TODAY TONIGHT TOMORROW By Rachel Lynn Solomon

July 27, 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.

TODAY TONIGHT TOMORROW By Rachel Lynn SolomonToday Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 7/28/20
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Today, she hates him.

It’s the last day of senior year. Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been bitter rivals for all of high school, clashing on test scores, student council elections, and even gym class pull-up contests. While Rowan, who secretly wants to write romance novels, is anxious about the future, she’d love to beat her infuriating nemesis one last time.

Tonight, she puts up with him.

When Neil is named valedictorian, Rowan has only one chance at victory: Howl, a senior class game that takes them all over Seattle, a farewell tour of the city she loves. But after learning a group of seniors is out to get them, she and Neil reluctantly decide to team up until they’re the last players left—and then they’ll destroy each other.

As Rowan spends more time with Neil, she realizes he’s much more than the awkward linguistics nerd she’s sparred with for the past four years. And, perhaps, this boy she claims to despise might actually be the boy of her dreams.

Tomorrow…maybe she’s already fallen for him.

Short and Sweet

Rowan and Neil have been rivals since freshman year of high school. They’ve clashed when it comes to test scores, elections, and while being lab partners they started a fire. Now it’s the last day of senior year and Neil is named the valedictorian and Rowan thinks that the last way she can beat Neil is to won Howl. Howl is a game the senior class plays that takes them all over Seattle and the group has a list of objectives and the first one to finish wins a grand prize. Rowan is in it to win it, but after she overhears a group of seniors wanting to take down her and Neil, she realizes that she has to team up with Neil to be able to make it to the end. The more time Rowan spends with Neil the more she realizes that there’s more to him then the boy who’s been her biggest competition, he might just be the boy of her dreams. 

There’s just something about Rachel Lynn Solomon’s writing that makes me fall in love with her characters and keeps my interest until the very end. Rowan and Neil are very competitive and now they’re forced to work together. Over the course of the day they both learn a lot about each other and because we’re only reading from Rowan’s POV we see that she learns a lot about herself. The romance was cute and I think they both had under lying feelings for each other its just been masked with the fact that they’re trying to be better than the other one. I loved following these two around Seattle and reading their dialogue. Neil really does care about Rowan and tries to get her to see her potential and realize that she can always change her plans if she’s not happy. Rowan helps Neil come out of his shell and he even discusses his family life with her. It was great seeing how the characters’ Jewish heritage is important to both of them.

The dynamic between these two is great and opposites attract. Rowan isn’t afraid to express herself and I loved that about her and also seeing her character development made me happy. This was such a fun book seeing the Seattle through these characters eyes and seeing their relationship on a deeper level was great. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author!

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SEE YOU YESTERDAY By Rachel Lynn Solomon

July 13, 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.

SEE YOU YESTERDAY By Rachel Lynn SolomonSee You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 5/17/22
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Barrett Bloom is hoping college will be a fresh start after a messy high school experience. But when school begins on September 21st, everything goes wrong. She’s humiliated by the know-it-all in her physics class, she botches her interview for the college paper, and at a party that night, she accidentally sets a frat on fire. She panics and flees, and when she realizes her roommate locked her out of their dorm, she falls asleep in the common room.

The next morning, Barrett’s perplexed to find herself back in her dorm room bed, no longer smelling of ashes and crushed dreams. It’s September 21st. Again. And after a confrontation with Miles, the guy from Physics 101, she learns she’s not alone—he’s been trapped for months.

When her attempts to fix her timeline fail, she agrees to work with Miles to find a way out. Soon they’re exploring the mysterious underbelly of the university and going on wild, romantic adventures. As they start falling for each other, they face the universe’s biggest unanswered question yet: what happens to their relationship if they finally make it to tomorrow?

Short and Sweet Review

Barrett’s first day of college isn’t going well, she thought she’d get a fresh start after high school but fate had other plans for her. First she gets called out in physics class by another student, botches her interview for the school paper, and ends up going to a party and setting it on fire. Obviously after the fire Barrett flees in embarrassment and finds that she’s been locked out of her dorm room so she just crashes on a couch in the common room. When Barrett wakes up its not a new day it’s the same day and she soon learns that the kid who called her out, Miles has been reliving this day for weeks. Now the two of them have to work together to set the time line straight.

I loved this book and the Groundhog Day style time loop. Barrett doesn’t trust Miles right away after what he did in physics class that first day but she has no choice but to work with him. I liked seeing how they would live the day out and see what they would do differently. I also liked seeing how the relationship between Barrett and Miles progressed after spending so much time together it was great seeing how vulnerable they were with each other. There’s also a little mystery surrounding a professor that no one seems to remember but she’s also Barrett and Miles only hope of getting back home.

Even though it was fun to see Miles and Barrett live out the same day and seeing what they did different I did feel for them when they wanted to go home and live the unexpected. This book was funny and cute and I couldn’t put it down. The characters are great and I love how they learn that sometimes the unexpected is okay and that life is meant to be lived. I would definitely recommend this book, the time loop aspect, the characters, and the romance will have you hooked!

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THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY By Jenny Han

June 20, 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.

THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY By Jenny HanThe Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Series: Summer #1
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 5/5/09
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 288
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer—they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

Short and Sweet Review

The Summer I Turned Pretty follows Belly. Belly spends her summers at a beach house with her mom, brother and her moms best friend and her two sons Jeremiah and Conrad. Conrad and Jeremiah have been like older brothers to Belly and they were also her first crushes, but now that Belly is a little older things have changed.

This book was a hot mess. I found Belly to be immature and childish and sometimes I even questioned if she was actually 16. Belly often acted like she was still a kid and maybe that’s because the boys have treated her like one for so long, I found it annoying. Anyway we basically follow Belly throughout the summer and see her trying to figure out which brother she likes more, its Conrad. She pines over Conrad and it was hard to read because he didn’t see her that way but then when she got a little summer fling her was jealous and everything about the dynamic between Belly and these brothers was messy! One day she likes Jeremiah the next she likes Conrad and everything about that is gross. The book also includes scenes from the past to show us what past summers were like at the beach house.

I did not fall in love with this book like I thought I would. I struggled to get through it and that’s because of Belly, I just didn’t connect with her, I found her to be selfish and too immature. I also don’t like that the love triangle is between brothers (that never works out well.) Anyway I’m still on the fence on if I want to read the next two books but this one was a big disappointment.

Filed Under: Reviews

QUEEN OF THE TILES By Hanna Alkaf

April 8, 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.

QUEEN OF THE TILES By Hanna AlkafQueen of the Tiles by Hanna Alkaf
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 4/19/22
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Young Adult
Pages: 301
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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CATALYST
13 points
noun: a substance that speeds up a reaction without itself changing

When Najwa Bakri walks into her first Scrabble competition since her best friend’s death, it’s with the intention to heal and move on with her life. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to choose the very same competition where said best friend, Trina Low, died. It might be even though Najwa’s trying to change, she’s not ready to give up Trina just yet.

But the same can’t be said for all the other competitors. With Trina, the Scrabble Queen herself, gone, the throne is empty, and her friends are eager to be the next reigning champion. All’s fair in love and Scrabble, but all bets are off when Trina’s formerly inactive Instagram starts posting again, with cryptic messages suggesting that maybe Trina’s death wasn’t as straightforward as everyone thought. And maybe someone at the competition had something to do with it.

As secrets are revealed and the true colors of her friends are shown, it’s up to Najwa to find out who’s behind these mysterious posts—not just to save Trina’s memory, but to save herself.

Short and Sweet Review

Trina was great at scrabble, she was Queen of the Tiles, until she dies during a competition. Now Najwa is back to the world of scrabble competitions, she’s been staying away since her best friends death. Everyone at the competition is trying to become the new king or queen, but things start to get strange when Trina’s instagram page starts to post mysterious messages that may indicate that Trina was murdered. Najwa wants to find out who could be behind Trina’s death and its not easy when the other competitors either loved or hated Trina.

This book takes place at a scrabble competition over the course of three days. Najwa is back and so are the memories of Trina. There’s a lot of competitors that Najwa is familiar with especially Mark, Trina’s ex. After seeing all of the mysterious posts on instagram Najwa and Mark team up to try to figure out who is behind everything. They even think back to the last competition where Trina died and interview everyone there.

There were moments I liked in the book especially seeing Najwa compete, there’s a lot I didn’t know about scrabble the book almost makes me want to go out and buy it. I also learned a lot of new words. I love mysteries and this was a good one I didn’t know who the culprit could be, but my problem was Najwa’s detective skills she was quick to hop on a lead and then go accusing people and that’s one thing I can’t stand, accusations without proof. Najwa was a relatable character she struggles with anxiety but she gets through it. Najwa is smart and in the end she did a good job of figuring out what was going on.

This was a good book it kind of fell short in the aspects of detective work, but I did like the whole scrabble competition and seeing Najwa work through most of the things she’s been avoiding since Trina died.

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SCYTHE By Neal Shusterman

December 13, 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.

SCYTHE By Neal ShustermanScythe by Neal Shusterman
Series: Arc of a Scythe #1
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 11/22/16
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy & Magic, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 448
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.

Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

Short and Sweet Review

Humanity has conquered hunger, disease, and even death. Now Scythes are the only ones in the world who can end someone’s life to keep the population under control. Citra and Rowan are chosen by Scythe Faraday to be his apprentices and learn all about becoming a Scythe.

Citra and Rowan were normal teens until they were chosen by Scythe Faraday to become his apprentices. Neither one of them wants the job but they don’t really have a choice. Citra and Rowan join Faraday on his gleanings and learn what it means to be a scythe. We see that each scythe has different methods for what they do. When Citra and Rowan go to a scythe conference the other scythes notice a friendship between them which isn’t ideal. Now Citra and Rowan are pitted against each other and only one of them can win the job and the other will lose their life.

This book was amazing! There was so much going on, but in a good way. I liked seeing how different scythes operate and how sometimes the gleanings did take a toll on them, we get to see more of their thoughts with their journal entries. We see Citra and Rowan taken under the wing of other scythes and it was interesting to see what they learned and it was kind of sad that they were separated from each other. It’s such a fascinating world that Shusterman has created, it made me want to be a scythe. I loved the little mystery and seeing how everything played out. The characters are great and I loved how they never lost who they truly were. I can’t wait to read the other two books in this series!

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ALWAYS AND FOREVER, LARA JEAN By Jenny Han

August 20, 2020 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.

ALWAYS AND FOREVER, LARA JEAN By Jenny HanAlways and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han
Series: To All the Boys I've Loved Before #3
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 5/2/17
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Lara Jean is having the best senior year a girl could ever hope for. She is head over heels in love with her boyfriend, Peter; her dad’s finally getting remarried to their next door neighbor, Ms. Rothschild; and Margot’s coming home for the summer just in time for the wedding.

But change is looming on the horizon. And while Lara Jean is having fun and keeping busy helping plan her father’s wedding, she can’t ignore the big life decisions she has to make. Most pressingly, where she wants to go to college and what that means for her relationship with Peter. She watched her sister Margot go through these growing pains. Now Lara Jean’s the one who’ll be graduating high school and leaving for college and leaving her family—and possibly the boy she loves—behind.

When your heart and your head are saying two different things, which one should you listen to?

Short and Sweet Review

It’s Lara Jean’s senior year! Peter is still her boyfriend, her dad is getting remarried, and her older sister is coming home for the summer. But as one chapter in her life is closing Lara starts to worry about what’s going to happen in the new one.

Lara Jean is dealing with a lot of the normal senior things: prom, graduation, college acceptances, and moving on. I love Lara Jean she’s just trying to figure out what’s best for her. When it comes to going to school she has a few options but she obviously doesn’t want to go to far from Peter. Her dad is also getting remarried to Trina! I liked that in this book Trina sort of played a mother role but she never overstepped. I also enjoyed seeing the sisterly bond between Margo, Lara Jean, and Kitty. Peter and Lara Jean’s relationship hits some bumps mainly because they’re both unsure of what the future holds for them. I did like seeing Lara Jean go through her senior year and enjoy all the big moments especially prom. There’s not much that goes on in the book, but a big focus is on colleges, Peter, and the wedding! Since the beginning of the series I’ve felt a connection with Lara Jean, so whenever something happens I can’t help but feel the same emotions she feels. I’m upset that this is the last book in the trilogy but I’m so happy I started reading these books!

Filed Under: Reviews

FIVE FEET APART By Rachael Lippincott

March 8, 2019 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.

FIVE FEET APART By Rachael LippincottFive Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 11/20/18
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 288
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Can you love someone you can never touch?

Stella Grant likes to be in control—even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. Six feet apart. No exceptions.

The only thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. He couldn’t care less about his treatments, or a fancy new clinical drug trial. Soon, he’ll turn eighteen and then he’ll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world, not just its hospitals.

Will’s exactly what Stella needs to stay away from. If he so much as breathes on Stella she could lose her spot on the transplant list. Either one of them could die. The only way to stay alive is to stay apart. But suddenly six feet doesn’t feel like safety. It feels like punishment.

What if they could steal back just a little bit of the space their broken lungs have stolen from them? Would five feet apart really be so dangerous if it stops their hearts from breaking too?


Short and Sweet Review

Stella has cystic fibrosis and she’s been in and out of hospitals most of her life because of this. Stella likes to be in control and likes to make sure things are in order, she’s also really close to getting a lung transplant so she plans on staying as healthy as possible until its time for the transplant. Will has cystic fibrosis and B. cepacia which means he’s been taking off of the transplant list and there’s no cure. Now Will is at the hospital to try a new clinical drug trial which may or may not work, the only thing Will wants to do is leave and see the world. Stella and Will meet but have to stay a safe distance away from each other and for people with cystic fibrosis that means six feet apart. Stella and Will meeting wasn’t love at first sight I think she was actually irritated and put off by him while he thought she was amusing and bossy. Stella has been through a lot and at this point her parents have gotten a divorce and she tries to act like everything is okay so she won’t worry them, she lost her sister Abby, she’s lost a lot to this disease like being able to be near her friend Poe who also has CF, and going on her class trip. Will has been in and out of a lot of hospitals and at this point he just wants to forget about the treatments and go explore the world. Stella looks at his behavior has self destructive and it bothers her so much that they make a deal for him to take his medicine and he gets to draw her. I thought it was interesting that most of their interactions happened with them being six feet apart and it begs the question of what would happen if they got one foot closer, and Stella decides to find out. I liked the secondary characters, Barb and Julie the nurses, and Poe one of Stella’s best friends he’s the best and they’ve known each other since they were kids. It was a cute book and a quick read. I’m not sure how accurate the depiction of CF was in this book but from what I’ve read people have different experiences with it. I also liked the fact that they had to stay six feet away the tagline says, “Can you love someone you can never touch?” It’s interesting to think about.

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P.S. I STILL LOVE YOU By Jenny Han

January 26, 2019 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.

P.S. I STILL LOVE YOU By Jenny HanP.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
Series: To All The Boys I've Loved Before #2
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 5/26/15
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 353
Format: Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.

She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.

When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?


Short and Sweet Review

P.S I Still Love You picks up where To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before ended. Peter and Lara Jean decide to start over and be in an actual relationship, which changes things for both of them. Lara Jean is wary of Peter because he still hangs out with his Ex Gen, and when a boy from her past reappears Lara Jean starts to wonder which boy is actually right for her. A lot goes on in this book Lara Jean and Peter have to deal with a video of them going around, Lara Jean starts to volunteer at the retirement home, and John Ambrose is back in Lara Jean’s life. I liked seeing how Lara Jean handled each of these situations I mean she and Peter didn’t make the best one regarding the video but while she was volunteering she did have creative ideas. I thought John Ambrose was interesting to throw into the mix but I still love Peter and Lara Jean. I did feel bad for Lara Jean whenever she caught Peter and Gen together because it felt like he was picking Gen over her and my heart felt for LJ. So it did make sense when LJ started hanging out with John mainly because he did give her some attention but you know some things aren’t meant to be. My favorite part of this book is when the group of kids who used to hangout play this game of tag it was interesting because it wasn’t a normal game of tag and you just have to read the book to know what I mean. I honestly think this series is so cute and I can’t wait to start reading the next one. LJ and Peter forever!

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TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE By Jenny Han

August 13, 2018 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.

TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE By Jenny HanTo All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Series: To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 1/26/16
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them…all at once?

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.


Short and Sweet Review

Lara Jean has written five love letters to the boys she’s loved in her life, she keeps these love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her but things get crazy when these letters only intended for Lara Jean get mailed out. Now Lara Jean must figure out how to navigate the craziness of all of her crushes finding out about her feelings. I honestly thought this was the cutest book I’ve read all summer. Lara Jean is easy to relate to and her dialogue is hilarious. I mean what would anyone do if their secret love letters got out? I honestly think its funny that Lara started a fake relationship with one of the boys she wrote a letter to. I mean they were both using each other but as time progressed they actually began to like each other and I loved it, I feel like those are the best relationships (not the using part but the feelings slowly developing). I liked Lara Jean and Peter, they were cute and funny when they were together and Lara Jean’s letter to Peter was probably the funniest. I almost forgot to add that Lara Jean’s family is amazing and they add a lot to the book and you can tell they all really love each other. I honestly believe that this was the cutest, most heart warming book I’ve read and I would recommend it, its light, funny and for me it was a quick read.

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AMY & ROGER’S EPIC DETOUR By Morgan Matson

December 30, 2016 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.

AMY & ROGER’S EPIC DETOUR By Morgan MatsonAmy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 4/23/10
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her dad recently died in a car accident, and her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut—just in time for Amy’s senior year. To escape from it all, Amy embarks on a road trip, driving cross-country from the home she’s always known toward her new life. Joining her is Roger, the son of Amy’s mother’s old friend. Amy hasn’t seen him in years, but her feelings for Roger develop as the miles roll by….


Short and Sweet Review

I was so excited to read this book and it didn’t disappoint! I loved the road trip aspect and going cross country with Amy and Roger. I like the way the book is written with the flashbacks and the scrapbook pictures and playlist. It is a little emotional especially because Amy lost her father in a car crash so we do get to see how she feels about that and how shes dealing with it. Roger also has his own problems with a recent break up. Over their trip these two let loose and try to have fun and enjoy themselves, they did take an epic detour, so why not have a little fun on the way. I loved this book and just wish it was a little longer I didn’t want the journey to end. I think a novella would be nice, so we can see what these two are doing after the events of this book.

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