DIVINE RIVALS By Rebecca Ross

December 22, 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.

DIVINE RIVALS By Rebecca RossDivine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Series: Letters of Enchantment #1
Published by Wednesday Books on 4/4/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 356
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish—into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.

Short and Sweet Review

The Gods are at war and Iris wants to be able to keep her family together but it’s hard when her brother is fighting on the front lines and her mom is struggling with an addiction. Iris wants to win the position of columnist at the Oath Gazette where she works but her rival Roman isn’t going down without a fight. To calm her nerves and worrying, Iris writes letters to her brother and puts them under her wardrobe but unexpectedly she ends up getting a reply. Unbeknownst to Iris, Roman is the one replying. The two continue to write each other and it goes on for months even after Iris ends up leaving Oath.

The writing in this book was incredible, it was so immersive and captivating. Iris and Roman have had a rivalry for a while, but I think that Iris losing her mom and the letters that Roman was getting from her changed a lot for him. Iris on the other hand likes him but she knows they have no chance of being together. Iris leaves Oath and becomes a reporter for the front line and eventually Roman follows her. I did like getting to read the correspondence between the two and the fact that they were the ones with the only two typewriters made by a certain person was great. I did the first part of the book was slow for me personally but part two is when Iris is in her new position and things really picked up from there. Iris is resilient and smart, she’s also very quick on her feet. Roman is one of those guys who plays it cool but there’s more than just one layer to him. I loved seeing the story unfold with these two from working in an office, then sending letters back in forth, to a love story. I do wish I knew more about these Gods and the war that was going on. The book left off on a cliffhanger and I’m ready to see what’s going to happen next.

Overall, this book brings a fantasy and magic element to the prospects of war and also the romance between our two main characters. I loved the writing and just seeing everything play out.

Filed Under: Reviews

WHAT LIGHT By Jay Asher

December 20, 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.

WHAT LIGHT By Jay AsherWhat Light by Jay Asher
Published by Razorbill on 10/18/16
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 259
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Sierra's family runs a Christmas tree farm in Oregon—it's a bucolic setting for a girl to grow up in, except that every year, they pack up and move to California to set up their Christmas tree lot for the season. So Sierra lives two lives: her life in Oregon and her life at Christmas. And leaving one always means missing the other.

Until this particular Christmas, when Sierra meets Caleb, and one life eclipses the other.

By reputation, Caleb is not your perfect guy: years ago, he made an enormous mistake and has been paying for it ever since. But Sierra sees beyond Caleb's past and becomes determined to help him find forgiveness and, maybe, redemption. As disapproval, misconceptions, and suspicions swirl around them, Caleb and Sierra discover the one thing that transcends all else: true love.

Short and Sweet Review

Sierra’s parents own a Christmas tree farm in Oregon but around the holidays her family packs up and goes down to California to sell the trees. Sierra feels like she lives two lives the one she’s used to for 11 months a year and the other she lives during Christmas time. This time around in California, Sierra meets Caleb but he has a past that most others won’t forget about and warn Sierra to stay away from him, but Sierra is willing to look beyond what happened in the past.

This is the third holiday book I’ve read and I’m just striking out. My problem with this book is that it’s one note and predictable. Sierra meets Caleb he has a bad reputation, she ends up spending more time with him and learns about what he did but she knows the person he is now so she isn’t trying to focus on the past. We see those closest to Sierra try to warn her against him but she wants to change everyone’s opinions about him. Anyway the plot of this book is something I’ve seen before it wasn’t original and I was bored. I’m glad the book was short because if this went on I don’t know what I would have done. Sierra isn’t a great character, she’s not a girls girl and she becomes obsessed with Caleb after meeting him for a few minutes and after that she can’t stop thinking about him and blows off her friends. Also when you find out what Caleb did it’s not hard to understand why others in this small town are so wary of him. I’m trying to think about something that was good about this book for you all. The only good thing about this book is that people got Christmas trees.

Overall, I don’t want you guys to think I don’t like Christmas or the holidays but the books I’ve been reading haven’t been getting me in the spirit and they’re really not doing it for me and I feel like the grinch. What Light was an attempt at a holiday book about forgiveness and not judging people but it really missed the mark.

Filed Under: Reviews

HOW TO EXCAVATE A HEART By Jake Maia Arlow

December 18, 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.

HOW TO EXCAVATE A HEART By Jake Maia ArlowHow to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow
Published by HarperTeen on 11/1/22
Genres: Contemporary, LGBT, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 380
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

It all starts when Shani runs into May. Like, literally. With her mom’s Subaru.

Attempted vehicular manslaughter was not part of Shani’s plan. She was supposed to be focusing on her monthlong paleoichthyology internship. She was going to spend all her time thinking about dead fish and not at all about how she was unceremoniously dumped days before winter break.

It could be going better.

But when a dog-walking gig puts her back in May’s path, the fossils she’s meant to be diligently studying are pushed to the side—along with the breakup.

Then they’re snowed in together on Christmas Eve. As things start to feel more serious, though, Shani’s hurt over her ex-girlfriend’s rejection comes rushing back. Is she ready to try a committed relationship again, or is she okay with this just being a passing winter fling?

Short and Sweet Review

During the holiday season, Shani decides to take an internship analyzing fish fossils for a month in DC. While making the drive with her mom to DC her mom accidentally hits a girl with her car. Shani and her mom drive away like it was nothing and the girl walks away. Shani ends up taking a dog walking gig and she runs back into the girl her mom hit with the car, May. Shani and May get closer and they even get snowed in on Christmas. Shani wants to make this work but she isn’t so sure especially because she was just broken up with.

This book starts off with our main character Shani arguing with her mom, which is why mom couldn’t keep her eyes on the road and ended up hitting May. Our first introduction to Shani put a bad taste in my mouth from that moment on I had a problem with her. I found Shani to be incredibly rude, to her mom, and just the way she responds to people. When May sees Shani again she isn’t exactly thrilled, because of the whole car thing. The two start walking May’s dog together and start to hit it off, so much so that even at her internship Shani isn’t doing her job she’s just texting the day away. As I mentioned before Shani wants to be with May, but her last relationship left her with some trauma when it comes to having sex. Shani isn’t completely sure but I feel like the book was hinting at her being raped so here’s your warning this is talked about towards the end of the book. I feel like Hanukkah was mentioned because both characters are Jewish but we never got to lean into that aspect, so don’t expect much from that.

I thought this would be a cute book to read during the holiday season but I was wrong. I talk about Shani being rude but quite frankly so is May, but we see much more of it from Shani because we only get her point of view. I don’t think either character was fleshed out and the plot was very predictable. I’m only giving it two stars because of the cute dog and Shani’s mentor who basically told her to get her shit together.

Filed Under: Reviews

MAKE ME A LIAR By Melissa Landers

December 15, 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.

MAKE ME A LIAR By Melissa LandersMake Me a Liar by Melissa Landers
Published by Disney-Hyperion on 12/5/23
Genres: Mystery & Detective, Science Fiction, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 256
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

It’s an open secret at Harvey Davis High School that Tia Dante can solve all your problems (for a fee, of course). As one of the few blessed with the genetic gift of transferable consciousness, she can slip inside your mind and do your dirty work—humiliate your cheating boyfriend, bring a bully to his knees, tell your boss where to stick it—and then return your body with no one the wiser. No task is too awkward, and unlike the competition, she takes care of business without peeking at your goods. Her rules are simple: pay in full, don’t report her side hustle to the government, and let her gorge on all the foods that would otherwise send her and her weak stomach fleeing to the nearest bathroom.

Everything is going smoothly during a routine job, until Tia catches a breaking news broadcast: live video coverage of her (body) murdering the town prosecutor in cold blood. With the crime caught on camera and no concrete alibi, Tia is forced to ask her infuriatingly gorgeous ex to help clear her name and bring the criminal who hijacked her unconscious body to justice. But they quickly find the heat is on, in more ways than one, as their investigation unearths multiple scandals, massive corruption, and more than a few stray bullets.

Short and Sweet Review

Tia Dante has the ability to put her mind into other people’s bodies, so she’s pretty popular in school and has clients that hire her to do jobs that they can’t do. While on a job, Tia ends up seeing herself on TV and committing a crime and now she has to find the actual murderer who used her body or face a lifetime behind bars.

The premise of this book was actually pretty cool. I liked the idea that there’s people who can put their conscious in other peoples bodies. Our main character Tia does it for a small fee and after seeing her body being used for a crime she realizes she could have been more careful with where she left her body. Tia gets help from her ex Nash. This book is a quick read but it will have you hooked. We meet different characters, and follow clue to try to find who could be the actually murderer. I feel like I don’t have a lot to say mainly because I flew through this book, I think it’s a book that can be finished in a couple of hours. I enjoyed the interactions between characters and learning how this immersion worked.

Make Me a Liar, is a fast paced mystery novel with some sci-fi elements packed in. This was a good book and one you can devour in a day. I do think this book is worth picking up, check it out!

Filed Under: Reviews

THEIR VICIOUS GAMES By Joelle Wellington

December 13, 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.

THEIR VICIOUS GAMES By Joelle WellingtonTheir Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 7/25/23
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 415
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

You must work twice as hard to get half as much.

Adina Walker has known this the entire time she’s been on scholarship at the prestigious Edgewater Academy—a school for the rich (and mostly white) upper class of New England. It’s why she works so hard to be perfect and above reproach, no matter what she must force beneath the surface. Even one slip can cost you everything.

And it does. One fight, one moment of lost control, leaves Adina blacklisted from her top choice Ivy League college and any other. Her only chance to regain the future she’s sacrificed everything for is the Finish, a high-stakes contest sponsored by Edgewater’s founding family in which twelve young, ambitious women with exceptional promise are selected to compete in three mysterious events: the Ride, the Raid, and the Royale. The winner will be granted entry into the fold of the Remington family, whose wealth and power can open any door.

But when she arrives at the Finish, Adina quickly gets the feeling that something isn’t quite right with both the Remingtons and her fellow competitors, and soon it becomes clear that this larger-than-life prize can only come at an even greater cost. Because the Finish’s stakes aren’t just make or break…they’re life and death.

Adina knows the deck is stacked against her—it always has been—so maybe the only way to survive their vicious games is for her to change the rules.

Short and Sweet Review

Adina has had to work hard for a lot of things in life. She attends Edgewater Academy on a scholarship and ended up getting into the Ivy League school of her choice, but one fight ends up getting her blacklisted from the school and trying to figure out what her options are. The Remington family has a lot of power in town and they have a competition called The Finish. The Finish is a contest that has 12 of the most ambitious girls compete in three different events and the winner gets the Remington family’s power to get what they want, and Adina just wants to be able to go to Yale. Adina is invited to the finish but it wasn’t a competition where people get eliminated and go home, they die.

The synopsis of this book is what really drew me in, but I initially thought that The Finish would be more like The Hunger Games, but this was kind of like The Selection but more cut throat. The Finish takes place in a mansion and all the girls are together, every other girl knows what she’s in for except for Adina. After the first girl dies it’s made very clear for Adina that she needs to get with the program or die. Not only is the prize for the winner to become part of the Remington fold but it’s really to win the heart of Pierce Remington. Although most of the girls are there to win Pierce, Adina ends up making a connection with his older brother Graham who ends up helping her out for the three challenges. The first challenge is the ride, the next is the raid, and the last is the Royale. I didn’t particularly care for any of the challenges I was more invested in who was going to die next and which girl would show her true colors. This book was just okay to me, I can’t really pinpoint what element didn’t hold my interest but maybe it was Adina. Adina was like hot and cold towards Graham who was invested in making sure she stayed safe and alive and it was almost like she didn’t appreciate the help it was weird and it threw me. Also the beginning of the book starts off slow and some of the focus on the challenges wasn’t necessary, for example we spent two to three chapters talking about the ride when we didn’t have to. Anyway the ending was chaotic and it was interesting to see how everything played out. The Remington house was beautiful in the beginning but in the end it became a house of horrors.

Overall, this book was just okay to me. For some reason it felt like there were times where a lot was happening and then. there’d be a lull in the action and Adina was not my favorite character. I did like the premise and seeing how things did play out though. I do think that other people should give this book a shot, because there was honestly more good attributes to this book than the bad, for me anyway.

Filed Under: Reviews

GHOSTED By Amanda Quain

December 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.

GHOSTED By Amanda QuainGhosted by Amanda Quain
Published by Wednesday Books on 7/25/23
Genres: Contemporary, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 380
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Hattie Tilney isn’t a believer. Yes, she’s a senior at America’s most (allegedly) haunted high school, Northanger Abbey. But ever since her paranormal-loving dad passed away, she’s hung up her Ghostbusters suit, put away the EMF detectors, and moved on. She has enough to worry about in the land of the living—like taking care of her younger brother, Liam, while their older sister spirals out and their mother, Northanger’s formidable headmistress, buries herself in work. If Hattie just tries hard enough and keeps that overachiever mask on tight through graduation, maybe her mom will finally notice her.

But the mask starts slipping when Hattie’s assigned to be an ambassador to Kit Morland, who’s just transferred to Northanger on—what else—a ghost-hunting scholarship. The two are paired up for an investigative project on the school’s paranormal activity, and Hattie quickly strikes a deal: Kit will present whatever ghostly evidence he can find to prove that the campus is haunted, and Hattie will prove it’s not. But as they explore the abandoned tunnels and foggy graveyards of Northanger, Hattie starts to realize that Kit might be the kind of person who makes her want to believe in something—and someone—for the first time.

Short and Sweet Review

Hattie goes to Northanger Abbey which is allegedly one of the most haunted high schools in America, but Hattie isn’t a believer. After the death of her father, Hattie decided to do away with anything involving ghosts including believing in them. When new student Kit, who is a huge believer, and Hattie are paired to work on a project to investigate the paranormal activity around the school. Hattie and Kit come to an agreement that Kit can try to prove that the campus is haunted and she’ll try to prove that it’s not.

Hattie is our main character and after the death of her father she became a shell of her former self. She doesn’t like ghost or paranormal things anymore, she doesn’t let even her best friends get to close to her, and she feels like she has to be an over achiever to get her mom to be proud of her. Hattie does have a holier than thou attitude and it got exhausting at times to see her think that she was better or above other people, especially her sister Freddie. I think that the death of her dad affected everyone in the family and Hattie doesn’t see it that way and I don’t think she understands that her mom throwing herself into her work was her way of grieving. It does seem like Hattie’s mom is absent and that the kids are basically raising herself, but she just doesn’t know the right thing to do and assumes that working all the time is what she needed to do. Also Hattie’s mom also is the head of the school and she picks Hattie to show Kit around. Hattie and Kit don’t hit it off right away and that’s mainly because Hattie isn’t feeling it especially with how excited Kit is about ghosts. The more time Hattie spends with Kit the more she opens up and kind of reverts back to herself when she was willing to be open with people and her interests. Kit was good for Hattie in the way that he was able to push her to do more than just what she thought her mom expected of her. I will say this eventually led to the character growth that Hattie had. I do think the character growth and realization about things in her life came a little too late for me because it wasn’t until the last 40 pages that this happened. I do wish that there was more ghost hunting that went on in the book. The first half of the book was fast paced but when we got past the investigation part and more into Hattie’s life and why she is the way she is things slowed down a lot.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book, I didn’t know beforehand that it was a retelling. I do think I would have enjoyed this book more if Hattie had her character growth earlier on before the end of the book, and I wanted more ghost hunting to happen!

Filed Under: Reviews

STAY WITH MY HEART By Tashie Bhuiyan

December 8, 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.

STAY WITH MY HEART By Tashie BhuiyanStay with My Heart by Tashie Bhuiyan
Published by Inkyard Press on 1/2/24
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 340
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Liana Sarkar lives and breathes music, hoping to follow in the footsteps of her A&R coordinator father. Maybe if she succeeds, he’ll finally give her the time of day instead of drowning himself in work to distract from the grief of her mother’s passing.

When Liana accidentally sabotages an up-and-coming local band, Third Eye, she makes it her mission to steer them towards success—without them discovering her role in their setback. But as she gets closer to Third Eye, especially their enigmatic leader Skyler Moon, it becomes harder to hide the truth.

With both her heart and their futures on the line, will Liana be able to undo the damage she’s caused?

Short and Sweet Review

Liana’s life revolves around music, which makes sense because her dad is an A&R coordinator for a popular record label. Liana falls for a guy, Thomas, and ends up giving his demo to her dad not knowing that Thomas stole the songs from his former band, Third Eye. Now Liana is determined to make it right with the band and she tries to make her interest in helping them about getting them success without them knowing what she did.

Liana’s life at the moment is very complicated. After the death of her mother, Liana and her father only speak when its about his work which centers around music. It was hard to see this relationship or lack of one play out because you can see Liana reaching out to him but he’s not even trying, and everyone grieves in their own way but to Liana it feels like she’s invisible to him. When Liana gives him the demo and he likes it she feels like he’s finally proud of her which is why when she finds out she’s messed up she’s too scared to tell him in fear that he’ll basically shut her out again. Also because of this big demo mishap Liana tries to fix things with Third Eye without them knowing that she kind of but without wanting to actually helped Thomas get noticed. Liana goes through the trouble of getting the band a place to practice and eventually becomes their publicist. I did like the relationship Liana had with the band members, she even goes on to have a romance with Sky. I did like that Liana had a support system with her cousin Riya and her best friend Evie, it was also nice seeing that the band also became part of her support system. The plot was interesting and even though Liana could have stopped this whole thing by coming clean early I did understand her motives. This book did cover hard topics like anxiety, depression and grief but it did it in a way where it was well explained and not just thrown in the book for the sake of being in there.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. It was heartfelt and it was fun watching Liana do everything in her power to fix her mistakes. I did also like that each chapter had a song title and the little playlists that were sprinkled around in some of the chapters. I would recommend this book, its a cute romance and the getting to know Liana and Third Eye just made this book that much better.

Filed Under: Reviews

BORN OF DECEPTION By Teri Brown

December 7, 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.

BORN OF DECEPTION By Teri BrownBorn of Deception by Teri Brown
Series: Born of Illusion #2
Published by Balzer + Bray on 6/10/14
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 341
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

After scoring a spot on a European vaudeville tour, Anna Van Housen is moving to London to chase her dream and to join an underground society for people like her with psychic abilities. But when Anna arrives, she finds the group in turmoil—one of its members has been kidnapped, and members of the society are starting to turn on one another. Her life in danger and her relationship with her boyfriend, Cole, fizzling, can Anna track down the kidnapper before he makes her his next victim—or will she be forced to pay the ultimate price for her powers?

Short and Sweet Review

Anna is in London after she got a spot with European Vaudeville tour, and she found an underground society with people like her with psychic abilities. When Anna gets to London she learns that things aren’t so great within the society, one of the members was kidnapped and the others aren’t sure if they can trust each other, to make matters worse her relationship with Cole isn’t going the way she wants. Anna wants to find whoever the kidnapper is before anyone else especially her becomes the next victim.

Born of Deception had the same problem Born of Illusion did for me, there wasn’t a lot going on. Anna is in London she’s apart of this tour to do magic and show off her abilities, and she’s also in with the society with other people with psychic abilities. The book has a good premise about someone being kidnapped and Anna trying to find the kidnapper but she’s not a detective and there wasn’t a lot of investigating on her part. We also have her romantic interest Cole who actually is investigating the missing person. Anna and Cole are supposed to be a thing but I don’t think it’s official which was ridiculous because those two lost it when they saw the other talking to someone who could have been considered another romantic interest. There was a bit of a love triangle between Anna, Cole, and a guy named Billy. I think this aspect is to blame for the book being subpar because Anna was jealous and thinking about Cole just brought her mood down. Anyway we see Anna do some magic tricks, meet other people in the society, and attempt to solve a mystery. The pacing of this book is slow and I think if there was more investigating it really would have picked things up.

Overall, I didn’t have the highest expectations for this book, but I was hoping that it would be better than the first book. I don’t think this duology was for me, I genuinely feel like there wasn’t a lot going on plot wise and that just made the book seem slow and dull.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE REUNION By Kit Frick

December 4, 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.

THE REUNION By Kit FrickThe Reunion by Kit Frick
Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books on 8/29/23
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 317
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Eleven Mayweathers went on vacation. Ten came home.

It’s been years since the fragmented Mayweather clan was all in one place, but the engagement of Addison and Mason’s mom to the dad of their future stepbrother, Theo, brings the whole family to sunny Cancún, Mexico, for winter break. Add cousin Natalia to the mix, and it doesn’t take long for tempers to fray and tensions to rise. A week of forced family “fun” reveals that everyone has something to hide, and as secrets bubble to the surface, no one is safe from the fallout. By the end of the week, one member of the reunion party will be dead—and everyone’s a suspect:
The peacekeeper: Addison needs a better hiding place.
The outsider: Theo just wants to mend fences.
The romantic: Natalia doesn’t want to talk about the past.
The hothead: Mason needs to keep his temper under control.

It started as a week in paradise meant to bring them together. But the Mayweathers are about to learn the hard way that family bonding can be deadly.

Short and Sweet Review

Addison and Mason’s mom is marrying Theo’s Dad which means a little family vacation so that everyone can get to know each other. The family goes to a resort in Mexico and also invited were Addison and Mason’s aunts and two cousins, Natalia and Mia, and also their uncle Corey and his girlfriend Holly. Addison wants to try to talk to Natalia and Mason about something that happened in the past but they’re avoiding her. Theo is being avoided by Mason and there’s just a lot of secrets that each of the teens know about each other. At some point on the trip one of the Mayweathers ends up dead and only one of them knows what happened.

The Reunion, is a pretty engaging story. There’s eleven Mayweathers on this vacation but we only get the POVs of Addison, Mason, Natalia, and Theo. We immediately get the sense that they each have something to hide and it was interesting trying to figure out what they were all trying to avoid. I will say my least favorite character was Mason, mainly because he had this jock energy about him but his dislike of Theo wasn’t really warranted. Addison also had some things she wanted to talk about but Natalia and her brother were avoiding her and she kind of feels helpless because she’s getting texts about a situation that they were all involved in. Natalia spends her time talking to her boyfriend who she met online and also looking out for her little sister Mia. Theo is just trying to get to know his new family and also defend his dad against Masons misconceptions about him. At the beginning of each section we get to read emails sent by the hotel about a guest that has gone missing, and this is my favorite thing because it also mentions this surf school along the beach that could also be involved. I liked the way everything was unraveled in the end, secrets were exposed and we find out who died and what actually happened.

Overall, I was glued to this book from the very first page. I liked reading from the different characters POVs and learning more about them and what was going on in their lives, and also trying to figure out who was the one who ends up dying. The Reunion is a fun mystery book and I loved the writing and how everything was eventually revealed.

Filed Under: Reviews

THERE’S NO WAY I’D DIE FIRST By Lisa Springer

December 1, 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.

THERE’S NO WAY I’D DIE FIRST By Lisa SpringerThere's No Way I'd Die First by Lisa Springer
Published by Delacorte Press on 9/5/23
Genres: Contemporary, Horror & Ghost Stories, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 292
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Seventeen-year-old Noelle Layne knows horror. Every trope, every warning sign, every survival tactic. She even leads a successful movie club dedicated to the genre. Who better to throw the ultimate, most exclusive Halloween party on all of Long Island?

With some of the top influencers in her school on the guest list, including gorgeous singer-songwriter Archer Mitchell, her popularity is bound to spike. She could really use the social boost for an upcoming brand expansion. Nothing is going to ruin this party.

Except…maybe the low budget It clown she hired for a stirring round of tag. He axes one of her classmates. From the looks of his devilish grin and bag full of killer tricks, he's just getting started.

A murderous clown is out for blood, but Noelle has been waiting her entire life to prove that she’s a Final Girl.

Short and Sweet Review

Noelle loves horror movies, she knows all the tropes, and survival tactics, she’s even in charge of the movie club at school. So Noelle decides to throw a halloween party and invites all the cool kids and even hires a clown. Unfortunately, this clown isn’t for show, he’s there to kill the party guests and even know’s some of their secrets. Noelle know’s she’s going to survive this because she’s final girl material.

This book was not good at all. Noelle loves horror movies and in her head because she has watched so many she thinks that makes her qualified to survive. When this killer clown named Gage crashes her party, well actually she paid for him but he goes off script, anyway she just know’s she’s going to survive hence the title of the book. There was nothing redeeming about this book, Noelle was rich and so were all of her friends but even with that fact Noelle thought she was better than them. I think my biggest problem was when this clown is going around killing everyone and Noelle is just thinking of movie plots and how she was going to survive, honestly there was no sense of urgency from her. The clown? He was ridiculous too. He also had no urgency, he came in to kill these kids but at one point he decides to use the bathroom in a birkin bag. I will say that scene had no business being as detailed as it was and it was just unhinged and from then on I knew this book wasn’t going to get any better… shitting (excuse my language) in a birkin bag?!? Just crazy. Anyway the motives of Gage the clown aren’t original and he could have done better than crashing a party full rich kids with no care, had no effect on them whatsoever. The ending was also trash and I kind of wish Noelle was not the final girl.

Overall, this was not a good book. I’m kind of upset that I’ve read two bad horror books in a row but oh well.

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