young adult romance

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Lenni Reviews: “A Star Brighter than the Sun” Vol. 3, by Kazune Kawahara

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Koki gets in a fight while defending Sae, who thinks Koki’s secret crush is a girl named Subaru. Rumors also fly saying Sae is dating Ayukawa, paving the way for emotional misunderstandings.

Koki and Iwata also go see a movie together, but it seems like Iwata still thinks they’re just friends and Koki can’t possibly like her. While I did enjoy this volume because these two are sweet together, it didn’t feel like they moved forward. They have adorable chemistry, but this back and forth is going to get old. It doesn’t feel like heightened drama, it’s just circling. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Wolf Girl and Black Prince” Vol. 15, by Ayuko Hatta

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Wanting to pursue glass blowing, Erika is trapped between her mother’s insistence on studying it in Kyoto and Kyoya’s ultimatum to stay in Tokyo or break up with him.

Yeah, I’d expect Kyoya to be a dick about this. There are plenty of characters who can balance cool, aloof jerk with a soft spot but Kyoya comes off as overly cruel then has to walk it back so the story can keep the couple together. The best part of this was someone giving him a good smack and putting him in his place because he keeps acting like a walking red flag to a girl who clearly cares for him and doesn’t deserve his abuse. 2 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Rainbows After Storms” Vol. 5, by Luka Kobachi

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

After their kiss at the festival, Nanoha and Chidori are struggling to communicate with each other about wanting to do it again. Also, a former classmate of Nanoha’s, Mai, joins their school and literature club.

These two are so damn adorable.

Even with this potential rival showing up, I’m still thinking this relationship won’t crumble because of Mai unless she threatens to out them. If I were to guess, that’s probably what’s going to happen since keeping their secret is so important. If Mai doesn’t do it, someone/thing else might. It doesn’t seem like the type of series to get really dark, so if it did, it would be very out of character. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Wolf Girl and Black Prince” Vol. 14, by Ayuko Hatta

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

As graduation looms, Erika is unsure what she wants for her future. Also, Kyoya’s birthday is coming, and while Erika is excited to do something nice for him, Kyoya is indifferent to the whole thing.

Erika goes to her aunt Eiko, who makes glass art, and since she’s so excited about it, she’s considering doing it as a career. Meanwhile, this volume tries to get me to like Kyoya again as he learns to enjoy his birthday, and he encourages Erika to come to college with him, but I didn’t forget what happened in volume 12. In my mind, he hasn’t redeemed himself, and that temper is consistent throughout the whole series. It wasn’t just one bad day. Maybe college is the chance for Erika to get away from him for a while. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Like a Butterfly” Vol. 12, by Suu Morishita

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

This volume is spinoffs, one-shots, and bonus chapters, changing some perspectives and some what-if stories.

While cute, these feel like they could have been divided up and put at the end of previous volumes, not sold on their own in a separate volume. I mean, if you’re desperate for more content with these characters, it may be worth it for you, but for me, I was skimming most of this. And I’d be annoyed if I’d paid for this. In this economy? No thanks. 2.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “My Special One” Vol. 10, by Momoko Koda

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

This volume features how Kouta and Kanata met as kids at an idol head start school, where Kouta was a completely different kid than he expected. It also shows a young Emika when she became obsessed with Kanato and a Cinderella themed side story.

The Cinderella story took up way too much time. It’s the type of filler volume where it feels like a waste instead of being entertaining enough to hold my interest until going back to the main story.  I guess since our main couples are established, everything is just fumbling about. I mean, it’s not bad, but I got the feeling of dangling keys trying to hold my attention. 2 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Sakura, Saku” Vol. 7, by Io Sakisaka

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Iryu is tempted to interfere with Haruki’s relationship; meanwhile, Saku thinks Haruki still has feelings for Hazuki.

Okay, I know they’re teenagers but seriously. Saku has doubts about Haruki so she snubs him and immediately goes to the other guy who likes her? And to just dismiss him when he says what’s past is past? Spoilers I guess, but to me, it felt like she was doing her hardest to sabotage this relationship. It really annoyed me because Haruki was so earnest and open with Saku, and she just closed it off. This is seven volumes in now, you’d think she’d know him better than that. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Rainbows After Storms” Vol. 3, by Luka Kobachi

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Nanoha and Chidori are heading into their first summer as a couple and their first official date at an aquarium.

We have our usual sort of episodic misadventures where we learn Chidori is great at cooking, Nanoha has a sleepover with all her friends, but her little sister, Kaede, figures out their secret. Still, something is brewing about Chidori’s past. I’d expected Kaede to be a little shit and cause trouble but nah, she was fine. I don’t anticipate this series going super dark and have everyone turn on them, but Chidori clearly went through something that’s really bothering her whenever it crops up. Everything is lighthearted and sweet so, while my guard is interested, it’s not at full attention yet. 4 out of 5. 

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Lenni Reviews: “My Special One” Vol. 9, by Momoko Koda

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Sahoko and Kata go on a trip with Emiko tagging along, wishing Kanato could be there with her.

It starts off with the trip but the standout here is Emiko freaking out about being intimate with Kanato but she’s a virgin. These two are gonna rot my teeth they’re so sweet. They still have a few misunderstandings but it’s nowhere near as bad as when they first were trying to get together. It’s an entire volume about how lovey-dovey they are and while sweet, it’s very slice of life. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Rainbows After Storms” Vol. 2, by Luka Kobachi

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Nanoha and Chidori’s relationship is still a secret from their friends and Chidori thinks back on her past love.

This volume continues the very light, slice-of-life tone. Just a bunch of cute moments of their relationship as they study, hang out, etc. Since we still don’t have any particular stakes, it’s a cozy read where the reader can just enjoy seeing these girls be happy with each other and live life. I appreciate the positivity after some of the depressing stuff I’ve been reading (you’ll see those reviews soon) but it can get repetitive. Every chapter starts with how they’re keeping their relationship a secret; as if each one was serialized in separate issues so it could be picked up in any spot. It’s not as enjoyable when it’s all put together, though. 3.9 out of 5.

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