Genevieve

This book was so good! It had me feeling every emotion possible. Even with the ghostly elements throughout the story, nothing felt over the top or out of place. It all blended so naturally into the lives of these characters and the community they call home, making the story feel incredibly real.

Nora stole my heart. She’s raising her three sons in the Hester Garden Projects after losing her husband to the prison system and her oldest son to gun violence. Watching her fight to protect her family while carrying so much grief was both heartbreaking and inspiring.

What really made this book stand out for me was the characters. They felt like real people, and I became invested in every one of them. I was rooting for them, hurting with them, and hoping things would work out even when it seemed impossible.

This story is about so much more than horror. It’s about family, loss, survival, and the lengths people will go to for the ones they love. For a debut novel, this was incredible. I’ll definitely be reading whatever this author writes next.

This was a really great read! It gave me similar vibes to Judge Stone and had me hooked from page one.

The story begins on election night, November 4, 2008, as President Barack Obama wins the election. Hollis Montrose, a former Chicago police officer who now works for Metra PD, is driving home from work when a traffic stop goes horribly wrong. He is shot ten times by four white police officers.

Beau Lee Cooper is a Texas lawyer who steps in to help Hollis after the shooting. Hollis survives the shooting, and is forced to fight for his freedom when the police officers involved create their own version of what happened.

I was engaged from start to finish. Following the case, seeing how everything played out, and watching Beau fight for justice kept me turning the pages. It was frustrating, made me angry, and eye opening all at the same time.

Highly recommending this one!

We follow 16-year-old Hanu, who is living in a mental institution called The Flush with other children who suffer from dysphoria. Dreaming is forbidden by the Ancient Ones, they are aliens worshipped as gods who claim they saved humanity from destroying Earth. After having a dream that sends him on a mission to recover the Genesis Key, Hanu and several other children escape and uncover some disturbing things happening behind the scenes.

The plot was interesting, and I was invested in finding out what was going on. My biggest issue was the pacing. This was a slowwww burn for me. The chapters were long, and at times it felt a little repetitive, which made the story drag more than I wanted it to. I also never really understood what the Genesis Key actually did or why everyone was so focused on getting it. Since it was such a major part of the story, I found myself wanting a little more explanation and clarity there.

I enjoyed it and thought the story was creative, but the pacing and the confusion around the Genesis Key kept it from being a bigger hit for me.

This book genuinely had my emotions all over the place! Between the betrayal, the magic system, the amazing world building, and all the action, this was a great sequel to The Poppy War. There were a few slower moments, but I still really enjoyed the story overall. The ending has me ready to jump straight into the next book because I need to know what happens next!

And Nezha pissed me off! I was really rooting for his punk ass too. 🤣

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, so my expectations were pretty high, and I really enjoyed it!

This is a slow burn, second chance romance that follows Dani and Micah. After the death of their mentor, Tanya, they’re brought back together to complete a scavenger hunt that she planned before she passed away. Dani is forced to spend time with the man who broke her heart, while Micah has to face the woman he never stopped loving.

I really enjoyed watching their relationship grow throughout the story. The romance was sweet, and I found myself rooting for them to find their way back to each other.

My only complaint is that I wanted more backstory. I wish we had gotten to see more of what happened between Dani and Micah before the breakup because I never fully got that second chance romance feeling. I also would have liked a little more explanation about why Tanya wanted them to complete the scavenger hunt together in the first place.

I still had a good time with this one. It was sweet, it was cute, with characters I enjoyed following, and I’m glad I finally got to read it.

There’s only one sin in Hollywood by Rasheed newsome is a first read by this author and also one of my pride month picks for June.

What I enjoyed most about this book was learning about a part of Hollywood history that isn’t often talked about. I really appreciated the historical parts and how he explored the realities of being Black and gay during that time, especially what they had to hide and sacrifice just to make it in Hollywood.

The story moved a little slower than I wanted, and I didn’t feel as connected to the characters as I had hoped. I also expected more mystery and investigation of Xavier’s death, but it was an okay read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first time reading a book by Kristina Forest, and it won’t be my last.

This was such a cute, and romantic summer love story. We follow Noelle, who works at a bookstore and has a side job as a bridesmaid for hire while trying to save money to go back to school.

Jeremiah, who comes from a wealthy business family, tells his mom he has a girlfriend, the only problem is he doesn’t. He hires Noelle to be his girlfriend for a weekend, but what was only supposed to be a weekend turns into something much more, and I loved watching their relationship grow.

The slow burn was done so well. The chemistry between Noelle and Jeremiah felt natural, the family connections added so many heartwarming moments to the story, and their bond felt very real.

This book was warm, sweet, romantic, and just made me happy while reading it. It’s the kind of book you pick up when you want something comfy and easy to get lost in.

I’ll definitely be reading more from Kristina Forest.

Daniel Black is a genius. Isaac’s Song is the sequel to Don’t Cry for Me, and I’m so glad I read them back to back.

Getting to hear Isaac’s side of the story and see his perspective on his relationship with both his father and mother was such an experience. If you’ve read Don’t Cry for Me, you know how emotional that story is, and this one adds so much more meaning to everything that happened.

Isaac is grieving the loss of his father while trying to figure out how to heal, forgive, and move forward. He starts to realize that he and his father are more alike than he ever wanted to admit, while also confronting the things his father never taught him.

What I loved most was how beautifully these two books connect. I definitely recommend reading Don’t Cry for Me first because it makes Isaac’s journey come full circle, but this book still stands on its own. You can feel the pain, the healing, the growth, and ultimately the acceptance throughout the entire story.

I immersed read this one and listened to the audiobook, and JD Jackson did an amazing job. His narration made an already emotional story even more powerful.

This book made me feel so many emotions, and I’m really glad Daniel Black gave Isaac the chance to tell his side of the story.

I’m kind of sad to say this was my first time reading anything by Daniel Black, but it definitely won’t be my last.

This was such a beautifully written and emotional story. The entire book is basically a letter from a dying father, Jacob, to his son Isaac, and his son is gay, something Jacob struggled to accept. And this whole book is him finally being real about why he couldn’t love his son the way he should have.

Jacob is finally opening up and being honest about why he couldn’t love his son the way he deserved, and it’s not easy to read. It really gets into how Black men are raised to be tough, not soft, not emotional, being providers, and carrying all of that generational pressure.

What really stood out to me is how Daniel Black shows that a lot of parents are really just parenting the way they were parented. That doesn’t excuse the pain, but you see where it comes from, even when it hurts.

This book felt raw. Like I was sitting in the room with him while he was writing this letter, witnessing something personal that wasn’t meant for anyone else.

We don’t get a lot of stories where a parent is this vulnerable, where they admit they were wrong and actually apologize. That alone made this feel powerful and real.

However, He never even got the chance to say any of this face to face. He never reached out, never had that conversation with his son, and that frustrated me. Because at the end of the day, he chose not to. He had time, and instead he made excuses and I hated that.

I think I’m reading Isaac’s Song next because I really want to read the story from the son’s perspective.

I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did.

This was my first time reading anything by Mia Corland, and I’m honestly impressed. The story follows six different POVs, each character is pulled into the same dangerous mission, but for very different reasons.

They’re all connected by one goal, but the tension comes from the fact that nobody fully trusts each other and honestly, as a reader, I didn’t either, not one single person!

Everybody had something to hide. These are very untrustworthy characters, and I was side eyeing all of them at some point.

The pacing was so good, short, fast chapters that made it impossible to put down. Definitely a story full of secrets, and twists that keep you guessing.

This was such a beautifully written and heartbreaking story, and honestly, it’s probably going to be one of my top 5 reads of the year.

This is a dual POV story following Huong (Guava) and her grandmother as they try to survive through war, loss, and everything that comes with living through some of the most difficult periods in Vietnam’s history.

What really stood out to me was how this book shows the impact of generational trauma and the strength it takes for a family to keep going when it feels like the odds are stacked against them. I’ve never read a book that explored the experiences of the Vietnamese people during and after the war in such a personal and emotional way.

This book made me sad, angry, and emotional, but I learned so much from it. It’s one of those stories that stays with you long after you finish it.

A heartbreaking but necessary read.