Trying to Get My NetGalley Score to 80% and a Bunch of Mini Reviews

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I will never get my NetGalley score to 100%. In my youth, I read a lot of NetGalley books and I asked for a lot of ARCs. Some of which I never got the chance to download or have been on my list to review for too long that I have taken them off because lets be honest, I'll never get to them. But I have been pretty good at reading my ARCs, just not reviewing them. I am in reach to get 80%. I am currently at 77%. Seventy-seven percent people! So close, but yet so far. My goal is to reach 80% or more just with this post and to never ask for a book again that I don't plan to read the second I am approved for. As well as review as soon as I read them. I will still have a few ARCs I need to read and review (four of them to be exact) but I'll be reviewing seven books that I read almost right away after I got them. I just need to review them. My hope is this will prompt me to write reviews again and to actually review the books I've read right after or at least soon after I read them. 

An Indian American girl navigates prejudice in her small town and learns the power of her own voice in this brilliant gem of a middle grade novel full of humor and heart, perfect for fans of Front Desk and Amina’s Voice.

As the only Indian American kid in her small town, Lekha Divekar feels like she has two versions of herself: Home Lekha, who loves watching Bollywood movies and eating Indian food, and School Lekha, who pins her hair over her bindi birthmark and avoids confrontation at all costs, especially when someone teases her for being Indian.

When a girl Lekha’s age moves in across the street, Lekha is excited to hear that her name is Avantika and she’s Desi, too! Finally, there will be someone else around who gets it. But as soon as Avantika speaks, Lekha realizes she has an accent. She’s new to this country, and not at all like Lekha.

To Lekha’s surprise, Avantika does not feel the same way as Lekha about having two separate lives or about the bullying at school. Avantika doesn’t take the bullying quietly. And she proudly displays her culture no matter where she is: at home or at school.

When a racist incident rocks Lekha’s community, Lekha realizes she must make a choice: continue to remain silent or find her voice before it’s too late.

American as Paneer Pie - Beautiful. Truly was perfect from the very first pages to the last. I am a sucker for a shy girl standing up for herself so when Lekha did it was beyond perfect. I didn't expect to connect to her so much but the thing about not correcting people when they say your name wrong - that is me till this day. I find my name so easy to say but I always get Andrea... Of course, I connected with her shy nature because that's totally me as well. I loved how much Lekha grew as a person and all that she learned. Her friendship and biases regarding Avantika brought on great discussions that can be easily be used with any American born and Immigrant families within the same culture. Everything this book was, was perfect.

Debut author Sarah Smith nails this fun and sexy rom-com where two office foes hammer out their differences to build a love that will last....

Emmie Echavarre is a professional faker. She has to be to survive as one of the few female employees at Nuts & Bolts, a power tool company staffed predominantly by gruff, burly men. From nine to five, Monday through Friday, she's tough as nails--the complete opposite of her easy-going real self.

One thing she doesn't have to fake? Her disdain for coworker Tate Rasmussen. Tate has been hostile to her since the day they met. Emmie's friendly greetings and repeated attempts to get to know him failed to garner anything more than scowls and terse one-word answers. Too bad she can't stop staring at his Thor-like biceps...

When Emmie and Tate are forced to work together on a charity construction project, things get...heated. Emmie's beginning to see that beneath Tate's chiseled exterior lies a soft heart, but it will take more than a few kind words to erase the past and convince her that what they have is real.

Faker - Oh no. Such a good concept but not executed to my liking. One of the issues I had was the weird way that Emmie compared her skin or spoke about Tate's (the love interests) skin. It sounded really weird. I actually have compared my skin color with my father since he is tanner than I am. So you would think I wouldn't have a problem with that but it was weird to me. Maybe because this romance is specifically marketed as multicultural. It kind of feels forced. Another bigger problem I had was Emmie herself. I didn't connect with her as a character. She didn't have likable qualities. She seemed to be in a battle with this Tate most of the time but when she started liking him she stuck with someone else. This person who she didn't seem to feel anything substantial for. Rivals or the hate to love trope can be done really well. Pride and Prejudice comes to mind. There needs to be good banter and something extra to their romance. If there was one character who was less... irritable towards the other then maybe I would have enjoyed this more. Right now, I am just disappointed. 

Greek mythology meets the Kardashians in Emily Roberson's Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters, a fresh, fast-paced debut young adult novel about celebrity culture, family dynamics, and finding love amidst it all.

Sixteen-year-old Ariadne’s whole life is curated and shared with the world. Her royal family’s entertainment empire is beloved by the tabloids, all over social media, and the hottest thing on television. The biggest moneymaker? The Labyrinth Contest, a TV extravaganza in which Ariadne leads fourteen teens into a maze to kill a monster. To win means endless glory; to lose means death. In ten seasons, no one has ever won.

When the gorgeous, mysterious Theseus arrives at the competition and asks Ariadne to help him to victory, she doesn’t expect to fall for him. He might be acting interested in her just to boost ratings. Their chemistry is undeniable, though, and she can help him survive. If he wins, the contest would end for good. But if she helps him, she doesn’t just endanger her family’s empire—the monster would have to die. And for Ariadne, his life might be the only one worth saving.

Ariadne’s every move is watched by the public and predestined by the gods, so how can she find a way to forge her own destiny and save the people she loves?

Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters - Look at this cover and read that premise. Sounds amazing, doesn't it? Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters created a great twist on the original Greek Myth by creating a retelling revolving around reality TV. It could have been amazing if the author didn't make the one mistake many YA authors make - include a romance. I wouldn't have minded a fast instalove like this if there was an interesting twist with that romance. In the original, Theseus ends up being a jerk. I think a play on that would have fared better. You don't have to have instalove if you are writing a YA book. 

I love Greek Mythology. Percy Jackson ignited that fire so I am always willing and excited to read more Greek Mythology retellings. If the focus of this book shifted towards the family dynamics and had the relationships explored between the main character and all her of her family members this would have been amazing. The reveal at the end is so good so why waste any emotion on a teen romance when it could be on something more long-lasting - family.

In an emotionally compelling tale crackling with originality, when a teen musician goes deaf, his quest to create an entirely new form of music brings him to a deeper understanding of his relationship to the hearing world, of himself, and of the girl he meets along the way. 

Music is Simon’s life—which is why he is devastated when a stroke destroys his hearing. He resists attempts to help him adjust to his new state, refusing to be counseled, refusing to learn sign-language, refusing to have anything to do with Deaf culture. Refusing, that is, until he meets G, a tough-as-nails girl dealing with her own newly-experienced deafness.

In an emotionally engaging tale crackling with originality, Simon's quest to create an entirely new form of music forces him into a deeper understanding of his relationship to the hearing world, of himself, and of the girl he meets along the way. 

Impossible Music was able to get to the emotional side of me. I felt Simon's anger and pain. Waking up and not being able to hear would be devastating. His connection to music made this point come across well.

The going back and forth between a couple of months at a time felt off-putting. It just confused me and messed with my reading experience.

The writing of Simon's emotions and his connection to music was well done however, I felt like the writing was also holding me back from loving this book. Maybe it was because it was slow. I'm not sure. There was just something missing I can't put into words.

I could understand why the way Simon became deaf would be disappointing because he isn't the typical deaf kid however, it illustrated his anger so much more of what losing his hearing meant to him. I didn't have a problem with that part of the story like other readers have.

I did end up liking this story. I think if the timeline wasn't chopped up or if it was faster paced I would have given this a higher rating.

Relatable, heartbreaking, and real, this is a story of resilience--the perfect novel for readers of powerful contemporary fiction like Girl in Pieces and Every Last Word.

Before, I was a million things. Now I'm only one. The Burned Girl.

Ava Lee has lost everything there is to lose: Her parents. Her best friend. Her home. Even her face. She doesn't need a mirror to know what she looks like--she can see her reflection in the eyes of everyone around her.

A year after the fire that destroyed her world, her aunt and uncle have decided she should go back to high school. Be "normal" again. Whatever that is. Ava knows better. There is no normal for someone like her. And forget making friends--no one wants to be seen with the Burned Girl, now or ever.

But when Ava meets a fellow survivor named Piper, she begins to feel like maybe she doesn't have to face the nightmare alone. Sarcastic and blunt, Piper isn't afraid to push Ava out of her comfort zone. Piper introduces Ava to Asad, a boy who loves theater just as much as she does, and slowly, Ava tries to create a life again. Yet Piper is fighting her own battle, and soon Ava must decide if she's going to fade back into her scars . . . or let the people by her side help her fly.

An emotional ride, Scars Like Wings has lots of heart and hope. Ava and Piper's friendship was the heart of this story and it was the best part. I couldn't help but get teary-eyed with every. single. chapter. There were some wonderful moments and lines. Stewart did a wonderful job with this debut. I felt like I grew in understanding and knowledge because of Ava's story. This story is raw, real, and wonderful at the same time. If you are looking for books with disability representation done right look no further than Scars Like Wings.

“It’s time we see more Deaf characters in books. It’s time we see more books celebrating sign language and Deaf culture,” said author Alison Gervais.

Deaf teen Maya moves across the country and must attend a hearing school for the first time. As if that wasn’t hard enough, she also has to adjust to the hearing culture, which she finds frustrating—and also surprising when some classmates, including Beau Watson, take time to learn ASL. As Maya looks past graduation and focuses on her future dreams, nothing, not even an unexpected romance, will not derail her pursuits. But when people in her life—Deaf and hearing alike—ask her to question parts of her Deaf identity, Maya stands proudly, never giving in to the idea that her Deafness is a disadvantage.

The Silence Between Us - I am so surprised I didn't enjoy this one at all. I was so excited to read this. The main character was obnoxious. She was so guarded that she never gave anyone a break including Beau. Beau was always willing to apologize and see her side of things, but she couldn't do the same for him. I thought it was out of character for Beau to do what he did at the end of the book which immediately made me think less of this book than I already had. He is so open and understanding of her so why did his character suddenly do a 180? Everything was such a problem with Maya. Why was every second of this story filled with her having to be combative? Instead of me seeing the struggles people may have in the deaf community this just made me annoyed at this teenage girl. And the romance... Where was it? I don't see why Beau would ever want to be with Maya. She constantly berated or embarrassed him. And he clearly liked her from the beginning and she played it off like she wasn't sure. He literally blushed and started learning sign language because he liked her. Also, what was with the pacing? He suddenly learned a bunch of sign language in like a day? There was some odd passage of time that didn't do anything for the story. I'm just really disappointed overall. How this could have won the Schneider Family Book Award is beyond me.

Twelve-year-old Myrtle Hardcastle has a passion for justice and a Highly Unconventional obsession with criminal science. Armed with her father’s law books and her mum’s microscope, Myrtle studies toxicology, keeps abreast of the latest developments in crime scene analysis, and Observes her neighbors in the quiet village of Swinburne, England.

When her next-door neighbor, a wealthy spinster and eccentric breeder of rare flowers, dies under Mysterious Circumstances, Myrtle seizes her chance. With her unflappable governess, Miss Ada Judson, by her side, Myrtle takes it upon herself to prove Miss Wodehouse was murdered and find the killer, even if nobody else believes her — not even her father, the town prosecutor.

With sparkling wit and a tight, twisty plot, Premeditated Myrtle, the first in a series from an award-winning author, introduces a brilliant young investigator ready to take on hard cases and maddening Victorian rules for Young Ladies of Quality in order to earn her place among the most daring and acclaimed amateur detectives of her time or any other.

Premediated Myrtle - When I first saw Premediated Myrtle I was so excited because who wouldn't want a Victorian Sherlock Holmesesque book for kids? It should be great fun and it's something you just don't see around that much. And it ended up being such a delightful read. I thought Myrtle was a great lead who struggled with having "grown-up" interests and a higher intellect for her age versus what her father expected her to be like. The family dynamics, the many interesting suspects, and the clues that Myrtle discovered with the help of her governess Miss Judson were all great fun to discover. I would like more character growth with Myrtle in the upcoming books in her series since she can come off a little too stubborn. Overall, I had a good time with this middle-grade mystery and I would continue with the series.

I've done it! I've written seven mini reviews. I'm a bit proud of myself and happy because I feel like the books I have leftover to read and write aren't as daunting. It's totally doable and I want to keep my NetGalley books manageable and my reviews from now on prompt.

Have you used NetGalley? If so, how has your experience been?