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!
What a weekend 😒😅 …but we got new books so that’s a good thing!
From the internationally bestselling author of The Simple Wild comes the story of a woman at a crossroads in her life, struggling between the safe route and the one that will only lead to more heartbreak.
Veterinarian Marie Lehr knows unrequited love all too well after pining for her best friend, only to watch him marry another woman. It’s a mistake she will never make again, especially not when she can practically hear the clock ticking on her childbearing years.
The trouble is, she can’t seem to find anyone who appeals to her even a fraction as much as that burly bush pilot did. Competitive musher Tyler Brady certainly doesn’t, especially not after the heated altercation with the handsome but arrogant, spiteful man.
Or so she thinks.
While volunteering at the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, Marie discovers that first impressions may have been false, and her attraction to Tyler is very real. But his heart belongs to someone else, leaving him with nothing to offer but friendship. Marie’s been down this road before and knows how that ends. Yet, no matter how hard she works to keep from falling for Tyler, it seems she’s doomed to follow her own trail once again.
The Hope Juvenile Treatment Center is ironically named. No one has hope for the delinquent teenagers who have been exiled there; the world barely acknowledges that they exist.
Then the guards at Hope start acting strange. And one day…they don’t show up. But when the teens band together to make a break from the facility, they encounter soldiers outside the gates. There’s a rapidly spreading infectious disease outside, and no one can leave their houses or travel without a permit. Which means that they’re stuck at Hope. And this time, no one is watching out for them at all.
As supplies quickly dwindle and a deadly plague tears through their ranks, the group has to decide whom among them they can trust and figure out how they can survive in a world that has never wanted them in the first place.
They were cowriting literary darlings until they hit a plot hole that turned their lives upside down.
Three years ago, Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen were the brightest literary stars on the horizon, their cowritten books topping bestseller lists. But on the heels of their greatest success, they ended their partnership on bad terms, for reasons neither would divulge to the public. They haven’t spoken since, and never planned to, except they have one final book due on contract.
Facing crossroads in their personal and professional lives, they’re forced to reunite. The last thing they ever thought they’d do again is hole up in the tiny Florida town where they wrote their previous book, trying to finish a new manuscript quickly and painlessly. Working through the reasons they’ve hated each other for the past three years isn’t easy, especially not while writing a romantic novel.
While passion and prose push them closer together in the Florida heat, Katrina and Nathan will learn that relationships, like writing, sometimes take a few rough drafts before they get it right.
From the New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist, a biography in verse and prose of science fiction visionary Octavia Butler.
Acclaimed novelist Ibi Zoboi illuminates the young life of the visionary storyteller Octavia E. Butler in poems and prose. Born into the Space Race, the Red Scare, and the dawning Civil Rights Movement, Butler expereinced an American childhood that shaped her into the groundbreaking science-fiction storyteller whose novels continue to challenge and delight readers fifteen years after her death.
(Releases on Jan. 26th, 2022)
Nobody can hear your screams from the depths of hell… Those who survived Halálház never imagined going back. But this isn’t Halálház, this is Věrhăza, and nothing can prepare any of them for this. With General Markos in control of the new prison, torture and cruelty are taken to a whole new level. And what Brexley is forced to do will not only change her, but the course of the future. With her powers starting to manifest, Brexley risks everything to save those she loves; but in doing so, she exposes her abilities to Istvan. When she and Warwick are tortured and used as experiments, she finds that Istvan’s deceit and betrayal go far deeper than she could imagine. Istvan will do anything to stay in control. As Brexley’s powers grow, so does the hate and darkness inside. Her hands are stained red, her soul heavy in guilt. There has been so much death, pain, and agony. When does someone actually break? One can only take so much before the hero becomes the villain . . .
What books are you excited for this week? ~ Yolanda
My daughter finally got her first dose of the Pfizer vaxx, and I’m relieved. Also my dad infected my mom, sister, and nephew with covid. He got it from working with my cousin who was positive. My decided on his own that he did not have covid, refused to test or quarantine hence exposing everyone in the house. My brother in law and youngest nephew’s test have come back negative but it’s been quite a week and then some for my family. All I could do was check in on everyone, they live 30 minutes away. I was feeling good until yesterday when I felt like my allergies were acting up badly but also felt a little cold, not quite the chills and an elevated temp, not quite a low grade fever, but since everyone is getting covid, I’m like…I bet I have it. I will go in to test today just to make sure.
I wasn’t exposed to my dad, I haven’t seen them for like 2 weeks and the only places I go to are the grocery stores. My hubby goes into work 3x a week and works at home 2x a week…could it be from him? But he’s been okay so far, and my son tested negative at school on Thursday. My daughter is always with me so…🤷🏻♀️. It’s so hard to tell if it’s covid or allergies…but my sister said a very telling sign for her was the fatigue she felt. She had no fever, but she had a very bad head cold and her whole face hurt and she had an itchy throat. Seems like itchy/sore throat was what the ones with positive results had all in common. Everyone in their house has their booster except for my dad.
Anyway – enough of that! How was your week? Hope all of you are staying safe!
Encanto – I had to watch this after everyone was talking about it on TikTok! Me and my kids love it. I love the music, my kids love the magical realism, and the story is just so good. I love stories about family. Update…watched this 4 times with my kids. It’s so good.
Moana – and because Encanto was so good, I decided to watch Moana right after since Lin Manuel Miranda did the music for that one too. I love his work. But Moana is my favorite – the grandma storyline always makes me cry and miss my grandparents. Plus Moana is such a strong girl! I love her.
Games I’ve Played:
Animal Crossing – Happy Homes Paradise DLC
My Singing Monsters
Pet Sim X – Roblox – just because my daughter wants the new pets! 😅
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!
#SixforSunday is… it’s really just that. You choose 6 books (normally) that you’d choose to fit whatever the prompt is that week. This meme is hosted byA Little but a Lotand you can follow the link to find the prompts for October to December.
This week’s topic:
Favourite Opening Chapters
There are some of my favorite book and I love their opening chapters. I included the first line from every book since chapters are way too long.
“The forest had become a labyrinth of snow and ice.”
A Court of Thorns and Roses by. Sarah j. Maas
“On a drowsy Sunday afternoon, a man in a long dark coat hesitated in front of a house on a tree-lined street.”
The Cruel Prince by. Holly Black
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
Pride and Prejudice by. Jane Austen
“I start my day before sunshine, throwing on running clothes and laying a pinch of semaa at the eastern base of a tree, where sunlight will touch the tobacco first.”
Firekeeper’s Daugher by. Angeline Bouley
“It’s agony and relief to watch my life end.”
Secondborn by. Amy A. Bartol
“When I was a kid, my mom constantly invented games.”
The Inheritance Games by. Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Here is the schedule for January and go to A Little but a lot for more info!
January – Fresh Starts:
2nd: Books you want to read this year 9th: Books you can’t wait for 16th: bookish resolutions / Books that remind me of fireworks 23rd: favourite opening chapters 30th: favourite character arcs
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 Wednesday Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
No matter how far she runs, the forest of Edgewood always comes for Emeline Lark. The scent of damp earth curls into her nose when she sings and moss creeps across the stage. It’s as if the woods of her childhood, shrouded in folklore and tall tales, are trying to reclaim her. But Emeline has no patience for silly superstitions.
When her grandfather disappears, leaving only a mysterious orb in his wake, the stories Emeline has always scoffed at suddenly seem less foolish. She enters the forest she has spent years trying to escape, only to have Hawthorne Fell, a handsome and brooding tithe collector, try to dissuade her from searching.
Refusing to be deterred, Emeline finds herself drawn to the court of the fabled Wood King himself. She makes a deal—her voice for her grandfather’s freedom. Little does she know, she’s stumbled into the middle of a curse much bigger than herself, one that threatens the existence of this eerie world she’s trapped in, along with the devastating boy who feels so familiar.
With the help of Hawthorne—an enemy turned reluctant ally who she grows closer to each day—Emeline sets out to not only save her grandfather’s life, but to right past wrongs, and in the process, discover her true voice.
Haunting and romantic, Kristen Ciccarelli’s Edgewood is an exciting novel from a bold, unforgettable voice in fantasy.
Content Warning: Dementia, Alzheimer’s
This was an interesting story and at first I wasn’t sure it was working for me. It’s about a girl who’s a musician but she comes from a place called Edgewood where everyone knows the woods are enchanted – she grew up with stories about the forest, even neighbors had visited the court of the Wood King so this is very much contemporary fantasy.
As a character, Emeline is a musician and independent. She is on her own trying to make a big splash in the music world. She seems to have issues with guys, always having a new boyfriend to push away whatever memories or feelings she feels like she is running from. Her grandfather is her only living family and he has Alzheimer’s. When he is tithed to the Wood King, Emeline goes to rescue him but bargains with the Wood King herself.
My favorite part of this story though was how it unraveled and the romance between her and Hawthorne Fell. It at first starts off as an enemies to lovers romance but then we dig deeper and find out the truth of what happened and it comes full circle. The reveal at the end was magical and unexpected.
World-building wise I thought it was pretty good but lacking on details of the faerie court, which I generally look forward to because I love the Fae. But it’s a standalone book so I can understand why it wasn’t so detailed.
The beginning was slow as we get to know Emeline and her musical ambitions but it definitely picks up when she returns to Edgewood to rescue her grandfather.
Why you should read it:
contemporary fantasy with a forest that takes you into the world of the Wood King
Emeline and Hawthorne’s love story
love how music and memory was entwined with the story
Why you might not want to read it:
slow beginning
My Thoughts:
This story grew on me and I couldn’t put it down even though I was doubting how I felt about it at the start of the book. But by the end I was captured by the romance story of Emeline and Hawthorne and how it was revealed.
Categories: Young Adult, Prep School, Thriller, 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 Sourcebooks Fire for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Lia Setiawan has never really fit in. When she wins a full ride to the prestigious Draycott Academy on a track scholarship, she’s determined to make it work even though she’s never felt more out of place. But on her first day there she witnesses a girl being forcefully carried away by campus security. Her new schoolmates and teachers seem unfazed, but it leaves her unsure of what she’s gotten herself into. As she uncovers the secrets of Draycott, complete with a corrupt teacher, a golden boy who isn’t what he seems, and a blackmailer determined to get her thrown out, she’s not sure if she can trust anyone–especially when the threats against her take a deadly turn.
Content Warning: Murder, Drug Use, Bullying
This is my second Jesse Q. Sutanto book and I can definitely see a theme with her stories. Murder! The New Girl is a thriller mystery filled with prep school drama filled with beautiful people, brand names, bullies, wealth and drug use.
I love that the main character is half Indonesian and half Chinese-Indonesian. We get to learn some Indonesiand and Chinese-Indo culture. She attends Draycott Academy where the rich kids drive very fancy cars, wear designer clothes, pay for good grades, use drugs and basically do whatever they want. But when Lia gets a mean girl mad by taking her spot on the track team, she has to do everything she can to fight back and keep her spot at the school. And this is when things go haywire.
Lia is not scared, I gotta give her credit for that. She stands up to Mandy, the girl on her track team but that gets Lia into deeper trouble. The story is full of teen drama, scandals and even murder. I’m usually into teenage drama, but there was something about this one that was turning me off at times and I think it’s all the teen speak going on – it just wasn’t working for me.
Pacing was a little off for me also. It started off slow with her meeting a cute boy and falling for him and then it really picks up as the drama between her and a certain teacher begins. Then it gets wild but I felt that way about her other book, Dial A for Aunties. There are some twists and turns, so with a story like this you just have to hang on and enjoy the ride.
Why you should read it:
you like ya mystery thrillers that take you on a wild ride
Lia’s experience being Indonesian and Chinese-Indo
twists and turns keep you on your toes
Why you might not want to read it:
slow beginning, fast ending
lots of rich teen drama
teen speak wasn’t working for me
My Thoughts:
It took me awhile to get into this book but the twist and turns did keep me intrigued. Also I like the Indonesian and Chinese-Indonesian representation. The book overall wasn’t a book for me because I’m not the right audience for it but I think teen readers would enjoy this one.
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?
What are you currently reading?
What have you just finished reading?
What are you going to read next?
I have a bunch of ebooks I borrowed online I have to read before they expire. Also my NetGalley list that I have to clear for February release dates so I’m getting through them…slowly, but surely (I HOPE) lol…
What’s on your WWW Wednesday? Or what are you reading this week? ~ Yolanda
What’s new for this week? Have you been getting a lot of new books lately? Or are you trying to get through all the ones you got for Christmas? Anyway, here is what’s new:
A troubled young mother yearns for a shot at redemption in this heartbreaking yet hopeful story from #1 New York Timesbestselling author Colleen Hoover.
After serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake, Kenna Rowan returns to the town where it all went wrong, hoping to reunite with her four-year-old daughter. But the bridges Kenna burned are proving impossible to rebuild. Everyone in her daughter’s life is determined to shut Kenna out, no matter how hard she works to prove herself.
The only person who hasn’t closed the door on her completely is Ledger Ward, a local bar owner and one of the few remaining links to Kenna’s daughter. But if anyone were to discover how Ledger is slowly becoming an important part of Kenna’s life, both would risk losing the trust of everyone important to them.
The two form a connection despite the pressure surrounding them, but as their romance grows, so does the risk. Kenna must find a way to absolve the mistakes of her past in order to build a future out of hope and healing.
A gothic tale full of mystery and romance about a willful female surgeon, a resurrection man who sells bodies for a living, and the buried secrets they must uncover together.
Edinburgh, 1817.
Hazel Sinnett is a lady who wants to be a surgeon more than she wants to marry.
Jack Currer is a resurrection man who’s just trying to survive in a city where it’s too easy to die.
When the two of them have a chance encounter outside the Edinburgh Anatomist’s Society, Hazel thinks nothing of it at first. But after she gets kicked out of renowned surgeon Dr. Beecham’s lectures for being the wrong gender, she realizes that her new acquaintance might be more helpful than she first thought. Because Hazel has made a deal with Dr. Beecham: if she can pass the medical examination on her own, the university will allow her to enroll. Without official lessons, though, Hazel will need more than just her books – she’ll need bodies to study, corpses to dissect.
Lucky that she’s made the acquaintance of someone who digs them up for a living, then.
But Jack has his own problems: strange men have been seen skulking around cemeteries, his friends are disappearing off the streets. Hazel and Jack work together to uncover the secrets buried not just in unmarked graves, but in the very heart of Edinburgh society.
A compulsive, tenacious, and unexpectedly hopeful thriller set in a midwestern strip club, told by New York Times bestselling author Marie Rutkoski in the spirit of Gillian Flynn and Tana French
It’s 1999 and Samantha has danced for years at the Lovely Lady strip club. She’s not used to mixing work and friendship―after all, between her jealous boyfriend and his young daughter, she has enough on her plate. But the newest dancer is so clueless that Samantha feels compelled to help her learn the hustle and drama of the club: how to sweet-talk the boss, fit in with the other women, and make good money. One night, when the new girl needs a ride home, Samantha agrees to drive: a simple decision that turns deadly.
Georgia, another dancer drawn into the ensuing murder and missing person investigation, gathers information for Holly, a grieving detective determined to solve the case. Georgia just wants to help, but her involvement makes her a target. As Holly and Georgia round up their suspects, the story’s point of view shifts between dancers, detectives, children, club patrons―and the killer.
Drawing on her experience as a former dancer, Marie Rutkoski immerses us in the captivating world of the club, which comes alive with complicated people trying their best to protect themselves and those they love. Character-driven and masterfully plotted, Real Easy gets to the heart of the timeless question: How do women live their lives knowing that men can hurt them?
After a magical eruption devastates the kingdom of Belwar, royal heir Adraa is falsely accused of masterminding the destruction and forced to stand trial in front of her people, who see her as a monster. Adraa’s punishment? Imprisonment in the Dome, an impenetrable, magic-infused fortress filled with Belwar’s nastiest criminals—many of whom Adraa put there herself. And they want her to pay.
Jatin, the royal heir to Naupure, has been Adraa’s betrothed, nemesis, and fellow masked vigilante… but now he’s just a boy waiting to ask her the biggest question of their lives. First, though, he’s going to have to do the impossible: break Adraa out of the Dome. And he won’t be able to do it without help from the unlikeliest of sources—a girl from his past with a secret that could put them all at risk.
Time is running out, and the horrors Adraa faces in the Dome are second only to the plot to destabilize and destroy their kingdoms. But Adraa and Jatin have saved the world once already… Now, can they save themselves?
The heart-pounding sequel to Cast in Firelight, perfect for fans of epic, sweepingly romantic fantasy by Sabaa Tahir, Susan Dennard, and Mary E. Pearson.
What books are you excited for this week? ~ Yolanda
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:
2021 Releases I Was Excited to Read But Didn’t Get To
Categories: Young Adult, Romance, High School, Fake-Dating, Enemies to Lovers, Coming of Age
From the author of The Best Laid Plans comes another fresh voiced, hilarious rom-com perfect for fans of Tweet Cute and The Rest of the Story.
Penny Harris just ruined her life.
As one of the most popular girls in school, she’s used to being invited to every party, is dating the Jordan Parker, and can’t wait to rule senior year with her best friend, Olivia. But when Penny wakes up on Jordan’s lawn the morning after his first-day-of-summer bash, she knows something went terribly wrong the night before.
She kissed Kai Tanaka.
Kai, her long-time nemesis. Kai, Olivia’s boyfriend. Penny can’t figure out what could have inspired her to do it–she loves Jordan and she would never hurt Olivia–but one thing’s for sure: freshly dumped, and out a best friend, the idyllic summer she pictured is over.
And despite the fact that Jordan seems to be seeking comfort (and a whole lot more) in Olivia, all Penny can think about is winning him back. Kai wants to save his relationship too, so they come up with a plan: convince their friends that they really do have feelings for each other. After all, no one can resist a good love story, and maybe seeing Penny and Kai together will make Jordan and Olivia change their minds.
But as summer heats up, so does Penny and Kai’s “relationship,” and Penny starts to question whether she’s truly faking it with Kai, if he’s really as terrible as she always thought he was, and if the life she’s fighting so hard to get back is the one she really wants.
Content Warning: Bullying
Penny is that girl who wasn’t always popular but once she became best friends with Olivia, the queen bee at school, she’s been her number two girl and she tries her best to keep her spot. This makes Penny a follower, and not the most likable character but she is relatable because she used to be the one who was bullied. It makes sense she doesn’t want to be bullied anymore but being friends with Olivia makes her a bully too.
As far as the romance, it’s an enemies to lovers, fake-dating situation where her enemy is the one who came up with the name she was bullied with! It’s natural that Penny hates Kai, but as they get thrown together, they finally get to know one another and in essence both of them was trying to survive being picked on in school. The story has a lot of high school drama but in a way I could understand Penny’s fears. Who likes to be bullied? No one.
Penny does grow by the end of this and I’m glad about that because it was hard to watch her try to find her way back to Olivia’s side when clearly Olivia is not a nice person and a worse friend at that. I like that Kai teaches her to let go a little and not be afraid to be herself. But it’s high school and people can change.
I do like how this author writes complicated and not automatically likable characters. They are flawed, make messy decisions, they are kids in high school who think everything matters in that very moment when as adults reading we know something bigger is coming their way. Bills. LOL…just kidding, but not kidding. 😅
Why you should read it:
fake dating, enemies to lovers
you like high school drama
realistic characters, even though not exactly likable, relatable high school situations
Why you might not want to read it:
you are not into the mean girls high school drama
My Thoughts:
Penny isn’t perfect, she is friends with a mean girl, and then she becomes one of the mean girls to survive. Penny and Kai’s enemies to lovers fake-dating situation helps them really get to know each other and pushes Penny to take a good look at who her friends are, and who she is without Olivia. Navigating high school is not easy and trying to figure out who you are in high school won’t happen overnight. Most people find ourselves after high school. This was full of messy high school drama, and as an adult I enjoyed it because it’s relatable. This one would appeal definitely appeal to teen readers.
📚 ~ Yolanda
Quotes from the book:
“If you make a bad choice, you have to try to fix it. You have to put in the work to make things better.”
Heartbreakers and Fakers by. Cameron Lund
“The truth is high school is such a small blip on my timeline. Life is too short to waste the whole thing worrying.”
Heartbreakers and Fakers by. cameron Lund
“Who cares if people are staring? The fact is, they probably aren’t even looking my way at all.”