February Book Reviews

By: Tiana Hayes

I can’t believe I have still stuck with it for this long already. Normally I would have quit by now. Just a heads up, since this month is shorter, I decided to only read two books, not only that but they are both a different types of books then the rest that are on my shelves. I hope you enjoy.

This One Summer

This One Summer, by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki, follows the story of a little girl named Rose who is growing older and learning new things about herself and life. The story takes place during this one summer were things start to fall apart. With her parents fighting and new dramas she has never experienced before, Rose and Windy, her friend, learn more on life and the things to expect for the future.

I thought the story was alright. It was my first graphic novel in a while that wasn’t manga. The art style was a nice change of pace, being that the characters were given futures that you don’t normally see often in stories. This story as has some mature themes in it. It doesn’t show anything that is bad, but it does a lot of talking about things. Overall, I don’t think I would read this again. It was a good story but just not my cup of tea. There are times where things became a little confusing because it would jump around in the story line. They would be at home watching a movie talking deep topics and then the next page be at the beach playing games. Just a little confusing at times.

Crumbs

Crumbs, by Danie Stirling, is a story about two individuals that fall in love with each other and decided to go through with things even though they both still are trying to figure out who they are. Ray, a smart young woman trying to explore her abilities and Laurie, a talented young man who is just trying to get their music career started. After meeting in the cafe that Laurie works at, they spend more time together while also trying to figure out their own lives.

I really enjoyed this story, and I am upset that there is only one book. This is also a graphic novel, one that came from the website and app called Webtoon. The art style is adorable, and the characters are really easy to fall in love with. The story has some intense moments but for the most part is very wholesome. If you are into supernatural stories, then you may enjoy this one because it is based in a world of magic. I would definitely read this story again and again.