Month: March 2017

There Definitely Could’ve Been More to This Provincial Life | Beauty and the Beast Film Review

Posted March 29, 2017 in Film Reviews / 21 Comments
There Definitely Could’ve Been More to This Provincial Life | Beauty and the Beast Film Review

I was definitely on the hype wagon for Disney’s new live-action Beauty and the Beast film. Just the trailer was enough to give me chills. Max and I knew we’d be splurging and seeing it in theaters (we’ve been picky about the movies we see in theaters these days since it costs almost $30 for the both of us to see a MATINEE. No concessions included) and when my aunt got us movie passes for Max’s birthday we knew we’d been saving them for Beauty and the Beast. Since we were busy with social events on opening weekend, we went […]


After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid | Review

Posted March 27, 2017 in Giveaways, Reviews / 8 Comments
After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid | Review

“Ryan and I are two people who used to be in love. What a beautiful thing to have been. What a sad thing to be.” – After I Do, Page 60 After I Do is the third TJR novel I’ve read, and she’s firmly been added as an auto-buy author for me. Sure, she writes what some people may consider “chick-lit,” but her novels contain an honesty and profundity that I have honestly NEVER come across with any other author. I’d heard consistently from my fellow bloggers that After I Do is TJR’s best work, and it did not disappoint, […]


Recommendations Requested [2]: From Normal to Royal

Recommendations Requested [2]: From Normal to Royal

Inspired by Lauren at Bookmark Lit’s latest Book Blog Ideas post, I decided to channel her fabulous Read-Bait feature into a post where I feature a theme in a book that I’m obsessed with, and offer my own recommendations along with collecting recommendations of other readers who might have similar suggestions! One of my all-time favorite tropes in the contemporary genre is seemingly normal characters finding out that they’re royal. I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s also the ultimate wish-fulfillment plot line, imagining that something so extraordinary can happen to someone so ordinary. My love for this theme also […]


Event Recap: Jeff Zentner and Brittany Cavallaro

Posted March 21, 2017 in Book and Author Events, Features / 8 Comments
Event Recap: Jeff Zentner and Brittany Cavallaro

When I heard that Jeff Zentner, author of one of my favorite YA contemporary novels, was passing through the Bay Area I knew I had to see him. I’ve gotten to meet so many wonderful West Coast authors over the course of the past 3 years, but it’s always exciting to meet an author who’s stopping by from another part of the country, so I eagerly arrived at Kepler’s 2 hours early to claim my seat and wait for the event to begin. While I haven’t yet read A Study in Charlotte, I had both it and Zentner’s sophomore novel, […]


The Hating Game by Sally Thorne | Reviving My Faith in Romance

Posted March 20, 2017 in Reviews / 10 Comments
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne | Reviving My Faith in Romance

It was a tortuous two month wait until my library hold of The Hating Game finally arrived. Yes, I had heard all the good things about it, but as a book blogger who has been burned by the hype monster one too many times before, I wanted to try this book out first before I committed to purchasing (especially since I’ve been underwhelmed by romances lately). I was thrilled to have my doubts proven very, very wrong in the best hate-to-love romance story I’ve ever read. I first knew this book would capture my interest when I heard it was […]


The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney | Mini Review

Posted March 15, 2017 in Reviews / 6 Comments
The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney | Mini Review

I remember being initially really jazzed up for The Nest last year when it released because it had the making of so many story elements that I loved: New York, trust funds, large family drama, and a fantastically mint colored cover. I had to talk myself out of buying it from Costco on many trips (they seemed to always have it last year!) since I’m trying to be more selective and intentional with the books that I buy, especially if it’s an author I haven’t read before. While I did enjoy the author’s writing style and wouldn’t mind eventually trying […]


A Court of Thorns and Roses Re-Read Event!

Posted March 14, 2017 in Features, Readalongs/Readathons / 11 Comments
A Court of Thorns and Roses Re-Read Event!

If you’ve been following my blog over the last few years, you can clearly see that I’ve developed into a HUGE Sarah J Maas fan (see proof here and here). After chatting with two of my favorite fellow bloggers, Kristin from Super Space Chick and Alexa from Alexa Loves Books, during this year’s Love-a-Thon, we realized that we were all planning on rereading A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Court of Mist and Fury to prepare for the release of A Court of Wings and Ruin. Since we thought there are probably plenty other bloggers and readers out […]


Getting to Know My Goodreads Review Style | Discussion

Posted March 13, 2017 in Uncategorized / 33 Comments
Getting to Know My Goodreads Review Style | Discussion

I’ve been blogging since 2014 and using Goodreads even longer (since 2011!) but I’ve found that this year I am really trying to approach Goodreads with a clean slate. I’m in the middle of massively reorganizing my shelves, culling my “To-Be-Read” list, and updating missing reviews. However, one thing I’ve noticed is that there is a significant difference between how bloggers review on Goodreads. Some post their entire review verbatim as it is on their blog, some post a condensed version, some post their initial thoughts and reactions, and some do a combination of all three! In an effort to […]


Monthly TBR Plan | March 2017

Posted March 9, 2017 in Features, TBR / 25 Comments
Monthly TBR Plan | March 2017

I’ve made a lot of reading resolutions for 2017, and one of them is to be better about cultivating a monthly TBR. I know so many bloggers do beginning of the month TBR posts and I always LOVE reading them, so I’ve decided to post my own as well! I will include my physical, e-book, and ARC TBRs as well as a status update of where I am prior to starting my upcoming month’s TBR. Reading Progress Prior To This Month: 14/60 Books Read Physical TBR Caraval | I desperately need to read this one since everyone raves about it! […]


Pretty Fierce by Kieran Scott | ARC Review

Posted March 8, 2017 in ARCs, Reviews / 3 Comments
Pretty Fierce by Kieran Scott | ARC Review

Thanks so much to NetGalley and SourceBooks Fire for this review copy! Pretty Fierce is a book with an undeniably intriguing premise, focusing on a daughter of assassins who’s now trying to fit into civilian life after her parents’ mysterious disappearance. I am pretty much always on board for a good spy story, so the second I read the synopsis and saw the juxtaposition of the blurb with the unabashedly pink cover, I knew this was a book that I had to read. As the book’s synopsis states, a majority of this book features Kaia and her boyfriend Oliver on […]