Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

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 […]

The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith | ARC Review

Posted September 27, 2021 in Books, Reviews / 4 Comments

This year, I started celebrating ~spooky season~ on August 31st, and was already building out my autumnal TBR weeks before then. When I was pitched the opportunity to read The Witch Haven as an ARC, I knew it would be an amazing story to officially kick off my autumn themed TBR. I’m a huge fan of historical fiction, so a paranormal, witchy boarding school story set in the early 1900s sounded right up my alley! The story follows Frances, a girl living in New York in 1911, who is reeling after the death of her brother and working as a […]

How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland | ARC Review

Posted September 6, 2021 in Books, Reviews / 1 Comment

Do you ever go into a book thinking it’s going to be just OK but have it completely blow your expectations out of the water? That’s what happened to me with How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe. I was expecting a typical young adult contemporary novel (a genre which I’ve been sort of so-so with lately) but what I got instead was an absolutely breathtaking, raw, and beautiful story steeped in magical realism and stunning observations. The novel follows Moon Fuentez, who is the self described “weed” or ugly duckling in the family in comparison to her […]

Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi | ARC Review

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

I’ve found that there’s something so incredibly raw and real about Mary H.K.Choi’s writing, and her novel Yolk is no exception. A tale of two sisters both trying to make their way in NYC, Yolk confronts the messy, indulgent, and self-destructive tendencies of the younger generation today in a world where a carefully crafted persona is oftentimes prioritized over well being and relationships, and the extreme loneliness and sadness that lives beneath that lifestyle. Protagonist Jayne was honestly hard to read at times. She’s messy, selfish and materialistic, but also so desperately eager for attention and affection that its honestly […]

Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi | Review

Posted January 20, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 2 Comments

I apparently missed the wagon on Emergency Contact because I still haven’t gotten around to reading Mary H.K.Choi’s debut (oops) but I saw so many bloggers flailing about the gorgeous dust jacket for Permanent Record that I decided to request it from my library via Overdrive to see what all the fuss was about. It turns out that Mark H.K. Choi can write a great New Adult novel and I really enjoyed this slice-of-not-so-ordinary-life novel. I am a huge fan of books that have regular protagonists who somehow end up dating celebrities/royals/etc (I just find the premise so improbable and […]

The Reckoning of Noah Shaw Blog Tour | Q&A With Michelle Hodkin!

Posted November 16, 2018 in Blog Tours / 8 Comments

One of my favorite, favorite, FAVORITE YA series is the Mara Dyer trilogy, so I am beyond honored to be partnering with Simon & Schuster for The Reckoning of Noah Shaw Blog Tour! It was a dream come true to be able to do a Q&A with author Michelle Hodkin and gain her insights on everything from psychological concepts to Dungeons & Dragons! Before diving into Michelle’s absolutely fascinating answers, a bit more about the book and where you can find it! About the Book Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Google Play | Book Depository Q&A with Michelle Hodkin One of the most unique elements […]

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson | Review

Posted July 2, 2018 in Books, Reviews / 10 Comments

Let’s be upfront here: This book was really good, but it was WAY too long. The length of Since You’ve Been Gone scared me off and I ended up DNF’ing at about 100 pages in, so I was wary about The Unexpected Everything, but I was super intrigued by the political slant of Andie’s dad being a politician, so I picked up a paperback during an Amazon sale and decided to give Morgan Matson another try. I’m so glad I did, because despite another slow initial 100 pages, I really became invested in Andie (and her friend group, and her […]

Stay Sweet | Keep Ice Cream On Hand At All Times When Reading

Posted June 14, 2018 in Reviews / 8 Comments

*Thanks so much to the publisher for providing a giveaway copy at YALLWEST!* So Stay Sweet and I have been on a bit of a journey. I came across it at the end of 2017 when I was doing a post on the top 2018 books I was excited for, and EVERYTHING about it called to me. Ice Cream? Check. Female run business? Check. Absolutely adorable cover? Check. I then started seeing some bloggers receiving promotional packages with the book and they were utterly amazing and adorable, and I was basically the heart eyes emoji every time I came across […]

Scythe by Neal Shusterman | Is This Even Dystopian?

Posted June 11, 2018 in Boyfriend Book Reviews, Reviews / 6 Comments

Hello again dear readers. Another one I was excited for. Is this a common theme? It’s almost as if I only read books I like… Lucky me, eh Cristina? Any who this one was a real hum-dinger. A real page turner at a scant 435ish pages, I blistered through this one shortly after I bought it. Now after having read this and Thunderhead, I am looking back even more positively on this one. This one is worth your time if you want something that breathes fresh life into a horse that (let’s all be honest) has been beaten and re-beaten […]

Blog Tour | Save the Date by Morgan Matson

Posted June 6, 2018 in Blog Tours, Reviews / 10 Comments

I could not have been more thrilled to have been selected to participate in the Save the Date Tour, especially as this date holds special meaning to me- today is exactly one year from my wedding date! Thank you so much to Fantastic Flying Book Club for this opportunity! Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Kobo | IndieBound | iBooks For me, books about weddings are right up there with books about royalty or food- they’re indulgent, fun, and never get old no matter how many times I read about them. After recently reading and […]