21. The Art of Loving Libby Green by Bellebird James

read on Kindle
252 pgs.

2021
YA CRF
Finished 3/10/23
Goodreads rating: 4.08
My rating: 4
Setting: contemporary New Zealand

My comments: A real tough look at homelessness.  Dylan is homeless, trying to watch out for his absurdly alcoholic father and finish his senior year at high school.  He is an incredible graffiti artist whose only dream is to go to SOFA, the prestigious art school right in his community.  But living in a tent beside an abandoned public toilet and riding his bike are all he has to hang on to.  His father abandons him for days, even week on end and he has to take care of his little elderly dog, Bear.  He has no money, so he steals his food and his father makes him steal booze and cigarettes.  It's really sad, quite heartbreaking.  He's got a crush on Libby Green, but he keeps to himself until one day they sit beside each other in art class.  There's the typical obnoxious boyfriend, blah, blah, blah, but I very much enjoyed it, on the whole and as sad as it was.

23. Roam by C. H. Armstrong

read on my iPhone through Kindle
2019
320 pgs.
YA CRF
Finished 3/18/2021
Goodreads rating: 4.03 - 649 ratings
My rating: 4
Setting: Contemporary Rochester, Minnesota

First line/s: "I hate this town already.

What I posted on Goodreads:  Homelessness.  Good story, with a lot of positivity, perfect boyfriend, symbolic mean girl.

My comments: Homeless high school senior and her family leaves Omaha for Minnesota after scandal humiliates her family and leaves them jobless with only a van and little else. She has to figure out how to begin her senior year - in a new school - without letting anyone know that she's living with her family in a van.  Excellent story, leaves you with very positive vibes.

Goodreads synopsis:  Seventeen year-old Abby Lunde and her family are living on the streets. They had a normal life back in Omaha, but thanks to her mother’s awful mistake, they had to leave what little they had behind for a new start in Rochester. Abby tries to be an average teenager—fitting into school, buoyed by dreams of a boyfriend, college, and a career in music. But Minnesota winters are unforgiving, and so are many teenagers.

          Her stepdad promises to put a roof over their heads, but times are tough for everyone and Abby is doing everything she can to keep her shameful secret from her new friends. The divide between rich and poor in high school is painfully obvious, and the stress of never knowing where they're sleeping or where they’ll find their next meal is taking its toll on the whole family.
           As secrets are exposed and the hope for a home fades, Abby knows she must trust those around her to help. But will her friends let her down the same way they did back home, or will they rise to the challenge to help them find a normal life?

39. The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

read on my iPhone - Amazon Prime
2013 Katherine Tegen
335 pgs.
YA CRF
Finished 2/29/2020
Goodreads rating:  3.76 - 49,498 ratings
My rating: 4.5
Setting: Contemporary America

First line/s:  "Sometimes I think that everyone has a tragedy waiting for them, that the people buying milk in their pajamas or picking their noses at

stoplights could be only moments away from disaster."

My comments:  Terrific tale.  I loved being able to totally get into his head, to feel his back-and-forth feelings about his new disability, his friendships old and new, his future, and his past, his relationships during his senior year, trying to find his place in the world.  And, SPOILER ALERT: It doesn't have the typical "feel good" YA ending, but the ending works just fine...it's probably a lot more real than most YA CRF/romances.  I'm going to definitely look into other books by this author.

Goodreads synopsis:  Robyn Schneider's The Beginning of Everything is a witty and heart-wrenching teen novel that will appeal to fans of books by John Green and Ned Vizzini, novels such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and classics like The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye.
          Varsity tennis captain Ezra Faulkner was supposed to be homecoming king, but that was before—before his girlfriend cheated on him, before a car accident shattered his leg, and before he fell in love with unpredictable new girl Cassidy Thorpe.
          As Kirkus Reviews said in a starred review, "Schneider takes familiar stereotypes and infuses them with plenty of depth. Here are teens who could easily trade barbs and double entendres with the characters that fill John Green's novels."
          Funny, smart, and including everything from flash mobs to blanket forts to a poodle who just might be the reincarnation of Jay Gatsby, The Beginning of Everything is a refreshing contemporary twist on the classic coming-of-age novel—a heart-wrenching story about how difficult it is to play the part that people expect, and how new beginnings can stem from abrupt and tragic endings.