Category: Books

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 […]

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 […]

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix | Review

Posted October 26, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 4 Comments

I’ll be the first to admit I am NOT usually a horror fan, or a consumer of any type of horror media, really. However, in my quest to try and fully immerse myself in the spooky season this year, I decided to go ahead and give this 90s historical fiction (eep) paranormal/horror novel a try, if for no other reason than I was intrigued by the cheeky title and Southern setting. I am so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone for this one because I was addicted almost from the beginning to this novel full of juxtapositions between […]

Rave Adult Mini Reviews: Such a Fun Age and The Most Fun We Ever Had

Posted October 19, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 2 Comments

It’s not often that I read two 5 star books back to back but I recently had that wonderful experience thanks to some great recommendations from my coworkers with whom I’ve recently founded a virtual book club. These two books are probably in my top five favorites of the entire YEAR and I’m definitely going to be purchasing copies of both! I went into Such a Fun Age thinking it was going to focus mostly on the “incident” mentioned in the synopsis, but was was surprised to find that it was really just a catalyst for a novel that seems […]

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren | ARC Review

Posted October 12, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I am a huge CLo fan, and have really loved their past few books that seem to have polarized many readers (The Honey-Don’t List, Twice in a Blue Moon, etc.) When I saw that the duo had a Christmas novel coming out, I was giddy with excitement. I had yet to find a Christmas romance that I adored, and was excited at the prospect of reading one written by my absolute favorite romance writers. What could go wrong? Like protagonist Mae, I was perhaps about to underestimate how my journey was going to go. While there were a lot of […]

Mini Reviews | Midnight Sun and Girls on the Verge

Posted October 5, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 2 Comments

I have to admit, back in the day when the initial chapters of Midnight Sun were available to read on Stephenie Meyer’s website, I adored the manuscript. I was SO thrilled to be in Edward’s head and I was heartbroken when she decided to no longer pursue the project. When I heard that she was finally revisiting it years later, I was equal parts excited and apprehensive, because I know my tastes have changed since my tween years and I wasn’t sure I’d still love this series as much as I originally did. In preparation of Midnight Sun’s release, I […]

I’ll Be the One by Lyla Lee | Review

Posted September 28, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 4 Comments

I’m not a parent (yet), but I’ll Be the One is EXACTLY the type of book I hope my future child reads someday. It’s so full of body positivity, confidence, vulnerability, friendships and family dynamics that I think any reader can draw positivity and courage from. Following teen Skye Shin as she auditions for a K-Pop talent search show, I’ll Be the One was a refreshing addition to the YA contemporary genre and definitely my favorite K-Pop focused book to date! As mentioned in the synopsis, a significant part of Skye’s identity is her confidence, and I love how this […]

White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L Armentrout | Someone Call High School Cristina

Posted September 21, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 2 Comments

White Hot Kiss is the first book I picked up for Lauren’s Rainbow Try a Chapter Unhaul Challenge for 2020, which has the basic premise of forcing you to chose 1-2 books per month of a certain color and reading the first chapter. If you are engaged, you have to keep reading it and finish it that month, and if you don’t you have to unhaul the book. January’s color was white and I actually don’t have that many white books on my physical TBR, but my copy of White Hot Kiss is the original white cover so I decided […]