Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge 2024 - February Update: Star-Crossed & Solitare

Happy Thursday (and Happy Leap Day) everyone!  I hope everyone's been doing well.  I've now completed four tasks for Book Riot's 2024 Read Harder Challenge.  The tasks I completed this month required me to read a middle grade book with an LGBTQIA main character and to read a romance with neurodivergent characters.  I selected Star-Crossed by Barbara Dee and Solitaire (Solitaire #1) by Alice Oseman respectively.  Read on to see my mini reviews and my plans for next month:

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I'm so glad I took a chance on Star-Crossed by Barbara Dee.  I don't say this often, but this book was just cute as heck.  Plus, it had some choice Shakespearean insults - and even reference for the Shakespearean plays where you can find those lines.  If you're looking for a clever MG contemporary LGBT+ story and are a fan of theater and Shakespeare, you can't miss this.

My review is also on Goodreads.

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Solitaire (Solitaire #1) by Alice Oseman is a solid YA contemporary focusing on mental health and with a bit of a mystery.  I know this is Oseman's first book, where Nick and Charlie first appear and that Heartstopper is an expansion of the world created here.  Honestly, though, I can definitely say I prefer Tori as a minor/ secondary character in Heartstopper rather than as a lead character.  Overall, the novel a little too long and Tori grated on my nerves more often than not, even if I know she's dealing with mental health issues.  Also, it would have been good if Tori and Charlie's parents seemed to care what their kids were going through.  That said Michael Holden totally makes the book.  Plus, it's always good to see Nick and Charlie - and I'm very glad I first met them in Heartstopper instead of this novel.  Overall, I'm glad I listened to this on audiobook because the narrator, Jayne Entwistle, did a fantastic job.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Next Up For March: 

Read a history book by a BIPOC author.

My choice: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson - I've been meaning to pick this out since it came out, but I kept putting it off but now I'm giving myself a real excuse to finally read this.

Read a YA nonfiction book.

My choice: The Bones of Birka: Unraveling the Mystery of a Female Viking Warrior by C.M. Surrisi - I've been eyeing this at my library since it arrived and I'm finally going to be taking it home one day soon.

Are you taking part in this challenge?  Have you read any of these books?  As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!