The Girl From Widow Hills by Megan Miranda | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Girl From Widow Hills

Author: Megan Miranda

Format: eBook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 325

Publication Date: 6/23/20

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Categories: Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Murder Mystery

Everyone knows the story of “the girl from Widow Hills.”

Arden Maynor was just a child when she was swept away while sleepwalking during a terrifying rainstorm and went missing for days. Strangers and friends, neighbors and rescue workers, set up search parties and held vigils, praying for her safe return. Against all odds, she was found, alive, clinging to a storm drain. The girl from Widow Hills was a living miracle. Arden’s mother wrote a book. Fame followed. Fans and fan letters, creeps, and stalkers. And every year, the anniversary. It all became too much. As soon as she was old enough, Arden changed her name and disappeared from the public eye.

Now a young woman living hundreds of miles away, Arden goes by Olivia. She’s managed to stay off the radar for the last few years. But with the twentieth anniversary of her rescue approaching, the media will inevitably renew its interest in Arden. Where is she now? Soon Olivia feels like she’s being watched and begins sleepwalking again, like she did long ago, even waking outside her home. Until late one night she jolts awake in her yard. At her feet is the corpse of a man she knows—from her previous life, as Arden Maynor.

And now, the girl from Widow Hills is about to become the center of the story, once again, in this propulsive page-turner from suspense master Megan Miranda.

Content Warning: Death, Abuse

I really needed something to get me out of my reading funk and this definitely did that. Maybe I just miss reading standalone books?

Arden Maynor, now going by Olivia has a famous past that she’s been keeping secret for awhile. She was a little girl when she went missing and found in a storm drain. It made national news and her life has never been the same again. I like how we get a glimpse of Olivia’s life growing up away from the spotlight and what it’s done to her. Media attention isn’t always so glamorous, it can be dangerous as well. I like how the author talked about how stories get manipulated to fit a narrative, to appease an audience, to feed the hungry masses but we hardly know the truth of the matter.

This story had the creepy vibes with the house in the woods, far from the main town. Olivia is an unreliable narrator – she had trauma from her past, memories of her mother who had just passed and suffer from sleepwalking episodes. She also has anxiety with enclosed spaces. I could feel the anxiety through the pages and a lot of the story made me question things about her. I also liked how the secondary characters made me suspicious as well.

I enjoyed how the story unravels but there were some spots that seemed slow. I still managed to finish the book in one sitting though, which was nice. The twist in the ending reminded me a bit of another book (but it’s a much more darker one) which I won’t talk about since I don’t want to spoil anything.

Why you should read it:

gives you the creeps and makes you suspicious of everyone
an unreliable narrator but we get a glimpse of what happens after the media attention
you like suspense and thrillers

Why you might not want to read it:

some slow parts but not enough to make me stop reading

My Thoughts:

I see Megan Miranda books all over my Kindle Unlimited but have never read a book of hers until now. I wanted to see why she has so many people reading her book and I can say I see the appeal! This is coming from someone who doesn’t read a lot of thrillers these days. It was a nice change of pace and I loved that it was a standalone.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes From the Book

A story about you doesn’t necessarily belong to you. It belongs to the writer. To the witness. To the teller.”
Megan Miranda – “The Girl From Widow Hills”

This was what people wanted: They wanted it all. They wanted to fit you in a box. Hold you in the palm of one hand. Sum you up in one sentence. The shorter, the better. So they could understand who you were and the role you were intended to play for their benefit.”
Megan Miranda – “The Girl From Widow Hills”

Lore by. Alexandra Bracken | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Lore

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Format: hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 480

Publication Date: 1/05/21

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Categories: Young Adult, Greek Mythology, Urban Fantasy, Romance

Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality.
Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world in the wake of her family’s sadistic murder by a rival line, turning her back on the hunt’s promises of eternal glory. For years she’s pushed away any thought of revenge against the man–now a god–responsible for their deaths.

Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek out her help: Castor, a childhood friend of Lore believed long dead, and a gravely wounded Athena, among the last of the original gods.

The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and, at last, a way for Lore to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore’s decision to bind her fate to Athena’s and rejoin the hunt will come at a deadly cost–and still may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees.

Content Warning: Death, Cancer, Violence, Sexual Assault, Implied Pedophilia, Murder

This a story where my mood reading kicked in. I borrowed this book as an ebook on my kindle app a month ago and 21 days later it expired with me only getting through 5 pages. Yes…I was not in the mood to read it at all. A month later, I’m at the library and browsing the shelves and see Lore staring me in the face. I tell myself this time I WILL read it in time, and I read it in one day! Why now? I’m not sure…

Let me say what I always say about books that deal with Greek Mythology. It’s easy for me to get lost because I don’t relate much to the Greek Mythology even though we’ve had to studied some of them in high school. The stories are epic sure, and I remember Troy the movie because Brad Pitt is in it but other than that – I can’t keep all the names straight, except Zeus. So reading Lore, I had to be patient with the info dumping of bloodlines and such – there are A LOT. Once my brain got situated with some of the characters, it latched on for the wild ride of this story.

In this story, Zeus created these games the Agon, that commences every 7 years and the hunt takes place during 7 days. Anyone who kills a god in these 7 days will gain their power but if they accomplish this task, in the next Agon, they will be hunted next and so forth. The last time Lore experienced an Agon she was only 10 and something traumatic happened that haunts her every day. She’s learned to channel that fear and rage onto the fighting mat where she takes down opponents with her fighting skills. But the new cycle of the Agon is about to start and this time, they have found her.

I enjoyed all of the characters in this story. Lore with her warrior, kick-ass skills and rage- she has a lot of trauma she’s living with. Miles her best friend who is Korean and queer and knows NYC like the back of his hand. Castor, Lore’s best friend from long ago who is now the new Apollo. Van, Castor’s best friend who is the tech-genius and queer as well. Athena, the goddess who is trying to win the Agon by making an alliance with Lore. All the characters were fleshed out and I loved their interactions. I like how each of them had their own beliefs of what happiness was to each of them whether it meant being with a friend through thick and thin, vengeance, freedom, pursuit of a Father’s love, pursuit of power, or just trying to understanding a gift that is given. The story explores themes of sacrifice, power, friendship and love.

It’s a fairly long book at under 500 pages, but I felt like it moved fast because there were a lot of action scenes. Be warned, this is a dark story with lots of violence, blood shed, necks and other body parts getting chopped off, these are warriors, gods and hunters fighting one another. There is implied pedophilia and these archons run a Patriarchial society where females can’t even become archon of their own bloodline, although they have gods like Athena and Artemis. I did like how the villains were written though.

There is a little bit of romance, but it is not the main focus of the story but it is sweet. Like I said before it’s greek mythology so there can be a bunch of info dumping at times, there were a few times I googled certain names! The point of the Agon is confusing in the first few chapters but I grasped the concept the more I read.

Why you should read it:

if you like urban fantasy and greek mythology, you might like this one
Lore’s character arc
lots of action, fighting

Why you might not want to read it:

lots of info dumping with so many greek mythology characters thrown into this story
confusing concept at first

My Thoughts:

My first attempt at reading this book was a no-go. I didn’t think I’d pick it up again, but I guess the time was right and I wanted to delve into greek mythology right now haha. I enjoyed the characters a lot and uncovering Lore’s secret and past life kept me reading. The action kept the story moving quickly. The villains in this story are absolutely villainous and done well. The romance is a sweet best friends to lovers trope. I felt Lore’s sense of a found family with Miles, Castor and Van. I enjoyed it despite some confusion in the beginning and a bunch info-dumping.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes From the Book

It’s not always the truth that survives, but the stories we wish to believe. The legends lie. They smooth over imperfections to tell a good tale, or to instruct us how we should behave, or to assign glory to victors and shame those who falter..”
Alexandra Bracken – “Lore”

Monsters lived in the shadows. To hunt them, you couldn’t be afraid to follow. And the only way to destroy them was to have the sharpest teeth and the darker heart.”
Alexandra Bracken – “Lore”

I was born knowing how to do three things – how to breathe, how to dream and how to love you.”
Alexandra Bracken – “Lore”

Love From Scratch by. Kaitlyn Hill | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Love From Scratch

Author: Allison Saft

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 4/05/22

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Food, Rivalry, Contemporary

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

Thank you to Delacorte Press for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This summer, Reese Camden is trading sweet tea and Southern hospitality for cold brew and crisp coastal air. She’s landed her dream marketing internship at Friends of Flavor, a wildly popular cooking channel in Seattle. The only problem? Benny Beneventi, the relentlessly charming, backwards-baseball-cap-wearing culinary intern–and her main competition for the fall job.

Reese’s plan to keep work a No Feelings Zone crumbles like a day-old muffin when she and Benny are thrown together for a video shoot that goes viral, making them the internet’s newest ship. Audiences are hungry for more, and their bosses at Friends of Flavor are happy to deliver. Soon Reese and Benny are in an all-out food war, churning homemade ice cream, twisting soft pretzels, breaking eggs in an omelet showdown–while hundreds of thousands of viewers watch.

Reese can’t deny the chemistry between her and Benny. But the more their rivalry heats up, the harder it is to keep love on the back burner…

Content Warning: Sexism, Cyber-Bullying

All you rom-com foodies will enjoy this book! First the book cover already gives you a glimpse of what is going to come in the story. Two interns out of high school are competing for a spot on a food network. They are randomly thrown together for an amateur series but the big suits of the company want to make it competitive. Reese is from Kentucky, she’s a southern belle with food knowledge that she learned in her grandma’s kitchen. Whereas Benny is almost a cooking pro since his family owns a restaurant.

The banter between them is the cutest and you can feel the chemistry! Also – there are so many food puns. I liked how they have chemistry on screen and yet are rivals and also friends. I mean how can Reese resist Benny when he’s so good-looking, charming and can cook!

The challenges between them come because of the food network throwing them into a competition for the internship. They both have their reasons for wanting it but we see how Reese gets treated because she’s female in comparison to Benny. The story touches on sexism in the industry and of course the cyberbullying/trolling that comes with fame from something that goes viral. The men/bosses around Reese give her inappropriate looks and say things they shouldn’t and of course the online comments are the worst. The fans of the show peg Reese as a girl who’s bitchy, ugly, someone sleeping her way to the top and it really gets her down but I’m glad it doesn’t totally destroy her. She has her best friends on standby and they are her biggest cheerleaders.

Miscommunication comes between Reese and Benny so the conflict isn’t major but this is a very cute, light hearted rom-com so I think it works for the tone of the story. Also these two characters haven’t exactly had hard lives, they are just two regular teens out of high school trying to decide what the next step will be and hope they succeed.

Why you should read it:

you love a foodie romance story, lots of food puns
light hearted, cute and sweet romance
Benny and Reese’s banter and chemistry

Why you might not want to read it:

not into food and romance

My Thoughts:

This was a cute read and if you love food and romance, you will definitely enjoy Love From Scratch.

📚 ~ Yolanda

This May End Badly | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: This May End Badly

Author: Samantha Markum

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 4/12/22

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance, Prep School, Fake Dating

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

Thank you to Wednesday Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

When a high stakes boarding school prank war leads to a fake dating scheme, two teens must decide if they are ready to take the ultimate risk — falling in love.

Pranking mastermind Doe and her motley band of Weston girls are determined to win the century-long war against Winfield Academy before the clock ticks down on their senior year. But when their headmistress announces that The Weston School will merge with its rival the following year, their longtime feud spirals into chaos.

To protect the school that has been her safe haven since her parents’ divorce, Doe puts together a plan to prove once and for all that Winfield boys and Weston girls just don’t mix, starting with a direct hit at Three, Winfield’s boy king and her nemesis. In a desperate move to win, Doe strikes a bargain with Three’s cousin, Wells: If he fake dates her to get under Three’s skin, she’ll help him get back his rightful family heirloom from Three.

As the pranks escalate, so do her feelings for her fake boyfriend, and Doe spins lie after lie to keep up her end of the deal. But when a teacher long suspected of inappropriate behavior messes with a younger Weston girl, Doe has to decide what’s more important: winning a rivalry, or joining forces to protect something far more critical than a prank war legacy.

This May End Badly is a story about friendship, falling in love, and crossing pretty much every line presented to you—and how to atone when you do.

Content Warning: sexual harassment/assault

I’m a sucker for prep school stories so I knew I had to request this one.

The thing I liked most about this story was Doe and Well’s relationship. They have fun together and their interactions kept the story lively. They fake date to get under the skin of Three (Doe’s arch enemy and Well’s cousin) but of course feelings get involved by the end of the book and Doe has to figure out a bunch of stuff. The romance was cute and I was invested in their relationship.

The characters are all flawed – Doe being our main character seems to be the most flawed. She is self-centered and selfish especially when it comes to keeping her school non co-ed. She’s spent her whole time at The Weston School pranking her rival Three and the Winfield boys. Wells, who is Three’s cousin, and Doe’s fake boyfriend has his own reasons for trying to get under Three’s skin and we learn that his upbringing wasn’t exactly perfect. Both Wells and Doe have messy families and I think that’s why they get along so well.

I like the diversity of Doe’s friends and I thought it was good of them to call her out on how she was acting. But I also liked how they tried to work things out afterwards. It shows Doe’s growth when she owned up to what she did and tried to fix things. When things are good between the girls though, they are a fun group!

Outside of Doe’s rivalry with Three, there are important issues being discussed in this story like feminism (Doe’s strong inclination to keep Weston an all-girls school/woman power) but other issues were brought up to like the rights and feelings of LGBT+ students on both Weston and Winfield campuses. Also how being a co-ed school could benefit the student body. Another pressing issue in the story is a teacher who is a predator and girls voices not being heard.

Kind of wished that with the teacher being a very known predator on campus, Doe and friends would have done something about it much sooner. I know it’s because they didn’t have concrete evidence and they probably didn’t think their complaints would be heard by higher-ups and that’s a sad reality – because it IS real. The administration in the story definitely came out saying it was a bold accusation against a staff member – predictable, realistic – but in this story, at least the girls and boys finally come together to take this teacher down. I wish it happened that easily in real life but as we know…it doesn’t happen that way.

Doe has tunnel vision and it’s focused on Three and making him as miserable as possible. I thought she was a bit obsessive about it and wish she would have let up a little but I’ve never hated that one so much before so maybe it was just hard to let go for her. Because what is she without the pranks and hating Three? Doe is scared to find out but she does…and grows from learning more about herself.

Why you should read it:

you like prep school rivalries
a cute, fake dating romance
I like how Doe grows and learns from her mistakes (it takes awhile though) but I like that she faces the consequences.

Why you might not want to read it:

you are not into prank wars? lol…I can’t think of a reason

My Thoughts:

This story really held my attention and I read it in one sitting. It’s a a great story about friendship, falling in love, letting go of anger and channeling in into a cause that can rally everyone on both campuses.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Always Jane by. Jenn Bennett | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Always Jane

Author: Jenn Bennett

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 3/29/22

Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Music

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

Thank you to Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A chauffer’s daughter finds herself in the middle of a love triangle with the sons of her boss’s wealthy next-door neighbors in this delightfully romantic story from the author of Alex, Approximately, Jenn Bennett.

Love—and Fen Sarafian—do not care about your summer plans.

Eighteen-year-old chauffeur’s daughter Jane Marlow grew up among the domestic staff of a wealthy LA rock producer, within reach of bands she idolizes, but never a VIP. Every summer, Jane and her father head to the Sierras to work at the producer’s luxury lodge at Lake Condor—a resort town and the site of a major musical festival.

The legendary family who runs the festival are the Sarafians, and Jane’s had a longtime crush on their oldest son, Eddie—doltish but sweet. So when a long-distance romance finally sparks between them, she doesn’t hesitate to cross class lines.

But Jane’s feelings about Eddie are thrown into question after she returns to the lake and reconnects with his alluringly intense brother, the dark horse of her placid summer plans. A fellow lover of music—and hater of the game—Fen Sarafian has been ousted from the family and is slumming it at a vinyl record shop. He burns for Jane like a house on fire and will do anything to sabotage his older brother, even if it means taking a wrecking ball to a multi-million-dollar music festival. Or Jane’s heart.

Content Warning: Drug Use

First off – the cover of this book does not match the story. I get that the main character Jane loves pink but I feel like the cover should’ve matched the aesthetic of other Jenn Bennet book covers.

Right away I was intrigued with this story of a girl who has a brain injury because of an accident – she ends up dating one of the guys who was there at the time of the accident but then ends up liking his brother. Yes, beware, this is a love triangle that involves brothers but I have to point out Eddie and Jane’s relationship is pretty flimsy and it’s not a serious love triangle.

Jane wasn’t a character I could say I really connected to but I like that we see how her life is affected by her brain injury, aphasia, and also we get a glimpse into her life as a domesticate worker for a music mogul, Mad Dog. Her dad is the chauffeur so her whole life has been in the employ of Mad Dog. There is a rumor though that Jane may be Mad Dog’s child – but it doesn’t matter, she knows who was her dad is and who took care of her from when she was a baby. I did enjoy Jane’s relationship with her father, they are so close to one another. Jane is eighteen and not sure what she wants to do with her life, if that means moving in with her boyfriend Eddie or keep working for Mad Dog. When she returns to the place she had her accident, she meets Fennec/Fen, Eddie’s brother and she realizes she has more in common with him than Eddie. I did like to see Jane’s growth by the end of the story.

Fennec comes off as the ‘dark horse’ in his family compared to the ‘golden boy’ Eddie but we learn that isn’t true – he is a young man who loves his family, loves music and loves Jane. He is not afraid to speak out against his brother, even if it gets him kicked out of his own home. I thought he was the more interesting character between him and Jane but he is definitely filled with a lot of angst. Fennec comes from a bigger family who are always involved in each other’s lives. Fen’s mom was very interesting and seemed to run the household even though Fen’s dad is the head of the family. He doesn’t have a good relationship with his dad.

Now as far as how the romance unfolds – Jane is Eddie’s girlfriend and he is on a business trip. I got the feeling right away that he wasn’t into the relationship like Jane was and that made me feel so bad for her because she didn’t know much about him but she was ready to move in with him! She learns more about him through his brother Fennec. Jane and Fen have so much in common especially when it comes to music. They go from enemies, to friends, to more than friends but obviously Fen has been crazy about Jane since before her accident.

Overall, I didn’t connect to the characters as much as I’d like, and I think there was a bunch of things going on in the story that didn’t make it flow as easily as her other books. Jane is trying to decide her future and get out of being a domestic worker, she’s trying to navigate her feelings about the rumors about her real dad being Mad Dog, she’s an assistant to Mad Dog’s daughter Velvet and trying to deal with her drug using antics, and she’s supposedly in a relationship with Eddie but falling in love with Fennec. Jane grows and learns to stand up for what she wants out of her life by the end, even though it means to do it without Fen.

Why you should read it:

you love Jenn Bennett’s books
Jane and Fennec bonding over music – he’s so in love with her
Jane’s growth

Why you might not want to read it:

I didn’t connect as much to the characters as I would have liked
seemed like there was too much going on in the story

My Thoughts:

This is not my favorite Jenn Bennett book but the signature imperfect characters are present in this book. It’s what I adore about Jenn Bennett books. I just wish I connected to the characters more and there was less going on when it came to Eddie’s drama, and maybe Mad Dog being Jane’s father (which didn’t matter because her dad was there from day one). Jane and Fennec are both eighteen years old kids who are trying to figure out life, obsessing about music, dealing with some family drama and falling in love.

📚 ~ Yolanda

What We Harvest by. Ann Fraistat | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: What We Harvest

Author: Ann Fraistat

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 3/22/22

Publisher: Delcorte

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Alchemy, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror, Contemporary

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

Thank you to Delacorte for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

For fans of Wilder Girls comes a nightmarish debut guaranteed to keep you up through the night, about an idyllic small town poisoned by its past, and one girl who must fight the strange disease that’s slowly claiming everyone she loves.

Wren owes everything she has to her home, Hollow’s End, a centuries-old, picture perfect American town. Tourists travel miles to marvel at its miracle crops, including the shimmering, iridescent wheat of Wren’s family farm. Until five months ago.

That’s when the quicksilver mercury blight first surfaced, poisoning the farms of Hollow’s End one by one. It began by consuming the crops–thick, silver sludge bleeding from the earth. Next were the animals. Infected livestock and wild creatures alike staggered off into the woods by day—only to return at night, their eyes, fogged white, leering from the trees.

Then, the blight came for the neighbors.

Wren is among the last locals standing. And the blight has finally come for her, too. Now, the only one she can turn to is the last person she wants to call: her ex, Derek. They haven’t spoken in months, but Wren and Derek still have one thing in common—Hollow’s End means everything to them. Only there’s much they don’t know about their hometown and its renowned miracle crops. And they’re about to discover that miracles aren’t free.

Their ancestors have an awful lot to pay for, and Wren and Derek are the only ones left to settle old debts.

Content Warning: Gore, Violence

You can kind of tell from the cover of this book that something sinister is going to be happening in this book.

Wren lives in a special town, where four founding families have situated themselves over a few generations and grow their miraculous crops and animals. Wren doesn’t know how it came to be her family grew rainbow wheat but she is next to inherit the farm except that now the farms are ruined with Blight. But this blight isn’t ordinary – it doesn’t only kill crops, it turns people and animals into zombie like creatures. So it’s a race against time before Wren can figure out not to get infected, turn into one of the Blighted, and save the farm – her family’s legacy.

This story is creepy, especially because the Blighted come out once the sun goes down. It has a lot of action too which was fun! There is even romance between Wren and boy next door or boy from one of the other founding families – her best friend since childhood, Derek. But they have broken up and now they have to rely on each other to stay safe and also to save their loved ones. There is also a f/f relationship with Derek’s sister Claudette and her girlfriend, Angie.

I liked the reveal of how the families got their source of magic to keep their farms growing the way they did. It’s horrific but I love that Wren does everything she can to undo it. The conclusion wraps everything up pretty good except for the parts where we don’t know what the government learned about the blight and what they will do with the information.

There were some parts that frustrated me about the book, like when Wren kept getting people hurt. That was partly Derek’s fault too but I was getting annoyed with her decision making. I mean I get she was half zombie at that point and couldn’t quite control herself though haha. I’m just glad things worked out!

Why you should read it:

story is creepy, thrilling and filled with action – I liked the reveal and conclusion
a quick, engaging read with just a few horror/gory scenes
zombies

Why you might not want to read it:

you are not into lite horror and gore or zombies

My Thoughts:

This is a gripping read and I was engrossed with seeing how everything played out with Wren and the blight on the farms. The tone was perfectly creepy, especially when the sun went down. If you like books like Small Favors and Burn Our Bodies Down, stories that take place on farms – you will enjoy this one!

📚 ~ Yolanda

Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell by. Taj McCoy | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell

Author: Taj McCoy

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 3/22/22

Publisher: MIRA

Categories: Adult Fiction, Romance

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

Thank you to MIRA for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A delicious debut rom-com about a plus-size sweetheart who gets a full-life makeover after a brutal breakup.

Savvy Sheldon spends a lot of time tiptoeing around the cracks in her life: her high-stress and low-thanks job, her clueless boyfriend and the falling-apart kitchen she inherited from her beloved grandma—who taught her how to cook and how to love people by feeding them. But when Savvy’s world starts to crash down around her, she knows it’s time for some renovations.

Starting from the outside in, Savvy tackles her crumbling kitchen, her relationship with her body, her work–life balance (or lack thereof) and, last but not least, her love life. The only thing that doesn’t seem to require effort is her ride-or-die squad of friends. But as any home-reno-show junkie can tell you, something always falls apart during renovations. First, Savvy passes out during hot yoga. Then it turns out that the contractor she hires is the same sexy stranger she unintentionally offended by judging based on appearances. Worst of all, Savvy can’t seem to go anywhere without tripping over her ex and his latest “upgrade.” Savvy begins to realize that maybe she should’ve started her renovations the other way around: beginning with how she sees herself before building a love that lasts.

Content Warning:

This story was all about Savvy Sheldon’s journey to healing and loving herself after a bad breakup. I love how she didn’t let heartbreak keep her down. Instead she turned that energy into achieving a better work/life balance for herself. Savvy is a people pleaser and always going the extra mile at work so she can get a promotion even if it meant putting work ahead of everything else. She’s also always taking care of her uncle and cooking for her friends.

Her best friends Maggie and Joanie/Kotter are so much fun! I felt like I was hanging out with my girlfriends. They got Savvy’s back like best friends should. I love how they brought others into their circle like Beth, her tennis coach and the new guy in her life, Spencer.

Spencer and Savvy have the sweetest chemistry and then things get hot, but I think it was good how it happened gradually. I like how it was a slow burn and they really got to know one another. He even got to know her friends before their relationship goes to the next level. Spencer is the perfect guy for Savvy, they just have a great vibe together, he is down to earth just like Savvy.

There is some drama in the book but not enough to really be a big conflict. I felt like most of the conflict was with Savvy just trying to find out what makes her happy in life and attaining a balance so work doesn’t burn her out. But it was really nice seeing her try out new things and stick to her plan of exercising to feel better, not necessarily to lose weight. I’d say this is a lighthearted romance, perfect for a quick read.

Why you should read it:

Savvy’s friends are so much fun
full-figure main character, this is her journey to self love after a bad breakup
it’s a sweet story but also has some scenes with heat, light hearted romance

Why you might not want to read it:

wanted a little more conflict to keep things interesting
she does try to get healthier and even says she wants the “revenge body” so if you want a character that embraces herself without making changes then this might not be for you

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this story about Savvy’s journey to self-love even if she did start out to get a revenge body to flaunt at her ex. All that changes afterwards when she realizes she’s having fun without him and she meets Spencer. For me, Savvy’s friends were my favorite part of the whole book, they are so much fun and had her back. This is a quick read and a lighthearted romance story.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Four Aunties and a Wedding by. Jesse Q. Sutanto | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Title: Four Aunties and a Wedding (Aunties, #2)

Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 304

Publication Date: 3/29/22

Publisher: Berkley Books

Categories: Adult Fiction, Romance, Women’s Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery, Humor

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

Thank you to Berkley Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The aunties are back, fiercer than ever and ready to handle any catastrophe–even the mafia–in this delightful and hilarious sequel by Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of Dial A for Aunties.

Meddy Chan has been to countless weddings, but she never imagined how her own would turn out. Now the day has arrived, and she can’t wait to marry her college sweetheart, Nathan. Instead of having Ma and the aunts cater to her wedding, Meddy wants them to enjoy the day as guests. As a compromise, they find the perfect wedding vendors: a Chinese-Indonesian family-run company just like theirs. Meddy is hesitant at first, but she hits it off right away with the wedding photographer, Staphanie, who reminds Meddy of herself, down to the unfortunately misspelled name.

Meddy realizes that is where their similarities end, however, when she overhears Staphanie talking about taking out a target. Horrified, Meddy can’t believe Staphanie and her family aren’t just like her own, they are The Family–actual mafia, and they’re using Meddy’s wedding as a chance to conduct shady business. Her aunties and mother won’t let Meddy’s wedding ceremony become a murder scene–over their dead bodies–and will do whatever it takes to save her special day, even if it means taking on the mafia.

Content Warning: Drug Use

I absolutely struggled through this one which is the opposite experience I had with book one of this series. I read the first book in 2 days! This one…I could barely finish, it’s taken me a month and I basically skimmed it to the end.

What didn’t work for me? You have to suspend your belief A LOT for this one, and as much as I tried, I couldn’t do it. I don’t know if it was because of my reading mood – I wasn’t in the mood for slapstick humor? Meddy is getting married to Nathan and flies to Oxford, England for the wedding – her aunts and mom bring the chaos as usual and this time they’ve hired wedding planners/vendors to help them. What they don’t know is this family of wedding planners has a sinister motive for helping them with this wedding. When they do find out these planners/vendors are not who they say they are – it is straight chaos until the end of the story.

The aunties that made me laugh in book one, made me cringe a lot in this one. They try to learn how to talk like the British and it’s kinda funny at first but the more it keeps going on, it’s just tiring. It’s even more chaotic than book one and this all takes place at Meddy’s wedding! It was too much chaos for me. I wanted Meddy to take control of the situation and obviously she does not know how to do that. Plus she’s lying to her fiance/husband for 90% of the story. It’s supposed to be her special day, couldn’t she have told Nathan at least?

Some things I appreciated about the story? The Indo-Chinese represenation like in book one. No matter how crazy Meddy’s family is – she loves them.

Why you should read it:

you love chaotic, ridiculous, zany stories with slapstick humor
Meddy’s Aunts and mom are wild haha

Why you might not want to read it:

not in the mood for chaos

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed the first book and I wish I stopped there. You will enjoy this story if you want more of the chaos Meddy’s Aunts and her mother brings…they bring it even more in this sequel. Unfortunately, I couldn’t suspend my belief enough to enjoy the wild ride this story took me on.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Monday’s Not Coming by. Tiffany D. Jackson | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Monday’s Not Coming

Author: Tiffany D. Jackson

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 448

Publication Date: 5/22/18

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Categories: Coming of Age, Young Adult, Teen, Abuse, Mental Health, Dyslexia, Mystery

Monday Charles is missing, and only Claudia seems to notice. Claudia and Monday have always been inseparable—more sisters than friends. So when Monday doesn’t turn up for the first day of school, Claudia’s worried. When she doesn’t show for the second day, or second week, Claudia knows that something is wrong. Monday wouldn’t just leave her to endure tests and bullies alone. Not after last year’s rumors and not with her grades on the line. Now Claudia needs her best—and only—friend more than ever. But Monday’s mother refuses to give Claudia a straight answer, and Monday’s sister April is even less help.

As Claudia digs deeper into her friend’s disappearance, she discovers that no one seems to remember the last time they saw Monday. How can a teenage girl just vanish without anyone noticing that she’s gone?

Content Warning: Sexual Harassment, Abuse, Bullying, Homophobia

I love Tiffany D. Jackson’s writing. This is the third book I’ve read from her and I just love how her writing flows and how her stories are mysterious, thrillers with some horror, and yet infused with stories about friendship, community, abuse, growing up/coming of age, and family. The setting of the story is in the city of Washington D.C., and we get a good sense of the community and the difference of where Claudia lives in her own home and where Monday lives in a public housing. The girls both go to a charter school to get a better education.

Claudia is only in the 8th grade and on the verge of going to high school. As the new school year starts her best friend Monday has not shown up to school at all and she is worried. She doesn’t know why anyone else isn’t worried but she knows something is wrong. We see through Claudia’s memories how close she and Monday is, like sisters! Then we really see how important Monday is to Claudia as the story goes on. Claudia is going through so many changes, like dealing with boys, being bullied at school, pressure to do good in school – but without Monday that’s difficult. All she wants is to know what happened to Monday.

Claudia and Monday are as close as sisters, or so Claudia thinks from all their time spent together. You could really feel their bond in the story just through Claudia’s memories. Monday is vibrant, smart, talented and beautiful. Claudia also has another friend in the story, Michael, who is someone she knows from church and I liked how he stayed by her side through it all.

The mystery about Monday intensifies when Claudia doesn’t let up her search for her best friends and we find out some pretty horrific things about what went down in Monday’s house. It’s chilling because we know these things do happen, and heartbreaking because I wish children in these situations had a better chance at life.

The one thing that didn’t work for me in this story was the chapter titles which made some parts confusing. There is a major twist to the story and I think that’s why the chapter titles are worded the way it is but it was confusing. The confusing timelines are in line with Claudia’s mental state when she finds out what happens to Monday and I can sympathize with her mental breakdown.

Also Claudia and Monday are meeting boys in this story even though they are only 8th grade – now this seems young, but to me it’s realistic.

Why you should read it:

the story is inspired by real events – important read
Claudia and Monday’s friendship
Claudia’s journey without Monday

Why you might not want to read it:

the chapter titles are so confusing because the timeline jumps around

My Thoughts:

Despite the confusing chapter titles, I love this author’s work! This was a heartbreaking read because you do get an idea of what happened to Monday – but just how and why it happens is just so sad. It’s an important read not just because we find out what happens to Monday but Claudia’s personal journey also is rife with challenges that she overcomes. In a tragic story there is hope through Claudia who never stops to find her friend Monday. I look forward to reading more from this author!

📚 ~ Yolanda

By Any Other Name by. Lauren Kate | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: By Any Other Name

Author: Lauren Kate

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 304

Publication Date: 3/01/22

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group

Categories: Adult Fiction, Romance, Editor/Author Romance, Mistaken Identity

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

Thank you to Penguin Publishing Group for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

What she doesn’t know about love could fill a book.

With a successful career as a romance editor, and an engagement to a man who checks off all ninety-nine boxes on her carefully curated list, Lanie’s more than good. She’s killing it. Then she’s given the opportunity of a lifetime: to work with world-renowned author and her biggest inspiration in love and life—the Noa Callaway. All Lanie has to do is cure Noa’s writer’s block and she’ll get the promotion she’s always dreamed of. Simple, right?

But there’s a reason no one has ever seen or spoken to the mysterious Noa Calloway. And that reason will rock Lanie’s world. It will call into question everything she thought she knew. When she finally tosses her ninety-nine expectations to the wind, Lanie may just discover that love By Any Other Name can still be as sweet.

Content Warning: Death of Parent

There is so much I loved about this book and I kind of went into reading this one forgetting about the synopsis.

Lanie is a great character and we see her in her element as an editor at a publishing house. She’s given a chance to be promoted but there are conditions that involve getting her favorite author, Noa Calloway, to submit her next book. But Lanie finds out Noa isn’t who she and all Noa’s fans, thinks she is. It is a case of mistaken identity. Noa is Noah. I found Lanie well-rounded and fleshed out. She’s smart, clumsy, ambitious, has the perfect boyfriend and loves her job. We even get to know some of her family history and we get to know her coworkers, some of which are her best friends.

Speaking of friends and family, I love Meg and Rufus, who are there for Lanie when she hits a rough patch in her love life. And Lanie’s grandmother, BD, is the best! She is so funny.

The romance that builds between Lanie and Noah is a slow-burn that starts off on the wrong foot but I wouldn’t call it enemies to lovers. They get along very well once they start to spend time with one another. I loved how the romanced progressed until the very end, and honestly I never wanted the story to come to an end! The whole thing tied into beautifully with the story Noah was writing and I loved how Lanie and Noah actually corresponded for years before meeting.

Some issues I had with it – Lanie is engaged for a good 30% of the book! And it’s not that I hated her fiance or anything, I actually liked seeing that Lanie had everything yet not even that made her happy. I thought it was important to the story, but I wanted more time with Lanie and Noah together. As I kept reading, I kept checking how far in I was into the book because their time in the book was way too short for me. I didn’t want the story to end even if it was such a good ending. And we only get one kiss, that’s it – it’s a perfect kiss though.

Why you should read it:

an editor and author falling for one another, publishing house drama
Meg, Rufus and BD are so much fun
Lanie and Noah’s romance is so heartfelt and came full circle – I didn’t want it to end

Why you might not want to read it:

book is too short, I wanted more of Lanie and Noah
I didn’t realize it was pegged as an enemies to lovers romance, there is a small hint of it and maybe it could have been dragged out (if the book was longer!)

My Thoughts:

I needed this wonderful story to be longer. I can see this as a movie because it’s set in NYC and Lanie and Noah go around to certain places to get his inspiration revved up for his book. I can already imagine it and it would be magical. This one gave me lots of feels, especially the ending and I never wanted it to end.

📚 ~ Yolanda