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

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

REGGIE AND DELILAH’S YEAR OF FALLING By Elise Bryant

January 23, 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.

REGGIE AND DELILAH’S YEAR OF FALLING By Elise BryantReggie and Delilah's Year of Falling by Elise Bryant
Published by Balzer + Bray on 1/31/23
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 400
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Delilah always keeps her messy, gooey insides hidden behind a wall of shrugs and yeah, whatevers. She goes with the flow—which is how she ends up singing in her friends’ punk band as a favor, even though she’d prefer to hide at the merch table.

Reggie is a D&D Dungeon Master and self-declared Blerd. He spends his free time leading quests and writing essays critiquing the game under a pseudonym, keeping it all under wraps from his disapproving family.

These two, who have practically nothing in common, meet for the first time on New Year’s Eve. And then again on Valentine’s Day. And then again on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s almost like the universe is pushing them together for a reason.

Delilah wishes she were more like Reggie—open about what she likes and who she is, even if it’s not cool. Except . . . it’s all a front. Reggie is just role-playing someone confident. The kind of guy who could be with a girl like Delilah.

As their holiday meetings continue, the two begin to fall for each other. But what happens once they realize they’ve each fallen for a version of the other that doesn’t really exist?

Short and Sweet Review

Delilah is starting off the new year in a band as a favor to her friend. Delilah likes to go with the flow but she’s not sure about being on stage and being part of the center of attention. Reggie is into Dungeons and Dragons and is the dungeon master, he’s actually pretty popular online where he writes essays critiquing the game but he does it under a pseudonym. Reggie and Delilah first meet on New Years Eve and that’s just the beginning of their Holiday meet cutes. The more that these two bump into each other the more that they get to know each other but the problem is they’re starting to fall for a version of each other that isn’t really who they are in their real lives, Delilah isn’t the confident punk rocker you see on stage and Reggie isn’t the cool nerd who’s proud of his Dungeon and Dragons life.

I loved this book so much! I read this book in one sitting and honestly I would do it again! Reggie and Delilah were characters you could relate to. I love how all of their holiday meet ups were coincidence until they decided to take matters into their own hands and start hanging out without it being a holiday. We see Delilah in her band and she’s treated like a second class citizen, they’re using her because she’s bringing them more recognition. When Delilah realizes this she decides that she wants to take a page out of Reggies book and be proud of her own music and be her own person. Unfortunately that’s not who Reggie really is, his family doesn’t get his love for D&D and even his brother makes fun of him. It’s not until we get to the plot where Delilah realizes that Reggie isn’t who she thought he is, that Reggie realizes that he can be that person and finally stands up to everyone who made him feel like he was less than for his passion.

Again I loved this book for the characters, the meet cutes, and the character growth. This is a book that I will recommend to all of my friends, its a must read! You’ll love the characters and the plot!

Filed Under: Reviews

RUST IN THE ROOT By Justina Ireland

September 15, 2022 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.

RUST IN THE ROOT By Justina IrelandRust in the Root by Justina Ireland
Published by Balzer + Bray on 9/20/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Young Adult
Pages: 440
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

It is 1937, and Laura Ann Langston lives in an America divided—between those who work the mystical arts and those who do not. Ever since the Great Rust, a catastrophic event that blighted the arcane force called the Dynamism and threw America into disarray, the country has been rebuilding for a better future. And everyone knows the future is industry and technology—otherwise known as Mechomancy—not the traditional mystical arts.

Laura disagrees. A talented young queer mage from Pennsylvania, Laura hopped a portal to New York City on her seventeenth birthday with hopes of earning her mage’s license and becoming something more than a rootworker.

But four months later, she’s got little to show for it other than an empty pocket and broken dreams. With nowhere else to turn, Laura applies for a job with the Bureau of the Arcane’s Conservation Corps, a branch of the US government dedicated to repairing the Dynamism so that Mechomancy can thrive. There she meets the Skylark, a powerful mage with a mysterious past, who reluctantly takes Laura on as an apprentice.

As they’re sent off on their first mission together into the heart of the country’s oldest and most mysterious Blight, they discover the work of mages not encountered since the darkest period in America’s past, when Black mages were killed for their power—work that could threaten Laura’s and the Skylark’s lives, and everything they’ve worked for.

Short and Sweet Review

Laura moved to New York to follow her dreams of opening up a bakery but unfortunately she’s down on her luck because New York isn’t so kind to new comers. Laura is getting kicked out of the current place she’s living and she needs to find somewhere to go asap, which is when she meets a unicorn that suggests she gets a job at the Bureau of the Arcane’s Conservation Corps. Its here that Laura can actually use her magic without getting in trouble, Laura has the gift of using the potential in something like a seed and making it into something new. Laura meets the Skylark a powerful mage who takes Laura on as her apprentice. Together they’re sent on a mission to a blight and there’s more going on than what they were briefed on.

A little backstory, America is divided: those who can use the mystic arts and those who can’t. There was an event called the great rust which was catastrophic and now America is trying to rebuild. The world building is great once you understand what’s going on. There is different magic that can be used and we see most of them like talking to animals, healing, and necromancy. Laura is different because she’s able to dabble with all of them but she has to keep that to herself because its not really allowed.

Laura and the Skylark and joined by others in the colored auxiliary and sent to the Ohio Deep Blight to try to figure out what’s going on there and what happened to the team that was sent before them. This is where things get really interesting because things are not right in Ohio and team members start to be attacked one by one and its looking like someone on the team is in on it. Everyone has some type of magic that they’re able to use and in Ohio it seems like simple things are draining them and they’re not able to do even half of what they can when they’re not in the blight. I will say its kind of eerie like what is going on in the blight that there’s creatures roaming around and people going missing.

This book was so different from anything I’ve read involving magic before. I will say that the way that magic is being used in this book takes some getting used to and there’s more than one mystic art. The Skylark also had a journal or case notes where she documented everything that happened and I will say that threw me for a loop because I wasn’t sure what to trust. Laura is strong and I don’t think she truly knew her potential until the end of the book and I loved her, she never backed down. This is a book I won’t forget about anytime soon and I recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a book that’ll keep you engaged from the first page until the last page!

Filed Under: Reviews

RISE OF THE VICIOUS PRINCESS By C.J. Redwine

June 11, 2022 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.

RISE OF THE VICIOUS PRINCESS By C.J. RedwineRise of the Vicious Princess by C.J. Redwine
Published by Balzer + Bray on 6/14/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Princess Charis Willowthorn is the dutiful sword of Calera. Raised to be ruthless and cunning, her only goal is to hold her war-torn kingdom together long enough to find a path toward peace with their ancient foe Montevallo, even if the cost is her own heart.

When violence erupts in the castle itself, nearly killing the queen, Charis must assume her mother’s duties and manage both the war and her kingdom. But as an unseen enemy begins sinking Calera’s ships, Charis realizes a threat much greater than Montevallo is coming for her people. So she forms a plan.

By day, she is Calera’s formidable princess intent on forging an alliance with Montevallo. By night, she disguises herself as a smuggler and roams the sea with a trusted group of loyalists, hunting for their new enemies. And through it all, she accidentally falls in love with the wrong boy.

But her enemies are much closer than Charis realizes, and her heart isn’t the only thing she has left to lose.

Sweet and Short Review

Charis is the Princess of Calera, she was raised to be ruthless by her mother so that people will know she isn’t one to try to walk all over. Charis will do anything for her kingdom even if it means giving up her own happiness. That’s just what she decides to do in order to end the war between Calera and Montevallo. But when Charis realizes that Montevallo is the only enemy Calera has to worry about she decides to put her life in danger by becoming a smuggler by night to try to find out who is sinking Calera’s ships.

This was a really good book, it took a while to be captivated by it but once I was I couldn’t put it down. Calera has been at war with Montevallo for some time and when Montevallo attacks Calera, Charis knows something has to be done. After the attack Charis gets a new personal guard, Tal. There is chemistry between the two but they both know that a relationship would never be allowed. Tal does a great job at taking care of Charis and giving her advice. After listening to Tal give his input on a situation Charis knows that the only way to have peace between Calera and Montevallo is to offer herself and get married to one of Montevallo’s princes. Even after this there are still attacks and this is when we learn that Montevallo isn’t the only one attacking Calera. When Charis sees that Calera’s ships are sinking she decides to disguise herself as a smuggler and find out who is attacking them from the sea.

Going into this book I wasn’t so sure that I would be able to connect Charis because she’s a strong female character and her mother has raised her not to take any nonsense from anyone and she’s very quick to let people know her place. I’m glad that Redwine added scenes with Charis and her father because when she’s with her father she lets her walls come down and you can see that she is a softy. I liked seeing Charis, Tal, Holland, and Nailani together, it made me happy to see that Charis had a good support system she didn’t have to be the calculating princess around them and she was able to run ideas with them. The plot is well written and the pacing is good. I will say after reading the synopsis that I thought the whole smuggling thing would happen sooner but that didn’t take place until a little past the halfway point. The ending was a twist I wasn’t expecting and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next because there was a lot of action packed into those last few chapters and I can’t wait to see how Charis will deal with everything. This was an action packed book that will have you on the edge of your seat and will leave you wanting more!

Filed Under: Reviews

TOP TEN By Katie Cotugno

June 11, 2022 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.

TOP TEN By Katie CotugnoTop Ten by Katie Cotugno
Published by Balzer + Bray on 10/3/17
Genres: Contemporary, LGBT, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Ryan McCullough and Gabby Hart are the unlikeliest of best friends. Prickly, anxious Gabby would rather do literally anything than go to a party. Ultra-popular Ryan is a hockey star who can get any girl he wants—and frequently does.

But somehow their relationship just works; from dorky Monopoly nights to rowdy house parties to the top ten lists they make about everything under the sun.

Now, on the night of high school graduation, everything is suddenly changing—in their lives, and in their relationship. As they try to figure out what they mean to each other and where to go from here, they make a final top ten list: this time, counting down the top ten moments of their friendship.

Short and Sweet Review

Gabby and Ryan are polar opposites but somehow it works because they’re also best friends, they like playing monopoly on Friday nights and going to house parties and making top ten list. Now its the night of high school graduation and they decide to make a top ten list of the moments of their friendship.

This book was a HOT MESS. I didn’t even know what was going on half the time because the timeline is all over the place. Gabby is an unlikeable character, she struggles with anxiety which is understandable but the way she treats people just got on my nerves. If someone told her something that was true but not what she wanted to her she would basically shut down and go off. Ryan is just your basic jock boy. I don’t understand how this was supposed to show “top ten moments of their friendship” because all I got was an insight into their toxic relationship. Most of these moments just showed them fighting and saying hurtful things to each other. I was hoping that this would get better but it just got worse. I didn’t think I would be reading about “friends” who fight almost every time they’re together and at one point they even stopped talking for five months. Nothing about this book was charming and it does not show relationship goals. I would say that Gabby and Ryan don’t make a good couple but I’m not even sure if they make good friends. Katie Cotugno books are hit or miss for me and this one was a big miss and all I wanted was to finish this book as fast as possible and forget the dumpster fire that it was and the awful characters that I couldn’t even remotely relate to. I don’t recommend this book, it wasn’t what I was expecting from a “romance” novel.

Filed Under: Reviews

TWIN CROWNS By Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber

May 17, 2022 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.

TWIN CROWNS By Catherine Doyle and Katherine WebberTwin Crowns by Catherine Doyle, Katherine Webber
Series: Twin Crowns #1
Published by Balzer + Bray on 5/17/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 474
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Wren Greenrock has always known that one day she would steal her sister’s place in the palace. Trained from birth to return to the place of her parents’ murder and usurp the only survivor, she will do anything to rise to power and protect the community of witches she loves. Or she would, if only a certain palace guard wasn’t quite so distractingly attractive, and if her reckless magic didn’t have a habit of causing trouble…

Princess Rose Valhart knows that with power comes responsibility. Marriage into a brutal kingdom awaits, and she will not let a small matter like waking up in the middle of the desert in the company of an extremely impertinent (and handsome) kidnapper get in the way of her royal duty. But life outside the palace walls is wilder and more beautiful than she ever imagined, and the witches she has long feared might turn out to be the family she never knew she was missing.

Two sisters separated at birth and raised into entirely different worlds are about to get to know each other’s lives a whole lot better. But as coronation day looms closer and they each strive to claim their birthright, the sinister Kingsbreath, Willem Rathborne, becomes increasingly determined that neither will succeed. Who will ultimately rise to power and wear the crown?

Short and Sweet Review

When Rose and Wren were just born their parents were murdered and since then the sisters have been split up and live very different lives. Wren has lived with her grandmother and other witches training to one day take her sisters place on the throne and protect witches. Rose on the other hand was raised in the palace and she’s ready to take on her responsibilities even if they means marrying a prince from a brutal kingdom. The time comes for Wren to switch places with Rose and finally take the throne while Rose wakes up in the middle of a desert with her kidnapper taking her to the community of witches.

This book was hard to put down from the beginning, we get right into the action. Wren and Rose are twins but they are two completely different people. Rose has been taught to fear witches because Willem Rathborne the Kingsbreath has told her a witch killed her parents. Wren has grown up with witches and she knows the truth, that Willem Rathborne killed her parents and to get his grip off of the kingdom Wren needs to impersonate her sister and kill Rathborne.

When Wren starts her life in the palace she quickly tries to get adjusted to Roses life and trying to fool those closest to Rose. Wren meets Ansel the Prince Rose is engaged to and she also meets his guard Tor. Tor keeps a close eye on Wren because he can tell she’s up to something. Wren also has to be conspicuous with her magic use and make sure it doesn’t cause any trouble. Rose is also coming to terms with the fact that everything she’s learned throughout her life has been a lie.

I loved the plot of this book and seeing how each twin had to adjust to their new circumstances. I loved reading about the scenery from the desert to the cliffs. Both twins were great characters and having the alternating chapters between Wren and Rose added to the fast pace of the book. The story was amazing and I loved the element of witches and seeing the spells. Twin Crowns had two amazing heroines and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.

Filed Under: Reviews

LULU AND MILAGRO’S SEARCH FOR CLARITY By Angela Velez

February 7, 2022 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.

LULU AND MILAGRO’S SEARCH FOR CLARITY By Angela VelezLulu and Milagro's Search for Clarity by Angela Velez
Published by Balzer + Bray on 2/8/22
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Pages: 388
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Overachiever Luz “Lulu” Zavala has straight As, perfect attendance, and a solid ten-year plan. First up: nail her interview for a dream internship at Stanford, the last stop on her school’s cross-country college road trip. The only flaw in her plan is Clara, her oldest sister, who went off to college and sparked a massive fight with their overprotective Peruvian mom, who is now convinced that out-of-state-college will destroy their family. If Lulu can’t fix whatever went wrong between them, the whole trip—and her future—will be a waste.

Middle sister Milagro wants nothing to do with college or a nerdy class field trip. Then a spot opens up on the trip just as her own spring break plans (Operation Don’t Die a Virgin) are thwarted, and she hops on the bus with her glittery lipsticks, more concerned about getting back at her ex than she is about schools or any family drama. But the trip opens her eyes about possibilities she’d never imagined for herself. Maybe she is more than the boy-crazy girl everyone seems to think she is.

On a journey from Baltimore all the way to San Francisco, Lulu and Milagro will become begrudging partners as they unpack weighty family expectations, uncover Clara’s secrets, and maybe even discover the true meaning of sisterhood.

Short and Sweet Review

Lulu and her sister Milagro are complete opposites, Lulu is an over-achiever and Milagro seems to care more about boys than her studies. Their older sister Clara is in college and Clara is the sister that seems like she can do no wrong, until she came home from winter break and got in an argument with their mom and hasn’t spoken to her since. Now there’s some tension in the house whenever Clara is mentioned. Lulu needs Clara and her mom to make up so that Lulu can go to a summer program at Stanford but it seems impossible to make this happen, but Lulu has a plan, during the college tour with her high school she’ll find Clara and figure out what went wrong. On the other hand Milagro is more worried about not dying a virgin so she has plans to have sex with her boyfriend while her mom is on a prayer trip and Lulu is on a college tour. Unfortunately for Milagro things go wrong and she ends up having to go on the college tour with Lulu much to her displeasure.

Lulu and Milagro are very different which was great in that you could read each POV and know who you were reading about. Lulu takes school very seriously and even though Milagro seems like she doesn’t she’s actually an honor student. We see Lulu struggling with the fact that she doesn’t think her mom will go out of state for college because of the rift with Clara, she just wants Clara to talk to her mom and sort it all out so she can pursue her dreams. Milagro has a boyfriend Pablo who’s basically a scum bag anyway things don’t go according to plan when they’re about to hook up and she breaks up with him. After that Milagro is informed about the school trip and is invited to go and she’s told to watch over Lulu. Lulu makes an effort to make Milagro feel better but Milagro has other things on her mind… College boys.

Lulu and Milagro try to hangout but again they’re so vastly different and in each other’s heads they just find reasons about why they can’t really hangout, Lulu is too studious and Milagro is too boy crazy. I will say I didn’t like how Milagro was just searching for boys most of the time and broke her promise to Lulu to make it more of a sister trip. I didn’t like that Lulu made rash decisions she would see or hear something not knowing the full story and lash out she did this multiple times. I will say finding out about Clara was the best part. I feel like most of my issues with these characters were resolved 80% through the book.

We do see the sisterly bonds in these characters and I like how in the end we see them figure out what it truly means to love your sisters. This cross country road trip was heartfelt and I liked the characters and their diversity.

Filed Under: Reviews

ONE TRUE LOVES By Elise Bryant

December 28, 2021 by Leave a Comment

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

ONE TRUE LOVES By Elise BryantOne True Loves by Elise Bryant
Series: Happily Ever Afters #2
Published by Balzer + Bray on 1/4/22
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 318
Format: eARC
Buy on Amazon

Lenore Bennett has always been a force. A star artist and style icon at her high school, she’s a master in the subtle art of not giving a . . . well, you know what. But now that graduation is here, she’s a little less sure.

She’s heading to NYU in the fall with a scarlet U (for “undeclared”) written across her chest. Her parents always remind her that Black kids don’t have the luxury of figuring it out as they go—they have to be 110 percent prepared. But it’s a lot of pressure to be her ancestors’ wildest dreams when Lenore’s not even sure what her dreams are yet.

When her family embarks on a post-graduation Mediterranean cruise, her friend Tessa is sure Lenore’s in for a whirlwind romance. But Lenore knows that doesn’t happen to girls like her.

Then she meets Alex Lee. After their parents bond over the Cupid Shuffle, she ends up stuck with him for the remainder of the cruise. He’s a hopeless romantic and a golden boy with a ten-year plan. In short, he’s irritating as hell.

But as they get to know each other during the picturesque stops across Europe, Alex may be able to help Lenore find something else she’s been looking for, even if she doesn’t want to admit it to herself: love.

Short and Sweet Review

Lenore is an artist she loves to create, but now that high school graduation is here she’s unsure about college. Lenore’s parents realize that Lenore is unsure and give her a deadline to figure out what she’s going to do in her future which puts a lot of pressure on Lenore.

Lenore and her family set sail on a Mediterranean cruise and Lenore’s friend Tessa is sure she’ll find romance, which Lenore scoffs at until she sees Alex Lee. Unfortunately their first meeting doesn’t go well and Lenore is sure she hates him, but their parents hit it off and now every where Lenore goes Alex is there too.

Lenore is almost like a free spirit she loves to create but she doesn’t really commit to anything for too long, which concerns her parents. Her older brother Wally is going to law school and her younger sister, Etta is already taking college courses. Whenever Lenore talks about college or what she wants to do in college she makes a stank face which everyone can read. Lenore and her family are going on a Mediterranean cruise and Lenore’s parents tell her that she has until the end of the cruise to come up with a set plan for her future. Before Lenore goes on the trip her best friend Tessa tells her that she should try to find some romance which is definitely out of the window for Lenore. Lenore ends up meeting Alex and they don’t exactly become the best of friends but their parents do and now they’re stuck together for the rest of the cruise. The more time they spend together the more Lenore realizes that Alex isn’t so bad.

I loved all the characters! Lenore is so realistic and it’s easy to connect with her. I felt bad that she was under so much pressure to find something she would be passionate about. I thought Alex was so sweet he’s like everyones dream guy, the amount of effort that boy puts into trying to make things amazing for someone *swoon*. Lenore’s brother Wally is also going through some things that we don’t really understand until the later half of the book but I kind of figured it out because he and I are in the same boat. Sometimes I didn’t like the pressure that Lenore’s parents put on her or sometimes how it felt like they would brag about what other people have accomplished and how she needs to do that in life.

The romance between Alex and Lenore was sweet, Lenore has a lot of walls up and doesn’t want to get hurt so it took a while for Alex to break them down. I didn’t like the little conflict that happened between them but I guess we needed something like that.

The setting was great I enjoyed reading about the places they went on their cruise and it didn’t get boring when they had sea days I was still captivated, it made me want to go on a cruise.

I loved this book! The characters were ones that you could connect with and feel for, the romance was so cute, and the dialogue had me laughing! I would definitely recommend this book!

Filed Under: Reviews

THE UPSIDE OF UNREQUITED By Becky Albertalli

December 15, 2021 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 UPSIDE OF UNREQUITED By Becky AlbertalliThe Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
Series: Simonverse #2
Published by Balzer + Bray on 4/11/17
Genres: Contemporary, LGBT, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love. No matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.

Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly's totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie's new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. If Molly can win him over, she'll get her first kiss and she'll get her twin back.

There's only one problem: Molly's coworker, Reid. He's a chubby Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there's absolutely no way Molly could fall for him.

Right?

Short and Sweet Review

Molly has had a lot of crushes in her life but she’s never been rejected because she hasn’t pursued any of her crushes. Molly and her twin sister Cassie are super close until Cassie gets a girlfriend. Cassie and her girlfriend Mina try to get Molly and Mina’s friend Will to date, but Molly has conflicting feelings especially because all she can think about is her coworker Reid.

Yikes is all I can say. This is the second Becky Albertalli book I’ve read where I’ve been annoyed by the characters, I think this book actually gave me a headache. Molly has had a lot of crushes in her life I think she’s on number 26 or something but she usually keeps her feelings to herself. Anyway Molly’s sister gets a girlfriend and I don’t know if Molly felt left out but she was basically third wheeling and Cassies remedy to this was for Molly to get with Mina’s friend Will. The problem here is that Molly thinks Will is cute but she actually has feelings for her coworker Reid. The even bigger problem here is that Cassie keeps pushing Will on Molly and Molly doesn’t speak up. So basically Cassie thinks Molly is being selfish and ruining things on purpose but Molly DOESN’T LIKE WILL! Any feelings Molly does think she has for Will come because she’s basically talking herself into it like yeah it’s possible we could be together, she’d be settling. Anyway there was one scene where Molly goes off on Cassie and I’m like “yeah you go girl tell her how you really feel,” but then Molly backs down and I was just disappointed. The little three way crush was too much for me the back and forth I had enough of it. I’m sure Reid and Molly’s romance would have been even better if we didn’t have to go through all the nonsense that came before it. Also I was tired of Molly’s girl group Cassie especially. I did like Abby though even though she was miles away she was a better cousin/friend to Molly than any of the girls who were actually with Molly instate.

Overall just writing this review and thinking about the things that happened are giving me a headache. There are better Becky Albertalli books unfortunately this is one that fell short.

Filed Under: Reviews