Awesome Book Reviews: INVINCIBLE SUMMER by Hannah Moskowitz

Noah’s happier than I’ve seen him in months. So I’d be an awful brother to get in the way of that. It’s not like I have some relationship with Melinda. It was just a kiss. Am I going to ruin Noah’s happiness because of a kiss? 

Across four sun-kissed, drama-drenched summers at his family’s beach house, Chase is falling in love, falling in lust, and trying to keep his life from falling apart. But some girls are addictive....

Not your typical beach read.

Review: Back in January, I wrote a post called S-E-X And YA. Many things happened after I published that post, but the one thing I will never forget is getting to know Hannah Moskowitz. *grin* Hannah's cover for Invincible Summer was used as an example of how some YA readers (of all ages) might steer clear from books with sexual content just because they contain it. I stand by a person's choice to not read these books. I don't stand by parents telling their teens that books like these aren't worth their time. 

Folks, this book is worth your time, even if you dislike sexual content in YA. 

No, this book isn't about sex, but it does feature a male protagonist who has sex (you know, like some teen boys do in real life...). Chase does not have sex in every page, or is constantly seeking girls out. There's this one girl, though. He's not sure if she really likes him, or if she's just passing time. He's confused. He worries about his family, especially his little brother Gideon, who's deaf and communicates through ASL (American Sign Language). He recites quotes from (the uber-awesome) Albert Camus, existentialist extraordinaire. 

I think he might teach some teens more about love, hope, and identity than their parents ever will. Why? Because he's so honest. And raw. Unabashed. So is Hannah's writing. Everything clicked for me, even when it didn't click for Chase. 

So yeah. I loved Chase. 

I loved this book.

Make sure you go pick up a copy when Invincible Summer comes out April 19th!

S-E-X And YA

So. I read this post yesterday. And I can't stop thinking about it.

It's, in essence, a rant. About YA book covers. In particular, these book covers:

   

      CHAIN REACTION by Simone Elkeles and INVINCIBLE SUMMER by Hannah Moskowitz

In her rant, blogger/aspiring author Vicky says she considers these book covers inappropriate. That they advertise and encourage teen sex. That she'd never buy these books for her teen, nor read them herself. That the motto "sex sells" shouldn't be linked to the young adult industry.

Here's my take: both covers are appropriate. Very much so, in fact. 

Why?

Because they portray what the characters are experiencing. 

No, these books are not about sex. They are about teens who are growing up, falling in love, and having sex. It's about their journeys. Their relationships. And that includes... wait for it... S-E-X. 

To me, an inappropriate book cover is an image that has nothing to do with the content. False advertising, as they say. For example, putting a Caucasian girl on the cover of a book whose main character is black? So inappropriate. 

If you as a parent stand against teens having sex in fiction (and in real life...), that's your business. My condolences to your teen son/daughter. But pretty please don't get things twisted--inappropriate is such a subjective word. It tells me you don't really know what writing for teens is about. You don't have to agree with them exploring their sexuality, but that's what some of them are doing. That's why these books are selling. They relate to those stories. To those covers.

My advice to all aspiring YA authors? Be real. Whether you write about teens having sex or not, please understand that it's an important part of their lives. Don't disrespect them by pretending it's not.

Now tell me: what do you think about those covers? Good? Bad?