Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin
Riley Cavanaugh is many things: punk rock, snarky, rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, others as a girl. The thing is Riley isn't exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for re-election in uber-conservative Orange County, the pressure - media and otherwise - is building up in Riley's so called "normal" life.
On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it's really like to be gender fluid. But just as Riley's starting to settle in at school the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley's real identity, threatening exposure. Riley must make a choice; walk away from what the blog has created - a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in - or stand up, come out, and risk everything (from Goodreads).
If I had have heard of this book back in February when it was realised, I would have read it for LGBT History Month. Sadly I only discovered it the other day, and immediately bought it. Gender fluidity is something I don't know much about, but I'm very open to learning more and I think this book will be a good place to start. I do feel the book cover could have been much better; more engaging, more expressive. Instead it looks remarkably like Look Who's Back by Timur Vermes, which is a very different book from this as it's about Hitler.
Quicksilver (Ultraviolet #2) by R.J. Anderson
Back in her hometown, Tori had everything a teenage girl could want - popularity, beauty, money. But she also had a secret, one that could change her life in an instant.
Now she's left everything from her old life behind, including her real name and Alison, the one friend who truly understood her. If she wants to have anything like a normal life, she has to blend in and hide her unusual talents. Plans change when the enigmatic Sebastian Faraday reappears and gives Tori some bad news: she hasn't escaped her past.
Tori has one last shot at getting her enemies off her trail and winning the independence she's always longed for, but saving herself will take every ounce of her incredible skills, and even then she may need to sacrifice more than she could possibly imagine if she wants to be free (from Goodreads).
I haven't read book 1 of this series, but I've been told this can be read as a standalone so that's what I'm going to do. I have owned book 1 for years, and never bothered to read it but this one sounds really good. All because Tori, our protagonist, is asexual. That's not something you see every day, and I'm drawn in by the concept of a YA book that will depend on the strength of the characters and the plot, rather than a love triangle or some sort of angsty romance.
A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall
Lea and Gabe are in the same creative writing class. They get the same pop-culture references, order the same Chinese food and hang out in the same places. Unfortunately, Lea is reserved, Gabe has issues, and despite their initial mutual crush it looks like they are never going to work things out.
But somehow, even when nothing is going on, something is happening between them and everyone can see it. Their creative-writing teacher pushes them together. The baristas at the local Starbucks watch their relationship like a TV show. Their bus driver tells his wife about them. The waitress at the diner automatically seats them together. Now they just need to realise they're meant for each other and start falling in love... (from Goodreads).
Unlike the other books for this month, A Little Something Different is just a really cute chick lit read. Sometimes you just need something silly and romantic, and this certainly looks the part.
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