I… enjoyed and did not enjoy…. this book. There is so much hype about it, I feel like I must’ve missed something.

The story follows Marianne and Connell from high school through university while they are together (but never officially) and alternately dating other people (but still friends with very real feelings for each other). It explores how their places in society (Connell’s mother cleans Marianne’s house), their friends, and their families affect their relationship. It’s not a happy book.

But it’s a very real and often very relatable book. Rooney has an amazing way with words… you know when you put the book down and pause because you just want to savor those last words for a few moments more? I LOVED that about this book.

And I did love most of the book, right up until the end when it just stopped. I get that it had to end sometime, but I felt like I fell off a cliff because I kept going and the book ended. Not a fan.

This is one that has a lot of lovers and a lot of haters. I’m smack dab in the middle. Not going to tell you to read it because I have so many reservations about it, but I will tell you that there were things about it that I did enjoy.

This was a fun, twisty, mystery/thriller that was well-paced, easy to read, and had a satisfying ending to boot.

Told from multiple POVs and across different timelines, Jewell does an excellent job of weaving these stories together. Each character is distinct and serves a purpose, so keeping track of them isn’t difficult. Although you can see fairly early on how the stories are going to come together, Jewell really does keep some of her cards up her sleeve until the very end.

Definitely put this one on your TBR. It’s one that doesn’t need a particular time to read it. You’ll enjoy it whenever your time is right!

When you pick up a YA book about an honors-student-by-day-video-game-developer-by-night high school girl, you expect a little high school romance, some teenage angst, and some cool video game talk. “SLAY” is all of that and so much more.

I don’t read fiction books to help me grow, but occasionally a book does just that.

As the seventeen year-old main character, Kiera, (who is as frustrating as any real-life teenager) struggles to defend the on-line role-playing game she’s created where Black gamers can come together exclusively. When the game is outed to the rest of the world it is seen as racist and discriminatory, not the safe haven she intended it to be.

Because so much of the book is Kiera talking to herself about how she feels about what is going on and what she should do, author Brittney Morris addresses a host of issues without preaching. This book challenged some long-held notions I knew I had and others I didn’t know about. My point? It made me think without making me wrong which is absolutely the best way to start a dialogue.

I love this book and absolutely recommend it. Not everyone will love reading a YA book about gaming, but there is SO MUCH MORE to this book.

Even if this is not where this book is getting most of its hype (YAS QUEEN!), if you are trying to understand why your teens love gaming, definitely grab this book… by the end you will be wanting to grab a controller, too!

This book snagged my attention because of the film release on Netflix. I have an (almost) unbreakable rule that I have to read the book before I can watch the movie or show, so The Devil All the Time jumped to the top of my TBR.

Whew. This is not a light read and not for the faint of heart. Dark, twisted, and violent, it has a full cast of complicated characters that will probably haunt you for a long time to come.

Pollock masterfully weaves these characters and their stories together into a novel that grabs you by the throat on page one and doesn’t let you go.

This one might have a more nuanced audience than some of the other books I’ve read, but if dark, desperate, and depraved is your thing, I highly recommend.

There was a lot going on in this book… a lot of characters, a lot of storylines, a lot of themes. And yet, it worked.

I didn’t have any trouble keeping track of who was who or struggling with what. Even with all of the moving pieces it didn’t feel like a complicated story to me. At its heart, it felt like a love story with a lot of other stuff to say.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Read it when you want a love story. Read it when you want a happy (enough) ending. Read it when you want a story about characters going through a lot of shit to figure out who they are. Listen to it when you want to hear an actor with a delightful Italian accent. But definitely add it to your TBR ❤️

Diane Setterfield has a way with words. I’ve wanted to read another of her works since I fell in love with “Once Upon A River” in the fall of 2019.

Setterfield definitely has a style and a voice in her writing. “The Thirteenth Tale” is the story of two writers coming together, one the famous Vida Winters, and the other the relatively unknown biographer Margaret Lea, to finally tell Winter’s story and perhaps reveal some of the mysteries in both of their lives. As the tale inside a tale unfolds, it’s up to Margaret to discover what is actually the truth and Setterfield keeps the readers guessing even after the story is over.

I didn’t love this book the way I loved River, but I love Setterfield’s writing style and thoroughly enjoyed this book. Grab this one when you’ve got some time and mental energy to invest.

A poignant novel about coming of age and also looking back as you age at the mistakes and decisions of your youth. Told through multiple POVs, the story opens in 2001 at Melody’s coming of age ceremony and weaves through her life and the lives of her parents and grandparents.

Not a lot of action, but a lot of introspection and yet, still a fairly quick read. I would like to read more of Woodson’s works in the future.

Add this to your TBR when for when you need that book about life and families and decisions and looking back that isn’t going to weigh too heavy on you…

This was more of a 3.5 star book to me, but Goodreads makes me choose so I gave it a 3. Even. though I enjoyed it while I was reading it and I definitely recommend it, it doesn’t pack the same punch as some of the 4 star books I’ve read lately.

I liked the concept and execution of this book A LOT. I loved the idea of a complete type-A personality with a full 5-year plan having a mysterious dream/glimpse into her future that shakes her confidence in everything she’s planned. I thought Rebecca Serle pulled this off without being overly cliched and enjoyed watching the main character, Dannie, balance her nature and her niggling doubts.

As I said before, I definitely recommend this book so add it to your TBR. It’s a Goodreads Choice Awards nominee for best romance, so you won’t be disappointed.

I grabbed this on a rec from @jjsbookcase right after I finished “Verity.”

She used words like “shook” and “heartbroken” so I kind of had an idea what I was getting into.

This book will make you feel the feels. I was angry a lot of the book (at characters and situations). I felt guilty because I have passed judgment on people in situations similar to those in the book, even though I’ve never been close to being in those situations. And I was heartbroken because it is a heartbreaking story.

Colleen Hoover writes a damn fine story whether she’s writing a romance or a thriller.

But I was not shook until the author’s note at the end of the book. To find out that some of the most raw moments in the story were taken from her own life was utterly heartbreaking and that is what undid me.

Read this one when you need to feel the feels, when you need to be angry and heartbroken for someone else…. because isn’t that what books are for?

I loved this book for many reasons. I love Yaa Gyasi’s writing style. I loved the main character, Gifty; she was so well written I felt like I knew her and wanted to hug her. I loved that the book tackled hard questions like science vs faith without being preachy or judgy. I loved that my heart broke a little without breaking in two.

I haven’t read Homegoing but I have it on my TBR. If you haven’t read Transcendent Kingdom, or haven’t discovered Yaa Gyasi, make it happen. You’ll thank me later.

“Some dreams chase you back”

If you are looking for a an imaginative, unique story to enjoy, give this one a go! An ambitious debut novel, the plot does get a little muddled occasionally, but I still really enjoyed it overall. I wouldn’t throw this one on he top of your TBR, but read it and enjoy when you get the chance.

Another book that is perfect for the times. I know that I am not the only one that starts the day with the best of intentions only to end the day wondering where the time went and if I actually got anything done. Some days I am incredibly productive and others I couldn’t tell you one thing I accomplished.

I really enjoyed the writing style of the book; short, direct, almost conversational. The chapters have visuals and summaries at the end to drive home the main points. While there may not be a lot of new information in the book (if you read a ton of personal development, there rarely is), the delivery of the information makes it easy to digest and retain.

I definitely recommend you read this book. There will be something in this book that resonates with you and you will find enough takeaways to make it worth your while.

Another book where I had mixed feelings. At 425 pages, it’s not even close to one of the longest books in the series and yet it felt like it dragged on and on. Part of the problem for me was the main character’s (Kateryn Parr) supposed naïveté about her safety due to King Henry’s love for her. For a woman who was so known as a scholar, it was hard to believe she would not have been more afraid.

That said, there was a lot I really enjoyed about this book. I spent a lot of time fact checking because I never really understood Protestant reformation or what a tumultuous time it was. Gregory is very upfront about the fact that she filled in a lot of the blanks in this book, but she is an amazing writer and I enjoyed seeing her imagination at work.

This was definitely not my favorite book of the series (when I look back, I’m not sure which one that will end up being). Kateryn Parr is definitely one of my favorite queens, though, and it’s hard to separate her from her story.

I would definitely put this one on the recommended list. The storytelling and the history in the book make it one you should read.