Tag: prh audio

ALC Book Review: Red Star Rebels by Amie Kaufman

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Sci-Fi Romance
Length: 288 pages
Author: Amie Kaufman
Publisher: Knopf Books
Release Date: February 10th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

8 HOURS TO STOP AN EXPLOSION… 8 HOURS TO FALL IN LOVE.

From the NYT bestselling co-author of Illuminae and Aurora Rising comes a high-stakes, high-chemistry sci-fi romp about a stowaway girl and the richest boy in the galaxy, racing the clock to outwit a gang of mercenaries.

It’s 2067, and the Graves family has transformed Mars from lifeless rock into a chaotic patchwork of settlements—and everybody wants a piece.

Enter Hunter Graves: handsome, ambitious, and with spectacularly bad timing. He shows up at the United Nations base just as an emergency evacuation sends everyone scurrying for safety. Except he’s left behind. Uh oh.

Also stranded: Cleo, a sharp-tongued stowaway with no intention of dying today, and even less patience for overconfident trust fund boys. But the enemy of your enemy might just help you survive, so here we are.

Turns out the evacuation was just a cover for the mercenaries who came next, and they plan to blow up the base—and every trace of their crime—in eight hours.

Now, Hunter and Cleo have one shot to stop the explosion, escape alive, and deal with the inconvenient fact that they’re falling for each other.

The clock is ticking.

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

STELLAR STANDALONE.

I admit to thinking this was a series starter before seeing another friend’s review and I’m glad I knew going in this is a STANDALONE because my frame of mind was much better.

I think Amie Kaufman writes some of the best overall dialogue in the young adult genre. I love the quippy comebacks and sentiments, the right amount of snark and gentleness. This combined with the incredible audiobook made this story come alive. I loved the multiple narrators and sound effects that made the downfall of this Martian settlement all the more intense.

The romance wasn’t 100% believable for me within such a short time line, but I did like it well enough. Hunter and Cleo are a reluctant allies from different walks of life and I liked seeing them come together and find a stronger understanding between them.

This really covered a lot of ground for 250 pages and I had such a good time reading/listening to it. Highly recommend!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Dystopian Sci-Fi Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate

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Book Review: Stolen Midnights by Katherine Quinn

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Rating: ★★★.5
Audience: New Adult Fantasy Romance
Length: 454 pages
Author: Katherine Quinn
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: February 3rd, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

This magical new YA romantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of To Kill a Shadow will steal your heart. Set in Andalay, a world where the ruling Fates bestow gifts among the favored, a thief must join forces with the palace darling after he unwittingly steals a necklace with the power to change everything.

When Damien, a cold and hardened thief, is hired to steal a gift from the powerful Fates meant for Andalay’s sweetheart, Wren Hayes, he finds himself entangled in a web of secrets.

The gift? A locket containing his own phototroph.

Once the locket is opened, hidden truths unravel, ones that shed light on the ruthless ways of the upper-class society. Yearning for the three Fates and the magical gifts they bestow, the lords of Andalay will go to any length to keep their power—including murder.

Brought together by destiny, and fighting a temptation that neither understand, Wren and Damien navigate a seedy world where the truth can destroy not only their lives, but the city itself.

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

I WANT BOOK TWO.

I was kind of up and down with how this book went. The world building was a bit confusing and I’m still not sure how the gods vs. the setting vs. the gifts vs. everything else truly work. The romantic connection between Damien and Wren grew on me. I liked seeing them come from different sides of the track and start to work together to unravel the mysteries before them. The regency vibes were really good too though.

It lost me for a bit in the middle. Things kind of dragged out and I was losing steam. That last quarter though was really good. And on top of that cliffhanger ending I decided I have to pick up book two to see where it goes next. This was my first book by Katherine Quinn and I had an enjoyable time.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: one fade to black
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: kidnapping, loss of life

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ARC/ALC Book Review: Room to Breathe by Kasie West

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 272 pages
Author: Kasie West
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Release Date: January 6th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the critically acclaimed author of Sunkissed comes a new swoony YA romance. Indy and Beau’s friendship is shattered, but getting accidentally locked in a bathroom together just might be what’s needed to reconnect.

When the walls close in, the truth comes out.

When Indy’s life came crashing down, she made a no one could know. To the world, she’s still the same Indy—cool, calm, unshaken. But behind the scenes? It’s chaos.

Her tight-knit crew—Beau, Caroline, and Ava—were once her everything. Now they’re strangers she can’t seem to reach—especially Beau. And the only person she talks to these days is Cody, a skater-boy she used to think was so not her type. Funny how everything changes when your world flips upside down.

And then, as if things couldn’t get weirder, Indy finds herself literally stuck in a school bathroom with Beau. After months of silence, and there’s no escape. If they want out, they’ll have to face the messy truth about what happened between them and find a way back to what they once had. Or maybe even more.

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

FABULOUS.

Oh Kasie West has done it again y’all. I feel like I’ve mostly phased out of YA contemporary romances and West is one of the few authors I will always come back to read. I love the way she makes relatable high school aged characters. As an adult, I of course, feel frustrated, but I think it’s on par for the age group which is easy for me to understand. Alongside no spice and very little language I appreciate that this fits right into the true YA category.

I would have loved just a little less time spent stuck in the bathroom. I think it did lend to some necessary conversations BUT I wanted to see Indy and Beau connect more outside of their too. I did like the flashback chapters!! Which is a hard sale usually but only added to the book here. You could feel the inevitable crash-out coming and it brought the romantic angst.

I loved seeing Indy find herself again after going through some hard things at home. I was grateful to see her work through things with her friends and reconnect with them too. All hope isn’t lost in these valleys.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low

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ARC/ALC Book Review: In Your Dreams (When in Rome #4) by Sarah Adams

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 358 pages
Author: Sarah Adams
Publisher: Dell Romance
Release Date: December 30th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Madison Walker left Rome, Kentucky, determined to prove she could make it in the culinary world. But after years of chasing success in New York, all she has to show for it is a shattered confidence and a desperate need for a fresh start. Coming home isn’t part of the plan—until an unexpected job offer lands in her lap, giving her a chance to rebuild everything she’s lost: the head chef position at a new farm-to-table restaurant in her hometown. The only catch? It comes from James Huxley, owner of Huxley Farm, her brother’s best friend . . . and the last person she wants to work for.

James has always played it safe, keeping his head down and doing what’s expected of him in the family business and never contemplating anything different—until now when Madison’s happiness is on the line. He’s loved her quietly for years, knowing she’s never seen him as more than an annoyance. Now that she’s back, he’s determined to change that–even if it means he can only ever be her friend. The one problem? His charming, wildly successful younger brother, Tommy, seems determined to win her over first.

Then Tommy is called away on business and Madison and James are tasked with launching the dreamy farm-to-table restaurant on their own. But as the town starts meddling in their relationship, Tommy’s pursuit of Madison grows more relentless, and Madison’s fears threaten to hold her back, keeping things strictly professional becomes impossible. And when an unexpected disaster on opening night collides with a long-simmering sibling feud, both Madison and James will have to face their biggest insecurities—and decide if love is worth the risk or if some dreams are safer left untouched.

Thank you Dell Romance for the ebook and PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook.

OH HOW I LOVED THIS.

I should have known that the moment I picked this up I wouldn’t be able to put it back down. Because y’all don’t even know how addictive this was to read. I LOVE A MAN DOWN BAD OKAY? And James is so far gone the only thing he could see was Madison.

Gosh dang the man created a restaurant just so she’d have a place to come home to and WE LOVE IT. I was obsessed with the dynamic between Madison and James. It’s filled with heated banter and longing gazes, soft touches and tender moments. I love the way they got to be together and I think the level of spice worked out beautifully for the story.

Not to mention I loved seeing all of the previous When in Rome cohort. This whole world is beautiful and I don’t think a page was wasted in Rome, Kentucky. I’ll miss it!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 2 open door
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: loss of parents (briefly mentioned), physical altercation, smoking