Romance

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.

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!

Into The Heartless Wood by Joanna Ruth-Meyers

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Rating: 3/5

We named ourselves not very cleverly, but the names belong to us not to her. That gives us power for ourselves, do you see?

Into The Heartless Wood is a tale that mixes witches, fairies, monsters into one for a captivating folklore that will have you wanting more. The story follows Owen Merrick who is lured into the woods held by the witches, and when he thought that his life was going to end, one of the daughters, Seren saves him from that terrible fate. From that point on, the two were bonded as she longed to be a human and free to roam and he would climb the garden wall to see. The longing that Seren has to become human would prove to be a daunting mission as dangers lurk in the darkness and an anicent war will be revealed between the witch and the king trying to stop her.

The premise of the book itself is interesting but I feel like there was something lacking with hwo it developed and the romance between the characters. What I really loved about the book was the writing as it was incredibly captivating, moving, and easy to follow and I felt like I was in the world that Meyers created. She creates a world that feels so real and the world-building stood out the most me and it’s such a shame that the rest of the book didn’t match that expectation. While I liked the characters, I felt like the romance was a little rushed and I don’t believe it felt right. I liked both of their journeys on their own and I felt like I needed a little more for it to be believable. There were times where the writing didn’t match up with what was happening and I feel like the ending was a bit rushed. But aside from all this, if you love witches, fairies, and all things folklore then you will probably enjoy this just as much.

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.

Amelia Unabridged by Ashley Schumacher

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Rating: 4/5

“I like to imagine my used books as little soldiers that have gone off to serve their duty elsewhere before coming into my hands. Books are something to be stepped inside of, to be occupied and lived in.”

The Plot:

Amelia Griffin is obssessed with the famed series, Orman Chronicles by reclusive and young prodigy N.E. Endsley as not only does she enjoy them but they’re the books that brought her together with her best friend after her father left and her family imploded. When Amelia and Jenna get the opportunity to meet the famed author, they both can’t wait but things don’t go as planned as Jenna gets the opporutnity to meet the author but not Amelia. It leads to a big blow out between the girls and before they can mend things, Jenna dies in a tragic accident leaving Amelia, grief-stricken and lost. Now Amelia must find her way through it and be able to carry on Jenna’s memory and come to terms with events that happened in the past.

The Characters:

All the characters were really great especially Amelia, I thought she was a very relatable main character and I did like the dynamics between Amelia and her best friend, Jenna. They both had their own struggles and I felt for Amelia when Jenna tragically died and Amelia had to work her way out of the guilt she felt about the fight leading up to the accident. Schumacher does a really nice job of portraying how grief impacts people and that it’s different from person to person because I think this is very important to understand as people are raised in environments where grief is displayed different. Just beacuse someone is outwardly expressing their grief doesn’t mean they’re not grieving and how it was displayed in the book is very real.

The Writing:

This is my first introduction to Schumacher and I enjoyed her writing. She really knows how to display grief in a way that the reader understands and how grief can be healed. The writing was well paced and thigns weren’t as predictable as they can be in YA novels which can often push readers away especially readers like me. I felt like eveyrthing flowed very nicely from beginning to end and this a very heartwamring read about grief, finding yourself, and being open to new experiences in life. So check it out if you want!

Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan

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Rating: 3/5

“I’m not spending my life pretending I’m something I’m not, or making myself smaller and quieter, just because someone else thinks I should.

After finding out being queer is against her catholic school’s code of conduct, Morgan is forced to transfer schools where she ends up meeting Ruby who has two hobbies: competing in beauty pageants and tinkering with her baby blue 1970 Ford Torino. When the two meet, a connection is formed and soon come to realize that the connection is more than platonic and can’t deny their feelings for one another. But while Morgan is ready to announce it to the world, Ruby isn’t ready to take that step? Can the two find a resolution or will the relationship go up in flames?

Some Girls Do is your typical YA novel about coming into your own and being proud of who you are and owning it. I have a big gripe about this book as Morgan doesn’t deserve Ruby because she’s annoying, entitled, and passive aggressive. Both girls do things to hurt each other but I found Morgan’s actions more disrespectful especially the attitude of “I’m out and so should you” and it made me feel bad for Ruby. There’s a part in the book where Ruby confronts about it and Morgan deserved to get told off because that’s just wrong. It’s not up to anyone else but the individual themselves when they want to come out. Morgan just straight up annoyed me throughout the entire book and I for can’t buy the romance especially how Morgan treated Ruby. She felt that she was entitled and didn’t have much growth throughout the book and I can see how coming from a wealthy catholic school would make her that way but you would think being away from that environment, she would make an effort to change and be more understanding. So, while it’s a fun book the romance is something that I can’t buy mostly because Morgan is insufferable and doesn’t Ruby imo.

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

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Rating: 3.5/5

Shiori is the last princess of Kiata, has a secret that if it gets out could ruin everything she knows. Forbidden magic runs through her veins and although she is normally able to conceal, on the morning of her bethoral ceremony, she loses control and while she’s scared of being caught, it does delay her wedding which is what she wanted. But, Shirori can’t celebrate for long as her stepmother Raikmaka, who possess forbidden magic as well caught the entire thing and banishes the young princess while also turning her brothers into cranes and if she speaks a word about it, her brothers will die.

I was delighted to finally get to this book and not only because of the beautiful cover! I have been a fan of Elizabeth’s work since Spin The Dawn and found this book very enjoyable even with some minor issues! Her style shines in her latest work but with a very creative retelling of east asian folklores. While this is a pretty decent novel with the storytelling and culture, it does have some minor issues that kept me from loving it completely. The side characters weren’t as developed as I wanted them to be so it made it hard to feel invested in them. Some of the plot points were a bit predictable but for the most part the book is solid to the end. But, all that aside Six Crimson Cranes is a rich and solid diverse fantasy read with a creative retelling. Lim’s storytelling, prose, and rich worldbuilding help with creating a world that seems very real and intriguing.