EMPIRE OF STORMS By Sarah J. Maas

March 3, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

EMPIRE OF STORMS By Sarah J. MaasEmpire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #5
Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens on 9/6/16
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 703
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don't.

With her heart sworn to the warrior-prince by her side, and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past, and dark forces become poised to claim her world, the only chance for salvation will lie in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

Short and Sweet Review

After the events of Queen of Shadows, Aelin learns that the path to the throne is going to be a long and hard one. War is also coming and now its up to Aelin and her friends to find allies that will fight alongside them.

This book is on par with the previous books and is filled with action. Aelin meets with some Lords who won’t accept her as queen, while at this meeting they hear that Rifthold is under attack so Rowan is sent there to get Dorian and make sure he’s safe. Elsewhere Elide is trying to make her way to Celaena who is Aelin but she doesn’t know that and she meets Lorcan and they start traveling together. Eventually Aelin and her group meet at Skulls Bay and make some more acquaintances along the way. Also Maeve is looking for Aelin and will stop at nothing until she gets what she wants.

I loved this book and the characters just make it everything that it is. Aelin is just so smart and calculating and even when it seems like she doesn’t know what she’s doing she’s actually 2 steps ahead. The ending was just jaw dropping and it set up the ending of the series beautifully. I’m excited to read Tower of Dawn and see what Chaol was up to while everyone was getting ready for war in this book. This series just gets better and better and I love the characters and the set up.

Filed Under: Reviews

MISSING CLARISSA By Ripley Jones

February 28, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

MISSING CLARISSA By Ripley JonesMissing Clarissa by Ripley Jones
Published by Wednesday Books on 3/7/23
Genres: Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 249
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

In August of 1999, dazzlingly popular cheerleader Clarissa Campbell disappears from a party in the woods outside the rural town of Oreville, Washington and is never seen again. The police question her friends, teachers, and the adults who knew her—who all have something to hide. And thanks to Clarissa’s beauty, the mystery captures the attention of the nation. But with no leads and no body, the case soon grows cold. Despite the efforts of internet sleuths and true-crime aficionados, Clarissa is never found—dead or alive.

Over twenty years later, Oreville high-school juniors and best friends Blair and Cameron start a true crime podcast, determined to unravel the story of what—or who—happened to this rural urban legend. In the process they uncover a nest of dirty small-town secrets, the sordid truth of Clarissa’s relationship with her charismatic boyfriend, and a high school art teacher turned small-town figurehead who had a very good reason for wanting Clarissa dead. Such a good reason, in fact, that they might have to make him the highlight of their next episode…

But does an ugly history with a missing girl make him guilty of murder? Or are two teenage girls about to destroy the life of an innocent man—and help the true killer walk free?

Short and Sweet Review

20 years ago Clarissa Campbell went missing after a party in the woods. Everyone was questioned and seemed to have something to hide, because of Clarissa’s status as a cheerleader and her beauty her case made national headlines. None of the leads led police to find Clarissa or arrest a suspect so now her case is cold.

20 years later high school juniors Blair and Cameron start a true crime podcast and decide to cover the Clarissa Campbell case. The podcast is for a project for their journalism class, and Blair and Cameron realize that digging for information isn’t as easy as they thought it would be. The girls learn more about Clarissa, even a secret boyfriend, when they decide to make him the topic of their next podcast they could be letting the actual killer walk free.

The synopsis of this book sounded really good, who doesn’t want a cold case from 20 years ago to be solved by two teens from the same town who just decided to start a podcast. Granted the podcast is basically for their class project. I really wanted to like this book but there were just a lot of problems and my biggest one is the characters. Cameron would just go off and do things that aren’t ethical in the world of journalism and she knows they’re not because its what she’s learning about in class, also its like she’s too impulsive she’ll do things without realizing how it’s going to affect those around her. Blair on the other hand is like Cameron’s lackey she’s filled with a lot of self doubt and just about goes with anything Cameron wants to do. The girls do interviews with people who were the closest with Clarissa to find out more information about her life and what happened at the party. I feel that the girls got the information easily, no one made them work for it or even seemed like they were trying to hide something, they were all just spilling their guts. The thing that bothered me the most was when they found out that Clarissa was secretly seeing a teacher and Cameron decides he’s the murderer. The man was guilty of other things but not murder so I thought the girls got what they deserved when he retaliated.

Missing Clarissa was unrealistic and predictable and the ending was rushed. The plot was good but the way things were executed just didn’t work. Cameron and Blair were the biggest let down, I couldn’t relate to either of them and the decisions being made by the two of them were just impulsive and showed no care for a career path people actually take seriously. I personally wouldn’t recommend this book, but maybe someone else would like it.

Filed Under: Reviews

ON THE COME UP By Angie Thomas

February 24, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

ON THE COME UP By Angie ThomasOn the Come Up by Angie Thomas
Published by Balzer + Bray on 2/5/19
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 452
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least win her first battle. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill. But it’s hard to get your come up when you’re labeled a hoodlum at school, and your fridge at home is empty after your mom loses her job. So Bri pours her anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral . . . for all the wrong reasons.

Bri soon finds herself at the center of a controversy, portrayed by the media as more menace than MC. But with an eviction notice staring her family down, Bri doesn’t just want to make it—she has to. Even if it means becoming the very thing the public has made her out to be.

Short and Sweet Review

Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers, but first she has to get through a battle at the ring and win. When Bri does win she starts to get some traction and eventually she ends up recording her first song On the Come Up, unfortunately the people closest to her don’t approve her song and outsiders are hyping it up. Bri knows that she’s getting attention for all the wrong reasons but with her family struggling she feels like she has to make it in this industry.

On the Come Up becomes viral and for the wrong reasons, Bri is talking about a life she’s never lived and people start to think the song is about hating police and being in gangs when Bri wanted it to be about how people with her skin color are looked down upon as these things. Anyway Bri hasn’t had the easiest life her dad a well known rapper was murdered, her mom is a recovering addict, and her aunt is in a gang and a drug dealer. Bri is passionate about rapping and her aunt is probably her biggest supporter, but her aunt Pooh is also not as committed as Bri would want her to be. So when Supreme her dads old manager offers to start managing Bri and get her a record deal, Bri says yes mainly because she knows if she makes it she’ll be able to support her family. I think my biggest problem in this book was Bri. Like she may be struggling but she has a great support system around her, one that won’t let her reach rock bottom. Bri gets a lot of advice from the people around her that the song isn’t who she is and that its a bad representation of her but she takes the advice as if someone is attacking her and that bothered me the most. She really ended up learning that the things she was doing had consequences. I guess that’s a big thing in books people have to continue to be hard headed until the lesson smacks them right in the face. There was a love triangle which didn’t work out because first of all one of the boys had a girlfriend and it just ended up being awkward. Also there’s a lot of things that kind of remind me of The Hate U Give mainly that the character goes to a predominately white high school and that the peers don’t understand how black kids may be treated differently, and they definitely start saying that Bri’s song incited a violent incident that took place at the School. I did like how different issues were dealt with, like the gangs, drug usage, institutional racism and other things. Bri talks about most of these things in her raps and I feel like when she’s being authentic is when we see her best self.

Overall this was a good book, I can see how it’s like a love letter to hip hop and rap. I just think the hardest thing for me was seeing Bri make these bad decisions when everyone around her is giving her the best advice. The ending was a little rushed but I’m glad that in the end we see the support system Bri has around her and that she knows its okay to be herself.

Filed Under: Reviews

PROMISE BOYS By Nick Brooks

February 23, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

PROMISE BOYS By Nick BrooksPromise Boys by Nick Brooks
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on 1/31/23
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 279
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

The prestigious Urban Promise Prep school might look pristine on the outside, but deadly secrets lurk within. When the principal ends up murdered on school premises and the cops come sniffing around, a trio of students—J.B., Ramón, and Trey—emerge as the prime suspects. They had the means, they had the motive—and they may have had the murder weapon. But with all three maintaining their innocence, they must band together to track down the real killer before they are arrested. Or is the true culprit hiding among them?

Short and Sweet Review

Ramón, Trey, and J.B., all go to the Urban Promise Prep School, which may look nice on the outside but has a lot of problems on the inside. It’s almost like these boys are in boot camp or prison. When the Principal gets murdered, the three boys become the prime suspects. All three of them claim their innocence but one of them may have had the murder weapon. Now the three boys have to find who actually murdered Principal Moore, or risk getting locked up for life.

Promise Prep school is one of those places where it sounds great and you would probably want your child to go so that they have a chance at succeeding, but that’s not what actually goes on in this school. They have to abide by the Moore Method which is basically extreme discipline and if they don’t they face the consequences. On the day of Moores murder Ramón, Trey, and J.B. are all in detention and the main reason they’re suspects is because they all have reasons for wanting him dead. Moore stops Ramón from selling pupusas which helps with his family’s income, Trey tells Moore he’s going to kill him, and J.B. is mad that he’s in detention and now it looks like he stood up his girlfriend.

I liked the format of the book we learn about each character by having the other people in their lives basically give character witness statements and we also see the transcript from the police interviews. The best part for me was that the boys don’t really know each other, so when they team up to try to prove their innocence they’re still weary of one another. There’s nothing wrong with any of the boys I think they’ve just been subjected to bad circumstances and a lot of scrutiny because of the color of their skin. Trey is a basketball star, Ramón is just trying to help his family, and J.B. is just a quiet kid. It was nice seeing all the boys team up and they each had a support system behind them. The mystery was well written and the format added a lot to the book.

This was a good read and it was short so I was able to finish it in one sitting. The characters were great and I’m glad they didn’t let their circumstances make them a statistic.

Filed Under: Reviews

DELICIOUS MONSTERS By Liselle Sambury

February 21, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

DELICIOUS MONSTERS By Liselle SamburyDelicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury
Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books on 2/28/23
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 510
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Daisy sees dead people—something impossible to forget in bustling, ghost-packed Toronto. She usually manages to deal with her unwanted ability, but she’s completely unprepared to be dumped by her boyfriend. So when her mother inherits a secluded mansion in northern Ontario where she spent her childhood summers, Daisy jumps at the chance to escape. But the house is nothing like Daisy expects, and she begins to realize that her experience with the supernatural might be no match for her mother’s secrets, nor what lurks within these walls…

A decade later, Brittney is desperate to get out from under the thumb of her abusive mother, a bestselling author who claims her stay at “Miracle Mansion” allowed her to see the error of her ways. But Brittney knows that’s nothing but a sham. She decides the new season of her popular Haunted web series will uncover what happened to a young Black girl in the mansion ten years prior and finally expose her mother’s lies. But as she gets more wrapped up in the investigation, she’ll have to decide: if she can only bring one story to light, which one matters most—Daisy’s or her own?

As Brittney investigates the mansion in the present, Daisy’s story runs parallel in the past, both timelines propelling the girls to face the most dangerous monsters of all: those that hide in plain sight.

Short and Sweet Review

Daisy is able to see ghost, not really an ability that she wanted, but she manages to deal with it. When her mom inherits a mansion away from Toronto, Daisy sees this as a chance to get away especially since her boyfriend just dumped her. When they reach Ontario where the Mansion is Daisy realizes her mom is hiding a lot of secrets and the Mansion is nothing Daisy has ever dealt with before.

Ten years later, Brittney decides that its time for her to get away from her mother a best selling author whose book about the miracle mansion made her see the error of her ways. Brittney is determined to prove that her mother’s book is full of it and she does that by having the new season of her web series Haunted be focused on the mansion and the strange things that have happened there over the years.

This book was just so interesting, it starts off a little slow but I think that was because of the world building. We meet Daisy first and we learn that she’s able to see ghost and I feel like this is different than most books where characters can see ghost mainly because Daisy has to work really hard to ignore them and try to avoid seeming crazy. Her best efforts do fail because she does seem crazy and its almost like we can’t trust her. She sees maggots coming out of her wounds and her ears and its all pretty insane and it doesn’t help that her mom makes her believe she’s wrong. When Daisy and her mom get to Ontario, Daisy is given strict instructions not to enter the mansion, but its like its calling to her. Daisy also meets some town people who knew her mother from her childhood and they don’t seem to want anything to do with Grace mainly because she was up to some crazy things back in the day. Daisy becomes friends with King who’s family lives nearby. King is a psychic and he decides he’ll help Daisy figure out what’s going on in the mansion and learn a little history about her mom and Peter (the man who gave the mansion to Grace.)

Ten years later we meet Brittney and her partner Jayden who have the web series Haunted. Brittney is a little more brash while Jayden is able to connect more with the people they’re interviewing. The interviews were good we get a new perspective on what was happening ten years ago with Daisy and her mother and that mansion. I thought it was interesting to see that even though Daisy and Brittney don’t know each other they both have mommy issues. Brittney is a strong character and so is Daisy but we both see them bend and break when it comes to their moms.

The mansion is a whole different beast in itself, it reminds me of the movie Monster House. The mansion is basically a living entity. The mansion is able to make people hear it if it wants and its supposed to be feeding off of the dead people inside but it gets stronger and decides it wants to feed off of the living. When Daisy gets there she realizes that the house is way stronger than anyone has anticipated. It was hard to put this book down especially when I got further into it, mainly because we start to learn more about the Mansion and how it’s operating and we see how Daisy’s mom past had a big affect on what’s happening now.

This book was insane, but in the best way. There were a lot of tough subjects that were mentioned in this book so just watch out for that. The ending was pretty great and I love how things were handled, the dual POV worked out really well. If you’re looking for a psychological horror thriller than this book is for you! Its a book I’ll be thinking about for a while.


Filed Under: Reviews

LOLA AT LAST By J.C. Peterson

February 18, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

LOLA AT LAST By J.C. PetersonLola at Last by J.C. Peterson
Published by HarperTeen on 2/28/23
Genres: Contemporary, Retellings, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 393
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Join Lola Barnes, a.k.a. a modern Lydia Bennet, at the beginning of a summer gone truly wrong: where a boat party-turned-fiery-fiasco ends with the ship, Lola’s summer plans, and her reputation truly sunk.

(The boat was barely on fire, for the record—and all the partygoers were just fine.)

Luckily, this disaster of a summer has another thing in store for her: a path of self-discovery she never saw coming.

Given an ultimatum—jail time, or spending the summer with the nonprofit Hike Like a Girl—she laces up her hiking boots and takes to the wilderness. Along the way, she’ll encounter unexpected friends, a sweet romance, strength she didn’t know she had—and herself, Lola, at last.

Short and Sweet Review

Lola’s summer is not off to a great start, the friends she thought she had want nothing to do with her and to make matters worse she ends up catching a boat on fire that belongs to her brother in law and sister. To pay for her mistakes Lola ends up having to join Hike Like a Girl, a nonprofit where she should rediscover herself and figure a lot of things out while out in the wilderness.

Lola at Last is the companion novel to Being Mary Bennet, in this book we meet the illustrious Lola who was shipped off to France but came back after that didn’t work for her. Anyway we see the aftermath of Lola being gone, her friends aren’t really her friends she’s like an outcast now trying to figure out how to fit in again. Lola uses humor as a coping mechanism but it comes off as if she really doesn’t care especially if she’s in the wrong. Lola has a way of making things about her and she needed a lot of character development. I think the Hike Like a Girl actually did Lola a lot of good, she needed to get away from the people she thought were her friends and just start fresh. Lola is not excited about joining HLAG at first she makes the experience pretty awful for the other girls with her temper tantrums and showing up late, but eventually she turns her attitude around and starts to make an effort. We also see Lola try to rekindle her relationship with her twin sister Kat which got strained when Lola went to France. There’s also a romance between Lola and Ezra and I thought this was a cute relationship. Ezra makes Lola want to try to be a better person but Ezra also has some doubts about if Lola can change from the reckless girl she used to be.

This was a pretty entertaining book, I liked reading about all of the hikes the girls are going on. I was worried that Lola wouldn’t have much character development, there was a lot of ups and downs with her behavior but eventually she figured out what kind of person she wanted to be and learned from her past mistakes. I liked the characters and the plot and Lola was a good character and I liked seeing her growth. Pick this book up, because it’s definitely a breath of fresh air, kind of makes me want to try hiking.


Filed Under: Reviews

HEX YOU By P.C. Cast AND Kristin Cast

February 16, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

HEX YOU By P.C. Cast AND Kristin CastHex You by Kristin Cast, P.C. Cast
Series: Sisters of Salem #3
Published by Wednesday Books on 1/31/23
Genres: Fairy Tales & Folklore, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 287
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Twin sisters, Mercy and Hunter are witches, direct descendants of the Goode family, the founders of their town. After the murder of their mother at the hands of a foul demon, they have become the protectors of the Gates to different underworlds--ancient portals between their world and realms where mythology rules and the darkest of creatures exist.

Mercy and Khenti are trapped in the Ancient Egyptian Underworld and need Hunter’s help to escape. But while Hunter searches for a way to save them, other evil threatens Goodeville. Amphitrite is still looming–and she wants vengeance against Hunter. With the gates rapidly weakening, Amphitrite lures out a deadly creature and sets it free on the residents of Goodeville. It will take everything in Mercy and Hunter’s power to stop the goddess and seal the gates once and for all.

Short and Sweet Review

After the events of the last book Mercy and Khenti are still trapped in Egyptian hell and Hunter is trying to figure out a way to get them back home. Back home Hunter is still dealing with the aftermath of making the goddess Amphitrite angry. When Mercy and Khenti escape hell it’s all hands on deck to figure out how to get rid of Amphitrite.

As the previous books in this trilogy, Hex You was nothing special. For some reason I just can’t relate to Mercy or Hunter and don’t get me started on that weird Cat person (still makes my skin crawl). Mercy still talks with a British accent for whatever reason and in this book Hunter is finally facing the consequences for her actions in the last book. Anyway Hunter and Mercy’s friends are willing to rush their lives to help stop Amphitrite from wreaking havoc on the town, which is honorable and everything but it was so predictable and I will say losing a character in the end didn’t bother me. There’s just something about the dialogue that makes it hard for me to appreciate these books. The plot always sounds interesting but the characters and execution fall short every time. There’s no reason that these teenage girls should act like they’re in elementary school and what’s even worse was the tension between Mercy and Hunter for the first half of the book. This book was predictable I feel like the only thing people might consider a twist is what happens to one of the characters. Thinking about it now I wouldn’t have minded if we lost more than one character because in the end they really didn’t add anything to this series.

The only positive thing I can say about this was that it was the last book in this series because I don’t think I can deal with another book with fake British accent Mercy and feel bad for myself Hunter.

Filed Under: Reviews

REVELLE By Lyssa Mia Smith

February 13, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

REVELLE By Lyssa Mia SmithRevelle by Lyssa Mia Smith
Published by Balzer + Bray on 2/14/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 459
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

On the island of Charmant, magic flows like bootlegged champagne, and fantasies can be bought for the price of a gemstone.

Luxe Revelle, star of her family’s fantastical show, knows the splendor is just an illusion. With Prohibition threatening their livelihood, her family struggles to make a living, watering down champagne and patching holes in their sequined costumes. So when the son of Charmant’s wealthiest family makes her an offer—everything the Revelles need to stay in business, in exchange for posing as his girl and helping him become mayor—she can’t refuse.

The moment Jamison Port sets foot in Charmant, he can’t shake the feeling of familiarity. An orphan with as few memories as gemstones, he’s desperate to learn what happened to his parents. But as he delves into the island’s secrets, he risks angering the wrong person and discovering a truth that just might break his heart.

When Luxe and Jamison accidentally meet, the sparks that fly are more than her magical enchantments. But keeping secrets from powerful people is a dangerous game . . . one that could destroy them both.

Short and Sweet Review

On the island of Charmant magic is flowing. There’s different families who have different abilities and for Luxe she has the ability to charm people with the Revelle family magic. Luxe uses her power at her family’s fantastic shows convincing tourists to give her jewels and with those jewels she can make their fantasies come true for a moment. But as great as the show is the family is running out of alcohol and that’s a problem because her family is struggling financially. Luxe ends up making a deal with Dewey Chronos a resident bootlegger and he’s running for mayor. He tells Luxe he’ll give her family alcohol if she poses as his girl and helps him win his bid for Mayor. Jamison Port is in Charmant for the first time or at least he thinks so, until he feels like there’s things that he recognizes. Jamison has a few memories but not enough to have the full picture. The main reason Jamison is in Charmant is to find out what happened to his parents. Jamison and Luxe meet and sparks fly but they’re players in a dangerous game and don’t even know it.

The world in this book is magical, we meet different families that have different abilities. The Revelles are able to charm people, the Chronoses can time travel, the Edwardians can hear thoughts, and the Strattori can heal by transferring wounds to other people. Things are really interesting because not only does Luxe have her normal family magic but she’s able to sway people’s thoughts and this second ability is actually blood magic. When Luxe agrees to help Dewey she does it because she wants to help her family, but she doesn’t really know what she’s getting into with Dewey. Dewey starts off as your typical nice guy but deep down that guy has some serious issues. He’s very possessive and insecure and the things we find out that’s been doing are really twisted. Jamison on the other hand comes to Charmant with Roger Revelle and Trysta Chronos, they both left their families behind to see what’s outside of Charmant and I love that they’re Jamison’s best friends, they were ride or die until the end. Jamison has been searching for answers about who his parents were and what happened to him and he feels like Charmant has the answers to those questions. There’s a lot going on in this book with the mystery of people disappearing, family members trying to assassinate each other, and the craziness the time traveling can have on what happens. The characters were great, Luxe is motivated by making sure her family will be okay and Jamison is like a protector, Dewey is someone you just don’t want to like his villain origin story was crazy. I also loved the secondary characters like Millie and Collette, Luxe’s cousins that she hasn’t really hung out with but is trying to reconnect with them and Trysta and Roger. This group really came together to try to right the wrongs that were happening and look for answers.

There was a lot of action in the end and it was a little dramatic but it was still so good. I loved the plot and the characters and the magic just took this book to another level. Get ready to be swept away in the magical world that is Revelle!

Filed Under: Reviews

GOING DARK By Melissa de la Cruz

February 11, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

GOING DARK By Melissa de la CruzGoing Dark by Melissa de la Cruz
Published by Union Square & Co. on 1/31/23
Genres: Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 338
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

#WhereisAmeliaAshley

The Influencer
Amelia Ashley shares everything with her followers – her favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurants, her best fashion tips, and her European trip-of-a-lifetime with her hot boyfriend.

The Boyfriend
Josh has no choice but to return home without Amelia after she abandons him in Rome. He has no clue where she went or how her blood got in his suitcase. Why won’t anyone believe him?

The Hacker
To Harper Delgado, Amelia Ashley is just another missing white girl whipping up a media frenzy. But with each digital knot she untangles about the influencer, Harper wonders: who is Amelia Ashley?

The Other Girl
Two years ago, another girl went missing, one who never made headlines or had a trending hashtag.

The Truth
Amelia’s disappearance has captured the world’s attention. What comes next? Watch this space…

Short and Sweet Review

Amelia Ashley is a popular influencer who just recently went on a vacation in Rome with her boyfriend Josh, the problem is she didn’t return to the States with him and now she’s missing. All Josh remembers is she got mad at him and left him to go by the airport by himself. Now that Josh is back without Amelia he looks like suspect number one in this missing persons case. Harper Delgado is a hacker and she’s asked by one of Amelia’s friends to look into her disappearance, but what Harper learns about Amelia is shocking and it may help solve a case about a girl who went missing two years ago.

The book starts off with Josh on an airplane back to California without Amelia. Josh is pretty optimistic that she’ll come back even though she’s not with him. Things start to get more serious when Amelia doesn’t answer any phone calls or text and because she’s pretty popular word spreads fast that she’s missing. Josh is an okay character, we see that he’s not right and he’s holding things back when he gets interviewed by the detectives, also he’s kind of stupid because he talks way more than he should. When we meet Harper she’s digging into Amelia Ashley and anything she can find about her life and where she may currently be. There are chapters where Amelia’s blog post are shown and there are transcripts of her vlogs, I liked that this was incorporated into the story because it gave us more of an insight to Amelia’s character. Things got really interesting when we learn about the girl that went missing two years ago and how Amelia Ashley is not a real person. We learn that Josh is the target of this big plan and Harper is really good at finding things that people try to keep hidden.

The plot was great and the different POVs really worked to tell this story. This book will keep you reading until the end to figure out #WhereIsAmeliaAshley.

Filed Under: Reviews

OFF THE RECORD By Camryn Garrett

February 10, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

OFF THE RECORD By Camryn GarrettOff the Record by Camryn Garrett
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers on 5/18/21
Genres: Contemporary, LGBT, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 307
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Ever since seventeen-year-old Josie Wright can remember, writing has been her identity, the thing that grounds her when everything else is a garbage fire. So when she wins a contest to write a celebrity profile for Deep Focus magazine, she's equal parts excited and scared, but also ready. She's got this.

Soon Josie is jetting off on a multi-city tour, rubbing elbows with sparkly celebrities, frenetic handlers, stone-faced producers, and eccentric stylists. She even finds herself catching feelings for the subject of her profile, dazzling young newcomer Marius Canet. Josie's world is expanding so rapidly, she doesn't know whether she's flying or falling. But when a young actress lets her in on a terrible secret, the answer is clear: she's in over her head.

One woman's account leads to another and another. Josie wants to expose the man responsible, but she's reluctant to speak up, unsure if this is her story to tell. What if she lets down the women who have entrusted her with their stories? What if this ends her writing career before it even begins? There are so many reasons not to go ahead, but if Josie doesn't step up, who will?

Short and Sweet Review

Josie wants to be a writer, writing is basically her identity. When Josie wins a contest to write a celebrity profile for Deep Focus magazine she’s nervous and excited. Josie and her sister, Alice, set off on a multi-city tour. Josie meets celebrities, but the main focus of her article is Marius Canet an up and coming actor. But her mission for one profile ends up on the back burner after learning an actress has dealt with sexual assault at the hands of a director. More actresses start telling Josie their story, Josie knows that this is important but this story could also end the writing career that is just beginning.

Josie is our main character and she was okay, I’m sure she was written to be relatable, she’s a plus size girl, all for black inclusion, and she likes speaking out about topics that are important to her. My thing about Josie is that even though she was written to be relatable I found myself annoyed with her. Josie’s romantic interest is Marius and he’s obviously smaller than her in the weight department and he likes Josie but Josie will ruin the moment talking about how she could crush him and how he couldn’t like someone like her because she’s fat. Anyway it felt like Josie was way more interested in a relationship with Marius than writing her profile about him. Josie is also approached by an actress named Penny who tells her about a director who has sexual harassed her and others. Josie tells Penny she’ll help by writing an article to expose this director. Things start to get complicated because she believes Marius doesn’t care and the director threatens to sue. I also mentioned Alice, Josie’s sister, she’s on this trip as a chaperone and I feel that she was more level headed than Josie. Josie and Alice fought a lot and that’s normal between siblings but Josie would take everything to heart.

I could see the direction that this book was going in, and how important it is to help victims but Josie made loving this book hard. This book just didn’t meet my expectations.

Filed Under: Reviews