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The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE
Miguela Angeles is tired. Tired of her abuela keeping secrets, especially about her heritage. Tired of her small Vermont town and hanging out at the same places with the same friends she’s known forever. So when another boring Sunday trip to church turns into a run-in with Sam, a mysterious hottie in town on vacation, Mica seizes the opportunity to get closer to him. It’s not long before she is under Sam’s spell and doing things she’s never done before, like winning all her martial arts sparring matches—and lying to her favorite people. The more time Mica spends with Sam, the more weird things start to happen, too. Like terrifying-visions-of-the-world-ending weird. Mica’s gut instincts keep telling her something is off, yet Sam is the most exciting guy she’s ever met. But when Mica discovers his family’s roots, she realizes that instead of being in the typical high school relationship, she’s living in a horror novel. She has to leave Sam, but will ending their relationship also bring an end to everything she knows and everyone she loves? Clever, hilarious, and steeped in supernatural suspense, Breakup From Hell will keep you hooked until the last page.
Ann is a novelist and Director of Recruitment for Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA). She has a B.A. in Latino Studies from Norwich University, an M.A. in sociology from UI&U and an MFA in Writing from VCFA. She also helped create VCFA’s winter Writing residency in Puerto Rico. Ann’s first novel, Sister Chicas was released from New American Library in 2006. Her next novel, a horror YA work titled Five Midnights, was released by Tor Teen on June 4, 2019. Her stories have appeared in several anthologies, including A Cup of Comfort for Mothers and Sons (2005) and Women Writing the Weird (2012) and she contributed to the Encyclopedia Latina: History, Culture, And Society in the United States edited by Ilan Stavans. Her essays have appeared in American Scholar, Vermont Woman, AARP, and Latina Magazines. Ann lives in Vermont, needle-felts tiny reading creatures, and cycles four seasons a year.
Rules:
Fall Out Boy was one of the bands that got me into rock music—particularly the rock/pop/punk scene—and their albums have been a staple on my playlists since the 2000s. It’s been about five years since the band’s last album. And among the big releases on my radar for March 2023—supported by singles such as Love On The Other Side and Heartbreak Feels So Good—Fall Out Boy’s eighth studio album, So Much (For) Stardust, was very anticipated on my end.
So Much (For) Stardust really felt like a return to some of Fall Out Boy’s earlier music. It had less of the style and sounds that dominated Mania (2018), and it went heavier on the aspects that really made me love the band’s music. It was nostalgic in the right ways but doesn’t lean too much on what they’ve already done. Instead it offered a sort of sequel—especially with the visuals for Hold Me Like a Grudge (a continuation of the music video for This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race)—by delivering songs that felt refreshing.
As a longtime fan of Fall Out Boy, I’m so happy with this album!
