Fiction

The Lucky Ones by Liz Lawson

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I’m a SURVIVOR. I’m the leftover. The lucky one. The only one in that room who lived.

The Lucky Ones is a gut wrenching and heartwarming story about coming to terms with grief, pain, and love relating to trauma. It follows May and Zach, who have both gone through so much and trying to work their trauma in their own way. A tragic school shooting changed their lives in ways no one could even expect as May lost her twin brother that day, and Zach’s life flipped upside down when his mother came to the shooter’s defense which made him lose all his friends, girlfriend, and ripped his family apart. But fateful night, the two cross paths and realize just so similar they are and maybe they both need one another to help come to terms with that tragic event.

It took me awhile to get through this book because of the material was very heavy as expected with topics like school shootings, violence, and how to process traumatic events. But, as difficult as it was, I felt the way it was written and how it was expressed was very well done. It was impossible not to feel for May, Zach, and everyone involved. This book felt very real and that was also why it was hard to get through but even with that said, I enjoyed this book and think others will enjoy it just as much. It is very important to cover topics like these and when it’s done well, I think people can gain a better understanding, compassion, and empathy for those who are impacted by the distressing events.

Forget This Ever Happened by Cassandra Rose Clarke

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All the things in the world create music, and as we move through the universe, that music runs into other music and overlaps.

Dumped in the rural Indianola, Texas in the summer of 1993, to take care of her sickly and mean grandmother, Clarie couldn’t think of a worse summer vacation than this. While all her friends are going on adventures and doing things they want to do, Claire is stuck being bored while also dealing with grandmother. But, all is not as it seems as in the dreary and hot town, something interesting has taken shape and once you leave Indianola, you’ll forget it. Claire is desperate to figure what is beyond this mysterious energies taken place where there is a fissure of time and space leaving their a gap in reality. But, Claire also knows that once you leave you may never come back.

Well this was a fun and interesting book as I didn’t expect it to be so dark and creepy. The story follows Claire making it to her grandmother’s place, trying to adjust and then discovering the mysteries of the town while meeting various people who have a much bigger part to play especially, Julie, the cute girl who befriends Clarie shortly after her arrival. The story was unique and the writing helped a lot especially with flow and pacing and I felt engaged throughout the book. The only thing that I wish is that it would’ve been a little longer but I can’t really complain since it was a fun and easy read so I think many people will enjoy this book!

The Girl The Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young

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Rating: 3/5

They weren’t afraid of battle. They were afraid of losing what they loved. And that’s what made them brave in battle.

The Girl The Sea Gave Back follows Tova, a young warrior who has always lived among the Svell, the people who found her when she washed ashore. Although the memories of her home and clan have faded away, the sacred symbols and stavs inked all over her body mark as her the one who can cast the rune stones and see into the future. But before, she knows it the two clans among Svell are at odds with each other for the first time in history and Tova is pulled between the two.

Having read previous books by Adrienne Young, I was looking forward to reading this and I feel a bit let down. I have always enjoyed how her world-building is shown in her books and I didn’t feel that way with this book. But, I’ll get to that in a bit. First, the cover is what reeled me in as it’s beautiful and I was very interested to read about vikings and I found Tova an interesting protagonist. She had moments of vulnerability and toughness and it was handled really well which makes it easier to relate. One of the biggest blocks for me to fall completely in love with it was the ending, it felt very rushed to me and I was a bit disappointed. I felt like the book could’ve been a bit longer and spread out but it just felt like she was trying to cram everything in and I lost interest. But, it will be a hit for others and that’s wonderful so if this sounds up your ally, then check it out!

A Court of Honey and Ash by Shannon Mayer

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Rating: 3/5

Sometimes the world pushes us in a direction we think is wrong, because it is not of our choosing. That does not mean it is taking us to the wrong destination, just that the path is one we didn’t foresee.

Billed as a must read for fans of Sarah J. Mass and Holly Black, A Court of Honey and Ash follows Alli, a half human, half orphan fae who knows the secret behind the shattering of underhill, the ancestral home of the fae thus making it possible for any fae to enter. A secret that will be the end of Alli if anyone finds out that she knows especially the person who did it. With the shattering of underhill, a brutal madness takes place and Alli wants to be the one who can not only save her people but find meaning, belonging, and prove that she’s more than what she appears to be.

I had high hopes for this but it fell flat towards the end. I was enjoying it and I felt invested in the characters, the story, and how it flowed up until the later chapters and it just felt rushed to me. There were also parts where it felt very predictable and I was hoping for a little more but sadly, I didn’t get it. The characters especially Alli, are very interesting and complex as she pulled off tough and vulnerable very well. It wasn’t overdone and I did enjoy her moments of vulnerability. There was a lot that I liked but with other stuff I didn’t like, I feel like my feelings at the end of it weren’t as I fulfilling as I wanted them to be. I was kind of bummed with how the last half of the book went but that’s just how it goes. I’m sure many other people will enjoy this and that’s absolutely fine!

Outrun The Wind by Elizabeth Tammi

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Rating: 3/5

“Glancing between the four of us, I realize just how many types of love we share. And how much it hurts to lose them all.”

Goddess of the hunt, Artemis has two rules. Never disobey her and never fall in love. Feeling relieved after escaping her life as the oracle of delphi, Kahina finds home as one of the female warriors guided So what happens when Kahina breaks both rules by not only saving legendary huntress, Atalanna out of trouble but while trying to prove herself to Artemis again, she finds herself developing feelings for the huntress and struggling to make a choice between the life that she wants and how others percieve her to be?

I had high hopes for this book as I love greek mythology and Artemis is one of my favorite goddesses and while I did love that aspect, the rest was very lacking which led me to give it a three star rating. I felt like the characters and romance was underwhelming and the ending felt a little rushed. I did like the characters and felt if given a bit more development in the romance then I would’ve given it a higher rating. I think I also had problems with the plot as I felt bored by the middle to ending but of course I wanted to see what happened. So, this book wasn’t what I hoped it to be but I think others will enjoy for different reasons than what I was looking for.

Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter

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Rating: 4/5


I’ve been trying to get into romance more as I have been feeling bored with my other reads. I’ve found some romance that are hits and misses and this one was definetly a hit. I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed it even though I felt like it was short but I loved everything about it especially the characters. It was a rom-com about a rom-com and it was very well done as it follows a young woman, Liz who finds out that her crush, Michael has been hanging around with her best friend, Wes. What originally started as a plan to get her with Michael turns out to be something diffently entirely as she starts to realize that Michael isn’t the boy she thought he was which causes her rethink her plan of being with Michael.

Honestly, the characters and dynamics between them is what made this novel so enjoyable. They were fun, unique, interesting, and well developed. The dyanmics between Michael and Liz felt very real and I really enjoyed seeing how the relationship progressed throughout the book. Painter does a really good at showing their relationship from the time they were kids to being adults and how they had changed during that time. The romance was really light-hearted and funny so I defintely recommend this book!

Book Of The Week: Catch and Cradle

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Hello everyone! I’m back with the Book of The Week and I’m delighted to share this book with you as I enjoyed it very much. I did have a hard time trying to narrow it down as there were other books that I read this past week. But, I finally did so let’s get started.

The Plot:

Becca swore she woudln’t fall for another teammate after the experience she had on her UNS Lacrosse Team in her first year but she can’t get one of them out of her head and it’s driving her nuts. Her teammate and girl she’s crushing on Hope is dealing with the aftermath of a terrible breakup three months prior by her boyfriend in a very public way. Trying to get over the heartbreak, she is grappling with her crush on Becca, the team captain of the UNS Lacross Team. What happens next is going to take Becca and Hope on a journey of self-discovery, hope, belonging, and healing from a broken heart.

The Characters:

They were all so wonderful especially Becca, I felt a connection to her with reading hte POV’s throughout the book. I love Hope but Becca’s chapters were filled with so much yearning, heartache, and belonging that I just wanted her to be happy and figure out who she is and fully accept that. I loved how the POV’s alternated between the characters as it really helped not only build up their characters but set up for the eventually romance, it felt very real and raw. I felt the chemistry between Hope and Becca and it didn’t feel forced and I was rooting for them from the beginning. I felt that all the characters even the side characters were interesting, unique, well developed, and had their own parts to play.

Overall:

This was a super enjoyable book and the writing was a big plus, it helped bring the reader in and feel a part of the atmosphere. I feel a connection to the story and characters. I normally read longer books so I did wish it was a little longer but that will be something other readers like and that’s fine. But, highly recommend this book as it was a super enjoyable love story with complex characters.

Darling by K. Ancrum

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Rating: 4/5

The Plot:

A dark and twisted retelling of an old classic, Peter Pan which tells the story of Wendy Darling who has just moved to Chicago with her parents. Wendy feels like her life will never get any better until her first night, a young boy by the name of Peter appears at her window and invites for a night on the town. Wendy is ready for a night on the town and expects the two to hit a party but instead they’re heading to the underground. While Wendy adapts to this new experience, she not only makes friends but enemies along the way and has to face her own struggles and insecruties of feeling like she’s trapped where she is with no way out. But, if she’s not careful she might make it out alive at all.

“Hearing the other teens laughing fake and loud made Wendy feel like she was about to pass out. People don’t get good at doing things like that unless they needed to. Unless they’ve done it often and for their own protection.”

The Characters:

While I did enjoy the characters, I actually felt like there were too many characters. I found them interesting but I was also flipping back and forth and feeling confused. I think it would’ve been better if there weren’t so many because it was hard to know who was being talked about and I also felt like it took away from the story in a way. Peter is very flawed as are the other characters, Detective Hook, Wendy, Tinkerbell which was very realistic and uncomfortable at the same time especially with Detective Hook and Peter Pan. Ancrum doesn’t shy away of showing how Peter’s toxic behavior and grooming of the disadvantage lost boys and how things get complicated once Wendy comes into the picture. Oh the other hand Detective is far from the hero as he reeks of incompotence, enables police brutality, among other things. The LGBT representation is also really good in the book and there’s even disability rep so that’s always a plus.

The Writing:

This was my first introduction to K. Ancrum and I really enjoyed her writing. She has a way with words and making super compex and uncomfortable subjects raw and real without overdoing it. This was a very interesting retelling of an old classic but people should take trigger warnings seriously before reading this book.

What I Carry by Jennifer Longo

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Rating: 4/5

“Don’t ever not get angry. You’ve got every right. No reason to hold on to it forever of course, just always give anger it’s due. Let it show sometimes. Respect it.”

The Plot:

Wow, this book was exceptionally good. It was such a heartwarming and wonderful tale about a young girl who is about to be released from the foster care system. Muir, the main character is ready to age out, start college, and start a life that she wants for herself. What she doesn’t know is that her last year in the foster care system is going to change everything and send on a journey that she never saw coming.

I loved the plot, I thought it was a very powerful yet simple with a profound message of belonging, acceptance, and feeling comfortable in their won skin after years of being shuffled around from home to home never getting close to people of past experiences. I feel like this is something many people can relate to especially those who grew up in abusive/neglectful or even chaotic environments where there was lots of dysfunction.

The Characters:

Muri, Sean and Kira were wonderful characters who had their own struggles while finding common ground with one another. I love the bond that they share throughout the book. I felt for Muir throughout the book as she struggles with her own insecruties and actually making bonds with her foster mom, Francine and struggling to feel okay with things going well for her. She’s lived her entire life moving from home to home in foster care and I felt bad for her because it was obvious she wanted friends, family, and a sense of belonging but because how she was shuffled around in foster care, she had a hard time accepting good things that came her way. Everyone needs friends, family, and feeling like belong and are accepted and having to go through the foster system or dealing with abuse/neglect can make that really difficult. I felt for all of them and I just wanted Muir to be happy.

The Writing:

This was my introduction to Jennifer Longo”s writing and I am defintely going to be checking out more stuff by her as I felt drawn into the world that she created. The way she described things, her characters, the plot, and the atmosphere really helped intertwine everything to make easy to follow. I thought that the pacing was done just right and I didn’t feel like there was anything that she could improve on. It was a really well done book on a very serious and important matter.