Thank you to netgalley/publishers for sending me a E-Arc in exchange for review
Review below
4.5/5 stars
Oh this was everything and more!!
This is a story about a Latinx Trans boy called Yadriel from a Brujxs family who when he came out as trans are not accepting and find it hard to come to terms with. Especially his Father who doesnโt let Yadriel take the ceremony to be come a fully fledged Part of the Brujxs community.
So Yadriel takes it into his own hands to prove to his family that he is ready and why shouldnโt he be aloud to be apart of the community while being the person he wants to be too.
So this starts the trials and tribulations of a long adventure ahead with Yadrielโs best friend Maritza where once they summon a Ghost named Julian a short tempered/caring person under his exterior things get more complicated as Julian wants Yadriel and Maritza to help him find out what happened to him to become a ghost.
This really is such a beautiful book and has some of the best trio of characters (our main three) and the bloom of such a precious friendship. There is a scene with Yadriel and Julian where they share a heart to heart and oh itโs just ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅฐ๐ฅฐ i canโt deal.
Everyone pick this book up on September 1st and letโs read more and more books about trans character written by Trans author and letโs celebrate and admire these beautiful stories and Authors.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster UK for sending me a copy in exchange for review
Review below
this book was so powerful from start to finish!!! the books message and story is so very important and significant for now and for years to come and stories like these need to be read not just today but everyday, this book was a work of fiction but with real life events and issues that are weaved into this novel.
it explores issues of race, class and violence in the midst of the 1992 Rodney King riots that happened in L.A. when Rodney king was a victim of police brutality and was beaten by the LAPD.
the writing was beautiful and this book does hit you right in the feels for what happening in the book but alongside that what is happening and continuing to happen in the world today! we see Ashley our main character come to terms with everything that is happening and I loved how Christina wrote about Ashleys friendship group and the question of when is the right time to leave a friendship group that is toxic and who don’t actually care about you much. Christina really questions the reader and it just makes you sit and think for so long about certain things/actions.
this book was just amazing and like I said its such an important read that It needs to get read and be given all the love it deserves!! this is one that could impact everyone and now I’ve finished this book I’m going to be sending this book to everyone I know.
Both books provided for review from the publishers
Reviews below
๐๐๐ญ,๐๐๐ฒ,๐๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฐ๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐งโฃ โฃ Oh WOW what a memoir this was!!! โฃ โฃ This one knocked it out the park for me what a amazing memoir following Calum after the breakdown of his relationship with his fiancรฉ and feeling really down and low, Calum decides to pack everything up and to look for happiness and travel the world!! Having his Eat pray love Moment (one of Calumโs fav books) โฃ โฃ On his travels around the world Calum meets some inspiring people with some truly beautiful and emotive stories of their own lives!!! All of these people he meets are part of the LGBTQ+ stories some of them are out, some are hiding their sexuality from their families and friends because either the religion or country they live and/or because their own families are not okay with the LGBTQ+ community. โฃ But through that what I love about every person Calum meets their is strength and hope in all of them and how all the stories and lives shared it brings Calum hope in his own self and for the future of the LGBTQ+ community โฃ โฃ This memoir was such a beautiful celebration of the power of community and a tribute to the Amazing LGBTQ+ community all over the world.โฃ
No rating for a memoir as itโs someoneโs life.
โฃ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐จ๐ โฃ โฃ This book for me was just middle of the road for me!!โฃ โฃ It was definitely a great read to fly through and a summery book if you wanted to read anything about two families going to their annual summer holiday destination and getting up to all sorts of antics!!! โฃ โฃ I just felt like that it was an insight to a familyโs holiday and I was on the holiday with them but I just felt it was lacking in a plot and all couldnโt connect with the characters as we were only seeing little snoops throughout the days we are with the characters. โฃ โฃ Sadly not the best ๐ฆ but it was still enjoyable enough and I liked the summer holiday vibes (as not really going to be going on one this year, so just lived vicariously through this family ๐) โฃ โฃ A quick read though if you needed one to get you out of a reading slump ๐
Thank you to the publishers for sending me a E-Galley in exchange for review
Review below
oh I loved this one so much!!!
the first book in this series is and always will be one of my fav books ever.!!! this sequel did not disappoint one bit this is set a few months after our first novel and we follow Darius when he is back from Iran and we see how life has changed for him since his visit.
we see Darius grow even more in this second novel and while we have this few months time jump you can definitely see the confidence that oozes more Darius and how he handles himself in situations with himself and with others. he’s definitely changed but he still as all the same characteristics he had from the first novel with his love for tea being the biggest one and now as he works in the teashop (what a perfect job for him) this is also where he met his boyfriend Landon. plus always being the kind and protective brother and son to his family.
as with any mental illness you can have a good days and bad days and that for sure happens for Darius with his depression and the further exploration and talk of depression that happens in this second novel continues between Darius and his father. (their bond in this second novel is so beautiful to see and read about, and how accepted Darius’s family make him).
there are so manyyyy things I loved about this book that it would be like writing a book in itself but here is 2-3 out of about 50 that I loved. the protectiveness Darius has over his sister and how he helps with the bullying she is facing in school .
Darius’s queer Grandma’s who come to stay with the family throughout this book and the slow growth that happens in the relationship between the three of them and all the little stories that they tell Darius about them being a couple growing up (one is transgender)
and finally how so supportive all of his friends are especially His soccer friends who will always be their for him and make sure he is okay and doing well, and actually not giving a damn that he is Gay. (which is very rare to see in a group of sports related mens teams/circles and we need this more)
like I said I could go on and on about this book but don’t want to bore you, when this releases please please pick this one up or if you haven’t read the first yet goโฆ read the first then buy the second because you will not be disappointed.
Thank you to the publishers for an early copy of this book in exchange for review
Review below
I really enjoyed this one very much!!! A very cute coming of age story mixed in with some hard topics such as coming out to parents who are religious. F/F romance
This was a great read about Brie a theatre loving, soap star watching 13 year old girl who goes to a catholic school and is hiding that she is a lesbianโฆ until she starts falling for the Always top of the class Girl called Kennedy, they start to bond and become closer and closer but one thing is stopping them from being their true selves and that is Brieโs parents and family who are very religious and are set in their ways. We see what unfolds as the book continues on.
One other part I loved if the book was the supportiveness of two of Brieโs teachers at school and also her best friend who always comforted her and made sure she was the best person she can be
Really enjoyed this one and I read this book In two sitting in one morning it was so easy to fly through and recommend very much.
Thank you to the publisher and edelweiss for the eArc in exchange for review.
Synopsis below
From Stonewall and Lambda Awardโwinning author Kacen Callender comes a revelatory YA novel about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time.
Felix Love has never been in loveโand, yes, heโs painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what itโs like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. Whatโs worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that heโs one marginalization too manyโBlack, queer, and transgenderโto ever get his own happily-ever-after.
When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messagesโafter publicly posting Felixโs deadname alongside images of him before he transitionedโFelix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didnโt count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasiโlove triangle….
But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.
Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognizing the love you deserve.
My review below
5/5 stars
before I get into the review thank you so much to the publishers for approving me of this eARC.
The trigger warning for this book are outing, transphobia, homophobia
WOW…This book was so powerful and so poignant and everyone and also to people who feel like they don’t belong. wether that’s coming to terms with your own sexuality and/or becoming the person you were truly meant to be in this world need to read this book. as as its released.
this book is definitely a new favourite of mine, and I loved The character of Felix very much. Reading about a trans male/ Demi boy plus being black and queer it was just so emotional, and it really brings to light even more so in this day and age plus with Felix in this book how Felix gets treated differently to a white queer boy . seeing Felix navigate everyday life just thinking he didn’t belong was such so heart wrenching to see and I just wanted to give Felix a hug and tell him he is Lovable and he belongs anywhere he wants to be.
Such a beautiful story that tackles so many issues throughout the novel, Which Kacen always does well in all their books.
just having a Demi boy main character represented i loved learning more about and this cover with the top surgery scars is so beautiful to see being represented.
Thank you for the publishers for sending me a E-Galley of this book in exchange for review!
Book synopsis
Award-winning YA author Brandy Colbert’s debut middle-grade novel about the only two black girls in town who discover a collection of hidden journals revealing shocking secrets of the past.
Beach-loving surfer Alberta has been the only black girl in town for years. Alberta’s best friend, Laramie, is the closest thing she has to a sister, but there are some things even Laramie can’t understand. When the bed and breakfast across the street finds new owners, Alberta is ecstatic to learn the family is black-and they have a 12-year-old daughter just like her.
Alberta is positive she and the new girl, Edie, will be fast friends. But while Alberta loves being a California girl, Edie misses her native Brooklyn and finds it hard to adapt to small-town living.
When the girls discover a box of old journals in Edie’s attic, they team up to figure out exactly who’s behind them and why they got left behind. Soon they discover shocking and painful secrets of the past and learn that nothing is quite what it seems.
Review below
WOW!!! Brandy Colbert has done it once again, this was absolutely beautiful, stunning, important, amazing and so on!!!
This was brandy Colbertโs debut into the realm of middle grade and wow was a rollercoaster of a ride this read was, it packed a hell of a lot of punch, with so many important topics and trying to find Your place in the world.
Alberta the main character was such a delight to read about, as we see her grow throughout this book from feeling like she doesnโt fit in, to growing up and dealing with the changes that are happening in her life with her school plus friends and family.
The friendship with the new girl in town Edie was just so beautiful to read about and Nothing could come between this dynamic duo!!! From the moment they met to where we left them at the end of the novel. Can we just get novels of them growing up through the years after because I would read it ๐
Brandy Colbert never disappoints when it comes to her writing and the inclusivity she adds to her novels all the time and itโs just so wonderful to read about, Albertaโs two fathers are So wonderful aswell and how they always support Alberta in the best way they can and the family dynamic is just the best.
This novel was everything and more!!! From the first page to the last, hereโs to hopefully many more middle grade novels by Brandy Colbert and for sure this will be a contender to be on my top ten of the year!!!
A journalist pieces together the mysteries surrounding her ex-husbandโs descent into drug addiction while trying to rebuild a life for her family, taking readers on an intimate journey into the world of white-collar drug abuse.
โA rare combination of journalistic rigor, personal courage, and writerly grace.โโBill Clegg, author of Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man
Something was wrong with Peter. Eilene Zimmerman noticed that her ex-husband looked thin, seemed distracted, and was frequently absent from activities with their children. She thought he looked sick and needed to see a doctor, and indeed, he told her he had been diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. Yet in many ways, Peter seemed to have it all: a beautiful house by the beach, expensive cars, and other luxuries that came with an affluent life. Eilene assumed his odd behavior was due to stress and overworkโhe was a senior partner at a prominent law firm and had been working more than sixty hours a week for the last twenty years.
Although they were divorced, Eilene and Peter had been partners and friends for decades, so when she and her children were unable to reach Peter for several days, Eilene went to his house to see if he was OK.
So beginsSmacked, a brilliant and moving memoir of Eileneโs shocking discovery, one that sets her on a journey to find out how a man she knew for nearly thirty years became a drug addict, hiding it so well that neither she nor anyone else in his life suspected what was happening. Eilene discovers that Peter led a secret life, one that started with pills and ended with opioids, cocaine, and methamphetamine. He was also addicted to work; the last call Peter ever made was to dial in to a conference call.
Eilene is determined to learn all she can about Peterโs hidden life, and also about drug addiction among ambitious, high-achieving professionals like him. Through extensive research and interviews, she presents a picture of drug dependence today in that moneyed, upwardly mobile world. She also embarks on a journey to re-create her life in the wake of loss, both of the personโand the relationshipโthat profoundly defined the woman she had become.
Review below
Sent this book in exchange for review!!! By @randomhouse
Firstly just want to say, that with memoirs and being about someoneโs life I do not rate non fiction, as Iโve said before itโs someoneโs life and experience!!!. This memoir was such an heartbreaking story about Eilene, whoโs husband had an drug addiction for so many years and the repercussions it put into their familyโs lives following the addiction, as well as it being such a emotional memoir on drugs itโs also informative and educational on all the signs of addiction and it breaks the stereotypes of whoโs using drugs too, Eileen also told us about the many years she was with her husband and the very progression of his drug addiction and how sick he became.
This is such an important memoir that needs to be read by everyone and especially for me I couldnโt put it down from start to finish.
Critically acclaimed author Mia Sosa delivers a sassy, steamy enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy about a woman whose new job requires her to work side-by-side with the best man who ruined her wedding: her ex-fiancรฉ’s infuriating, irritating, annoyingly handsome brother. Perfect for fans of Jasmine Guillory, Helen Hoang, and Sally Thorne!
A wedding planner left at the altar. Yeah, the irony isnโt lost on Carolina Santos, either. But despite that embarrassing blip from her past, Linaโs managed to make other peopleโs dreams come true as a top-tier wedding coordinator in DC. After impressing an influential guest, sheโs offered an opportunity that could change her life. Thereโs just one hitchโฆ she has to collaborate with the best (make that worst) man from her own failed nuptials.
Tired of living in his older brotherโs shadow, marketing expert Max Hartley is determined to make his mark with a coveted hotel client looking to expand its brand. Then he learns heโll be working with his brotherโs whip-smart, stunningโabsolutely off-limitsโex-fiancรฉe. And she loathes him.
If they can survive the next few weeks and nail their presentation without killing each other, theyโll both come out ahead. Except Max has been public enemy number one ever since he encouraged his brother to jilt the bride, and Linaโs ready to dish out a little payback of her own.
But even the best laid plans can go awry, and soon Lina and Max discover animosity may not be the only emotion creating sparks between them. Still, this star-crossed couple can never be more than temporary playmates because Lina isnโt interested in falling in love and Max refuses to play runner-up to his brother ever again…
Review below
Such an enjoyable romance novel from start to finish, if u know me I love a good hate to love trope and this for sure was a great one. It has so many great elements throughout and I loved the dynamic between both the main characters and the writing just seemed to flow and make this relationship work and feel authentic, which I love.
One thing I love in any books are family aspects and this for sure has many moments with some great members of Lindaโs family and friends which I really enjoyed and loved how dysfunctional they all were in such good ways. Loved how they always tried to encourage Lina to do what she wanted to do too.
Overall it was a really great novel, not top tier as in out of this world romance but I really nice and sweet romance that you can fly through!!!
Meet Pepper, swim team captain, chronic overachiever, and all-around perfectionist. Her family may be falling apart, but their massive fast-food chain is booming โ mainly thanks to Pepper, who is barely managing to juggle real life while secretly running Big League Burgerโs massive Twitter account.
Enter Jack, class clown and constant thorn in Pepperโs side. When he isnโt trying to duck out of his obscenely popular twinโs shadow, heโs busy working in his familyโs deli. His relationship with the business that holds his future might be love/hate, but when Big League Burger steals his grandmaโs iconic grilled cheese recipe, heโll do whatever it takes to take them down, one tweet at a time.
Allโs fair in love and cheese โ that is, until Pepper and Jackโs spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while theyโre publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, theyโre also falling for each other in real life โ on an anonymous chat app Jack built.
As their relationship deepens and their online shenanigans escalate โ people on the internet are shipping them?? โ their battle gets more and more personal, until even these two rivals canโt ignore they were destined for the most unexpected, awkward, all-the-feels romance that neither of them expected.
Review
first of all would like to thank the publisher for sending me a E-Arc of this book and for letting me be apart of the blog tour of this wonderful romance novel.
Tweet cute was just the cutest story ever and has all the elements in a romance novel that all/most people would love to read about and it will definitely make you go heart eyes over the two main characters we follow in this book.
Tweet cute follows pepper and Jack who online are currently in a twitter war against each other for their families big restaurent chains who are rivals, but under all this all is not as it seems as the two main characters who go to the same school have no idea that they are the ones that they are having this online and viral against each other. under the surface though we see pepper and jack also are speaking on an app created by jack called weasel which lets you talk anonymously to someone who is in their school for a certain time. so as the story unfolds we see all the trials and tribulations with what happens between the both of them and also the viral sensations of both their families Restaurants.
if your looking for a Romance novel and are looking for a story that will keep you hooked and leaving you wanting more and more from these characters and all their cuteness then you need to pick this book up ASAP!!! just be warned though while your reading this book get ready to imagine and read about all these amazing sounding recipes that Pepper talks about in this book.
recommend this book to everyone and very excited for more to come from Emma Lord and to see what more novels she hopefully has up her sleeve.
if this book interests you it will be available in stores on the 21st of January 2020
Even though we still have a little bit left of 2019 to go 2020 is definitely creeping up fast so for these next two months its definitely now the time of year to get in your last minute reading sessions in wether that is finishing up your current series’s, or even getting through all of your favourite authors books, or even if u set yourself a reading challenge at the start of the year and you have just a few books left to go before its complete and before its a whole new year. Im so excited for the releases of next year already and here is a bunch of them below that you will hopefully add to your TBR if you haven’t already!!!
Lucky caller by Emma Mills
Goodreads synopsis When Nina decides to take a radio broadcasting class her senior year, she expects it to be a walk in the park. Instead, itโs a complete disaster.
The members of Nina’s haphazardly formed radio team have approximately nothing in common. And to maximize the awkwardness her group includes Jamie, a childhood friend she’d hoped to basically avoid for the rest of her life.
The show is a mess, internet rumors threaten to bring the wrath of two fandoms down on their heads, and to top it all off Nina’s family is on the brink of some major upheaval.
Everything feels like it’s spiraling out of controlโbut maybe control is overrated?ย
Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore
Goodreads synopsis
Summer, 1518. A strange sickness sweeps through Strasbourg: women dance in the streets, some until they fall down dead. As rumors of witchcraft spread, suspicion turns toward Lavinia and her family, and Lavinia may have to do the unimaginable to save herself and everyone she loves.
Five centuries later, a pair of red shoes seal to Rosella Olivaโs feet, making her dance uncontrollably. They draw her toward a boy who knows the dancing feverโs history better than anyone: Emil, whose family was blamed for the fever five hundred years ago. But thereโs more to what happened in 1518 than even Emil knows, and discovering the truth may decide whether Rosella survives the red shoes.
With McLemore’s signature lush prose,ย Dark and Deepest Redpairs the forbidding magic of a fairy tale with a modern story of passion and betrayal.
Scavenge the stars by Tara Sim
Goodreads synopsis
When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where sheโs been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide. Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deceptionโand as her path intertwines with the son of the man sheโs plotting to bring downโthe more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she realizes she must trust no oneโฆ
Packed with high-stakes adventure, romance, and dueling identities, this gender-swapped retelling ofย The Count of Monte Cristoย is the first novel in an epic YA fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo.
Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
Goodreads Synopsis
Meet Pepper, swim team captain, chronic overachiever, and all-around perfectionist. Her family may be falling apart, but their massive fast-food chain is booming โ mainly thanks to Pepper, who is barely managing to juggle real life while secretly running Big League Burgerโs massive Twitter account.
Enter Jack, class clown and constant thorn in Pepperโs side. When he isnโt trying to duck out of his obscenely popular twinโs shadow, heโs busy working in his familyโs deli. His relationship with the business that holds his future might be love/hate, but when Big League Burger steals his grandmaโs iconic grilled cheese recipe, heโll do whatever it takes to take them down, one tweet at a time.
Allโs fair in love and cheese โ that is, until Pepper and Jackโs spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while theyโre publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, theyโre also falling for each other in real life โ on an anonymous chat app Jack built.
As their relationship deepens and their online shenanigans escalate โย people on the internet are shipping them??ย โ their battle gets more and more personal, until even these two rivals canโt ignore they were destined for the most unexpected, awkward, all-the-feels romance that neither of them expected.
Infinity son by Adam Silvera
Goodreads synopsis
Growing up in New York, brothers Emil and Brighton always idolized the Spell Walkersโa vigilante group sworn to rid the world of specters. While the Spell Walkers and other celestials are born with powers, specters take them, violently stealing the essence of endangered magical creatures.
Brighton wishes he had a power so he could join the fray. Emil just wants the fighting to stop. The cycle of violence has taken a toll, making it harder for anyone with a power to live peacefully and openly. In this climate of fear, a gang of specters has been growing bolder by the day.
Then, in a brawl after a protest, Emil manifests a power of his ownโone that puts him right at the heart of the conflict and sets him up to be the heroic Spell Walker Brighton always wanted to be.
Brotherhood, love, and loyalty will be put to the test, and no one will escape the fight unscathed.
Three things I know are true by Betty Culley
Goodreads synopsis
The reminder is always thereโa dent on the right side of Jonahโs forehead. The spot youโd press when you felt a headache coming on. The bullet tore away bone, the way dynamite blasts rockโleaving a soft crater.
Life changes forever for Liv when her older brother, Jonah, accidentally shoots himself with his best friend Clayโs fatherโs gun. Now Jonah needs round-the-clock care just to stay alive, and Liv seems to be the only person who can see that her brother is still there inside his broken body.
With Livโs mom suing Clayโs family, there are divisions in the community that Liv knows sheโs not supposed to cross. But Clay is her friend, too, and she refuses to turn away from himโjust like she refuses to give up on Jonah.
Seven Deadly Shadows by Courtney Alameda and Valynne E. Maetani
Goodreads synopsis
Kira Fujikawa has always been a girl on the fringe. Bullied by her peers and ignored by her parents, the only place Kiraโs ever felt at home is at her grandfatherโs Shinto shrine, where she trains to be a priestess.
But Kiraโs life is shattered on the night her familyโs shrine is attacked by a vicious band of yokai demons. With the help of Shiroโthe shrineโs gorgeous half-fox, half-boy kitsuneโKira discovers that her shrine harbors an ancient artifact of great power . . . one the yokai and their demon lord, Shuten-doji, will use to bring down an everlasting darkness upon the world.
Unable to face the Shuten-doji and his minions on her own, Kira enlists the aid of seven ruthless shinigamiโor death godsโto help stop the brutal destruction of humankind. But some of the death gods arenโt everything they initially seemed, nor as loyal to Kiraโs cause as they first appeared.
With war drawing nearer by the day, Kira realizes that if this unlikely band of heroes is going to survive, theyโre going to have to learn to work together, confront their demons, and rise as one to face an army of unimaginable evil.
Not so pure and simple by Lamar Giles
Goodreads synopsis
Del has had a crush on Kiera Westing since kindergarten. And now, during their junior year, sheโs finally available. So when Kiera volunteers for an opportunity at their church, Delโs right behind her. Though he quickly realizes heโs inadvertently signed up for a Purity Pledge.
His dad thinks his wires are crossed, and his best friend, Qwan, doesnโt believe any girl is worth the long game. But Delโs not about to lose his dream girl, and thatโs where fellow pledger Jameer comes in. He can put in the good word. In exchange, Del just has to get answers to the Pledgersโ questionsโฆabout sex ed.
With other boys circling Kiera like sharks, Del needs to make his move fast. But as he plots and plans, he neglects to ask the most important question: What does Kiera want? He canโt think about that too much, though, because once get the girl, itโll all sort itself out. Right?
Every other weekend by Abigail Johnson
Goodreads synopsis
Adam Moynihanโs life used to be awesome. Straight As, close friends and a home life so perfect that it could have been a TV show straight out of the 50s. Then his oldest brother died. Now his fun-loving mom cries constantly, he and his remaining brother canโt talk without fighting, and the father he always admired proved himself a coward by moving out when they needed him most.
Jolene Timberโs life is nothing like the movies she lovesโnot the happy ones anyway. As an aspiring director, she should know, because sheโs been reimagining her life as a film ever since she was a kid. With her divorced parents at each otherโs throats and using her as a pawn, no amount of mental reediting will give her the love sheโs starving for.
Forced to spend every other weekend in the same apartment building, the boy who thinks forgiveness makes him weak and the girl who thinks love is for fools begin an unlikely friendship. The weekends he dreaded and she endured soon become the best part of their lives. But when oneโs life begins to mend while the otherโs spirals out of control, they realize that falling in love while surrounded by its demise means nothing is ever guaranteed.
Run, Hide, Fight back by April Henry
Goodreads synopsis
Six teens must band together to survive after a shooting breaks out.
When a deadly shooting breaks out in a Portland shopping mall, a diverse group of teens ends up trapped behind a storeโs security shutter. To her own surprise, seventeen-year-old Miranda finds the others looking to her as their leader. But sheโs hiding a big secretโand sheโs not the only one. The group has only three choicesโrun, hide, or fight back. The wrong decision will have fatal consequences.
You Too ? edited by Janet Gurtler
Goodreads synopsis
A timely and heartfelt collection of essays inspired by the #MeToo movement, edited by acclaimed young adult and middle-grade author Janet Gurtler. Featuring Beth Revis, Mackenzi Lee, Ellen Hopkins, Saundra Mitchell, Jennifer Brown, Cheryl Rainfield and many more.
When #MeToo went viral, Janet Gurtler was among the millions of people who began to reflect on her past experiences. Things she had reluctantly acceptedโmale classmates groping her at recess, harassment at workโcame back to her in startling clarity. She needed teens to know what she had not: that no young person should be subject to sexual assault, or made to feel unsafe, less than or degraded.
You Too?ย was born out of that need. By turns thoughtful and explosive, these personal stories encompass a wide range of experiences and will resonate with every reader who has wondered, โWhy is this happening to me?โ or secretly felt that their own mistreatment or abuse is somehow their faultโitโs not. Candid and empowering,ย You Too?ย is written for teens, but also an essential resource for the adults in their livesโan urgent, compassionate call to listen and create change.
Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brown
Goodreads Synopsis
A powerful memoir for fans of Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson and American Street by Ibi Zoboi.
Echo Brown is a wizard from the East Side, where apartments are small and parents suffer addictions to the white rocks. Yet there is magic . . . everywhere. New portals begin to open when Echo transfers to the rich school on the West Side, and an insightful teacher becomes a pivotal mentor. Each day, Echo travels between two worlds, leaving her brothers, her friends, and a piece of herself behind on the East Side. There are dangers to leaving behind the place that made you. Echo soon realizes there is pain flowing through everyone around her, and a black veil of depression threatens to undo everything sheโs worked for.
Heavily autobiographical and infused with magical realism,ย Black Girl Unlimitedย fearlessly explores the intersections of poverty, sexual violence, depression, racism, and sexismโall through the arc of a transcendent coming-of-age.
First read of the month and even though itโs had its mixed reviews and I was a little apprehensive going Into this I thoroughly enjoyed this new Christina Lauren book. I went down the audiobook route and the narrator was really good and flew through it real fast.
I didnโt really know much about this one before going into it but I did know about a encounter that happens twice throughout the main characters life, but other than that nothing else. So when I was listening to this book and it was about an actress and the behind the scenes look at the life on set of a movie it really suprised me and really enjoyed it.
Yes throughout this book there were moments I was like mmm and didnโt know wether I quite like that part overall a very good read, for me definitely not one of my favs but it definitely hasnโt been the baddest. The unhoneymooners is still my favourite to date. Another part of this story is a feel that maybe the ending could of Been rushed as it seemed like it went from one thing straight the next thing in a matter of a moment or two.
But as with any Christina Lauren novel I get so excited to read any book by them and when a new book is announced it is just wonderful haha and now Iโm very excited for the newest book to be released.
Was so surprised about this read as the first book I wasnโt really a fan and didnโt really connect to the story but this sequel was so gooood, I enjoy this book and found it 10x better than the first book. I felt like the story was so much more improved and felt like such a solid storyline and was more engaged with the characters and especially near the end felt quite emotional with one of the main characters in the books.
Such a great read and very excited about the next adventure these characters embark on and which city or country they visit. One thing that is a bonus is you do learn about a lot of different aspects of history too which is a really cool touch that is added in to the books too.
Overall a amazing surprise of a book and such a quick and easy book to fly through and perfect for so many ages ๐๐ป๐๐ป.
This books setting in the 80s just filled my whole inner 80s soul (even though I was born way after the 80s hahah) itโs seriously one of my fav decades of film,tv and music!!
Anyways Iโm going off track ๐ but the pop culture references and how the chapter names are 80s songs!! So good!
Now with the book overall it was a good book, very captivating and made me want to read on and on which is a big positive…But there was a few sections throughout this novel I thought were Questionable(I spoke with Jords about this) I was just a bit like ๐ค and that sadly knocked it down for me.
In the end a 3star!
Perfect on paper
Oh this was what the title says…Perfect!
Everything about it was just a beautiful story and definitely at times emotional… especially some of the scenes with the two main characters ๐ญ one significant scene near the end too that made my heart glow and my tear ducts Flow ๐ญ๐
I feel this book will be so important for quite a lot of people and @sgonzalesauthor really handles this book with so much care and love which you can see through the writing and speaking to Sophie Myself.
Everyone PICK THIS ONE UP! When this book releases next year! If you thought OMD was good this is just that little bit better but both are just ๐๐.
Thank you to @headofzeus for the early copy plus letting me be apart of the blog tour!
I wouldnโt take your neighbours parcel in for them if I was you ๐คญ
Oh what a trip you go on in this novel, this was one wild ride of a novel that keeps you gripped for most of the novel!! Its one that you for sure would not want to know a lot about but just know that your in for twists,Turns and never wanting to look after your neighbours parcel till they knock for it ever again ๐
If your looking for a thriller that doesnโt hold back on the suspense and thrills then for sure I feel this will be the one for you! Like I said it has so many twists and turns and one for sure you can fly through. I read it in less than a day!!
I would for sure check Trigger warnings for this one though as it doesnโt hold back!!
I would like to add though even though it was fast paced and has lots of thrilling elements this only came to be a 3 for me it was good but not anything that WOWed me plus I found some things a bit questionable throughout a big chunk of the book!
Wow What a book this one was!! It was just so goood from start to finish! Full of action, edge of your seat stuff in some parts and just had some of my fav characters now!! VICTOR HAS STOLEN MY HEART!!!
From first days pages I read, I just knew I was in for a treat with this one.. I didnโt want to put too much of a expectation on it as I didnโt want to disappoint myself if I didnโt enjoy it ๐คญ but itโs V.E.Schwab and I had that faith and as youโve already heard.. it didnโt disappoint!
I loved with this one the time jumps, the backwards and forwards and seeing how we get to the point In the characters lives and get to learn so much about them in the process wether thatโs negative or positive!!
I donโt want to say the characters name but there is one person I would loved to have seen a lot more depth about and got to know a lot more background and how this person uses what they have more! We get a little bit but I wanted more more more ๐
Thatโs only really the thing I would say was negative but everything else LOVED!!
In the end I would give it 4.5-4.75 ( I know thatโs so picky but I canโt help it ๐)
Me,My Dad and the end of the rainbow oh wow what a beautiful, heartwarming and real emotional book this one is!
This is a middle grade novel that every child in school should be reading!!! So so important.
This is a story following Archie who just wants things to go back to the way they used to be with his mother and father and to be a family again…His mum and dad have split up but Archie knows Both of them are keeping a secret… so one day he finds out His father is Gay! Archie is confused at first and this is a huge revelation for him, so with the help of his two best friends Seb and Bell, all three of them go on an adventure to learn more about the LGBTQ+ community and along the way come across some amazing people just living their lives freely and proud in the world!!
Thank you for Edelweiss/publishers for sending early review E-arc copy
Review below
Trigger warnings for sexual abuse,assault,Child abuse, opioid addiction, kidnapping, rape
Ooo I need to just have a little think On this one wether itโs a 4 or a 5 because damn this book was so good, I didnโt really know anything going into it (my fav thing to do with books) but when I started reading and got further and further into it, wow what a book this one is.
Grown is definitely full of trigger warnings and I would not go into this novel lightly this features some very upsetting themes and scenes throughout and for sure when I first read the beginning of this book and how itโs path was taking a dark turn I was shocked and definitely caught off guard and from then the story gets darker and darker.
This novel also definitely dealt with issues and themes that are very important and Tiffany D Jackson wrote and dealt with these with care and also showing what does happen when someone with a higher status can and will try and control and manipulate everything.
As our main character is an aspiring singer I loved the songs that get mentioned throughout this book because most of these Songs are some of my all time faves and for sure I had to listen to them once I had finished the novel ๐ canโt go wrong with the classics.
A very challenging plus flinching story that is not to be taken lightly!! Definitely if you want to read this one please check the trigger warnings on reviews or that feature inside the book before the novel starts.
Thank you to the publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for review
Review below
wow wow wow!!! what a book this one was, powerful from start to finish, so emotional and no spoilers but I just can’t get over that ending ๐ฆ as it states in the synopsis we know that something terrible happens to Vivek Oji and that’s how we start the novel. from the first page I was sucked into this story and with what Emezi does best and we follow few different characters significant to the story and the switch between before and after of this incident that happens. Yes it is about the death of Vivek Oji but its not just that is explores the life of Vivek Oji and the company he kept (his family and friends) and how they treated Vivek with the ongoings of so many societal issues being put into these characters day in and out.
The way that Emezi can just write these stories is mind blowing and they are a force to be reckoned with from their writing and the beautiful prose to the characters and you can feel the emotion just rolling of the page with every novel Emezi writes, and this one did not disappoint. Auto buy author forever and always!!
this book deals with many subject matters that many readers could not want to read about but if you feel you are up for this novel I would recommend so so much!!!
Thank you to canongate publishing for the copy in exchange for review and for letting me on the blog tour
Review below
TW: Sexual assault and Abuse
Black Sunday follows four Yoruba siblings in Lagos, Nigeria through the years of 1996-2015 so we are with these characters as they all grow up and stick together when everything around them falls apart. we see our siblings care for each other and try and make a stable life for themselves after Their mother loses her job and Their father makes a huge bet that leaves the family broke and bankrupt.
The siblings are then sent to live with their Yoruba Grandmother and from this we see how our four siblings soon have to become the adults of the house for themselves but also to the siblings too, left with nearly nothing we see all four siblings go through some low times but by being together they all know that when one needs help the other will always be their to help them.
this was a Debut book that packed a lot into its 270 pages size and its definitely not a light and happy Read either. I would recommend this one very much and excited to see what the author does next