Since Back to School is the theme for me this month, why not showcase some dark academia books? Dark academia is a genre I’ve only started reading since it was getting popular the past few years. I haven’t read a lot of it but I am always trying to expand my reading list. I’m definitely looking forward to reading Babel when it releases this month! Do you like dark academia books?
Back to School ~ Dark Academia Books
I’ve only read two from this list: A Lesson in Vengeance and A Deadly Education! Everything else is on my TBR but I did honestly try to read Ninth House and just wasn’t in the mood for some reason. Will eventually pick it up again, I think. Anyway let me know any dark academia books that you would recommend in the comments below.
Categories: Romance, Teen, Young Adult, Coming of Age, Contemporary
Belly finds out what comes after falling in love in this follow-up to The Summer I Turned Pretty from the New York Times bestselling author of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (soon to be a major motion picture!), Jenny Han.
Can summer be truly summer without Cousins Beach?
It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come.
But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started—at Cousins Beach.
Content Warning: death of parent, underage drinking
I read this series long ago but decided to do a re-read because it’s now on screen! It’s been interesting re-reading this series as an older person for sure. Here’s what I thought:
+ {spoiler} The boy’s mom was ill in book one and passes but they have no scenes of the actual moment it happens. This sequel is told in memories, whether it’s about Belly and Conrad memories, or one that included Susannah. We see everyone handling their grief in very different ways but for sure they are broken and trying to hang on to one another.
+ No matter the romance drama between Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah – I do love that they have the bond because of how close their families are and the memories they made at the beach house.
+ Belly’s mom is awesome and is handling so much – but Belly being a teenager, doesn’t know how much she is handling. But she really is awesome and loves these kids, hers and Susannah’s.
~ Even though I know this book is about a love triangle, I just cannot believe how Belly goes back and forth between the brothers. I’m just sad they all have to go through this drama while grieving Susannah. It’s messy and it’s the worst kind of love triangle because it’s between brothers.
~ This is all teen drama so Belly comes off as a brat at times.
Tropes: love triangle
Spice Level: 🌶 (there is kissing)
Why you should read it:
You love the first book and want to know what happens next.
you like stories about first loves, first crushes, a love triangle
Why you might not want to read it:
you’re not into teenage romance love triangles
Belly can get annoying
My Thoughts:
The books in this series are really quick reads! It’s mainly about Belly and the two brothers she loves in different ways but it’s definitely not a book for someone who hates love triangles. I don’t mind love triangles but I hate when it’s between two brothers. It’s messy and even more so because it’s young love with so many feelings involved, feelings that hurt easy, intertwined with grief. In my opinion, Belly should lay off dating these guys until she’s older and has a clear head haha…but that’s just me! It’s just full on romance, back and forth drama.
A desperate pirate crew. An abducted captain. Can they save him before he faces the bloodthirsty sirens or will other dangers of the sea claim them first?
The crew of the Siren’s Song race to catch up with the ruthless pirate who has captured their captain. But a sudden storm forces them to choose a perilous route. Desperate to save their captain and retrieve the enchanted dagger, the crew argues over how to survive the waters and what lies beneath.
Declan finds himself in the hands of a cruel and ambitious pirate with no desire to listen to reason or the truth. With no chance to escape, he must buy his crew time to reach him before he falls victim to his captor’s deadly scheme.
In a world of myths and mystery, a captain’s life hangs in the balance. But it will take more than skill and magic to save him. Can a crew come together to free their captain-or will their stubborn hearts sacrifice him instead?
Black Sails meets Throne of Glass in this captivating second installment of the Aisling Sea trilogy with higher stakes, new dangers, and more swoon-worthy romance that is sure to create fans of insta-love. Perfect for readers who don’t mind steam on the page, but prefer it not be on every page.
Once upon a time, the kingdoms of Wales were rife with magic and conflict, and eighteen-year-old Mererid “Mer” is well-acquainted with both. She is the last living water diviner and has spent years running from the prince who bound her into his service. Under the prince’s orders, she located the wells of his enemies, and he poisoned them without her knowledge, causing hundreds of deaths. After discovering what he had done, Mer went to great lengths to disappear from his reach. Then Mer’s old handler returns with a proposition: use her powers to bring down the very prince that abused them both.
The best way to do that is to destroy the magical well that keeps the prince’s lands safe. With a motley crew of allies, including a fae-cursed young man, the lady of thieves, and a corgi that may or may not be a spy, Mer may finally be able to steal precious freedom and peace for herself. After all, a person with a knife is one thing… but a person with a cause can topple kingdoms.
The Drowned Woods—set in the same world as The Bone Houses but with a whole new, unforgettable cast of characters—is part heist novel, part dark fairy tale.
A king with a score to settle. A demon driven to rebel. A girl who holds the power of the gods.
Arrah has paid many prices in her battle against the Demon King. Now, she must decipher the legacy of her past and weave an uneasy alliance between her beloved Rudjek, the Demon King, and the remaining orishas, hoping to restore peace to all their worlds. But as Arrah’s half-demon sister regains her strength and resumes her quest for destruction, peace may require the ultimate sacrifice.
From Ryan La Sala, the wildly popular author of Reverie, comes a twisted and tantalizing horror novel set amidst the bucolic splendor of a secluded summer retreat.
Mars has always been the lesser twin, the shadow to his sister Caroline’s radiance. But when Caroline dies under horrific circumstances, Mars is propelled to learn all he can about his once-inseparable sister who’d grown tragically distant.
Mars’s genderfluidity means he’s often excluded from the traditions — and expectations — of his politically-connected family. This includes attendance at the prestigious Aspen Conservancy Summer Academy where his sister poured so much of her time. But with his grief still fresh, he insists on attending in her place.
What Mars finds is a bucolic fairytale not meant for him. Folksy charm and sun-drenched festivities camouflage old-fashioned gender roles and a toxic preparatory rigor. Mars seeks out his sister’s old friends: a group of girls dubbed the Honeys, named for the beehives they maintain behind their cabin. They are beautiful and terrifying — and Mars is certain they’re connected to Caroline’s death.
But the longer he stays at Aspen, the more the sweet mountain breezes give way to hints of decay. Mars’s memories begin to falter, bleached beneath the relentless summer sun. Something is hunting him in broad daylight, toying with his mind. If Mars can’t find it soon, it will eat him alive.
Are you getting any new books this week? Happy Reading!
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:
Books I Love That Were Written Over Ten Years Ago
Wow, I had to look back in my Goodreads list for this one!
This titles are in no particular order but some of the first books I added to Goodreads. Apparently I had a Goodreads account back in 2012 and a lot of these books were published way before that so yeah…these titles definitely took me back in time!
I’ve noticed so many books this year have purple book covers and they are really beautiful. I’ve been loving them and wish I could have all of them on my book shelf. Here are some 2022 books with purple book covers!
I don’t know how I feel more tired with my kids in school?! I think because drop off and pick up is me leaving the house early in the morning and then waiting awhile in the car in the afternoon – why is school pick up always chaos?! My daughter loves school so much! So her sunburn on her nose is peeling – I’m curious to see how school pictures look – they were taken on Tuesday and I tried my hardest to cover it up with concealer and powder lol. Oh well, it is what it is! At least we’ll look at the picture and remember the weekend before picture taking and her skin is peeling now so it’s healing at least.
Our dog Atlas, has been getting more cuddle times with me and walks too. But he misses the kids, at night he plops right on top of my daughter’s legs to go to sleep.
Today we have another birthday party at an outdoor location – and I’m making her wear a hat! It is just too hot to be outside right now, and I need her skin to heal. Other than that, I’m just trying my best to keep chugging along. 😩 Our fridge stopped cooling down so I had to buy a mini fridge and I turned it off to defrost the whole thing (you know a restart lol) so let’s hope that works because it’s hard trying to find a repairman lately. Other things happened but I’m tired of the negative, so I’ll end it here.
Never Have I Ever (Season 3/Netflix) – I wish the episodes weren’t so short!!! 😭 I love this show and it made me laugh a lot – I needed laughs this week. And Devi has another hot boy to crush on? I don’t blame her, Des is a cutie!😍 I found myself saying omg…why is he so handsome?! lol…but okay how about that cliffhanger?!!!
Games I Played:
My Singing Monsters
Cooking Dash – still grinding!
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!
Title: Hook, Line and Sinker (Bellinger Sisters, #2)
Author: Tessa Bailey
Format: ebook (borrowed)
Pages: 385
Publication Date: 3/1/22
Publisher:Avon
Categories: Romance, Friends to Lovers, Rom Com
King crab fisherman Fox Thornton has a reputation as a sexy, carefree flirt. Everyone knows he’s a guaranteed good time–in bed and out–and that’s exactly how he prefers it. Until he meets Hannah Bellinger. She’s immune to his charm and looks, but she seems to enjoy his… personality? And wants to be friends? Bizarre. But he likes her too much to risk a fling, so platonic pals it is.
Now, Hannah’s in town for work, crashing in Fox’s spare bedroom. She knows he’s a notorious ladies’ man, but they’re definitely just friends. In fact, she’s nursing a hopeless crush on a colleague and Fox is just the person to help with her lackluster love life. Armed with a few tips from Westport’s resident Casanova, Hannah sets out to catch her coworker’s eye… yet the more time she spends with Fox, the more she wants him instead. As the line between friendship and flirtation begins to blur, Hannah can’t deny she loves everything about Fox, but she refuses to be another notch on his bedpost.
Living with his best friend should have been easy. Except now she’s walking around in a towel, sleeping right across the hall, and Fox is fantasizing about waking up next to her for the rest of his life and… and… man overboard! He’s fallen for her, hook, line, and sinker. Helping her flirt with another guy is pure torture, but maybe if Fox can tackle his inner demons and show Hannah he’s all in, she’ll choose him instead?
Content Warning:
Life has been so busy for me the past few weeks that this book was exactly what I needed to sweep me away for a little bit, fall in love with the characters falling in love and not think about my problems 😅. Let’s get to what I did and didn’t like:
+ I love that we are back in Westport, where the ocean is near, and the Bellinger sisters are together again but this one is all about Hannah, the supporting actress, the one in Piper’s shadow, the sweet sister who has her head all up into music. I loved Hannah from book one because she seems down to earth, she’s more practical about things and even has a normal job. She’s trying to work on being the “leading lady” in certain aspects of her life, like with her job and with Fox.
+ The best part of this whole book was Hannah and Fox’s relationship. They go from friends…and yes I think I can say they are friends even though it’s been only a few months of really texting each other. But it continues when she comes back except the physical attraction is now an issue – they want each other…but the challenge is trying to decide if it’s worth ruining the friendship for and I love that they make it work. I’m more of a lover of the “enemies to lovers” trope…but maybe I’m emotional because of PMS, but this one had me in my feels. I love that they were trying to understand one another, be honest even if it was scary – they listened to one another. Love that because relationships are a long haul and knowing how to get through the bumps are so important. And they have their own way which works for them.
+ Speaking of physical attraction 🔥 – these two were definitely hot for one another. But I like how they tried to talk about things before actually getting to the point of acting on it.
~ I felt like book one had more of an emotional connection between Piper and her dad’s memory, the town and the bar. Sadly Hannah doesn’t have that connection because she doesn’t remember him and that is realistic but she was hardly at her grandma’s place, or connecting to anyone really in the book except for with Fox. BUT…I totally get it, some people just need their space and she even said she liked the idea of moving from Westport to be able to work, and have space so they could figure out their relationship with Fox without people always giving their two cents. So I respected that about her. I just felt like there wasn’t much of Piper in the book or anyone else, this really focused on Hannah and Fox relationship.
~ I think some parts about Fox’s commitment issues got a bit repetitive in the middle of the story. I get it that he had to work through these issues though and actually I think it’s relatable (I grew up with a few guys like this.) There are those guys out there and it’s sad that they think their only worth is their looks and being a F-buddy, which is why I thought it was sweet how he connected with Hannah and how Hannah saw who he really was and was patient enough with him.
Tropes: friends to lovers, forced proximity, afraid to commit, small town
Spice Level: 🌶🌶🌶🌶
Why you should read it:
Hannah and Fox are perfect for one another, she’s trying to be more confident in her job and he has major insecurities, especially when it comes to his feelings about Hannah – but what I love about them is they try to listen and understand one another. They are each other’s safe space. They grew together which melts my heart!
sweet, steamy, and funny
Why you might not want to read it:
you didn’t like the first book…OR if you did like the first one, just know this one is different because Piper isn’t Hannah and vice versa. Hannah has a lesser connection to the town and her dad’s memory. Hannah is her own person but it would have been nice to have her reconnect more with her sister too – but that’s just me. I like when Hannah and Piper are together because they are the most loving sisters.
My Thoughts:
Overall, this was the perfect book for my current mood – I just wanted to escape and read a book with a happily ever after. I definitely felt all the emotions while reading Hannah and Fox’s love story. They are the cutest together with their shared love of music and wanting to take care of each other. This one gave me all the feels!
I just kind of stand around waiting for things to happen, while other people seem to make them happen so easily. I can help others—I like doing that—but I’m a supporting actress, not a leading lady.
Did you go to private school and wear a uniform? I went to public school so we could wear anything we wanted – well not anything, but you know what I mean. My kids go to public school and they have to wear a t-shirt uniform. I kind of like the idea, since you always know what you will be wearing and cuts down the chances of a wardrobe meltdown lol. Here are book covers with school uniforms on the cover.
Books with School Uniforms on the Cover
I do love a cover with a school uniform on it. I don’t know why, maybe because I never went to private school and it makes me curious what it was like? Not sure, but I keep reading the stories!
Categories: Romance, Inter-faith Romance, Women’s Fiction, Single Dad, 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 MIRA for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
From the author of the buzzy THE MATZAH BALL, a pitch-perfect romcom about a matchmaker who finds her own search for love thrust into the spotlight after her bubbe outs her list for “The Perfect Jewish Husband” on live television.
Dara Rabinowitz knows a lot about love. As a third-generation schadchan, or matchmaker, she’s funneled her grandmother’s wisdom into the world’s most successful Jewish dating app, J-Mate. Yet, despite being the catalyst for countless Jewish marriages, Dara has never been successful at finding love. Oh, she’s got plenty of excuses—like running a three-hundred person technology company and visiting her beloved bubbe every day. But the real reason Dara hasn’t been on a date in three years is much simpler. Though she desperately wants to meet her bashert, and stand beneath the huppah, she is frozen by social anxiety.
All that single dad Chris Steadfast wants to do is give his daughter stability. But with the ratings for the TV news show he anchors in the gutter, and the network threatening cancellation, Chris’s career – like his life with Lacey in Manhattan — is on the chopping block.
When her bubbe outs Dara’s list for “The Perfect Jewish Husband” when they’re guests on Chris’s live show, Chris sees an opportunity to both find Dara her perfect match, and boost the ratings of his show. But finding Mr. Perfect on Paper may mean giving up on the charming—and totally not Jewish—reporter following Dara’s nationwide hunt…
Content Warning: grief
I read The Matzah Ball from this author last year and I thought to give this new book of hers a try. I’m glad I did! Here’s what did and didn’t work for me:
+ I learned more about what being kosher means. My husband is Jewish but he is definitely not kosher. He follows Reform Judaism and is raising our kids this way. We are also in an inter-faith marriage, something Dara, in the book is totally against at first. I like how she explains why being Jewish and wanting to find a man who is Jewish is important to her. I learned a lot! I also liked how they introduced important Jewish holidays throughout the story.
+ I love the relationships depicted in the story, one between Dara and her Bubbe (grandmother) and the other between Chris and his daughter Lacey. There were very sweet moments between them.
+ Dara has GAD or Generalized Anxiety Disorder and I like that she talked about it and wasn’t afraid to share with people what she felt and went through with GAD. I also like that she is a very successful woman with her dating app J-Mate.
~ I wish there was a little more chemistry between Chris and Dara – there was some, but I wanted more. Obviously Chris was not going to be someone who was perfect for her and she had to work those thoughts out in her head, but she is so steadfast in her faith I almost thought she should pick Daniel because of it.
~ I wanted more scenes with Bubbe in it. She was there in the beginning and the end but no so much in the middle of the book. It would have been nice for Dara to get some insight of her other dates from her Bubbe since she is the most important person in her life.
Tropes: single dad, slow burn
Why you should read it:
a light hearted, rom-com with lots of Jewish representation
Bubbe and her friends are fun ladies and I like how Dara spends lots of time with them
learn about Jewish holidays and faith
Why you might not want to read it:
for me it needed more chemistry between Chris and Dara
My Thoughts:
This is a light-hearted romance story about a Jewish woman Dara, who give us a lot of insight into being Jewish and what she believes it means to her. Dara knows what she wants in a guy so it’s interesting when in the end she chooses the guy who has none of the qualities she wrote down on her list. This story has some funny moments, and touching moments too.
Author Jean Meltzer studied dramatic writing at NYU Tisch, and served as creative director at Tapestry International, garnering numerous awards for her work in television, including a daytime Emmy. Like her protagonist, Jean is also a chronically-ill and disabled Jewish woman. She is an outspoken advocate for ME/CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), has attended visibility actions in Washington DC, meeting with members of Senate and Congress to raise funds for ME/CFS. She inspires 9,000 followers on WW Connect to live their best life, come out of the chronic illness closet, and embrace the hashtag #chronicallyfabulous. Also, while she was raised in what would be considered a secular home, she grew up kosher and attended Hebrew School. She spent five years in Rabbinical School. She is the author of The Matzah Ball and Mr. Perfect on Paper.
Past Midnight Book Reviews & More 