ARC Book Review: Every Beat After by Sara B. Larson

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Sara B. Larson
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Release Date: June 2nd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

She’s guarding a borrowed heart. He’s locked his heart away. But the connection igniting between them might become the one thing they can’t live without.

Years after a life-saving heart transplant, Liv Karlsson lives in the fragile space between gratitude and fear—thankful for every heartbeat and afraid of when they might stop. Running her family’s cozy Swedish bakery gives her purpose, but mounting financial pressures and the shadows of her past leave her wondering: Is she truly living . . . or simply existing?

Then Hunter moves in next door. Guarded, cynical, and annoyingly attractive, he’s everything Liv avoids—and he’s also unfortunately her roommate’s cousin. But when he unexpectedly steps in to help Liv save the bakery with a new marketing plan, their reluctant partnership sparks something neither one is prepared for. He pushes her. Challenges her. Sees her. Suddenly, the girl who’s spent years protecting her heart finds it racing for someone who might just understand her better than anyone ever has.

But just as Liv begins to imagine a future worth fighting for, a devastating revelation threatens to unravel everything. Now Liv must face the ultimate test: Will she find the courage to love, or will fear take it all away?

Thank you Shadow Mountain for the gifted ARC.

HEAVY, BUT GOOD.

That would be my biggest note before going in is checking the content on it because the headspace for the story takes a lot out of you. I’m pretty sure this is my first book by SBL and I gotta say, I liked it! I would definitely read another.

Outside of the romance I loved the close friendships that Liv had. There were spaces to be argue as well as take care of all while knowing that the friendship wasn’t easily fractured. I adored her friends and maybe we’ll get a book for each of them???

The romance was very much the definition of slow burn. From enemies to maybe we’re friends to maybe I actually want more to love. I liked the tension between Liv and Hunter. It wasn’t an easy road but a path that felt worth it in the end. There’s themes surrounding forgiveness and trauma, grief and losing loved ones.

I could have used a little bit longer of an ending? I felt like some of it was wrapped up a touch too quickly compared to the slower pace of the book overall. Still a good book though and one I’d recommend when you’re in the right headspace.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: mild
  • Content warnings: drunk driving resulting in loss of life (recounted), themes surrounding heart transplant and life changes associated, medical emergencies and hospital stays

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: May 2026

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What time is it?
SUMMERTIME.

  • Daggermouth (The Heart #1) by H.M. Wolfe
  • Beast Becomes Her by Crystal Seitz
  • [ALC] Seek the Traitor’s Son (The Burning Empire #1) by Veronica Roth
  • Into a Golden Era (Timeless #7) by Gabrielle Meyer
  • [ARC] Magic at Midnight by Courtney Millecam
  • Honey in Her Veins by Ruth McKell
  • [ARC] Rival Season (Hockey Boys of Loft 3B #2) by Rival Season
  • Release Me (Shatter Me: The New Republic #2) by Tahereh Mafi
  • [ARC] Stars, Stripes & Summer Nights by Celeste Dador
  • The Sea Spinner (Reign of Remnants #2) by Julie Johnson
  • Smoke in the Mirrors (Slanted London #2) by Jessica Scarlett
  • [ARC/ALC] Rebel Heiress (The Diamonds #3) by Amalie Howard
  • Annie Knows Everything by Rachel Wood
  • [Reread] Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) by Sarah J. Maas
  • [ARC] Little Miss Goody Two-Shoes by Shelbey Kendall
  • Beneath the Wreckage (Wrecked #5) by Catherine Cowles
  • [ARC] Every Beat After by Sara B. Larson
  • The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn
  • An Honorable Love (The Gentlemen’s Gamble) by Audra Wells
  • The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
  • [ARC/ALC] Shadow Reaper (Shadow Reaper #1) by Lynette Noni
  • Unsteady (The Undone #1) by Peyton Corinne
  • Cross Court (The Off Court #2) by Vai Denton
  • His Face is the Sun (Throne of Khetara #1) by Michelle Jabes Corpora
  • [ARC/ALC] Hard to Love (The Lost Girls #1) by Stacy Williams
  • [Novella] S’more of You (Summer Lovin’ Collection) by Tessa Bailey
  • [Novella] Girls Just Wanna Have Sun (Summer Lovin’ Collection) by Rachel Lacey
  • [Novella] One Hot Summer Wedding (Summer Lovin’ Collection) by Falon Ballard
  • [Novella] Save a Horse, Keep a Cowboy (Summer Lovin’ Collection) by Jessica Peterson
  • [Novella] Summer Staycation (Summer Lovin’ Collection) by Sarah Grunder Ruiz
  • [Novella] Summer Thaw (Summer Lovin’ Collection) by Rebecca Jenshak
  • The Gravewood (The Gravewood #1) by Kelly Andrew
  • [Reread] Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) by Sarah J. Maas
  • Fever Dream (Emerald Lake #1) by Elsie Silver
  • Made for Mayhem (Mayhem Hockey Club #2) by Aimee Vance
  • The Roommate Rule by Georgie Stone
  • Fury Bound (The Wolves of Ruin #2) by Sable Sorensen
  • [ARC] Hopeless Necromantic (The Catseye Chronicles #1) by Shiloh Briar
  • Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

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ARC/ALC Book Review: Shadow Reaper (Shadow Reaper #1) by Lynette Noni

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 496 pages
Author: Lynette Noni
Publisher: Knopf Books
Release Date: June 2nd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Never bargain with a reaper.

The city of Aravell is in peril, plagued by a deadly blackmist that kills all it touches and reapers who roam the streets, stealing magic from innocent children in their thirst for power. Seventeen-year-old Viridia Solace has trained for years to hunt these reapers, but their ranks keep growing, led by the man who murdered her parents: the notorious Reaper Priest.

When the Priest’s most loyal follower, Reeve Ashton, is captured, he offers Viri a chance to avenge her parents . . . for a price. She knows better than to bargain with a reaper, let alone this reaper, but his offer is too good to resist.

Soon she’s breaking him out of prison, colluding with his crew of magic thieves, and following him deep into the blackmist forest in search of an ancient legend, all so they can stop the Reaper Priest’s plot to doom the city. Viri is staking her life on Reeve’s plan, but how can she trust a silver-tongued criminal to keep his word? And how can she trust her own heart when a buried secret could shatter everything?

Full of relentless twists, enemies-to-lovers romance, found family, and high stakes action, Shadow Reaper is the start of a breathtaking new duology from international bestselling author Lynette Noni.

Thank you PRH Audio for the audiobook and Get Underlined for the gifted copy.

GOOD START.

I’ve continually enjoyed Lynette Noni’s books over the years and have been so excited to see what a new series would hold! And not surprising, this was a great start and I’m excited to see what the next book holds.

It definitely leans darker in regards to how the antagonist operates and the threat to children throughout. I liked Viri’s character and the change she is showed as she processed new information flying at her. She makes mistakes and figures it out and learns. And those are always solid FMC’s to read about.

The romance is full of banter with an enemies to lovers vibe that holds more tropes I wont divulge here but that I enjoyed seeing too. There’s an air of mystery to the world building that is unveiled well and keeps you going and wanting to know what would happen next. I loved the found family characters and the unlikely partnership created in order to help save their world.

🎧 I listened to a lot of this on audiobook and loved it! Fantastic narrators. Easy listen. Definitely recommend that format.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate+
  • Content warnings: kidnapping children, murder, near death experiences

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Book Review: I’ll Paint You a Sunset Someday by Bex Alexander

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Dystopian/Contemporary Romance
Length: 396 pages
Author: Bex Alexander
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: January 27th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

There’s nothing worse than being alone, in Hallee’s humble opinion. Extremely ironic, considering The Gift of Forgetting forces a fresh start every New Year’s Day, rendering it nearly impossible to get attached to anyone. Surely the promised “wild and free” life wasn’t supposed to include Hallee’s obsessive hyperfixation on questioning her purpose—right? After all…what purpose would that serve?

Unfortunately, drowning herself in copious amounts of vanilla lattes doesn’t medicate her growing anxiety. (What a surprise!) So when Dean, a true gentleman with galaxy eyes and a kind heart, offers an escape from her ever-present intrusive thoughts, getting attached doesn’t seem like such a challenge.

Hallee and Dean are better together. They’re a cup of coffee while watching the sunrise, the first flower after a long winter, and a desperate wish on a shooting star. But as New Year’s Day quickly approaches, they’re forced to face the ultimate question…are people permanently marked by the experiences of their lives? Can the great love of Hallee and Dean prove that hearts remember—even if minds do not?

In the end, love conquers all…doesn’t it?

CONFUSED & BORED.

The cover does not match the book and that left me befuddled. The summary does give you a hint at what’s coming and the more I read the more it felt dystopian more than anything else. Especially since the two years used were 2046 & 2095.

While I totally see what theme the author was going for and the message she was trying to convey (and I do think it was a good message) the execution lacked. I just kept waiting for more? More plot? Definitely needed less insta-love (though I guess it made sense? But something felt off about it). I mean, as you can see, this book left me going up and down on my thoughts.

I don’t think I’ll read another book by this author unless it doesn’t have a dystopian-esque element to it.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary/Dystopian Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: make-outs

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