Mell

This book felt written specifically for me. It was everything I always wanted, daring and adventurous, curious and charming! Amazing! Loved it!

There's nothing like a sibling rivalry to bring a family together. At least you'd think so when it comes to the Castles. While at sister Georgie's wedding an eavesdropping producer hears Bethany and brother Stephen going at it. Bethany ever afraid of not being enough for anyone has decided she wants to prove her stuff to brother Stephen by doing her own renovation. What befalls is a charming romance when Wes; a rodeo cowboy from Texas, Zellweger's his way into Bethany's project and ultimately her heart. Tessa Bailey's Tools of Engagement is the hot caramel sauce on the top of this Hot and Hammered contemporary romance sundae.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved it! Such a WonderFUL read. Hilarious, clever, and jammed with originality.

Another winner

Freeman has done it again. Many worlds, many minds, convergence, it's a crazy bit of story... It's infinite... Another winner.

Thank you @Netgalley for the advanced readers' edition of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Chris Paolini! Here is my honest review....

I am aghast that I have to wait till September to finish this read. I hadn't realized when I placed the request with NetGalley that it was for the first 25% of the book! OOOOOOOO but that 25% was damn near perfection! I was completely surprised at just how INTO this book I was (am). It has everything I look for in a SciFi book, intrigue, humanity, internal struggle, realism. I couldn't put it down, and when my kindle hit 100% and I realized the story was nowhere near over I was mortified, as a matter of fact, I'm still shook!

So anyway, if you like books with a reluctant heroine forced into tough situations that has a heart of gold, if you like your Scifi with epic journeys through the stars and distant inhabitable planets, and if you like your journey to include sentient armor and an advanced race of squid-like aliens trying to steal it... Well then you've met your match.

Wise and wonderful a perfect listen for this quarentine time.

I really enjoyed this, it was different than what I am used to. It had a full narrative inside including a backstory.. Rui and Yu were adorable even if a bit cliche. I'm routing for them!

oh, boy - what a creepy lil tale

E. Lockhart writes reality with a passion similar to some of my very favorite YA Authors; ie. Rainbow Rowell, Becky Albertali, and Nick Lake. The characters in Again, Again are developed in such a way that you can reach out and touch them. They are familiar, they are friends, neighbors, or loved ones. Their actions and feelings are real to the nature of the persona they characterize.

I really enjoyed this read, I loved the juxtaposition of the alternative realities. At points, I felt as though I had the privilege of picking and choosing my adventure, even though I truly didn't. There were portions of this that were difficult to read as Adelaide (our heroine) deals with the realities involved with having an addict as a family member. Often she was heartbroken, unsure in the surety of her feelings, unsure of her place in her family, or at the school, or in the turbulent nature of her romantic entanglements.

Overall this was a really delightful read, but it let me down in one area. I received no closure for Adelaide. Where the end was open, it was hopeful, but it was just one of many alternative universes, and one that hadn't even been portrayed throughout the story, and even for those that were... well... I wasn't a fan of how they ended.

Let me know if you feel differently. I am very curious to see how people receive this book.

I am in love with this series! Nathaniel is a clever yet conscientious boy of 12, who is paired with our true hero Bartimaeus an infinitely clever djinn whose mouth is always getting him into trouble! The two together are practically unstoppable... I can't get enough, starting book 2 immediately!

I would like to thank @Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the opportunity to read I Kissed Alice. Here is my honest review.

Adorable!

In the beginning, I thought this was going to be a tropey YA romance full of angst and assumptions and misunderstandings. I was eye-rolling with the best of them when I started Chapter 1, a bit less when I read Chapter 2, and so on. It turned out to be one of the sweetest, most gratifying romances I have read in ages and favorited up there with Simon vs. the Homosapien Agenda.

The characters of Rhodes and Iliana go through tremendous growth in the story arc, and it just made for a wonderfully satisfying story. When these ladies meet online, they fall for each through a webcomic based on Alice in Wonderland; only it's set in space (totally cool), and the Queen of Hearts has fallen for Alice (not too much of a spoiler/also cool). The illustrations of the webcomic in the story support the characters, their drive, and their personalities. I could have read an entire comic about them, and I am still praying that one is coming in the future.

These two ladies who have fallen for each other have no idea that they share a BFF because their online personas are who they are inside, where their gruff exteriors that they show on the outside are always abrasive toward each other. Watching these two round out the edges, let the guard down, and just simply grow into the skin their in was such a treat. I am so thankful that this was recommended to me and that I was able to get my hands on the ARC.

Perfect summer read.

Thank you @NetGalley and @01FirstSecond for the ARC of the Daughters of Ys. This is my honest review.

The Daughters of Ys was a lovely graphic novel, from character design, to scenery, to color it was indeed a treat turning these pages. This story of two Celtic sisters who live in this Atlantian world was a richly foretold folk tale with truths that are self-evident even today. If you enjoy an original story depicted in a unique art format, then you should give this a shot.

This was so-o-o-o-o sad.

There is a special place in my heart for the socially awkward, and I'm happy to make room for Komi and her crew!

Thanks for the loan Rowynn!

Clever! Def kept me guessing!

Meh.

Solid. Enjoyed this, of course it had two of my fave genres... serials and ghosts within. The Haunting of Sun Down Motel is going to haunt my dreams for quite a while. The story was eerie, and creepy, and kept you moving forward through two time frames unravelling simultaneously. A def fan was made here. Thanks Ms St James.

Sharon Bolton does it AGAIN! You think you know what's going on in the Split, but truthfully you don't. This book is a heart pounder, a could-not-put-downer, a page-turner, whatever have you this book is a must-read. I wish I could say more but doing so would ruin it for you, just trust me this once and pick this book up! asap.

Very satisfactory.

Loved Mr. Wilson's take on the Andromeda Strain. I believe Mr. Crichton would be very pleased. I'm over here wishing and hoping and dreaming of another Andromeda...

If you love fast-paced SciFi thrillers based in reality this series is a must-read!

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As a person, I don't think I have the verbiage available to explain how wonderful this book truly is. Ms. Gotch is both down to earth and funny, and reading this book was at times emotional and inspiring. She has such a way with words, she draws you in, sets you down in a comfy chair, and hands you a nice hot mug of tea ( or buttered coffee..lol). The way she unravels her tale and touches on the issue of mental health is unapologetically relatable. Those of us who deal with these struggles moment after moment will find a companion, and an advocate is Ms. Gotch. I found myself, quite literally, highlighting sentences, chapter titles, and complete sections of the appendix for later review.

I highly recommend this as an uplifting read on the need for self-care for those with mental health issues, as well as a commanding read for any woman fighting the battle for betterment.

I read this as an ARC, thankfully provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It's as perfect a Stephen King book as I've ever read. I enjoyed it immensely!

I wish all Young Adult book were at this level, I wish all Adult books were at this level, I wish all books were at this level. Well thought out, with rounded out and well developed characters, with worlds, that's right worlds, that are descriptive and fully immersive. From this moment forth I can guarantee I will write anything that Melissa Albert writes. Be it shopping list, book, or mural. Thank you.

Okay, it took me foreverrrrr to get into this book. Slow burn doesn't begin to cover it. But! At some point, I realized I was invested, in the budding relationship, the political race, their desire and confidence and drive when spreading the word against HB 28. At some point, I realized how much I loved these characters and how much I wanted them to win.

Albertali and Saeed do an incredible job painting a realistic picture of their environments, and relationships, both familial and societal. This is the second book of Albertali's that I ugly cried reading, that's a 100% chance of tears, and I guarantee won't be my last.