Relation - Even though this is a book about a college student, my young teenage self would benefit greatly from seeing an introverted, reader, and fangirl find her independence in a new environment. I had lots of friends in school, but I still kept quiet and hid behind fiction books. It would have been good for me to see it is entirely possible to be both: an introverted avid reader who also has the confidence to pursue new relationships in new places.

Relation - I grew up in a conservative household. And while my mom eventually came around to accepting people of the LGBTQ+ community due to my friends in theater and the generational perspectives I brought to our family, I still had doubts about whether "the queer lifestyle" was right or not. This book really humanizes the experience and showcases how much people will fight to love who they want to love, despite their lives even being in danger. If I would have gotten caught with this story as a young teenager it would have definitely been forcefully taken away from me and possibly even burned (again, good thing that since then my parents have gotten a bit better). It would have opened my eyes to the true human experience that is the LGBTQ+ community, as well as other cultures such as Rezza's Persian heritage, since I grew up deeply rooted in dominant white culture.

Relation - I was a dancer in school, so I would have loved to read anything related to dance. This is also a romance, so the combination of the two would have had young me all over this book. I would have fallen in love with the dancing as well as the romance of the city.

Relation - This musical came out a year ago, and I really wish it came out just a few years earlier than that. I was quiet in school and loved to read, but I definitely was not an outsider because I had a lot of friends. However, if I would have found this musical in middle school, I would have been so "main character" about it. I had both of my parents who loved me, lots of friends to support me. But my musical-loving, introverted book nerd self who only ever wanted to live inside of the stories she read (about 60 per year!) would have eaten this up. While I can still appreciate the sentiment of the musical today, as I still love escaping into books, it is a bit young for me now, so I am telepathically sending it back in time for 14-year-old me to enjoy and sing every word to.

Relation - I was for sure a dystopian girlie when I was younger (who wasn't) so right away, I know I would have absolutely loved a new release in the world of dystopia Panem. However, I could also say that it would teach me more about how villains come to be, and how gray people can be. During that time, I read dystopia and happy contemporary romances. There weren't necessarily villains, and if there were, they were evil, and that was about it. Or, that's at least how I processed it. I would have benefited from having to ponder so much about what makes a person into who they are. It's more complex than young me would initially think and it would be good for her to learn that even earlier than I did.

Relation - This could be for slightly older teenage me, the one who finds Romeo and Juliet to be a timeless love story. This is a comedy movie, so I would have fun with it, but I would still learn the lesson of how every story has a different side, and the obvious love story should not always be the happy ending. I would still enjoy the romantic bits but, similar to "Foolish One," my hopeless romantic ideals would be challenged at times. Another good thing is that not everybody in this cast is white or straight, so it would provide exposure to good representation for my then-conservative young brain.