Review: Tune It Out

Tune It Out by Jamie Sumner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jamie Sumner has written another excellent book about a young girl who isn't like everyone else. In Tune It Out, readers meet Lou who struggles with loud noises and physical contact because they are painful for her. Teachers have suggested that perhaps she is on the spectrum, but her mother refuses to get Lou a diagnosis. Lou and her mom are struggling financially and living in their truck. Her mom tries to earn extra money by having Lou perform at clubs and fairs. She wants Lou to score a record deal for her amazing singing talent, but performing is extremely difficult for Lou.

After an accident causes Lou to be taken from her mom, she moves across the country to live with her aunt and uncle that she doesn't even know. They enroll her in a fancy private school, and it's the first time Lou has had stability in her life in years. Through the help of her new friends, aunt and uncle, and a guidance counselor, Lou starts to understand and know herself better than she ever has. She also sees her mother for who she truly is, and it isn't a pretty picture.

I loved Sumner's first book Roll with It because even though the main character had a disability, she was fierce and did not let it define her. In the beginning of this story, Lou allows herself to be defined by her disability. At first, she doesn't have a name for her issues, but she later learns that she has Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). She (and her mother) allowed her SPD to prevent her from making friends or even going to school in the past. I really appreciate Sumner's writing because she shows how someone with SPD would truly struggle; she doesn't just gloss it over, and make her some tough superhero who easily overcomes her SPD. While she does work towards finding ways to cope with SPD, Sumner shows that it is difficult for her to be touched even if only for a few seconds.

My son is on the spectrum, and he struggles with sensory processing as well. Loud unexpected noises were torture for him years ago, but with time, therapy, and exposure, he has gotten much better at handling these types of noises. When he was 3, he would cry and beg to leave my husband's basketball games because the buzzer hurt his ears; now at 8, he sits on the bench with the team. I look forward to sharing this book with students at my school so they can learn about the challenges that some of their peers face on a daily basis.

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Say Yes Summer by Lindsey Roth Culli

If you are looking for a lighthearted YA romance, look no further. Culli's Say Yes Summer makes for a perfect beach or poolside read. Rachel has spent her entire life doing whatever it takes to become valedictorian and get into a great college; basically, she's been all work and no fun. With her best friend out of town for her last summer before moving away, Rachel decides to say yes to every opportunity that comes her way, even if it is at the expense of others she cares about. When Rachel says yes to dating two different boys she has cared about for years, life gets much more complicated. She realizes that saying yes to one person means you have to say no to someone else. How will she decide which boy is her "yes" and which one is her "no?" While the plot is fairly predictable, it is certainly a fun, quick read. I enjoyed seeing Rachel's character realize that there is more to her classmates than what they put on social media, which is an extremely important lesson for teens and adults alike. Most people don't air their dirty laundry on Instagram, so we have to remember they they are only sharing the good parts of their life. I will certainly recommend this books to fans of Jenny Han.

More Than Just a Pretty Face by Syed M. Masood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'll be the first to admit that I shamelessly love YA romances. I love the drama, angst, and all the feels of first love. It throws me right back into high school when my life was full of those same emotions. Most of the YA romances I read are from a girl's point of view, and I expected this book to be same based on the title; obviously, I was wrong.

More Than Just a Pretty Face is about Danyal Jilani, a self-proclaimed handsome idiot who wants to be a chef. As a Muslim teen, Danyal isn't allowed to touch the girl of his dreams (Kaval), so he spends his time shamelessly flirting with her. She just happens to be his best friend's twin sister, which is another reason she is off limits. When Danyal's parents set up an arranged marriage meeting with Bisma Akram, Danyal is thrown for a loop. She isn't drop dead gorgeous like Kaval, but there is something about her that intrigues him. She is sad and lonely, and he just wants to make her smile. When Danyal is selected as a participant in his school's Renaissance Man competition, he is forced to choose between the girl he has always longed for and the girl who keeps haunting his thoughts.

One of the things that I loved most about this book was that it's about a culture different than my own. I know the bare minimum about Islam, and I enjoyed seeing what the Islamic religion expects of its believers. I cannot imagine being a Muslim teenager full of hormones and knowing that I'm not supposed to be alone with someone of the opposite sex. Danyal's character was very well-written; while he may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, he is passionate and kind. His desire to shed light on a seemingly heroic historical figure made me love him even more. He stood up for what he believed in, even though he knew it would be hard. I adored his playful banter with Bisma and how nervous he got around her. Syed M. Masood did an excellent job of showing readers that falling in love isn't always fireworks and wind blowing through a girl's hair. Sometimes falling in love is more like a ride on a lazy river: slow and comfortable.

Fans of David Yoon's Frankly in Love will swoon over More Than Just a Pretty Face.

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