The Homemade God by. Rachel Joyce | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating:

Title: The Homemade God

Author: Rachel Joyce

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 7/8/25

Publisher: The Dial Press

Categories: Fiction, Family Drama, Mystery, 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 The Dial Press for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Family is everything, even when it falls apart.

After the sudden death of a renowned artist, his four adult children travel to Italy to sort out his affairs with his much-younger wife, in this moving novel from the bestselling author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.

World-famous artist Vic Kemp has relied on his four children ever since their mother died when they were young. Netta, the oldest, is a litigator who often serves as co-parent to her siblings; Susan, a housewife who cooks and cleans for both her husband and her father; Goose’s own thwarted artistic ambitions have left him resigned to a job in Vic’s studio; and Iris, the baby, drops everything the moment her father calls.

When Vic summons the siblings with the promise of big news, they hope their father is about to tell them he has finished the mysterious masterpiece he claims will be the capstone to his career. Instead, he announces he’s getting remarried. Bella-Mae, his wife to be, is apparently beautiful, a fellow artist—and twenty-seven to his seventy-six years. When his children dare to express concern, Vic decamps with Bella-Mae to his summer home in Italy. Six weeks later, he is found dead. There is no sign of his will, or his promised final painting.

Netta, Susan, Goose, and Iris gather at the house on Lake Orta to piece together what happened and prepare to bring their father’s body home. They spend the summer in a waiting game, living under the same roof as Bella-Mae, and forced to confront Vic’s legacy and the buried wounds they have incurred as his children. So who is Bella-Mae? Is she the woman their father believed her to be? Or is she the force that will destroy the family for good? How long can their old bonds hold?

With sparkling wit, compassion and tender insight, The Homemade God explores memory, identity, grief, healing, and the bonds of siblinghood—what happens when they splinter, and what it might take to find a new way forward.

Content Warning: parental death

+ I enjoyed the setting of Italy where this book takes place.

+ This story explores the sibling relationship and I find that very interesting because the personalities and lived experience in one family can be very different for each person. In this story we see how each sibling is different and the experiences they have with their father who has just passed away. I did like the sibling dynamics and family drama

~ Even though this book is just barely over 300 pages I had a hard time reading through it maybe because I wasn’t in the mood for it and it’s not the usual genre I read. But also felt disconnected from the characters. I liked learning about each of them but I never felt connected to them so I never felt invested in the story.

Final Thoughts:

I was not the right audience for this book but I did find the family drama and sibling dynamics interesting.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Predatory Natures by. Amy Goldsmith | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Predatory Natures

Author: Amy Goldsmith

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 432

Publication Date: 7/8/25

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Categories: Young Adult, Thriller, Contemporary Fantasy, Horror

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!

A teen girl’s dream job aboard a luxury train derails when she discovers the strange cargo being transported—a mysterious and beautiful greenhouse—but its flowering façade may hide deadly thorns beneath, in this atmospheric and lush novel from the author of Those We Drown.

Lara Williams is desperate to get away. When she gets a job working aboard the luxury train The Banebury for her gap year, she this is her chance to reinvent herself, after the incident that wrecked her relationships and her college prospects several months ago.

At first, the train is everything Lara expected—a five-star escape from her past, demanding customers and all. Even after she learns that her ex-friend, Rhys, who she definitely did not have feelings for before their relationship imploded, is one of her new coworkers, she’s determined to make things work.

But on the first night of their journey, the trip takes a strange turn when two mysterious carriages, filled with an array of beautiful and rare plants, are attached to the end of the train in the middle of the night. With them come a pair of siblings. Gwen and Gwydion are wealthy, Welsh, and alluring as they are odd–not to mention, incredibly protective of their botanical cargo.

The siblings claim the plants they’re transporting are for research, yet Lara can’t shake the feeling that there’s something…otherworldly about them. Something that calls to her, night after night, whispering in her dreams.

Soon, Lara will you can’t outrun your troubles. You have to grab them by their roots. And if she can’t dig up the secrets of the Banebury, they might just consume her whole…

Content Warning: plant horror, death, possessive relationship

+ I really like the setting of this luxury train on it’s way through Europe and Lara is working on the train meeting knew people and one person from her past, Rhys, is on the train also. They used to be close friends in high school until some things changed.

+ The setting of the train already lends a mystery to the story but then as more people leave and join the journey and Lara finds something in one of the cars – plants, she’s wondering what is going on. I liked the sense of suspicion around the people on the train and the different personalities Lara encounters. I found the plants fascinating and the Welsh mythology tied to it very interesting. As people start getting hurt and dying on the train, Lara and Rhys try to figure out what’s going on before it’s too late.

+ Lara has a history and there are flashbacks to it throughout the story because she’s on the train with Rhys who is a link to her past. Her story was a parallel to the mythology about the plants so I did like that. In those flashbacks, she’s dating a boy who changes her, molds her into what he wants her to be, is very possessive of her and we see how far Lara has come in her self journey.

~ The beginning was a bit slow because it’s setting the scene and we’re meeting all the workers and passengers on the train, but also because of the flashbacks. I didn’t mind it too much, but it did feel like the story moved slowly because of it. The flashback events do ramp up though and it coincides with what is happening on the train so I did like that.

Final Thoughts:

I enjoyed the luxury train setting and the mysterious siblings and the plants! I also did like how Lara’s personal situation and growth was a parallel with the Welsh mythology about the goddess of flowers. I think for a young adult thriller, this was enjoyable and if you like trains and some Little Shop of Horrors vibe, you’ll enjoy this one.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

You Between the Lines by. Katie Naymon | Audiobook Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: You Between the Lines

Author: Katie Naymon

Narrator: Sarah Beth Goer

Format: audiobook (borrowed)

Pages: 384 / Audio Reading Time (approx.): 10 hours

Publication Date: 2/17/25

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Poets, Rivals to Lovers

A former sorority girl starts a prestigious poetry MFA program only to discover that one of her fellow grad students is her high school crush-turned-nemesis—who can’t stop writing about her.

No one’s more surprised than Leigh when a prestigious MFA program in North Carolina accepts her. A former sorority girl, Leigh’s the first to admit she knows more about the lyrics of Taylor Swift than T.S. Eliot, and she’s never been able to shake the “all-style-no-substance” feedback her high school crush made in their poetry workshop. Bad enough that her tattooed, New Yorker tote bag-carrying classmates have read all the right authors and been published in the country’s leading literary journals, Leigh’s insecurities become all too real when Will, that same high school crush-turned-nemesis, shows up at orientation as a first-year in the program, too. And now, he’s William, exactly the kind of writer Leigh hates, complete with his pretentious sweater vests and tattered Moleskine.

Leigh’s determined to prove herself—and William—wrong by landing the program’s highly-coveted fellowship. But Will’s dead-set on it, too, and in a small cohort, they can’t keep apart for long. When Will submits an intimate poem (that’s maybe, probably, definitely about Leigh) to workshop, they’re both forced to realize there’s more to the other than what’s on the page. And what’s between the lines may be even more interesting.

Content Warning: body image issues, anxiety, parents going through a divorce, mental health

+ Leigh is dealing with her parents’ divorce, and is in a MFA program because she wants to write poetry instead of go back to a corporate job. On top of that she’s dealing with body issues, anxiety and she’s judgmental towards other poets, especially towards male, white poets! She had a lot going on and so much to work through. There is a lot of mental health and therapy discussed in this story and I appreciate how she’s very real and imperfect.

+ Leigh has always crushed on Will so when they are in the MFA program together they finally get to spend more time with one another. Will is very closed off and not great at expressing his feelings. He and Leigh have a lot of challenges trying to express how they feel about one another. There is mistrust, there is fear of being intimate (emotionally), it was a lot of back and forth. They eventually work things out but it took a lot to get there.

+ I thought the secondary characters in the MFA program helped open Leigh’s world up. There were some fun characters, like Leigh’s best friend who kept things real with her.

~ Leigh is very judgmental to the point it was a bit irritating. We get it, she hates white male poets, a LOT. And wants to write poems about pop culture, mostly Taylor Swift. The group could have judged her but they didn’t, so I thought it sucked how she kept hating on poets who study classic poetry. Will calls her out on it eventually but yes, she’s imperfect which is very relatable and at least she was going to therapy.

~ Leigh writes poetry about pop culture, a lot about Taylor Swift so it you aren’t into books mentioning her name all the time, you might want to skip this.

~ Miscommunication is a big conflict in this story. She holds animosity against Will because of the way he critiqued Leigh’s work in high school – one critique! And he doesn’t even remember doing it when she confronts him at the end about it.

Final Thoughts:

I found the audiobook pretty easy to listen to and I was really into this story about people in an MFA program for poetry – I thought that was a unique story. What I didn’t love was Leigh who is imperfect (which is relatable, and I do like that about her) but so judgmental about other poets, it really turned me off to her. And to hold that grudge against Will over one critique – she was kind of exhausting as a character. They eventually work through relationship issues but it was a lot of back and forth.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Summer in the City by. Alex Aster | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Summer in the City

Author: Alex Aster

Format: hardcover (own)

Pages: 304

Publication Date: 3/25/25

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Rom-Com

Twenty-seven-year-old screenwriter Elle has the chance of a lifetime to write a big-budget movie set in New York City. The only problem? She’s had writer’s block for months, and her screenplay is due at the end of the summer.

In a desperate attempt at inspiration, Elle ends up back in the city she swore she would never return to, in an apartment she could never afford (floor-to-ceiling windows, skyline views, and a new coffee shop to haunt included). It’s the perfect place to write her screenplay…until she realizes her new neighbor is tech “Billionaire Bachelor” Parker Warren, her stairwell hookup from two years ago. It’s been a lovers-to-enemies situation ever since.

When seeing him again turns into a full night of hate-fueled writing, Elle realizes her enemy/twisted muse might just be the key to finishing her screenplay… if she can stand being around her polar opposite. She writes anonymously, and he’s on the cover of every business magazine. He frequents fancy red carpeted events, and she doesn’t like leaving her emotional support five block radius.

One summer. One wall apart. He needs to fake a buzzy relationship during his company’s precarious acquisition. She needs to write a movie around a list of NYC locations. Both need a break from their unrelenting schedules, and a chance to rediscover the skyscraper glimmering, pizza crusted, sunlit charms of the city.

Summers always end, and so will this agreement. It’s all pretend. Promise.

Until it isn’t.

Content Warning: parental illness/death

+ I finally read my copy of this book and I’m glad I saved it for summer because I was definitely in the mood for it now.

+ Elle is an anonymous, famous screen-writer who hates New York City even though she went to college at Columbia. But it gives her bad memories of her mom being sick, so college wasn’t easy for her. She also had a fleeting moment with a stranger in a club who ended up being a very famous tech billionaire but she also has bad memories of that too, only because he came off like he wanted to buy her time. Fast-forward a few years and she bumps into him again but this time he convinces her to fake-date him for PR reasons and it will be his one free summer before his company gets sold and he gets busy.

+ I love how the fake-dating and Elle’s screen-writing project takes them all over New York City. The book transported me to the city and made me think of my own fond memories of the one trip I took there years ago. It’s definitely place that feels like anything can happen and the author captures that.

+ Parker is a green-flag fake boyfriend! Even if he came off like he was a jerk in their first meeting, every meeting after that showed how he was a nice guy. I loved him. As for Elle, she’s not going to be likable to many readers because she’s cynical and mad at Parker for nothing. She has major trust issues because of how her dad treated her mom. I can see why she is the way she is. I liked seeing these two people take the summer to get to know one another and it is a slow burn. All the spice comes near the end!

~ This was almost a 4-5 star read for me and then the fake-dating contract ends abruptly, because of Elle and that’s not the only conflict. There is another moment where Elle pulls away again, but I get why because things were happening too soon, too fast and too much, but she so tested my patience. Those two break-ups was unnecessary and brought my enjoyment of the book lower. Parker is a saint for being as patient with her as he was. I get that she had issues but this guy clearly is in love with her and wants to give her the world, patience and understanding that she doesn’t think she deserves. It could have ended perfectly with a happy ever after, but those two moments just ruined it for me.

Final Thoughts:

I saw that this book was going to made into a movie and I think it will be great as a rom-com film because of how it’s set in NYC. Even though I didn’t love the break-up moments, I still think overall this is a fun, perfect for summer reading, rom-com book. I also think I like this author’s contemporary book more than her fantasy series, and will be interested to see if she writes more.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

All Paths Lead to Paris by. Sabrina Fedel | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: All Paths Lead to Paris

Author: Sabrina Fedel

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 6/17/25

Publisher: Delacorte Romance

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Coming of Age, Contemporary, 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 Delacorte Romance for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

When a fashion influencer with a luxe Parisian life and a fake musician boyfriend meets a “normal” guy and begins to date him on the sly, she must rethink all of her lies—and consider whether they might have a little too much truth in them.

Seventeen-year-old Aurie McGinley lives an envied life as a fashion influencer in Paris, sharing a manager with, and fake dating up-and-coming musical god Remy St. Julien. Girls throw themselves at Remy, but he’s always just been her best friend. She doesn’t have time for a real boyfriend.

Until she bumps into normal guy, Kylian, while fleeing paparazzi. Kylian is the type of guy her mother wants her to date. In fact, her family would rather she focus on school and getting into an elite college than showcasing the latest runway haute couture. Aurie begins to think Kylian is the guy for her, too.

She’s fake dating one guy, while actually dating another—all while keeping up a constant, live video diary. But then a fake kiss with Remy turns steamy and her head is scrambled. Could her best friend really be the one for her? Aurie must tune out everyone else’s expectations to focus on herself and discover what she really wants.

Content Warning: paparazzi

+ This young adult romance is set in Paris, and Aurie is a fashion influencer who documents her daily life and it is her rise to fame. She is fake-dating her best-friend, a famous musician named Remy. They got together to chase more fame but now she’s wondering what is happening to their friendship.

+ This is a really quick, light, fluffy read. I love the setting of Paris and learning about the education system and the tests they have to take. Of course the French food being featured in the book sounds delicious. The romance involves Aurie fake-dating two boys, until she dates one for real. But you can kind of tell where this story is going from the beginning and I did like that both boys were nice.

+ Aurie is trying to figure her life out. She’s a successful influencer but she still has parents who want her to attend college. But with parents who are divorced, one in America and one in France, she has to make some hard choices. She also can’t make those choices until she finishes the test that all highschoolers in France have to take, the Le Bac. But Aurie has a problem with learning math and has a disability called dyscalculia, which I never even heard of so I learned something.

~ The fake dating both boys occurs almost 60% into the book and doesn’t actually make me believe she has feelings for Kylian at all.

Final Thoughts:

I did like the author’s first book better than this one, but this one did have it’s charm and it’s set in Paris. This one is a cute, easy, light young adult romance.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

All Roads Lead to Rome by Sabrina Fedel | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Beautiful Maddening by. Shea Ernshaw | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Beautiful Maddening

Author: Shea Ernshaw

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 304

Publication Date: 6/3/25

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary Fantasy, 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 Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw comes a haunting romantic contemporary fantasy about a teen navigating her family’s love curse that blooms with their enchanted tulips every year.

Seventeen year-old Lark Goode wants only one to escape her small town of Cutwater and the history of her family name. It’s a history that began during the Dutch tulip mania of 1636, when Lark’s ancestor stole the last remaining tulip bulbs and fled to America. But when the tulips bloomed on American soil, madness sprouted from their snowy white petals.

The madness was love.

Now, generations later, the Goodes remain cursed—the unnatural flowers outside their home causing locals to fall helplessly in love with anyone carrying Goode blood in their veins. While her brother embraces the strange power, Lark wants nothing more than to be free from it.

But when she meets a boy who seems unaffected by the family curse, Lark finds herself falling headlong into a feeling she’s spent her whole life trying to avoid. Yet, all curses and magic come with a price, and the town of Cutwater soon sinks into a dangerous sickness tied to Lark and the ill-fated tulips.

To save the town, Lark will need to sacrifice everything—even true love—to break the spell. Because in the Goode family, love has a way of destroying everything.

Content Warning: parental neglect, trespassing, flood

+ This is a really interesting book that starts off with two teens who are twins, Archer and Lark. They live in a very small town and their family name is cursed because of the tulips that grow in their yard. Yes, magical tulips. Apparently the tulips have so much pheromone that anyone who is carrying the tulip will have people fall in love with them. It’s why Archer can get the girls he wants, it’s how he survives. It’s why Lark wants to leave the town and never look back because how can she tell how really loves her if the tulip draws people to her?

+ Lark meets a boy, Oak, who claims he is from another town over, and that the tulips don’t affect him. During Spring when the tulips are in bloom, the town is in a frenzy. The romance between Lark and Oak is insta-love and heavy but written beautifully because who isn’t scared and vulnerable when falling in love? The author captures all of it – the feelings, fear, not being sure, the questions, the push and pull, the running away, and the wanting. Questioning love was the whole point of the story. We see Lark and her aversion to love because how her parents left them. And with her romance with Oak, she doesn’t know if it’s the tulips or if it’s real. And is it love or obsession?

~ If you don’t like insta-love and angst you might not like this. It actually triggered memories of my first real heartbreak when I was young, but in a good way since I can look back without any bad feelings. So in essence, this story did it’s job in capturing young love and heartbreak and questioning what love is. I mean, who knows what it is in your teen years. But everyone at that age thinks they know.

~ The parents were just non-existent in this book. They left these kids to fend for themselves! Who does that? Addictive tulips or not…talk about parental neglect.

~ I would have loved to get more information about the family curse, and where it originates. Also the ending is an interesting choice for sure!

Final Thoughts:

Oh to be young and in love dealing with all the unknowns, fears and obsession. It’s not fun when you aren’t sure it’s reciprocated and to make matters worse, you add magic, potent tulips that enhances the feelings? Sounds like madness. I think the young adults will enjoy this one. It was a bit too dramatic for me, but I did love how the author captured the madness of falling in love.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

A Wilderness of Stars by. Shea Ernshaw | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Book Review: The Wicked Deep ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book Review | Winterwood ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wandering Wild by. Lynette Noni | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Wandering Wild

Author: Lynette Noni

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 330

Publication Date: 5/20/25

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing, Inc.

Categories: Young Adult, Survival, Adventure, Romance, Celebrity 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 Blackstone Publishing, Inc. for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

She hates him. He needs her. Can they survive when all they have is each other?

Zander Rune was the darling of Hollywood until he fell from glory and was labelled a problematic bad boy. His public image needs fixing—fast—or he’ll lose the role of a lifetime, and all his dreams with it.

Charlie Hart is a regular teenage girl who despises everything Zander represents. But thanks to her scheming best friend and an ill-timed social media competition, Charlie finds herself pretending to be Zander’s biggest fan on a four-day reality TV adventure led by renowned survivalist Rykon Hawke.

When their trip goes horribly wrong, Charlie and Zander are left stranded in the wilderness. No Rykon, no film crew, no rescue. The only way they’ll survive is if they trust each other. But in order to do so, both will have to let go of the ghosts of their pasts, and just maybe find themselves—and one another—in the process.

Content Warning: near death experience, near drowning, snakes, mention of drunk driving, mention of being drugged, mention of suicide attempt, death of parents, cancer, grief

+ I’ve been really enjoying books from this author – her writing style is easy to get into and flows so well. I like how there was a lot of action in this book and moments that were filled with so much tension.

+ Zander and Charlie have been through some trauma in their lives so being on this survival adventure bonds them even more though it doesn’t start of that way. Charlie doesn’t want to be on this trip but she’s doing it for her best friend, whereas Zander really needs this to change his Hollywood bad-boy image so he can get a role he is coveting. I liked seeing the journey of the relationship even though it’s only a 4 day adventure.

+ I love the themes of friendships and even the hardships both character have experienced. I like that the both of them have their own issues and this trip really pushed them quickly to face them. In the end they are better for it, but I love that Charlie has Ember and Zander has Summer and Maddox.

+ The romance isn’t a focus, which is nice, it’s sweet.

~ It is an insta-love story, I mean Zander and Charlie only know one another for 4 days! But they go through more than what couples do in 4 days, so I do think it’s believable that they could fall for one another that fast, especially after near-death experiences with one another.

~ The twist in the story didn’t leave me feeling happy for Zander or Charlie. I thought that really sucked for them. I’m glad they could get over it quickly but it sucked, even though Zander got what he wanted. Kind of wish that wasn’t glazed over so quickly.

Final Thoughts:

I found this to be a very entertaining read especially with the survival adventure going on and Zander and Charlie needing to stay alive because of unforeseen circumstances. I thought the romance was sweet and I love the theme of friendship. I think the author did a great job with her debut into contemporary young adult fiction and look forward to reading more.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Prison Healer by. Lynette Noni | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Gilded Cage by. Lynette Noni | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Blood Traitor by. Lynette Noni | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Love Haters by. Katherine Center | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Love Haters

Author: Katherine Center

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 5/20/25

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Categories: Contemporary, 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 St. Martin’s Press for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

It’s a thin line between love and love-hating.

Katie Vaughn has been burned by love in the past—now she may be lighting her career on fire. She has two choices: wait to get laid off from her job as a video producer or, at her coworker Cole’s request, take a career-making gig profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West.

The catch? Katie’s not exactly qualified. She can’t swim—but fakes it that she can.

Plus: Cole is Hutch’s brother. And they don’t get along. Next stop paradise!

But paradise is messier than it seems. As Katie gets entangled with Hutch (the most scientifically good looking man she has ever seen . . . but also a bit of a love hater), along with his colorful Aunt Rue and his rescue Great Dane, she gets trapped in a lie. Or two.

Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses ensue—along with chances to tell the truth, to face old fears, and to be truly brave at last.

Content Warning: negative body image, death of parents, mention of accident, water rescue in a hurricane

+ Katie needs to keep her job so she agrees to go on an assignment she is only half qualified for. But she’ll do anything, even take swim lessons in a bathing suit even though she has major body issues. She meets Hutch, who is her supervisor’s brother, and is the person she needs to make a documentary about. Katie is pushed beyond her comfort zones but it helps her grow a lot.

+ What makes this book so charming and probably are my favorite parts of this bookis the Gals (the bunch of elderly women at the place she is staying at) who is trying to hook her up with Hutch in subtle ways. And then there is George Bailey the sweetest Great Dane ever! He’s scared of thunder (just like my dog!) and loves to hold toads in his mouth – I loved him so much! Also Katie’s best-friend Beanie was a lot of fun, plus their phone calls are very relatable if you have a best-friend like that.

+ I feel like Katie’s body image issues are so relatable. There were so many times she said something and I was like yeah, I’ve thought that of my body before. It’s crazy and sad to know how mean we can be to our own selves. But you could tell Katie’s issues were painful for her and she’s been working on herself.

+ The romance was a very slow burn, there is no spice, there are a few kisses and that’s it. I think I wanted a little more flirting on Hutch’s part though but I think that’s just his personality. I thought the two of them had a nice friendship and banter going throughout the story.

~ Really wanted a little more chemistry between Katie and Hutch but like I said, I think that’s just both their personalities and it worked for them at least. They are both “love haters”.

~ Pacing wise, I think there was a little lull in the middle, probably because Hutch wasn’t the best at flirting haha, and then there was lots of action at the end which I enjoyed.

Final Thoughts:

Katie and Hutch really complimented each other – they had fun banter and he really helped her with accepting herself but she also helped bring his family closer in a way. I did want more chemistry and flirting but that’s just personal preference. Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable read especially with George Bailey, the Gals and Beanie bringing in the charm and the laughs. Definitely a fun read for the summer!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Hello Stranger by. Katherine Center | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Bodyguard by. Katherine Center | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

King of Envy by. Ana Huang | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: King of Envy (Kings of Sin, #5)

Author: Ana Huang

Format: ebook (borrowed – KU)

Pages: 530

Publication Date: 4/29/25

Categories: Romance, Series, Dark Romance, Billionaire Romance

He had everything he could’ve wanted…except her.

Dangerous. Powerful. Reclusive.

Vuk Markovic is notorious for shunning human interactions. The scarred billionaire rarely talks, and he has no interest in relationships outside his small but trusted circle.

His only exception? Her . The beauty to his beast, the object of his obsession.

He saw her first. He wanted her first. But now, she’s engaged to his oldest friend—and the closer the wedding looms, the more he’s torn between loyalty and desire.

She should be his…and he might just risk it all to have her.

***
Beautiful. Successful. Glamorous.

To the world, supermodel Ayana Kidane leads the perfect life. Her career has skyrocketed, and she’s engaged to one of New York’s most eligible bachelors.

What people don’t know is that the engagement is only a business arrangement. He gets his inheritance when they marry; she gets the money she needs to leave her abusive agency.

Pretending to be in love should be easy—until she finds herself increasingly drawn to her fiancé’s enigmatic best man.

Vuk thrills and terrifies her in equal measure. She knows she should stay away, but when her wedding is thrown into chaos, he’s the only person she finds comfort in…

Until his past catches up with them and threatens everything they love.

Content Warning: violence, sexual assault, kidnapping

+ This is book #5 of the Kings of Sin series and I didn’t love the last two books. #4 was better than #3 but still I went into this one cautiously and I think this one was slight better than the last one at least when it came to the characters.

+ Ayana is a supermodel and about to marry someone she doesn’t love, but she’s friends with, Jordan. Jordan’s best-friend, Vuk, wants Ayana. So there is that complication which kind of gets solved at the wedding ceremony. I will say the romance between Ayana and Vuk was good. Vuk is all yearning and Ayana is looking at him in a new light when she gets to spend more time with him. Vuk doesn’t speak much, he mostly uses sign-language but when he does speak…it’s with Ayana which I thought was sweet. It’s clear Vuk was always in love with her so seeing them get together was my favorite part of this book.

+ This one is a slow burn, because Ayana is engaged to Jordan. But once she and Vuk give into one another’s attraction, it gets spicy.

~ Though I love Ayana and Vuk’s romance, this story is too long. It’s at 530 pages and really could have been 350 pages or no more than 400. None of the Brotherhood (organized crime) storyline kept my interest. It added a lot of violence and action but still, I was just okay about it and skimmed.

Final Thoughts:

If you like Beauty and the Beast vibes, you will enjoy this book. I did like it better than her last 2 books in this series but I do think it could have been shorter – it didn’t need to be over 500 pages long. I still think King of Wrath is my favorite book from this series, but I did love Ayana and Vuk as a couple in King of Envy.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

King of Sloth by. Ana Huang | Book Review (#4) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

King of Greed by. Ana Huang | Book Review (#3) ⭐️⭐️

King of Pride by. Ana Huang | Book Review (#2) ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

King of Wrath by. Ana Huang | Book Review (#1) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Of Earthly Delights by. Goldy Moldavsky | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Of Earthly Delights

Author: Goldy Moldavsky

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 5/13/25

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Categories: Contemporary, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult, Gothic, Horror, Thriller, Mystery

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

Thank you to Henry Holt and Co. for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A contemporary YA gothic romance about a dark family secret, a lush, mysterious garden, and a love that never dies, from New York Times bestselling author Goldy Moldavsky.

Aspiring artist Rose Pauly is not happy moving from her home in New York City right before her senior year of high school. But on her first miserable day in Connecticut, she meets Hart Hargrove. The two share an immediate, undeniable connection.

Hart introduces Rose to his slice of paradise–the immense private garden nestled behind the Hargrove family mansion. There, the two spend a fever dream of a summer together. But as their bond blossoms into love, Rose can’t shake the feeling that all is not as it seems.

When Rose uncovers the truth about the garden, she’s forced to question how genuine her love story truly is. But Hart can’t bear to lose Rose, and he will stop at nothing to save their relationship.

Posing haunting questions about beauty and desire, this is an atmospheric and darkly romantic tale that will enthrall readers.

Content Warning: violence, grief, accident, body horror

+ The twist in this story blew my mind, it’s the one book this year that has made my jaw drop.

+ Rose is new to town, but right away she meets Hart Hargrove. He’s popular, he lives on the biggest estate in town – an estate whose gardens are infamous for secret, exclusive parties. Rose and Hart fall madly in love, almost insta-love, but there are clues along the way in this book where it feels like something is off. Something doesn’t feel right with their love story.

+ The grief that is presented in this book is heartbreaking. I could understand the decisions of Hart and his twin, Heather, but when everything is revealed, it made my heart ache for all of them involved. Without spoiling the story, I couldn’t imagine what they were going through.

+ Though the love story about Rose and Hart feels invincible and meant to be, there is a dark, sinister undertone to this story. It shows up in the garden parties and Rose’s best friend, Llowell. There is some body horror but really brief and the ending is wild with action and violence.

~ Because I knew there was something off to the romance, and some moments of the “future” sprinkled in as the story went on…I did get confused. But I’m glad I pushed through to the end – the end though, it’s an open ending which shocked me.

Final Thoughts:

This story is creative, dark, has a gothic contemporary atmosphere and the romance is heady but it’s also so sad and tragic. It explored a lot of topics like love, grief, friendship, and wishes. But if you could make your wishes come true, what would you be willing to give up? The ending of this story made my jaw drop and I think it’s one of those books that I’ll never forget.