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ALC Book Review: The Thrashers by Julie Soto

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: YA Thriller
Length: 352 pages
Author: Julie Soto
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: May 6th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Either you’re in or you’re out.

Welcome to the Thrashers, the elite friend group at New Helvetia High.

They’re everything everyone wants to be.

Jodi Dillon was never meant to be one of them. Julian, Lucy, Paige, and the infamous Zack Thrasher are rich, sophisticated, and love attention. Jodi feels out of place, but Zack’s her childhood best friend, so she’s in.

Then Emily Mills, who desperately wanted to be a Thrasher, dies—and the whispers about the Thrashers begin. As Emily’s journal surfaces, detectives close in, and Jodi faces an impossible choice: betray her friends or protect herself.

But as eerie messages and strange occurrences escalate, it becomes clear—Emily isn’t done with them yet.

A twisty thrill-ride of unforgettable drama and suspense that “encapsulates the vulnerability of adolescents playing adult games” (Ali Hazelwood) from USA Today bestselling author Julie Soto, The Thrashers will keep you up at night desperate to read just one more page.

Thank you MacMillan Audio for the gifted audiobook.

NOT QUITE SURE.

This one left me a little befuddled as to how I was going to create a review. I enjoyed the first 50%ish or so. It’s dark, there’s rich kids behaving badly and I was intrigued by the bones of the story. This was my first Julie Soto book too and I thought the writing style had an easy flow as well. The pace was slow at times but picked up as the book went on.

Now, I am just not a seance/Ouija board fan. Especially if that’s not necessarily referenced in the summary and I didn’t know going in. It took me out of the story and my engagement level dropped significantly. I thought it took away from the thriller aspect.

I felt conflicted about many of the plot points and where characters ended up (and that’s fine, I think that’s often the point of thrillers too, even if it’s frustrating).

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Thriller
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: high
  • Content Warnings: suicide, bullying, loss of a parent, drug and alcohol use, domestic abuse

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ARC Book Review: Shield of Sparrows (Shield of Sparrows #1) by Devney Perry

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Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 528 pages
Author: Devney Perry
Publisher: Red Tower
Release Date: May 6th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Fear the monsters we make.

A swoon-worthy, spicy romantic fantasy filled with legends and monsters. The Witcher meets “Cinderella.” A princess is chosen to fulfill the terms of an ancient treaty and finds herself traveling with an infamous monster slayer.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Red Tower for the gifted copy.

WHO KNEW?

First off, I had no idea this book would show up on my doorstep but DANG I am happy that I got to read this early. The first physical book I’ve read in a hot minute and I enjoyed it. I’ve read a few DP contemporaries but dare I say fantasy might be her calling??

This was a SLOW BURN. OH HOW I HAVE MISSED SLOW BURNS. Gosh bring them back, I’m begging. Give me all the little moments, the actual get to know you moments, the moments without awkward lust. I was in love with how this was handled. There was actual time for connection and it has made me even more excited for book two.

The plot and world building was crafted well. It didn’t feel super info-dumpy and it was easy to get a handle on and understand. I like the magic system and the way it kept expanding as the book went on.

I had a few minor pacing quips but those last 50 pages or so the anxiety KICKED in. I love the chaos of those last moments in a fantasy book. I could flip a page and not guess who was going to make it out and who was going to land where by the end. This was beautifully written and GIMME BOOK TWOOOOOO.

Overall audience notes:

  • Romantasy
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 2-3 open door
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: blood/gore depiction, loss of life and loved ones

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Book Review: If I Never Remember by Meagan Williamson

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 317 pages
Author: Meagan Williamson
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 2nd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

They’re back for the summer… and changing everything

Teddy’s life isn’t her own anymore. It’s been nine months since the accident, and she still can’t remember anything from before it. When all hope rests on the heart-shaped sketch from the six summers she spent in Bear Lake, she memorizes it. A last resort in the laundry list of failed attempts at restoring her memory. When it becomes just another reminder that she’s disappointing the people she loves, she vows to leave the small town at the end of the summer. Until her path collides with the two handsome faces from that sketch.

Reed is her new coworker at her summer job. He’s confident, eager to spend time with her, and hard to ignore. If it weren’t for their alluded history, she could use a friend. Miles is quiet, reluctant to open up, and pretending not to know her. Avoiding him is impossible while he’s living next door. But he’s the only one who seems to understand what she’s going through.

The more time she spends with them, the more Teddy begins to live her own life again. She’s starting over in the one place she thought she’d need to leave behind. Until a pivotal moment tests just how much she is willing to give up before she defines her future for good.

A coming-of-age romance with nostalgic heart, summer love, and second chances.

THE FEELS.

I kind of waffled with my thoughts on this one but for someone who doesn’t like flashback chapters all that much, the fact that this one had me glued to my kindle deserves the praise. I was hooked on needing to know what would happen.

And I think I’m turning over a new leaf on love triangles. I enjoyed the way this one was crafted and the emotions that went into the push and pull between Reed and Miles. There’s secrets to uncover and truths to be known as Teddy navigates recovery and her past.

It’s fast paced and now that I’ve read two Meagan Williamson books I’m officially a fan and can’t wait for her new series.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: 1 brief open door (emotion > physical) based
  • Violence: mild
  • Content Warnings: TBI, car accident

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Book Review: Any Trope but You by Victoria Lavine

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Victoria Lavine
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: April 1st, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A bestselling romance author flees to Alaska to reinvent herself and write her first murder mystery, but the rugged resort proprietor soon has her fearing she’s living in a rom-com plot instead in this earnestly spectacular debut by a stunning new voice.

Beloved romance author Margot Bradley has a dark secret: she doesn’t believe in Happily Ever Afters. Not for herself, not for her readers, and not even for her characters, for whom she secretly writes alternate endings that swap weddings and babies for divorce papers and the occasional slashed tire. When her Happily Never After document is hacked and released to the public, she finds herself canceled by her readers and dropped by her publisher.

Desperate to find a way to continue supporting her chronically ill sister, Savannah, Margot decides to trade meet-cutes for murder. The fictional kind. Probably. But when Savannah books Margot a six-week stay in a remote Alaskan resort to pen her first murder mystery, Margot finds herself running from a moose and leaping into the arms of the handsome proprietor, making her fear she’s just landed in a romance novel instead.

The last thing Dr. Forrest Wakefield ever expected was to leave his dream job as a cancer researcher to become a glorified bellhop. What he’s really doing at his family’s resort is caring for his stubborn, ailing father, and his puzzle-loving mind is slowly freezing over—until Margot shows up. But Forrest doesn’t have any room in his life for another person he could lose, especially one with a checkout date.

As long snowy nights and one unlikely trope after another draw Margot and Forrest together, they’ll each have to learn to overcome their fears and set their aside assumptions before Margot leaves—or risk becoming a Happily Never After story themselves.

Thank you to Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook.

WELL I ENJOYED THE HECK OUT OF THIS.

Rather ridiculous to start (and fearing for my star rating) I persevered through the beginning chapters and found a book that had some resemblance to The Simple Wild (not a copycat, promise, just some vibes), and that I was charmed by. The resistance to the romance tropes only brought Margot and Forrest closer together and I am here for it all.

I will say having TWO 20-30 minute chapters that were solely spice was not my favorite (and that wasn’t the only spice here). I could have used less of that but I can’t deny how much of a connection I felt between these two resistant love birds. They were charming, fought hard, and loved harder.

All of that caretaker moments were felt. I loved seeing both Forest and Margot learn to live their OWN lives and still help and care for those most important to them. The side characters truly added to this book and I loved loved loved Margot and her sister’s relationship. There was a lot of goodness woven into this book.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 4+ open door
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: loss of a family member (recounted)

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