Francina Simone

I overall liked this read. But it did not wow me. I know it was loosely inspired by the Othello myth. I really did like the theater elements of this book and how it focused on a theater world in general. As a theater teacher I appreciated it. The one element of this book I really struggled with was the focus on the relationships and becoming more like love triangle and I really struggled with that part of the book. I also liked the main character but did not love, but i also felt connected to her and being in her head was not always easy. Overall, It was a okay read but it did not wow me.… (mehr)

I overall liked this read. But it did not wow me. I know it was loosely inspired by the Othello myth. I really did like the theater elements of this book and how it focused on a theater world in general. As a theater teacher I appreciated it. The one element of this book I really struggled with was the focus on the relationships and becoming more like love triangle and I really struggled with that part of the book. I also liked the main character but did not love, but i also felt connected to her and being in her head was not always easy. Overall, It was a okay read but it did not wow me.… (mehr)

There are definitely some ignorant parts here (think: Breakfast Club/Cthagod vibes), but, for the most part, I enjoyed the story though it is stressful high school drama. Things get rather messy too!

Olivia's all in her head about her feelings, sex, and 3 potential love interests. Is this an otome game/love sim? I thought her different dynamics with the guys were cute, and I liked her relationship with her cousin. Her narrative is relatable with Olivia constantly overthinking things and trying to apologize.

I was thoroughly annoyed with Eli. No one needs to baby him! He can feel frustrated that Liv never knew his feelings and slept with Dre, but this all ultimately hangs on him. He needs to beat himself up about being too afraid to tell her. Everyone can't pick up on hints. Yes, Liv could have told him her feelings, but that doesn’t erase him acting a total fool in public. This really felt like a shoujo where the male love interest is already rigged. I thought she was going to stay with Dre. Eventually, everything boils down to self-love which is nice.

3.5… (mehr)

It doesn’t matter if we’re 17 or 70 years old, there are times in our lives when we decide that maintaining the status quo just won’t do anymore. It’s during these times that we break out of shell, make ourselves vulnerable to critique, and say we just don’t give a fuck. This is what Olivia, a.k.a, Liv decides to do in Smash It.

Liv is a self-described weird kid. She’s a 17-year-old Black girl living in Orlando, Florida. She plays the flute and loves musical theater. She’s whip smart and her two best friends, Dre and Eli, play in a cover band. Liv used to be more outgoing and unafraid to bring attention to herself until she developed breasts, booty and childbearing hips, which her mom keeps reminding her will make her look like a “ho” if she doesn’t wear the right concealing outfit.

However, after being clowned for wearing her street clothes to a Halloween costume party, Liv decides she needs to start taking chances which begins with her trying out for her school’s musical version of Othello.

Over the course of the book, Liv makes new friends, goes after the boy she wants, and grows as a person. She realizes that she isn’t relegated to be one type of woman. She can be simultaneously innocent, hardhearted and misunderstood and not be doomed by tragedy.

Smash It is a delightful young adult coming of age novel featuring fully-realized Black and Latinx characters in a setting you rarely get to see them in. It’s highly readable and I can’t wait to put it in the hands of my teen library readers when we reopen.
… (mehr)