Non-fiction Book Review: Big Kids, Bigger Feelings by Alyssa Blask Campbell & Rachel Stuart Lounder

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Non-fiction
Length: 288 pages
Author: Alyssa Blask Campbell & Rachel Stuart Lounder
Publisher: Harvest
Release Date: September 16th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the coauthor of Tiny Humans, Big Emotions, a guide to supporting children’s social and emotional growth through the elementary school years (ages 5–12), a critical but often-overlooked developmental stage.

TOO OLD FOR TANTRUMS

TOO YOUNG FOR TEENAGE DRAMA

Meltdowns. Name-calling. Hitting, kicking, and hair pulling. Except, these aren’t the toddler years. Why is your elementary schooler still having these outbursts?

Long thought of as years when parents can finally enjoy calmer kids and deal with less emotional volatility and tears, the elementary school years are anything but. During these pivotal years, our children navigate a new set of social and emotional challenges. From playground bullying to cliques and exclusion, ever-increasing academic challenges—and plenty of physical growth and hormonal changes thrown in the mix—the elementary school years are more complicated than most parents realize.

Big Kids, Bigger Feelings is the guide you need to help your child thrive during these developmentally complex and wonderful years. The social and emotional skills you provide your children with now will prepare them for a lifetime of self-advocacy and stronger emotional intelligence. Campbell’s revolutionary Collaborative Emotion Processing (CEP) method, used in preschool and elementary school environments, teaches you how to work with your children to help them understand how they are feeling and process their big emotions in healthy, constructive ways. Discover how

Teach kids to handle unkind behaviors and set boundaries. Help kids learn to regulate themselves when they feel angry, sad, and upset, Manage technology use in a safe and healthy way, Navigate puberty, body changes, sex, drugs, and other important topics, Develop a deeper connection with your child. The elementary school years are rife with change—from changing bodies to changing social structures—and there’s never a better time to help your kids handle these ever-increasing challenges so they can thrive today and tomorrow.  

WORTH THE LISTEN.

I’m fairly anti-self help/parenting books because I’ve seen many lean on them TOO much, but occasionally I want to read one and touch base with how I’m feeling towards how I’m parenting and I thought this was a good listen.

I liked that it wasn’t a one size fit all or you MUST do it this way. There were multiple mentions of studies and recent data about everything from risky behaviors to screen use. I liked the implementation ideas and that reading this didn’t make me feel like I was a bad parent.

There were some ideas I hadn’t considered or want to look into more and I think that’s the sign of a good non-fiction book too. Will I take every single thing here and use it? No and that’s okay (and the point honestly). I found enough to ponder that I think it’s a solid read if you’re looking for a little extra help.

Overall audience notes:

  • Non-fiction
  • Language: none

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Book Review: A Summer Without You by Caitlin Moss

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance / Magical Realism
Length: 330 pages
Author: Caitlin Moss
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: May 6th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Savannah Swanson is an author and self-proclaimed nomad, wandering from town to town to fully immerse herself in each setting before weaving it into her next romance. She’s written love stories in bustling cities, quaint beach towns, exotic destinations, and charming suburbs. But when her publisher demands a small-town romance, she balks—until she remembers the one place she’s avoided for years.

Roslyn, Washington.

It isn’t just another dot on the map. It’s where she left Graham Stewart, the man she almost chose, the love she almost had. And as fate would have it, he’s still there—now a rugged dairy farmer with a life far different from her own.

A near collision on the highway sets off an unexpected shift in her world, revealing glimpses of what life could have been if she’d said yes all those years ago. As Savannah navigates the pull of past regrets and present possibilities, she’s forced to decide: is love just something she writes about, or is it something worth staying for?

NOT TOO SHABBY.

Once again, I remain a fan of Caitlin Moss and her books (I mean come on, we both spell our names the CORRECT way, but I digress). I liked the way the magical realism aspects played into this. While not a minor part of the plot it was woven in seamlessly where I was continually pulled into both lives wondering what conclusions Savannah was going to come to by the end of the book.

I looooved the way Graham loved Savannah. It was sweet and heated and all consuming. I loved the way he looked after her and just wanted her to be whoever she wanted. I did struggle with the way Savannah was with Graham sometimes though. Enough so that I questioned how long they made it after the epilogue? I don’t know, something was off for me.

But it’s an engaging plot that will keep you guessing and swooning. There is spice but it isn’t the focus of the plot. I thought many of the conversations and dialogue supported good themes and I look forward to Moss’s next book!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance + Magical Realism
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3ish open door
  • Violence: mild
  • Content warnings: divorce, loss of a grandparent, post-partum depression

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ARC/ALC Book Review: Our Wicked Gifts by Kathryn Foxfield

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Rating: ★★
Audience: YA Paranormal Thriller
Length: 422 pages
Author: Kathryn Foxfield
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: July 7th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The daughter of a sinister magical family who made a deal with the devil must stop the man killing them off, one by one, in this deliciously dark fantasy thriller that’s House of Hollow meets Succession, laced with a kiss-or-kill romance.

Cicely is the black sheep daughter of the powerful Winter family, who made a deal with the devil in exchange for riches and ruthless magic. Soren is the boy her family banished to the underworld. Their fates intertwine when Cicely’s loathsome Uncle Dorian winds up dead at a masquerade ball.

Once overlooked for her lowly gift of discovering secrets, Cicely is now her family’s only chance at survival, tasked with finding the killer before he takes out every last Winter. With time running out, Cicely narrows her sights on Soren, who she suspects is back for vengeance.

Yet the more Cicely investigates Soren–and gets to know him–the more she begins to question how much family loyalty is worth. After all, when it comes to being a Winter, one can have love or power, but rarely both…

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

I DID NOT LIKE THIS.

Unfortunately this book just was not for me and I clocked that early on (but since it was an ARC I feel like I need to read the whole thing and tried to find something to like, but alas).

This was a bunch of way too wealthy people with too much time on their hands and with no redeeming qualities. This kind of character line up gets very old very fast to me. It’s easy to plot from a mile away and I become uninterested in every person as the book goes on.

There is an attempt at romance but don’t hang on to it. It wasn’t well crafted and should have probably been left out or handled with a better arc.

I couldn’t explain any of the world or magic to you because none of it makes sense. Things kept popping up to try and satisfy the plot with no such luck. I’ve tried twice to explain this book to friends and it is a feat each time.

I’m going to tell you to skip this one.

Oops, thought of a positive. The audiobook is good! If you feel so inclined I did like the narrator.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Paranormal Thriller
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: murder, attempted murder

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Book Review: Glorious Rivals (The Grandest Game #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Mystery
Length: 432 pages
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Publisher: Little Brown Books
Release Date: July 29th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Millions, hearts, and lives are on the line in this heart-stopping sequel to The Grandest Game by #1 bestselling author Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

Seven players arrived on Hawthorne Island, each with their own secrets and motivations to win the Grandest Game. Millions are at stake, but so are hearts—and lives. The players now must race to win the game, solve myriad mysteries, and survive the twists and turns of Glorious Rivals.

The stakes get higher, the game gets twistier, and everything heats up in this newest installment in the TikTok sensation Inheritance Games Saga.

GREAT READ.

I have such an enjoyable time reading these books. I’m liking this spin off a lot more after reading this book. AND BLESS, there are multiple narrators with multiple romances and multiple all the things. I like the complexity and diversity of each character and I am loving seeing where their decisions are coming from.

This had a fantastic cliffhanger and I loved seeing the characters from the previous books. The worlds colliding led to the intense kind of chaos and I will absolutely be picking up book three.

I know this all sounded really vague but it’s a middle book and I don’t want to spoil where everyone is!!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Mystery
  • Language: low
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Violence: moderate

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