Format: E-Book

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 […]

Romance Reviews: Heartbreak for Hire and The Soulmate Equation

Posted September 13, 2021 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

Heartbreak for Hire has a really unique yet bizarre premise: a company of women who are hired to exact revenge on men who have wronged women. It’s a little crazy to wrap your head around at first, but once you adequately suspend your disbelief it’s intriguing to see how such a company would operate and the moral/ethical questions it poses. The story follows protagonist Brinkley, secret artist and failed (at least in her mother’s eyes) academic who thinks she is healing her own heart through the work she is doing to take down men with “egos” for the company. Since […]

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley | Review

Posted August 2, 2021 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I’ve procrastinated on writing this review because there is just so much to unpack with this novel. At almost 500 pages, I didn’t expect this contemporary/mystery book to lean so far into the realm of a thriller, but it’s one of the most well-written mysteries I’ve read in a long time (and probably the best one I’ve read so far in 2021). The story follows 18 year old protagonist Daunis, who is a half-Native, unenrolled tribal member and the outcome of a scandal between her Native father and her white, upper class mother. Daunis often struggles with her biracial identity, […]

Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia (Harlem Renaissance Mystery #1) | Review

Posted July 26, 2021 in Books, Reviews / 1 Comment

I love a good historical fiction novel, so when I saw this 1920s story that was ALSO a mystery I knew I had to read it! Darker than I originally anticipated, Dead Dead Girls is a thriller set against a vibrant backdrop of 1920s Harlem. I was instantly sucked into the story by it’s action packed first chapter, which features a young Louise (our protagonist) being kidnapped and then managing to attack and escape along with several other girls the man had kidnapped. While it was a bit of a jarring intro to the book, it sets the stage for […]

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire and A Crown of Gilded Bones | Reviews to Wrap Up An Addictive Trilogy

Posted July 19, 2021 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I suppose I’m back on the JLA train because I was legit addicted to this book. It’s by far my favorite in the series, and Poppy and Casteel’s relationship is definitely at its peak as one of my favorite fictional couples. Though one can argue second series installments are usually filler and bridge books between the first and third installments, I find that when I adore characters sometimes those filler books are my favorite kind because I get to know them and spend time with them in less high intensity situations. Much of this book takes place in Spessa’s End, […]

How To Love by Katie Cotugno | Review

Posted July 12, 2021 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I swear, Katie Cotugno never fails to disappoint me. She takes the realest, rawest emotions from being a teenager and manages to spin them into a story that takes me right back into that state of mind, empathizing with the characters even if I haven’t been in their exact situation before. Such was the case when I read How to Love, which I requested from my library on a whim, and absolutely tore through it, inhaling it in a way I haven’t read a contemporary YA novel in a while. The story follows protagonist Reena, who is a teen mother […]

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto | Review

Posted July 5, 2021 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I’ve recently discovered the cozy/humorous mystery genre, and have been consistently delighted with the genre’s irreverent, laugh out loud antics and outlandish premises. Dial A for Aunties fits the bill perfectly, and despite a slow start once they mystery got going I was so amused I could not put it down! The story centers on protagonist Meddy who has stayed in her Southern California town with her mother and aunties despite her aspirations for a bigger and better life outside of her tight knit family structure. While she at times resents staying home and working in the family wedding business, […]

Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare | Review

Posted May 24, 2021 in Books, Reviews / 3 Comments

Look, I love a good Shadowhunter book. But there’s just something about historical fiction Shadowhunter novels that are just *chef’s kiss.* I keep thinking there’s no way Cassie Clare can top her previous novels but I absolutely adored Chain of Iron and could honestly read about these Shadowhunter babies doing the most boring, everyday things and still be completely and utterly charmed. I honestly wish I could scrub this book from my brain so I could read it for the first time all over again (and I already know that it’s going to be a definite reread for me in […]

Good Girl, Bad Blood (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #2) by Holly Jackson | Review

Posted April 26, 2021 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I absolutely adored A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. It was a YA thriller that fully leaned into the popularity of the true crime genre but didn’t sacrifice character building or writing quality for the sake of a shocking plot. The pacing was phenomenal, the mystery was brilliant, and I was honestly a little wary when I found out it was going to be a whole series because why mess with perfection? However, I can safely say that Good Girl, Bad Blood surprised me in a wonderful way and that Holly Jackson’s writing seems to be just improving with time. […]

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout | Review

Posted March 29, 2021 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

You know when you read a book that reminds you how much you love reading? Restores you faith in a genre? Makes you wonder why you ever engage in hobbies outside of books? Well, From Blood and Ash was all of the above for me, and believe me when I say I am shocked by how much I enjoyed it. I really struggled though the first half of the book. It felt generic, uninspired, and I just didn’t get why everyone compared it to ACOTAR (which is my fave fantasy series). Yet about 50%-60% into the novel it really picked […]