Tag: books

Their Monstrous Hearts by. Yiğit Turhan | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Their Monstrous Hearts

Author: Yiğit Turhan

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 4/8/25

Publisher: MIRA

Categories: Mystery, Gothic, Contemporary, 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 MIRA for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!


A haunting novel about the boundaries people will cross to keep their dreams alive.

A mysterious stranger shows up at Riccardo’s apartment with some news: his grandmother Perihan has died, and Riccardo has inherited her villa in Milan along with her famed butterfly collection.

The struggling writer is out of options. He’s hoping the change of scenery in Milan will inspire him, and maybe there will be some money to keep him afloat. But Perihan’s house isn’t as opulent as he remembers. The butterflies pinned in their glass cases seem more ominous than artful. Perihan’s group of mysterious old friends is constantly lurking. And there’s something wrong in the greenhouse.

As Riccardo explores the decrepit estate, he stumbles upon Perihan’s diary, which might hold the key to her mysterious death. Or at least give him the inspiration he needs to finish his manuscript.

But he might not survive long enough to write it.

Content Warning: body horror, death, murder, insect horror

+ I almost DNF’d this at 30% – it is so slow of a mystery and yet I was intrigued by Riccardo who is a struggling and poor writer who is on a tight deadline with no manuscript to show for it. His grandmother passes, and leaves him her home in Milan, Italy. With no money and too much stress, he goes thinking he can write while he is there but instead he finds a manuscript written by his grandmother, Perihan.

+ I did find Perihan’s manuscript interesting because of the time it’s written in the past and also she is from Turkey. Her life is hard from the start but it takes her to Milan where life really flourishes for her. I couldn’t tell at first if she was a good person or not. Riccardo is doing no writing but he is reading this manuscript and learning a lot about his grandmother’s life.

+ The horror and the twist comes at the end. It’s a crazy ending! But if you don’t like monstrous butterflies, stay away from this one.

~ Like I said above, this was almost a DNF. I didn’t though and skimmed until 70% into the book where everything starts picking up. I’m already not one who enjoys mystery books, and I struggled because this one is a slow one, but I just wanted something to happen in the first half with Riccardo either staring to right his book or some horror at the start. But this is a slow building horror story that ends with a bang.

Final Thoughts:

I don’t think I was the target audience for this book. For me, it was too slow for the first two-thirds of this book. I did find the characters and Perihan’s life very fascinating and the ending is wild. If you like slow building mystery and horror then you might enjoy this one.

I was on the Blog Tour so read a book excerpt here: https://pastmidnights.com/?p=31590

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Weekly Wrap Up | 4/13/25

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ Did nothing too special this week – just the usual, cook, clean, blog, take care of the kids and run errands. Took my son to his piano lesson yesterday. I’ll be missing his piano recital in June because that’s when I fly out to South Korea but at least his dad is here now to take him.

+ I’m happy this is a short week, kids have Good Friday off.

I hope you all have a great week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Finished:

Sunrise on the Reaping by. Suzanne Collins

Phantasma by. Kaylie Smith

Rose in Chains by. Julie Soto

Currently Reading:

The Rivaled Crown by. Holly Renee

The Floating World by. Axie Oh

Silvercloak by. L.K. Steven

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • I’m going to see Lady Gaga in July so I definitely had to watch her Coachella set on youtube! It was AMAZING. 🤯. The theatrics, the stage, the drama, her vocals….I was blown away.
  • I also watched these Coachella sets or some parts of it:
    • Djo (parts of their set) – caught that song I love “End of Beginning”, but I enjoyed some of their other songs I didn’t know.
    • LISA (full set) – she did so good for her Solo show!
    • Benson Boone (parts of his set) – he has an amazing voice
    • Missy Elliot (parts of her set) – her set reminded me of my clubbing days 😅
    • Weezer (parts of their set) – takes me back to my teen years also, mostly college days! 😭
    • Jimmy Eat World (was going back from Weezer and them, but mostly Weezer) – caught my favorite song from them at the end!
    • Charli xcx (full set) – SO GOOD, wish I could have gone to see her on tour to dance my ass off.
    • ENHYPEN (part of their set) – wanted to see who they were, but then realized I know a few songs of theirs because of the kpop radio station! I could hear the girls in the crowd screaming so loud.
    • Green Day (full set) – man did they take me back to my teenage years! 😭 That band raised me. They rocked that stage and still have so much energy!
  • Hoping to watch today on Coachella:
    • JENNIE
    • beabadobee

Videos I Posted to Youtube:

Just a fun little video of my making bookstagram photos (which I hardly post these days 🫠 and mostly because I forget to do it)…

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!

Phantasma by. Kaylie Smith | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Phantasma (Wicked Games, #1)

Author: Kaylie Smith

Format: ebook (KU)

Pages: 497

Publication Date: 9/3/24

Categories: Dark Romance, Fantasy, Romantasy, Lite Horror, Gothic


Caraval meets Throne of the Fallen in this spicy dark romantasy where a necromancer needs help from a dangerous phantom to win a deadly competition, only to find their partnership puts her at risk of breaking the game’s most vital rule: don’t fall in love.

When Ophelia and her sister discovers their mother brutally murdered, there is no time to grieve: Ophelia has inherited both her powerful death-driven magic and enormous debt on their home. Circumstances go from dire to deadly, however, when Ophelia’s sister decides to pay off the loan by entering Phantasma—a competition where most contestants don’t make it out alive and the winner is granted a single wish.

The only way to save her sister is to compete. But Phantasma is a cursed manor, with twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, and filled with enticing demons and fatal temptations. Ophelia will need to face nine floors of challenges to win… if her fears don’t overtake her first.

When a charming, arrogant stranger claims he can protect and guide Ophelia, she knows she shouldn’t trust him. While Blackwell may not seem dangerous, appearances can be deceptive. But with her sister’s life on the line, Ophelia can’t afford to turn him away. She just needs to ignore the overwhelming, dark attraction drawing them closer and closer together.

Because in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart.


Content Warning: blood play, violence, horror

+ Not sure what I was expecting with this one but it has a necromancer, devils, and phantoms. It’s also set in New Orleans so I loved the vibes of this story a lot. It’s a melting pot of all things paranormal.

+ Ophelia lost her mom, and now she’s lost her sister too but she’s going to try and find her. Her sister has joined the game Phantasma. Phantasma is a game played in a house of horrors. The game has stages based on the 9 levels of hell (Dante’s Inferno anyone?). Ophelia joins but her sister is in another group separate from hers so they never run into each other. But Ophelia does run into a gorgeous phantom named, Blackwell. Anyway, each stage of the game has some horror to it, and Blackwell bargains with Ophelia to help her get through each stage if she helps him find what will set him free from the house. I did like the haunts for each stage, some were gruesome though, but it adds to the darkness of the story.

+ Ophelia and Blackwell’s relationship I thought was fun to see develop because she’s stressed out (she has OCD and is dealing with very intrusive thoughts) but he’s kind of playful and always teasing her. Of course the attraction gets heated between them, and things get spicy – there is even a scene that involves blood. But yes these two are hot for one another.

~ I did wish the stages had more tension and horror. The stakes didn’t feel high and Ophelia was cruising through them with Blackwell’s help.

~ I didn’t enjoy Blackwell having missing memories. And honestly, I enjoyed the spicy scenes but I also was thinking too much during them. I was like, wait he’s a phantom, can he…ohhhkay, he CAN…how is he doing that? 😅🤔 Yes he can have a corporeal body when he concentrates hard enough – no pun intended lol. Also maybe it was just me, but when Blackwell kept saying “You are the closest thing I will ever get to experiencing heaven.” That song by the GooGoo Dolls would pop up in my head “you’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be, and I don’t wanna go home right now” (it doesn’t help that I heard that song the same day I finished this book! lol)

~ The ending was kind of anticlimactic.

Final Thoughts:

This is definitely not on Caraval’s level but I still had a fun time reading it. I especially like the dark atmosphere and the creepy house that the game is being played in. Would have liked the ending to be a bit more dramatic maybe to fit the vibes. There’s a lot of spice between a phantom and a necromancer so I’d say overall this was entertaining. Will I read book two? Maybe, but not right away.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Design of Us by. Sajni Patel | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Design of Us

Author: Sajni Patel

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 7/16/24

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, STEM Romance


One impulsive lie leads to a weeklong adventure of fake dating for two bickering coworkers in this swoony destination wedding rom-com.

Sunshine incarnate Bhanu brings big UX energy to whatever she does, including going for the promotion where her only serious competition is her work nemesis, AKA Sunny, the grump with the Denzel voice. She expected to get a reprieve from him while visiting her family in Hawai’i, but the universe has other plans. When Bhanu runs into Sunny at the hotel and witnesses his ex criticizing him about being single, Bhanu does the first thing that comes to she impetuously claims to be Sunny’s girlfriend just to get some peace and quiet. Except Sunny is on island for a friend’s wedding and his ex has already texted the entire wedding party about this mysterious girlfriend.

Bhanu truly is the bane of Sunny’s existence. But the last thing he wants to do is cause tension during his friend’s wedding festivities, much less be the object of their pity. He has no choice except to play along, if only he and Bhanu can put aside their quarreling and act like a real couple.

Between Bhanu’s hilariously meddling family and Sunny’s ecstatic friends, the two are pushed closer together, even as stress mounts over the impending promotion.

They say what happens on island, stays on island. But as Sunny and Bhanu let their guards down, will either of them be able to resist this romantic getaway without crossing the line?


Content Warning: toxic ex

+ I admit this cover sucked me in because of the vibrant colors and then the story takes place in Hawai’i (the Big Island) and I’m on Oahu so I wanted to see how the author portrayed the Big Island.

+ Bhanu and Sunny are coworkers. She works in UX (user experience) and he’s a coder and I thought them being in this tech job that I don’t know a lot about was fascinating. Sunny’s ex thinks he’s a robot with no feelings, and always working. Bhanu is always working just like him, but she also has social anxiety. They do not get a long at work, but when they coincidentally find one another staying at the same island in Hawai’i – things get interesting.

+ I think the author did a great job portraying the Big Island. I have family that live there and sadly haven’t visited in years but the beauty, the humidity, the various landscapes, culture, and food is showcased really nicely in this story. She also even brings up the issue of tourism in our islands, where it is our main economy but how it takes it’s toll on the islands and the workers of the industry. My mom worked in a hotel so Bhanu’s sister working at a hotel was spot on.

+ The romance is a very slow burn. But I loved how they went from enemies to wild for each other mostly because of their personalities. Sunny, despite his name is grumpy and closed off. Bhanu is much more free-spirited but she also likes control and she has social anxiety – the two of them are workaholics and ambitious but also like to have space.

+ The themes of friendship and family was great.

~ Sunny’s ex, Sejal, is really awful, especially causing that kind of drama during their friend’s wedding. Not cool. But her making Sunny feel like he was not good enough irked me.

~ I wish this wasn’t a closed-door romance. It’s totally fine but they had so much tension, it would have been fun to have their sexy scenes detailed a bit more but that’s a personal request lol.

~ Also, I think the author mentions Sunny’s voice sounding like Denzel a little too many times! 😅 I was starting to picture Denzel Washington in Sunny’s role.

Final Thoughts:

This is a perfect romance to read by the pool or at the beach during a hot summer’s day. It’s got fun tropes like one room, one bed, destination wedding, fake dating, and co-workers. Overall, I enjoyed this one!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

My Sister’s Big Fat Indian Wedding by. Sajni Patel | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Sunrise on the Reaping by. Suzanne Collins | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Sunrise on the Reaping

Author: Suzanne Collins

Format: hardcover (own)

Pages: 382

Publication Date: 3/18/24

Categories: Young Adult, Dystopia, Sci-Fi/Fantasy


When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.


Content Warning: violence towards children, death, murder

+ This is Haymitch’s story and everyone knew it would be crazy because of how he was an alcoholic in The Hunger Games (Katniss’ era) and now we learn what drove him to drown himself in the bottle. And it is brutal.

+ I like how we get to see Haymitch – happy and carefree even with the struggles the districts are going through. He has this way of being charming and like nothing bothers but when we are in his head, we see so many things are weighing on him like wondering about his family, his love Lenore, and dying. He’s an interesting character because he’s not the hero, like Katniss. He’s not there to save anyone really, he really things he’s going to die in the games, but he comes out the winner anyway.

+ The action picks up halfway into the book and these games are brutal. Just some of the ways these kids die is gruesome. And I like that Haymitch isn’t this hero like Katniss was – he’s this regular guy who really just thought he was going to die in the games. The fact that he survives is a torture I can’t even imagine especially with what happens after the games, so much survivor’s guilt and nightmares. And the poem from Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven, being used in the book did not help my emotions – it’s my favorite and it broke my heart while Haymitch’s was breaking. When I read the epilogue, I shed a tear.

+ Having just read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, I love how Lenore Dove ties into the Covey and Lucy Gray! Also there were so many familiar faces from The Hunger Games, like young Effie, Plutarch, Betee, Mags and Cesar. It was nice to see their younger selves. There are a lot of new tributes but you can’t get attached because it is the Hunger Games. 😢

~ I think the part where Haymitch gets to the Capitol and they meet other tributes was a bit slower than the rest of the book but that could be because I was anticipating the start of the games. It was the perfect opportunity to show us who were rebels and how Haymitch became a part of everything.

~ I’m someone who doesn’t love songs in a book only because I don’t know how they sound. Of course I love the “are you, are you, coming to the tree…” song because it was sung in the movie. This one has a few songs, not as much as TBOSAS but it’s there plus the poems.

Final Thoughts:

This was exactly what I was expecting for Haymitch’s story. It left me angry and heartbroken. Only something tragic and horrific could turn that bright, young man into what he is by the time Katniss enters the games. Snow’s punishment for his defiance broke him and for that I hate Snow even more.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From this Author:

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by. Suzanne Collins | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Hunger Games by. Suzanne Collins ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Catching Fire by. Suzanne Collins ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mockingjay by. Suzanne Collins ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pride or Die by. CL Montblanc | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Pride or Die

Author: CL Montblanc

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 4/15/25

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller, LGBT+

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!


In this delightful dark comedy debut, when the members of an LGBTQ+ club find themselves accidentally framed for attempted murder, it’s up to them to clear their names before it’s too late.

It’s kind of hard to graduate high school when you’re the prime suspect in an attempted murder.

Seventeen-year-old Eleanora Finkel just wants to finish her senior year and get the hell out of Texas. But when her club meeting inconveniently coincides with an attack on the school’s head cheerleader, she and her friends find themselves in the hot seat.

In order to clear their names and ensure the survival of their club for future queer teens, they’ll have to track down the real culprit themselves. But Eleanora is far from a professional detective; she’s riddled with anxiety, annoyingly attracted to the case’s cute victim, and her trusty crochet hook feels insufficient for fighting off a murderer. Can this ragtag group of unlikely sleuths find their way out of an entire freaking murder mystery before one of them is next?

Content Warning: violence, cursing

+ Students in an LGBT+ club are witnesses to an attack on a cheerleader, but because they were seen at the scene of the crime, people are suspicious that they were the ones who attacked her. So to prove their innocence, they decide to investigate to find who the real attacker is.

+ Eleanora and her friends in the club are funny! There is cursing but I thought it was fine. They are quite a cast of characters and they found themselves in a lot of chaos and drama. Plus I love the diversity that is being represented in the story.

~ I didn’t feel invested in the story. I was thinking it was going to be a serious mystery but it wasn’t but that’s part of it’s appeal. I eventually did enjoy the dark comedy vibes but I also felt like maybe a younger audience will definitely enjoy this book more than I did.

Final Thoughts:

I love the representation in this one! It’s got queer kids trying to solve a crime with lots of chaos and drama. Eleanora and her friends are a fun group! I think this one will appeal to young adults and teen readers.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

WWW Wednesday | 4/9/25

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?

Well it’s been that kind of week again – trying to escape from the realities of the world! How’s about those tariffs huh? 😖 But also the stress around me makes it hard to read sometimes. I’m trying to concentrate on arcs because I have SO many arcs due in July and I have my South Korea trip in June, then I have Vegas in July so I’m actually trying to get that July arc list down a little. But not gonna lie, the purple book covers this years have been banger books! Oathbound, Holy Terrors and now Sunrise of the Reaping. 💪🏾

What are you currently reading?

The Rivaled Crown by. Holly Renee – 20% – some progress

The Floating World by. Axie Oh – 24%

What have you just finished reading?

Sunrise on the Reaping by. Suzanne Collins ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Phantasma by. Kaylie Smith ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Pride or Die by. CL Montblanc ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Frozen River by. Ariel Lawhon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Their Monstrous Hearts by. Yiğit Turhan ⭐️⭐️💫

What are you going to read next?

What are YOU reading right now?

Weekly Wrap Up | 4/6/25

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ Well…what a week right? More stress and anxiety about the USA economy? Sigh…we can’t have a week without chaos. My son was so excited about the Nintendo Switch 2 and now pre-orders will be delayed because of the economic situation happening with the tariffs. He was on an emotional roller coaster – like he was so excited, and then now he’s nervous about how much it will cost. 🫠

+ I did manage to score Lady Gaga tickets for Vegas in July. And let me tell you I was hesitating so bad to buy them because of the uncertainty with our economy. They weren’t face-value tickets, but ticketmaster resale since that was all that was left but it wasn’t horrible because it is Lady Gaga and my hubby and I have wanted to see her forever. I just cannot believe how much tickets go for now and I’ve been going to concerts for 2 decades. I mean I even saw Michael Jackson and I had to call on the phone to ticketmaster to get those tickets LOL…I feel so old. Those tickets were cheaper than these but it was a different time! A very cheaper/affordable time. Fees are so ridiculous now smh…I’m supposed to be ecstatic I’m going but I feel anxious – like what will things be like in July? Will we be struggling with HIGHER inflation – how much more can we be squeezed?

+ Speaking of Vegas – before that I’m going to South Korea in June! That’s only 2 months away and I don’t feel like I’m excited for that one either because of everything happening. 😦 I’ll probably get more excited when we go to our tour luncheon next month to meet all the other people in the group and when we finally get our plane tickets etc…

I hope you all have a great week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Finished:

The Frozen River by. Ariel Lawhon

Their Monstrous Hearts by. Yiğit Turhan

Murder Between Friends by. Liz Lawson

Currently Reading:

Sunrise on the Reaping by. Suzanne Collins

The Rivaled Crown by. Holly Renee

The Floating World by. Axie Oh

Phantasma by. Kaylie Smith

Love Spells Trouble by. Nia Davenport

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • Kids wanted to watch A Minecraft Movie – so we went to watch it! I found it hilarious – definitely a movie that is silly but honestly it was nice to watch something and not think too hard.

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!

The Frozen River by. Ariel Lawhon | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Frozen River

Author: Ariel Lawhon

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 432

Publication Date: 12/5/24

Categories: Historical Fiction, Mystery


A gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history.

Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.


Content Warning: rape, mention of rape, sexual assault, murder, violence, lynching, mentions of scalping, stillbirth, death of children, giving birth scenes

+ I love historical fiction because I always learn about something and I definitely learned a lot in this book. This is set in 1789, where laws and the judicial system is forming in USA. Life is cold, and harsh in Hallowell, Maine. Martha is a midwife during this time period and the story is based on this real life person, so you can imagine what the birth scenes are like. It gives an array of birth stories from easy births to extremely hard and challenging ones. I found it fascinating how she did her job and acted as witness to so many ongoings in town.

+ Martha Ballard is a strong character. Her being a midwife alone speaks of strength. As the town’s midwife she often speaks at court hearings and I was actually amazed at how many times she had to be there. I thought the love story portrayed between her and her husband in such a harsh climate and environment was sweet and loving compared to what was happening in town. There is a lot of women getting raped (almost like it’s a casual thing to do!), sexual assault, “fornication”, and the ladies hiding pregnancies.

+ Women truly get the brunt of it in this story. There is a rape case being tried, and a murder of one of the suspects being investigated and Martha is a witness to both at the hearings. At these hearings you can also see her strength in being outspoken and fighting for what she feels is right. I felt so angry for Rebecca (the rape victim) and all the other rape victims in this story. This is definitely not a light read. There is a lot of violence towards women in this town.

~ I was also invested in the mystery until the part in the book when the mystery of who killed Burgess was kind of pushed to the side. At one point I said aloud: so is no one investigating the murder anymore? The book starts off with finding the dead body so I was glued to that at the start but the story went somewhere else before coming back to it in the end. So I think pacing was a little bit of an issue because I did feel like it slowed a lot in the middle.

Quotes From This Book:

“Listening is a skill acquired by the doing.”

The Frozen River by. Ariel Lawhon

“Like all mothers, I have long since mastered the art of nursing joy at one breast and grief at the other.”

The Frozen River by. Ariel Lawhon

“The is what it means to age, I think. The days are long, but the years are short.

The Frozen River by. Ariel Lawhon

Final Thoughts:

For the most part I thought this was a gripping read except for the parts that slowed down in the middle. I loved learning about the life of Martha Ballard as a midwife in the 1700’s. She was strong and the women back then had to be in those cold conditions and in that time but also from the sexual violence from men. This one is not a light read, but if you like historical fiction and mystery then you might enjoy this book.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

All the Stars Align by. Gretchen Schreiber | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: All the Stars Align

Author: Gretchen Schreiber

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 4/1/25

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary, Disability Rep, Romance, Family, LGBT+, Semi-Magical

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!


All the Stars Align is the magical love story that is Taylor Swift’s Enchanted meets Cyrano, from the author of Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal.

All the women in Piper’s family know their true love at first sight, complete with butterflies, heart eyes, and a gut instinct. The kind of fated love that lasts forever. Piper grew up with her ancestors’ epic love stories repeated like fairy tales, and yearns for the day she’ll start her own. Already singled out in her family due to her physical disability, Piper collects a second strike against her when her parents announce their divorce, which convinces her family that she’s doomed.

When she finally finds her true love at a party, she’s more determined than ever to attain her love story and earn a spot in her family. But after completely botching their first meeting, she realizes that she’ll need help from her best friend Leo, who is sort of a love expert. The catch—he and Piper haven’t talked in six months, since he needed a “break” from their friendship.

To win over the love of her life and a place in her family, Piper must convince Leo to teach her his ways. And it’s all going as planned…until Leo confesses his own love for Piper. Now, she must decide which fate to follow.

Content Warning: divorced parents

+ This story is about a girl, who wants to fulfill receiving her Blessing. A Blessing is basically a soulmate – but in Piper’s family, all the women have had, even her mom, until the divorce happened. So what does that mean? I like how the story questions different types of love, relationships and fate versus choice. Piper’s parents loved one another, or still do, but they aren’t compatible and that wasn’t okay with Piper until she had to face some truths. Other types of love displayed are the love of parents with their child, the strained love of family, and the tumultuous love of the teenage years.

+ Piper is disabled and she blames herself for her parents’ divorce, which is sad. I did like the talk her mom had to have with her. Piper is so hell-bent on her plan to find her Blessing, be with that boy forever, and run her family’s business. She has a need to feel wanted by them instead of always feeling different from them. Piper has an amazing support system though – her parents and her best friends Leo and Diana really keep her protected.

+ Because Piper is trying her best to find this Blessing, she’s confused about how she feels about her best friend Leo, who she did have feelings for but they never said anything about it. And then she meets Forest, who supposedly is her Blessing – so things end up perfect right? Not really.

~ I had a bunch of issues with this story. The Blessings hint that something magical is tied to this family but it is so vague. Is it something truly magical or something they made up in their own family? It’s not clear. Piper’s focus on the Blessing did get tiresome. I understand why she clung to the hope of it, but it got repetitive. Hearing ‘the Blessing’ got tiresome too. Also, what kind of family pushes their own sister out because she got divorced? That was ridiculous! I’m glad Piper finally stood up for her mom.

~ Another thing that wasn’t clear – Piper’s disability. She mentions she’s disabled but it’s later in the book where Leo talks about her surgery. Eventually, she talks more about her arm but from the beginning it’s just not clear.

~ The back and forth with Leo was also not something I liked. Clearly they have feelings for each other but Piper’s belief in the Blessing and it not being Leo was frustrating. She does grow by the end and makes the right decision for her which is great, but the back and forth made me impatient. I guess it’s relatable because young love and all is so confusing, but I was frustrated for Leo.

Final Thoughts:

There are a lot of vague parts to this story especially when it came to the magic and Piper’s disability but I understand what the book is trying to do. I did like the themes about love and family in the story. Readers will find it relatable and it’s nice to have a disability rep as the main character. I think Piper’s relationship with her parents or how she feels about their divorce and what that meant about ‘the Blessing’ was my favorite part of this book. I like how Piper had to question fate versus choice. Overall, I got the message but the story itself fell a but flat for me.

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