YA Reviews: TILLY IN TECHNICOLOR & BRING ME YOUR MIDNIGHT

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a nice weekend.  Mine was pretty relaxing, and I got a lot of reading done, which is always nice.  Today I’m back to share my thoughts on two YA books that I’ve read recently.  I haven’t been reading much YA in recent years, but I’m always up for a new Rachel Griffin novel and I definitely could not resist Mazey Eddings’ YA debut since I’ve loved all of her adult romance novels.

Tilly in Technicolor Goodreads

Author: Mazey Eddings

Publication Date: August 15, 2023

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

This is such a gem of a book, my favorite from Eddings yet!

After struggling throughout high school because of her ADHD, Tilly Twomley is ready for a fresh start. She’s not sure exactly what she wants to do, so in the meantime, her parents are paying to send her to Europe to work as a summer intern for her sister.

Unlike Tilly, Oliver Clark knows exactly what he wants. His autism has kept his world small, but he’s okay with that because of his passion for color theory and design. He is looking to build up his resume and lands a summer internship, which he is excited about, until he experiences the most horrendous international flight ever, courtesy of his cute but chaotic seat mate.

He can’t wait to get away from her, but to his dismay, she is also an intern at the same company and he’s stuck spending the summer with her. That seatmate/intern is of course, Tilly, and she’s equally mortified after having embarrassed herself repeatedly in front of Oliver on the plane.

I can’t express how much I enjoyed watching the relationship between Oliver and Tilly! They’re both just adorable together and their banter is top notch, but what I especially loved was how they “saw” each other. As they get to know each other, they recognize each other’s neurodiversity and really make an effort to be supportive of each other. I loved that connection between them!

Eddings also does a wonderful job of exploring how being neurdiverse can impact family relationships as well. Tilly’s mom is overprotective to the point of being hurtful, and it has strained their relationship. I thought Tilly’s journey of self-discovery was beautiful, not just because of what she learns about herself, but also because of how she proves herself both to her mom and sister.

With Tilly in Technicolor, Eddings does an incredible job of making neurodiverse individuals feel seen and understood.  4.5 STARS

Bring Me Your Midnight Goodreads

Author: Rachel Griffin

Publication Date: August 1, 2023

Publisher:  Sourcebooks Fire

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.  All opinions are my own.

I don’t read much YA fiction these days, but I couldn’t resist a new YA witchy read from Rachel Griffin since I loved her first two books so much. Filled with the lush, atmospheric writing I’ve come to expect from Griffin, Bring Me Your Midnight did not disappoint either.

Set on a small island inhabited by witches, this story immediately drew me in as soon as we learn that Mortana Fairchild, a young witch and the protagonist of the story, is preparing to marry Landon, who is the governor’s son and who is also not a witch. It is an arranged marriage that is designed for forge an alliance between the island witches and the mortals who live on the mainland. Mortana is willing to go along with the marriage out of a sense of duty to her coven but she doesn’t have any real feelings for Landon.

Over the years Tana’s coven has alleviated the fears of those on the mainland by performing a ritual that releases most of their magic into the ocean during the full moon. When Mortana accidentally misses the ritual, she is afraid to tell her mother and so is at risk of dying, unless she can find someone to help her. That someone ends up being Wolfe, a handsome witch from a coven who practices forbidden magic. Mortana is not only physically attracted to Wolfe, but she’s also very attracted to his forbidden magic and how powerful and alive it makes her feel. Wolfe not only opens her eyes to this new magic, but he also reveals to her that most of her life she has been living a lie.

I loved the chemistry between Mortana and Wolfe and I was completely rapt by this storyline. I couldn’t stop turning the pages to find out how Mortana would react to her attraction to Wolfe and to this new knowledge that secrets and lies have colored her entire world.  Bring Me Your Midnight is perfect for fans of witchy reads, forbidden love, small town/island settings, and atmospheric writing.  4 STARS