South Milwaukee Public Library Staff Reviews

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle Genre: Adult Fiction When Katy's mom dies, she is left reeling. To make matters worse, their planned trip of a lifetime looms: two weeks in Positano, the magical town Carol spent the summer right before she met Katy's father. Katy must embark on this adventure alone. But then Carol appears on the streets of Positano. Over the course of one Italian summer, Katy gets to know Carol, not as her mother, but as the young woman before her. Really loved the idea of this one! I will always love a book that revolves around delicious food & a strong love connection. I kept going back and forth on trying to understand the semantics of how time travel works & how it effects the future and trying to just enjoy the read without trying to figure out the inner workings of time travel.  At this point, I'll read anything that Rebecca Serle writes. - Emily

  Aces Wild by Amanda Dewitt Genre: Young Adult Fiction I've never seen a book like this before - a story about a group of asexual teens who meet up in Las Vegas for a heist. It's awesome to see this kind of representation in books. A good read! - Bethany

Red White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston Genre: Adult Romance I am absolutely obsessed with this book! A queer romance story, featuring the prince of England and America's First Son. Beautiful prose, phrases that make you just stop and close your eyes and smile, and chapters that make you want to hug the book. McQuiston just released a collector's edition with an extra chapter in the back - you get to find out if they have a long term happy ending or not. Absolutely, absolutely recommend. - Bethany  

Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure by Lewis Hancox Genre: Young Adult Graphic Novel In this graphic novel, Lewis Hancox takes us on the path he took to make it past trauma, confusion, hurt, and dubious fashion choices in order to become the man he was meant to be. I loved the way this one was written with future Lewis beside his past self reassuring the reader that everything worked out in the end. It helped keep everything light and enjoyable. Too often I find myself getting sad when reading trans stories because they tend to get really dark until their transition. Future Lewis made that discomfort easier to bear.  I really enjoyed the art style for this one as well. - Emily

Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho Genre: Young Adult Fiction Instead of going to prom, seventeen-year-old Elena Soo wants to spend her time saving the local community center, and she is determined to keep her priorities straight even when her childhood best friend--who is now   a   K-pop superstar--returns to make good on their old pact to go to prom together. What a cute, easy read. I loved how Cho discussed the difficulties behind being a K-Pop star. It isn't something that many fans know about when it comes to their favorite K-Pop groups. The ending was super predictable but I wasn't mad about it! There's something about a fairy tale ending that I love... - Emily

It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover Genre: Adult Fiction Lily and her ex-husband, Ryle, have just settled into a civil coparenting rhythm when she suddenly bumps into her first love, Atlas, again.  I read through t his book so furiously. As always, Colleen Hoover is an easy, enjoyable read. I really liked learning more about Atlas' past and meeting his mother. Finally, we have a cute Lily + Atlas ending!  - Emily