If the Shoe Fits (Meant to Be, #1) by. Julie Murphy | ARC Review

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Title: If the Shoe Fits (Meant to Be, #1)

Author: Julie Murphy

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 304

Publication Date: 8/3/21

Publisher: Hyperion Avenue

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Modern Cinderella Twist, Fashion, Reality TV

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

After having just graduated with a degree in shoe design, and trying to get her feet on the ground, Cindy is working for her stepmother, who happens to be the executive producer of America’s favorite reality show, Before Midnight. When a spot on the show needs filling ASAP, Cindy volunteers, hoping it might help jump-start her fashion career, or at least give her something to do while her peers land jobs in the world of high fashion.

Turns out being the only plus size woman on a reality dating competition makes a splash, and soon Cindy becomes a body positivity icon for women everywhere. What she doesn’t expect? That she may just find inspiration-and love-in the process. Ultimately, Cindy learns that if the shoe doesn’t fit, maybe it’s time to design your own.

I love this modern twist on the Cinderella story. Instead of a girl who cleans and slaves away for her stepfamily, we have a curvy girl who is trying to jumpstart her fashion career – her particular love being…shoes. Instead of an evil stepmother and stepsisters, we get a supportive family, which was actually really refreshing.
The reality show/Bachelor inspired storyline mixed with the fashion industry worked for me and I have never watched The Bachelor! It even had a tiny of Project Runway moment which was fun. Having Cindy and Henry build a relationship on the reality show brought in suspicion, hope, and so much insecurities for Cindy.
Cindy is a great character – being plus size doesn’t stop her from living her life, looking good in the clothes and shoes she wears. She’s confident even when she doesn’t feel it and even when she feels insecure, she doesn’t let it hinder her from her goals. I love that she became an inspiration to people in the public through her appearance on the show, even if it was all rigged.
Henry and Cindy are a great match. I love how they meet but wow, I’d never be able to like someone and watch them kiss all these other women for a show! So I’m actually glad at Cindy’s decision in the end, I thought it was awesome how she put herself first since there was no guarantees on how’d everything work out after the show. It does work out in the end though.
I enjoyed the side characters like Sarah Claire and Stacy, would love books about them too! I loved her stepsisters and the triplets. Even the crew was crazy yet fun like Beck and Irina.

Because Henry and Cindy are on this reality show, they don’t get a lot of time together until their one date and I guess I was hoping he’d pick her for more private dates but as we find out, everything is set and rigged for tv ratings.
It does feel more like a young adult book than New Adult or Adult.
This would make a cute rom-com movie.

I found If the Shoe Fits a fun, quick read. I wasn’t expecting to finish it in one night but it was fast-paced with The Bachelor inspired storyline which meant something was always happening to Cindy or the other girls going after Henry. I loved that it features Cindy, a plus size girl and a Cinderella retelling where her family isn’t vicious but supportive. I found Henry and Cindy’s building romance to be sweet and yet as realistic as it can be in a reality tv setting. I loved them more when there were no cameras around. I think many romance lovers will find this one an enjoyable read.

👠 ~ Yolanda

BLOG TOUR } The Right Side of Reckless by. Whitney D. Grandison | ARC Review

Welcome to the blog tour for The Right Side of Reckless by. Whitney D. Grandison!

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Title: The Right Side of Reckless

Author: Whitney D. Grandison

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 7/13/21

Publisher: Inkyard Press

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Coming of Age, Inter-racial Romance

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

When a bad boy in need of a second chance meets a good girl who is off limits, sparks fly and forbidden friendship forms in this edgy own-voices romance, perfect for fans of Katie McGarry and Kristina Forest.

They were supposed to ignore each other and respect that fine line between them…

Guillermo Lozano is getting a fresh start. New town, new school, and no more reckless behavior. He’s done his time, and now he needs to right his wrongs. But when his work at the local community center throws him in the path of the one girl who is off limits, friendship sparks…and maybe more.

Regan London needs a fresh perspective. The pressure to stay in her “perfect” relationship and be the good girl all the time has worn her down. But when the walls start to cave in and she finds unexpected understanding from the boy her parents warned about, she can’t ignore her feelings anymore.

The disapproval is instant. Being together might just get Guillermo sent away. But when it comes to the heart, sometimes you have to break the rules and be a little bit reckless…

Guillermo is the “bad boy”. I really liked watching Guillermo grow and do his best to turn his life around after what happened in his past. I grew up with male cousins with bad tempers who got into lots of fights at school and out of school. There were a few times I thought Guillermo was going to fall into his bad habits but he really came out inspiring others, which is really nice to see.
Regan is the “good girl”, who listens to her parents, has the mostly popular athlete at school as her boyfriend but she’s basically pleasing everyone else. It takes Guillermo’s friendship to help her realize the things others want for her, isn’t what she wants for herself. It was cool to see her grow from that and stand up for what she wants in the end.
Malika is an awesome best friend to Regan. I like how she was straight up with her about Troy and she said one thing in the book that I was thinking myself, where she told Regan she didn’t need a guy to be happy. True. As for Guillermo and his friendships, it was a goal his therapist gave him and I think he really did well befriending different types of people like Avery who was awkward and shy, Jenaya who had a bad reputation and Rav, the soccer player. It was a big turn around from the kinds of friends he had in the past.
I liked seeing Regan and Guillermo’s relationships with their parents. Regan’s parents are more supportive but she really had to speak up for herself. Guillermo’s parents are wary of him but eventually they see he is really trying to do the right thing.
Regan and Guillermo have chemistry and like Regan says, he asks for permission and what SHE wants. I can see why Regan falls for him!

Triggers: family pressures, violence
Story was slow in some parts especially with the Troy/Regan/Guillermo triangle.
Troy is a star athlete and on the outside, he and Regan have the perfect relationship. But in their relationship it definitely isn’t perfect. I wasn’t invested in their relationship from just the way he treats her from the beginning and wished they would just break up since we know Guillermo is who she wants. But their relationship drama drags on, I get that Regan wasn’t someone who stood up for herself though…until Troy messes up. It isn’t an easy thing to break up sometimes, especially when families are invested in the relationship too!

The main message I got from this story is that people can change and that’s a great message. I love that Guillermo really had a lot of ground to make up for his mistakes, but he does it for his family and for himself. On the other side, Regan finally figures out what she wants because someone (Guillermo) finally asks her what she wants. That’s important too – as parents, we want the best for our child and even want to lay the path out for them but we have to listen to what they want also. And lastly, the message of consent is so relevant as well. I think this is a story many young adults can learn from!

📖 ~ Yolanda

About the Author:

Whitney is dedicated to telling stories about teens of color and teens in difficult but relatable situations. Some of her works can be found on Wattpad, one of the largest online story sharing platforms, where she has acquired over 30,000 followers and an audience of over fifteen million dedicated readers. Outside of writing, she is a lover of Korean dramas, all things John Hughes, and horror films. Whitney currently lives in Akron, Ohio. She is the author of A Love Hate Thing and The Right Side of Reckless.

Visit Whitney’s website www.whitneydgrandison.com and follow her on

Twitter: @whitney_dg

Instagram: @wheadee

These Hollow Vows | ARC Review

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Title: These Hollow Vows

Author: Lexi Ryan

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 464

Publication Date: 7/20/21

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult/New Adult, Fantasy, Romance

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

From New York Times best-selling author Lexi Ryan, Cruel Prince meets A Court of Thorns and Roses in this sexy, action-packed fantasy about a girl who is caught between two treacherous faerie courts and their dangerously seductive princes.

Brie hates the Fae and refuses to have anything to do with them, even if that means starving on the street. But when her sister is sold to the sadistic king of the Unseelie court to pay a debt, she’ll do whatever it takes to get her back—including making a deal with the king himself to steal three magical relics from the Seelie court.

Gaining unfettered access to the Seelie court is easier said than done. Brie’s only choice is to pose as a potential bride for Prince Ronan, and she soon finds herself falling for him. Unwilling to let her heart distract her, she accepts help from a band of Unseelie misfits with their own secret agenda. As Brie spends time with their mysterious leader, Finn, she struggles to resist his seductive charm.

Caught between two dangerous courts, Brie must decide who to trust with her loyalty. And with her heart.

I am a sucker for stories about the Fae so I was intrigued by the premise of this book. This was like a combination of ACOTAR and Cinderella. I love the world building with the Fae world and the history between the humans Fae.
Brie has a problem – she needs to save her and her skills as a thief is the only want to help her. She gets caught in a power struggle game between the Unseelie and Seelie court and there is deception everywhere. But who can Brie really trust? I honestly didn’t know who to trust either as I read the book.
I liked the second half of this book way more than the first half. It had much more intrigue, reveals and twists that I wasn’t expecting. Also that part in the blurb that calls this book sexy…yeah well, things do get sexier in the second half!
The Princes – oh for Brie to be caught between two handsome fae princes? Lucky girl. Did she choose the right one? I still don’t know!

I got bored in the middle of the story, because of the love triangle and mistrust – it was a lot of angst and drama. I just didn’t care for the “Cinderella” or The Selection vibe to Prince Ronan finding’s a bride.
Love triangle (Think Tamlin/Rhysand from ACOTAR). I don’t blame Brie but she kept reminding herself she loved Sebastien. Does she really if she has to keep reminding herself?

I think this will definitely appeal to fans of ACOTAR because it has so many similar themes. I had trouble connecting to Brie but the story does get juicy at the end when some secrets are revealed. Will I be reading the sequel? Most definitely after that wild ending. It will be interesting to see how this story concludes.

♥️ ~ Yolanda

Small Favors by. Erin A. Craig | ARC Review

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Title: Small Favors

Author: Erin A. Craig

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 480

Publication Date: 7/21/21

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Categories: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Romance, Paranormal, Lite Horror, Historical Fantasy

Ellerie Downing lives in the quiet town of Amity Falls in the Blackspire Mountain range–five narrow peaks stretching into the sky like a grasping hand, bordered by a nearly impenetrable forest from which the early townsfolk fought off the devils in the woods. To this day, visitors are few and rare. But when a supply party goes missing, some worry that the monsters that once stalked the region have returned.

As fall turns to winter, more strange activities plague the town. They point to a tribe of devilish and mystical creatures who promise to fulfill the residents’ deepest desires, however grand and impossible, for just a small favor. But their true intentions are much more sinister, and Ellerie finds herself in a race against time before all of Amity Falls, her family, and the boy she loves go up in flames.

This book cover is so absolutely beautiful and oh so deceptive! I like that about it.
World Building ~ This author knows how to write books that are tinged with creepiness and loaded with suspicion. I suspected everyone, I couldn’t trust anyone – not even our main character, Ellerie! The story had me hooked with the setting, the tone, the silver eyes in the woods and I just imagined if I lived there, I’d die right away. Haha…of fear! The story is set in a historical atmosphere, during the time of settlers in America. People settled in a valley surrounded by pine trees and wilderness, they farm for their livelihood and live far from the city. They ride horses and make their own clothes, so you can imagine the kind of life they live.
Characters ~ Ellerie and her twin Sam are the eldest of four children but certain events come to pass in their village of Amity Falls and they are left without parents. It’s a hard life in Amity Falls but a good one. The neighbors are friendly and help each other out until mysterious deaths and incidents take place around the village. Then we see everyone get suspicious of one another and their tight community start to unwind. We meet a lot of characters in this book, but Ellerie is our main storyteller.
Plot ~ Ellerie and the townspeople need to survive the winter without a ration run because of the creatures in the woods. But they start turning on one another. What are these fast creatures with silver eyes in the woods? For most of the books I guessed they were werewolves, because what else could they be? But it was something else preying on the people of Amity Falls. It’s a mystery.

Triggers: Violence, blood

I was impatient with the lack of information we got about the creatures by the middle of the story but most of our information about the creatures in the woods come at the latter part of the book. The story builds slowly and then really picks up as the situation in Amity Falls gets worse but the ending feels a little bit rushed, like that’s it ~ the problem is neatly solved.
Creep factor ~ there is blood, gore, deformities, eyes play tricks on people, and what every horror novel needs, a doll.
There is a romance but one that left me suspicious of Ellerie’s love interest, Whitaker. So I wasn’t too invested because there were too many red flags.

Overall, I was on the edge reading this book as the mystery surrounded me like the wilderness and pines in Amity Falls. I love the beautiful writing, the atmospheric setting, the creepiness that edges into the story as tempers flare and blood flows in Amity Falls and everything seems…wrong. The ending was a little abrupt for me but this one is perfect for mystery, paranormal and suspense lovers.

🐝 ~ Yolanda