House of Marionne by. J. Elle | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: House of Marionne (#1)

Author: J. Elle

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 8/29/23

Publisher: Razorbill

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Magic

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

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

RICH IS THE BLOOD OF THE CHOSEN.

17 year-old Quell has lived her entire life on the run. She and her mother have fled from city to city, in order to hide the deadly magic that flows through Quell’s veins.

Until someone discovers her dark secret.

To hide from the assassin hunting her, and keep her mother out of harm’s way, Quell reluctantly inducts into a debutante society of magical social elites called the Order that she never knew existed. If she can pass their three rites of membership, mastering their proper form of magic, she’ll be able to secretly bury her forbidden magic forever.

If caught, she will be killed.

But becoming the perfect debutante is a lot harder than Quell imagined, especially when there’s more than tutoring happening with Jordan, her brooding mentor and— assassin in training.

When Quell uncovers the deadly lengths the Order will go to defend its wealth and power, she’s forced to choose: embrace the dark magic she’s been running from her entire life or risk losing everything, and everyone, she’s grown to love.

Still, she fears the most formidable monster she’ll have to face is the one inside.

Brimming with ballgowns and betrayal, magic and mystery, decadence and darkness, House of Marionne is perfect for readers who crave morally gray characters, irresistible romance, dark academia, and a deeply intoxicating and original world.

Content Warning:

I was definitely intrigued by the synopsis of this book and of course I love the beautiful cover. The synopsis touted balls, secret societies and balls and it definitely had all those things plus romance. I liked that it was a magic school where Quell, the main character, had to figure out how to use magic but she’s hiding a secret, she has forbidden magic in her that she has to struggle to suppress so no one knows.

It has the typical magic training school tropes, which I always enjoy. I love the whole magic school atmosphere. Quell is new so she has to catch up to the other students. Some become her friends, some resent her for being the long lost Marionne heir who has come back into the fold and the favorite of the headmistress, who is her grandmother.

There is a romance between Quell and Jordan, who is part of another House but training at House Marionne. Jordan is her mentor. He’s someone who is all about his duty, which make them sort of opposites but they have a lot of things in common too.

I did like Quell but there were times I found her really naive for someone who is a seasoned runaway. I just felt like she would listen to her instincts more. But I think I’m judging it from an adult point of view because if I read this as a young adult I’d probably relate better to her. Quell is also separated from her mom and her relationship with her grandmother is new and felt false. It makes for some interesting family dynamics. This book is great for teens and young adults.

Also I felt like the beginning just throws you into the story without much build-up. We go in blind just as Quell does when she finds her grandma and learns about this secret society. I found the story entertaining and I liked the ending where we learn about Yagrin. He’s a character introduced in the beginning and we get bits of his perspective here and there, but the ending reveals a bit more and makes me want to read book two!

Why you should read it:

  • magic school, secret society, family, romance

Why you might not want to read it:

  • might read too young for some adults

My Thoughts:

I’m a sucker for magic schools, and a girl training to use powers she never knew she had but also hiding the secret of the supposedly bad powers she does have. I felt like this book had all the elements I love in a young adult urban fantasy, including the romance between Quell and her mentor, Jordan. Some people might find this reads young and Quell is a naive and clueless in some aspects but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the story. I also liked the ending which makes me want to read the next book in the series. Overall, I found this to be an entertaining story!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Wings of Ebony | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WWW Wednesday | 8/2/23

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

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

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

It’s August. My kids go back to school on Monday, my daughter starts tap dancing classes next Friday, my son’s 11th birthday is at the end of this month…so much happening in August and I know it’s going to fly by. I’m almost done with Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute. I was about to finish but my kindle app was acting up and told me I couldn’t open it which is weird! I may have to re-download it – boo! Anyway I’m 60% done with it. I have to really work on Foul Heart Huntsman, I’ve been chipping at it little by little trying to get myself back into that world and be in the mood for it.

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

Unholy Terrors by. Lyndall Clipstone ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sign of the Slayer by. Sharina Harris ⭐️⭐️⭐️

What are you going to read next?

What are you reading right now?

Happy Book Birthday | New Releases | 8/1/23

Happy book birthday to these new releases! Check out this list today:

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Nature of Witches and Wild is the Witch comes a lush romantic fantasy about forbidden love, the choices we make, and the pull between duty and desire.

Tana Fairchild’s fate has never been in question. Her life has been planned out since the moment she was born: she is to marry the governor’s son, Landon, and secure an unprecedented alliance between the witches of her island home and the mainlanders who see her very existence as a threat.

Tana’s coven has appeased those who fear their power for years by releasing most of their magic into the ocean during the full moon. But when Tana misses the midnight ritual—a fatal mistake—there is no one she can turn to for help…until she meets Wolfe.

Wolfe claims he is from a coven that practices dark magic, making him one of the only people who can help her. But he refuses to let Tana’s power rush into the sea, and instead teaches her his forbidden magic. A magic that makes her feel powerful. Alive.

As the sea grows more violent, her coven loses control of the currents, a danger that could destroy the alliance as well as her island. Tana will have to choose between love and duty, between loyalty to her people and loyalty to her heart. Marrying Landon would secure peace for her coven but losing Wolfe and his wild magic could cost her everything else.

Goodreads | Amazon

A modern tale of unexpectedly falling in love and finding your voice, Kiss the Girl is the highly anticipated third installment in the acclaimed and best-selling Meant to Be collection.

Ariel del Mar is one of the most famous singers in the world. She and her sisters—together, known as the band Siren Seven—have been a pop culture phenomenon since they were kids. On stage, wearing her iconic red wig and sequined costumes, staring out at a sea of fans, is where she shines. Anyone would think she’s the girl who has everything. 

But lately, she wants more . Siren Seven is wrapping up their farewell tour, and Ariel can’t wait to spend the summer just living a normal life—part of a world she’s only ever seen from the outside. But her father, the head of Atlantica Records, has other begin her breakout solo career immediately, starting with a splashy announcement on a morning talk show. 

The night before, Ariel and her sisters sneak out of their Manhattan penthouse for a night of incognito fun at a rock concert in Brooklyn. It’s there that Ariel crosses paths with Eric Reyes, dreamy lead singer of an up-and-coming band. Unaware of her true identity, Eric spontaneously invites her on the road for the summer. And for the first time in her life, Ariel disobeys her father—and goes with him. 

Caught between the world she longs for and the one she’s left behind, can Ariel follow her dreams, fall in love, and, somehow, find her own voice?

Goodreads | Amazon

 

From bestselling, National Book Award-winning author Elizabeth Acevedo comes her first novel for adults, the story of one Dominican-American family told through the voices of its women as they await a gathering that will forever change their lives.

Flor has a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. So when she decides she wants a living wake–a party to bring her family and community together to celebrate the long life she’s led–her sisters are surprised. Has Flor forseen her own death, or someone else’s? Does she have other motives? She refuses to tell her sisters, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila.

But Flor isn’t the only person with secrets. Matilde has tried for decades to cover the extent of her husband’s infidelity, but she must now confront the true state of her marriage. Pastora is typically the most reserved sister, but Flor’s wake motivates this driven woman to solve her sibling’s problems. Camila is the youngest sibling, and often the forgotten one, but she’s decided she no longer wants to be taken for granted.

And the next generation, cousins Ona and Yadi, face tumult of their own: Yadi is reuniting with her first love, who was imprisoned when they were both still kids; Ona is married for years and attempting to conceive. Ona must decide whether it’s worth it to keep trying–to have a child, and the anthropology research that’s begun to feel lackluster.

Spanning the three days prior to the wake, Family Lore traces the lives of each of the Marte women, weaving together past and present, Santo Domingo and New York City. Told with Elizabeth Acevedo’s inimitable and incandescent voice, this is an indelible portrait of sisters and cousins, aunts and nieces–one family’s journey through their history, helping them better navigate all that is to come.

Goodreads | Amazon

Sailor Moon meets Cinder in Guardians of Dawn: Zhara, the start of a new, richly imagined fantasy series from S. Jae-Jones, the New York Times bestselling author of Wintersong.

Magic flickers.
Love flames.
Chaos reigns.

Magic is forbidden throughout the Morning Realms. Magicians are called an abomination, and blamed for the plague of monsters that razed the land twenty years before.

Jin Zhara already had enough to worry about—appeasing her stepmother’s cruel whims, looking after her blind younger sister, and keeping her own magical gifts under control—without having to deal with rumors of monsters re-emerging in the marsh. But when a chance encounter with an easily flustered young man named Han brings her into contact with a secret magical liberation organization called the Guardians of Dawn, Zhara realizes there may be more to these rumors than she thought. A mysterious plague is corrupting the magicians of Zanhei and transforming them into monsters, and the Guardians of Dawn believe a demon is responsible.

In order to restore harmony and bring peace to the world, Zhara must discover the elemental warrior within, lest the balance between order and chaos is lost forever.

Goodreads | Amazon

Are you getting any new books this week?

Happy Reading!

Forgotten Backlist Titles from Ten Years Ago – 2013 | TTT | 8/1/23

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Please check out her website for more TTT topics!

This week’s topic is:

Forgotten Backlist Titles from Ten Years Ago – 2013

Let’s go back a decade ago and see what backlist titles aren’t talked about as much anymore.

Crown of Midnight is the second book in the Throne of Glass series and I actually thought Throne of Glass was just okay. But Crown of Midnight is what made me keep reading the series! I think anything SJM is continued to be talked about since her books are bestsellers.

The Indigo Spell is the third book in the Bloodlines series which I was obsessed with. Richelle Mead really did a great job with The Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series. It had a chokehold on me back in the day!

Unravel Me…I know there are a lot of people who did not like the first book Shatter Me but I liked how different it was so I kept reading the series. Unravel Me is book two and started my obsession with Warner. Also it has Kenji and Kenji made everything better!

I actually don’t know if there was a lot of hype around The Coldest Girl in Coldtown but I’m such a Holly Black fan that I was hyped for it back then and enjoyed the story a lot!

The Dream Thieves is the second book in The Raven Cycle series and I loved this series.

Allegiant. Do you remember when Allegiant came out? Because I do and I was obsessed with Divergent and so into dystopian YA novels because alongside vampires, it was the biggest genres out there. But when Allegiant came out and people were so upset with the ending I chose to not read this book. It’s the third book in the Divergent series…you think maybe I can read it without getting upset now? lol…it’s been 10 years! I really should read it just to complete the series.

Like I said, dystopia or vampires! The Eternity Cure is the second book in the Blood of Eden series and I loved this series. And honestly I don’t think it got enough hype back in the day because the market was so flooded with vampire stories but this series is so good.

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen was a comfort read for me and she was a must-read author for me at the time. I officially grew out of my Sarah Dessen phase but when I want to reminisce on simpler times, even simpler reading times I think about her books.

Fangirl was one of those hyped books and Rainbow Rowell books were everywhere. This might have been the last book I read from this author but I do remember enjoying it.

I was still reading historically romances a decade ago but now Sarah MacLean is the only historical romance author I’ve been reading. No Good Duke Goes Unpunished didn’t quite have hype or maybe I just wasn’t paying attention to historical romances back then but I remember loving this series!

Wow, that was a blast from the past! It was kinda fun to look back 10 years and see what I enjoyed.

What’s on your TTT?

#5OnMyTBR: Animal

Hi everyone! Whoops looks like I forgot to do a whole month of these! 😅 Let’s get back to it…

I saw this one Chonky Books and thought it would be a fun add to my blog. #5OnMyTBR is a bookish meme hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook and you can learn more about it here or in the post announcing it. It occurs every Monday when we post about 5 books on our TBR.

This week’s theme is: Animal

I WILL BECOME QUEEN OF LUCE… OR DIE TRYING.

There are few people I loathe more than Dante Regio, but my aunt Bronwen, my former grandfather Justus, and my Shabbin grandmother Meriam sit right alongside the Faerie monarch on my list of despicable beings. Especially after they assist the pointy-eared ruler with my kidnapping.

Locked in an obsidian underworld no Crow can reach, not even their king, I soon learn things aren’t as they seem. People aren’t as they seem. And history… I’m still attempting to reconcile the truth with what I was previously told.

My new allies have an agenda, but I have one of my own. Though there’s overlap—we all agree Dante must die—what I desire more than anything is to return to Lore before he levels the kingdom to find me… or loses his humanity trying.

I may favor crowns over coffins, but I refuse to live in a world where my mate only exists as a bird.

Strap in for one last romantic and pulse-pounding adventure in a world governed by magic and hearts.

“The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.” —Xaden Riorson

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.

Andrea Stewart returns with The Bone Shard Emperor, the second installment of this unmissable, action-packed, magic-laced fantasy epic.

The Emperor is Dead. Long live the Emperor.  

Lin Sukai finally sits on the throne she won at so much cost, but her struggles are only just beginning. Her people don’t trust her. Her political alliances are weak. And in the north-east of the Empire, a rebel army of constructs is gathering, its leader determined to take the throne by force.  

Yet an even greater threat is on the horizon, for the Alanga – the powerful magicians of legend – have returned to the Empire. They claim they come in peace, and Lin will need their help in order to defeat the rebels and restore peace.  

But can she trust them?  

I don’t even have 5 for today, so 3 will have to do! Are any of these on your TBR list?

>>>>>

July

  • 03/07/2023 — Water
  • 10/07/2023 — In Translation
  • 17/07/2023 — Contemporary
  • 24/07/2023 — Music
  • 31/07/2023 — Animal

August

  • 07/08/2023 — Woods
  • 14/08/2023 — Novella
  • 21/08/2023 — Title Starting with a ‘U’
  • 28/08/2023 — Child

Goodreads Monday: Friends Don’t Fall in Love

Happy Monday!

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme where you chose a random book from your Goodreads TBR and show it off. This meme is hosted by Budget Tales Book Blog.

Title: Friends Don’t Fall in Love

Author: Erin Hahn

Pages: 336

Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Publication Date: 10/17/23

Synopsis:

Erin Hahn’s Friends Don’t Fall in Love is about long-time friends, taking chances, and finding out that, sometimes, your perfect person was right there in your corner all along.

Lorelai Jones had it a thriving country music career and a superstar fiancé. Then she played one teenie tiny protest song at a concert and ruined her entire future, including her impending celebrity marriage. But five years later, she refuses to be done with her dreams and calls up the one person who stuck by her, her dear friend and her former fiancé’s co-writer and bandmate, Craig.

Craig Boseman’s held a torch for Lorelai for years, but even he knows the backup bass player never gets the girl. Things are different now, though. Craig owns his own indie record label and his songwriting career is taking off. If he can confront his past and embrace his gifts, he might just be able to help Lorelai earn the comeback she deserves―and maybe win her heart in the process.

But when the two reunite to rebuild her career and finally scratch that itch that’s been building between them for years, Lorelai realizes a lot about what friends don’t do. For one, friends don’t have scratch-that-itch sex. They also don’t almost-kiss on street corners, publish secret erotic poetry about each other, have counter-top sex, write songs for each other, have no-strings motorcycle sex, or go on dates. And they sure as heck don’t fall in love… right?

Do you have plans to read this book? Let me know in the comments below!

Weekly Wrap Up | 7/30/23

Aloha friends!

I spent this week trying to plan a trip to Osaka, Japan for fall – and I really wasn’t planning on going since we went to Okinawa, Japan already. But my sister and her family are going in October, then my bestie’s sister is going in November so I was curious about airfare and when I saw they were almost half what I spent for Okinawa – I plan started to form in my mind. So I was obsessively checking potential trip dates in October. My kids want to go to Universal Studios and I haven’t brought them to any theme park yet, not even in the USA so, this one would be their first time and they REALLY REALLY REALLY want to go to Super Nintendo World at Universal so that’s on our list. But November had good prices on flights too so then I kept researching – EVERYTHING it seems lol. I finally narrowed it down to date, hotel and flight…I just have to buy our plane tickets. I guess I’ll be in Japan for Thanksgiving! 😁

That was my focus this week, it was even hard to read because I wanted to get the good deals before the prices go up. So I felt like I had no motivation to read.

Hope you all had a great week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

Currently Reading:

Shows/Movies I Watched:

  • The Summer I Turned Pretty (ep.4 &5) – I still don’t love the love triangle, but I’m gonna see this through! lol

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

Forestfall by. Lyndall Clipstone | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Forestfall (World at the Lake’s Edge, #2)

Author: Lyndall Clipstone

Format: hardcover (own)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 9/27/22

Categories: Gothic, Dark Fantasy, Young Adult, Series

Some oaths can never be broken…

The curse that haunted Lakesedge Estate has been broken, but at great cost. Violeta Graceling has sacrificed herself to end the Corruption. To escape death, Leta makes a desperate bargain with the Lord Under, one that sees her living at his side in the land of the dead.

But this world of souls and mist hides many secrets. And when Leta realizes she is still connected to Rowan by a tethering spell, she will risk everything— even her soul— to try and reach him.

Torn between power and love, life and death, Leta struggles to keep hold of her humanity as she falls further and further under the spell of the world Below… and the Lord Under.

Content Warning: self harm

I am sadly disappointed with this one since I really enjoyed the first one, Lakesedge. Leta is in the underworld with Lord Under and Rowan is above and not willing to let Leta go. Rowan doesn’t believe she’s dead and he’s kind of right.

The thing I did like about this story is that it is a dark fantasy. It’s got all the elements with the blood magic, Gods in the underworld, dark forests, a dark lake. It’s got the angst and emotional longing of two people who love one another and will do anything to be together, even making deals with the devil (so to speak). I even liked the dark Gods.

What I didn’t quite enjoy was Leta’s relationship with Lord Under, who she hates but…loves? But she LOVES Rowan…I get she was trying to find a way to get back to Rowan but I didn’t want a love triangle. I wasn’t connecting to Leta in this one whereas in the first book, I liked her character. I did get tired of the angst between Leta and Rowan, it was repetitive, the back and forth.

Tropes: love triangle

Why you should read it:

  • you like Lakesedge and now want to explore the world where Lord Under thrives
  • dark themes, dark gothic fantasy

Why you might not want to read it:

  • I couldn’t connect to any of the characters
  • had to push through and eventually skim a few chapters to finish

My Thoughts:

This series had so much potential but this sequel falls flat and I’m sad about it. I can say that this would make a great read for Fall, near Halloween. Maybe it would have made me enjoy it more? Mood reader problems! Anyway, at least I can say I completed this series.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Lakesedge by. Lyndall Clipstone | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book Blogger Hop: Do you enjoy reading memoirs? #bookbloggerhop

The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer @ Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012. With Jennifer’s permission, Billy @ Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer relaunched the hop on February 15, 2013. Each week the hop will start on a Friday and end the following Thursday. There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book-related question. The hop’s purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to their own blogs.

Question: Do you enjoy reading memoirs?

(submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

Answer:

I don’t read a lot of memoirs but I actually do like reading them when I get a chance. It’s not usually the first book I go for though.

Tilly in Technicolor by. Mazey Eddings | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Tilly in Technicolor

Author: Mazey Eddings

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 8/15/23

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance, Coming of Age, Neurodiverse, LGBT+, Autism, ADHD

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!

Tilly in Technicolor is Mazey Eddings’s sparkling YA debut about two neurodivergent teens who form a connection over the course of a summer.

Tilly Twomley is desperate for change. White-knuckling her way through high school with flawed executive functioning has left her burnt out and ready to start fresh. Working as an intern for her perfect older sister’s start up isn’t exactly how Tilly wants to spend her summer, but the required travel around Europe promises a much-needed change of scenery as she plans for her future. The problem is, Tilly has no idea what she wants.

Oliver Clark knows exactly what he wants. His autism has often made it hard for him to form relationships with others, but his love of color theory and design allows him to feel deeply connected to the world around him. Plus, he has everything he needs: a best friend that gets him, placement into a prestigious design program, and a summer internship to build his resume. Everything is going as planned. That is, of course, until he suffers through the most disastrous international flight of his life, all turmoil stemming from lively and exasperating Tilly. Oliver is forced to spend the summer with a girl that couldn’t be more his opposite—feeling things for her he can’t quite name—and starts to wonder if maybe he doesn’t have everything figured out after all.

As the duo’s neurodiverse connection grows, they learn that some of the best parts of life can’t be planned, and are forced to figure out what that means as their disastrously wonderful summer comes to an end.

Content Warning: challenging relationship between mother/daughter

I was gifted this arc to read by the publisher and honestly I’m so happy they brought this book to my attention! Here is what I thought:

+ Tilly has ADHD and Oliver is Autistic, and the two of them together is chaos and peace at the same time. Their romance is the sweetest thing ever especially because they got off on the wrong foot. There is so much miscommunication between them but Tilly is a ray of colors and Oliver is obsessed with colors which make them the perfect match. I just really fell in love with the two of them.

+ I like how Tilly is lost but even though she’s scared at times, she’s also still not afraid to live and try. Oliver has his moments but he has an amazing support system with his two moms, his twin sisters and a best friend. Tilly has a family who aren’t as close, who’s ADHD diagnoses has come between her and her mom. There is so much pressure from Tilly’s family and not enough understanding and support that I felt for Tilly. I loved how Tilly expressed and explained herself and how brave she was each time even though it scared her to say or do something. I was absolutely rooting for her. And I love Oliver who despite having this whirlwind of a girl come into his life, he cannot help but fall for her. It’s a wonderful coming of age book and they travel throughout Europe which is a fun aspect of the book also.

+ I love that this story was in the POV’s of both Tilly and Oliver. We see how the both of them experience things differently and the way they also understand each other when it comes to hyperfocus or sensory overload in certain situations. Tilly’s voice is so strong and it was wonderful to see her use that voice through a blog. This story is so eye opening and beautiful.

~ Tilly’s relationship with her mother was not a positive one but I’m glad it showed the struggles of someone who is neurodivergent and some of the challenging relationships they have with people in their own families. It turns out okay in the end, but Tilly went through a lot emotionally just to make her mom listen and see her. It made me emotional when they finally got in a good talk about everything.

Why you should read it:

  • this is a heartfelt coming of age story
  • there is traveling through Europe
  • I love Tilly and Oliver and they are now added to my favorite couples list

Why you might not want to read it:

  • there is a sexual situation but it’s sweet and fades to black anyway, also some curse words here and there

My Thoughts:

I didn’t know what to expect with this book but I read it so quick and fell in love with Tilly and Oliver. Tilly is a wonderful character who has ADHD but wants to really try and make her parents proud but most of all, be happy with herself, her life and her choices. I loved watching her grow on this whirlwind European trip. I adored the romance between Tilly and Oliver, it made my heart melt and overall this story just made me smile. This would be a great book for teens and young adults. I loved it!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble