Hello and happy Sunday. It’s noon here and I’m getting done with life admin stuff so that I can read all afternoon long. Before that, though, I want to tell you about a book that I finished a few weeks ago but I’m still thinking about and even though it’s ten years old, I think it should get way more hype, and yes, it does stand the test of time. I’m talking about Kissing in America by Margo Rabb.

I think I loved this book because I related to it in different levels. I related to the main character, Eva, and how passionate and radical she was. I also deeply felt for her relationship with her mom, and I cried like you can’t imagine when they have a confrontation that I know I won’t have with mine. She’s alive, but our relationship is way more complicated than Eva’s and her mom’s.

I don’t want to tell you in detail about the plot, just that it includes a cross-country journey (which I love), and it provides a fresh yet very realistic view on teenage romance that isn’t really portrayed in novels because, well, that won’t really sell. If, like me, you feel that you’ve had it with tropey, formulaic, predictable YA novels, give this one a chance. You’re welcome.