Category: Reviews

With the Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo | ARC Review

Posted June 3, 2019 in Books, Reviews / 4 Comments

Isn’t it just the best feeling when a book that you’ve been HIGHLY anticipating lives up to your expectations? That was my experience when reading With the Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo. I initially swooned over the gorgeous cover and the fact that it featured a Latinx protagonist, but I wasn’t sure what to expect from the writing since the author was new to me and I’d heard her previous book was more poetry-focused. However, I almost immediately fell in love with this story of a resilient teen who balances the challenges thrown her way with grace and heart. […]

Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim | ARC Review

Posted May 27, 2019 in Books, Reviews / 2 Comments

Thank you so much to Berkley for providing a review copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review! From the moment I heard of Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune, I KNEW I had to read it. Set in San Francisco, centered around food, with a dash of magical realism? Yes, please! Then the cover was released and was (and is!) absolutely adorable, and once I saw it on NetGalley I hit that “request” button SO FAST. Though not slated for release until June, I eagerly started the book in February and found it to be a heartwarming […]

Rom Com Reviews | Meet Cute and Red, White & Royal Blue

Posted May 15, 2019 in Books, Reviews / 6 Comments

Last year I read my first Helena Hunting novel and thoroughly enjoyed it despite not usually being a fan of sports novels. It was fun, a quick read, and had a steamy romance. I was expecting more of the same from Meet Cute, but found it to be a much heavier novel filled with a lot more heart. Kailyn and Daxton meet in law school where Kailyn has a series of embarrassing interactions with him as he’s the star of her favorite CW-esque show (as would I if I had run into Chace Crawford from Gossip Girl or Chad Michael […]

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren | ARC Review

Posted May 6, 2019 in Books, Reviews / 10 Comments

Thanks so much to Gallery Books for providing a review copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review! Ever since I finally jumped on the Christina Lauren train in the second half of 2018, I’ve been obsessed with their stand along romance novels. They’re always sure to be full of witty banter, fun premises, and hilarious side characters. The Unhoneymooners checked all of those boxes, with the added bonus of being the first wedding-themed read by them that I’ve encountered, which is always perfect material for a romantic comedy. Initially set in snowy Minneapolis, the story opens with protagonist […]

There’s Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon | ARC Review

Posted April 29, 2019 in Books, Reviews / 6 Comments

*A huge thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review!* I always know that when I pick up a story by Sandhya Menon it’s going to be sweet, fluffy, and full of heart. There’s Something About Sweetie is no exception, however it has the added bonus of being my favorite Sandhya Menon book to date! I was utterly charmed by Sweetie’s resilience and confidence and she’s the perfect type of protagonist I know I would want my future children to encounter when they’re reading YA one day. There’s Something […]

In the Neighborhood of True by Susan Kaplan Carlton | ARC Review

Posted April 22, 2019 in Books, Reviews / 1 Comment

I always seem to forget how much I enjoy historical fiction until I read it and remember how fascinating it is. There’s something so surreal about reading fiction that you know is often based on major real life events and being dropped into the mind of someone who is experiencing it as their reality, even if fictionally. In the Neighborhood of True had been on my radar for a while because it combined many of my favorite elements in YA, including a Southern setting and religious themes. I was also excited to pick up a book that followed a Jewish […]

Queen of Air and Darkness (The Dark Artifices #3) by Cassandra Clare | I Have So Many ThouGHTS

Posted April 15, 2019 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I started reading the Shadowhunters books back at the tender age of 18 when I was a freshman in college. I was in a terrible living situation with not great roommates, had just moved in with a stranger in an attempt to find some peace, and was not in a thriving social situation. Needless to say, college Cristina was lonely and happened to purchase City of Bones one day from B&N and quickly fell in love with the Nephilim and their world. Now, many years and several series later, I love delving back into the world of the Shadowhunters, but […]

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren | Review

Posted April 8, 2019 in Books, Reviews / 3 Comments

Over the course of the past year or so I’ve fallen in love with Christina Lauren’s romantic comedies, enjoying the witty banter, the impossible situations, and the laugh out loud moments. So you can imagine my surprise going into Love and Other Words expecting another fun romance novel and experiencing instead a much more emotional, heart-string pulling book, and by far the most painfully evocative novel by the duo that I’ve come across so far. Love and Other Words captures the painful, isolating feelings of first heartbreak so viscerally that readers won’t be able to read Macy and Elliot’s story […]

Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith | ARC Review

Posted April 1, 2019 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

Thank you so much to HMH Teen for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review! Bloodleaf arrived at my doorstep on one of the last days of 2018, completely unexpectedly and I was thrilled! Though I hadn’t heard much about the title before, it came in absolutely beautiful packaging with a stunning cover that had me eager to dive into the book, despite sometimes having an on and off relationship with YA fantasy. Upon doing a little research, I also found out that the story was not only fantasy but a retelling of the Goose Girl fairy […]

The Dating Game by Kiley Roache | ARC Review

Posted March 25, 2019 in Books, Reviews / 3 Comments

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review! Novels set in college are one of my FAVORITE things as a reader. There’s so much potential for character development, self exploration, new themes and tropes, and just endless possibility really to break out of the traditional YA mold. What’s even more excellent is finding a college set novel that doesn’t fall into the romance/erotica heavy New Adult categorization either. Kiley Roache is an author who writes college stories that are just authentic enough to keep readers connected to the characters despite […]