I don't have many coherent thoughts on this one, but I mostly liked it despite somewhat confusing worldbuilding. I do wish there had been m 3.5 stars
I don't have many coherent thoughts on this one, but I mostly liked it despite somewhat confusing worldbuilding. I do wish there had been more female characters supporting the heroine in this feminist young adult novel, but hoping there will be more in the next one. Overall I liked it, but wasn't as in love with this book as everyone else. ...more
After her aunt passes away, Clementine inherits her apartment. Clementine doesn't move in right away, but when she does she discovers her aun 4 stars
After her aunt passes away, Clementine inherits her apartment. Clementine doesn't move in right away, but when she does she discovers her aunt had not lied to her about it: sometimes the apartment is a time portal. One day Clementine comes home from work to meet Iwan, except the apartment she entered takes place seven years ago when he was subletting the place.
I really enjoyed this book, time travel stories are something I will always pick up and it was nice to read a more modern day one. Seven years instead of like, 100+ years back. It's funny how much can change (or not change) in that amount of time. I'm glad we got the perspective of Clementine so that most of the book was the "present" and we weren't jumping around in time. It helped to create the disparity between the Iwan seven years ago and the one in the present.
My favorite aspect of the book was the background story of Clementine dealing with her grief and loss of her aunt. Many times people lose someone they love and have to go on with their lives, happy or sad. I thought this book balanced that all really well. It also made me really hungry when I was reading it since it talked about food quite a bit....more
Taking place in 1964, this is the story of two Black sisters who are both running from something. Marigold wants to attend law school, but finds herseTaking place in 1964, this is the story of two Black sisters who are both running from something. Marigold wants to attend law school, but finds herself in a loveless marriage. Violet has suffered a brutal attack and killed the man in revenge. Now she's on the run from the law. Both sisters leave Mississippi, but what they don't know is a man is following both of them.
I really enjoyed this book, my first by Wanda M Morris. I was told after I read it, it's sort of a prequel to her other first book and I'll need to read that asap. This book is definitely more under the suspense/crime category than an actual mystery but it was thrilling all the same. It's amazing how some people can just make all the wrong choices without ever really meaning to, but then seeing how it all plays out in the end. I couldn't put this book down I was looking for reasons to listen to the audiobook whenever I could....more
Morgan McBride is the oldest of all his siblings and returned home to take care of them when his parents couldn't. But now, Morgan is gettin 4 stars!
Morgan McBride is the oldest of all his siblings and returned home to take care of them when his parents couldn't. But now, Morgan is getting restless and wants to leave Buck's Creek. That's when his sister Junebug hatches a plan to get him to stay and orders him a bride from The Matrimonial News. Pip shows up in Buck's Creek expecting to get married, but is shocked to fine out her betrothed has no clue she was coming.
I adored this historical western romance by Amy Barry. I went in somewhat blind, and even though I hadn't read the first book I was able to follow along easily and enjoy the characters. The strongest part of this book for me was the secondary characters and the character growth of Pip. I love that we got a tall curvy heroine whose beauty was overlooked until she was able to blossom into her better self. Junebug and Grandma were an absolute hoot and their antics had me smiling while listening to this book. The weakest part for me (and why it's not five stars) was Morgan and his romance with Pip. The man never really made the effort to get to know her until the end and I had trouble believing they would be happy together in the long run....more
A cozy fantasy retelling of Pinocchio, in the lives of puppets is about a human named Vic who is raised by robots. When Vic finds a unique 3.5 stars!
A cozy fantasy retelling of Pinocchio, in the lives of puppets is about a human named Vic who is raised by robots. When Vic finds a unique robot in a junkyard and salvages it, their lives are changed forever.
I would have loved this book, but it has the same criticism I've given Klune's last 3 books, it's too long. It was also very easy to stop listening to or put down. While it has some sweet moments and some funny ones, I don't think this book will stick with me like some of his other work....more
I read books like this and wonder why people still want to work in the entertainment industry.
My rating is more a reflection of my overall enjoyment oI read books like this and wonder why people still want to work in the entertainment industry.
My rating is more a reflection of my overall enjoyment of this book and not a reflection of the content of this book.
When I read the Vanity Fair article on Lost (which is an excerpt from this book) I was shocked and horrified at the treatment of the various cast and crew on the show. It made me said these people had these experiences on something I loved watching, but a lot of what was said made sense. Harold Perrineau leaving the show in the second season was always perplexing to me, and then reading the real reasons why everything clicked into place.
I also mostly wanted to read the chapters on Sleepy Hollow because I love actress Nicole Beharie and knew some sort of mistreatment of her went down on that show. And this book was proof of how she was treated badly on the show and how it blacklisted her for years after. Reading this was infuriating and enraging.
I do think the book was too dense and there was a lot of name dropping of people in the industry as if the reader is supposed to know who they are (spoiler, most of the time I did not). While covering tough subjects there was a bit of hope thrown in at the end but my main takeaway is there's terrible people everywhere and it is incredibly hard to hold them accountable for their bad behavior....more
This was the queer version of Paper Towns I didn't know I needed in my life.
An academic rivals to lovers young adult novel, this book is about Chloe This was the queer version of Paper Towns I didn't know I needed in my life.
An academic rivals to lovers young adult novel, this book is about Chloe Green who is in competition for valedictorian with school golden girl Shara Wheeler. The only thing is, a month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe and then completely disappears. Leaving behind hidden mysterious pink notes, Chloe works with Shara's boyfriend, Smith, and then Rory, the boy who lives next door to Shara. And Shara kissed them, too.
Like I mentioned above, listening to this I was reminded a lot of the John Green book Paper Towns, except this book was better and featured awesome queer characters. Chloe was such an interesting character, a transplant to her Alabama high school from California who had preconceptions of her school/town and its inhabitants that she never worked to disprove to herself. One of my favorite aspects of this book (other than the search for Shara) was how in the last month of high school Chloe see's a completely different side to her classmates. And I felt this was a great way to convey if you write everyone off, you lose out on getting to know some really great people.
This book was a lot of fun and I enjoyed listening to it immensely. I am the odd girl out and didn't love Red White and Royal Blue by this author, so I am really glad I liked this book and her other book One Last Stop. McQuisten has a humor mixed in her writing that is something special and not many authors can pull off like she can....more
Taking place in 2014, Warrior Girl Unearthed is the story of Perry Firekeeper-Birch, the niece of the character Daunis from Firekeeper's Daughter. AftTaking place in 2014, Warrior Girl Unearthed is the story of Perry Firekeeper-Birch, the niece of the character Daunis from Firekeeper's Daughter. After crashing her car to avoid a bear, Perry is relocated to a paid internship with the tribal council where she is put under the mentorship of Cooper. Cooper is the tribe oddball, but he's the museum curator and in charge of repatriating Ojibwe items from local museums. Perry and all of her intern team, the Misfit Toys, realize they may need to think outside the box in order to reclaim their heritage.
I absolutely loved this book and it solidified Angeline Boulley as a rockstar author in my eyes. Normally sophmore novels don't always hit, so I was shocked when I loved this book even more than Firekeeper's Daughter. You can technically read this book as a standalone, although I think you really should read Firekeeper's Daughter first to get the entire scope of the characters and the community.
One of my favorite things about Boulley is her ability to cover tough subjects in a way that doesn't hit you too hard to even read. I feel as a non-native she explains tribal issues in such a way that it doesn't feel like a lecture, it's really interesting and I get upset these topics aren't covered more in non-native spaces. This book talked a lot about NAGPRA, or the repatriation of native items and remains. It is beyond wild to me the nuances of this and why collector's and museums wouldn't give these back to the communities they belong to. This book also covers missing or murdered indigenous women and the reasons why these crimes are not as easy to solve/prosecute as they should be.
I loved Perry as a main character, she's an angry teenager, but she is so relatable to so many people. Her story was very much about the places where life leads you and the rights and wrongs you make along the way. Every single thing that happened to her really did happen for a reason and set her on the path she was meant to be on.
I really loved this book and am eager for more from Boulley. I think she's quickly becoming one of the best modern young adult authors of our time....more
At 35 years old, Mika has just been fired from her job and had to ask her parents, again, for money to make ends meet. Living with her hoarder best frAt 35 years old, Mika has just been fired from her job and had to ask her parents, again, for money to make ends meet. Living with her hoarder best friend, Mika's last relationship was also a massive failure. So Mika is surprised when she gets a phone call from the daughter she gave up for adoption sixteen years ago. Her daughter who wants to meet Mika. Mika is ashamed of what her life looks like, and one white lie spirals into a series of many and Mika struggles to keep up the facade.
Based on the description, I wouldn't normally want to read a book like this. But I absolutely adored Emiko Jean's Toyko Ever After books and wanted to give this book a chance and I am really glad I did. I loved it. While slightly predictable, I think what this book offers best is a character study of a young woman who didn't know how to handle how hard life hit her. Mika desperately wants the relationship with her daughter that she never had with her Japanese mother. There are so many nuances in this book that worked together so well.
If you like audiobooks, I highly recommend the audio version of this one because the narrator did a fantastic job. And as for Emiko Jean, this is 3/3 wins for me and I think I found another author to put on automatic-read/buy....more
Bleeding Heart Yard is the third book in the Harbinder Kaur series and can be read as a standalone novel. In this book, Harbinder has moved 3.5 stars
Bleeding Heart Yard is the third book in the Harbinder Kaur series and can be read as a standalone novel. In this book, Harbinder has moved to London and has been promoted. After a murder at a reunion with celebrities and politicians, Harbinder has been assigned this high profile case.
I really like this series, don't let the rating fool you. This book fell a bit flat for me because I felt the killer came out of nowhere. All the focus is on this group of people so you really pat attention, but then I was annoyed with the outcome. I wish we got more of Harbinder than the side characters in this one, she's the most interesting person to me. But overall I enjoyed listening and will definitely be continuing this series....more
To say this book is one of my biggest let downs of 2023 is an understatement. It's been sitting on my TBR for a long time, and b 1.5 stars rounded up
To say this book is one of my biggest let downs of 2023 is an understatement. It's been sitting on my TBR for a long time, and because of the cover I was happy to read it the minute we hit summertime months. But instead of a cute rom com with authors, we got a pretentious, overly-written piece of crap with not a single likeable character. As I was listening, I remember thinking "my god these two characters over-analyze EVERYTHING" and "these people are exhausting". I can't explain it, but this book put a really bad taste in my mouth. It really shouldn't be marketed as a romance because it sure didn't feel like one.
I usually give authors a three chance rule, I read three of their books before giving up on them. This is my second book by them and I don't think I can take anymore......more
When an elderly woman Peggy dies, no one is suspicious at first. Until a former carer of hers notices all of the mystery books in that wom 3.75 stars
When an elderly woman Peggy dies, no one is suspicious at first. Until a former carer of hers notices all of the mystery books in that woman’s apartment are dedicated to her. Harbinder Kaur is brought in on the case before there even is one, but when two people are put at gunpoint while packing up belongings, and other people start to die, it becomes clear Peggy may have been murdered.
I really have enjoyed this series and I feel it would make a great BBC tv series (doing my best to manifest this into the universe). I read the first book in the series back in 2020 and I liked it, the second book was also excellent. I’ve always listened to the audiobook and the narrator is fantastic. I’ve spoken to people who read a physical copy and they didn’t enjoy it as much so maybe give the audio a try.
I like the main character a lot, I love the idea of a queer female detective who is the daughter of immigrants solving murders. Harbinder Kaur is great at reading people and people seem to really like her. I thought adding in all the mystery writers and their personalities was a lot of fun, I wonder if the author based any of them off of real life people. When I get the chance I will be picking up the next book in the series....more
...I hate to say this, but I loved the movie way more than the book.
Crazy Rich Asians is the story of Rachel Chu who is invited by her boyf 3.5 stars
...I hate to say this, but I loved the movie way more than the book.
Crazy Rich Asians is the story of Rachel Chu who is invited by her boyfriend Nicholas Young to travel to Asia for the summer, and while they're there, Rachel will meet his family. But what he didn't tell her is his family is from wealth, wealth beyond what you can imagine. Rachel is thrown into a world of riches and backstabbers, and she begins to wonder if this is the life she wants to lead?
I hate to compare, but I feel the movie really cuts out all the excess that this book didn't need. Everything was so overly detailed to the point when I would forget the plot or where the story was even going. It was an interesting book, and I remember I tried to read it before the film came out and felt the same way. Way too much information. I will say the highlights of the book for me were the characters of Rachel and Astrid. Both are standouts and I loved following their portions of the story. But I never really felt the chemistry between Rachel and Nicholas and honestly, I kind of wanted them to break up by the end.
I probably won't continue reading the books, but I am glad I tried this book and I will gladly go on loving the film and hoping they make more movies....more
When Izumi discovered she was a Japanese princess, she was thrown into a completely new world and had to scramble to figure things out. Now t 4 stars
When Izumi discovered she was a Japanese princess, she was thrown into a completely new world and had to scramble to figure things out. Now things seem to be going very well for her, she has a hot bodyguard boyfriend, her dog is now living with her in Tokyo, and her parents are back together and engaged. But when Izumi catches wind that her parents may be denied marriage, Akio makes a decision for the both of them that changes the course of their future.
This was a great follow up novel to Tokyo Ever After and I very much hope this will be a longer series. While the first book was about discovering a new life, this second book was about acclimating to it. Izumi really worked on being who she thought everyone wanted her to be, versus being herself. I liked that the focus of this book really seemed to be about friendship, with Izumi working on a truce with the twins and her friend visiting from back home.
I will say though, I really want the adult romance story of Izumi’s parents. Maybe it’s because I am not a teenager anymore, but their romance was the best part of this book....more
Abby Jimenez is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.
Book 2 in the Part of Your World series, Yours Truly can be read as a standalone but I stiAbby Jimenez is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.
Book 2 in the Part of Your World series, Yours Truly can be read as a standalone but I still recommend you read Part of Your World first to enhance the story. Briana Ortiz's life is falling apart: she went through a bad divorce, her best friend moved away, her brother needs a kidney transplant, and the new guy at work is already in consideration for a promotion that should already be hers. But first impressions aren't always what they seem, and pretty soon Briana realizes the new guy (Jacob) is a better man than she realizes.
My third book by this author and so far it's a 2/3 win for me. This series in particular I adore and I love Abby Jimenez's sense of humor. And while this is a funny, romance book, there are some heavy hitting subjects that I felt the author dealt with with grace. I think she did a great job of explaining that sometimes happily ever after isn't easy just because we want it to be, happily ever after is work but work that's worth it (hopefully that made sense). I listened the audiobook and was laughing out loud at parts, and at others I wanted to strangle the main characters. But I loved this book and I hope everyone who reads it does too....more
This was basically The Princess Diaries in Japan and I loved every single second of it.
Izumi Tanaka grew up in a small town in Northern California, neThis was basically The Princess Diaries in Japan and I loved every single second of it.
Izumi Tanaka grew up in a small town in Northern California, never feeling like she ever fit in. When she decides to seek out her father whose identity was unknown to her. She discovers much to her shock, that he is the crown prince of Japan, making her a princess. Whisked away to Japan, Izumi is ecstatic to learn her roots and get to know her family. But there's a lot that goes into being a princess, will Izumi be able to handle it?
I feel like this book is everything a YA novel should be. Awkward teenagers? Check. Self identity crisis? Check. Romance with a hot bodyguard you initially hate? Check. Family drama? Double check. I loved Izumi as a main character and I think so many teens can relate to not feeling you belong like she did, no matter what your situation. Her enemies to friends to lovers romance with her bodyguard was so much fun. Overall a big win and I am ready to jump into the second book....more
Married for five years, Eliza and Graham are on their way to resort to celebrate their anniversary. But they’ve been having problems and whe 3 stars
Married for five years, Eliza and Graham are on their way to resort to celebrate their anniversary. But they’ve been having problems and when another guest introduces them as strangers, they play along and pretend they are different people meeting for the first time. But playing different parts won’t solve their problems, and once they leave what will become of their marriage?
I checked out this book from the library simply because it had two of my favorite narrators on the audiobook. I enjoyed the book for the most part, but it falls under the simply “liked it” and probably won’t remember it for the long haul. I thought we didn’t get enough of Eliza and Graham pre-trip, we were just immediately thrown into this scenario without enough context as to what was wrong with their relationship in the first place. I also went into this book blind, had I known beforehand it was about role play I probably wouldn’t have chosen to pick it up....more
What would you do if you traveled through time, only to return years later with no explanation of why you left? Four years ago Rosalind tra 4.5 stars
What would you do if you traveled through time, only to return years later with no explanation of why you left? Four years ago Rosalind traveled from the 19th century to present day, leaving behind her beloved husband and infant son. Now, she has found a way back and yet she does not know how to explain her absence in a way that will be believed. Disguising herself as a governess, she returns to her husband and son (without them knowing it's her). But someone doesn't want Rosalind there and will do anything to keep her away.
Kelley Armstrong is a favorite of mine, and lately she seems to really love writing time travel books set in Victorian times (I don't mind, they are highly entertaining). This is the second in a series and can be read as a standalone, but I think it would be less confusing if one read A Stitch in Time first. I listened to the audiobook and found I didn't want to stop listening, I loved following along with Rosalind as she reacquainted herself with her family and how she navigated a very complicated situation. The mystery thrown in was a tad bit predictable but I enjoyed it all the same....more
Lily and Leo fell in love in their early twenties, and then they drifted apart. Now, almost ten years later and neither of their lives are wh 4 stars
Lily and Leo fell in love in their early twenties, and then they drifted apart. Now, almost ten years later and neither of their lives are what they expected. Instead of owning a ranch, Lily runs guided treasure hunt tours, and Leo works in IT in NYC. When Leo's friends book a surprise trip, both Lily and Leo are shocked when he turns up on one of her tours. When tragedy and chaos strike the group, Lily and Leo must work together to stay alive and hunt a treasure.
I've been reading Christina Lauren books for years and I love their romance novels, they are always so much fun. I listened to an audiobook for this one, and it was a great production with excellent narrators. The story itself seemed far fetched, but I loved the movie Romancing the Stone growing up and since the vibe of this book was based on that, I "got" it right away. Adventure romance is not a category we see a lot present day in publishing, and honestly that's a shame. I would love to read more books like this one....more
Book 2 of A Rip Through Times series, you must read the first book in order to understand this one.
Mallory, a modern day woman cop trapped in the bodyBook 2 of A Rip Through Times series, you must read the first book in order to understand this one.
Mallory, a modern day woman cop trapped in the body of a 19 year old Scottish Victorian girl in 1869. Her employer and friend Dr. Duncan Gray is aware of who Mallory really is, and while she there she serves as his assistant. When a series of murders occurs via poisoning, Mallory and Duncan find the case hits closer to home than either one realized.
Kelley Armstrong is one of my all time favorite authors and this series just reminds me of why. We get a time travel mystery that is set in Victorian times but with modern eyes. There's a hint of romance, but Armstrong notably is a slow burn writer as her books focus more on the mysteries abound instead.
I liked how in this book we were able to focus more on Mallory's police work instead of her having to hide who she truly was. At some point side characters were also calling her Mallory instead of Katrina (sorry if that is spelled wrong, I listen to the audio version) and I wondered if I missed a big reveal? I even rewound it to be sure I didn't hear wrong.
I think one of my favorite things Armstrong does with this series is tackle topics such as racism, Sapphic romance, transgender community, and more in a Victorian era. I loved that Mallory as a more modern woman was able to recognize things in a way people of the time might not have and was able to address everyone with kindness and respect. All of these topics existed back then as well as today and I enjoyed those elements being incorporated into the book.
My one regret is reading these books as they were released and now I have to wait probably another year for the next book. But I am sure it will be worth it as I have already grown to love these characters.
ALC provided by Libro.fm as a part of their Librarian ALC program ...more
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