Feeling the Love with ‘Kissing is the Easy Part’ Stars Asher Angel and Paris Berelc

February 12, 2026February 11, 2026 Kelly Martinez

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and so is another YA rom-com from Tubi. Directed by Fawzia Mirza, Kissing is the Easy Part follows straight-A student Sean (Asher Angel), who agrees to tutor the rebellious Flora (Paris Berelc) in exchange for a recommendation letter to MIT. Opposites attract, so naturally, it doesn’t take long for sparks to fly between the study buddies — but with great chemistry also comes great complications.

Interview, Television

Lili Reinhart and Cooper Raiff Talk ‘Hal & Harper’ and Heartbreak

November 25, 2025November 25, 2025 Kelly Martinez

Despite the rosy picture that sitcoms like Friends have painted for decades, young adulthood can be incredibly challenging, confusing, and even lonely at times. This formative time in life brings so many changes: new financial responsibilities, shifting family dynamics, relationships beginning and ending… the list goes on.

Interview, Streaming, Television

Getting Spooky with the ‘School Spirits’ Cast

February 3, 2025February 3, 2025 Kelly Martinez

School Spirits is back, and the stakes have never been higher. Picking up after the shocking events of the Season 1 finale (“Madison’s Body”), the sophomore season of Paramount+’s YA drama centers on teenage Maddie Nears (Peyton List) as she continues to navigate “high school purgatory.”

Books, Fantasy, Interview1 Comment

Fonda Lee and Shannon Lee Talk Collaborating on YA Fantasy Novel, ‘Breath of the Dragon’

January 7, 2025January 7, 2025 Lauren Lola

Breath of the Dragon is a new young adult fantasy novel and the first of a duology penned by Fonda Lee and Shannon Lee, inspired by characters and concepts of the latter’s father, Bruce Lee.

Interview, Streaming, Television

Anna Cathcart Can’t Wait for ‘XO, Kitty’ Fans to Freak About Season 2 Surprises

January 6, 2025January 7, 2025 Kelly Martinez

Dust off those pencils, because KISS is back in session. Season 2 of Netflix’s XO, Kitty follows newly single “teen matchmaker” Kitty Song-Covey (Anna Cathcart) as she returns to Seoul, South Korea for a new semester and a fresh start.

Streaming, Television

Fall in Love with This Sweet New Poster for Heartstopper Season 3

September 11, 2024September 12, 2024 Kelly Martinez

The wait is almost over, fellow Narlie shippers! Heartstopper returns to Netflix for its third season on October 3. The hit YA series, based on Alice Oseman’s bestselling graphic novel series of the same name, centers on the love story between classmates Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor).

Fandom, Podcasts, Streaming1 Comment

Calling All Narlie Shippers — Check Out ‘Heartstopper: The Official Podcast’

September 3, 2024September 4, 2024 Kelly Martinez

It’s Joe Locke and Kit Connor’s world, and we’re all just living in it! In celebration of Heartstopper’s upcoming third season (which premieres October 3 on Netflix) the lads have teamed up for Heartstopper: The Official Podcast.

Books, Fantasy, Interview

LaDarrion Williams on the Themes of ‘Blood at the Root’ and Making a Difference in Fantasy

May 6, 2024May 6, 2024 Sophia Soto

Screenwriter, director, and playwright LaDarrion Williams is making his novel debut with Blood at the Root, which releases on May 7. You can hear the author speak all about his new fantasy story at his upcoming 92NY event.

Books, Interview, Movies

Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth on the World of ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’

November 15, 2023November 15, 2023 Sophia Soto

On behalf of The Nerds of Color, I attended the press conference for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes with stars Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, Hunter Schafer, and Josh Andrés Rivera! The film takes place 64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the President of Panem.

Movies, Streaming

Paramount+’s ‘Love in Taipei’ Trailer Will Give You the Feels

July 26, 2023August 15, 2023 Laura Sirikul

Paramount+ has officially released the trailer and key art for the all-new YA film Love in Taipei.

Interview, Movies1 Comment

Rishi Rajani on Producing Diverse Asian Stories in ‘Chang Can Dunk’

March 10, 2023March 10, 2023 Swara Salih

Disney+’s Chang Can Dunk is now streaming on Disney+! We speak with the producer Rishi Rajani on the process of getting the film out there and how he sees the landscape changing for Asian American stories.

Books, Fantasy, Reviews

With Swords and Shakespeare, ‘That Self-Made Metal’ is a Welcome YA Fantasy Adventure

March 8, 2023March 9, 2023 LaKase

Magic and superstition swirl around the world of William Shakespeare. While priests at the time decried belief in fairies, the practice of witchcraft, and women speaking on stage, the theater world managed to carve out space where anything was possible.

Interview, Streaming

‘School Spirits’ Cast and Creators Preview Their New Paramount+ Series

March 7, 2023March 9, 2023 Kelly Martinez

It may be almost spring, but it’s not too late to get spooky! Season 1 of School Spirits premieres March 9 on Paramount+ and we couldn’t be more excited for our newest YA obsession.

Streaming, Television

Peyton List Shows off Dark Side in Paramount+’s ‘School Spirits’ Teaser Trailer

January 20, 2023January 20, 2023 Kelly Martinez

School is back in session. The teaser trailer for Paramount+’s upcoming YA series School Spirits is here, and things are about to get real spooky.

Interview, Movies

‘Darby and the Dead’ Stars Riele Downs and Auliʻi Cravalho on Playing Against What’s Expected

November 30, 2022December 6, 2023 Laura Sirikul

Riele Downs and Auliʻi Cravalho are ready for a change.

DC Comics, Reviews1 Comment

The Best Magic Trick of ‘Mister Miracle: The Great Escape’ is its Heart

February 15, 2022February 17, 2022 Bray Lawrence

Mister Miracle: The Great Escape is a bit of enigma. Like the titular character himself, the book is an incredible romp of humor and excitement with a genuine heart at the center.

Interview, Movies, Streaming

NOC Interview: Midori Francis Talks Netflix’s ‘Afterlife of the Party’

September 2, 2021September 3, 2021 Sophia Soto

Midori Francis stars as Lisa in Netflix’s Afterlife of the Party. The new film is about second chances and the value of relationships with our loved ones. Afterlife of the Party premiered September 2 on Netflix and is now streaming.

Movies, Streaming

Watch the Official Trailer for Netflix’s ‘The Kissing Booth 3’

July 6, 2021July 6, 2021 Sophia Soto

The Kissing Booth 3 stars Joey King, Joel Courtney, Jacob Elordi, Taylor Zakhar Perez, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Meganne Young, and Molly Ringwald. The hit Netflix trilogy is based on The Kissing Booth books by Beth Reekles. The new film will begin streaming on August 11. Check out the new trailer and images that Netflix has released below!

Comics, Marvel, Reviews

Scholastic’s ‘Miles Morales: Shock Waves’ is Exactly What My Inner Teen Needed

May 31, 2021May 31, 2021 Jamal Michel

*SPOILERS AHEAD!*

My earliest memories of my elementary and middle school Scholastic Book Fairs saw massive collections of R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps, loads of nonsensical ’90s tech, and the burgeoning mystery genre before it really took off in young adult literature. Super hero graphic novels were almost nonexistent for kids and teenagers in school spaces in the late ’90s and early 2000s, so it goes without saying that best-selling author Justin A. Reynolds (Opposite of Always) and Eisner-nominated artist Pablo Leon’s Miles Morales: Shock Waves is a gift to the teen in me.

Streaming, Television

You Can Now Get Updates Straight from ‘Gossip Girl’

May 27, 2021May 27, 2021 Sophia Soto

We’ve all been dying for updates about HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot, and now you can actually text Gossip Girl to get them! That’s right, those in the US/Canada can text Gossip Girl. While we do not have an official premiere date yet, it is confirmed that the show will release this July. The cast includes Thomas Doherty, Savannah Smith, Tavi Gevinson, Eli Brown, Zión Moreno, Evan Mock, Emily Alyn Lind, Jordan Alexander, and Whitney Peak.

Fantasy, Streaming, Television

‘Shadow and Bone’ Official Trailer Expands the Grishaverse and Crow Storylines

March 31, 2021May 15, 2021 Laura Sirikul

Adapted from the successful award-winning fantasy novels by Leigh Bardugo, fans have been wondering just how Netflix was going to mesh the Grishaverse trilogy with the Six of Crows duology for Shadow and Bone. With the release of the official trailer, we get a glimpse of how the beloved Crows play into Alina Starkov’s story.

DC Comics, Hard N.O.C. Life, Streaming

Hard NOC Life: DC Celebrates APA Heritage Month with Gene Yang, Sarah Kuhn, and Minh Lê

May 25, 2020May 15, 2021 Hard NOC Media

On a special Asian Pacific American Heritage Month edition of Hard NOC Life, Dominic and Keith are joined by a trio of authors — Gene Luen Yang, Sarah Kuhn, and Minh Lê — who all have AAPI-themed graphic novels out now from DC Comics!

Continue reading “Hard NOC Life: DC Celebrates APA Heritage Month with Gene Yang, Sarah Kuhn, and Minh Lê”

Comics, DC Comics3 Comments

‘Gotham High’ Breathes Fresh Life into the Bat Mythos

April 7, 2020April 6, 2020 Keith Chow

Traditional superhero comics have been part of the American pop culture firmament for eight decades. And more often than not, those stories can feel staid and mired in nostalgia for long bygone eras. Which is why creators who come along with bold new interpretations of these characters are usually met with resistance. To wit, when the book trailer for Gotham High — DC Comics’ latest foray into the young adult book market — debuted, the fanboy set went apoplectic.

Continue reading “‘Gotham High’ Breathes Fresh Life into the Bat Mythos”