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Float Vol. 1 by Kate Marchant
Float, Vol. 1 by Kate MarchantIllustrator: C.J. Joaquin
Float #1
Published by Graphix on July 1, 2025
Age Group & Genres: Comics/Graphic Novels, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Format: Physical
Source: Library
Dive into summer fun in this graphic novel romance from Webtoon. It's perfect for fans of True Beauty and Pumpkinheads!
Amidst the chaos of her parents’ bitter divorce, Alaskan teenager Waverly Lyons trades in her textbooks and parka for a summer of suntans and short-shorts with her aunt in Florida. A fish out of water even back in the snow, Waverly is determined to be everything she isn’t back home: cool, fun, dare she even say part of a group? There’s just one problem. She doesn’t know how to swim.
Enter Blake -- the super-tan, super-hot, super-arrogant boy next door who seems to hate her guts. When he discovers her secret, Waverly is positive that her perfect summer is perfectly over. But then Blake does the unthinkable. He offers to teach her.
This slice-of-life YA romance is illustrated in an anime-inspired style that readers will love. What are you waiting for? Dive in!
The first volume for Float (adapted from the novel of the same name) was such a fun and delightful read, and I really loved the illustrations from C.J. Joaquin.
The story follows Waverly Lyons, who arrives in Florida to visit her Aunt Rachel for the summer after her parents divorce. It’s a chance for her to start over, even though she doesn’t know how to swim.
I adored Waverly’s character as she’s trying to figure herself out and also loved the relationships she has with the other characters. Float has all the tropes and gives very strong fanfiction vibes, so I might not enjoy the novel as much, but it was also super addicting to read — it’s a quick read that’s perfect for the summer, and I’m interested in reading the second volume.
Love Between Fairy and Devil Vol. 2 by Jiu Lu Fei Xiang, Translated by Yu
Love Between Fairy and Devil, Vol. 2 by Jiu Lu Fei XiangLove Between Fairy and Devil/Cāng Lán Jué #1
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment on September 23, 2025
Age Group & Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Format: Physical
Source: Library
BLOOM WITH ME
Despite his callousness and violent temper, Dongfang Qingcang has braved peril to save Xiao Lanhua time and time again. Now the Demon Lord grapples with deadly wounds, and she too grapples with her feelings for him. Why is he so desperate to protect her? Is his tenderness real, or is it just another ploy to get what he desires?
Before Xiao Lanhua gives herself over completely, a shocking reveal by Dongfang Qingcang’s greatest nemesis flings her heart into turmoil. Further trials await the pair in the form of heavenly punishment, demonic power struggles, and a twisted student-teacher obsession.
Will love blossom between the orchid fairy and the Demon Lord, or was their relationship tainted from the start? Find out in this epic conclusion to the hilarious yet heart-wrenching story that won over countless fans across the globe!
Love Between Fairy and Devil Vol. 2 continues the storyline from the first volume where Xiao Lanhua and Dongfang Qingcang are trying to find her a new body after she lethally slaps her original form to death. Xiao Lanhua’s now wondering what she is exactly after she’s been told by Qianyin (we meet him in Vol. 1) that she’s special and noticing some abnormalities in her temporary form that Dongfang Qingcang made from regeneration earth. All the while, Dongfang Qingcang continues his plot for revenge and trying to bring back the goddess of War so he can have a rematch, but he’s also slowly coming to the realization he doesn’t want to lose Xiao Lanhua after all.
Xiao Lanhua, on the other hand, is starting to connect the dots on what Dongfang Qingcang’s purpose for her is, so she’s quite bent on making multiple plans to escape and leaving a trail of destruction in her wake. She’s such an unserious agent of chaos, and it was honestly entertaining reading about all her various attempts. The second volume is equally unhinged and comical as the first, and while it’s a little more scattered and seems to be all over, I had a delightful time reading this.
RELATED: Love Between Fairy and Devil (2022 C-drama adaptation)
Give Me a Reason by Jayci Lee
Give Me a Reason by Jayci LeePublished by St. Martin's Griffin on July 29, 2025
Age Group & Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Retellings, Romance
Representation: Korean American protagonist and love interest
Format: eBook
Source: Library
In this modern retelling of Jane Austen's PERSUASION, a K-drama actress gets her second chance at love with the man she left to save her family, if only she can work up the courage to risk her heart on forever…one last time.
A Korean drama actress gets her second chance at love with the man she left in order to save her family--if she can work up the courage to risk her heart on forever…one last time.
For ten years, Anne Lee told herself that Frederick Nam was her past. In order to save her father from bankruptcy, she left Frederick for an acting career in Korea. This was the only way she could stop him from following her and ruining his future. It was the best way she could love him.
After Anne left, Frederick spent years loving her, missing her, and hating her until he decided to live his life for himself. He followed his dream and became a firefighter in Culver City. He didn’t need romance. He had his work and his friends.
When Anne returns to Los Angeles, she and Frederick are thrown together in the same wedding—she as her cousin’s bridesmaid and he as his friend’s groomsman. Even though he is angry and distant with her, Anne can no longer deny that she never got over him. Not even close.
With so much hurt and uncertainty between them, Anne and Frederick suffer their love in silence. But all it would take is a single leap of faith to bring them together...
Trigger & Content Warnings: death of a parent, third-party death, fire/fire injury
Give Me a Reason was such a delightful second chance romance between a K-drama actress and a firefighter. There was so much yearning between the two that lasted so long I probably was more mad they didn’t get together any sooner as miscommunication plays a huge role. I think I cried in my friends’ DMs way too much over this.
But I don’t know, I think this one came in at the right time when I was in the right mood, and I think it helped a lot that I understood Anne’s decision ten years ago and why she did it (I probably would’ve done the same in her shoes, so who am I to judge her) despite how frustrating and frankly, repetitive, it was reading it. I also really loved the side characters (except for Anne’s father and older sister; those two can go in the bin) and their antics and banter, which really helped me get through the novel.
Hannah has a penchant for chaos, which is probably how she ended up blogging since 2012. That, and she was probably too expressive for her parents to handle, so it had to go somewhere. She can be found occasionally at The Arts STL. If you’d like to fuel her boba addiction or just enjoy her posts and want to support her, stop by her KoFi or Buy Me a Coffee!