Margin Notes

Althea & Oliver by Cristina Moracho is a poignant exploration of friendship, love, and the trials of growing up. The story revolves around Althea Carter and Oliver McKinley, best friends since childhood, whose bond is tested by unexpected challenges as they transition from adolescence to adulthood. Oliver suffers from Kleine-Levin Syndrome, a very rare and real condition that causes him to fall into deep sleep for weeks or months at a time. impacting his daily life and relationships. Althea, struggling with her own identity, and feelings for Oliver, finds herself grappling with the complexities of their relationship and the uncertainty of their futures. Moracho excels at creating multidimensional characters who are both relatable and compelling. Althea’s fierce loyalty and vulnerability, coupled with Oliver’s quiet strength and the impact of his illness, make for a poignant and authentic portrayal of young adulthood 

 The novel delves deep into the emotional landscapes of its characters, exploring themes of love, identity, and resilience. The raw and honest depiction of Althea and Oliver’s evolving relationship is both heartwarming and heart-wrenching.  Moracho’s lyrical prose and keen observations about life and growing up add a rich layer to the narrative. Her ability to balance humor and sadness captures the essence of teenage life in a way that feels real and unforced. The inclusion of a rare medical condition like Kleine-Levin Syndrome adds an interesting twist to the story, highlighting the challenges and misunderstandings that come with such a condition. 

Despite the many strengths of Althea & Oliver, the content can be heavy and heart-wrenching. The emotional depth and rawness of the story, while compelling, can be quite heavy. The intense and sometimes heartbreaking experiences of the characters are impactful, but living those emotions through the characters in this story can be exhausting. 

This is a perfect novel for readers who enjoy character-driven narratives. The focus on the internal struggles and everyday life of the characters means that there are stretches where not much happens plot-wise, however, the story wraps up in a way that feels complete and satisfying. The journey of Althea and Oliver reaches a natural conclusion, and left me with a sense of closure. In conclusion, Althea & Oliver is a beautifully written, emotionally rich novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

“An ice Capp a day keeps the stress away.” Sixteen-year-old Yasmine Al Khleif writes heartfelt letters. Growing up, she moved often and had few friends, so she kept a journal. Her writing improved over time, turning into poems. When her family moved to Canada, learning a new language limited her expression, but rekindled her love for writing. Yasmine continues to find her voice amidst new languages and cultures. 

Liz Buxbaum is the definition of a hopeless romantic, an avid daydreamer, and perpetually awkward. Growing up watching countless rom coms alongside her late mother, Liz has romanticized everything in her life from an early age. Especially when it comes to her dashing childhood friend and long-term crush, Michael. When Michael returned to town for their senior year of high school, Liz feels she needs to prove to him that she is so much more than just the little Liz he grew up with, aiming to score a date to prom. But there’s no way Liz can do that on her own. So, she turns to her archenemy (and infuriating neighbor), Wes Bennett, for help. Through a risky bet for the dream parking spot outside their houses, Wes uses his friendship with Michael to help Liz get closer to having her own rom-com moment. Their friendly bet causes them to spend more and more time together, getting a closer glimpse into each other’s lives. Liz had always pictured Michael as the boy in her life’s romance movie, but her time spent with Wes has her second guessing what her “Happily Ever After” could look like. 

 Personally, I absolutely adored this book. It’s the perfect cute and fluffy romance, and the characters are each so special in their own unique ways. There is never a dull moment when reading this book. Lynn Painter has made Liz’s life so unpredictable, and it does an astounding job of keeping the audience engaged and on their toes. It is a YA (young – adult) novel, and I would say it is a perfect read for anyone 13 and up. The romantic aspects are kept light, short, and sweet. It’s a quick and easy read since the concepts are not hard to follow, and I think a lot of teens could relate to or see parts of themselves in this book. It’s full of more recent pop-culture references, which I found very entertaining, and I especially enjoyed how each chapter began with a quote from all of Liz’s favorite classic rom-com movies, which also happen to be some of mine. This is definitely a book I’ll see myself reaching for time and time again. 

 Ruby Hudon, if anything, is a bit of an emotional wreck. That is well shown through her writing pieces. She enjoys writing anything from short fiction stories to long, powerful letters that, lord knows, she will never mail. Ruby believes writing is a keyway to express emotions and let go of anything on your mind. Other than rage writing, Ruby likes reading cheesy romance novels, spending time with friends, road trips, and re-watching 2000’s rom coms a million times over. She was born and raised in Fredericton, New Brunswick with her parents and sister, where she still lives. There, she spends much time overthinking quite literally everything, which makes for some remarkable stories. In the not too far away future, Ruby aspires to move as far away as possible from her small hometown and explore as much of the world as she can, because she dreams to someday be able to write about her lifetime of amazing stories. 

Skater Boy is an emotional coming-of-age book, telling the story of Wesley McKenzie as he navigates friendships, homelife, and his sexuality. Wesley begins the book as your stereotypical “bad boy”. He gets into fights at school, he’s failing all his classes, and he’s having a hard time adjusting to his mom’s new boyfriend. Then he meets Tristan. Tristan is the complete opposite of Wesley. He does ballet, cares about school, and most importantly, he’s openly a part of the LGBT community. When Wesley meets Tristan, he’s inspired to clean up his act and finally be himself. But this is proven easier said than done over the course of the novel. Throughout the book, Wesley faces many challenges as he gets his life together and learns how to accept himself.  

 I personally enjoyed reading this book. I don’t usually read “romance” novels, but I found this book to be clever and well-paced. It was a perfect blend between romantic, comical, and coming-of-age. I often find myself losing interest in books halfway through, not captivated by the story enough to continue reading. But when reading Skater Boy, I found myself unable to put it down. The story was both intriguing and suspenseful, and the book took me less than a week to finish reading. I would recommend Skater Boy for a teenaged or young adult audience. Though the book is entirely PG, the topics covered are aimed more towards teens and young adults than kids.  

 Nola Lawton is an emerging author of fiction and short stories. She is yet to be published, and continuously works to perfect her writing style. Nola lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick with her family. She loves animals, art, and playing Cello. 

As Good as Dead is a captivating, twisting and thrilling book to end off the Good Girls Guide to Murder series. The Murder of Stanley Forbs continues to haunt Pip every day. Not being able to escape it, Pip is ready to leave for college and leave everything behind in Fairview. She was done solving cases and was ready to become a normal college girl, until she read the line “who will look for you when you disappear.” When Pip first saw these messages on her Podcast— Good Girls Guide to Murder— she brushed them off as an online bully who wanted to get in her head, but once signs started appearing around her, Pip knew she was in danger and that only person she could turn to was herself. Pip goes on to find connections between her online stalker and a serial killer who had been behind bars for 6 years. Trying to solve this mystery all the while keeping herself safe, Pip finds herself in an unreal situation where she must decide to save herself or those around her.

Though this book wouldn’t be for the faint of heart as we all know Holly Jackson’s books are directed to those who love a good crime/ murder solving case. I would strongly recommend this book for those who have already read the first two books in the series and enjoyed them. If you also enjoy solving cases this book would be perfect for you. 

Michelle is a 16-year-old student attending Fredericton High School who is a growing writer. Michelle enjoys using her personal experiences to express herself through writing. She also enjoys baking, running, playing soccer and spending time with her friends. Her biggest dream in life is to visit Greece when she is 17 and live her “Mamma Mia” life singing “Dancing Queen” by ABBA. She hopes to one day share her stories with the world and entertain people when they get bored with life.