Tag: Book blog

Book Review: One of Us Is Back (One of Us Is Lying #3) by Karen M. McManus

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Thriller
Length: 368 pages
Author: Karen M. McManus
Publisher: Delacorte
Release Date: July 25th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From international bestseller, Karen McManus, comes the explosive third and final thrilling instalment in the acclaimed One of Us… series.

Ever since Simon died in detention, life hasn’t been easy for the Bayview Crew. First the Bayview Four had to prove they weren’t killers. Then a new generation had to outwit a vengeful copycat. Now, it’s beginning again.

At first the mysterious billboard seems like a bad joke: Time for a new game, Bayview. But when a member of the crew disappears, it’s clear this ‘game’ just got serious – and no one understands the rules.

Everyone’s a target. And now that someone unexpected has returned to Bayview, things are starting to get deadly.

Simon was right about secrets – they all come out in the end.

The thing is, Simon was right about secrets-they all come out, eventually. And Bayview has a lot it’s still hiding.

PRETTY GOOD.

At first it took me a bit just to remember everyone and alllll of the things that had happened in the previous books (I did not reread them). Once I had a handle on characters and places I feel like the book settled in a bit better.

I always love multi-POV in thriller type books. Getting to see multiple angles from the cast shed a lot of light on past grievances and what things were happening a little more behind the scenes. I enjoyed all of the characters and seeing where their stories ended up.

The mystery was great. I admit at not catching on to many of the twists. I like that I was kept guessing and not quite sure who would survive until the end of the book. There’s some devastation mixed in with the hope of a better day and I thought things were wrapped up well in those veins.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Thriller
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: gun violence, murder, kidnapping, drugging someone, cheating (side character)

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: September 2024

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How did September get here???
I made it another month without having any books in the under three star (or least favorite) category and had plenty of great books to choose from!

Favorites this month:

  • Sunday Supper
  • The Key to Deceit
  • Heir
  • Words of Radiance (reread)
  • Guy’s Girl
  • Playing it Safe
  • It’s Always Us
  • The Christmas You Found Me
  • A Sky Full of Dragons
  • An Academy for Liars
  • An Improper Proposal
  • Locked in Pursuit
  • The Games Gods Play

Least favorites:

  • NONE!
  • [ARC] Sunday Supper by K. Sinko
  • The Girl with No Reflection by Keshe Chow
  • [ARC] Phantasma (Wicked Games #1) by Kaylie Smith
  • The Key To Deceit (Electra McDonnell #2) by Ashley Weaver
  • Little Monsters by Kara Thomas
  • The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas
  • The Champions by Kara Thomas
  • [ARC] Heir (Heir Duology #1) by Sabaa Tahir
  • All out of Love (Boys of Riverside #3) by Gracie Graham
  • [ARC] The Scarlet Throne (The False Goddess #1) by Amy Leow
  • [ARC] Of Gold and Shadows by Michelle Griep
  • [Reread] Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archives #2) by Brandon Sanderson
  • [ARC] Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood
  • Guy’s Girl by Emma Noyes
  • Playing it Safe (Electra McDonnell #3) by Ashley Weaver
  • [ARC] It’s Always Us (The Abandoned Brothers #3) by Stacy Williams
  • Loyally, Luke (Skymar #3) by Pepper Basham
  • [ALC] The Christmas You Found Me (Heart of the Wilderness #1) by Sarah Morgenthaler
  • Cole and Laila are Just Friends by Bethany Turner
  • A Dawn with the Wolf Knight (Married to Magic #5) by Elise Kova
  • [ALC] A Sky Full of Dragons (The Wand Keepers #1) by Tiffany McDaniel
  • [ARC] A Queen’s Game (A Queen’s Game #1) by Katharine McGee
  • An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson
  • An Improper Proposal (Improper Agreements #4) by Audra Wells
  • The Shadow of the Gods (Bloodsworn Saga #1) by John Gwynne
  • Locked in Pursuit (Electra McDonnell #4) by Ashley Weaver
  • A Royal Promise (Royal Hearts #4) by Amanda Schimmoeller
  • Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas
  • On a Flight to Sydney (Love Along the Way #1) by J.A. Forde
  • The Cheerleaders (The Cheerleaders #1) by Kara Thomas
  • One Last Thing (The Seddledowne #1) by Susan Henshaw
  • The Games Gods Play (The Crucible #1) by Abigail Owen
  • Unbearably Yours (It’s Always Been You #3) by Elodie Colliard
  • [ARC/ALC] The Courting of Bristol Keats (The Courting of Bristol Keats #1) by Mary E. Pearson
  • The Heart of the World (The Isles of the Gods #2) by Amie Kaufman
  • [ARC] Across the Star Kissed Sea by Arlem Hawks

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ARC Book Review: Nothing Like the Movies (Better Than the Movies #2) by Lynn Painter

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: NA Contemporary Romance
Length: 440 pages
Author: Lynn Painter
Publisher: Simon Teen
Release Date: October 1st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this highly anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling Better than the Movies, Wes and Liz struggle to balance their feelings for each other with the growing pains of being a college student.

For a few beautiful months, Wes had his dream girl: strong-willed girl-next-door Liz. But right as the two were about to set off to UCLA to start their freshman year together, tragedy struck. Wes was left dealing with the fallout, which ultimately meant losing Liz in the process.

Flash forward months and months later and Wes and Liz find themselves in college, together. In a healthier place now, Wes knows he broke Liz’s heart when he ended things, but he is determined to make her fall back in love with him.

Wes knows Liz better than anyone, and he has a foolproof plan to win her back with the rom-com worthy big gestures she loves. Only…Liz will have none of it. Wes has to scheme like a rom-com hero to figure out how to see her. Even worse, Liz has a new friend…a guy friend.

Still, Wes won’t give up, adapting his clever plans and going hard to get Liz’s attention and win back her affection. But after his best efforts get him nowhere, Wes is left wondering if their relationship is really over for good.

Thank you Simon Teen for the gifted ARC.

SMITTEN.

I enjoyed this story so dang much. I love Wes and Liz and I loved seeing how their relationship progressed through this book. It’s messy and complicated, has a bit of drama and struck many chords of life in college and figuring things out. I loved watching the character growth for both Wes and Liz. Each had some tough truths to learn and adapt from and I love that they found their way back to each other in the end.

And this is a subtle baseball romance?? Heck yes. I could not get enough of the baseball content and I loved Liz’s college job! I think it worked perfectly for this story and added to the necessity of some good ol’ forced proximity moments that I crave.

The side characters were fantastic too. I loved all of Wes’s teammates (and please tell me we might get more stories from this UCLA crew??). Liz’s roommates were also so fun and it really reminded me of the joy that being on a college campus can bring.

Bonus points if you catch the little Taylor Swift references throughout. I loved all of the song lyric additions and gosh dang am I obsessed with a good argument scene, bring me all of the passionate confessions. This truly did read like a movie for me and I would watch it in a heartbeat.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: high and present throughout
  • Romance: kisses
  • Content Warnings: loss of a parent (heart attack), grief depiction, panic attacks

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ARC Book Review: A Queen’s Game (A Queen’s Game #1) by Katharine McGee

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: NA Historical Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Katharine McGee
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: October 1st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The New York Times bestselling author of the American Royals series invites you to visit 19th-century Europe amid the glamour and intrigue of the Victorian era. In this historical romance inspired by true events, three princesses struggle to find love—and end up vying for the hearts of two future kings.

In the last glittering decade of European empires, courts, and kings, three young women are on a collision course with history—and with each other.

Alix of Hesse is Queen Victoria’s favorite granddaughter, so she can expect to end up with a prince . . . except that the prince she’s falling for is not the one she’s supposed to marry.

Hélène d’Orléans, daughter of the exiled King of France, doesn’t mind being a former princess; it gives her more opportunity to break the rules. Like running around with the handsome, charming, and very much off-limits heir to the British throne, Prince Eddy.

Then there’s May of Teck. After spending her entire life on the fringes of the royal world, May is determined to marry a prince—and not just any prince, but the future king.

In a story that sweeps from the glittering ballrooms of Saint Petersburg to the wilds of Scotland, A Queen’s Game recounts a pivotal moment in real history as only Katharine McGee can tell it: through the eyes of the young women whose lives, and loves, changed it forever.

Thank you Get Underlined for the gifted ARC.

I DID LIKE IT.

First of all, this is much more historical fiction than anything else. Which is FINE. But since I didn’t read the synopsis I didn’t know so I’m passing a long that information to you. I enjoyed seeing these people in history through this lens. It was a bit dramatic (as expected for a KM book) and held my attention well. I didn’t have a hard time picking up and continuing the story.

NOW. If you’re like me and only have a vague memory of who ends up with who, who dies, etc. you will spoil yourself by going doing historical deep dives online (aka what I did because my history nerd side came out). This didn’t turn me off from reading it and I think it added to the flair of where the story is going. I am curious how this will be pulled into a series. It’s not ROMANTIC but there is romance. There’s some sweet moments and cute things, I wish there would have been more development involved though.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Fiction + Romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: vague open door
  • Violence: low

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