Review (Deutsch): "Kerstin Unscripted" von Judith Leopold und Kerstin Opiela

Kerstin Unscripted von Judith Leopold und Kerstin Opiela
Herausgegeben 2025 von Haymon Verlag
★★★★

„Was soll nur aus dir werden?“ Diese Frage wurde mir so oft gestellt in meinem Leben. (loc. 1913)

Opiela war selbst noch ein Kind, als sie ihr erstes Kind geboren hat. Und sie war fast noch ein Kind, als sie an „Teenager werden Mütter“ („Teen Mom“ für Österreich) teilgenommen hat. Aber die Geschichte beginnt viel früher.

Hier ist eine Geschichte, die nicht unbekannt ist: eine junge Frau (oder wirklich ein Mädchen), die zu früh Mutter geworden ist, oder zu früh erwachsen musste, oder schlechte Entscheidungen getroffen, oder...„Teen Mom“ habe ich nie gesehen, aber diese Geschichte kenne ich. Was hier aber interessant ist, ist zweifach: Erstens hat Opiela mit einer Ghostwriterin (oder Mitautorin) gearbeitet—das ist ganz normal, aber in Kerstin unscripted gibt es zwei Stimmen: Opielas, und auch Leopolds. Opiela erzählt ihre Erfahrungen, und Leopold bringt kultereller Kontext und Statistiken ein, um die Geschichte abzurunden.

Und zweitens ist es so klar wie sehr diese Geschichte eine von Generationszyklen ist..und auch sozialen Zyklen. Ich habe andere „Teen Mom“ Memoiren gelesen, aber nie war das so deutlich.

Als Jugendliche hatte ich keine Mutter oder Vater, die mir Mathe, Deutsch, putzen, kochen oder das Leben beigebracht hätten. Was ich gelernt habe, habe ich mir selbst beibringen oder von anderen mühsam abschauen müssen. (loc. 690)

Ich werde an Wards of the State erinnert—von außen kann man „Hier ist, was diese Kinder tun sollten“ sagen, aber das ist nicht so einfach, wenn man keine Vorbilder und keine Ressourcen (und begrenzte Bildung, und oft kein Zuhause) hat.

3,5 Sterne; keine größen Überraschungen aber sehr präzise.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley. Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final. Deutsch ist nicht meine Muttersprache, und alle Fehler sind meine eigenen.

Neue Wörter

Wirbelwind: whirlwind
heftig: intense
Stirnfransen: fringe, bangs
Lebensgefährtin: partner
sich wälzen: to roll around
Zungenkuss: French kiss
anzünden: to light up
trotzig: defiant
Zocker: gambler
Teenie: teenager
Herzstillstand: cardiac arrest
Hebamme: midwife
Hemmungen: inhibitions
Drohung: threat
Überclou: overkill
Kribbeln: tingling
Mistgabelmob: pitchfork mob ("shit fork mob"?)
Hollywood-Schmonzette: Hollywood romance
Junggesellinnenabschieden: bachelorette parties
Schaukelstuhl: rocking chair
Hollywoodschaukel: porch swing
Geschichtenerzählerin: storyteller
Gschichtldruckerin: story printer
zickig: bitchy

Review: "Right Where We Belong" by Farrah Penn

Right Where We Belong by Farrah Penn
Published October 2025 via Viking Books for Young Readers
★★★

A girl, a boy, and a...time-travelling other boy? Okay then.

I read this because it's set at a boarding school, and I am predictable; also, the cover is pretty, and I am shallow. As a rule, I have limited interest in romance in YA books (romance is all good and well, but I want more friendship books, not more "teenagers have fallen in love and their love is pure so it must be forever") and also in speculative fiction, but you know? Sometimes a time-travelling lord spices things up a bit. This ends up having some fairly heavy themes as well: Delaney, our heroine, is grieving the loss of her father earlier in the year, her uppity boarding school is on the verge of being closed down, and over the course of the book she goes through some friendship changes. (Yay friendship material!)

Things I loved: The friendship stuff. I'd wondered whether there'd be a mean-girl angle, but no—instead, Delaney spends some time finding her place among different people when her circumstances change, and she gradually realizes that two things (or two friendships) can be true at once. The grief material is also powerful; I wasn't expecting it and honestly wasn't ready for it, but I appreciate that the shape of Delaney's grief gradually changes over time.

What I loved less: The romance is really obvious. I mean...it's YA, which basically means that unless specified otherwise it's a romance novel for teenagers, so what did I expect. I also wanted more from the time travel—the logic was a little questionable, but more than that the idea that a bunch of teenagers can band together over a few weeks to solve a physics problem that would normally take the top minds in physics years...or decades...or centuries to figure out. Now, admittedly, I don't speak physics, so I don't know whether literally any of the science in this book makes sense, but I'd be curious to hear from those who do speak physics.

So—fun but improbable. But then I suppose that's what speculative fiction is all about...

Children's books: Trucks: "Point & Play: Trash Trucks", "I Truck", and "Science Takes a Trip"

Point & Play: Trash Trucks, illustrated by Steven Wood (Z Kids)
I Truck by Kelly Rice Schmitt, illustrated by Jam Dong (Millbrook Press)
Science Takes a Trip by Maria Rentetzi, illustrated by Pieter de Decker (Clavis)

Into the world of children's books...this time with trucks! And also a bus or two...

It's your first day on a garbage route...where to begin?

Point & Play: Trash Trucks is designed for very young readers who are fascinated by (you guessed it) garbage trucks. It teaches kids a bit more about what a garbage-collection route looks like, plus gives adults an opportunity to help kids practice counting and motor skills. The book instructs kids to wiggle their fingers to get their gloves on—take five big steps to get into the truck cab—shake the book to make the engine start—and on it goes. Really my only complaint is that, though there is a recycling truck shown on the page, there's no other mention of ways to reduce trash production (just a call for kids to count the number of broken toys thrown in the dump).

This would be great as a whole series of board books, each with a different kid-friendly job and associated movements. (As a bonus, the movements probably help get some wiggles out!) The illustrations aren't particularly inspiring to my adult eye, but they have lots of details for young kids to focus on, including lots to spark the imagination. Would you rather live in a castle or a lighthouse...?

Back on the road, I Truck is something of a follow-up to I Ship, treating readers to a look at the life of a long-haul truck (and driver, but that's secondary here). I loved I Ship and was delighted to see this follow in its wake. Simple but rich illustrations, casual diversity, lots of information sprinkled throughout the book, and lots more information included at the end. In particular, nice to see some of the downsides of truck driving discussed, like difficulty getting exercise during long stints on the road and many nights spent away from home—putting those at the end lets the story stay upbeat but provides food for thought for curious young readers.

Planes might be the logical next book here...ooh, or trains. I'll hope for trains. But I'd also take some kind of bright-yellow construction truck! Or a helicopter...

At any rate, we can call this a satisfying follow-up and an excellent read for kids who are fascinated by eighteen-wheelers on the highway.

Did you know that in the 1950s and 60s, the US sent two bus-laboratories around the world to share knowledge about nuclear science (and get ahead in the Cold War while they were at it)? I did not! But in Science Takes a Trip, we're taken along to various countries that the buses visited and get to learn a little about the science that was possible on the buses.

The text is pretty straightforward and factual—this happened, and this is why, and then this happened—and I would have loved to learn a bit about the teams that drove these buses and what the experience was like for them. Imagine taking part in a trip like that, especially back when travel was slower and more difficult than it is now! Best for fairly confident readers or to be read aloud to kids old enough to have some processing power; also probably best for kids who are actively curious about science (or about trucks and buses!) rather than those who want a character-driven story.

The art is gorgeous: lush detail but with a slight (intentional) graininess and faded hues to really give the sense that the reader is going back in time. I don't know what I would have made of the story as a kid (as an adult I'd happily read a full-length book about this), but I would have spent a long time poring over the pictures.

Thanks to the authors and publishers for providing review copies through NetGalley.

Review: "Silenced Voices" by Pablo Leon

Silenced Voices by Pablo Leon
Published September 2025 via HarperAlley
★★★★

Jose has never been all that curious about his mother's background—which is just as well, because she shuts down any conversation about her previous life in Guatemala. But when something sparks Jose's curiosity, he starts asking questions...and learns far more than he'd bargained for.

This is the second YA graphic novel I've read recently that is largely about a conflict—first there was Tall Water (partly about the 2004 tsunami, partly about the civil war in Sri Lanka), and now this. In both cases, they're major conflicts; in both cases, the conflicts were barely a footnote in my education. Most of this book is Jose's mother's story: growing up in Guatemala, her family, the incredible violence and loss wrought upon her community. We come back to Jose and his brother now and then, as Jose is trying to figure out what to do with this new information (e.g., the existence of an aunt he was never able to meet), but the crux of the story is about his mother.

It's a hard read, but one well done. I'm not sure why it feels to me less violent (to be clear: the telling, not the actual history) than Tall Water did—perhaps because the events in Tall Water are happening in the story's now, while in Silenced Voices it's happening in the story's past. Again, not a comment on the conflict itself, but this book might be a slightly easier starting point for a teenager reading about conflict. Overall, an excellent effort to amplify unheard voices, and makes me wonder what stories will be coming out in a decade or two that are happening now but aren't making the headlines.

Review: "Strange Girls" by Sarvat Hasin

Strange Girls by Sarvat Hasin
Published March 2026 via Dutton
★★★★

There's then and there's now: Then, Aliya is an international student in London, uncertain and struggling to find her footing. When she meets Ava, it's clear to both of them that they've each found their person. Everything changes. Now, Ava is ten years out of university and surviving rather than thriving: isolated in Scotland, bank account chronically low, her dreams of publishing a novel gone stale. And now, the two of them are back together in London, meeting after years apart, no longer sure what to say to each other.

We both chose London. It is not a surprise when romantic girls who like books choose London. It means nothing except that if we'd not picked it, we'd not have ended up in each other's lives. (loc. 1192*)

I am drawn to books about platonic friendship. The one Aliya and Ava have is so specific and set so relatable: Their friendship is intense (not least because they're both intense) but at the same time uncertain; they aren't quite old enough when they meet, or with quite enough life experience, to be confident in themselves and their friendship. They fall into something kind of enmeshed, mostly healthy, something where they love fiercely and at the same time are not always sure what is right or true.

The split in perspective works brilliantly well. We hear only from Aliya in the Then and only from Ava in the Now, and both they and their relationship have changed so much in the meantime that there's an initial disconnect in the ways they view each other. For Aliya in university, Ava is a grounding force, confident and direct and talented. But for Ava as an adult, Aliya is the one who has it together—married, with a book on the way, stable. Neither of them has changed, not really, but their places in the world have.

The early-evening sun spills in through net curtains and lights up all the things they have put down here together. These are the things I should want. (loc. 563)

One point of confusion: I did not really understand the ending. I'm looking forward to seeing what others have to say about this, as I suspect the book is doing something more intentional than I fully grasped. It didn't work as well for me as the rest of the book—but then, that might change once I understand the ending better. It's a quiet book, and although there's drama (they are so young in the Then, and have so much unprocessed history in the Now), it tends to be small-scale. Not minor for them, in their lives, but all told there's not all that much that happens. Again, it works well within the context of the book, but this is definitely one for lit fic readers and those who don't mind a quieter story.

*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

Review: "Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot" by Alexis Hall

Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot by Alexis Hall
Published December 2025 via Piatkus
★★★

Back in the world of everyone's favorite rip-off of The Great British Bake Off! Not actually sarcasm—I love me a good Bake Off–inspired book, and the Winner Bakes All series (which takes place largely on the set of the entirely-fictional-not-at-all-based-directly-on-a-real-life-show Bake Expectations) is in fact a good set of reads.

Audrey Lane is the latest protagonist to find herself on set. She's a journalist with a sharp eye for the undercurrents—so although she hopes to do well, she's well aware that she's been cast as much for the sake of appearances (have to have a diverse cast, visually as well as demographically) as much as for her ability to bake; it would be nice to win, but she can see the story the producers are setting up a mile away, and that story does not include Audrey in the top three. And: She discovers early on that the things that interest her most about the competition are 1) the backstory of the oldest contestant on the show, which the producer absolutely does not want her to investigate, and 2) that producer herself.

The romance is...what it is. Audrey decides early on not to be put off by Jennifer's foul-mouthed rudeness, but Jennifer has been so consistently foul-mouthed and rude throughout the earlier books that it's impossible for her to be something else. And I'm not entirely sure what to do with her. If Jennifer were a male character, she'd be right up there with the horrible leads from 80s romance novels (although with a great deal more consent involved, so there's that). And as a female character, I...also don't like her that much? I don't know. It strikes me that Aubrey interacts with Jennifer mostly (not entirely) on Jennifer's turf, and mostly (not entirely) around people who have spent a lot of time around Jennifer and learned how much of her bark is also bite. And I guess I just wonder how much time Audrey is eventually going to spend assuring her friends that Jennifer isn't actually awful.

(Side note: I do love Audrey's analysis of the way she and her ex differ: Natalie had been different. For her, it had always been about Truth with a capital T. Where are the bodies buried and who buried them and who paid for the shovels? But all Audrey had ever really wanted to do was to ask what happened next? (loc. 3661))

The backstory with Doris—the oldest contestant—is in fact intriguing, though it kind of suffers from the same thing that Audrey's relationship with Jennifer does. Doris is now in her 90s and no shrinking violet, but I suppose...at least when Jennifer isn't swearing her little potty mouth off (and, in fact, when she is), she treats Audrey like an equal. I couldn't decide whether or not to root for Doris to get a "happy" ending, so...do with that what you will.

What I really did love: the baking. This seems like such an obvious thing for a Bake Off rip-off, but as it turns out (I've read more than my fair share by now), it's not! So I was honestly just thrilled to get details about every dang bake—some details more detailly than others, sure, but none of this "and then they all made cupcakes and wow! Some of them were chocolate! And then there were some others, okay, moving on now". No, Hall takes pains to think about what each challenge is, what each contestant might try, and how it might work out; better, it's not just window dressing but part of the plot. I haven't loved the romances in the past couple of these books, but I would keep reading just for the way Hall thinks through the plot-within-the-plot.

Review: "Bad Kid" by Sofia Szamosi

Bad Kid by Sofia Szamosi
Published March 2026 via Little, Brown Ink
★★★

In the early aughts, at the age of 13, Szamosi was dragged out of bed and sent to a wilderness "rehabilitation" program for teenagers. Between then and turning eighteen, she spent two years in such programs...the sort of programs that have more recently gotten quite a bit of press for being ineffective at best and abusive at worst. I've read enough about these programs to say that what Szamosi describes sounds like the milder half of the scale, but...that's partly because the harsher half of the scale is so terrible. Some readers might find some of the themes throughout the book to be a bit much for teenagers, but I think the point here is that this was Szamosi's teenage years...and anyway the worst of it is what was done in the name of "treatment".

The art style is simple but gets the job done. I particularly appreciated the collaged bits included throughout—photos of Szamosi from her teens, snippets of journal entries, the occasional location photo, etc. We're around the same age, and the photos in particular are so evocative of that time period, things that made me think "oh yes, I've known variations of that girl". Photos aside, the illustrations are black and white, with red for emphasis.

Two things I would have liked a bit more of: First, while Szamosi writes her teenaged self with a combination of compassion, wryness, and cringeing (we should all have some teenage moments that we cringe to look back on!), I would have liked a bit more of a sense of direct "looking back". That is...we see that Szamosi can see that she wasn't making a lot of good decisions as a teen, and that she can see now how much her mother was struggling to figure out what to do, how to help her. Most of the actual telling is from the perspective of Szamosi as a teen, though, and I would have loved some more reflection—what does she now think would have been best for her? How much of her teenageness does she now consider concerning, and how much does she think was normal/stuff she'd have grown out of? And second, where did things go after the end of the book? There's a conclusion, but it's a little abrupt, and I can see a number of possible trajectories. Some kind of an afterword might have been nice.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

Review: "Oyster" by Marianne Ackerman

Oyster by Marianne Ackerman
Published 2026 via Dundurn Press
★★★★

Amelia's life is trucking along quietly—working halfheartedly on her next novel, taking editing work to pay the bills, in irregular contact with her family. Then her father dies, and her niece wants Amelia's opinion on an outline for a novel, and things start to change.

This is an odd duck of a book (or should I say an odd oyster?), although I mean that in a positive way. At first it feels like Amelia is struggling, but as time goes on it starts to become clear that although she is to some extent stagnating, she's also okay with where she is; although her family is complicated (because of course they are, because what family isn't), they know their roles and how to play them and also that they'll all be there when the dust settles.

The novel-within-a-novel is a curious thing: Ginny has an idea; Amelia has experience; what comes out of it is not what either of them might have expected, and neither of them quite knows what to do with it. I'm fascinated by the way that part of the story unfolds. Amelia is trying to figure out just what to do with her role in it all, Ginny partly wanting credit and partly wanting to be absolved of responsibility and partly afraid of fallout, and the people around them not always playing the roles Amelia thinks they should.

It's a quiet novel—for all that there's a death and a car crash and relationships on the rocks, we're mostly in Amelia's not entirely happy mind as she works out what is next with her not entirely fractured family and her not entirely fresh career. It took me a moment to get into the book (and I didn't love the ending), but the middle soared along as everyone quietly subverted expectations. 3.5 stars; I think this one will stay with me.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

Review: "The Barefoot Bookshop on the Beach" by Rebecca Raisin

The Barefoot Bookshop on the Beach by Rebecca Raisin
Published March 2026 via Boldwood Books
★★★

Harper has a life she loves in London—a bookstore job, a side hustle as a book influencer, and a fitness influencer boyfriend. But all that comes crashing down when she accidentally shares her doubts about a hot new romance novel...and suddenly the only job available to her is way, way out of town.

Now..you know those news article about, say, a job opening for a postal officer in the remote Orkneys where it's only possible to access the island at low tide and then only nine months out of the year? Or about jobs that are available in Antarctica? If you're the type of person to immediately read those articles and dream about applying, you know why I picked up this book. I might never apply for those jobs, but I'm definitely going to daydream about them.

So Harper finds herself in the Seychelles, surrounded by meddling expats and a few mysteries to solve: What happened to the former employee who is mysteriously gone? Is her new boss the unfeeling money-grabber that the other employees seem to think, or does he have a softer side? And who is behind that hot new romance novel that got Harper cancelled?

It's a fast read and a lively one. A lot of the characters are borderline caricatures, though I think this is intentional; the book leans hard into something a bit over the top, a bit determinedly zany.

He lets out a frustrated sigh. "Have you been fired a lot?"

I nod eagerly. "Yes, too many times to count." (loc. 2774*)

So yes, Harper is sometimes a lot. She knows she's a lot, which is endearing at times—she has no filter and doesn't care—and frustrating at others (sometimes I think my brain is mostly filters). Most of the her new friends/colleagues also lean toward "a lot", leaving me to think that I would probably not find the Last Chance Resort a relaxing place to be, but there would never be any shortage of drama to watch...good thing the cocktails are cheap. (Side note: "no dating coworkers" is not always a fair rule, but "no dating direct reports" should absolutely be a rule, because the risks are real.)

The premise of the book is of course the Bookstagram drama: A new cowboy romance is getting a lot of buzz, but Harper is sure that it's been written by AI, and when she (accidentally) airs her opinions, the trolls come for her. I guessed some of the mystery before I think I was meant to, but on the whole I wasn't really convinced...though I do find the discussion of AI-generated books (and the discourse around them, and what it can mean for an author to use AI...or to be accused of using AI) to be interesting and timely.

I think I'll go back to dreaming about a little post-office-come-cafe-come-library in the Shetlands that needs a new caretaker—you know, the kind of place where the mail only comes once a week, and the cafe and library are only open two days a week, and the rest of the time you can do some maintenance and go for long walks and read a lot. But this was a fun diversion.

*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.

Thanks to the author and publisher for inviting me to read a review copy through NetGalley.

Review: "She Drinks the Light" by Yasmin Angoe

She Drinks the Light by Yasmin Angoe
Published March 2026 via Feiwel & Friends
★★★

Addae's life is different—she's grown up off the coast of South Carolina, in something of an enclave. Her grandmother is the most powerful person on the Golden Isle, and Addae is poised to, eventually, take over. But if the Golden Isle is home, and is safe, the outside world is...something else.

Conceptually I love this: pulling from West African mythology; Black characters running the show; an emphasis on friendship and family rather than (as is so common in YA) romance. There's also a tie-in to slavery, and though that part of the book is hard to read it feels like an important part of history to include, not least given the context of the book. Addae is a satisfying character, too; she makes impetuous (teenaged) choices, but she's also really determined and focused when it's about things that count.

Other things I was more ambivalent about. First, I didn't love the surprise (minor spoiler in footnotes*) . This is part of the Ghanaian mythology used in the book, so I'll give it a pass, but I think I'm just past that part of my YA reading; maybe it's on me for not knowing much about African mythology (or I would have figured it out sooner), but I sort of wish that had been up front in the book description. Second, I'd have loved to know more about that mythology. Addae occasionally drops concepts that aren't fully introduced or explained, and I just wanted to know more. I was fully invested for the first half or so of the book and then lost some steam.

I'm not sure whether related books are planned, but this feels like it could be the start to a series—the main plot is wrapped up, but there are a number of plot points that aren't fully wrapped up, in a way that reads like leaving space open for the future if the author so desires.

3.5 stars; this is something of a departure from my usual reading habits, but intriguing.

*vampires

Thanks to the author and publisher for inviting me to read a review copy through NetGalley.