Kiraz
Emily Stone is the queen of emotional romances that kind of take place during Christmas but span a whole year of coincidences, connections and healing. This one might be my fave.
I could not put this book down!. I started it after midnight and I had to force myself to go to sleep once I hit 75% because I knew there was no other way I was getting any sleep that night.
I love books about connections between people and how we can enrich others' lives by being in them. Like found family but with more coincidental ties and even more emotionally healing one another. Love, Holly does this so well!
A big focus for Love, Holly is grief. There are three main people who are experiencing different kinds of loss, and they go through it in very different ways. I really enjoyed seeing them heal and rebuild some bridges and also how unique their approaches were. How seeing someone else go through something similar can give you a whole new perspective on your own pain. And how sometimes it's much easier to tend to other people than ourselves.
The romance is incredibly sweet as well. I felt like there was a bit more of it than her previous two books. Somehow Emily Stone keeps managing to make an instant connection and a year of coincidences feel not only absolutely believable, but also romantic and deep.
This book is still more about the individual characters and their journeys rather than the romance as a whole. I loved all three of the characters, the grumpy elderly lady especially. I loved seeing them change, grow, and accept that they do deserve love and happiness, that you can rely on others even if there is always the possibility of loss.
The only thing that bothered me was Holly's family's reaction to what happens at the beginning of the book. So much could have been avoided if any of them (but especially the parents) had approached it with a modicum of reason and communication skills.
Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books, Dell Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC!
Overall rating: 4.2⭐
I love reading mysteries in a unique format that pulls you into the story more. Murder in the Family is set up as a season of a true crime show. However, they're not just trying to relay what happened, they're also trying to solve the cold case. The season's director is the victim's step-son, giving the crew unprecedented access to the family and where he was murdered.
I found the format of the book very fun. I thought it was done very well overall with conversations in screenplay format with other information in emails, texts, newspaper clippings, maps, subreddit-like posts, and other images detailing the original case.
The cliff hangers from one episode to the next were done so well a handful of them had me audibly gasping. However, I liked those and the other reveals along the way a lot more than the actual resolution to the actual murder. Somewhere along the way we start to find out more about the background of the victim and I found that to be more interesting than the murder.
One downside of the format is that it got difficult for me to tell the people from the investigative team apart. It made it difficult for me to keep track of their backgrounds, and they really all started to blend together.
I think this might be a book best read in physical format. It could really benefit from taking notes and sticking tabs to keep track of everything and also help you feel even more like you're a part of the story, trying to solve this along with them.
All in all, I found this to be a very enjoyable experience. It was an immersive experience, an easy to read page-turner with many twists and turns, and while the final resolution (for me) was a bit of a let down, I still thoroughly enjoyed the journey and would recommend it, especially if you like mysteries with unique formats like The Appeal.
Thank you so much to William Morrow and NetGalley for the eARC!
Overall rating: 4.3⭐
I read The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen just last month, and as soon as I was done, I requested this audiobook on NetGalley. K.J. Charles writes MLM historical romance deliciously. The romance, the intrigue, the tension, the chemistry... Her writing pulls you in with great descriptions of its settings, loveable characters, just kiss already vibes, and soon you lose herself in her story.
I highly recommend reading both of the books, even if you don't usually read historical romances. I don't read much histrom either, but these two were some of the top romances of the year for me. I read both in one sitting.
ANGTSAS is set in the same world as TSLOCG, only 13 years later, with Luke Doomsday as one of the two main characters. Both of the books involve a person whose life suddenly changes thanks to an inheritance, and a member of the Doomsdays, a family of smugglers in Kent. Despite having a similar premise on the surface, ANGTSAS has a completely different feel and dynamic, while keeping the adorable-ness and spiciness the same.
I loved the relationship between Rufus and Luke. I loved how they cared for each other, all the tension and chemistry between them, how they both change and grow. Luke's emotional journey was especially well done. Their relationship starts so unsure but over time really grows to be strong where they can trust and rely on each other. And the spice..!
Rating: 3.3⭐️
When I picked this book up I was really curious about the logistical aspects of how you put together a book like this.
This is a murder mystery but each chapter is from a different POV and written by a different author, also each chapter takes place sequentially in the story. And I was and still am, fascinated by how you put together a murder mystery where one character's actions from one chapter would affect all other chapters, with 20 different authors!!
One of the best parts of this book is all the fantastic authors in it. Each chapter I read I was so invested I never wanted to switch to the next POV, but then next chapter I would feel the same. Also the list of authors is incredibly diverse and so are the characters they've written. There are many LGBTQIA+ characters, people of color and characters with disabilities. I would have loved to read any of these chapters as a full length book.
I loved so many details of this book: All the different types of magic, the magical school, the characters, the writing... I was also quite invested in some of the pairings, crushes etc. And I loved how usually there is a “chosen one” in these types of books, but this subverts that by making everyone think that they have to solve the mystery that it's their destiny to do so, which honestly feels a lot more realistic in this kind of a setting.
The resolution to the mystery was a bit of a let down. I was quite invested throughout and there were fun little red herrings and clues sprinkled throughout. But paying close attention didn't end up mattering that much since only a few of the chapters played into the solution.
Also the person who died is so villainous that he's more of a caricature of a character, and you're just left feeling good riddance to bad trash, do we have to solve his murder?
General note: There are a lot of characters so a reference sheet of some kind might be helpful as you're reading.
Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the eARC!!
Overall rating: 3.7 ⭐
This is a fun middle grade fantasy filled with Japanese gods and culture. There is a glossary and cute illustrations to introduce readers to much of the vocabulary. I think this would make for a cute and fun book for a young reader. The book is filled with adventure and action but it's also about identity, feeling of belonging, dealing with bullying, importance of family and friends...
I really enjoyed reading this book. I have a soft spot for time loop stories for some reason. I found it hard to put down. The romance was cute, their run-ins were fun,
I really liked how this book took a unique approach to the Groundhog Day trope. Instead of following a person who keeps repeating the same day, we see the person who's impacted by someone else's time loop.
I liked how the romance was focused on them as separate people as well as them as a unit. The magic of the loop specifically works because of where they are in their lives, and help each other see and achieve what they want out of life.
The one down side of the way the time loop was handled was that the MMC is already in love with the FMC before the book starts, and we don't really get to see why or how this happens. The rest of the book is focused on the FMC figuring out if she can believe him, if she can love him, if she's ready for a relationship etc.
I really liked the side characters, the BFF, the brother, the coworkers, even the scientist. They were endearing and were great additions to the story.
Her broken relationship with her dad is a big part of the story as well. I couldn't tell if her dad was actually a bad father/person, or if her perception of that was very broken. Nothing about their interactions seemed to justify their current relationship. But I don't want to discount years of issues that might have happened. In general though, the book and the characters in it have the stance that family is family, and we should keep our relationship.
Thank you to Dutton Books, Penguin Books and NetGalley for the eARC!
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Family Lore is a story of two generations of an immigrant family. Most of the family members possess unique powers, ranging wildly from the ability to predict death to having an affinity for limes. Beyond their powers though, they all also face many challenges which is where their inner strength shines through, and what the book is mostly focused on.
Throughout the book we get to know this family via mostly flashbacks as they prepare for one of the sisters' living funeral. Since this event is planned by the sister that can tell when someone will die, it makes the family face the possibility of losing her, and their own mortality. They're also each at a precipice of their own, making them face where they are in life.
Family Lore is made up of things I love: it's written by Elizabeth Acevedo, it's a family saga and it's magical realism. While I am glad I read it, and there were a lot of parts in it I really liked, I also never fully connected with it.
There are a lot of different topics handled in the book, infidelity, immigration, sexuality, infertility, and familial and romantic relationships. Acevedo handles each of these topics beautifully.
While I mostly appreciated reading their stories, my reading experience wasn't entirely smooth. I felt like it dragged in so many points that it just made me want to stop reading it altogether. I think partially this was because it's very vignette-like. If the character development or the writing were better, perhaps those might have gripped me. Basically, while there were many moving moments, I was not usually moved by them.
Mhairi McFarlane is one of my favorite authors. She is fantastic at creating realistic, flawed characters with great emotional depth, putting them into messy situations and having them change and grow. Her writing transports me and doesn't let me go until the final page. This book was no exception.
Between Us is about Roisin who starts to question if her boyfriend of ten years has been keeping secrets from her, based on parallels she notices in the new TV show he wrote.
As the main character goes through suspicion and doubt about her relationship of ten years, you go through the same. It almost becomes a romantic mystery, are her suspicions correct or is she making a mountain out of a molehill? As the reader, are you being led by an unreliable narrator?
I loved the romance in this book even though it was secondary to the story. (I don't want to expand more for spoilery reasons)
The author is also great at depicting dynamics of a friend group. The intricacies of long term friend groups: the ties that are stronger, the ones that don't seem to get along well at all, the WhatsApp group that generates many side WhatsApp groups... I loved many of the side characters within it. Plus they all knew each other from working at Waterstones, great tidbit for book lovers.
This one isn't as strong as Just Last Night by the same author, which is still one of my fave books, but I absolutely enjoyed it and found it hard to put down.
Overall rating: 4.2⭐
Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the eARC!
With Love, from Cold World is a fun and cute romance that also handles some heavier topics (might wanna check the CWs). With a workplace competition a la The Hating Game, this found-family, grumpy-sunshine, enemies to lovers romance is hard to put down and will leave you with a smile.
While it's not really a holiday romance, it does mostly take place close to and around Christmas and it's set in a winter wonderland attraction in Florida, so could make a great holiday or winter read.
I really enjoyed reading this book, and found it really difficult to put down. The romance is delicate and beautiful. The characters have depth and growth, and are also relatable and likable. There was nothing here that I didn't find authentic. From their personal journeys to the development of their relationship, it all felt really genuine.
The book has two main characters that are shaped by their pasts. Processing their childhood trauma is at times as much of the story as their romance.
Lauren is all about rules, lists, and her career. She's learned it's best to keep people at a distance. It was beautiful watching Lauren start to bend some of her rules and open up to others, but still not lose what makes her her.
Asa's priority is friends and enjoying life. He's genuine, caring, funny and brings out the best (and at times worst) parts of Lauren. I appreciated that he wasn't a generic romance MMC, he's bi, has blue hair and minimal ambition. He's content with what he has and doesn't really want anything to change.
I was rooting for these two from the first moment, they're adorable, they have great banter and it gets spicy too!
Their trauma is handled beautifully, there are a few scenes that made me wanna give these characters a hug for their heart break, or applaud them for how they stood up for each other.
Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC!
This is book 3 in a series but I didn't feel like I missed anything by jumping in at this point.
This is a fun cozy mystery read for the Halloween or fall/winter seasons. It takes place during Halloween in a small town in Connecticut. The main character, Riley, used to work for the CIA as a librarian but now runs an ice-cream shop and mysteries fall on her lap. Even that background is so random and fun, just like the rest of the book.
This book could be the exact definition of cozy mystery, it's a bit slow, all about the vibes, and fun to read. This book brings the small town vibes, even with a Hollywood crew in their midst. With the small town Connecticut setting, and working at an inn, it was also hard not to imagine this place like the Gilmore Girls town.
There are many quirky suspects, almost everyone seems to have a motive to kill the deceased. What I didn't love was how each character was either too good or too bad, without much nuance or depth. All the villains were villainous through and through.
I wasn't able to guess the actual culprit, which I always appreciate, the book managed to keep me guessing.
I loved Riley's friendships and how protective of them she is, and how much she cares for them. She's the kind of friend we all deserve.
Rating: 3.5 ⭐️
Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC.
I loved this book! One of the first books in a while that managed to keep me up almost all night because I couldn't put it down. Once I was done I wanted to flip back to the first page so I could read it all over again. There were parts that got me crying, parts where I was sure nothing was going to work out for our heroes, and so many parts that put a huge grin on my face.
When I first started reading this book, it was easy to draw parallels to many dystopian romance novels where the main character realizes that everything they thought they knew about their world was wrong. But quickly, this book managed to set itself apart with its deep nuance and the beautiful romance. The world building is so deceptively simple, I could talk about it for hours.
Keywords: enchanting, magical, witchy, atmospheric, emotional, passionate,
Threads That Bind is a fantasy that marries mythology, mystery and romance with a noir vibe.
I quite liked the world of this book, I thought it was a good twist on mythology and loved the general premise. It's set in a kind of post-apocalyptic world where descendents of Gods inherit some of their powers. The MC, Io, and her two sisters are descendents of the Fates, and she can see and cut threads of fate. I also liked that the world didn't just have Greek Gods, it was more regional, but this one definitely had a Greek mythology focus. I'm very familiar with and absolutely love Greek mythology so I enjoyed all the references.
I really enjoyed this book. It's a bit repetitive in how it gives you information which got a little tiring, but overall, I found the mystery to be intriguing, and I was very invested in the romance. Especially after a certain point I really couldn't put this book down.
The romance was quite interesting to me, because they're fated and because the MC can see threads of fate, she can see the thread connecting them. But the two don't just jump into it. It's not even clear if they'll actually end up together. This fated-ness causes dilemmas for the MC between fate, predetermination and free will. Do they give into fate, does that make their connection weaker or stronger or do they go with free will, would they even actually choose each other without fate? I really was rooting for them throughout though.
One of the other big relationships in the book is the one between Io and her sisters. Their connection is very strained and complicated especially because one of them is emotionally abusive and has abandoned the family. But at the same time because of their powers they're “three bodies, one soul”. This abuse and the complexity of the situation caused by their supernatural ties is handled quite well.
I didn't always agree with Io, thought she made many terrible decisions and abused her powers, which made it a bit annoying to read at times.
I hadn't realized this was a series when I started, but I'll likely be reading the next book.
Rating: 4 ⭐
Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the eARC!
Ander & Santi Were Here is an emotional, at times heartbreaking, YA romance. I appreciated this book for everything that it portrays. It's also written beautifully. It was a great YA book about belonging, identity, and immigration. I would consider this an important read, especially for its target audience, young adults.
Ander is a mural artist and struggles with figuring out the balance between doing Mexican style art because it's expected of them vs because they actually want to. I really enjoyed the nuance of their dilemma around their art, and their advisor who was being racist under the disguise of being helpful. Not all racism is blatant and bad-intentioned. I enjoyed that Ander being non-binary was not a big deal within the story and how supportive their family was.
The biggest conflict in the book comes from Santi's immigration status. The uncertainties and instability of being undocumented with the threat of deportation always hanging over their head were portrayed honestly. I appreciated that a YA romance didn't shy away from covering these realities that you'd be more likely to see in adult fiction.
On the other hand, I really didn't enjoy the romance aspects of the book. I felt Santi had no real personality. We have no idea about his interests, hobbies, what kind of person he is... They have an instant love connection and the rest is history. I couldn't tell you why Ander was interested in him at all. Though, their romance was quite tender, heartwarming and cute.
I also couldn't stand Ander. This could very well be because I'm quite far from my teenage days, but I found them annoying because of how immature and angsty they were while also making very adult decisions, plus I found their obsession with being a “puta” a bit off putting.
Rating: 3.5 ⭐️
Thank you to St Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC.
This was a cozy-ish mystery with a ghostly twist. This is book 26 in the series, but I didn't realize that so it's the first one I read. I didn't feel like I missed out much by jumping in like this, though I'm sure I'd be more familiar with the characters if I had read the others.
Tell-Tale Bones is about a cold case of two missing women. The husband of one of the two wants her declared dead after 10 years which will also allow him to inherit her fortune. This causes the PI Sarah Booth to get pulled into the case. Sarah Booth and her partner Tinkie will try to figure out if these two are actually dead or alive, and if they are dead, who killed them?
What was cool about this mystery for me was all the literary references (especially The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe) and a ghost that helped the detective with cryptic clues. This is the first mystery I read that involved a sidekick ghost.
I found the characters charming, especially the main character. I also liked her boyfriend, the sheriff. I liked that he was supportive of her endeavors, and accepts her as she is, rather than fighting against her wish to jump into the middle of a mystery.
While this book has the shape of a cozy mystery, some of the themes are less cozy, such as domestic abuse and access to abortion. The book does a good job of highlighting the difficulty of getting out of abusive relationships and the difficulty of identifying when it's happening from the outside.
Onto the mystery, I found it quite intriguing and interesting, it kept me turning the pages. I continuously flipped back and forth between they must still be alive, and they must have been killed, getting pulled in directions by the red herrings and clues alike. The story goes in many interesting directions I wasn't expecting, I was kept on my toes throughout.
Rating: 3.6⭐
Thank you to St Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the eARC!
I really enjoyed reading this book, once I started I couldn't put it down. In Hello Stranger Sadie has an accident that causes to her to have face blindness. As an portrait artist, this causes to her relearn many things like recognizing/interacting with people and her whole artistic process. It also causes a comedy of errors around her new crushes.
Overall rating: 3.8 ⭐
I loved this romance. I was so fully invested in it, I couldn't put it down from start to finish. Literally kept reading while at a concert. It's spicy, it's sweet. I loved the characters, the setting, the premise, the tropes... all of it.
If you love a guy who falls harder and faster, spicy romances, or any of the tropes listed in the slides, then you should definitely check this book out.
Funnily enough this is not the first enemies to lovers romance I read this year where both characters work on weddings, the guy's career goes differently than expected, one of them is a wedding planner, and they do the deed in a closet during a wedding.
I liked this one more though. Any guesses for what the other one was?
Overall rating: 4.2 ⭐
This is a great celeb romance book with a main character that has general anxiety disorder. It's easy to read, hard to put down, and you really root for the relationship that they made a mess of over almost a decade. Hard not to see parallels with these two and Nina and Ian from The Vampire Diaries.
I've now read both of Ava Wilder's books, and I gotta say I enjoyed this one a lot more. I thought it struck a better balance between the personal issues and romance, and built a healthier relationship overall.
I loved the premise of this book, so I was very excited to pick it up. I was expecting a heart warming story, similar to Freya Sampson's books. It was kind of like that, but possibly I had too high expectations, because I never fully got into the book. It definitely wasn't bad but it felt like it was missing some heart and charm.
I also didn't feel connected to the characters enough to care to keep reading through the slower parts. I had a hard time understanding the main character's motivations, and the decisions she was making just didn't make sense to me.
While from the blurb, it might seem the book is just about the museum, it really is more about the main character's life in general and her relationships. One of the other main plotlines is that the main character is dealing with the loss of her mother. I thought this was handled quite well. The book goes back and forth between two timelines, one where she's going through her moms stuff, and her journals to clear out her home after her passing.
Jess also has a boyfriend, Guy, that you will be begging her to dump throughout the whole book, but it really will take muuuuch longer than it should for some reason.
I also enjoyed the overall stance that objects are really big parts of our lives, they tell our stories, and we have emotional and physical connections to them. How we can learn about people through their belongings. How even the mundane can be someone's treasure.
Overall rating: 3.5⭐️
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC!
No Two Persons is about a book and 9 people that read it. Each chapter is from a different perspective starting with the author. Each person comes across the book at a pivotal point in their life, causing them to take another look at where they are.
I don't think I'll be able to do this beautiful book justice with my review, but I will do my best.
No Two Persons opens with the quote “No two persons ever read the same book” and then takes you through an author's journey of writing a book: “Theo”, and 9 others' journey of reading it. With each chapter it continuously proves the quote. A different part of Theo resonates with each character but for all of them, it helps them take a look at their life and either make a change or accept it. Theo's impact on all of their lives is undeniable.
NTP is such a poignant book that I felt connected to each character even though for the most part they exist within the confines of their chapter. All the characters gave me something to think about, and most of them got me teary eyed.
Despite how little time you spend with each character in this book, you still get to know them intimately, care for them deeply; all 10 characters leave their mark. (Though I did have favorites). I also loved the little ways the characters' paths crossed one another. I delighted in finding one characters' fingerprints in another's chapter.
Themes of parental trauma, human connection, communication and miscommunication are weaved throughout each of these chapters. It deals with loss, grief, strength, relationships (familial and romantic). And it does a great job of showing the weight and impact of these things on our lives.
This is a book I will be thinking about over and over again, for all the little life lessons that are in it, and all the nuances it manages to highlight.
It also helps that it's beautifully written.
This is the third book I've read by TJ Klune, the other two being Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door. I think this was by far the funniest one. I LOVED the first 35% of the book, and if the rest had stayed a cozy fantasy with no romance, it would have been a 5⭐. But as is, the adventure and especially the romance detracted from my experience.
Venom & Vow is about two warring countries that are dealing with a big loss. They try to put a stop to the warring but inner power struggles and a still unknown enemy cause a lot of court intrigue.
The best part of this book was the representation. I loved the community the authors built into the world for trans people, and I loved how much a part of the story this community was, not just the background. I appreciated that the two main characters were in different places in figuring out their gender identities, it allowed one to really help the other out. Both of the characters also have disabilities, and one of them is from a Latin-American inspired country.
The biggest problem for me was that I was just so confused most of the time. Not about the world building, which was minimal but cool (I especially loved all the animals). But about why the characters were doing any of the things they were doing. There's one scene where two characters I could have sworn were really close get into a fight to the death and I still couldn't tell you why. This made it really difficult to follow what was happening, and to connect to the characters and their motivations.
I also really struggled with grasping the pacing. In one instance it takes them days to get to a place, in another they go there and back seemingly the same day? But again, I was really confused, so I may have misunderstood?
Most of the book was driven by misunderstandings between the characters with murderous stakes. The major assumptions they kept making was starting to get a little too much, but it did get much better in the second half of the book.
There's also an enemies-to-lovers romance. Their romance could have been developed a bit better but I loved that they were both badasses; Highly skilled at fighting and their specific skills.
Overall rating: 2.8⭐
Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for the eARC!
This was such a sweet and adorable book that filled me with all the gooey feelings. Was it very realistic? Absolutely not. But it was a heartwarming book that you'll read with a big goofy grin on your face.
This book inspired me to try my hand at a book collage for the first time, swipe through to the third slide to see!
Other books with similar vibes: Spell Bound - FT Lukens, The Charmed List - Julie Abe, The Tea Dragon Society - Kay O'Neill
I jumped into this series with this book, because a cozy mystery around a deep dish pizza place in Wisconsin sounded fun, and I'm glad I did. The book does a good job of filling in whatever information that's important from the first book, and I didn't feel like I missed out on anything.
This was a fun and intriguing mystery with all the right ingredients of coziness. Perfect for cozy mystery fans.
