ICARUS By K. Ancrum

March 23, 2024 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.

ICARUS By K. AncrumIcarus by K. Ancrum
Published by HarperTeen on 3/26/24
Genres: Contemporary, LGBT, Mythology, Retellings, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 400
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Icarus Gallagher is a thief. He steals priceless art and replaces it with his father’s impeccable forgeries. For years, one man—the wealthy Mr. Black—has been their target in revenge for his role in the death of Icarus’s mother. To keep their secret, Icarus adheres to his own strict rules to keep people, and feelings, at bay: Don’t let anyone close. Don’t let anyone touch you. And, above all, don’t get caught.

Until one night, he does. Not by Mr. Black but by his mysterious son, Helios, now living under house arrest in the Black mansion. Instead of turning Icarus in, Helios bargains for something even more dangerous—a friendship that breaks every single one of Icarus’s rules.

As reluctance and distrust become closeness and something more, they uncover the gilded cage that has trapped both their families for years. One Icarus is determined to escape. But his father’s thirst for revenge shows no sign of fading, and soon it may force Icarus to choose: the escape he’s dreamed of, or the boy he’s come to love. Reaching for both could be his greatest triumph—or it could be his downfall.

Short and Sweet Review

Icarus is a thief and he and his father work together to steal valuable things from Mr. Black and replace them with forgeries. Mr. Black has been the target because of his involvement in the death of Icarus’s mother. To avoid being caught Icarus has to follow his father’s strict rules and that mainly leaves Icarus very isolated. One night while Icarus is in Mr. Blacks house he runs into Helios the son of Mr. Black who is under house arrest and like Icarus is pretty isolated and just wants a friend. This new friendship puts both boys in danger but Icarus is willing to risk it all.

Icarus is our main character and he tries to be a normal kid by day and by night he’s a thief. We see Icarus struggle with balancing these two things and it’s interesting when people at school start to notice. I will say one of the rules his father gave him is not to get close to people so Icarus doesn’t really know what its like to have friends which is why I appreciated when Luca and Celestina became his friend and taught him the meaning of friendship. Icarus is good at a lot of things but he does lack social skills which I will blame on the fact that he isn’t really allowed to have social time. When we meet Helios we see he’s currently being treated like a prisoner in his father’s house so even though he knows Icarus is stealing from his father he welcomes his company. We see Icarus risk his safety to spend more time with Helios and they begin to form a bond. I did like their relationship and how they cared about each other, I do kind of think they trauma bonded. The more time Icarus and Helios spend together they realize that their families hatred for each other is what led them to this very moment. Icarus wants to break the cycle and I liked that he was brave enough to stand up to his father to make a change for him and Helios.

Overall, this book was beautifully written, and the characters were ones you could connect to and want to see a happy ending for. I would recommend this book!

Filed Under: Reviews

UNDER THIS RED ROCK By Mindy McGinnis

March 18, 2024 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.

UNDER THIS RED ROCK By Mindy McGinnisUnder This Red Rock by Mindy McGinnis
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 3/19/24
Genres: Contemporary, LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 331
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Neely’s monsters don’t always follow her rules, so when the little girl under her bed, the man in her closet, and the disembodied voice that shadows her every move become louder, she knows she’s in trouble. With a history of mental illness in her family and the suicide of her older brother heavy on her mind, Neely takes a job as a tour guide in the one place her monsters can’t follow—the caverns. There . . . she meets Mila. Mila is everything Neely isn’t—beautiful, strong, and confident. As the two become closer, Neely’s innocent crush grows into something more. When a midnight staff party exposes Neely to drugs, she follows Mila’s lead . . . only to have her hallucinations escalate.

When Mila is found brutally murdered in the caverns, Neely has to admit that her memories of that night are vague at best. With her monsters now out in the open and her grip on reality slipping, Neely must figure out who killed Mila . . . and face the possibility that it might have been her.

Short and Sweet Review

Neely has monsters and they don’t always follow her rules. There’s a history of mental illness in her family and she recently lost her older brother Lance to suicide. Neely decides to get a first job where her monsters won’t follow her, so she becomes a tour guide at the caverns. At the caverns she meets Mila who seems to understand her and give her a chance. When the employees have a staff party to get to know each other. Neely ends up trying drugs and her hallucinations seem to go from 0-100. When the staff comes back after the weekend Mila is found dead and Neely has no idea what happened or if she was even the cause of it.

Let me start by saying mental health is really important and our main character Neely is suffering from something that I can’t diagnose but I can tell you guys that she hears multiple different voices in her head, from the girl under her bed to the guy in her closet. It was interesting to see how Neely would deal with this and honestly she would just go with it and have conversations with these voices so she looked crazy to everyone around her especially her coworkers. I think because its a small town and people knew about her brothers suicide it didn’t make it any better that she would be in public having conversations with herself and doing different voices. Neely lives with her grandparents and they know something isn’t quite right with her but I wish they would have gotten her help sooner. I also think because Neely has been so isolated she doesn’t have great social skills so when she does start asking people questions about Mila’s murder she’s not so tactful. The setting of the caverns were pretty cool and I liked that Neely was somewhat okay while she was there. It’s there that she meets Mila and eventually gets a crush on her. I think on Neely’s side it was more of a crush and in her head it could go places but Mila really just saw their interactions as friendship. When Mila dies Neely kind of spirals and I think people take the fact that there’s something wrong with her to pin the murder on her. I think because of this we have a narrator we don’t know if we could trust or not which I liked because we have to think about what could have happened in the caverns that night.

Under This Red Rock, was a great book. I liked McGinnis’s portrayal of mental health and the plot of this book. Neely is a character you want to root for but there’s also seeds of doubt that make you question her. I definitely recommend this book, it was a unique and a captivating read!

Filed Under: Reviews

CURSED CRUISE By Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren

March 15, 2024 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.

CURSED CRUISE By Victoria Fulton and Faith McClarenCursed Cruise by Faith McClaren, Victoria Fulton
Series: Horror Hotel #2
Published by Underlined on 3/19/24
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 288
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

All aboard...

After their fateful stay at the Hearst Hotel, the Ghost Gang is back with more spooks and more subscribers. They’ve been invited to record onboard the RMS Queen Anne, a transatlantic luxury ocean liner with a colorful past of violent deaths of hundreds of passengers—souls that bought a one-way ticket to the afterlife (and never disembarked).

When Chrissy, Chase, Kiki, and Emma board the ship, they have a funny feeling they’ve been sucked into a ghostly time warp—a theory that takes a frightening turn when Chrissy goes missing on the first night.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the group, Chrissy has been sucked into another time by a passenger who wants the Ghost Gang to know her untimely death was not an accident and the perpetrator is still alive—and on board this ship.

Short and Sweet Review

After their stay at the Hearst Hotel the ghost gang has been invited to set sail on the RMS Queen Anne. The ship has a history of passengers dying violent deaths. While on board it’s Chrissy who realizes the ship isn’t just haunted it is being cursed.

The ghost gang is back and after their last video went viral they’ve gained a lot of subscribers. Now they’re going on the RMS Queen Anne to shoot another video for their channel and maybe even score a TV gig. It doesn’t take long for Chrissy to realize something is different about the hauntings on the ship compared to what she has dealt with before. In the book Chrissy ends up being possessed by one of the passengers who was previously on the ship who was murdered, and she won’t stop her haunting until the truth about her death is revealed. We see Chase, Emma, and Kiki try to learn more about the ship and the passengers who are currently ghost. Emma and Kiki are now an item in this book but they don’t really spend a lot of time together because they have bigger things to worry about. Same with Chase and Chrissy not spending a lot of time together but also Chrissy isn’t herself for most of the book. I did like that this book took place on a ship it had a Titanic feel to it and honestly I could say some of the undead passengers remind me of certain characters from the movie. The book started off a little slow but it really did pick up and I did enjoy following the each of the characters. Its a very quick read and once you get to the hauntings you won’t want to put the book down.

Cursed Cruise, was a good book. I was happy to see that Horror Hotel got a sequel and this book was just as good as the first. I’m hoping there’s going to be another installment in this series! I would recommend this book if you like reading about true stories but with a paranormal ghost twist to them!

Filed Under: Reviews

THE OTHER LOLA By Ripley Jones

March 9, 2024 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.

THE OTHER LOLA By Ripley JonesThe Other Lola by Ripley Jones
Published by Wednesday Books on 3/12/24
Genres: LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 329
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

In the months after Cam and Blair broke their small hometown’s legendary missing-girl story and catapulted to accidental fame, they vowed never to do it again. No more mysteries, no more podcasts, and no more sticking their heads where they don’t belong.

Until Mattie Brosillard, a freshman at their high school, shows up on their doorstep, begging Cam and Blair for help. Mattie's sister Lola disappeared mysteriously five years ago. No trace of her was ever found. Now, she's back--but Mattie is convinced the girl who returned is an impostor. Nobody believes Mattie's wild story--not Mattie's brother, not Mattie's mother, and not even Cam and Blair. But something is definitely wrong in the Brosillard family. And Blair has her own reasons for wanting to know what really happened to Lola while she was gone.

With Cam and Blair still struggling with the aftermath of their first mystery—and with new secrets swirling between them

Short and Sweet Review

Five years ago Mattie’s older sister Lola went missing, and out of the blue someone claiming to be Lola is trying to come back into Mattie’s life. Everyone in Mattie’s life including her older brother and mom believe Lola is back but Mattie knows that this stranger isn’t her sister and that’s when she decides to ask Cam and Blair for help, after all they did solve a case before.

After what happened in Missing Clarissa when Cam and Blair solved the case of Clarissa and shot themselves to fame, they declared they would never do another podcast or solve another case. When Mattie comes to them asking for help Blair is more willing to accept the case but Cam is very adamant she wants no parts of this. We see that the aftermath of the last case really took a toll on Cam, she has nightmares and she realizes that the people closest to her could have gotten hurt, and even worse there’s a whole bunch of internet trolls who keep coming for her and Blair. Cam is sticking to her guns in this book, and at some points her attitude about it is kind of off-putting but I understand where she’s coming from, but because of her attitude I found myself enjoying Blairs POV more. In the last book we saw Blair was the reluctant one but in this book she takes more of a lead. Blairs motivation for solving this case comes from the fact that a publisher from New York called her about a book deal and Blair needed a story and Mattie came at the perfect time. Both Blair and Cam don’t exactly believe Mattie because her story does sound far fetched especially because when Lola went missing Mattie was a little kid so how good is her memory about what happened that night. Cam and Blair are cautious about how they approach this case, they know for sure that their won’t be a podcast but they’re also not sure about what danger is involved. Mattie was an okay character she annoyed me more often than not. I thought of Mattie being more of a hinderance than an asset. Whenever Blair and Cam would suspect someone Mattie would kind of freak out and say no that person couldn’t have done it because they were always nice to me, I just thought she let her feelings dictate what was actually logical.

I found myself enjoying this book a lot more than the first, and I think it’s because in Missing Clarissa they really didn’t know what they were doing with solving mysteries or even starting a podcast. In this book it seems a little more cut and dry, interview people that were with Lola the night she went missing and try to figure out what happened that night. I did like the story and seeing the character development that both Blair and Cam had. The Other Lola is actually a pretty good book and its not often that someone comes back from going missing and isn’t actually the person they’re claiming to be but it does happen so it wasn’t a crazy idea that I couldn’t believe. I think the best thing about this book was that Lola wasn’t immediately accused of being someone else by Cam and Blair but they did have their evidence first.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot! I will say that I think Missing Clarissa needs to be read first just so you can have the background knowledge about why our characters are the way they are now. I truly believe that this book was better than the first and I definitely recommend it!

Filed Under: Reviews

ONE LAST BREATH By Ginny Myers Sain

February 28, 2024 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.

ONE LAST BREATH By Ginny Myers SainOne Last Breath by Ginny Myers Sain
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers on 3/5/24
Genres: LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Mount Orange, Florida, is famous for two things: Cerulean freshwater springs, ideal for free divers who aren't afraid of lurking gators. And the gruesome cold case murder of best friends, Bailey and Celeste, twenty years ago.

Bailey and Celeste's murders cast a permanent darkness over sunny Mount Orange. Tru has always lived in that shadow. Now she's supposed to head to FSU in the fall with her boyfriend, but those unsolved murders -- and the death of her own sister -- invade her every thought. It’s only in the shadowy deep of Hidden Glen Springs that she can breathe.

When a strange girl named Rio rolls into town, hell-bent on figuring out who killed Bailey and Celeste, Tru can't resist entangling herself in the thrill of solving the decades old mystery any more than she can resist her familiar, aching attraction to Rio.

As the summer heat ignites, so does the spark between Tru and Rio...along with their other-worldy connection to Bailey and Celeste. But when someone begins stalking them, the girls become convinced the killer is back in town. And if they keep digging into the past, Tru and Rio know this time, it could be their blood that makes the springs run red.

Short and Sweet Review

Years ago two teen girls, Bailey and Celeste were murdered in Mount Orange, Florida, and since than that’s what the town is famous for. Tru wasn’t even alive when the murders occurred but she feels connected to the girls and can’t get them out of her head. Tru lives in a small town, where everyone knows everyone, so it’s pretty shocking when newcomer Rio comes into town. Tru feels like she has a connection to Rio and it gets even weirder that Rio says she also feels a connection with Bailey in Celeste. Tru and Rio start to dig around for more information but the killer is still out there and they don’t want to be found after all these years.

Our main character is Tru and she hasn’t had the easiest life, her sister died and she blames herself for it, and also her mom has an alcohol problem. Tru usually escapes her problems by going diving with a few people she knows. Tru is dating East which is the mayors nephew. I will say I didn’t like their relationship, it felt like they were together because they’ve known each other since childhood and it’s just something you do. You could also tell that East liked Tru more than she liked him especially when Rio rolled into town. Anyway we learn that Tru has been obsessed over the case of Bailey and Celeste mainly because its a cold case and she really can’t put her finger on why she cares so much. Rio is like an anomaly, she’s new to town, likes diving, and is also very interested in the case. But Rio’s interest in the case makes everyone weary of her and her actual intentions. We see these two spend time together and also try to figure out what happened on the night Bailey and Celeste were killed. I will say I thought their connection of past lives was a little far out there but I guess it could be possible. I think two of my problems with this book were one, Tru going back and forth with whether or not she could trust Rio, and two, both of them not doing the greatest detective work and someone getting hurt because of false accusations. I did like the mystery and it was hard to tell who could have done it. I thought it was interesting that Tru and Rio were using their connection to Bailey and Celeste to find clues about the case and try to piece things together.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book that did have some flaws. I do think the idea of two people from a past life reuniting to solve their murder was interesting and it took a while for me to wrap my head around but I can get with the idea. I liked the small town feel of everything, I do think the relationship between Tru and Rio could have been better if there was more trust but looking back at it Tru jumped in real quick with her feelings and it left a lot of room for doubt. This was a good read and I recommend it to anyone who likes cold cases and small town mysteries!

Filed Under: Reviews

WE GOT THE BEAT By Jenna Miller

February 19, 2024 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.

WE GOT THE BEAT By Jenna MillerWe Got the Beat by Jenna Miller
Published by Quill Tree Books on 2/20/24
Genres: Contemporary, LGBT, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 347
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Jordan Elliott is a fat, nerdy lesbian and the first junior to be named editor in chief of the school newspaper. Okay, that last part hasn’t happened yet, but it will. It’s positive thinking that has gotten Jordan this far. Ever since Mackenzie West, her friend-turned-enemy, humiliated her at the start of freshman year, Jordan has thrown herself into journalism and kept her eyes trained on the future.

So it’s a total blow when Jordan discovers that she not only didn’t get the editor in chief spot, but she’s been assigned the volleyball beat instead. And who is the star and newly crowned captain of the volleyball team? Mackenzie West. But words are Jordan’s weapon, and she has some ideas about how to exact a long-awaited revenge on her nemesis. Then things get murky when forced time together has Mack and Jordan falling back into their friendship and into something more. And when Mack confesses the real reason she turned on Jordan freshman year, it has Jordan questioning everything—past, present, and future.

If Jordan lets her guard down and Mack in, will she get everything she wants, or will she be humiliated all over again?

Short and Sweet Review

It’s Jordan’s junior year and she wants to be the editor in chief of the school newspaper, but instead she gets the job of writing about the schools volleyball team. It would be a doable job if Jordan’s former friend Mackenzie wasn’t the captain of the team. Jordan and Mackenzie used to be friends until Mackenzie humiliated Jordan Freshman year for reasons she still doesn’t understand. When Jordan starts spending time with Mackenzie it feels like old times, and she eventually learns why Mackenzie did what she did which changes everything. The only thing is, Jordan doesn’t know if she can let Mackenzie back in.

We Got the Beat is a cute book. I did enjoy following Jordan’s character. She had a good support system and I liked her best friends Audrey and Isaac, I will say even though Audrey was looking out for Jordan she did overstep at times. The main reason I wanted to read this book was because I wanted to know what caused the falling out between Jordan and Mackenzie. The reveal was pretty good and made sense and I feel like Mackenzie didn’t handle it the best way but she did what she thought was best at the time. I did enjoy the little snippets of Jordan’s articles that would eventually be in the paper. I think the build up to Jordan and Mackenzies new found friendship had a lot of obstacles in the way like Jordan not completely trusting Mackenzie because of what happened in the past and Jordan choosing to believe everyone except for Mackenzie. I’m trying to avoid spoiling what happened between these two because it really makes everything come full circle in the end. The writing was good and had me looking forward to what would happen next. Honestly my only issue was Audrey, who I know had good intentions, but she should really run things past the people who are involved before just making the decisions for people.

Overall, this was a cute book and I loved Jordan and Mackenzie try to figure out how to move forward and get over what happened in the past. It’s a quick and easy read and it has two characters who may be meant to be more than just friends.

Filed Under: Reviews

ESCAPING MR. ROCHESTER

January 10, 2024 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.

ESCAPING MR. ROCHESTEREscaping Mr. Rochester by L.L. McKinney
Published by HarperTeen on 1/16/24
Genres: Historical, LGBT, Retellings, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Jane Eyre has no interest in a husband. Eager to make her own way in the world, she accepts the governess position at Thornfield Hall.

Though her new employer, Edward Rochester, has a charming air—not to mention a handsome face—Jane discovers that his smile can sharpen in an instant. Plagued by Edward’s mercurial mood and the strange wails that echo through the corridors, Jane grows suspicious of the secrets hidden within Thornfield Hall—unaware of the true horrors lurking above her very head.

On the topmost floor, Bertha Mason is trapped in more ways than one. After her whirlwind marriage to Edward turned into a nightmare, he locked her away as revenge for withholding her inheritance. Now his patience grows thin in the face of Bertha’s resilience and Jane’s persistent questions, and both young women are in more danger than they realize.

When their only chance at safety—and perhaps something more—is in each other’s arms, can they find and keep one another safe before Edward’s dark machinations close in around them?

Short and Sweet Review

Jane has recently taken a position at Thornfield Hall to be the governess. Jane meets Edward Rochester her new employer who seems charming enough but he has a dark side. Jane spends most of her days with Adele, but one day she comes across Bertha. Bertha is Mrs. Rochester and Edward has her chained upstairs where others are forbidden to go. Jane knows that she has to save Bertha and get Adele out of Thornfield Hall as well, but its going to be hard for all three to make it out alive.

I’m going to be honest, I never read Jane Eyre and I don’t know much about these characters so I dived into this book clueless. We get the POV of both Jane and Bertha. Jane is young and optimistic that this position at Thornfield Hall is going to be a fit for her. It takes a bit for Adele to warm up to her but when she does her and Jane become close and Adele even confides in her about how off Mr. Rochester is and that Bertha is locked up. Bertha on the other hand is trying to stay strong and escape. She’s locked up and the only person that really sees her is Grace when she’s bringing up food. When Jane and Bertha finally meet Jane knows that this whole situation is wrong and is determined to free Bertha. Edward has Bertha locked up only to get her inheritance and he hired Jane for some other nefarious plan he has. Edward isn’t around a lot but when he is in a scene we can tell he’s off he’ll explode and then come back apologizing for his behavior. There’s also a few servants in the house and we know which ones we can’t trust based off of Bertha’s POV but there’s one that seems okay. The pacing is a bit slow but I was okay with it mainly because I think it was done to build everything up. When Jane and Bertha meet there is a bit of a connection. I didn’t particularly enjoy the romance, because I don’t think they knew each other long enough and it was nice that they would exchange letters but it wasn’t enough for me to be like “yeah they totally belong together,” I would have preferred for those two to be friends. I will say Adele was a great character to and for someone only being 10 she was wise beyond her years.

Overall, for a retelling this book was great. I loved the characters and the plot. If you haven’t read Jane Eyre like me it’s okay because everything was easy to follow and it all made sense. You should pick this book up and get transported to a different time and where maybe Jane and Bertha are the one true pair.

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

THE LAST GIRLS STANDING By Jennifer Dugan

November 29, 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 LAST GIRLS STANDING By Jennifer DuganThe Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers on 8/15/23
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 315
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Sloan and Cherry. Cherry and Sloan. They met only a few days before masked men with machetes attacked the summer camp where they worked, a massacre that left the rest of their fellow counselors dead. Now, months later, the two are inseparable, their traumatic experience bonding them in ways no one else can understand.

But as new evidence comes to light and Sloan learns more about the motives behind the ritual killing that brought them together, she begins to suspect that her girlfriend may be more than just a survivor—she may actually have been a part of it. Cherry tries to reassure her, but Sloan only becomes more distraught. Is this gaslighting or reality? Is Cherry a victim or a perpetrator? Is Sloan confused, or is she seeing things clearly for the very first time? Against all odds, Sloan survived that hot summer night. But will she survive what comes next?

Short and Sweet Review

Sloan and Cherry worked at a summer camp that was unfortunately attacked by a cult and Sloan and Cherry were the only two survivors. The two girls end up trauma bonding and are now in a relationship. When more news is released about the cult and what their motives may be , Sloan because paranoid and starts to think that Cherry was somehow involved.

I’m not going to lie or sugar coat it, but this book was one painful read. I pick up books based off the synopsis and this one sounded pretty good but I feel like I got hoodwinked, bamboozled, lead astray. We only get Sloans POV but this girl is so messed up it’s hard to root for her or even try to understand why she’s doing what she’s doing, if anything she’s the real villain. Sloan goes to therapy to try to recover her memories from that night and she thinks that Cherry is hiding things from her, but Sloan also tries to make nothing out of something more often than not in this book. Cherry also wasn’t doing herself any favors by hiding things from Sloan with the excuse that she’s trying to protect her. Sloan and Cherry were exhausting, I get that their circumstances brought them closer together but its like they couldn’t go without seeing each other, their relationship was suffocating. There was also a point in the book were Sloan meets up with an old friend which was nice because it was time away from Cherry, but then we never see him again so it was pointless. Also Sloan is determined to learn what happened that night at camp so she meets up with one of the cult members in prison. I think that Sloan was willing to believe anything to make Cherry the bad guy in this situation and nothing was going to change her mind. The ending… I don’t even know what to make of it, but I do know that it was awful but so was the rest of the book.

The Last Girls Standing, was a book that I regret purchasing and someone said it best when they described it as “two dysfunctional lesbians arguing for 75% of the book.” I’m hoping that the other books that I have by Jennifer Dugan are better because this book was not it.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE GRIMROSE GIRLS By Laura Pohl

November 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.

THE GRIMROSE GIRLS By Laura PohlThe Grimrose Girls by Laura Pohl
Series: Grimrose Girls #1
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on 10/26/21
Genres: Fairy Tales & Folklore, Fantasy & Magic, LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Retellings, Young Adult
Pages: 267
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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After the mysterious death of their best friend, Ella, Yuki, and Rory are the talk of their elite school, Grimrose Académie. The police ruled Ariane's death as a suicide, but the trio are determined to find out what really happened.

When Nani Eszes arrives as their newest roommate, it sets into motion a series of events that no one could have predicted. As the girls retrace their friend's final days, they discover a dark secret about Grimrose—Ariane wasn't the first dead girl.

They soon learn that all the past murders are connected to ancient fairytale curses…and that their own fates are tied to the stories, dooming the girls to brutal and gruesome endings unless they can break the cycle for good.

Short and Sweet Review

Yuki, Ella, and Rory are still reeling after the mysterious death of their best friend Ariane, and they’re just trying to make sense of it all. Ariane’s death was ruled a suicide but her friends know she wouldn’t even attempt to swim in the lake so they know something is up. Nani is a new student at the academy and she ends up rooming with Yuki and Rory. Nani’s appearance ends up setting in to motion the investigation into Ariane’s final days. The girls end up finding a book Ariane was looking at that has fairy tales and Ariane was connecting the fairy tales to students and how they would die. Following this lead the girls find out that Ariane wasn’t the only death at the academy.

This book was interesting and I loved the premise. Each of the girls is very different, Yuki is the protector and Ella is the caretaker, while Rory is rough around the edges and has a lot of emotions. Nani is one who I’m still trying to figure out, she came to Grimrose to learn more about her dad and she finds another mystery instead. Each girl gets their own POV and I didn’t have a specific one that I liked but I feel like I couldn’t really get to know them as well as I would have if the book was longer and just one POV. I did like that the fairy tale stories were connected to how someone would die, and these aren’t Disney fairy tales these were like the Grimm Brothers versions. The mystery was good and I loved the setting of the academy and the darkness of it all just set the mood. This first book is pretty short and I feel like there were a lot of things left to be answered. I’m interested to see what’s going to happen in the next book, and I’m hoping for more development and more of a connection to these characters.

Filed Under: Reviews