LOVE & OLIVES By Jenna Evans Welch

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.

LOVE & OLIVES By Jenna Evans WelchLove & Olives by Jenna Evans Welch
Series: Love & Gelato #3
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 11/10/20
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 509
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Liv Varanakis doesn’t have a lot of fond memories of her father, which makes sense—he fled to Greece when she was only eight. What Liv does remember, though, is their shared love for Greek myths and the lost city of Atlantis. So when Liv suddenly receives a postcard from her father explaining that National Geographic is funding a documentary about his theories on Atlantis—and will she fly out to Greece and help?—Liv jumps at the opportunity.

But when she arrives to gorgeous Santorini, things are a little…awkward. There are so many questions, so many emotions that flood to the surface after seeing her father for the first time in years. And yet Liv doesn’t want their past to get in the way of a possible reconciliation. She also definitely doesn’t want Theo—her father’s charismatic so-called “protégé”—to witness her struggle.

And that means diving into all that Santorini has to offer—the beautiful sunsets, the turquoise water, the hidden caves, and the delicious cuisine. But not everything on the Greek island is as perfect as it seems. Because as Liv slowly begins to discover, her father may not have invited her to Greece for Atlantis, but for something much more important.

Short and Sweet Review

Olive who prefers to be called Liv hasn’t seen her father in 9 years, when Liv was 8 he moved to Greece in pursuit of finding Atlantis. Now at 17 Liv is trying to figure out what she wants to do with her future and out of nowhere she gets a postcard from her father requesting her help with a project, her mother encourages her to go to Greece, and that’s how Liv ends up in Santorini meeting up with her father after 9 years and helping him make a documentary about Atlantis for National Geographic.

Love & Olives, is apart of the Love & Gelatos series but it’s more of a companion novel and honestly it’s my favorite book of the three. We see Liv arrive in Greece and she hasn’t seen her dad in 9 years so she’s apprehensive and standoffish. Liv thinks her dad has an obsession with finding Atlantis and it doesn’t help that when she gets to Greece she finds out he needs her help with a documentary about it. When Liv’s dad left she thought it was because he wanted to find Atlantis but later on in the book we learn what really happened and I did like the explanation it also shoes how Liv ended up coping with the loss of her father. We meet Theo, who is also helping Liv’s dad with the documentary, he’s the cameraman. There’s some sparks flying between Liv and Theo, but Liv has a boyfriend back home named Dax. Dax is a year older than Liv and I thought he was a dirtbag, he was one of those people only concerned about having things his way. He wanted Liv to go to the same college as him and when she seemed reluctant he got upset with her. I don’t know why she was pining over this guy but I;m glad some time away from him did her some good. Theo is one of those guys that tries to make you see the good in things and sometimes he overstepped but you could always tell he had good intentions. We follow the trio around Greece in their efforts to find evidence of Atlantis and although Liv doesn’t like it she does start to warm up and I liked that her relationship with her dad did flourish. The ending was full of emotions and I loved it. I will say this book was pretty long and I do think it could have been shortened just a bit.

Overall, this was a good book, it kept me reading and wishing that I could experience the beautifulness of Greece myself.

THEIR VICIOUS GAMES By Joelle Wellington

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
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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.

SERIOUS MOONLIGHT By Jenn Bennett

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.

SERIOUS MOONLIGHT By Jenn BennettSerious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 4/16/19
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Mystery-book aficionado Birdie Lindberg has an overactive imagination. Raised in isolation and homeschooled by strict grandparents, she’s cultivated a whimsical fantasy life in which she plays the heroic detective and every stranger is a suspect. But her solitary world expands when she takes a job the summer before college, working the graveyard shift at a historic Seattle hotel.

In her new job, Birdie hopes to blossom from introverted dreamer to brave pioneer, and gregarious Daniel Aoki volunteers to be her guide. The hotel’s charismatic young van driver shares the same nocturnal shift and patronizes the waterfront Moonlight Diner where she waits for the early morning ferry after work. Daniel also shares her appetite for intrigue, and he’s stumbled upon a real-life mystery: a famous reclusive writer—never before seen in public—might be secretly meeting someone at the hotel.

To uncover the writer’s puzzling identity, Birdie must come out of her shell…discovering that most confounding mystery of all may be her growing feelings for the elusive riddle that is Daniel.

Short and Sweet Review

Birdie loves mysteries and has an over active imagination mainly due to the fact that her strict grandparents had her isolated and homeschooled. But since her grandmother died Birdie’s grandfather has given her a bit more freedom and now she has a job in Seattle at a hotel. Birdie doesn’t think she’ll know anyone but then she runs into Daniel, a boy she had an awkward encounter with in the past. Now that they’re working together and Birdie is still standoffish, Daniel suggest they solve a mystery together about one of the hotel guest; an author who may be having a romantic relationship.

Serious Moonlight is one of those books where the premise sounds exciting but the execution wasn’t great. Birdie is one of those people that hasn’t had a lot of experiences due to being confined to one place. Now Birdie has a job and she runs into Daniel a boy she had a romantic encounter with that didn’t end well. Daniel tells her about an author that frequents the hotel but comes under a fake name, Birdie is determined to find out the authors true identity. I thought that this book would revolve more around the mystery but we see a lot of Daniel trying to get back on Birdies good side and try to be a romantic interest to her. We also learn what happened between Birdie and Daniel which is pretty funny in a the situation did not call for that kind of way. Anyway I didn’t like the romance between these two, they would have been better off as friends and just seeing the dynamic between the two it didn’t work. I didn’t like Birdie much and its one of those situations where when someone is on such a tight leash and they get some freedom that they’re indecisive and all over the place, that was Birdie. The ending of the book made me mad, I won’t spoil it but Daniel has some nerve and the fact that Birdie thinks she’s in love with him is mind boggling.

Overall, I didn’t like this book. I wanted more mystery but what I got was a sheltered girl experiencing her first romance and being completely clueless and giving us a snooze fest of a book that was 432 pages. I feel like Jenn Bennett has books for me personally that are hit or miss and this was a miss.

THE TOLL By Neal Shusterman

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 TOLL By Neal ShustermanThe Toll by Neal Shusterman
Series: Arc of a Scythe #3
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 11/5/19
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy & Magic, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 637
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Citra and Rowan have disappeared. Endura is gone. It seems like nothing stands between Scythe Goddard and absolute dominion over the world scythedom. With the silence of the Thunderhead and the reverberations of the Great Resonance still shaking the earth to its core, the question remains: Is there anyone left who can stop him?

The answer lies in the Tone, the Toll, and the Thunder.

Short and Sweet Review

It has been three years since Endura sank taking most of the scythes and Citra and Rowan with it, now Scythe Goddard is in charge and he won’t let anyone forget it. The only way people are surviving is by adapting and trying to avoid getting in the way. The only hope they have is that the thunderhead is still talking to Greyson and maybe a few people come back from the dead.

This book has a different tone than the previous two and I attribute that to our past narrators of Rowan and Citra being gone. We follow Greyson and see him become the toll a figure that can talk to the Thunderhead and relay messages, scythe Faraday is on an island trying to figure out the message past scythes left, and we see scythe Goddard and his reign of terror. This book reminded me of Avengers Endgame, with Goddard being Thanos and everyone else is an Avenger trying to figure out how to get things back to normal and get their friends back. Although it was a bit weird for me to read from the other perspectives and not see Citra and Rowan for a while I’ve come to appreciate it because we really get to see how desolate things have become in the three years since Endura has sank. I did like seeing the return of Citra and Rowan it was like they were ready to finish what they started and that meant taking Goddard down. I also enjoyed Greyson and Faradays plot lines and following them for a majority of the book. The ending was different than what I was expecting but it was still good.

Overall, this was a satisfying end to this series and I’m excited to read Gleanings and see what more this world has to offer!

LOVE & LUCK By Jenna Evans Welch

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.

LOVE & LUCK By Jenna Evans WelchLove & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch
Series: Love & Gelato #2
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 5/8/18
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 321
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Addie is visiting Ireland for her aunt’s over-the-top destination wedding and hoping she can stop thinking about the one thing she did that left her miserable and heartbroken—and threatens her future. But her brother, Ian, isn’t about to let her forget, and his constant needling leads to arguments and even a fistfight between the two once inseparable siblings. Miserable, Addie can’t wait to visit her friend in Italy and leave her brother—and her problems—behind.

So when Addie discovers an unusual guidebook, Ireland for the Heartbroken, hidden in the dusty shelves of the hotel library, she’s able to finally escape her anxious mind and Ian’s criticism.

And then their travel plans change. Suddenly Addie finds herself on a whirlwind tour of the Emerald Isle, trapped in the world’s smallest vehicle with Ian and his admittedly cute, Irish-accented friend Rowan. As the trio journeys over breathtaking green hills, past countless castles, and through a number of fairy-tale forests, Addie hopes her guidebook will heal not only her broken heart, but also her shattered relationship with her brother.

That is if they don’t get completely lost along the way.

Short and Sweet Review

Addie and her family are in Ireland for her aunts wedding. What should be a joyous occasion is ruined by Addie and her brother Ian fighting. Addie is supposed to go to Italy to visit Lina, and Ian is coming to, but their mom warns them if they step out of line they’re going to face punishment. We learn that Addie and Ian have been arguing about something that happened back home, which is why Addie is reading a guidebook, Ireland for the Heartbroken. On the day Addie and Ian are supposed to leave for Italy she finds him getting in a car with his friend Rowan to go to a music festival instead which leads to an exploration of Ireland and trying to fix broken hearts.

I wasn’t sure about this book when I started it, mainly because the arguing and tension between Ian and Addie was too much. It was like if someone breathed the wrong way one of them would explode, we don’t really get to the bottom of what happened until the end of the book but we do learn it’s about a boy Addie was seeing. Back home Ian is a jock so Addie is shocked to find out he’s a popular blogger and music is his main topic. Ian is determined to go to landmarks that are important to music and do a few interviews and make it to the festival to see his favorite band play one more time. The thing is their mom believes they’re in Italy so they really have to be careful because how big is Ireland really? I loved Ian’s friend Rowan, he was also dealing with a bit of heartbreak which is why he was willing to go to some of the places in the guidebook. It was a roadtrip where we learned a little more about each character and I loved that. I thought it was cool that Addie knew a lot about cars and was the reason the trio got so far. I was kind of bummed that she wasn’t able to go see Lina in Italy but I also understand that this was Addie’s adventure and it needed to take place in Ireland. I do think that the end was a little rushed and I felt like it was abrupt.

Overall, I did like this book. I will say the beginning wasn’t my favorite but when things got going and we saw the different places recommend by the guidebook I was all in. This was a quick and easy read and I’m looking forward to reading the next book!

THUNDERHEAD By Neal Shusterman

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.

THUNDERHEAD By Neal ShustermanThunderhead by Neal Shusterman
Series: Arc of a Scythe #2
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 1/9/18
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy & Magic, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 509
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Humans learn from their mistakes. I cannot. I make no mistakes.

The Thunderhead is the perfect ruler of a perfect world, but it has no control over the scythedom. A year has passed since Rowan had gone off grid. Since then, he has become an urban legend, a vigilante snuffing out corrupt scythes in a trial by fire. His story is told in whispers across the continent.

As Scythe Anastasia, Citra gleans with compassion and openly challenges the ideals of the “new order.” But when her life is threatened and her methods questioned, it becomes clear that not everyone is open to the change.

Old foes and new enemies converge, and as corruption within the Scythedom spreads, Rowan and Citra begin to lose hope. Will the Thunderhead intervene?

Or will it simply watch as this perfect world begins to unravel?

Short and Sweet Review

After the events of Scythe, Citra has become Scythe Anastasia and has Scythe Curie as her mentor, while Rowan has stolen Scythe Goddard’s ring and has become Scythe Lucifer. Citra tries to do her gleaning with compassion and her way of doing things are starting to rock the boat. Rowan on the other hand is gleaning scythes that he finds to be corrupt. The Thunderhead is also more engaging in this book. It still has rules it has to abide by but it uses one of its favorite people to try to be able to make sure that Citra is safe. The Thunderhead is also upset with all of the corruption that is going on around the world. We also see old and new enemies, and the question is will the Thunderhead do anything to help?

Thunderhead was a pretty well written sequel. Now that Citra is a scythe we see how divided things are within the scythedom, every scythe has different opinions on how things should be conducted. We’re also introduced to a new character Greyson whom the thunderhead uses as a go between because it’s not allowed to speak to scythes. There was a lot of Greyson in the story but it made sense because I think this book really revolved around the Thunderhead and how it was feeling about the things it was seeing and Greyson was its way of trying to fix things. I do think there wasn’t a lot of Rowan we saw him go about taking out scythes that he found to be corrupt and then more towards the end when an old foe shows up to use him for their gain. There’s also a lot of Citra as she’s new to being a scythe and we see her new ideas aren’t going over well with other scythes and there’s someone trying to take either her or scythe curie out.

This book was so good and hard to put down. I remember some parts made my jaw drop because I just wasn’t expecting the book to take the turns it did. I enjoyed reading the little tidbits from the Thunderhead and seeing its reactions to the things going on. The ending was great and I’m excited to see where things will go from here. I would definitely recommend continuing on with this series as it only gets better!

A WILDERNESS OF STARS By Shea Ernshaw

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.

A WILDERNESS OF STARS By Shea ErnshawA Wilderness of Stars by Shea Ernshaw
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 11/29/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 397
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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When all is lost, look to the stars.

Vega has lived in the valley her whole life—forbidden by her mother to leave the safety of its borders because of the unknown threats waiting for her in the wilds beyond. But when Vega sees an omen in the sky—one she cannot ignore—she is forced to leave the protective boundaries of the valley. Yet the outside world is much more terrifying than Vega could have ever imagined. People are gravely sick—they lose their eyesight and their hearing, just before they lose their lives.

But Vega has a secret: she is the Last Astronomer—a title carried from generation to generation—and she is the only one who understands the knowledge of the stars. Knowledge that could hold the key to a cure. So when locals spot the tattoo on Vega’s neck in the shape of a constellation—the mark of an astronomer—chaos erupts. Fearing for her life, Vega is rescued by a girl named Cricket who leads her to Noah, a boy marked by his own mysterious tattoos.

On the run from the men hunting her, Vega sets out across the plains with Cricket and Noah, in search of a fabled cure kept secret by the astronomers. But as the line between friends and protectors begins to blur, Vega must decide whether to safeguard the sacred knowledge of the astronomers…or if she will risk everything to try to save them all.

Short and Sweet Review

When Vega sees the twin stars she knows its a sign for her to leave the valley she’s grown up in and look for the last architect. The world outside of the valley is more dangerous than Vega ever thought, people are sick and dying and will do anything to find a cure. Vega is in danger because after her mom died she became the last astronomer the only one who can read the stars. Vega also has a tattoo of a constellation on her neck that people believe is the answer to where the cure is and these people will do anything to get to Vega. While trying to find the last architect Vega meets Cricket and Noah who travel across the plains to help her find what the twin stars were hinting at. 

This book started off slow but it starts to pick up once Vega leaves the valley and goes in search of the architect. There’s a group of men hunting Vega once they realize who she is and then it becomes a game of cat and mouse. It was crazy seeing how determined these men were to get her and they were only like a few steps behind her each time. Vega was a good character she was ready to follow the path that’s been set for her. Her one flaw to me was that she would always go against better judgement and each time she did that she put the group in more danger.

This was an interesting book and after we get past the first part and things really start to pick up, everything comes together and starts making sense. This book was so different the fact that Vega was the last one left who was able to read the stars, the sickness that has affected almost everyone, and the final destination that Vega has to reach to basically fulfill her quest. This book was captivating and will have you invested in Vega’s journey from the beginning to the end!

SPELLS FOR LOST THINGS By Jenna Evans Welch

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.

SPELLS FOR LOST THINGS By Jenna Evans WelchSpells for Lost Things by Jenna Evans Welch
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 9/27/22
Genres: Contemporary, Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Willow has never felt like she belonged anywhere and is convinced that the only way to find a true home is to travel the world. But her plans to act on her dream are put on hold when her aloof and often absent mother drags Willow to Salem, Massachusetts, to wrap up the affairs of an aunt Willow didn’t even know she had. An aunt who may or may not have been a witch.

There, she meets Mason, a loner who’s always felt out of place and has been in and out of foster homes his entire life. He’s been classified as one of the runaways, constantly searching for ways to make it back to his mom; even if she can’t take care of him, it’s his job to try and take care of her. Isn’t it?

Naturally pulled to one another, Willow and Mason set out across Salem to discover the secret past of Willow’s mother, her aunt, and the ambiguous history of her family. During all of this, the two can’t help but act on their natural connection. But with the amount of baggage between them—and Willow’s growing conviction her family might be cursed—can they manage to hold onto each other?

Short and Sweet Review

Willow doesn’t feel like she belongs and she feels like the only way to find her place in the world is to travel. But things are put on hold when her mother takes her to Salem Massachusetts to settle her aunts estate, an aunt that Willow didn’t even know existed. Mason on the other hand has been in and out of foster homes and his main goal is to find his mom, Mason knows she can’t take care of him but he’s okay with the idea of taking care of her.

Willow’s mom is there but she’s not really there, so when they arrive in Salem Willow has a lot of questions about her moms past life which her mom just avoids answering most of the time. Willow discovers that she has aunts and family in Salem and she reconnects with her great aunts and learns that there’s a curse on her family and she has to find the letters her aunt Sage left behind to break it. Which is how she meets Mason he’s supposed to be the helper and help her find the other letters. Together these two learn a lot about themselves. Willow learns that she has family and that she doesn’t need to leave the states to find a place where she belongs because what she truly wanted was family and Mason learns that even if he doesn’t have his mom he can accept his foster family.

This was a cute book and I liked seeing how the characters realized how important family is whether or not its by blood. The witchy elements were also cute. I liked the ending and I appreciated Mason and Willows stories.

WINTERWOOD By Shea Ernshaw

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.

WINTERWOOD By Shea ErnshawWinterwood by Shea Ernshaw
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 11/5/19
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 333
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Be careful of the dark, dark wood…

Especially the woods surrounding the town of Fir Haven. Some say these woods are magical. Haunted, even.

Rumored to be a witch, only Nora Walker knows the truth. She and the Walker women before her have always shared a special connection with the woods. And it’s this special connection that leads Nora to Oliver Huntsman—the same boy who disappeared from the Camp for Wayward Boys weeks ago—and in the middle of the worst snowstorm in years. He should be dead, but here he is alive, and left in the woods with no memory of the time he’d been missing.

But Nora can feel an uneasy shift in the woods at Oliver’s presence. And it’s not too long after that Nora realizes she has no choice but to unearth the truth behind how the boy she has come to care so deeply about survived his time in the forest, and what led him there in the first place. What Nora doesn’t know, though, is that Oliver has secrets of his own—secrets he’ll do anything to keep buried, because as it turns out, he wasn’t the only one to have gone missing on that fateful night all those weeks ago.

Short and Sweet Review

Nora lives in Fir Haven where Walker women have lived for years. The woods surrounding Fir Haven are alive some even describe them as haunted, but the Walkers have a special relationship with the woods. Nora goes into the woods and comes back out with things that were lost. Nora goes in the woods and ends up finding Oliver, who was supposed to be at the Camp for Wayward Boys. With Oliver around Nora can feel a shift in the woods and now she’s wondering how Oliver has survived 2 weeks in there.

The women in Nora’s family are all witches and everyone knows about them and like to gossip. Nora is staying alone at her family cabin and likes to go into the woods only during the full moon and find lost things, which is how she stumbles across Oliver. He doesn’t remember much but the more time Nora spends with him she learns that one of the boys went missing from the camp and another one died. There’s a group of boys at the camp who know about what happened that night that one boy went missing and one boy died and now they’re trying to make sure Nora doesn’t learn to much about that night.

This was a good book perfect for the fall. I liked the mystery surrounding Oliver and the secrets the other camp boys were hiding. The plot twist at the end did surprise me but in a good way. The excerpts of spells and the history of the Walker women was interesting and added a nice touch. I really enjoyed this book and the characters it was a fast read and October is coming up so witches and spooky season is a great match.

LOVE & GELATO By Jenna Evans Welch

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.

LOVE & GELATO By Jenna Evans WelchLove & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
Series: Love & Gelato #1
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 5/3/16
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 417
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.

But then Lina is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything Lina knew about her mother, her father—and even herself.

People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more.

Short and Sweet Review

Lina’s mothers dying wish was for Lina to live in Italy with her father and get to know him. When Lina arrives in Italy she’s standoffish towards Howard, after all she never even knew about her father until her mom got sick and now she has to live in Italy with him. Howard is also the caretaker of a world war memorial so Lina is basically living near a cemetery. Lina finds out that her mother left a journal and wrote about her time in Italy and now Lina wants to follow in her mothers footsteps and even uncover some secrets. In Italy Lina meets some cute boys one of them is Red and I loved him, he was funny and down to earth and he didn’t off as a creep. I liked seeing Howard and Red take Lina around the city it was almost enough to make me want to visit Italy myself. I did like how Lina and Red started off as friends and how that relationship slowly progressed. I also loved Howard he was patient and understanding about the whole situation and I usually don’t cry when reading books but something he said to Lina during the end of the book made me tear up.

This book was so much fun I loved the setting and I liked seeing how Lina tried to piece together her moms life through the journal. The romance was great and so were all of the supporting characters! Definitely a good book for the summer with a nice scoop of gelato to go along with it!