Books and Cookies: Book Review for REMAKE

Are you excited for the approach of summer? Tomorrow is my kids' last day of school, and while I'm looking forward to a little less of a routine and sleeping in past 7:00, I'm also a little nervous about keeping FIVE boys entertained. Wish me luck! (I'm gonna need it...)

If you're like me, then you probably have a whole stack of books that you're looking forward to reading this summer. Or perhaps you're looking for a few good books to add to your TBR list. Maybe you'll find what you're looking for in one of my book reviews this week.

I've been reading a lot of Young Adult books lately because that's the genre I write, so if you enjoy reading YA, you'll probably like some of these books I'll spotlight this week. This first one is REMAKE by Ilima Todd.

Set in a futuristic dystopian society where children are raised in batches instead of families, this novel delves into the idea of what it would be like to live without a family. And it's interesting to see the distinct difference between the Rebels who still live in families as opposed to the children, also known as Batchers, who are raised without parents and have limitless freedoms and no consequences.

Batchers are given hormone suppressants so everyone looks the same and there are no differences between male and female. At the age of seventeen, the Batchers get to experience a Remake where they choose their gender and what they want to look like. This novel brings about the question of gender and what makes us male versus female. It's a very interesting take on the whole idea of gender and what it would be like if we could choose our own gender.

As for my review, I loved this book. I'm a sucker for a dystopian setting in general, but I loved that it was a clean read with probing questions, a sweet romance, and an intriguing plot that made it difficult to put the book down. And the best part? It's the first book in a series so I know I'll get to see those characters again. Hurry up, Ilima, I'm waiting over here! :)

All in all, I'd give this book 4 1/2 stars! And I'd recommend it to anyone who likes dystopian settings like MATCHED by Ally Condie or UGLIES by Scott Westerfeld.

Now for some cookies...

Don't these Peanut Butter Cup Cookies look scrumptious? You can find the recipe HERE.

Happy Baking and Reading!