Tag: books

The Unmaking of June Farrow by. Adrienne Young | Book Review

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Unmaking of June Farrow

Author: Adrienne Young

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 10/17/23

Categories: Adult, Time Travel, Magical Realism, Mystery, Romance


A woman risks everything to end her family’s centuries-old curse, solve her mother’s disappearance, and find love in this mesmerizing novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Spells for Forgetting.

In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm—and the mysterious curse that has plagued their family line. The whole town remembers the madness that led to Susanna Farrow’s disappearance, leaving June to be raised by her grandmother and haunted by rumors.

It’s been a year since June started seeing and hearing things that weren’t there. Faint wind chimes, a voice calling her name, and a mysterious door appearing out of nowhere—the signs of what June always knew was coming. But June is determined to end the curse once and for all, even if she must sacrifice finding love and having a family of her own.

After her grandmother’s death, June discovers a series of cryptic clues regarding her mother’s decades-old disappearance, except they only lead to more questions. But could the door she once assumed was a hallucination be the answer she’s been searching for? The next time it appears, June realizes she can touch it and walk past the threshold. And when she does, she embarks on a journey that will not only change both the past and the future, but also uncover the lingering mysteries of her small town and entangle her heart in an epic star-crossed love.

With The Unmaking of June Farrow, Adrienne Young delivers a brilliant novel of romance, mystery, and a touch of the impossible—a story you will never forget.

Content Warning: death, murder, violence

This story was mind-boggling and honestly I don’t know if I followed the timelines presented to me in it. I need a white-board filled with explanations for this one but not in a bad way! Time travel stories always leave me a bit lost.

The Farrow women have an illness that has to do with the mind, or they also call it a curse. But what these Farrow women know is that they can time travel and it’s explained pretty well in the story but like I said, I’m a visual person so at times I just went with it even though I didn’t quite follow the time jumping.

All I know is the writing is immersive, I was so invested in June’s story. And when she jumps back to a time where she has to basically figure out her bearings and face the consequences of a past decision, it pulled my heart strings. I only wanted the best for June and her family. I’m just glad it worked out in the end. This story is filled with mystery and so much emotion packed into a very quick read. There are also very tense moments when June starts piecing together everything that happened in one fatal night that changed all their lives forever. But overall what a unique story!

My Final Thoughts:

I love this author’s books and so far only read fantasy from her. This one was different but I enjoyed the mystery and putting all the pieces together. I may not have followed how all the time jump works but what made me love this book was the emotions it made me feel. I’m glad I finally read this one!

Quotes From This Book:

“You may have ruined my life, June. But first, you gave me one.”

The Unmaking of June Farrow by. Adrienne Young

“I’d never felt fear like that. Not ever. And I didn’t think there was any way to ever come back from that explosion of light that had birthed a universe inside of me when she said that word. Mama.”

The Unmaking of June Farrow by. Adrienne Young

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Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books From This Author:

The Last Legacy by. Adrienne Young | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Namesake | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Fable | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ARC Review | The Girl the Sea Gave Back ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sky in the Deep by. Adrienne Young ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First Lines Fridays | 6/28/24

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

“The world began with five. First was Caelis, God of Aether, invisible to the naked eye.”

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Can you guess what book it is?

Did you guess it? Have you read this one?

📖 ~ Yolanda

Dungeons and Drama by. Kristy Boyce | Book Review

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Dungeons and Drama

Author: Kristy Boyce

Format: paperback (borrowed)

Pages: 304

Publication Date: 1/9/24

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary


When it comes to romance, sometimes it doesn’t hurt to play games. A fun YA romcom full of fake dating hijinks!

Musical lover Riley has big aspirations to become a director on Broadway. Crucial to this plan is to bring back her high school’s spring musical, but when Riley takes her mom’s car without permission, she’s grounded and stuck with the worst punishment: spending her after-school hours working at her dad’s game shop.

Riley can’t waste her time working when she has a musical to save, so she convinces Nathan—a nerdy teen employee—to cover her shifts and, in exchange, she’ll flirt with him to make his gamer-girl crush jealous.

But Riley didn’t realize that meant joining Nathan’s Dungeons & Dragons game…or that role playing would be so fun. Soon, Riley starts to think that flirting with Nathan doesn’t require as much acting as she would’ve thought…

Content Warning:

Riley is a theater kid who loves musicals and for punishment she is forced to work at her dad’s game shop. A boy from her high school who she’s never talked to named, Nathan also works at the store and she goes from a girl singing musicals to learning how to play Dungeons and Dragons with him and his friends. Riley working at the shop is not quite the punishment after awhile as she forges a growing bond with her dad and make a lot of new friends.

This is a fun young adult story, perfect for teen readers. I adored Riley and her best friend, Hoshiko and also Riley’s relationship with her mother. I enjoyed seeing her open her world and learn more about her dad’s love for gaming! I have minimal knowledge of D&D but I know enough from my husband and son about the game and it was cool to see how Riley learns and joins the game.

The fake dating was super cute!

My Final Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this one! I feel like the book cover captures this book so correctly. It’s sweet, funny and heart-warming. It’s filled with theater kids and gaming kids and when the two worlds combine it’s so much fun!

Find me here: Instagram (bookstagram📚) | Instagram (crafts🎨) | Twitter (X)

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

WWW Wednesday | 6/26/24

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?

Hi everyone! I actually got some reading done earlier this week which was nice! It’s been a relaxing week so far and I hope it stays that way for the rest of the week.

What are you currently reading?

Shadows of Perl by. J. Elle – 2% just started this one, trying to get my bearings and remember what happened in book one.

A Game of Malice and Greed by. Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti – 4% in

The Girl with No Reflection by. Keshe Chow – 12% into this one and it’s quite fascinating – we’ll see how it plays out

Shadows and Storms by. Helen Scheuerer – 4% in

What have you just finished reading?

The Mirror of Beasts by. Alexandra Bracken ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dungeons and Drama by. Kristy Boyce ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This Summer Will Be Different by. Carley Fortune ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Unmaking of June Farrow by. Adrienne Young ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Break-Up Pact by. Emma Lord ⭐️⭐️⭐️

House of Thorns by. Isabel Strychacz ⭐️⭐️⭐️

What are you going to read next?

What are you reading right now?

Weekly Wrap Up | 6/23/24

Aloha friends!

It was a chill week and I got to finish two books at least! Can you believe June is almost over? I cannot. Because that means I have to go back to school shopping already. I went to Target last week and they still had their summer stuff but we’ll see if the school stuff appear soon. And that’s that – my daughter will be in 2nd and my son will be in 6th and time just keeps flying by! 😅

I hope all of you have a good week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

  • This Summer Will Be Different by. Carley Fortune
  • The Break-Up Pact by. Emma Lord
  • The Mirror of Beasts by. Alexandra Bracken

Currently Reading:

  • House of Thorns by. Isabel Strychacz
  • The Unmaking of June Farrow by. Adrienne Young

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • House of Dragon (Season 2, Ep. 1) – not much to say so far. Expected more but it is episode 1 and I know it has to build. 🐉
  • Dune 2 – now that I renewed my Max subscription, I’m trying to watch what I can before I cancel after watching House of Dragon lol. Honestly the story is slow but I love this movie series because of the visuals. It’s really amazing! 📽
  • Inside Out 2 – my kids and I went to the theater and loved this movie! I love how they portray our complicated emotions. It’s a great way for them to learn about it and I wish I had a movie like this when I was young. 🍿
  • Brat – Charlie xcx – I bought the vinyl (yes how am I a vinyl collector now?! As if I needed a new expensive hobby). This album is so good, who needs coffee? This album is like caffeine.🎧
  • The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess – Chappell Roan – I just bought the vinyl so definitely had to give it a listen. 🎵

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!

First Lines Fridays | 6/21/24

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

“Two beads of water form at the top of my mirror and then slowly begin to race each other down to the bottom.”

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Can you guess what book it is?

Did you guess it? Have you read this one?

📖 ~ Yolanda

This Summer Will Be Different by. Carley Fortune | Book Review

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: This Summer Will Be Different

Author: Carley Fortune

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 361

Publication Date: 5/7/24

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Chick-Lit



This summer they’ll keep their promise. This summer they won’t give into temptation. This summer will be different.

Lucy is the tourist vacationing at a beach house on Prince Edward Island. Felix is the local who shows her a very good time. The only problem: Lucy doesn’t know he’s her best friend’s younger brother. Lucy and Felix’s chemistry is unreal, but the list of reasons why they need to stay away from each other is long, and they vow to never repeat that electric night again.

It’s easier said than done.

Each year, Lucy escapes to PEI for a big breath of coastal air, fresh oysters and crisp vinho verde with her best friend, Bridget. Every visit begins with a long walk on the beach, beneath soaring red cliffs and a golden sun. And every visit, Lucy promises herself she won’t wind up in Felix’s bed. Again.

If Lucy can’t help being drawn to Felix, at least she’s always kept her heart out of it.

When Bridget suddenly flees Toronto a week before her wedding, Lucy drops everything to follow her to the island. Her mission is to help Bridget through her crisis and resist the one man she’s never been able to. But Felix’s sparkling eyes and flirty quips have been replaced with something new, and Lucy’s beginning to wonder just how safe her heart truly is.

Content Warning: death of a loved one

I’ve been meaning to read a book from this author and now that I finally did I can knock that off my list.

This is a romance between Lucy and her best friend’s brother, Felix. It has flashbacks through the years from the moment they met to where they are now in the present and how it was always a secret, casual thing between them but the sparks are undeniable. Life happens between the times they are together, they date different people, Lucy gets close to their family and she loses someone she loves very much. Through it all are memories of the times they are together where everything feels right between them but what does that mean for a future between them?

I liked the setting of Prince Edward Island and Toronto since I don’t read much books about those places. It did give lots of summery vibes especially when it flash-backed to times spent on PEI.

I thought this one was okay. Maybe I went in with high expectations but I felt like everything was so predictable and I didn’t love the ending where they decide to be together and then few days later they go back to taking it slow? No, I wanted it to be happy ever after by then but nope, had to have the dose of reality at the end where they have to find themselves first. I also didn’t feel connected to the characters. I felt like I was just coasting through the story. And I was also getting frustrated with Bridget’s (her best friend) secret taking so long to be revealed.

My Final Thoughts:

I think I wanted more depth to this story. It was just okay for me but I think I will try her most popular book to see if she’s an author I’ll continue to read because I did like some elements of the story. Maybe I just went in with high expectations.

Find me here: Instagram (bookstagram📚) | Instagram (crafts🎨) | Twitter (X)

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

WWW Wednesday | 6/19/24

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?

Happy Juneteenth! Summer is finally starting for us I feel. We watched Inside Out 2, on Sunday. I finished Bridgerton season 3 and am now in the middle of watching House of Dragon Season 2. We don’t have much plans except to go to the library and maybe the pool and my son’s piano lessons on Saturdays. So I should have more time to read, right? I hope so!

What are you currently reading?

The Mirror of Beasts by. Alexandra Bracken – 2% in – I haven’t really worked on this one but I WILL this week since publication is coming up.

Shadows of Perl by. J. Elle – 2% just started this one, trying to get my bearings and remember what happened in book one.

A Game of Malice and Greed by. Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti – 4% in

House of Thorns by. Isabel Strychacz – 9% this one is fascinating so far, a sentient haunted house? A missing sister? Another sister on drugs and hearing the house calling her back? We’ll see where the story takes me…

This Summer Will Be Different by. Carley Fortune – 15% into the book. I’ve been meaning to read a book from this author and glad it showed up for me to borrow just in time for some summer reading!

The Break-Up Pact by. Emma Lord – I’m 7% into this arc. Another timely summer read though!

What have you just finished reading?

A Magic Fierce & Bright by. Hemant Nayak – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

What are you going to read next?

What are you reading right now?

Weekly Wrap Up | 6/16/24

Aloha friends!

My daughter and I are recovered and we had a much more chill week, which was so needed. My son did a summer program this past week at his new middle school and he came home excited each day. He’s really looking forward this new phase of his life and I just hope it stays that way. I know when the work begins he’ll probably have a change of heart but we’ll see.

I did a lot of cleaning around the house, took things to be donated, cleaned up the rooms – especially with all the stuff my kiddos bring home at the end of year from school. So much papers to go through and decide what to keep and trash. It gets overwhelming but I got it done. I hope I get to read more this week since we don’t have much planned. We’ll probably go watch Inside Out 2 today or tomorrow.

I hope all of you have a good week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

  • A Magic Fierce & Bright by. Hemant Nayak
  • Happily Never After by. Lynn Painter

Currently Reading:

  • The Mirror of Beasts by. Alexandra Bracken
  • The Break-Up Pact by. Emma Lord
  • This Summer Will Be Different by. Carley Fortune

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • Hierarchy (Netflix) – So much drama! Too many long dramatic looks with music but I still ate it all up.
  • Bridgerton Season 3 Part 2 (Netflix) – I hate that there was two parts to season 3 because it’s such a fun season. I felt like there was more humor in this one. I love how this one was about friendships whether it’s about best friends or friends to lovers. There were so many different relationship dramas going on but in the best way. The Queen is hilarious and her wigs are magnificent! But from what I’ve heard of Francesca’s story…I feel like that one will devastate me so I’m scared for hers – already her love story is so sweet. I think Kate and Anthony is still my favorite couple and I love seeing them still in the show. ❤️
  • Hit Me Hard and Soft – Billie Eilish – cleaning the house and playing this album really passes the time!
  • Brat – Charlie xcx – Honestly I only picked this up because she was all over my FYP on tiktok and I liked what I was hearing and honestly it’s summertime and I wanted to put away the sad girl music! THIS is summer music. Makes me wish I was in my 20’s and still partying lol.
  • The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess – Chappell Roan – This was on repeat for me at the end of 2023 and my kids and I loveeeeeeee singing her songs (no, they don’t know what any of the sexual stuff in her songs mean lol). So happy to see her star is rising!

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!

Book Covers: Summer Time Vibes

It’s summer time. It iss hot outside and honestly I’m not the type to sit by the pool and read because I get too hot. But I do love a book with a cover that embodies everything about summer like these books below:

Have you read any of these or plan to?