Loren

A pretty good read. Had a lot of laughs reading it! 

It's definitely rom commy which I think is the on going theme with Emily Henry's books. As you read you get the vibe that bits and pieces were pulled from movies or shows you've watch before, so  the writing/story feels familiar. 

Kind of like Ali Hazelwood... Did I like the book? Yes. Will I read another one of her books? Probably not. 

Thank you Berkley pub for the free early copy! 

Thank you BerkleyPub for the free copy! 

The beginning started off so strong with the thriller portion of the book! I immediately was super into the story, but I wish this leaned more into the thriller aspect of the book, than the supernatural/paranormal. Take out the supernatural portions of this story, and It would have been a great small town murder mystery/thriller!

Overall, even with the supernatural aspect this was a good read! 

“Loving Bea isn't a choice. Love is a reflex to Bea existing at all.” 

I'm not 100% sure how to go about writing this review because I have no notes!
I just really loved the story, I loved the characters, I loved how complex situations like a parent suffering from addiction to jealousy and mistrust were handle with utmost care. How we felt the emotions of Mitra just trying to juggle that jealousy, her mom's relapses, but her also falling in love and opening herself more as she has fallen in love with her best friend. 

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the arc & finished copy. 

Thank you Good Girls PR for the arc!    “How could you ever think I don't want you around after all the things I've done to keep you in my orbit?”    Yeeeaaaaa this one is my new favorite in the New Haven Series!    J.L Seegers knows how to create stories about Black Love. She's truly an artist with it. Crafting stories of Black men protecting and loving on Black women. It's amazing!    You know when you loved a book so much it's hard to actually do a review for it??? That's what's happening here lol.    This story was definitely the darkest one in the series so far, but it was such a good story.    Nadia was such a resilient FMC, and deserved everything Sebastian gave her and more.    I was definitely surprised how hard and fast (lol) Sebastian fell for Nadia. It was one of the aspects in the book that I loved all the way through, just how he consistently fought for her to want better for herself, and to accept his love in her life and to trust him.    Overall 10/10 will recommend! Can't wait for the next book in the New Haven series! 

 "Sometimes I feel my worth is determined by how loudly I riot. As if surviving it's not enough. 

But if you listen closely, even silence carries a story worth telling.” 

“Maybe I am a survivor simply my because I met fear, stared him right in the face and chose to live anyway.” 

BIG TW: This book does focus in on the assault and the court case. It was hard for me at times to even turn the page knowing what was next, so please take into account your mental capacity/health while reading. 

I hope when you read this book, you feel allowed. I hope you stop feeling like you need permission at all

Thank you to Colored Pages Book Tour and The Dial Press for the early copy! 
I know NOTHING about baseball, but when I come across a book like The Prospects I figured I could definitely get into it regardless of the sport. And let me tell YOU! This is one of the first sports romance where I actually learned about the sport, and I LOVED THAT!  Im not sure why I loved that aspect of the book so much, but I just did. 
I'm not even sure how to go about writing this review??? I was just giddy and had so much fun reading this! Like I might actually go to a damn baseball game...
I loved all the characters so much! Gene my bagel making king! 
I damn near cried when Luis opened up the slightest bit to Gene about his anxiety and sexuality. I physically put the book down and was on the verge of letting go some happy tears. If you're apart of the LGBTQ+ community you know the anxiety and overwhelming feeling there is when you reveal portions of yourself to a trusted person, and I just loved that Luis finally placed Gene as that person. 
This book was just filled to the brim with queer joy and good vibes! And it's a DEBUT BOOK!!😩

Thank you for the early copy Coloredpagesbt and Sourcebooksfire! 
This was a really rough read for me. Especially since this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024. There are things about this book that I thought were absolutely phenomenal! I loved that there was a spectrum of love when it came to brewing potions. I loved that Venus was truly a “morally grey” character, and that it was family above everything. The complexity of the magic system and how witches brew their potions. The different powers that each witch possessed, and how the brewers couldn't delve into each other's respective practices. 
 Annnddd I think that's where my love for this book dies. 
I found myself being frustrated with the pacing, the plot, and the characters. 
The pacing of this book truly threw me off. It was terribly staggering, and sometimes just slow. I felt like plot lines linger for what longer than they need to. The so called “gotcha” or the big revelations that happened just fell so flat for me, that as I was reading I had to keep verbally saying “huh” “what” “why did that happen” because the lead up, and dialogue before had just didn't build up like how it was supposed to. I almost DNF'd at 60% because I kept have to rereading and going back thinking I was missing things. I don't really want to spoil anything, so I'm just gonna leave it at that. 
When it came to the characters I truly did not like Venus OVERALL. Yes, I did appreciate some parts of her character and personality BUT her as whole was just infuriated my soul. At some parts it felt like she was combative to just be combative. Like holy shit girl you are staggering your own progress in your own ordeal. And then it just kept happening over and over and over again. Like... at some point in even morally grey characters have to have some kind of growth in their demeanor in order to get to that next step right? 
I didn't rate this any lower because I feel like I did enjoy a lot of parts when it came to reading this BUT I didn't have a good experience overall especially with this being such a highly anticipated book for me. 
I also want to add that I think this should have been categorized outside of YA? But that's not my ministry to speak on in depth, just my opinion. 

I picked this up at the library mainly because of the cover thinking it was going to be just a short cute graphic novel on ghosts and laundry... BOY WAS I WRONG! 

This explored themes like grieving, coming of age, family, and death of a parent. 

Getting into the story initially was rough, but once we get into the life of Marjorie, our FMC, and how she is trying to hold together her school life, and life at home after the death of her mother. During all this she is taking care of her family's laundromat, her brother who just started kindergarten, and her father who is basically withdrawing from his children.

This entire story was completely unexpected. Now that I'm reflecting I loved that I went in completely blind, and just wanted to read based off the cute deceptive cover lol. 

Thanks to @hearourvoicestours for the finished copy and selecting me for this tour! I waited waaayyy too long to jump on The Davenports train!!! 💛    This was a great YA historical romance, and I believe is my very first historical romance read.    It took me a bit to get into the flow of this book with the back and forth between our main FMCs. As we get really get into the defining feats of each character the story begins to pick up!    I did grow a slight (very slight) ick to Ruby in the beginning, but I did grow to appreciate her.    Olivia definitely surprised me with the activism route, but truly loved how she stuck to it. She definitely had her doubts, and her worries about how this would reflect on her family.    Helen and Amy Rose were my absolute faves and I did find myself kinda rushing past the other characters chapters to get to theirs because of how much I loved them and their story line.    The romance for me didn't hit like I thought it would, but only because at the end of the day I wanted to see all these girls succeed! Don't get me wrong the romance was cute and sweet, BUT I wanted Olivia to build up her community and fight for equal rights! I want Amy-Rose to continue to fight for her dreams of owning a salon. I want Helen to fight for her place among her father's company with her innovative ideas. Shoot even though Ruby was not my favorite I wanted her to stand up to her parents, and choose a path in life that was best for her.   The Davenports did end on a cliffhanger, but we are getting a sequel! I'm excited to see how the story progresses with all of the girls. 

Updated to 4 stars! 

Thank you to Penguin Teen for a finished copy to read and review! 

Although this was not the ending I was hoping for this was overall a solid ending to the Beasts of Prey Trilogy. After such a strong build up from Book 1 to Book 2 I was hoping that this final book was going to knock me off my feet. 

You might be asking yourself... “Why did you rate it 4 stars if it's not what you expected?” It's 4 stars because of the experience I had while reading, and at the end of the day the pros outweighed the cons.  

I loved all of these characters! I loved the imagery I can create while reading. I listened to audiobook in the car, and when I tell you I was cackling at things that Ekon did, and the dynamic the group had between each other! I had a time reading and listening to this book. 

I did want to list out my “cons” 
 
Cons: -The romance between Koffi and Ekon felt rushed/strained. Honestly didn't really expected to break threw to a romantic relationship at all. Yes, I know they had feelings for each other, BUT after everything that transpired it felt like Ekon was holding more of the romantic feelings to Koffi. -The epic final fight scene that was being built up for the last 2 books was meh. To compare it to something. The Fantastic 4 movie from 2015 the final fight scene with the bad guy... that's how this felt. Just lacking. -Mekena and Safia felt like as the story progressed they became inferior side characters. Because wdym they're in a secret relationship????
At the end of everything I did enjoy this entire series. Did everything transpire how I hope it did... no, BUT all together this was a fantastic trilogy that I will always recommend :)

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 I was very entertained from start to finish ... will I read another Ali Hazelwood book? Probably not. 

This review is hard for me to write because I just loved the book... It wasn't perfect BUT the lore and the storytelling were all there for me. 

It is very easy to get lost in the intricacies of reading high fantasy. Forgetting lore, characters coming and going, but everything in Faebound connected so seamlessly. I had several “Ah Ha” moments, which I love to experience while reading!

Getting into the story was kind of difficult because the part where Yeeran made her “fatal mistake” felt super choppy to me. I just didn't understand why it panned out the way it did? It felt super clunky, and a plot line that was thrown in there. This didn't deter me from progressing, but I was definitely unsure I would like the rest of the story.

Also if you are going into this for the romance aspect I would lower your expectation a bit! This is not a romantasy! Yes there is romance, but it is not the focus... so that's your warning 🫡🤣

Overall, I will definitely be reading the next book! I loved all the twist and turns the story took, and how we, as the reader, are also looking for the truth!

Thank you, Partner @cocoachapters @legacylitbooks for the finished copy.

This book was absolutely beautiful.
As someone who worked in the mental health field right out of college for almost 3 years, working mainly with patients suffering from depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia the bonds you create with patients and their families is truly a special experience. Holding pt accountable to their treatment plan, wanting to see them succeed and continue to rehabilitate themselves once they leave treatment. Reading Madness was truly heartbreaking. 
The topic of mental illness in the black community is often seen as a taboo topic. To read the treatment of black patients in Crownsville hospital, and how the hospital became a dumping ground for “aggressive and combative” black men, women, and children. How patients were deferred to the hospital rather than a jail, and left there for years with no proper diagnosis. Families thought their loved ones were dead after not being able to find them for 20+ plus, all this time were just in the hospital. 
The research and time that went into Madness was probably very daunting but Hylton brought to light a very disturbing history that needed to be made whole.
Madness made me question how far have we truly come from black people getting the mental help they truly need? How long do we go over diagnosed or undiagnosed or even misdiagnosed once we seek out treatment? 
(New flash: black people are still frequently misdiagnosed and under treated)

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Thank you so much to randomhousekids and netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc. 
I got approved and finished the book in the same day! 
I truly have a soft spot for books written in verse. There's something very powerful and beautiful about books written in verse, and Bright Red Fruit is THEE perfect example of this. 
Samira was a great character. I sympathized and empathized with her character wholeheartedly. Being a young girl who is yearning for love, and once given an inkling of such latches on for better or worse. Shutting out those who are her backbone thinking she is mature enough to understand the complexity of being manipulated, and used by a man much older than her. I felt those moments where the desperation for the attention, to be seen, and to placed as special superseded her rationality. 
We also get to read Samira's poetry, my favorite one that I keep going back to is ‘What I've Learned' it's a heart wrenching piece that we see Samira truly reflect on her position on love as it pertains to her experience. Ugh it was amazing. 
My absolute favorite part of reading was the parallels of Samira's story being told with bits and pieces of the story of Persephone (bright red fruit! Get it? It's a pomegranate!!). 
YES! It was so beautifully done. The comparisons of how both are seen and how their actions are scrutinized , the relationships between both of their mothers, and the men they fell for.  
I'm going to also read Safia Elhillo's other books Home is Not A Country, and Girls That Never Die. I have high hopes for them since this was so good.

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I don't normally read Contemporary stories like this one, but I want to challenge myself and spread out to different genres. 
This was a fun read though! This is definitely one of those books I could see becoming a movie.  
Zoe was a really well rounded and relatable character! Definitely a girl boss, but not cringy AT ALL! We see Zoe get to a point where she got where she worked so hard  to get and it's not everything she'd hoped it would be. 
Zoe definitely took the leap of faith venturing into the tech world, and we get to meet some very great characters. I mean all of her coworkers, and friends were very well written people. I wasn't sure about this book I first, but I'm surprised I ended up liking it as much as I did. 

Thank you @berkleypub for the free finished copy! #berkleypartner 

Gone Girl + You = How I'll Kill You 
I read You and Gone Girl in high school. I was absolutely obsessed with both of them, and I haven't really found another, not YA, thriller that captivated me like How I'll Kill You did. 
I was constantly on my toes, because these girls are unhinged! I couldn't predict a single one of their actions. 
Their dynamic and depleting level of trust with each other was very interesting to read. Especially when we learn the why. Why are these girls killing their boyfriends? 
Each sister had a job and a skill that was so uniquely developed I was kind of surprised to learn how this all even started. Overall, this was a really good debut! 

Thank you @berkleypub for the free finished copy! #berkleypartner 

Thanks to @/coloredpagesbt for the finished copy and selecting me for this tour!

This is the first book I've read by Mason Deaver, and it was a sweet one.

Okay, Cupid is a very cute YA (rom-comish vibes) book where our main character Jude is having a bit of a hard time being a Cupid.

I really loved the story as a whole. We see our MC Jude faced with the “do what's expected of you or do what best for you” dilemma. Since Jude is still a young Cupid we see him face the complexity of his fears, his greater responsibilities, and choosing the unknown.

The concept of Cupid in this world was something that I truly loved. When I think of Cupid I always thing of stereotypical cherubs in diapers with wings, but here we have cupids that are blending in with society, and doing subtle things in their targets life to complete their tasks.

I still have mixed feelings about the ending mainly because it kinda broke my heart. I'm not going to spoil it because it was a big decision made by Jude in the end.

Now I have to backtrack and read I Wish You All Best!

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Jamaicans and dragons just make so much sense together.

The first thing that peaked my interest about this book was that we were entering at the end/ recovery stages of a war. Normally with fantasy we are either thrown into the thick of the war or the beginning, and I was immediately interested how things would play out.

From the start of the book I was immediately invested in Faron and Elara, then eventually Reeve and Signey.

Faron is literally Ikenna (from The Blood Trials and The Blood Gift) but Jamaican and a teenager, hard headed, and combative. My love for her as a character is so strong. She went into a kind of tunnel vision to solely save her sister, and I was here for it. Faron wants to go against the Gods and find a way to save her sister on her own? I'm seated.

Faron gave off the IDGAF attitude, but she really and truly cared about every damn thing. And it was executed so well in the writing.

Elara captivated me just the same. Being the older sister, she wants the best for her act now, think later sister. While also trying to be the best spy to the queen!

From the representation of a demisexual, and lesbian character, dual POVs between the sisters, to the concepts of Drakes and Dragons I loved every part of this story. I cannot stress enough how much I loved this story, and I ready for what comes next!

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For Christmas... I want a Judah UNDER THE TREE and whoever I need to speak to to make that happen needs to reveal themselves IMMEDIATELY.

Okay but in all seriousness this was such a great read.

Putting aside the romance aspect for a minute to admire how Soledad as a character! Her strength and her resilience is something else. Coming close to losing almost everything, and managed to make something of her own... ugh I love her.

Back to the romance... JUDAH lord. Make all men like Judah! PLEASE

Judah a man of patience. WHEW!

I loved that Judah just wanted the best for Soledad, but wanted her overall. He was willing to wait out her dating herself, and her back and forth for what she truly wanted. He wanted to make she was sure in her decision before stepping in fully, and whenever she faltered he took a step back. UGH.

I am truly in love with this series and I can't wait for Hendrix being next!!! Rich auntie is going to find lovvveee.

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Thanks to @/hearourvoicestours and @/levinequerido for the finished copy and selecting me for this tour! 🩵

The Queer Girl is Going to be Okay is definitely one of those books that younger Loren needed. 

The representation in this book was unmatched which was to be expected. 

The complexity of the relationships between the friend groups and their families, the school struggles with the daunting feeling of college, and the worries of what is next or yet to come. 

I truly loved the unconditional love that Dawn, Georgia, and Edie all had for each other. They all knew they needed each other to succeed, and would go above and beyond what truly a good friend is. Those girls are family. 

I honestly wish we got more of Edie and Georgia's story. The main focus of the story was Dawn and her film, but those two went through some stuff that truly defines a character and how they move through a story. 

Overall, I loved this book and all it entailed! I will be donating my copy to my library :) hoping to get this books into a queer kid hands 🏳️‍🌈

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Atlas (noun) 

capitalized : one who bears a heavy burden

Whenever I read a book by Renée Watson I'm always left just reflecting on my life as a black girl, and the little experiences that I've gone through turning out not to be a unique experience to just me, but just an experience unique to the black girl as a whole. 

This is an amazing collection of poems on the black girl experience. I highly recommend this to those who need that reassurance, that extra push in life, and need to feel seen in their experiences. 

Thank you Penguin Teen for the early copy!

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Thanks to @/coloredpagesbt for the finished copy and selecting me for this tour! 🩵

Danielle Page is back with another retelling! This time with an origin story of the Fairy Godmother! 

I was kind of obsessed with Paige's Dorothy must die series in high school, so to be apart of the tour to promote her new book is amazing to me! 

The story was kind of slow in the beginning, but when it picked up it truly picked up. I think that is my biggest thing for me is how long it took for me to truly get in/on board with the story. Once I was locked in there was truly to getting me out of the story! 

Farrow was such a great FMC. I found it truly admirable that after everything she went through, yes she was filed by getting revenge, but was able to see that what she truly needed to do for the greater good. 

My favorite parts were the portions of the story that are from the original Cinderella that was such a fusion! I honestly thought I was going to see more the Disneyish version of Cinderella incorporated. 

Overall a very nostalgic read, and I can't wait for the rest next book!

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This is the first TJ Klune book that I've read even though I've had two others sitting in my crate. 

I'm in love with the writing in this book. I'm hoping his style of writing is similar to his other books! 

I'm not 100% sure how to explain it, but to see the visual change in writing when tensions were high vs. Ox going through everyday life with pack was very pleasing. I'm sure there is a better way to explain it if you ever read it you'll see what I'm referring to! 

The emotions and soul ties between the pack members is definitely going to be one of my favorite parts as I continue through the series.

One thing I did not appreciate is how long this book is... oh my goodness. It's almost 600 pages when it could have been 350-400 MAX. This played no role in my rating but I must let it be known 🤣🤣

Ravensong is next in the series and I'm freaking excited because it's about Gordo 😩I'm just waiting for Heartsong to be trad published before continuing on, and I can't wait 🫡

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Thank you @/hearourvoicestour for the gifted copy! This is my first book tour 🫣 so thank you for taking a chance on me!

It's never too early for a good Christmas book especially one that flows like a cozy lifetime movie. 

We follow Nadia and Micah go through their woes of a second chance romance! 

Micah fell hard and fast for Nadia, and she high tailed it out of there scared of her feelings for him after having a great summer romance. 

Sprinkle in some mistletoe kisses, and some mystery envelopes, and snowy trip to Big Ben Micah and Nadia find themselves falling in love again. Of course this comes with the second guesses, and extreme hesitation. 

This story was such a cute Christmas romance, and WHO was going to tell me there was an amazing author making board game themed romance books??? My friends know I'm a sucker for a good board game! 

I'm going to have to go back, and read the others in the series!

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I wish I was more confident to do video reviews because I feel like that is what this book deserves. 

This book had me first at “Oh my god Faridah is about to murk my emotions” to “oh my god I need financial compensation for the emotional state of RUIN I am in”. 

Faridah has been my go to mystery author since Ace of Spades and at the time... that was her debut book. Her writing is top tier, and her storytelling is just as powerful. 

After finishing the book I went back to the letter Faridah wrote at the beginning of the book, and I was further torn. Don't get me wrong the book finishes on a beautiful note, but going back and reading the note really did it in for me. 

I don't even know how to write a review for this? I know I say that a lot just because I'm not great with explaining BUT I truly don't want to spoil anything. The synopsis does a great job of not going into the true story especially since this is a mystery book it is very easy to say one thing and mess up the story for someone. Which I don't want! 

Where Sleeping girls lie explores “boys will be boys”, and schools brushing serious issues under the rug, revenge, and a splash of top tier black feminine rage. But on a serious note divulges in topics such as sexual assault, rape, suicide and suicidal ideation, grief, and death of family members (including parents).

This one was definitely less nerve racking than Ace of Spades, but still gave me all the same level of anxiety. 

Sade (SHAH-DAY) is a dynamic character, and I want to talk more about her, but I feel like it would give too much away 😩

While reading I loved that I was able to catch on to the mystery, and clues that were sprinkled in. BUT I still didn't have the full picture until the very end.

Then there was THE ANAGRAM! There was a freaking anagram to solve while reading. That I unfortunately still don't understand even after the answer was revealed. I'm hoping to read other reviews closer to release, and see if anyone fully grasped it. 

I can't wait until March to see what everyone else thinks about it ! 

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