Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Summer I Ate the Rich focuses on a Haitian-AmThank you to NetGalley for sending me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Summer I Ate the Rich focuses on a Haitian-American girl and how she is affected by both racial inequality and struggles with wealth. Her mom suffers from chronic pain and Brielle, the main character, does everything that she can to help her mother—including “eating the rich.�
I did expect this book to lean more on the horror side, especially with the first scene where we are introduced to Brielle and learn about her life as a zonbi. The “zonbi� aspect of the story being rich in Haitian culture made up for the lack of horror within the book, in my opinion. I enjoyed how the author incorporated this into the story. I wish that the zonbi storyline had been nestled into the culinary storyline more, as well.
The characters were really enjoyable and felt well rounded. The moments with Brielle and Marcello were my favorites, but I even found myself rooting for Preston, though I definitely shouldn’t have been. The mixed media of the sisters� dialogue flowed well with the story.
I felt as if I was reading three different books that were melded into one. I definitely felt as though this story could’ve been a few short novellas or even a longer novel, broken up into three clear sections. This book did have the Act structure, but they felt too rushed and too short in my opinion.
The ending of the book felt out of nowhere to me, though I understand why it occurred. I didn’t view the characters in this way, though, so it took me out of the story.
Overall, I found this story enjoyable, but not as much as I would’ve if I hadn’t gone in with the preconceived notion that this would be a horror novel, which was pushed further with the first chapter of the novel vs the rest of it. This book is a very solid magical realism story, though, despite its story map being all over the place. ...more
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.
I couldn't put down All These Bodies the second that I stThank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.
I couldn't put down All These Bodies the second that I started it. Going into this book, I had no idea what to expect. I've never been a huge fan of thrillers, but this one sounded too interesting to me to not add to my TBR. And it immediately captured my attention from the second I met the two main characters.
The storyline itself, following Marie and hearing her tell the story was an experience. The author set an atmosphere to this story, that I felt like I was in Michael's shoes and Marie was there before me. All of the mystery captured me and kept me guessing.
However, the ending does fall a bit flat. Not every story that I read has to be wrapped up, but this one left me with a lot of questions that I'm still desperate to have answered. I spent hours invested into these characters only to wonder about what's going on with them, which is a good thing but I would've also liked the option of peace with my feelings on this story.
That being said, this book is PERFECT for Halloween! If you're someone (like me) that doesn't love overly scary things, then this book is for you. It's the perfect amount of spooky and creepy, though there are moments that make you fear if you're being watched....more
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book.
Off The Record was a book that was so personal to me, which I wasnThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book.
Off The Record was a book that was so personal to me, which I wasn’t prepared for going in. It broke my heart, made me laugh and made me happy all within a short span of time—so short because I just couldn’t put it down.
Every single character in their own ways I could see myself in. The best traits, the worst traits, the small and the large. They all read in the best way, as if they were real and there before me. Josie’s love for writing as well as her determination was such an inspiration and, even though we were alike in many ways, I found myself learning a lot about myself from her and her story.
The main plot of this story doesn’t come in until about halfway, but when it does it’s worth it. Even before it comes into play the buildup to it is also worth it because of the characters. I walked away with this book satisfied with the story and how it was told, but also with a new group of characters that I’ll hold closely to my heart. ...more
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.
Wow, that’s all I can really say about this book. No matThank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.
Wow, that’s all I can really say about this book. No matter how many retellings of Peter Pan I read, I’m always taken aback by the descriptions of Neverland—no matter how similar or different they might be. Surviving Tiger Lily was one of those different books, with a description of Neverland like I’d never seen before and a history that left me wanting to know more. Thankfully for me, this isn’t a standalone book and I’ll get to know more about this new Neverland that I’ve learned about.
Tiger Lily was such a beautiful character in this book, I loved the focus being on her rather than solely on Peter. Her strength and determination was admirable, even when it probably shouldn’t have been. She led the story well and I hope that we get to see more of her in the second book, even if she’s not the main narrator. I also hope that we get to explore Peter more, I felt like there was something about his character that felt missing—but I can’t exactly pinpoint what that is. We learned about his history, but not a lot about his own personal history. I do hope that he and the Lost Boys (and possibly even the pirates) are explored more in book two.
Overall, this book was amazing. Not only did it tell the story of a character we don’t know too much about in the original story, but it did it in a way that kept the spirit of the original and of Neverland alive while keeping it entirely different from the original. ...more
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book.
Tidesong was described for fans of Studio Ghibli and The TeThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book.
Tidesong was described for fans of Studio Ghibli and The Tea Dragon Society—so instantly I knew it would be a hit with me. And it was.
This graphic novel, both its story and art, are so breathtaking and whimsical. The characters, even though we only see them for such a short amount of time, were so well developed and honestly felt like I had known them and known their lives for years. The dynamic between Sophie, Sage and Lan was heartwarming and frustrating in the best way possible and Lir’s story kept me wondering and wanting more with every page. The world building was just as well developed, I was immediately thrown into this world and didn’t want to leave.
The pitch for this graphic novel wasn’t wrong. If you’re a Ghibli fan or a Tea Dragon fan (or both. Or neither even) you WILL love this book. But beware—it will leave you wanting more just as it did with me. I wish that this was a series because this world needs to be explored more!...more
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book.
Wow. That’s all I can really say about this book because there aren’t any words thatThank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book.
Wow. That’s all I can really say about this book because there aren’t any words that could describe how this book made me feel. I went into Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun knowing that I’d likely love it, but I wasn’t sure just how much. And boy am I in love with this book!
I saw in a review that this book is described as Simon meets One Day at a Time and that’s when I knew that this book would be something else. One Day at a Time is my favorite tv show that had meant a lot to me for so long and this book brought all of the feelings that I have for this show, all of the love and emotions, and made me feel things I didn’t realize I could feel for something else. All of the characters, their friendships and their love for each other warmed my heart and made me feel as though I was their friend myself, as if they were all real.
I laughed, I cried, I had the time of my life. I fully expected this book to break my heart but instead it warmed it. Jules means so much to me, more than I could’ve expected. Mat was everything I could’ve wished for in a book character. And how they work together, their dynamic, just fills my heart with so much joy. ...more
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.
Oh my god, this book was a roller coaster! I wasn’t sureThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.
Oh my god, this book was a roller coaster! I wasn’t sure what to expect going into it, but I definitely wasn’t let down by it. Everything from the story building to the characters blew my expectations out of the water. I don’t often read thrillers or novels with much suspense at all, but after this one I might start searching for them more often.
It took me a while to get into the book and for it to pick up, but once it did it didn’t stop! I marathoned the last half of this book and, once I finished it at night, I’ll admit that it left me terrified to sleep for a bit. Even though I knew it wasn’t real, it felt like it could’ve easily been—which is what I love in a book (even if it terrifies me).
I definitely recommend this book if you’re like me and haven’t read many thrillers and don’t have much history with the genre. It was a great introduction and the motivation to be more open to thrillers. ...more
Oh boy, where do I even start? Buckle up because this is about to be a journey. The only spoilers in this review are issues I had with some of the remOh boy, where do I even start? Buckle up because this is about to be a journey. The only spoilers in this review are issues I had with some of the remarks made by the characters and I feel that they are important to read.
I wanted to love this book because the idea of a girl being with the guy of her dreams but instead all she could think about was the girl? It sounded absolutely amazing to me! Sadly this book let me down in so many more ways than I expected.
I didn’t love Lara as a character, at all. She grew on me throughout the book, but at the beginning she’s very snotty whenever she’s at school. In the flashback scenes she’s much better and grows into somewhat of a better person, but it wasn’t enough for me to love her.
There’s also a comment made by Lara, there are a few comments made by many characters in this book, that didn’t sit right with me. She’s talking about her lab partner, Jamie, and the person that Jamie is dating, Taylor. Taylor is non-binary and Lara makes a comment “…my lab partner, Jamie Nguyen, who’s sitting with her—what do you call it when someone’s neither a girlfriend nor a boyfriend? Non-binary friend?� This comment did not sit right with me at all when I read it, but I pushed through the book and made a note about it.
From the synopsis, we can tell there’s a hinting that Lara is bisexual. Her longtime crush, Chase, makes a comment about this that made me sick to my stomach to read being bisexual myself. He says “I mean, this is a bisexual thing, right? Not being able to choose?� This is a stereotype and, while Lara regards it as such, she doesn’t treat what he says as something negative. She just brushes it off after saying it’s a stereotype that she doesn’t like and continues to speak highly of him. I didn’t like how it painted the idea that even if someone stereotypes you, that it’s best to move on from it.
Lastly, there was a comment made by Lara’s friend Shannon that was regarded in the same vein. This comment made me both furious and sick and only added onto the anger that I felt from the others. I won’t go into too many spoilers, but their friend group believed—assumed—that one of their friends were gay without the friend ever speaking about her sexuality. After they find out about Lara’s own questioning Shannon says “Okay, I feel like I’m falling behind on coolness by not liking girls now. This may have been a missed opportunity in Paris. I still have time to catch up in college, right?� This is not okay. This character is blatantly saying that liking girls is a trend and by not liking them, she is not “cool.� Sexuality is not a trend! Being LGBT+ is not a trend! Under no circumstance should this comment have been included, not even to paint a character as a villain. And Shannon isn’t even really the enemy in this story. By the time she says this, their friend group is perfectly fine with each other and on great terms. Lara even makes a comment immediately after this saying “Glad to have you back Shannon� after she makes yet another rude comment about how everything, including making Lara’s sexuality about herself, is about her. She accepts the half-assed apology that Shannon gives, as if everything that she said was okay and perfectly normal to say.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating: 3.75 stars
As a reaThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating: 3.75 stars
As a reader, there is nothing that you want more than to live within the pages of your favorite world or even become a character of your own. And this is exactly what Unwritten does.
The world of Unwritten reads a lot like a classic fairytale, magical and sometimes a bit confusing. There were moments where the world building was a bit off for me, but it didn’t make the book overall unenjoyable. The world took me back to books that I’d read as a child and all of the dreams of living in fictional worlds that I’d had in elementary school when I found my escape in books (and still do, obviously).
The characters were fairly strong as well, having relationships that didn’t seem too unrealistic or off-putting while reading. Beatrix’s history was very well built and added so much to the story that put layers into the world that I hadn’t expected.
Overall, I recommend this book if you’re wishing to escape into a fictional world—since that’s exactly what the main character does in this story. If you love magic and fairytales, Unwritten has the atmosphere that those stories have (and even a few references to those stories, as well)....more
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating: 3.75 starThank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating: 3.75 stars
This book was a pleasant surprise, which just so happened to be the case with Hercules whenever I watched it for the first time (too many years too late)! From the moment I watched the movie, I fell in love with the characters and this book really did those characters justice.
I haven’t read many of the Twisted Tales books, but the ones that I have read haven’t been my favorite retellings of the stories that I read. Go the Distance, however, is absolutely my favorite Hercules-based story. Meg was my favorite character of the movie and this book is essentially her story without anyone else’s interruptions.
And Meg was a joy to read about. Her determination throughout the story was admirable and her feelings were relatable, I often felt her anger, heartbreak and joy within myself whenever I was reading. There wasn’t a moment in this book where I wasn’t rooting for her, where I saw flaws in her and what she was doing. This is Meg’s story and she tells it well.
I loved that we got to see more of the characters that we loved from the Disney movie, as well, only more fleshed out and developed in this story. We learn a lot more about Meg specifically, but we also see a lot of character development between her and Phil—a relationship that we didn’t learn a lot about in the movie. And of course, we learned more about Hercules and his relationship with Meg in this book. All of these developments to these characters never once felt out of character or forced, which is often an issue whenever reading retellings. Go the Distance exceeded my expectations and made me fall in love with the characters of Hercules all over again....more
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book.
Sadly, this is a DNF for me. I tried on and off for months to read this book and eveThank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book.
Sadly, this is a DNF for me. I tried on and off for months to read this book and every time it just didn’t work for me. The writing was great, but I couldn’t find myself getting into the story or the characters and, with characters being the most important part to me, I felt myself getting into a slump because of it. I still love the premise, so maybe one day I’ll return to this book but for now it’s best if I put it down. ...more
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book absolutely blThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book absolutely blew my expectations out of the water! I couldn’t put it down the second I picked it up (even though, if I’m being honest, I read it in the dark and DID get a little scared and had to put it down to sleep but) and I finished most of it in only two hours.
I love ghosts and paranormal and this middle grade was everything I would’ve wanted as a kid, it was everything I could’ve wanted now even. I saw myself, both young and current me, in Zee and I really felt for everything that she went through in this story—her hopes, her dreams, her disappoints in herself and yes, even the ghosts. There were many times where I had to put this book down and look around, because I honestly thought the author had written me and not a fictional character.
This might be my favorite middle grade of all time, which is saying a lot because middle grades are fun reads that I almost always love. This book is PERFECT for spooky months, but I could read this at any time of the year and feel the same as I would in October. If you love ghosts, paranormal or even mysteries, give this book a chance, I promise it won’t disappoint you. ...more
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Stand-alone fantasy noThank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Stand-alone fantasy novels are few and far between, so whenever I find one I like to hold onto to it and hope for the best. The Stolen Kingdom did not disappoint at all, in fact I found myself wanting more—maybe not another full length novel, but an epilogue or maybe a short story post ending.
The magic system in this book was extremely well developed and one that stands out to me from other magic systems that I’ve read about. Usually, magic systems take the entire series to fully develop, but the author developed this one in this book in a way that didn’t feel like a pile of information thrusted upon the reader.
Mara and Alac’s dynamic was also an enjoyable part for me in this book, the dynamic of all the characters were. There wasn’t a moment where one character felt out of place or their interactions felt unnatural. Not to mention the romance that develops within this story; if there was anything that I wanted to know more about, it was the state of this romance after the end of the book.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable fantasy perfect for an introduction to the genre or for someone who wants to read a fantasy but doesn’t want to deal with the weight of a five or more book series. Or someone that likes wine, there was a lot of that in this too. ...more
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