WWW Wednesday | 1/20/21

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

I’m determined to read the books on my shelf that I bought last year and haven’t started on! How about you?

💜 ~ Yolanda

Top 5 Tuesday | 1/19/21

Top 5 Tuesday was created by Shanah at Bionic Book Worm, and it is now being hosted here Meeghan reads. Check out both blogs because they have amazing bookish content!

This Week’s Topic:

**Top 5 books you will definitely* read this year**

A COURT OF SILVER FLAMES – SARAH J. MAAS

I don’t love the cover. BUT, I feel like a broken record since I keep posting this one book – this is the book I NEED this year. I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for Nesta’s story. So I am ready!

I’m not sure if I will reread the whole series before this book comes out because I’ve read it a lot already. I have so many other books to catch up on and the ACOTAR series is pretty fresh in my mind. Maybe I’ll just read the novella, A Court of Frost and Starlight to prep my up for ACOSF.

JADE CITY – FONDA LEE

I have this on my kindle app, I just have to get started on reading it. I keep trying to start then realize I have an arc I have to finish up. I might have to put off requesting arcs for awhile just so I can get to finish reading everything on my shelf or kindle app.

I have heard a lot about this one. I’m seeing it in many blogs so I look forward to reading this one.

BLOOD & HONEY – SHELBY MAHURIN

I don’t know what happened ~ I started this in 2020 and never finished it. I’m determined to finish it in 2021, hopefully this month even. It’s not that the story isn’t good, it’s just that the holidays got in the way. 🤷🏻‍♀️ It was a wild ending to 2020…and even wilder start to 2021.

I’ll get to all the books, soon!!

THE HEART PRINCIPLE – HELEN HOANG

I love my young adult books but I really need to add more adult titles on TBR as well. It’s just so easy for me to gravitate towards YA but I miss my adult fiction, so I need to do better at seeking it out.

This book is Quan’s story and I’ve been waiting for it since reading the The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test last year! I loved Quan when he showed up in those books so I think this one will be good!

SOULMATE EQUATION – CHRISTINA LAUREN

I am a new Christina Lauren fan ever since reading The Unhoneymooners. The more I read their books the more they have become a must-read author for me, so I look forward to this one.

I will definitely be reading these books this year, what about you? What will you be reading for sure in 2021?

📖 ~ Yolanda

Of Wicked Blood | ARC Review

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Title: Of Wicked Blood (The Quartrefoil Chronicles, #1)

Authors: Olivia Wildenstein & Katie Hayoz

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 424

Publication Date: 2/2/21

Publisher: Twig Publishing

Categories: Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult/New Adult

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

No rest for the wicked… or the cursed.

SLATE
I didn’t mean to steal the Bloodstone from the De Morel’s crypt.
Scratch that, I did mean to steal it.
Until I realized it was a curse-magnet that only comes off if I, along with a jolly trio, successfully defeat four curses.
If any of us fail, I’m dead.
I’ve never been a glass half-empty sort of person, but my glass looks in dire need of a refill right about now.
The only highlight of this wicked treasure hunt: feisty, entitled Cadence de Morel.

CADENCE
I was raised on tales of magic, in a small town reputed to be the birthplace of French witchcraft.
Did I believe all the stories I heard? Absolutely not. I mean, if magic existed, Maman wouldn’t have died, and Papa wouldn’t be stuck in a wheelchair, right?
Wrong.
The night Slate Ardoin waltzes into my life, wearing a ring he stole from my mother’s grave, I call him a monster.
But then I meet real ones, and Slate, well . . . he becomes something else to me.
Something frustrating to live with but impossible to live without.
Something I will fight for, no matter the cost.

*Warning: profuse cursing (and not just the magical kind).

World-Building: I like how different this is! It takes the Merlin lore but connects it to witchcraft and magic. The town of Brume, France is ripe with magical lore, but is it real? There are four founding families in Brume, and the lore of the Quartrefoil (resembles a four leaf clover) that is everywhere in the town. So magic, founding families, and a race against the clock to find the foils equals a very exciting story!
Characters: Slate ~ Bad boy, troubling past, and a foul mouth (he curses a lot). Cadence ~ good girl, family secrets and beautiful. There are four family reps, but Slate and Cadence are the stronger characters. I love Cadence’s bestie Alma and Slate’s foster brother, Bastian – glad he got more book time in the end. As for deception, I’m looking at you, Cadence’s dad…we shall see what other things we learn about him and the past!
Romance: slow burn deliciousness between Slate and Cadence. I mean he’s the bad boy, she’s the good girl and together they are dynamite.
Writing: love the banter between Slate and Cadence. I thought the beginning was slow to build but from the half-way point on, I could not put this book down. There is a lot of action when the four family reps have to find their piece of the quatrefoil. I love the mystery, the puzzle piecing, and the secrets.

The second half is way more engaging than the first. It took me two days to read, when I picked it up on the second day I couldn’t put it down. Slate uses the F word a lot but I love it, it totally fits him.
I had to research the authors after I read this because I enjoyed the story so much and was surprised to see I read Olivia Wildenstein’s The Lost Clan Trilogy few years ago. I remember how unique and enjoyable it was. Now I want to read everything she’s written. I’m not familiar with Katie Hayoz’s work but I’m going to check out her books as well!

This story has all the things I love in a paranormal story: lore, slow burn romance, adventure, a mystery and family secrets to uncover! This was a fun read and I look forward to the next book in the series.

🖤 ~ Yolanda

Instant Karma | Book Review

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Title: Instant Karma

Author: Marissa Meyer

Format: eBook (borrowed)

Pages: 400

Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

In this young adult contemporary romance, a girl is suddenly gifted with the ability to cast instant karma on those around her—both good and bad.

Chronic overachiever Prudence Barnett is always quick to cast judgment on the lazy, rude, and arrogant residents of her coastal town. Her dreams of karmic justice are fulfilled when, after a night out with her friends, she wakes up with the sudden ability to cast instant karma on those around her. Pru giddily makes use of the power, punishing everyone from public vandals to karaoke hecklers, but there is one person on whom her powers consistently backfire: Quint Erickson, her slacker of a lab partner and all-around mortal enemy. Soon, Pru begins to uncover truths about Quint, her peers, and even herself that reveal how thin the line is between virtue and vanity, generosity and greed . . . love and hate.

I enjoyed the slow burn of Prudence and Quint’s relationship. Their partnership during the school project was quite intense. They do not like each other and honestly…I can see Quint’s point because being micro-managed is the worst! Yet I relate to Prudence where you know you will pick up the slack of the other team member if need be for a good grade. I like that we see them get to be friends first though.
Love the theme of environmentalism and this story set in a coastal town. Who doesn’t love a story about trying to save wildlife?
Prudence isn’t perfect, she’s just Type A controlling at times and super ambitious – which is a good thing, because she is determined to reach her goals. I’m glad Quint was there to call her out on some things though because she was super judgmental when it came to Quint. I just wanted to shake some sense into her sometimes.

Prudence got on my nerves a lot. Poor Quint! I like that she learns a lot of things in the end, like how it’s not all about business and making money, that causes have to actually mean something if you want other people to care about it too.
The instant karma..”magic” for me didn’t work at times…especially when it kind of disappears in the middle of the book? Haha…I guess everyone was on good behavior or something? It was an interesting idea though, and Prudence learned from it in the end.

Overall, this was a quick read and I enjoyed the enemies to lovers vibe with Prudence and Quint. I’m not a fan of Prudence though, she seriously needed to let go of control but I’m sure my husband says the same about me. 🤣 Basically no one is perfect but if you can listen to the other person and let them help out, good things can actually happen.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Aloha Friday | 1/15/21

Another Friday is here and we are now at the half-way point of January 2021. Wow.

New Books Acquired:

Netgalley~

Overdrive ~

TV, Movies, Etc…:

Cobra Kai ~ started season 1 but didn’t finish because I had no time.

Adulting:

I had no time to watch anything this week because we got a puppy! We actually got him last Thursday but I guess I didn’t add that in my last Friday post. Probably because I was lacking sleep after the first night he was with us. It’s like having a newborn again! 😩 One that nips. My son named him Atlas, and he is 8 weeks old. He’s a dachshund mix but I don’t see it…lol, he looks like a mini Boxer to me! He is barely 4 lbs and I’ve never had a dog this small – the last time I had a puppy was back in 2006, a husky/malamute and she was way bigger than Atlas. And back in 2006, I had no kids – just another fur baby so it’s been rough! I’m just glad my daughter is finally potty trained haha.

So he’s been taking up my nights, but get better each night in his kennel. He just pees and poops so much because he’s so young. And of course he is gnawing on everything – my feet, my fingers, my hair, lol…but I’m trying my best to redirect his nipping to all his toys. He is so fun to play with, the kids love him.

That’s been my week – late at night when I clean up his pee/poop messes, afterwards I’ll sit next to him and read on my kindle app while he nips or tries to go back to bed. So I am getting a little bit of reading in.

I hope you all had a good week and will have an awesome, safe weekend!

🌺 ~ Yolanda

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter | Book Review

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Title: I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

Author: Erika L. Sanchez

Format: paperback (own)

Pages: 368

Categories: Young Adult, Family, Friendship, Grief, Mental Health, Identity, Coming of Age, Sexual Situations

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian meets Jane the Virgin in this poignant but often laugh-out-loud funny contemporary YA about losing a sister and finding yourself amid the pressures, expectations, and stereotypes of growing up in a Mexican American home.

Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents’ house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family.

But Julia is not your perfect Mexican daughter. That was Olga’s role.

Then a tragic accident on the busiest street in Chicago leaves Olga dead and Julia left behind to reassemble the shattered pieces of her family. And no one seems to acknowledge that Julia is broken, too. Instead, her mother seems to channel her grief into pointing out every possible way Julia has failed.

But it’s not long before Julia discovers that Olga might not have been as perfect as everyone thought. With the help of her best friend, Lorena, and her first love (first everything), Connor, Julia is determined to find out. Was Olga really what she seemed? Or was there more to her sister’s story? And either way, how can Julia even attempt to live up to a seemingly impossible ideal?

Julia is a Mexican American teen who is feeling trapped by grief and her family with their strict rules. I could relate to Julia even though I am not Mexican American, my parents are immigrants, so I remember not understanding some of their rules even silly ones like not shaving your legs. I couldn’t understand my parents, just like how Julia couldn’t understand hers. Her story is very relatable to me.
Julia is so judgmental until near the end when she becomes so overwhelmed with her thoughts and feelings about Olga’s death, her mom, herself…that I realized she needed help. I thought it was powerful that we saw her coasting through life, angrily and acting out (but nothing too crazy), thinking she’s going to be okay, she just needs to let time heal woulds and all that and then the situation becomes dangerous. This is very relatable too – how many of us think we feel trapped, not realizing we need help? I remember that in my teen years and beyond as well. I’m glad we see how Julia gets the help she needs.
I liked when Julia goes to Mexico. It reminded me of my parents taking us on our family trip to the Philippines when I was 7 years old. I remember seeing and hearing my dinner being killed, and butchered. It was quite an eye opening trip. But it was nice to learn more about Julia’s family in Mexico and glad she had that time to feel a bit freer from her anxiety.
Julia as a character is real as can be, her thoughts aren’t censored, she judges everyone harshly but it was refreshing. She wasn’t likable, but she didn’t even like herself, and who does like themselves as a teenager? Julia is dealing with so many things at one time: grief, her mom’s rules, trying to please her parents/family, hating her life, and investigating Olga’s past. She is imperfect and I loved the scenes where she is finally acknowledging her thoughts out loud to someone else who listens without judging her.

Triggers: grief, suicidal ideation, violence, sexual harassment
I thought this story moved slowly in the beginning and it almost lost my attention, especially since I thought investigating Olga’s past was the main thing about this story – but nothing much happens there until the big reveal at the end.

Despite it being a slow moving story, it is powerful in the way it explores immigrant Mexican American families, grief and mental health issues. None of us are perfect but most of us live with the pressure from our parents or other family members to be their idea of perfect. Julia was not about to conform to their ideals but she felt trapped and didn’t know who to talk to about it. This is a great book for teens coming of age.

📖 ~ Yolanda

WWW Wednesday | 1/13/21

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

I have a lot to read and catch up on but I feel like I’m having a slow start to January! 🤦🏻‍♀️ Hope you are getting lots of reading done!

📚 ~ Yolanda

BLOG TOUR } One of the Good Ones by. Malika Moulite & Maritza Moulite

Welcome to the blog tour for One of the Good Ones by. Malika Moulite & Maritza Moulite!

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Title: One of the Good Ones

Author: Malika Moulite & Maritza Moulite

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 1/5/21

Publisher: Inkyard Press

Categories: Racism, Social Justice, Protests, Family, History, Contemporary, Young Adult

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

The Hate U Give meets Get Out in this honest and powerful exploration of prejudice in the stunning novel from sister-writer duo Maika and Maritza Moulite, authors of Dear Haiti, Love Alaine.

ISN’T BEING HUMAN ENOUGH?

When teen social activist and history buff Kezi Smith is killed under mysterious circumstances after attending a social justice rally, her devastated sister Happi and their family are left reeling in the aftermath. As Kezi becomes another immortalized victim in the fight against police brutality, Happi begins to question the idealized way her sister is remembered. Perfect. Angelic.

One of the good ones.

Even as the phrase rings wrong in her mind—why are only certain people deemed worthy to be missed?—Happi and her sister Genny embark on a journey to honor Kezi in their own way, using an heirloom copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book as their guide. But there’s a twist to Kezi’s story that no one could’ve ever expected—one that will change everything all over again.

I loved how this story explored racism and it’s history through Kezi’s life and death which happens because of a protest for a black man who lost his life, Jamal. The story ties into racism in American history with Happi and Genny’s road trip using The Negro Motorist Green Book! This trip also helps Happi and Genny learn about their own family history. I learned a lot of things through their journey.
The road trip opens Happi and Genny’s eyes to a lot of history and to some things in Kezi’s life they were missing. It’s a healing journey for them and Kezi’s youtube followers too.
The way the Smith family copes after Kezi’s death is different, as everyone grieves differently. I thought it was interesting how religion is brought into the story and how the Smith parents have to deal with certain truths about Kezi’s life. I like that it touches on how the girls were “raised”. How they were the good ones: good life, grades, looks, family, etc…as opposed to the bad ones who are vilified in the media because they don’t have all those things.
The plot twist in this book made my eyes go wide. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I kept on reading, but the ending of the book is really unexpected. It goes in a direction I never expected!

Triggers: mention of lynchings, racism, police brutality, stalking, grief, kidnapping
I had a hard time getting into the story at first because there are many different perspectives with many different dates (timelines): Kezi, Happi, Shaqueria, and Evelyn. They are all connected but I’m not even sure if Evelyn’s story perspective was needed since Kezi explains who she was and how her family was close to Derek’s.
I feel like this story turns into something else entirely in the second half and almost wish it picked one story to go with. I would have been satisfied with an amazing road trip story or the plot twist really could have been a separate book on it’s own. Honestly…the second half would be my pick because then the story becomes a thriller!
With all this said, there are so many great stories in this book, but I think maybe there was too much going on.

Overall, I think this is an impactful story when it comes to talking about racism, American history, family dynamics and social justice. It took me awhile to get into because of all the different perspectives and timelines but I do love how thrilling the ending becomes, which was so unexpected. This is an important story about how society as a whole values black lives.

♥️ ~ Yolanda

About the Authors:

MAIKA MOULITE is a Miami native and the daughter of Haitian immigrants. She earned a bachelor’s in marketing from Florida State University and an MBA from the University of Miami. When she’s not using her digital prowess to help nonprofits and major organizations tell their stories online, she’s sharpening her skills as a PhD student at Howard University’s Communication, Culture and Media Studies program. Her research focuses on representation in media and its impact on marginalized groups. She’s the eldest of four sisters and loves young adult novels, fierce female leads, and laughing.

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

MARITZA MOULITE graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s in women’s studies and the University of Southern California with a master’s in journalism. She’s worked in various capacities for NBC News, CNN, and USA TODAY. Maritza is a PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania exploring ways to improve literacy in under-resourced communities after being inspired to study education from her time as a literacy tutor and pre-k teacher assistant. Her favorite song is “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire.

https://www.maikaandmaritza.com/

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

Aloha Friday | 1/8/21

Well…this week was wonderful because it started with my daughter’s 4th birthday! I love her so much and she had a great time with our little luncheon ~ she didn’t want food, she just wanted family, cake and gifts, and that is what she got.

The week got even better when the Georgia election Tuesday night showed Georgia turning blue…thank you Stacey Abrams and all your amazing hard wook, teamwork…all of it. 👑 Then Wednesday morning I was watching the news to make the Georgia results official…and realized the electoral college votes were going to be certified…and they got to Arizona, and there were objections so they went to debate it…and then all hell broke loose outside and inside. I am appalled, mad at the hypocrisy, just disgusted…can they just remove him today (as I write this on Wednesday during the protest)? So I wasted a day watching the news…

Anyway enough of that negativity…sigh…how was my reading week?

Newly Acquired Books:

NetGalley:

Kindle Unlimited:

TV, Movies, Etc…:

Netflix:

The Queen’s Gambit ~ finished the series and enjoyed it! It’s dark, sad, but love love love how it’s filmed, the aesthetic, her make-up, her hair, style…ugh, love. It was fascinating watching Beth Harmon’s life and how she grows from child to young woman. I love Jolene being real with Beth. ♥️ Compelling story for sure!

Adulting:

We got a fish. Haha…my son did his 2nd quarter project on an axolotl and I saw our local pet store had one so I took them there to see it. And we came home with a fish – daughter wanted the axolotl and I said no, told her to get a betta fish instead since ours died last year. Our fur baby died 2 years ago and I was waiting until my daughter turns 5 to get another dog…so I’ve been looking since last year! The search continues…
My son will start hybrid schooling come February and I’m happy for him. I wish they could roll out the vaccine quicker, teachers need them – my sister got hers because she works at the hospital. But yes, would be great to get that out quicker.

I hope your week went well and you are staying safe out there!

♡ ~ Yolanda

The Four Winds | ARC Review

My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Title: The Four Winds

Author: Kristin Hannah

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 464

Publication Date: St. Martin’s Press

Publication Date: 2/2/21

Categories: Historical Fiction, Dust Bowl, Family

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes an epic novel of love and heroism and hope, set against the backdrop of one of America’s most defining eras—the Great Depression.

Texas, 1934. Millions are out of work and a drought has broken the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as the crops are failing, the water is drying up, and dust threatens to bury them all. One of the darkest periods of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl era, has arrived with a vengeance.

In this uncertain and dangerous time, Elsa Martinelli—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or go west, to California, in search of a better life. The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American Dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.

Kristin Hannah is an auto-read author for me. She does it again with The Four Winds and wow, this is a heavy read. But like the amazing writer she is, she makes you feel despair, desperation, fear, loss and eventually hope. This story is a hard journey into a bleak time during American History, the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl era.
Not only does this book make you feel – it places you in the specific time and place so you can be there in person, struggling with Elsa and the Martinelli’s. I was praying for rain to help them! I was pleading for her daughter to give her mom a break. I was begging them to take the government help. I was enraged at the discrimination and poverty they experienced in California. Kristin Hannah always does research for her books and it shows! It’s why I love her books so much.
Elsa is our main character and she is a girl who just wants to be loved. She’s been ruled by fear and rules all her life only to be discarded by her family. But does she survive? Hell yes…she does everything for the love of her children. My god, her mother’s love is heartbreaking and enduring. Her daughter Loreda is a strong force in this story as well. She is carefree like her father and is at an age where she fights her mother on everything. It’s a long road for all of them, but mostly for these two and their relationship.
This story is so multi-layered. There are so many themes in this book: motherhood, pride, discrimination, poverty and survival.

Triggers: poverty, discrimination, depression
This story is pretty bleak and depressing. There isn’t much happy times at all in this book.

Kristin Hannah once again weaves an emotional tale of brutal struggle and hope. The mother-daughter relationship in this book hit me hard, especially at the end. Elsa Martinelli’s journey is one of courage and strength and I wished so much life was kinder to her. This is an inspiring story to remind us we can get through hard times and no matter what, love endures.

💛 ~ Yolanda