Jennifer Dugan

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley.)

When Tessa's longtime crush Maddie passes her a note referencing 'all that they have in common,' Tessa is stoked: could Maddie possibly a werewolf too? Maybe the "curse" she's been wishing away her whole life finally has an upside. Or, no, that's clearly too much to hope for; if Maddie isn't a werewolf, what kind of supe could she be? (Witch? Banshee? Vampire? The possibilities are endless.)

But the big reveal goes horribly wrong, and Tessa is left feeling even more alone and alienated (from her pack, classmates, and the world in general) than before. When her pack alpha and surrogate dad, Mack, gets some intel about a group of hunters who are working with a rogue witch to cure werewolves, Tessa strikes out on her own in search of them. Not to neutralize the threat, but to offer herself up as a guinea pig: she's sick of being a werewolf, and a middling one, at that. (Her younger sister, Kylie, shifted a full two years before Tessa, and Tessa has yet to shift fully.) But a lone wolf is a dangerous one, and Tessa's teenage angst quickly puts everyone she loves in danger. Can she finally surrender to the wolf inside of her, before it's too late?

FULL SHIFT is such a great book that I'm willing to add it to my favorites bookshelf, even if I could barely make out the artwork. When it comes to e-ARCs of graphic novels, I usually get a digital copy that has some degree of pixelation; worst case, it's bad enough that I can't read the text without getting some serious eyestrain. This was a little different in that the text was crystal clear, while the artwork was nearly indecipherable. Luckily I was able to follow the story, even if I didn't get to marvel at Kristen Seaton's gorgeous illustrations. I mean, I'm inferring from the cover, but my hopes are high, especially for the wolves.

The story itself is entertaining and filled with pathos and heart. Tessa's feelings of loneliness - even in a lodge packed to overflowing with her extended wolf family - is the stuff of epic ballads. I love her scenes with Maddie (and Maddie's scenes with Mac), and the convo that kicks off the story is pretty hilarious. Ditto: the "what are your intentions with my daughter" interrogation; I'm not usually a fan, but the queer/werewolf spin makes it work. There are so many great little details, from the FAQ about werewolves to Tessa and Kylie's relationship and Tessa's meeting with her dad in the afterlife. Speaking of dads, I was all geared up to hate the replacement dad, but Mac is a pretty stand up guy. And his backstory with Anderson is fantastic too. I even loved the TWILIGHT references.

Honestly, I just can't say enough good things about FULL SHIFT. Gay werewolves? Sign me up!… (més)

There were quite a few aspects to "Veronca Comics" I enjoyed, primarily the idea of two teens from competing comic shop families crushing on each other after meeting at a comic con. That's just a super adorable premise! The characters are also nicely fleshed out, even the side characters were fun to read, and honestly I would love a Jayla spinoff novel. Also, everyone is very open about their dating preferences and sexuality, and there is a lot of wholesome support shown from friends and (most) family.

That being said, I just felt like the whole second half of the novel was quite repetitive and redundant. Characters kept having the same conversations about the same topics, and very little happened until the final couple chapters. Even then, it wrapped up quite quickly, and although I enjoyed the note the book ended on, I felt like it happened too fast to be thoroughly enjoyable. The pacing overall could have been much smoother. Lastly, there was just a little too much of that vibe of a girl thinking "Oh, I can date this troubled boy and fix him!" for me to be totally comfortable. It doesn't end up being quite like that, but I also don't think that line of thinking was addressed enough. No one ever challenged this thought and it really needed to be.

This last point has spoilers - you've been warned ;)

*A major part of this novel is the fact that Ridley's dad wants Ridley to spy on Verona Comics so he can find a way for their comic shop to buy out Verona. But this plot is tied up in basically a sentence that says Ridley's dad decided to just stop trying. That's it. All throughout the book, Mr. Everlasting was shown to be harsh, relentless, and cutthroat, but then he just...stops?? I don't believe it. Sure, Ridley was in that car accident, but when Ridley jumped off that roof however long ago it did stop his dad from being mean/cutthroat then? I just don't buy it, and it felt like lazy writing to wrap this up so blandly.… (més)

For fans of Sorry, Bro and I Kissed a Girl comes a relatable and quirky sapphic romance. Lizzie lives, breathes, and sleeps the gym. Not only has she worked her way up from towel girl to front desk manager, but she spends every free moment trying to beat her latest PR. She dreams of a day in which she can open her own gym. Sketching out plans on stray napkins and sheets of paper. So when her best friend and gym owner’s son James ropes her into being his plus one to his elusive sister’s wedding she spots her chance to get closer to her dream.

However, once arriving to the wedding she drunkenly corners her bosses, ruining her one chance at a promotion she desperately needs. And once she accidentally talks the bride Cara out of the wedding, she knows she is in too deep. The problem is now Cara, who also happens to be the hottest person Lizzie has ever seen in her life is living with James and is hellbent on fixing everyone else’s love lives. So when James asks Lizzie to romantically babysit Cara just until she’s off his back she agrees. I mean what are best friends for and it’s not like Cara would ever actually fall for her. But as the feelings become stronger and the secrets grow deeper Lizzie finds herself stuck in a heavy lift without a spotter.

This book was…not what I was expecting. With comps like Delilah Green Doesn’t Care and Written in the Stars I was anticipating my newest favorite sapphic romance. And although this book was just fine on its own I found myself let down just based on my expectations. I found myself wanting more mainly in the area of characters. The story was just plot heavy over character-building. Which isn’t a bad thing necessarily, some of my favorite books are. I just didn’t connect to the characters as much as I normally do in romances.

Not to say the characters weren’t relatable. Lizzie’s mommy issues were deeply saddening and hit home in a number of ways. But she was an asshole, to put it lightly. Her standoffish demeanor worked in the beginning but carried on way too far into the story for me. It just felt like her character’s growth was a bit rushed. Yeah, she changed externally by the end but it didn’t feel like there had been enough time for her to actually make the internal changes necessary to be in her relationship.

Speaking of her relationship I did not see the chemistry between Cara and Lizzie beyond the physical attraction. I really wish we had a dual POV like the two books comped so that we could have a deeper understanding of their connection. Because Lizzie was spending all her time drooling over how hot she was and not enough time on the fact that they didn’t get along. Like at all. All of their interactions were hostile until they started hooking up. I just felt like the intense emotional connection that is so often seen in sapphic romances specifically, was lacking. This is just my opinion though. I’m sure if you’re more of a fan of this particular trope you will be ecstatic.

Now that I’ve got my gripes with the characters out of the way, let’s get into what I really enjoyed about the book, the plot. Initially, this is what caught my eye, as talking someone out of their wedding accidentally sounds like such a fun time. And it totally delivered. This book is not short on drama and high stakes. Every chapter contained some new obstacle that Lizzie had to overcome. Whether it be juggling her secrets between James and Cara. Or navigating her less-than-stellar relationship with her boss who definitely has it out for her. The twists and turns had my stomach in knots just hoping that it would all work out in the end.

And without putting any spoilers, the climax of the book had me so uncomfortable but in a good way. The scene ties everything together in a way I didn’t expect. So let’s just say this book isn’t predictable in the ways at least I thought it would be.

All in all, this was a good book. It wasn’t amazing and barrier-breaking but wasn’t bad by any means. But I think the books that were comped were far too different and set up a completely irrelevant set of expectations. Plus the plot did thrive on miscommunication which is my least favorite trope. But the plot had me in shambles by the end and kept me interested. So there is a lot of good throughout. I do recommend this book, if only for being able to un-ironically read the phrase “emotional support himbo” multiple times. Enjoy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sending this eARC for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
… (més)