Table of Content
I know this isn't the case cause on the author's website, she notes she is non-binary. But, I would've wanted to know more about them being non-binary. Like you can't know someone has Tourettes just by looking at them. Re her blackness, I just felt like it did not have to break her world so much that she was half white. Baby doll you didn't see the light skin privilege you got your whole life????
There’s much more I could say because I really enjoyed the book, but I’d just end up giving away too much of the story, so I’ll stop here. She’s smart and spunky and I like her voice. Though I wasn’t looking forward to the football parts prior to starting the story, those parts became some of my favorites in the book. There aren’t many football scenes in the story, but the ones included stood out.
Top Authors
I think the best part about it was its messiness - with its characters, their actions, and the situation that they're in. There is no "right" way to react when your world has been literally turned upside down the way that Tasia's is, and a lot of the things that happened felt SO real and relatable. There were moments that I was frustrated with things that Tasia was doing, but also, like, I got it. Tasia's world is rocked, and even if she did things I wouldn't have done, I still GOT them. She's angry and frustrated and you could just feel her pain through the pages.
And pitting her against the one other black girl until the very in felt so so so weirdddd to me like that should have been her solace and comfort not her anger. And I don't even know why they were arguing! OHHHH and when she said "black girl magic" after kneeling at the football game?
The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes
When Tasia Quirk discovers that the man she has called Daddy her entire life is not her biological father, her entire world begins to unravel. Compounding the lie she has grown up believing is the fact that her actual biological father is white, and the man she thought was her father is black. Tasia has to figure out who she is and where she fits in in this new reality, and she has to figure out if she can ever forgive the lies her parents raised her on. Some pretty intense stuff happens to Tasia, and as much as she talks tough you don't forget that she's a kid who is only just learning how to handle this kind of thing.
Now Tasia's determined to unravel the lies that have overtaken her life. Along the way, she discovers what family and forgiveness really mean, and that her answers don't come without a fee. An artsy bisexual boy from the Valley could help her find them - but only if she stops fighting who she is, beyond the colour of her skin. Taze plays on her high school football team and I just love her passion for the game.
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I mean, they had cute moments, but there was nothing that really was like YESSSSSSS, SHIPS, FEELS, SWOONS. It was like eh? I think part of this could be because Kai is technically her adopted uncle? He's her age and such, and she's never known this part of the family, but like, the moment I see "part of the family" feels are instantly gone for me? You will never be seeing this girl into the whole "I'm in love with my stepbrother" plot lines . There was a lot to like about this novel.
If you read contemporary Young Adult books, I urge you to read Home and Away. It is a necessary addition to your collection and Candice Montgomery is a phenomenal writer. I hope she is given every opportunity to write many more stories. I can’t wait to read her sophomore book, By Any Means Necessary, which is available everywhere. As I started with, I wanted so desperately to like this book. But, there were too many stops in the road.
Good Girl, Bad Blood
✤ DIVERSITY ~ The book is written by a Black author, the MC is biracial, the secondary characters are POC, and the love interest is bisexual. For instance, there was a scene in which two friends discovered their distaste for each other was due to colorism and jealousy of blackness. I didn’t get it and I think it was mostly due to the fact of its timing and the fact that the character just didn’t come off that way, neither of them did. What, oh what, can I say about this book. This was an anticipated read for me.
Some other plot lines were picked up and dropped off as well. Tasia character needed a pat on the back while at the same time needed a good slap across the face. The way she handled certain situations didn’t really sit well with me. I get her whole world collapsed but that really didn’t excuse her actions. Especially when it came to the way she was towards her mom.
She makes herself clear without preaching or taking over the story. She also makes it clear that she’s a queer and trans ally, which I don’t see enough of. Loved Tasia’s voice, loved the memorable supporting cast, loved the emotional rawness, loved how the story unflinchingly depicted tough and complex issues in Tasia’s life... I did like our cast of characters for the most part as well. Each was dynamic, different, and you could always pinpoint who was who. I really liked Slim, Tasia's best friend, and Tristan, Tasia's brother.
It did started off strong with a little " The Hate U Give vibes" but then I started not to like the main character even when I though she had the makings of being a good one. I wanted to be in her side about finding something that could change her life but the way she went about it was just straight childish. So I have been trying to go back to it but it been bouncing from my bookcase to my desk from the past couple months. Now it just going to sit in my bookcase and look pretty. I'm thankful to received this arc from Page Street Publishing and I wish could have finished it.
