Month: November 2020

Simmer Down by Sarah Smith | Review

Posted November 30, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I adore books about food, so when I saw the premise for a food truck centered romance set in one of my favorite places in the world (Hawaii), I knew I HAD to read it! It was like a dream premise and my Food Network loving heart was ready to be wowed by the Maui food truck scene. The novel centers on protagonist Nikki, who owns and operates a Filipino cuisine food truck with her mother on the Hawaiian island of Maui after moving there to deal with a family emergency. As per the synopsis, a rivalry forms between her […]

Admission by Julie Buxbaum | ARC Review

Posted November 23, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 4 Comments

I remember exactly where I was the day the news broke about the college bribery scandal. It was all anyone at work could talk about that day, and though I was far removed from my college days, I remember the anger and disappointment I felt remembering how grueling the college application process was back in my day, and I’m sure it’s just become even more competitive. It was a scandal that really highlighted a truth I think many “knew” as an unspoken rule but now had tangible evidence for: the deck is stacked for the wealthy, the admissions process is […]

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J Maas | Review

Posted November 16, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 4 Comments

I will be the first to admit that Sarah J Maas is one of my favorite authors, but I struggled with this book initially. I put off reading it for several months because I was intimidated by the size and by the change in genre from her previous books, and honestly it was exhausting just thinking about having to learn a whole new world. When I finally did dive into it, I found myself constantly confused, and not having a whole lot of motivation to pick it up between reading sessions. Ultimately, I’m glad I stuck with it because at […]

Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao | ARC Review

Posted November 9, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of YA set in college, so I was eager to dive into Gloria Chao’s newest novel, Rent a Boyfriend. Having adored American Panda, I was eager to experience her witty yet realistic storytelling centered on a first generation American college student. Chao’s latest novel did not disappoint, and at times felt full of more emotional turmoil than her fantastic debut novel. The novel seems to have a surprising plot at first- Chloe hires a fake boyfriend through a service to bring home for the Thanksgiving holiday to get her parents off […]

November 2020 TBR

Posted November 4, 2020 in Features, TBR / 10 Comments

I’ve made a lot of reading resolutions, 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: 65/85* Books Read *RIP, I finally admitted defeat that 100 books was NOT happening this year due to, well, EVERYTHING 2020 […]

Love & Olives by Jenna Evans Welch | ARC Review

Posted November 2, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 2 Comments

First and foremost, I ADORE this companion series. I love how all of the titles are stand-alones but have corresponding titles and covers that are so simple but so effectively capture the magic of these European stories of self discovery and exploration. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: I wish Ms. Welch could be my own personal European tour guide because every single one of these books makes me feel as though I just went on vacation! While I’ve enjoyed each book in this series for different reasons, I think Love & Olives by far had the […]