Kiraz

Venom & Vow is about two warring countries that are dealing with a big loss. They try to put a stop to the warring but inner power struggles and a still unknown enemy cause a lot of court intrigue.

The best part of this book was the representation. I loved the community the authors built into the world for trans people, and I loved how much a part of the story this community was, not just the background. I appreciated that the two main characters were in different places in figuring out their gender identities, it allowed one to really help the other out. Both of the characters also have disabilities, and one of them is from a Latin-American inspired country.

The biggest problem for me was that I was just so confused most of the time. Not about the world building, which was minimal but cool (I especially loved all the animals). But about why the characters were doing any of the things they were doing. There's one scene where two characters I could have sworn were really close get into a fight to the death and I still couldn't tell you why. This made it really difficult to follow what was happening, and to connect to the characters and their motivations.

I also really struggled with grasping the pacing. In one instance it takes them days to get to a place, in another they go there and back seemingly the same day? But again, I was really confused, so I may have misunderstood?

Most of the book was driven by misunderstandings between the characters with murderous stakes. The major assumptions they kept making was starting to get a little too much, but it did get much better in the second half of the book.

There's also an enemies-to-lovers romance. Their romance could have been developed a bit better but I loved that they were both badasses; Highly skilled at fighting and their specific skills.

Overall rating: 2.8⭐

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for the eARC!

This is a wonderful, funny and not too sweet Christmas read filled with lots of steam. I was laughing out loud every other page while reading this book, especially during the comedy of errors that leads to these two characters acting in a movie together.

This was such a beautiful and enchanting story with lots of intrigue that kept me turning the pages. It's a story that feels like a warm hug but also has betrayal, lost memories, family drama, and murder!

I loved the setting so much. Not just because it takes place in a small town, but also the magical aspects of the two founding families, how the magic is about loss and pain but still feels warm and hopeful, the vibes, the atmosphere... All of it created this beautiful and enchanting world within the story.

In this town there are two distinct (and magical) ways of dealing with your emotional pain. This made me think about all the different ways we try to handle our heartbreak in real life, and what really helps one “move on” in healthy ways. And even though they deal in pain, the whole book is about healing. Healing the people, the land, the connections.

The imagery in this book was powerful and filled with nature. One character's happiness brings forth butterflies, teas with herbs and flowers can give you courage or soothe your anxiety, the garden gifts berries of visions and grows in magical and wild ways. They're described in such vivid detail, I felt like I was there along with them, with everything playing in front of me like a movie.

The mystery in the book was also handled exactly right. Even if you foresee some of the revelations, the book still has some twists up its sleeve that leads up to an edge of your seat scene of it all coming to a head. The mystery is revealed in such a way that for most of the book it feels very difficult to put down.

This book also had: beautiful romances, fantastic and huggable characters, lots of tea leaf reading, and even more bourbon. I especially loved one of the romances, they were so cute together!

Upgrade is a Sci-Fi where it feels more real than fiction. It is set in a future where targeted gene mutations are entirely feasible but outlawed because of its environmental effects. In the middle of the story is Logan,

This is the second Blake Crouch I've read. I enjoyed reading Recursion so much 2 years ago that he became an insta-buy author for me. I was really looking forward to this book and it did not disappoint! Blake Crouch knows how to write thrilling mind-bending science-fiction that's hard to put down.

Overall, I really enjoyed Upgrade, it asked some great ethical questions about the environment, compassion, intelligent, the greater good and where these all meet. I really liked the way the author handled the changes in Logan, especially the emotional ones, as he gets smarter and stronger. His slow disconnection from humanity, the changes in the way he views others and his relationship with his family was both beautiful and heartbreaking. In some way it reminded me of Fowers for Algernon in this regard.
Beyond the emotional, the technical aspects of the changes in Logan were also handled in a very unique and cool way. For example, how being able to split your focus over and over again could feel like time slowing down.

Even though the book takes place in the future, it's not hard to imagine how our world could end up like the one in the book, and it's hard to miss the environmental crisis and climate change in the book as what we are moving towards. I liked that the book took a hard stance on these topics, without seeming defeatist and completely pessimistic. Blake Crouch himself has said in an interview that he doesn't feel like he's writing sci-fi anymore, and that's easy to see with this book.

There were a few small nitpicks I had with this book, that kept it from being a full 5⭐. One of these was some of small parts of the book that felt unnecessarily detailed to me, without actually adding anything to the story.

Also, the problem with any story where the main character gets superhuman smartness is that it gets difficult not to nitpick on small mistakes. TBF these kinds of discrepancies happen a tiny amount in this book, but they do happen.

Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.2

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this eARC.

Never Ever Getting Back Together is an NA romance book about Maya and Skye, both of whom dated the same guy, Jordi, and got invited to a reality TV show where they get a chance to win him back. Except Maya isn't there to win him back, she's there to get revenge.

I am a BIG Sophie Gonzales fan. I've read all of her YA romance books and loved each more than the last. If you haven't read Perfect on Paper and If This Gets Out, you're truly missing out. This also meant that my expectations coming into this book were really high, but I'm really sad to say it was a bit of a disappointment.

I loved this book! It was so compulsively readable, I was up all night because I couldn't put it down. This will be a book I recommend to everyone. It's a very well written historical YA set in 1979 with great representation, and it has a little bit of everything: politics, rock music, romance, family drama, betrayal, friendship and college applications.

I just loved reading this book! It's heartwarming, sweet, and touching. It got me teary eyed more than once, and I just wanted to hug the book close at the end. I'd recommend it for readers who enjoy books about the connections between people, kind of similar to Remarkably Bright Creatures or Anxious People.

While the main premise of the book is Libby trying to help Frank, the focus is the characters and the coincidences of life that connect or separate people. There are the two main characters: 80-year-old Frank, who's looking for his missed connection, Libby who is trying to figure out her new life. Then there's Dylan, a punker who's so caring, Esme who's bold and hilarious and other characters on the 88 bus.

These characters are very well written and make for a beautiful found family. Reading this book is at times heartbreaking, at times bittersweet but all in all beautiful. I loved watching them slowly become a band of unlikely friends, and even a family.

I connected to these characters so much, that even though there isn't necessarily a page turner intrigue to it, I couldn't put the book down. I read it in one day. They're all so easy to root for, I wanted to make sure that they all get the happy ending they deserve.

There's also a romance in here that is really sweet as well. I loved that the love interest is not the kind you usually see in books. Despite his tough exterior, he's a cinnamon roll who was so thoughtful and loving towards Libby. I really enjoyed seeing him slowly shed his protective layers to show his true self to her.

I had a few nitpicks about the book, like how terrible the “villains” of the story were, and the fact that it had the third act breakup even though it didn't really need it. But these were small issues compared to how much I enjoyed reading this book.

Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

The Night Ship half takes place on the Batavia, a real life ship back in the early 1600s, and half on an island off the coast of Australia, at Batavia's wreck site in 1989. The story is from the perspective of two 9 year old kids, 3 centuries apart.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. I like challenging myself with books in the genres outside my comfort zone. And a lot of the time, I really enjoy reading them. However this time it wasn't as good of a match.

This is a very well written, very strong and very sad story. I just couldn't connect with it enough. However, I'm still really glad to have read this book and find out more about a shipwreck I previously hadn't heard of. And there are some parts of this that will stay with me for a while.

Overall rating: 4.5, rounded up.

I enjoyed this book so much! I was pretty much hooked from the first page and when the main love interest came in, I couldn't put it down, their love felt so real and tangible even before it becomes a romance.

If you're familiar with British romances, this, like those, doesn't focus purely on the romance and the romance takes some time to develop.

The Fixer Upper is about Aly who has been helping everyone in her life, but never putting herself first. The book mainly focuses on her slowly learning to prioritize herself, and maybe have a second chance romance with her first love.

I really liked the way the book handled Aly's growth throughout the book. I feel like she's a great example of growth without making the character unlikeable to begin with. Her going from helping literally everyone else, to even her own detriment, to actually claiming her own voice and space felt great!

The two MCs are both flawed characters. They're both people pleasers, but in very different ways. They learn from each other's mistakes and both change for the better. I really liked the love between them, even before it became a relationship, how much they care about each other felt so deep and real. I was rooting for them the whole way.

The friends of both of the main characters were great but especially Aly's, I loved that they didn't feel like caricatures and they brought out the better parts of Aly. They also felt like great characters themselves, I'd be happy to read a book about any of them.

Even though it might look like a big chunk of the book is about manipulating people, I actually quite liked the direction the book went with it. The characters learn from the mistakes of their assumptions and take their endeavors in the right direction.

Overall this was such a great read for me. And I enjoyed all the plot lines, even outside of just the romance

Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

Dream On is about Cass who wakes up from a coma with a full memory of a three month long relationship with Devin. But there is no such relationship. Just as she's ready to move on from the imaginary relationship, she runs into Devin! Is he her dream or, or should he just stay in dreams?

Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.2

I enjoyed reading this book so much! From the beginning, I didn't want to put this book down. I enjoyed its message, its romance, its characters...

The main conflict of this book is an internal one; do you choose to follow your heart, or do you choose to follow success? Do you stick to your idea of what you should be doing or do you listen to your instincts? This isn't limited to just the romance, but also general direction of life, career and so on.

Even though I don't usually like love triangles because of all the angst and drama it generates, I thought this one was handled very well. And it played very well with the overall message of the book. Plus the romance I was rooting for won out, so definitely can't complain.

The Ballad of Perilous Graves takes place in Nola. Nine of the city's songs have disappeared.In the center of the story are three kids: Perry, Brendy and Peaches, tasked with a quest to find all the stolen songs of the city, and an adult: Casey, a trans man trying to get back someone he lost. All of them are on a magical journey of self-discovery and growth.

This book feels as enchanting and magical as its world. Just like Nola, it has an undefinable character that's hard not to love. The book will take you on a journey where you won't know up from down, real from dream.

The storytelling and world building are masterful, combining hoodoo and fantasy. It's filled with haints, zombies, graffiti that comes to life, p-bodies that get addicted to the high of graffiti, giant rats, and many other creatures and magical beings.

I loved the way the story was told. This book does not hold your hand through the story. In fact it runs ahead of you, not waiting for you to catch up. It requires you to trust the process and wait for things to start clicking into place. I won't lie, there are aspects of the book I'm still confused by at the end, but in general it all comes together beautifully.

The writing illustrates everything in such a vivid manner, its easy to see Nola, its music, its magic, and its people as if it's all playing out in front of you.

The only drawback for me was that I was more into the way the story was told, the characters, and the setting, than the plot itself, which kind of gets buried under the weight of all the other aspects. Combined with the fact that it's a longer and denser read than I was expecting, it felt like a really slow read and I felt like no matter how much I was reading I was making no progress.

This is a book I would recommend anyone who likes fantasies with a strong world, and people looking for something a little different in their books.

Thank you very much to Redhook Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

A Bride's Guide to Marriage Murder takes place around Frances and George's wedding. Their honeymoon is interrupted by news that their neighbor has been murdered, and the main suspect is Frances' brother. Frances and George together try to figure out who the real murderer is, but there might be more murders before they can.

I quite enjoyed this book! It was a fast-paced, fun mystery and the characters were loveable. Filled with humor and a great cast of whimsical characters, this was a wonderful historical cozy mystery.

Even though this is book #5 in a series I haven't read before, I didn't find it to be an issue at all. The book does a great job of filling the blanks without making it seem like an info dump. Definitely safe to read as a standalone.

The mystery itself was quite fun, and while I figured out the details of the murder, I still enjoyed the journey, and it was never obvious enough to make me think, “Come on, get there already!” In fact, I really enjoyed the way the mystery was woven together and then revealed, it didn't drag its feet, and everything made sense.

Even though this book is not a romance, I quite enjoyed the romance between Frances and George. I loved the respect and trust they have in each other, and the way George embraces Frances fully.

The relationships and dialogue between the many characters seemed very genuine, I'm sure it helps that this is now the 5th book and all these are well established characters, but the familiarity, love and care most of the people had for each other was heart warming. I also loved all the various family relationships they had in the book. There was real love among the family members, even if sometimes they got on each others' nerves.

Overall this was a delightful and fun mystery that had me turning the pages to see what happens to the characters as much as to figure out the murderer.

Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for the eARC for this fun mystery!

Overall rating: 4.5 rounded down

This was such a fun and delightful cozy mystery! Plus if you like British humor, which I really do, it is quite funny as well! Recommended for lovers of cozy mysteries, especially if you appreciate the journey as much as the destination.

I will definitely be reading the future books in this series!

While this was a mystery first and foremost, I really loved all the protagonists. There's Judith Potts the 77 year old cryptic crossword creator, Suzie the blunt dog walker, Becks the too proper wife of a Vicar and Tanika the by-the-books detective. They were flawed but loveable. I really enjoyed their found family/murder club. I loved how they pushed each other outside their comfort zones and empowered one another to take control of their lives.

I especially loved the main character Judith Potts. She was so independent, brilliant, and quite an introvert too. And just like the other members of the murder club I liked that she wasn't static, she changed throughout the book and started to let other people in.

Overall I appreciated the focus on women being brilliant, strong and empowered. I always worry about men writing women but this one I thought was done very well.

Now, onto the mystery, while I did figure out who dun it, too early on, I still enjoyed the journey very much, and the book still managed to give me a bunch of edge-of-my-seat moments. And I enjoyed the path our intrepid amateur sleuths took to solving it.

Possibly because the author is from the world of the TV, there were a lot of scenes that I could easily picture, especially the climax. I can imagine this being turned into a movie/TV series and I'd be more than happy to watch it.

Thank you so much to Poisoned Pen Press and NEtGalley for the eARC!

Josie Silver has such a way with words, I felt the lyrical prose down to my core. This was my first book by her and I'm already a massive fan. I will be sure to read all her other books!

One Night on the Island is about two people who visit a remote Irish island and end up having to share a cabin, which happens to be the only accommodation available. Both Cleo and Mack are at a crossroads, trying to figure out how to move forward in their lives.

This book reads like a millennial's escapism fantasy. Getting away from the hubbub of work and the hamster wheel life, to a remote and peaceful location with lovely people, and a love that won't smother you or try to change you. If someone asked me to change places with Cleo tomorrow, I'd say yes.

I loved the focus on self love. It was definitely more prominent than the romantic love. That both of our main characters put their own needs above the romantic interest was empowering, So much so that I would have loved this book regardless of how the romance was resolved, because their individual stories were so strong.

That's not to say the romance wasn't amazing. Everything from their first kiss, where it seemed like I felt the emotions together with them, to how they were there for each other, but still gave the space to the other to do their own thing, was amazing. It felt like a fundamentally good, real, adult relationship.

But what makes the book so great is that it's not about just Cleo and Mack, it's also about the island, and the people on the island. The island felt like another character in the book after all. And all of them, including the island, are such welcoming and warm characters, even though on the outside they're inhospitable, they become true friends to Cleo and Mac, and as you're reading, it feels like they're your friends too. I loved them so much, I can't even name a favorite, they're all unique and amazing people.

I know Josie Silver doesn't usually do sequels, but I'm really hoping for one about a relationship between two islanders that seemed to be alluded to at the end of the book.

Is the book perfect? Possibly not, at the beginning I had some trouble buying into the premise of marrying yourself or that these two characters really had no other option but to stay together, but once I got over that, I loved this so much.

This book took me on a journey to Salvation Island, gave me a hug, told me I'd be okay, and gave me an adorable romance to read along the way. HIGHLY recommended.

In Murder Most Actual Liza and Hanna get snowed in at their hotel/castle in the Scottish Highlands. And soon guests start getting killed off one by one. Solving the mystery falls on none other than Liza, a true crime podcaster.

A very enjoyable read that'll give you a few laughs, a few head scratchers and a couple to root for. It weaves together humor, suspense and relationship drama for a solid read for mystery lovers. It feels like both a parody of and a love letter to classic mysteries. So if you're a fan of Agatha Christie, Clue, or any mystery that ends in a grand reveal, hop on!

I loved all the references to classic mysteries. From the Poirot like character, to people being killed off one by one, a la And Then There Were None, and the Clue like chapter headings... It was clear the book was written by a lover of mysteries. On the other hand, this was also written with a critical eye of the classic mystery genre. This makes it feel fresh, since the book doesn't just take the tropes but looks more closely and subverts them. At the same time, this does feel less satisfying at times, when the criticism of the genre gets in the way of actual murder solving itself.

Aside from the mystery, this is also a story of a strained relationship. Liza and Hana's bickering, arguments, slow growth and eventually healing, was probably my favorite part of the book. How they used the crazy situation they were in, to communicate more and understand each other more was done very well. Their relationship feels real and faceted

As I mentioned, at times, the book doesn't feel as satisfying as other cozy mystery books. For example, the grand reveal here, does not compare to the others in the genre. Even the revealer herself goes on for paragraphs about how she's not qualified to do this grand reveal. And as the reader I agree, partly because she was following a completely different track up until the reveal. And especially because the one connection she fails to make is probably one of the most obvious ones.

Overall, I think that this a book that fans of the genre will enjoy, as long as you're not expecting another neatly tied cozy mystery. And not only will you get to read a head scratcher of a mystery, but you'll also get to read about a relationship heal and grow.

This was my second David Sedaris book. I read Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls 6 years ago as an audiobook and absolutely loved it. GoodReads tells me I even rated it 5 stars! Which back then was even more rare for me than it is now. I especially recommend reading his books as an audiobook.

This is an honest, at times brutal, at times ludicrous, and usually privileged recount of David's own life focused mostly in the last two years. There are a lot of essays on his father and his contentious relationship with him, as well as his sister Tiffany's accusations against their father, and finally his death. Aside from his father, his essays cover a wide range: about his relationship with his boyfriend Hugh, his experience with the BLM protests, New York during the height of the pandemic, his love of shopping, and some great stories from his tours.

I like David's brand of brutally honest sharp humor. He shares his thoughts without filter, even when they may put him in a bad light. He's wont to say things that make you think, should he really be saying this? There were some stories in the book that were so wild, that I had to share them with others and question WTF? out loud.

The book has a good balance of realness and humor. He manages to fit in jokes (albeit sometimes inappropriate ones) even in the most serious stories, and great insights in the most wacky ones. Sedaris is not the most likeable and I don't think he tries to be. His privilege shows through many times, and he's way too judgmental against others, but he writes with honesty and heart. He finds the special in the mundane and is not afraid to share the difficult stories.

The Wedding Season is about Freya whose fiance breaks up with her hours before their wedding. Facing a whole summer of weddings that she now has to face as recently single. To get her mind off of the breakup and to help her put down her walls, her friends set up a challenge for her at each wedding.

This one read more like a women's fiction rather than romance. I do also love women's fiction so this wasn't a problem for me, but it would probably be good to know before you dive into the book.

One of the reasons I wish the book was more of a romance was because I absolutely loved the love interest, Jamie. I liked that they challenged each other, and I especially loved their banter. Which made me wish Jamie was featured a lot more in the book. We just needed more scenes with him in it.

Freya is surrounded by some great family. Both of regular and found kind. Her friends are so funny and supportive. Plus, I loved how the strained relationships in the family were handled. It felt very healing.

The overall premise was great too. The challenges that Freya's friends set on her are fun and they really work, both in terms of getting Freya more out of her shell, but also in terms of keeping the book interesting throughout. You never know how Freya is going to tackle one of the challenges, and it's really enjoyable to see her growth throughout.

I did appreciate that this book tackled the feelings of going through a breakup. While I did think that it was a little one note, I found the feelings Freya went through quite authentic. However, I do wish there was more variety in her feelings, breakup can feel like other kinds of grief. So I was hoping she would go through similar stages like anger. Especially considering she seems to have flashbacks to instances where her ex is being very unsupportive. Mainly I wanted her to slowly see that she might be better off, instead of all at once.

I also found the timing to be a little odd. There were many scenes I was really interested in, but the book actually glossed over them, giving us only a few details over bullet points or just a summary. Inversely, there scenes that seemed to not have any bearing on the overall story but they took up a lot of time.

Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐.8

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

Starry-Eyed Love is the second book in the Spark House romance series. In this book London Sparks crosses paths with a multi-millonaire, Jackson Holt. When they start working together they decide they can't pursue a romantic relationship, However, as they spend more and more time together, their growing chemistry and feelings will complicate matters.

This was a cute and entertaining romance! Reading it was a breeze and I enjoyed getting to know the Sparks sisters more. You don't have to have read the first book to read this one.

I liked the first book in the series, but this one was definitely better for me. I really enjoyed the couple in this one a lot more. I loved how the serious businessman Jackson lost all his edge and toughness with London. I loved that London was the one to initiate a lot of the steamy scenes, I'm always here for sexually empowered women!

Their relationship was also very believable. Even though they were from very different backgrounds, they had a lot of commonalities. They both lost their parents, neither of them really gave love a chance, and they were both workaholics. I liked that this meant that they could understand and relate to each other on a deeper level and this helped grow their relationship.

While there's nothing wrong with being a workaholic, if that is your priorities in life, I did like that London and Jackson found in each other someone that made them want to reprioritize their life and put love first.

Even though their attraction starts as insta-love the fact that they can't date while spending all this time together means that they have a lot of time to bond and get to know each other outside a relationship. So when they do get together, you know that they understand each other on a deeper level.

Unfortunately miscommunication trope and blowing things out of proportion plays a big part in the main conflict, but at least I did like the resolution to the conflict.

The sister relationship played a big part in this book, similar to the first book in the series. I love that this series has such close sister relationship, but this book made me wish they would just sit down and talk instead of letting issues grow and grow until they came to a head. I love seeing positive sister relationships in books and the way they treated each other in this one, honestly made me sad at times. Plus, somehow Avery from the first book came off as a terribly selfish person in this book which was hard to reconcile with her character from book 1.

Overall rating ⭐⭐⭐.8, rounded to 4.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for the eARC!

I'm a Mhairi McFarlane fangirl. I've only read 3 of her books (I really need to get through that backlog) but even in just the first few pages, her writing brings me joy. The humor, the heart, the depth of characters, they just work for me. Just like her other books, once I started reading Mad About You, I just couldn't put it down.

I think Mhairi McFarlane is really fantastic at handling deep emotions. One of the many reasons why her books are easy to connect with and why they feel special. The depth and delicacy with which emotional abuse and gaslighting is handled in this book is really superb. Throughout most of the book Harriet grapples with aspects of her past, her grief of losing her mom, and the terrible exes that took away her confidence.

The romance takes a bit more of a back seat in this book but I still loved Cal, the love interest, and all the deep conversations they have together about themselves, their families and their past. I loved watching their love slowly develop. One thing that slightly annoyed me here was that Harriet made so many snap judgments about Cal and kept keeping him at a distance because of these, even though at the same time, she was coming to realize that her judgement when it comes to reading people wasn't always accurate. Despite this, they were really so cute together, that I was reading the ending with a big silly grin on my face, melting into a puddle. I enjoyed their romance so much, I just really wish there was a lot more of it :D

There were some terrific women friendships in this book (and one bad one). So many great moments of women supporting women and really making a difference in each others' lives.

Overall, just another amazing Mhairi McFarlane book that is superbly written in both form and content.

Overall rating: 4.2⭐

The Bodyguard is about Hannah, a workaholic bodyguard, excuse me, an Executive Protection Agent, and she's hired to protect an a-lister celeb. Soon circumstances will push them closer and closer as they'll have to pretend to be dating.

I enjoyed reading this book so much, I finished it in one sitting! It's cute, romantic, emotional and even thrilling at times.

I've only read one other Katherine Center but I can already recognize her brand of romance and I love it! She writes great three-dimensional characters, and their emotional journey becomes just as important as the romance itself. And by the end you will find that you feel healed, wrapped in a warm blanket. Even though I generally like steamy romances, I never miss that in her clean romances.

Hannah, the main character was a great one to read. She's brilliant and strong. She knows what she wants and won't take shit from people. She's also struggling with losing people close to her and doesn't fully know how to deal with it other than grasping to her work harder and getting too busy to have time to feel anything. I loved that she was a bodyguard, not at all a job you usually read about in romances, and I loved that she loved her job so much. It was all quite nuanced.

The love interest Jack was fantastic too. He's a selfless, loving and funny guy who also doesn't quite know how to deal with his loss. He's the ideal fictional man, without being too unrealistically perfect.
I liked that the two characters had loss in common, but they were going through it in different ways. I thought that both of their emotional journeys were incredibly realistic, and I loved that they helped pulled each other out of their unhealthy habits. By the end, they were both changed for the better.

Some of the other characters were great as well. Jack's parents especially so. They were so in love, so supportive, so full of love for their family, and so strong too, while they're dealing with some scary possibilities. It also warmed my heart that Hannah felt so close to them and that they could act as good examples of a loving family for her.

At some point in the book Katherine Center fancast The Unhoneymooners (by Christina Lauren) with Jack the LI as the main character and that just tickled me so.

The only part that I didn't fully connect with was how/when Hannah falls in love with Jack. For me it went from he's an annoying actor dude I have to work for to I actually love him so fast that I had to flip back some pages to see if I missed something.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

This was a fun romance set in a cupcake shop between a football player and a woman who was on the equivalent of The Bachelor. Fake dating leads to real feelings, as it tends to happen.

A heartwarming opposites-attract romance with great setting, awesome characters, and thoughtful handling of deeper topics. Recommended to romance lovers who like their books to cover more than just the romance.

I love a small town setting! And in this book the town was like another character. I loved that the love interest had such major ties to the town with his family legacy. One of my favorite things about a small town setting is all the side characters and the support of a community. There was also some semi-magical realism with the town interfering with the main relationship.

I really appreciated that the book covered abuse in its different forms; emotional, physical, parental. The book also handled the abuse cycle very well, emphasized the fact that abuse can happen to anyone, and even had some ideas on how to help others around you who might be facing a similar issue.

I loved how even though they were “from two different worlds”, they actually had a lot of similarities. They were both feeling familial pressures of legacy while actually wanting to do something different. They both felt trapped, and needed a push to find a new balance in their lives and prioritize themselves instead of trying to make others happy. Speaking of which, I loved how that pressure was handled as well. The internal struggles Alexis had between not wanting to disappoint her family and following her heart were very authentically handled.

I really loved their romance, and in a lot of ways it reminded me of my own: opposites attract, long distance, one of them a romantic and another logical. I loved how they couldn't stay apart, how much Daniel loved Alexis, and how he slowly helped her put down her walls.

This book also has: A baby goat, a town pigs and an overexcited dog. Need I say more?!

Overall rating: 4.5⭐

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this as an eARC!

This was such a fun and juicy read. It felt like a combination of reality TV shows like Selling Sunset and mystery books like Big Little Lies.

The story is centered around Jenny, a successful salon owner, and 4 of her very rich clients. I liked that all of the characters brought something a little different to the table. Ruthless Olivia, lost Shannon, naïve Crystal, pragmatic Kate and peacekeeper Jenny. Not to say they're one dimensional characters. In fact, throughout the book we see different sides of each of them.

The main focus of the story is the relationship between these characters rather than the mystery. And the relationships, with years of secrets and resentments, is filled with cattiness, snark, and figurative backstabbing. A lot of times it really reminded me of watching reality TV.

For most of the book the only thing we know is that one of them is dead, but all the way to the reveal, the book had me guessing on who was gonna be murdered and by whom.

If you enjoy flawed characters, this books has plenty. I liked they all got their own POV, so we could see what their motivations were from their own perspective. Since not all of them are likeable, (there was one I especially loved to hate) seeing their side of things helped.

This book does a great job of keeping the drama intriguing and engaging. I honestly don't know if it was the drama or the mystery that kept me turning the pages more but I was HOOKED.

I loved the ending!

Meet Me In the Margins is about Savannah who is an editor at a publishing house that prides itself in its highbrow titles. But Savannah likes to write romances! One day she leaves her manuscript behind a room she thought only she knew about, but comes back to a bunch of notes. She soon comes to rely on those notes to improve her writing.

Steam level: 1/3 (only kissing)

I really enjoyed reading the book, it was a fast and easy read. I thought it was very sweet. I liked the main couple, thought that their romance was cute.

Very much a You've Got Mail style story. It's quite predictable, but I personally don't think that's a bad thing. Similar to the movie, this is a very slow burn, and the focus is more on the book world than the actual romance. The two characters don't interact that much throughout.

A bookish setting definitely helped me enjoy the book even more as a book lover. It was fun to see behind the scenes a bit about what happens at a publishing house. Especially the ARC room! I enjoyed reading Savannah's journey to getting her book published as well as the authors who are signed to their publishing house.

While I wish we found out more about him, I did like the stoic love interest, Will. From the get go he seems fascinated with her. It was fun to see him be interested while Savannah still seemed pretty clueless. I also really liked the designer at her work, and her best friend Layla. She actually seemed like the most interesting character in the book. I loved how proud she was of her work, and how she was always ready to defend it.

I did miss some depth from the book. Nothing major, but if we could have seen more chemistry, or interactions between the two love interests, or if the best friend was more involved in the mystery of who was leaving notes on the manuscript, or even some more information on the love interest. Just something a little bit more.

Also, the depths of Savannah's family's disregard for her emotions and her general wellbeing is astonishing for a family who's supposedly always there for each other, and for Savannah who's always ready to do anything for her family. I just really did not like them at all.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange of my honest opinions.

This was such a quick read for me, and not only because of its length (204 pages). The mystery and the sister relationship kept me flipping the pages.

I thankfully hadn't looked this book up on GoodReads before requesting and reading this book. I was surprised to see the relatively lower average rating because I actually quite enjoyed this read. It is short and quite straightforward in its range of topics, but it is a solid mystery that kept me guessing!

The main character, Savannah, is no Poirot. She's driven by her love for her sister, and guilt. She takes wrong steps, unnecessarily puts herself in danger, accuses the wrong people, but this all feels true to her character and her motivations.

I really enjoyed how the story unfolded. I especially liked how the chapters with the sister's POV started to get included when we got closer and closer to solving the mystery. Adding to all the red herrings.

There are many twists in this story. I was convinced that I was right in my guess for most of the book to only realize I had been wrong the whole time.

I loved the relationship between the sisters, which was quite beautiful and real. I loved how they loved one another, despite quite a few missteps, and shitty parents that do their best to pit one against the other. I loved that they were still there for another despite all that.

Along the way to solving the mystery we also get to find out a lot about the interpersonal relationships between Savannah, Piper and their friend group. This does get into the YA drama between the characters. So if you are not a fan of YA, just be aware.

Thank you for the e-ARC @sourcebooksfire and @netgalley !