Jake Maia ArlowCritiques

All Al wants is to be a brain without a body.

Then she wouldn’t have to deal with her freshly diagnosed Crohn’s disease or her secret attraction to girls. Not to mention her very best friend and next-door neighbor Leo’s suddenly ditching her for the drama club. And the little matter of her own mom’s starting to date Leo’s mom. When all hope seems lost, into Al’s life comes The Bathroom Club, a truly nurturing inflammatory bowel disease support group made up of kids who are also queer. With new friends, a new crush, and Leo drifting further away from her, keeping her symptoms and struggles bottled up is becoming an insurmountable challenge for Al. Arlow dives into Al’s physical concerns, painting a picture both of the nitty-gritty of illness and the overwhelming embarrassments and anxieties of her particular experience of middle school. Al feels all things deeply and gets in her own way, traversing the highest highs and lowest lows on her journey to developing pride in all that she is. Her sweet romance with fellow club member Mina and deep friendship with Leo are strengths, and the highlight of Al’s story is the camaraderie among a group of chronically ill queer kids providing each other with dignity and nonjudgmental support. The supporting cast is racially diverse; Al, Leo (whose dad is Filipino), Mina, and some other characters are Jewish.

Offers humorous honesty and heartfelt relationships. (Fiction. 8-12)

-Kirkus Review

3.5 rounded up bc the science nerd in me was screaming in delight the entire time. PSA if you’re looking for a cheesy feel good holiday book this is not that but it is set in Winter. I really enjoyed the vibe of this book overall though. Its very queer and the societal commentary was fun and v on the nose. Plus positive use of the word lesbian and both MCs identifying as such was really a treat. It did feel very young for college aged characters, more YA than NA which is why I didn’t rate it higher. But the characters were fun, the story had a lot going on but not in an overwhelming way and I loved the themes of finding yourself while in a relationship, healing from trauma and letting people in. Overall would recommend :) please check trigger warnings though!!!

Another f/f holiday romance, but this time one of them is an intern for the holiday season at the Smithsonian and the other is the daughter of a local news channel weatherman.

This one was okay, but I think I was getting burned out on the holiday romances at this point. Still, it was cute and very readable.

i really liked so much of this. it was sweet, relatable, enjoyable characters, fun science (actual science without being overly science-y) and genuine young relationship issues that actually are tough to work through for newly out teens.

i would have liked this more if, as they were dealing with not becoming too involved too quickly, they didn't actually say 'i love you' before the month was out. still, i really liked this.½

13 year-old Dalia's world is turned upside down when her father tells her, out of the blue, that he's got a girlfriend and then in short measure adds that they're getting married. And that his fiancee has a college-aged daughter. It seems like hate at first sight for Dalia and Alexa (the college daughter), but when Alexa wants to go on a week-long trip to ride rollercoasters in several states, Dalia, who wants to do that very thing, decides to go along. And she brings her new friend, Rani, too.

Dalia goes through a *lot* of emotions on the trip while she figures out her feelings for Alexa and for Rani. And sometimes it feels like too much fret and angst, although the story is a good one. Maybe it's a case of me not being a middle grader; they may relate much better to such hormonal turmoil. Overall, though, I enjoyed it very much.

Great middle grade novel! It deals with LGBTQ life in a meaningful way. Fun and fast read.

Shani, fresh from a breakup with her girlfriend, is on her way to Washington DC for a Christmas break internship when her mother almost runs over a girl on the street. When Shani's apartment mate asks her to take over her dog walking job for a few days, little did she know that the dog's owner was May, the girl she almost ran over.

However, the initial hostility turns around during the break...of course. Otherwise there wouldn't be a story.

A very easy to read and like Christmas story...about 2 Jewish girls. LOL.

This YA lesbian romance, about picking yourself up after a breakup and forming healthy relationships—not just romantic ones, but with your friends, family, and yourself—is sweet as heck and with just the right wintry, holiday feelings. It's got strong Gilmore Girls vibes from multiple angles, like if the Gilmore Girls were Jewish and not so focused on financial class. And also Rory was a lesbian (Paris was always her best best option, let's be honest)½

Thirteen year old Dalia loves roller coasters although she's never been on one. She meets Rani at the summer swimming pool and they become fast friends.

She suddenly learns that her divorced dad has been seeing his girlfriend, Vanessa, for six months and it's serious. She dreads the thought of meeting her, but it's inevitable. Vanessa has a college age daughter, Alexa, who has been planning a week long amusement park trip with her friend. When Vanessa asks her to cancel so she can bond with Dalia, she's totally upset. But then Dalia comes up with the idea of joining Alexa and possibly bringing Rani along.

Will Alexa and Dalia bond? Will Rani become more than a best friend? Will Dalia get to ride roller coasters? Read it and see. Almost Flying is a fun book and the only ups and downs are on the roller coasters.