Category: contemporary

Burn Our Bodies Down | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Burn Our Bodies Down

Author: Rory Power

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: July 7, 2020

Categories: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery

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

Ever since Margot was born, it’s been just her and her mother. No answers to Margot’s questions about what came before. No history to hold on to. No relative to speak of. Just the two of them, stuck in their run-down apartment, struggling to get along.

But that’s not enough for Margot. She wants family. She wants a past. And she just found the key she needs to get it: A photograph, pointing her to a town called Phalene. Pointing her home. Only, when Margot gets there, it’s not what she bargained for.

Margot’s mother left for a reason. But was it to hide her past? Or was it to protect Margot from what’s still there?

The only thing Margot knows for sure is there’s poison in their family tree, and their roots are dug so deeply into Phalene that now that she’s there, she might never escape.

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

My Reactions:

My Attention: the mysteriousness of the story pulled me along but I got frustrated at some points

World Building: story takes place on a farm

Writing Style: definitely felt all of Margot’s despair, distrust, and her neglect

Bringing the Heat: it brings literal HEAT, and I mean from a fire 😟

Crazy in Love: nope none

Creativity: okay the truth that is revealed in this story is creative and…strange

Mood: unsettled

Triggers: toxic family relationship, death

My Takeaway: I think I’m still processing this – but my takeaway? Family secrets suck. 🤷🏻‍♀️ And the truth needs to come out before healing can take place.

  • This story was different and I didn’t expect the direction it was taking at all. There is an interesting twist in the story that surprised me. The author did such a great job really keeping me guessing until the end.
  • It definitely had a creepy factor to the story and it kept me on my toes trying to guess what was going on. Grandma was creepy but the horror emerges at the ending of the story. It was more like a mystery/thriller than horror.
  • Margot is a complicated character. She’s a teenager that has been absolutely neglected by her mother. So when Margot leaves to find out more about her “family”, she realizes there are so many secrets to uncover about her mom’s past. Margot makes many hard decisions in the end, but she had to – the secrets were getting out of hand.
  • The first half of the book holds all the mystery and it was slow going. I kept wondering what could be happening on this farm? Why is the community so secretive about the Nielsen family? I had many questions. It was frustrating because no one would talk and I felt like the story wasn’t getting anywhere.
  • Margot’s grandmother…she made me go hmmm all throughout the book!

This story explores the dysfunctional family and secrets that can tear a family apart. I enjoyed it because it was different, strange and the truth that was revealed was horrifying. But I also thought it was just okay and maybe I spent more time trying to make sense of some things that happened in the story? I have mixed feelings about this one but I think many people who enjoy a young adult thriller will enjoy it.

Truly Madly Royally | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: Truly Madly Royally

Author: Debbie Rigaud

Format: eBook (borrowed)

Pages: 289

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Royalty

Fiercely independent and smart, Zora Emerson wants to change the world. She’s excited to be attending a prestigious summer program, even if she feels out of place among her privileged, mostly white classmates. So she’s definitely not expecting to feel a connection to Owen, who’s an actual prince of an island off the coast of England. But Owen is funny, charming…and undeniably cute. Zora can’t ignore the chemistry between them. When Owen invites Zora to be his date at his big brother’s big royal wedding, Zora is suddenly thrust into the spotlight, along with her family and friends. Everyone is talking about her, in real life and online, and while Owen is used to the scrutiny, Zora’s not sure it’s something she can live with. Can she maintain her sense of self while moving between two very different worlds? And can her feelings for Owen survive and thrive in the midst of the crazy? Find out in this charming romantic comedy that’s like The Princess Diaries for a new generation.

This book reminds me of The Princess Diaries and the Prince & Me movie with a more urban flavor, which was so much fun!

My Reactions:

My Attention: I read this quick!

World Building: New Jersey to Landerel

Writing Style: loved the humor and dialogue between Zora and Owen, and the writing is so smooth it flowed nicely

Bringing the Heat: 🔥- this one was sweet as can be 

Crazy in Love: slow burn, growing relationship

Creativity: Zora’s world at Halstead U is full of diverse characters, but it’s her hometown of Appleton where she shines with her Walk You Home program she created.

Mood: giddy 

Triggers: race and socioeconomic issues

My Takeaway: Zora is a strong girl who can handle school, her goals and a real life Prince.

  • Zora is a strong girl! She has goals and she is doing everything to achieve them. When she gets off track, it’s okay, because she shrugs off the things that don’t matter and gets back on track again! I love how she came up with the idea for Walk Me Home. The love she has for her community comes through in all she does to give back to the kids.
  • Her friendship with Skye is so cute with their text updates. I love it and it reminds me of my own friendships. I do like that she opened up and made new friends at Halstead U even though she did feel out of place there.
  • Prince Owen is such a prince – it reminded me of real life Prince Harry and Meghan! He has a British accent – check. He’s polite – check. He’s cute – check. Haha…he and Zora really vibes well together. I thought their first meeting was adorable!
  • I loved the royal wedding Zora gets to attend. Sadie, a future duchess and Owen’s soon to be sister-in-law celebrates her ancestry at the wedding by having gospel music and African drumming in the program.
  • The ending was so abrupt I went to the next screen and it was the Acknowledgements and I was like…what? No! I didn’t want it to end just yet. I was having such a good time at the royal wedding!
  • At times I was wondering if Owen was going to cave to royal pressure and end things Zora because the Queen’s disapproval but I’m glad he chose Zora! He did come off very…placating? Polite? I don’t want to judge the guy and say boring haha…I mean he’s royal and couldn’t get much alone time with Zora with those bodyguards always with them.

I think this book would be perfect for teens who love romance stories about royalty. It has a strong black girl main character, Zora, who is doing everything she can to help her community. She falls in love with a prince, or should I say the prince falls for her first? 😉 It is a quick, fun read that had me smiling and wanting more.

ARC Review | The Mall

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Mall

Author: Megan McCafferty

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: June 9, 2020

Categories: 90’s Nostalgia, Young Adult, Romance

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

New York Times bestselling author Megan McCafferty returns to her roots with this YA coming of age story set in a New Jersey mall.

The year is 1991. Scrunchies, mixtapes and 90210 are, like, totally fresh. Cassie Worthy is psyched to spend the summer after graduation working at the Parkway Center Mall. In six weeks, she and her boyfriend head off to college in NYC to fulfill The Plan: higher education and happily ever after.

But you know what they say about the best laid plans…

Set entirely in a classic “monument to consumerism,” the novel follows Cassie as she finds friendship, love, and ultimately herself, in the most unexpected of places. Megan McCafferty, beloved New York Times bestselling author of the Jessica Darling series, takes readers on an epic trip back in time to The Mall. 

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

Talk about taking me back to the 90’s and basically my childhood! This story which is mostly set in a mall, is all nostalgia and fun. Cassie Worthy, is actually dealing with a few things in her life like breaking up with her boyfriend of two years, not having a place to work and then dealing with her parents divorce. But she finds herself a new job and getting through this disastrous summer by going on a treasure hunt. A treasure hunt in a mall you say? This story is a fun homage to “the mall”, which was our social hub once upon a time, a long, long time ago…in the 1990’s.

  • The cover and it’s neon pink color just captures the feel of the book. Love it.
  • I may be a little biased, but I was a pre-teen/teen in the 90’s! So everything in this book, like the Sam Goody music store 😂 (cassette tapes and cd’s – wow), the food court, ALL of it just took me down memory lane. The mall was the place to be!
  • I really enjoyed the characters like: Drea Bellarosa, Cassie’s not-so-new summer friend, is pretty awesome. She pops off the page, I could see her in her fashions and hear her honking laugh. They made unlikely friends but they were good for each other. “Sam Goody”, who’s name we don’t know until the end was so reminiscent of my love of all things music back in the 90’s and discovering bands – etc. Love that Cassie had a summer fling with him and Gia’s mom was fantastic too, she had such personality!
  • The treasure hunt in the book is such an 80’s/90’s adventure – like the movie Goonies. But it added a fun element to the story, and it helped Cassie concentrate on something other than her life seeming to fall apart. It brought Cassie and Drea close together and I’m glad Cassie earned a friend through it all.
  • Cassie transforms during the summer with Drea’s friendship, the treasure hunt and hooking up with boys. I’m glad she found her backbone when it came to her douche of an ex-boyfriend Troy and the plan. Cassie’s a smart girl and was definitely not someone who was going to sit back and take Troy’s treatment of her, but from a lot of nudging from Drea, she learned to love her true self.
  • This is a really light-hearted quick read – at times I thought maybe too light hearted but I think the focus on Cassie and Drea’s friendship was the right call. I was more interested in their relationship than Cassie finding a new boy to be a rebound. I like that though she had all these changes during the summer, it never changed her plans for college and her future.

The Mall is a nostalgia filled read for us who grew up in the 90’s. I think for readers today who are fascinated with that decade, this book would definitely give them an insight to our days gravitating to the mall. The book is a fun, quick read and will make the perfect summer read. I could definitely see this as a tv show and I’d totally watch it.

Book Review |The Bride Test

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: The Bride Test (The Kiss Quotient, #2)

Author: Helen Hoang

Format: eBook (borrowed)

Pages: 296

Categories: Contemporary, Romance, Autism

Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions—like grief. And love. He thinks he’s defective. His family knows better—that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride.

As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can’t turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn’t go as planned. Esme’s lessons in love seem to be working…but only on herself. She’s hopelessly smitten with a man who’s convinced he can never return her affection.

With Esme’s time in the United States dwindling, Khai is forced to understand he’s been wrong all along. And there’s more than one way to love.

I didn’t read The Kiss Quotient and honestly…I didn’t know I needed to. 😫 But now that I know, I better find it on my online library haha.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book and I was definitely surprised!

Khai is autistic and he is afraid he is incapable of loving someone but his mother has taken it upon herself to help him find a woman. She finds one in Vietnam.

Will Khai and Esme (My) fall in love before her time in the United States is up?

  • The autistic representation is something I haven’t read in a romance book before. It was so great to get the perspective of a character with autism and in a relationship.
  • There are sparks between Khai and Esme from the get-go! Obviously they are both attracted to each other because their personal thoughts were pretty steamy. But I thought it was great to be in their thoughts since they both had difficult expressing their feelings. Esme’s first language is not English and she felt shy using the words she did know, whereas Khai has challenges expressing himself because of his autism. They eventually learn how to communicate, but in the beginning it is a challenge.
  • I liked Quan a lot. 💕 He is patient with Khai and looks out for him when he can. Helps that he is hot and good with the ladies.
  • The after sex scene was funny yet eye-opening! I love that Khai had to get some advice because when Khai and Esme actually do the deed – it was like…oh. 🤭 Haha…but like I said, it’s a good thing because Khai really did need a talk on the subject.
  • Arranged marriages are tricky! I know it still happens but wow..poor Khai getting no choice in the matter, his mom just sprung it on him…like surprise, here’s this girl I found! 🤦🏻‍♀️ I’d be so mad if my parents did that to me. Yet I’m glad he found love with Esme!
  • At times I thought the chemistry between Khai and Esme lacking but I think because they had their own way of communicating and sometimes it wasn’t resonating with the other person. In the end they compliment each other because Esme learned to respect his boundaries. I mean that’s a good lesson in itself – we all need to respect people’s boundaries. And Khai had to respect her being a capable female.
  • Trigger: grief

This is the first book I’ve read from Helen Hoang and I am glad to see the autistic representation with Khai and how he navigates being in a romantic relationship. Overall I found the story enjoyable and I look forward to reading Quan’s book for sure!

Book Review | The Unhoneymooners

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Unhoneymooners

Author: Christina Lauren

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 400

Categories: Contemporary, Romance

Olive is always unlucky: in her career, in love, in…well, everything. Her identical twin sister Ami, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. Her meet-cute with her fiancé is something out of a romantic comedy (gag) and she’s managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a series of Internet contests (double gag). Worst of all, she’s forcing Olive to spend the day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, who just happens to be the best man.

Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. And now there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs.

Putting their mutual hatred aside for the sake of a free vacation, Olive and Ethan head for paradise, determined to avoid each other at all costs. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him is suddenly at risk to become a whole lot bigger. She and Ethan now have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, and her luck seems worse than ever. But the weird thing is that she doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, she feels kind of… lucky.

I finally read this book! I remember it was everywhere in 2019 and was highly recommended so I’m glad I snagged it on my online library.

I was wary to read it because it’s a twin story, and look…I’m okay with twin stories but I’ve been reading a lot of them and I’m kind of tired of it. It’s not my favorite thing to have twins in a story but I’m glad I read this one!

Olive’s twin sister, Ami, just got married and…she and 200 other people got sick at the wedding. So someone had to take the free honeymoon package that Ami had won – and it ends up being Olive and Ami’s bother-in-law, Ethan taking the trip. Thing is they don’t like each other, and now here they are trapped together on a 10 day vacation in Maui.

This one is laugh out loud, funny, sweet, and crazy!

  • I love how Olive knows herself. She’s confident about her body, not so confident in other areas of her life like her being a bad luck charm (she always gets into a jam), but her voice is strong in this book and I love it, quirks and all.
  • This story starts off with madness, I was cackling! It was so out there and fun. I love the Torres family which is loud, large and drama filled. I love that Olive’s twin, Ami is a bargain hunter and got practically everything for her wedding, for FREE. I love that it’s in Maui because I’m an island girl from Hawaii (Oahu to be exact) but yes…Maui is MAGICAL.
  • Olive and Ethan run into people on Maui and it takes everything to the next level! Their “hate” turns into like, attraction and…love.
  • It’s not an easy story of enemies to lovers…there are others involved in this story, like Ami and her new hubby, Dane. So things are not that easy for Olive and Ethan and that to me was definitely realistic!
  • Left me feeling happy in the end and wishing this was a rom-com movie…
  • Dane, Dane, Dane…eww.
  • Like I said earlier, the twin thing is done for me. I think I read three twin books last week alone and not intentionally! 😫 I love the bond between twins but other than that…and the whole twins dating siblings thing is a little weird for me.

I loved this book and it’s my second Christina Lauren book that I’ve read. I can see why they are very popular in the contemporary romance genre and I look forward to reading more books from them.

ARC Review | It Sounded Better in My Head

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: It Sounded Better in My Head

Author: Nina Kenwood

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 272

Publication Date: April 7, 2020

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

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

When her parents announce their impending divorce, Natalie can’t understand why no one is fighting, or at least mildly upset. Then Zach and Lucy, her two best friends, hook up, leaving her feeling slightly miffed and decidedly awkward. She’d always imagined she would end up with Zach one day―in the version of her life that played out like a TV show, with just the right amount of banter, pining, and meaningful looks. Now everything has changed, and nothing is quite making sense. Until an unexpected romance comes along and shakes things up even further.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

It Sounded Good in My Head is a surprising and delightful read that left me smiling. The story is set in Australia and follows Natalie who is full of teenage insecurities and who can blame her? She’s suffered from bad acne in her adolescent years, and it was so bad she was teased relentlessly. Medication has helped her but it’s left her scarred, and so anxious. Thank goodness for her best friends Zach and Lucy, who know the best of her and maybe this someone new who will see past her insecurities and hopefully like her too.

  • Natalie’s teenage insecurities are on point. I never suffered from bad acne until after I turned 19, but my sister suffered from it in middle school. It eats away at your confidence, makes you feel horrible and especially in high school where everything seems magnified – it can be awful. Natalie’s fears have made her into an anxious person, especially about her appearance. All the thoughts in her head, I’ve had them – haven’t we all?
  • So happy Natalie had two best friends, Zach and Lucy, she could count on. I liked knowing her true thoughts about when said two best friends started dating each other, but the fact they might a cool trio made me happy Natalie had a support group. And I love Zach’s family who treated her like their family also.
  • The awkwardness in this book is so funny and cringe-worthy, I felt for Natalie at the first party she attends with Owen and Alex. It was giving me anxiety just reading it because I wanted her to be okay. And all the awkwardness between her and Alex hooking up or trying to get together was so real.
  • Natalie’s voice is strong. I got swept up in her thoughts and insecurities. We even get back story on some of her reactions, like the boys who teased her about her pimples. 😒 She tells us how she became so anxious – and we see her try to wade through social situations and a lot of times failing at them. What I love about Natalie is that yes she will flee a situation and break down and cry but that doesn’t stop her from getting up the next day and living her life as best she can with her anxiety. It’s scary to like a boy when you aren’t even sure what is there to like about yourself. Alex was the somewhat non-perfect guy to like because hiding under what she thought was “perfection” was someone as insecure with his life also. We don’t have it together folks! I mean, who really does?
  • The story starts off with Natalie’s parents announcing their divorce and though it seems like a big issue, I felt like it faded to the background. Maybe it was how Natalie was coping with the situation though – she does talk more to her parents about it closer to the end of the book but it’s an amicable parting so maybe there was much drama there to begin with.
  • Natalie and Alex’s relationship happens pretty quick in the timeline of this book but it’s due to the both of them stumbling around trying to figure what they are doing. It’s not insta-love since she’s known Alex for a long time, but Natalie tries to move the relationship to the next level pretty quick, again, due to insecurities.

I absolutely enjoyed reading this book! Natalie’s insecurities and anxieties are so relatable. I liked watching her go from a girl who seems absolutely terrified to be at a party to the girl telling Alex what she feels and showing him her scars. 👏🏼 I was so proud of her. This is a wonderful debut book that teens will be able to relate to and I look forward to reading more books from this author.

ARC Review | The Honey-Don’t List

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Honey-Don’t List

Author: Christina Lauren

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: March 24, 2020

Categories: Romance, Contemporary

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

Carey Douglas has worked for home remodeling and design gurus Melissa and Rusty Tripp for nearly a decade. A country girl at heart, Carey started in their first store at sixteen, and—more than anyone would suspect—has helped them build an empire. With a new show and a book about to launch, the Tripps are on the verge of superstardom. There’s only one problem: America’s favorite couple can’t stand each other.

James McCann, MIT graduate and engineering genius, was originally hired as a structural engineer, but the job isn’t all he thought it’d be. The last straw? Both he and Carey must go on book tour with the Tripps and keep the wheels from falling off the proverbial bus.

Unfortunately, neither of them is in any position to quit. Carey needs health insurance, and James has been promised the role of a lifetime if he can just keep the couple on track for a few more weeks. While road-tripping with the Tripps up the West Coast, Carey and James vow to work together to keep their bosses’ secrets hidden, and their own jobs secure. But if they stop playing along—and start playing for keeps—they may have the chance to build something beautiful together…

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

I’ve finally read my first Christina Lauren book!

We have Carey and James, assistants to mega remodeling and design stars Melissa and Rusty Tripp. The Tripps are releasing a book about marriage and starring in there own Netflix show while their own lives are falling apart. Carey and James are tasked to keep the Tripps together and not spoil everything before the tv show debut but then everything goes to hell at the end of the book tour.

But while everything is coming apart at the seems, Carey and James find a little comfort and respite with each other. And thank goodness for that! 😍

  • I can’t believe I haven’t read a book from this author duo until now. After reading this book, I want to read everything they’ve written. Please suggest below what I should read first!
  • I love Carey and totally understand why she won’t leave the Tripps even if she’s treated horribly. I love her talent, how she can still find and way to laugh and smile through her stress, and how she takes back her power at the end.
  • James was such a fun character because he’s straight-laced compared to Carey, yet I understood his anxieties too. And he was so sweet with Carey – maybe I read too many books with alpha makes, but I liked how James is the hot nerd. 🔥 Smart and good looking? Yes.
  • Carey and James together make a great team. They are sexy, smart and sweet together, a great combination. I love them together.
  • The way the book is written, I thought I was reading a murder mystery at first. 🤣 I mean it makes you wonder what you are reading in the first few chapters! But I like how it unfolded and came to a nice ending.
  • Melly Tripp is a trip! 🙄 Ugh that woman – I did not like her but I can see how she went from someone nice that Carey looked up to, to what she is now that she has fame and wealth. It’s sad seeing what she and Rusty has become, but wow…Melly was something else.
  • Like I mentioned before, the way it’s written, I thought I was reading a murder mystery or something like it. I just knew something bad happened but what? But I eventually liked how it unfolded.

I couldn’t put this book down and I was totally invested with Carey and James. I loved how their relationship grew and how when it went to the next level it was hot, awkward too, but they were mature about it. And I loved how all the drama blew up in quite a fiery explosion because it was building throughout the book with Melly and Rusty’s toxic relationship and Carey and James in close proximity to them. Then at the end, it gave me all the feels I love in a good romance book. I got a happy ending and it made me a new fan of Christina Lauren. I look forward to reading more of their books!

BLOG TOUR} The Grace Kelly Dress by. Brenda Janowitz | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Title: The Grace Kelly Dress

Author: Brenda Janowitz

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: March 3, 2020

Categories: Family, Historical, Contemporary, Romance

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

Two years after Grace Kelly’s royal wedding, her iconic dress is still all the rage in Paris—and one replica, and the secrets it carries, will inspire three generations of women to forge their own paths in life and in love in this beguiling new novel from Brenda Janowitz.

Paris, 1958: Rose, a seamstress at a fashionable atelier, has been entrusted with sewing a Grace Kelly-lookalike gown for a wealthy bride-to-be. But when, against better judgment, she finds herself falling in love with the bride’s handsome brother, Rose must make an impossible choice—one that could put all she’s worked for at risk: love, security, and of course, the dress.

Sixty years later, tech CEO Rachel, who goes by the childhood nickname “Rocky,” has inherited the dress for her upcoming wedding in New York City. But there’s just one problem: Rocky doesn’t want to wear it. A family heirloom dating back to the 1950s, the dress just isn’t her. Rocky knows this admission will break her mother Joan’s heart. But what she doesn’t know is why Joan insists on the dress—or the heartbreaking secret that changed her mother’s life decades before, as she herself prepared to wear it.

As the lives of these three women come together in surprising ways, the revelation of the dress’s history collides with long-buried family heartaches. And in the lead-up to Rocky’s wedding, they’ll have to confront the past before they can embrace the beautiful possibilities of the future.

Thank you to Graydon House Books and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

The Grace Kelly Dress weaves a story about the lives of three women in the same family tied to a single dress. We meet a talented dressmaker Rose, who is working at an atelier in Paris. The story of her daughter Joan takes place in the 80’s, growing up in a different time with different dreams. Then to round it off is Rocky, Joan’s daughter, who is about to get married but can’t see herself in this heirloom dress.

We see how three women in one family try to express and find themselves through their connection with a dress, The Grace Kelly Dress.

  • The history of Grace Kelly’s dress is not something I am aware of. I knew she was an American actress turned princess – her life seemed like a fairy tale. I knew she was beautiful and iconic but learning some things about the making of her dress through Rose’s story was really interesting.
  • I love how each woman in this family had such a unique story. Rose is an orphan, and finds herself working at an atelier and then of course falling in love. Joan’s story and coming of age in the 80’s was the most interesting to me. She had a perfect plan set out for her – but she’s dealing with her sister’s death, and not really knowing who she is. I liked that her love story seems conventional but turns out different than expected. As for Rocky, she knows who she is but she’s dealing with grief as well and strong feelings when it comes to her mom and sister. I really loved the insights into each woman and how this wedding dress invoked different emotions in them.
  • I adore how things came together in time for Rocky’s wedding to go off successfully. There were so many emotions that came into play with Rocky’s wedding but I get it…weddings bring out some crazy feelings in people. And it’s overwhelming for everyone involved at times. Sometimes a wedding isn’t only about the two people getting married.
  • The importance of family and family heirlooms and traditions is the main part of this story. It’s why we see Rose and Joan’s past with the dress and how it affects Rocky in a different way.
  • There are three stories being told and at times I feel like it didn’t flow smoothly. Was it because the copy I read was a digital arc? I’m not sure, but I think at times some chapters felt abrupt and rushed.
  • I was so involved with Joan’s story – I wish we met the man she ends up with, Rocky’s father, but we don’t get much of that story. I think the important part of her story was finding herself and having her parents love her no matter what happened.

Setting aside some of the pacing issues I had with the story, in the end I really enjoyed The Grace Kelly Dress. I had a feeling of happiness for Rocky, Joan and Rose by the time I read the last page. I resonated with each of their stories because each woman had their own strength. No one had the same experience with love also which I appreciated. This story took a wedding dress, and showed us how something made with love could endure time and change with each woman that wore it. It’s a story about family and the importance of traditions yet respecting your own self expression. Overall it is an enjoyable read.

About the Author:

Brenda Janowitz is the author of five novels, including The Dinner Party and Recipe for a Happy Life. She is the Books Correspondent for PopSugar. Brenda’s work has also appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, Salon, Redbook, and the New York Post. She lives in New York.

SOCIAL LINKS:

Author website: http://www.brendajanowitz.com/

Facebook: @BrendaJanowitz | Twitter: @BrendaJanowitz

Instagram: @brendajanowitzwriter

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/241404.Brenda_Janowitz

BUY LINKS:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

ARC Review | Saint X

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: Saint X

Author: Alexis Schaitkin

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Categories: Murder Mystery, Adult, Contemporary

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

Claire is only seven years old when her college-age sister, Alison, disappears on the last night of their family vacation at a resort on the Caribbean island of Saint X. Several days later, Alison’s body is found in a remote spot on a nearby cay, and two local men – employees at the resort – are arrested. But the evidence is slim, the timeline against it, and the men are soon released. The story turns into national tabloid news, a lurid mystery that will go unsolved. For Claire and her parents, there is only the return home to broken lives.

Years later, Claire is living and working in New York City when a brief but fateful encounter brings her together with Clive Richardson, one of the men originally suspected of murdering her sister. It is a moment that sets Claire on an obsessive pursuit of the truth – not only to find out what happened the night of Alison’s death but also to answer the elusive question: Who exactly was her sister? At seven, Claire had been barely old enough to know her: a beautiful, changeable, provocative girl of eighteen at a turbulent moment of identity formation.

As Claire doggedly shadows Clive, hoping to gain his trust, waiting for the slip that will reveal the truth, an unlikely attachment develops between them, two people whose lives were forever marked by the same tragedy.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

I went into this thinking it was a murder mystery where we find the clues to who murdered Alison, but I got something else.

Claire is an adult now but the death of her sister years ago still affects her and the people that were involved with the investigation. Instead of a real murder mystery, we are treated more to a look at the people that were affected by her death. There are news articles, witness statements, statements even from people who weren’t there but knew Alison. Claire runs into one of the people who was a suspect in Alison’s and she gets obsessed with wanting to find out what happened that night. What she comes away with is insight about her sister and man accused of committing the crime.

  • This was not the murder mystery I expected, but reading Alison’s journals and hearing accounts from people she came into contact was keeping me interested in this story! I did have to put this book down for a few days because I was bummed it was reading like a usual murder mystery but I’m glad I stuck it through.
  • I liked that we get to meet Clive, who was one of the last people to see Alison alive and we get to see his back story. Through him we get to know the island Saint X and the local lifestyle as we watch him and his best friend Edgar grow up. Clive hasn’t had an easy life, compared to Claire who grew up wealthy and privileged. But they both experience pain in their lives.
  • Alison is such an interesting character and we get to know her through her journals, videos, and personal accounts but in reality she was still so young and was finding herself.
  • I’m glad Claire got closure in a way – she had tried to avoid everything about Alison and her murder all her life, understandably since she was so young when it happened. What a traumatic event to go through and try to process. When she bumps into Clive out of the blue, it hashes up all the memories of what happened and the sister she thought she knew.
  • I think of all the characters in this book, Clive’s story was the strongest. His childhood, how he grew up on the island, how his mom abandoned him, meeting Alison and the night of the murder. Then there is the aftermath where he is living in NYC.
  • The ending was definitely unexpected! It’s sad how know one really knew the real Alison, she was still learning about herself too when she died.
  • There were times in the book I was slugging through and like I said, I even put it down for a few weeks. There are a lot of different accounts being told, sometimes randomly from a teacher of Alison’s or someone who barely knew her. The beginning is slow if you are expecting a usual murder mystery, and I seriously wanted to DNF this book but I didn’t. When we finally get to Clive’s story about what happened the night Alison died is when I was fully immersed in the story. This comes past the halfway mark!
  • Triggers: death

I almost gave up on this one but I’m glad I didn’t because in the end I did enjoy it. Don’t go into reading this thinking it’s a fast paced thriller murder mystery. It is more of a character study of Alison, the murder victim, and the people that are left behind with the aftermath of a traumatic event.

ARC Review | Foul is Fair

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: Foul is Fair

Author: Hannah Capin

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: February 18, 2020

Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary Sexual Assault, Rape Culture, Revenge, MacBeth Retelling, Murder

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

Elle and her friends Mads, Jenny, and Summer rule their glittering LA circle. Untouchable, they have the kind of power other girls only dream of. Every party is theirs and the world is at their feet. Until the night of Elle’s sweet sixteen, when they crash a St. Andrew’s Prep party. The night the golden boys choose Elle as their next target. 

They picked the wrong girl. 

Sworn to vengeance, Elle transfers to St. Andrew’s. She plots to destroy each boy, one by one. She’ll take their power, their lives, and their control of the prep school’s hierarchy. And she and her coven have the perfect way in: a boy named Mack, whose ambition could turn deadly. 

Foul is Fair is a bloody, thrilling revenge fantasy for the girls who have had enough. Golden boys beware: something wicked this way comes


Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

Golden boys beware, for real! Here we have a crew of four mean girls, but on one special night when Jade (Elle before the party, Jade is what she is after…) is celebrating her sweet sixteen they crash a St. Andrew’s prep party and their lives are changed forever.

After the party we are in Jade’s head as she plots and plans the demise of the golden boys of St. Andrew’s prep that hurt her. Jade’s got a kill list and she’s crossing out names: Duncan, Banks, Duffy, Conner, Porter, Malcom, Mack and one girl, Piper. It is time for revenge, and these girls don’t play, their claws are out and they are ready to draw blood.

  • I learned this was a MacBeth retelling but I knew as I was reading the line “foul is fair, fair is foul” that it felt familiar. Jade’s best friends, Mads, Summer and Jenny are like the witches in MacBeth. Jade refers to them as her coven. They’ve had things done to them when they were younger and these girls learned to fight back and rule the school. They refuse to be victims and they take what they want. They make things happen, they ruin lives if anyone tries to come for them. Not only was MacBeth all over this story, I got Heathers vibes too (which I grew up with and love) and it also made me think of the new tv series Euphoria (I’m kind of obsessed). It’s like Euphoria, in the sense of how the story flows from Jade’s thoughts, memories of the party, and other events that take place.
  • This girl squad is tight, they are honest, they are all in and got each other’s backs. But I also loved that the revenge wasn’t only for Jade, but for all the girls who came before her. I know it was kind of sick with the murders but damn was I cheering them on.
  • I loved how the “house of cards” fell and how Jade plotted the downfall. I was scared for her and scared of her – but she and her friends took those St. Andrews boys and one girl down like bosses! How are these high school kids so vicious? It helps they are all the rich kids and have power, fast cars, big houses and parents that are hardly around it seems. And lawyers, they have lawyers on hand! So important!
  • The story is a powerful message about rape culture. Here we have these golden boys who, in real life, would probably get away with this behavior for the rest of their lives. There was no remorse in these boys, they took what they wanted…but here comes Jade who comes to take what is hers, reclaim the power that they stole from her. Jade plays them like puppets on a string! I was like, damnnnnn girl…I think a lot of us females have had enough so we resonate with her rage. And Jade wouldn’t have have been able to do all of this without the support of her friends who believed her. They didn’t see the rape happen, but they believed her 100%.
  • This story is in your face, and unapologetic. The writing is poetic, but sometimes just a few words left an impact. Jade is not a sweet girl – she is hell bent on her plans of revenge. She gives no F’s, she is ruthless, she’s scheming and ready to spill blood. The story is violent, and at times bloody. Jade manipulates Mack to get what she wants.
  • I think the author did a great job showcasing each character, especially Jade and the boys at St. Andrew’s prep that was involved and their strength and weaknesses.
  • There are so many triggers in this books: sexual assault, rape, rape culture, attempted suicide, murder for the sake of revenge, violence.
  • Because this book is so dark, it may not appeal to some readers, especially because Jade comes off as a psychopath, she’s getting high off these murders! Also I enjoyed the poetic writing but I can see how some readers would get confused with the metaphorical writing.
  • The way Jade uses Mack to take down the golden boys was at times, for me, not believable. He fell for her so fast and was willing, just because she smiled a certain way, whispered the right words, kissed him a lot, now he’s about to murder his friends? She was doing a lot of emotional manipulation on him, but it didn’t seem like she needed to try very hard. I definitely had to suspend my belief there and go with it.
  • What happens next to Jade?! I need to know.

Some books capture the sign of the times so perfectly and this book does it well. It’s the rage we feel these days with the MeToo movement, unleashed through Jade and her coven. Women are fighting back the powerful golden boys that have ruled for what seems like eons and it’s about time.

If you can handle the triggers in this book, I think it’s an intense, bold story that dares you not to look away from the damage rape culture can cause. I believe this is the first book in a series or duology, I’m not quite sure, but I am VERY curious to see what happens next after the ending of this book. I think this book could have stood strongly as a standalone already, but maybe we get to see how society paints Jade when they find out what happened to her and what she’s done in retaliation. Things could get intense, I look forward to reading the sequel.