Format: E-Book

Mini Reviews: The Matzah Ball and God Spare the Girls

Posted July 7, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

This was fun! I don’t think I’ve ever read a Jewish holiday romance before, and it’s a bit Meta because the protagonist is tasked with writing one (even though she’s built a secret career on writing Christmas romance novels and is obsessed with all things Christmas despite being Jewish). I’m always intrigued by books that focus on religion or religious elements (former Religious Studies major here) and it was fascinating reading about Rachel’s struggle with her Jewish identity- from being a dutiful rabbi’s daughter in some elements of her life, but having this closet fascination with Christmas in others. This […]

House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City #2) by Sarah J Maas | Review

Posted June 13, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I went into the second installment of Sarah J Maas’ urban fantasy series with no real expectations- I enjoyed House of Earth and Blood well enough, but it definitely didn’t hold the same space in my heart that the TOG and ACOTAR series did. You can imagine my surprise when House of Sky and Breath caught me so entirely and utterly off guard with its ending. Screaming, crying, throwing up (not really, but still). Literally shrieking from my bedroom, causing my husband to ask what the heck had possibly happened (and I promptly read him the last two pages, as […]

Cozy Mystery Mini Reviews | Four Aunties and a Wedding (ARC) & Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead

Posted June 6, 2022 in ARCs, Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

There’s something about the books in this series that are so absurd, yet they somehow just work. Picking up shortly after where Dial A for Aunties left off, Four Aunties and a Wedding follows protagonist Meddy at her own wedding this time, where (of course) a massive chain of disasters ensue. You know how they say how doctors make the worst patients? That’s basically what happens in this novel, with, you know, your casual mafia twist. Meddy and her aunties run a wedding planning business, and are now looking for vendors for their own family wedding. Meddy doesn’t get much […]

Made in Manhattan by Lauren Layne | ARC Review

Posted February 21, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I’ll admit, the cute cover of this novel was what drew me to it on NetGalley. Coupled with the Gossip Girl-esque setting (which is my forever reference point for books set in bougie New York society, sorry but that’s what being a teen in the early aughts will do to you) I decided to request on a whim and hope for the best. I was pleased to discover that Made in Manhattan is a super cute, fun romance that was honestly just what I needed after struggling with an urban fantasy book that I eventually DNF’d. Made in Manhattan follows […]

As Good as Dead (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #3) by Holly Jackson | Review

Posted February 7, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

Whoa. Whoawhoawhoawhoawhoa. Just when I think Holly Jackson can’t build upon her previous mysteries BAM she gets me with a twist so unexpected that I’m left reeling. I have a lot of whiplash from this book, the third and (likely) final installment in the Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series, and it went in a direction I was NOT expecting. I’ll admit, I considered DNF-ing this one initially, because the beginning is super slow. Pip is obviously dealing with PTSD (as she was after the first book, however it’s amped up a LOT after what she went through in the […]

Mini Reviews | Never Saw You Coming (ARC) and The Jasmine Project

Posted January 24, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

As a former Religious Studies major during my undergrad years, I am always intrigued by YA novels that tackle the topic of religion, though many popular titles in the past few years have seemed to focus more on the extreme side (Devoted, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, The Project, etc.). I was intrigued to read a novel where the religious aspects seemed more naturally woven in with the contemporary elements, which is definitely the case in Never Saw You Coming, which follows 18 year old protagonist Meg as she strikes out on her own for the first time in […]

Mini Reviews: The Silver Blonde and Killing November

Posted January 17, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I’ve really been enjoying historical fiction the past few years, so when I heard about The Silver Blonde I was excited to add another title to my TBR! I was also curious as I hadn’t read anything set in post WWII Los Angeles and was intrigued to see how the entertainment industry was impacted by the war, especially in the context of a mystery. This story had a lot of interesting elements going on- a mystery, an exploration of the film industry in the aftermath of WWII, the German immigrant experience in America after the war, the journey of women […]

Romance Mini Reviews | The Love Hypothesis and Witch Please

Posted January 10, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 4 Comments

I feel like I haven’t heard of a contemporary romance getting this much hype since The Hating Game. After what felt like an unbearably long library wait, I finally got to dive into this graduate school set romance and when I tell you I was addicted, I mean it! I love books set in college (though I still feel as though there’s a huge lack of) and I’ve never read a book set in grad school, so that alone made this one really unique! I loved Olive, loved her determination, her naivety, her dedication to her research and her pursuing […]

Kingdom of the Cursed (Kingdom of the Wicked #2) | Review

Posted January 3, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

Whew, I was NOT expecting to become as addicted to this book as I did, but here we are. What began as a mildly intriguing series that seemed steeped in tropes from early 2000s paranormal romance really blossomed into its own with the sophomore installment, and in my humble opinion is loads better than its predecessor! Picking up after Emilia signs a contract to marry the Devil at the end of the first book, Wrath (one of the seven princes of hell that she had formed a tentative alliance with in the first book) escorts her to hell to start […]

Mini Reviews | One Great Lie & The Moon and More

Posted October 4, 2021 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

There’s something about the way Deb Caletti writes that completely transports me. I am taken from my time and place and I am truly IN the protagonist’s mind. So with One Great Lie, I embarked on a dark summer adventure in Venice with protagonist Charlotte as she navigated the cruel, often heartbreaking truths of being a woman in society, both in the past and in the present. Caletti’s YA novels often seem to tackle current social issues, and One Great Lie is no exception. Charlotte wins an incredible, once in a lifetime opportunity to participate in a summer workshop abroad […]