Romance

Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson

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Rating: 3.5/5

“If they want me to be a nightmare, then a nightmare I shall be.” 

Outside of the walls of opulent opera house, Isda doesn’t exist. She is one of the few people who can manipulate people’s memories when people sing. Saved by Cyril, the owner of the opera house, she is given a chance to survive but only on the condition that she keep tickets sales alive and stays out of sight. It seems that is all is going well until Isda breaks Cyril’s golden rule and finds herself battling between what she knows and what she truly desires. 

While it was confusing during some parts, I found this book enjoyable and not only because it was a retelling of The Phantom Of The Opera but because of the two main characters and their dynamic. I love that it was gender-switched as it was a little more interesting to see how the relationship and plot would play out throughout the book. I found Isda relatable and real as she is working through so many different emotions and struggles due to being kept hidden. I love her relationship with Emeric as it felt very real and the two had sweet moments as well as conflict which is inevitable and any relationship. Her father figure, Cyril was interesting as it was hard to tell his motives and there were times where I felt like he was being manipulative and controlling to Isda so I felt for her. I wanted her to finally break from him as that’s what she truly wanted and to be with Emeric. 

I don’t wanna spoil it so you’ll have to check it out if you want to know more! It’s a stellar read from beginning to end. 

Tiny Tales by Various Authors

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Rating: 3.5/5

This is my first book that I’ve read by Alexander McCall Smith and I don’t know if I’ll be reading anymore of their work soon. Not because I don’t want to but short stories aren’t really my thing but I found this while looking for recommendations and thought it looked cute and interesting to read. I do love stories that involve kindness and happiness because I think we all need that. For me, I couldn’t really get invested because the stories were so short and that might be why short stories just aren’t for me. This is very cute, fun, and easy read that will lift your spirits so if that’s what you’re looking for then you’ll find it here.


Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

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Rating: 4/5

“It is not your fault,” she said gently. “Greed and hurt drive people to do horrible things.” 

Cemetery Boys follows a young latinx boy, Yadriel who is striving prove himself as a a young sorcerer not only to himself but to his family who aren’t as accepting or supportive as he wants them to be. He enlists the help of his best friend, Maritza and his cousin, he sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set him free. The only problem is, he summons Julian Diaz, the school’s notorious bad boy and he’s not going to go without putting up a fight. Julian and Yadriel end up making a deal so the two can get what they want but the more time Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

I wanted to read this book for last month’s readathon but I got around to it a bit late and didn’t finish it on time. I’d heard lots of good things and I am a fan of Aiden Thomas, I do enjoy the representation that he puts in his novels and he is a great writer. While I felt like the worldbuilding and writing could use improvement, this was a fun book with great representation and diversity. The characters were interesting and well written and I did love reading about Yadriel’s perspective and their journey. I would’ve liked to see more developed with the magic system as that was intriguing but I felt like it needed to develop a little more to fully understand it. 

Overall, a good with with great LGBT + Latinx representation! 

June Wrap Up

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So June was quite the busy month for me but I sttil managed to get in a lot of reading so it all worked out in the end!

Between Perfect & Real by Ray Stoeve
Genre – Contemporary, LGBT, Romance, YA
Full Review – Here

Rating: 4/5

Can’t Take That Away by Steven Salvatore
Genre – Contemporary, LGBT, YA, Romance
Full Review – Here

Rating: 4/5

Cinderella Is Dead by Kaylnn Bayron
Genre: LGBT, Fantasy, YA
Review: Here

Rating: 3/5

Cool For The Summer by Dahlia Adler
Genre – Contemporary, LGBT, YA, Romance
Full Review – Here

Rating: 3/5

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
Genre: LGBT, Contemporary, YA
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins
Genre – Contemporary, LGBT, YA, Romance
Full Review – Here

Rating: 4/5

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
Genre – Contemporary, LGBT, YA, Romance
Full Review – Here

Rating: 3/5

The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore
Genre – Contemporary, LGBT, YA, Romance
Full Review – Here

Rating: 5/5

Late To The Party by Kelly Quindlen
Genre – Contemporary, LGBT, YA, Romance
Full Review – Here

Rating: 4/5

Loveless by Alice Oseman
Genre – Contemporary, LGBT, YA, Romance
Full Review – Here

Rating: 5/5

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Fiction
Full Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales
Genre – Contemporary, LGBT, YA
Full Review – Here

Rating: 4/5

The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch
Genre – Contemporary, LGBT, YA, Romance
Full Review – Here

Rating: 3.5/5

Sistersong by Lucy Holland
Genre: Fantasy, Historical-Fiction, LGBT
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Tomorrow Will Be Different by Sarah McBride
Genre: LGBT, Non-Fiction, Memoir
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Zara Hossain Is Here by Sabina Khan
Genre – LGBT, Contemporary, Romance, YA
Full Review – Here

Rating: 5/5



People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Heard

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Rating: 4/5

“But most of us are too scared to even ask what we want, in case we can’t have it.” 

The book follows Poppy and Alex, two best friends who literally couldn’t be more different. Poppy is free spirit, wild, and loves traveling and being spontaneous where Alex is perfectly content with staying home and reading a book. Yet, ever since that fateful car ride home years ago, they are still the very best of friends. Well, they were up until two years ago where they ruined everything and haven’t spoken since.

Now having everything she could want, you would think that Poppy is truly happy,? But she’s stuck in a rut and she knows the only thing that can make her truly happy. But, she knows it’s impossible unless some kind of miracle happens. Much to her surprise, he agrees to spend a week with her and she has exactly that much time to fix things. Will she be able to fix things or will she lose him forever?

This was a fun read! Before this, I had read Beach Read by the same author and enjoyed it. I’m not surprised at how much I enjoyed this as it’s opposites attract, friends to lovers, and second chance trope which I love. I loved Poppy, she was a lot of fun and I did enjoy her dynamic with Alex, they’re so different yet they fit so well with each other. They had really great chemistry and that’s always a plus while still being their own person. What really drives the story are the characters, Poppy and Alex and I was just rolling along with them wanting to know what would happen next.

If you’re looking for a fun and cute read, this is it!

Cinderella Is Dead by Kaylnn Bayron

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Rating: 3.5/5

“Do not be silent. Raise your voice. Be a light in the dark.”

Cinderella Is Dead is a retelling of an old class but this time there’s a twist. 200 years have passed and the fairy tale is over and now teen girls are required to attend the ball in hopes of finding a suitable match and if they don’t get one, the girls are never heard from again. One such girl, Sophia would rather marry her best friend, Erin than attend a ball in hopes of finding prince charming or paying the price for not being suitable as a wife. But, like the girls Sophia doesn’t have a choice and while she’s at the ball, she befriends Constance, the last known decedent of Cinderella and her sisters. Together, they plan to bring down the King forever and while in the process, they learn more about Cinderella’s story than they ever knew.

“It’s risky…But sometimes that’s the only way to get things done. Take the risk, light the fuse. Onward.” 

I absolutely loved retellings so I was really excited to finally get this in my hands and read. The premise of the book was very intriguing and I did like how it was written, the prose was sharp, interesting, and engaging. The beginning of the book was great, fun, and I loved how the first few chapters showed the harsh, cruel, and patriarchal world that young woman have to strive to survive without fear or judgement of being who they want to be. The characters were great, I liked Sophia and Constance and I found their relationship interesting and Sophia was a relatable character with not wanting to conform to what society wanted her to be.

“You weren’t selfish. You saw a future for yourself that she couldn’t imagine. You wanted her to believe that the two of you could find a way through all this. That’s what happens when you care about someone. And when you’re brave enough to imagine a different life.” 

But, the second latter of the book fell flat for me and I hate to say that. There were parts that didn’t make sense and I found some plot holes and the worldbuilding wasn’t as good as it was the first part. This is a very cute retelling but there was a lot in the second part that made me not enjoy it as much as I wanted.

But, if you’re looking for a twist on an old classic then you should give it a try! Who knows you may end up liking it!

The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz

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Rating: 4/5

“It wasn’t an endless future, and it wasn’t one with a clearly defined goal, but maybe that was what living actually felt like.” 

The Cybernetic Tea Shop is told from two points of view, one of them is Clara, who is the main protagonist and the other is by a robot, Sal. Clara is an AI tech and moves to a new town and starts frequenting a tea shop where she meets Sal. Clara is very intrigued by Sal and the two end up helping each other in many different ways.

“Home was here, but here was gone, and home was nowhere.”

What a cute novella! I normally don’t read novellas but I saw chatter and good things about in the goodreads discord server and decided to check it out. Not only did I love it but the main character is asexual and that made me very happy because there are times where it’s hard finding good rep. I loved Sal and Clara’s relationship, it was very well written and developed in a way that didn’t feel rushed. It was endearing, sweet, and realistic and I love seeing the way that it developed throughout the story.

If you’re looking for a fun, cute, and short story then this is right up your alley!

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

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Rating: 3/5

“You can’t tell whether people are gay by what they look like. And gay or straight aren’t the only two options.”

Heartstopper follows Charlie and Nick, two grammar schools guys who couldn’t be more different. Nick, is a cheerful and soft spoken football player and Charlie is a high-strung over-thinker. For Charlie, school hasn’t been that great especially since he was outed and bullied for months. Nick heard about the bullying but knows very little about Charlie so when the two start talking to one another and get close, will it blossom into something more or will it go down in flames?

While very predictable and a bit cliche, I did enjoy Charlie and Nick’s relationship as it was very cute. I felt for Charlie being outed and bullied as a result because no one should have that happen to them. On top of being outed, he was bullied and that just made things worse for them. The plot has been done a lot of times so it was a bit predictable but a very cute book. Seeing how the relationship progressed through the book was enjoyable with Charlie and Nick getting to know one another and become closer.

A very cute book so if you’re looking lots of fluff and cuteness, you’ll find it in this book!

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

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Rating: 4/5

TW: Being outed, Cyber-bullying, Transphobia, Emotional Abuse, Absent Parent

“I’m not flaunting anything. I’m just existing. This is me. I can’t hide myself. I can’t disappear. And even if I could, I don’t fucking want to. I have the same right to be here. I have the same right to exist.” 

Felix Love has never actually fallen in love and yes they are aware of the irony. The book follows Felix on a journey of self-acceptance, love, belonging, and living their truth with who they are. It ends up becoming so more about finding self-acceptance and belonging with themselves than finding with someone else.

“It could’ve been easy to say I was hurt because I’m trans, because someone singled me out for my identity, but there’s something weird about that – something off, about suggesting that my identity is the thing that brought me any sort of pain. It’s the opposite. Being trans brings me love. It brings me happiness. It gives me power.”

I had no idea that this book would become a favorite of mine but here we are. This is defintely one of the best reads for this year as I enjoyed it from beginning to end. It seems like that I have a struck gold with YA Contemporary recently and Felix Ever After is definitely my faves out of the ones that I’ve read. Not only is Felix is a likeable and relatable character, I found myself invested in their story and wanted them to find the happiness that they deserved. I hurt for Felix especially with the transphobia that they experienced and how impacted their mental health as one can imagine.

“It can be easier, sometimes, to choose to love someone you know won’t return your feelings. At least you know how that will end. It’s easier to accept hurt and pain, sometimes, than love and acceptance. It’s the real, loving relationships that can be the scariest.” 

What I loved about the book even more is that it touched on the labels and how they are different for people. Acknowledging that some people are fine with and it helps them feel connected while others don’t want that kind of pressure. As someone who struggled for years with labels, I like Callender discusses how people react to labeling differently and that’s fine and I think it’s something that’s very important to discuss openly and for people to feel accepted whether or not labeling is for them.