’s best friends – these twin sisters are always there for each other despite their differing opinions and personalities and are fiercely loving of each other. When Kizzy is captured, Lil will do anything to bring her back.

 

Ivy and Autumn Casterly from The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly by Meredith Tate

In this powerful and gorgeous book, Autumn is kidnapped, but Ivy is the only one who remains determined to find her errant sister. These two might not be close or get on well, but they do love each other and are there when it matters.

 

Declan, Ronan and Matthew Lynch from The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

You have to love these the Lynch brothers, so different but so close. I haven’t read Call Down the Hawk yet which has more of their dynamic, but I’m excited to!

 

Aster and Clem from The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis

We love the dynamic between Aster and Clem – Aster will protect Clem with her life, and do anything for her, and they love each other fiercely. Clem might just be the only person who really knows Aster.

 

Vivia and Merik from Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

These two might hate each other sometimes, but really they just need to sit down and have a conversation. Communication is key. Despite their different thoughts on leading Nubrevna, they both having loving and brave hearts and would do anything to protect each other. Maybe they’re not as different as they think…

 

We Didn’t Ask for This by Adi Alsaid is a fierce and intelligent story that discusses climate change and the power teenagers have to change the world along with teen angst, emotions and dramatics. I really loved this book. It’s set at CSI, or Central International School during their famous lock-in night, which holds so many potentials, hopes and dreams for the students of CSI.

I care a lot about climate change, of course, and do what I can do help our earth. So the topics in this book are incredibly important to me and I really loved the way they were discussed. I think it’s so great to bring it into a work of fiction like this and would love to read more YA books that discuss these topics. The action at the centre of the book was a protest against climate change, as Marisa and some of her friends tried to enact real change in their school and city. But despite how central that was featured and what an important topic it was, this was also about the power teenagers really hold, the relationships between a few of the main characters and more.

I think the narration is style is one of the main things that sets this book about. It is not told by one, two or even three POVs but rather through a narrative voice who delves into the heads of all and any characters. There are five characters whose voices we see most prominently, who I really loved. However, there were also so many other characters I became attached to and would love to see more from! At first, the narration made me feel quite detached from the story and characters, but as I got used to it I realised how well it fitted with the story and definitely helped my overall enjoyment. However, I think a different or more ordinary style of narration might have helped me feel closer to the characters.

We focus mainly on five characters: Marisa, the intelligent mind behind the protest who stands up fiercely for what she believes in and the nature she loves. Amira, who has worked non-stop to complete in lock-in knight’s Decathalon and feels trapped by her mother’s expectations and limitations for women, which Amira knows she is so much more than. Peejay, the school’s king, who wants to honour his injured brother’s memory by holding the best party in all of CSI’s history. Kenji, who just wanted to perform improv with his best friend but is holding a secret that could impact everyone, and Celeste, who is still struggling to find friends since transferring, and hopes this could be her chance. I loved all of them.

Of course, my favourites were Marisa and Amira, who spent most of the book pining over each other. DID YOU HEAR F/F MUTUAL PINING?? YES, YES YOU DID. Marisa has always been intrigued by Amira but is scared to make the first move, and scared her actions on lock-in night have destroyed Amira’s dreams. Amira can’t bring herself to hate Marisa despite everything but is still struggling to admit her affection for her with her mother’s voice constantly haunting her. This romance was beautiful, I’m just- It wasn’t a massive focus of the book though it was definitely the main romance. It fitted really well into the narrative without overwhelming it, not that I would have minded if it did.

Okay, did I mention how diverse this book is? Not a white cishet in sight, and it’s beautiful. Of the main five characters, four are people of colour. Their sexualities aren’t completely specified, but Marisa and Amira are both obviously into girls, and Peejay is gay.

Overall We Didn’t Ask For This is a diverse, powerful and witty book that I adored. It’s so easy to read quickly and get submersed in the story and characters.

Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth was a twisty, intricately plotted urban fantasy filled with unique ideas and loveable characters. It’s hard to veer away from spoilers when reviewing this book but I am going to try my best!

I really loved our main character, Sloane. She was relatable, intelligent and unapologetic and I quickly became attached to her. Her character was a great portrayal of PTSD and felt like good mental health representation. Her character was very real, consistent and despite the thoughts of many other characters in the book, very loveable. I constantly felt for her and just wanted to let her sit down and avoid everyone else.

“She was by the river, the cold air burning her lungs, as she stared across the bridge at the Dark One right before their last battle. Part of her always would be.”

I loved the different dynamics between the chosen ones, especially Sloane and Albie’s friendship. They brought some witty banter and fun that I really liked. The fierce caring between the chosen ones was great, and I loved seeing them just be friends, in between saving the world all over again.

“Nobody ever prepared me for what came after. They just assumed I would never find out.”

Again, I don’t want to spoil, but apart from The Dark One, there is a villain (or is he?) that villain stans are going to seriously adore. I am usually not a villain stan in the least, but I really loved him and completely forgave him.

“Please, for the love of God, don’t be one of those villains who waxes poetic about existentialist nonsense, because if you are, I really will have to cut you,” she said.

The plot was intricate and twisty, well-plotted and held together, full of surprises and wonderful twists. The first major plot twist especially was totally unexpected and didn’t fit my idea of what was going to happen in the book at all. Chosen Ones was really well structured. The beginning was a little slow but by the end, I couldn’t stop reading. The only part that felt a little detached was a certain reveal about The Dark One and his motives – it wasn’t explained great and felt like a bit of a loose thread, which left me quite confusing. Several smaller details in the last few chapters were kind of discombobulating. I still loved the book, of course, but I would have loved a little more clarity int hoe areas.

“Sometimes Sloan wondered if the world had been worth saving.”

The first big change in the plot sees one of the characters, Ines, left behind at home, and so she wasn’t in a majority of the book. I got her on the quiz for which Chosen One I was so I was kind of attached to my fierce, short lesbian, and would really have liked to see more of her in the book! Hopefully in the sequel, though!

Chosen Ones was an enjoyable, complicated and compulsively readable adult fantasy that I adored. The standout characters and intricate plot made this book as good as it was, and I loved it.