I've never done a book review before, so I decided why not review three books within one chapter for my first try? All three books are ones that I picked up during my last library visit and there will be no spoilers within this chapter.

Alex & Eliza: A Love Story by Melissa de la Cruz

As you may have guessed by looking at the cover, this book is about the love story of Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler, and it is the product of the author's daughter wanting to know more about the couple after seeing Hamilton. Let's be real; that cover is definitely bait for fans of the musical... and I can say for certain that it worked because the second I spotted it, I decided that I wanted it.

This is such a sweet, fluffy read. If we're comparing how much of their story is told in the book compared to Hamilton, this novel is Helpless. That's it. I'm not saying that the story goes exactly like it did within that song (quite the opposite, exactly), but it spans from right before Hamilton and Eliza meet and a little bit after their wedding. So no Reynolds Pamphlet drama or, you know, death.

I enjoyed reading this book. It's nothing awe-inspiring or revolutionary, but it's a nice read for those looking for something light and fluffy. It's definitely not historically accurate, especially compared to Elizabeth Cobbs's The Hamilton Affair, another novel following the more accurate path of Hamilton and Eliza's lives from start to finish. Still, it was very pleasant to read and a nice break from all of the "deeper" books and short stories I've had to read in school so far.

I kept track of any foul language and any other uncomfortable content throughout the book, which was easy, because there wasn't a lot. An alternate word for donkey is used by Hamilton near the beginning, some innuendos are made by an unwanted suitor, a misunderstanding and a mean trick leaves Eliza offended that Hamilton would think that she would imply something unsavory, a character is implied to about to rape someone at a climax, and there's a short scene after the wedding that is cut off before things get too naughty.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give follows sixteen year old Starr Carter as she struggles to find her voice and connect her two worlds, her poor neighborhood and her elite prep school, as she is forced to deal with the aftermath of her childhood best friend being the victim of a police shooting. Being the sole witness of the fatal incident, she is put under a lot of pressure by the police, family, friends, and even the local drug lord to speak out- or to not snitch anyone out.

This novel is heartbreakingly, painfully true, especially in the world that we live in today. While reading this, my heart was pounding and my eyes teared up too many times to count. This is a powerful read, a real, honest look on the inside of the world that so many live in. The only thing bad I have to say about this book is the very frequent use of profanity and crude language that is very present within it; that made it very difficult for me to get through.

Let me make something clear. This is not an anti-police book, and this is not an anti-white people book. It is established in this novel multiple times that there are lots of good police officers and Caucasians. Two very prominent people in Starr's life include her uncle, who works for the police, and her semi-secret white boyfriend. The antagonists doesn't just include a few police officers and white people. That role also extends to other black characters. Jerkiness comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Please remember that, just as this immersive book does.

Hold Me Like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt

The plot: Penny Landlow is the privileged daughter of the leader of a crime Family (with a big F) that buys and sells human organs and body parts. She is also a victim of blood disorder that causes her skin to bruise very easily and motives her family (with a little F) to be overly protective of her. With the threat of the Organ Act being passed in government and tensions high between Landlows and other crime Families and within the Family itself, bloody tragedy strikes at the people Penny loves most and leaves her alone in a big city with more questions than answers.

Out of the three books in this review, this was definitely the cleanest, but I honestly wasn't a fan of this book. Despite it being mildly entertaining at times, lot of stuff was majorly cliché, and I saw most of the "plot twists" coming from a mile away. The plot moved along painfully slow at times, and the romance subplot seemed more prominent than the actual plot more often than not. I guess what I'm saying about this book is don't hold your breath, you can do better than this.

I hope you guys enjoyed this book review! I might do more like this in the future, I'm not sure. Depends on the feedback I get, I guess.