en-US Mon, 21 Apr 2025 13:22:42 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 212808316 Brimming with magic and romance, a young fairy queen must form an unlikely alliance or risk an unspeakable danger destroying all she holds dear in this standalone YA novel from New York Times bestselling author Allison Saft.

It’s been centuries since a warm-season fairy in Pixie Hollow has crossed into the Winter Woods, and while most fear the legends of monsters lurking in the frozen lands, Clarion, can’t help being intrigued by Winter’s stoic beauty. But under the watchful eyes of the current monarch and the court's seasonal ministers, Clarion has little time to dwell on daydreams while the days to her coronation dwindle away.

That is, until reports of a monster crossing from Winter into Spring make their way to the palace. Clarion sees defeating this threat as an opportunity to prove that she is worthy of her new role. But instead of finding a monster at the edge of Winter, she finds Milori, a young guardian of the Winter Woods. Together, they form an unlikely bond as they race to save their lands.

But as their alliance warms to something more, they will discover there is a reason a warm-season fairy and a winter fairy must not be together. And the cost could be just as deadly as the monsters that prowl the Winter Woods.

Discover the origin of the sweeping, star-crossed romance between the queen of Pixie Hollow and the lord of the Winter Woods.]]> 400 Allison Saft 1368098452 Laura 0 currently-reading 4.26 2025
author: Allison Saft
name: Laura
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 221407439
Graphic novels er populært læsestof for eventyrglade børn. Nu er Tim Probert tilbage med tredje bog i den populære Lightfall-serie om Bea og Cad.

Mørket har lagt sig over Irpa. Mens resten af deres følge søger tilflugt, slår Bea og Cad sig sammen med en lille gruppe overlevende for at rejse til Videnens Citadel og finde svar på verdens mest skjulte mysterier. Men farerne lurer, og skyggerne gemmer på nye udfordringer ved hvert et sving.

Bea og Cad’s rejse afslører endnu flere hemmeligheder og en uventet allieret skaber lys i mørket. Et gammelt mysterium giver et glimt af håb for fremtiden.

Det er underholdende, vildt spændende og sjovt - og bøgernes smukke tegninger og bevægende personskildringer hæver dem op over de fleste lignende udgivelser.]]> 256 Tim Probert 8740092704 Laura 5 4.45 2024
author: Tim Probert
name: Laura
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/19
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves:
review:

]]> 209402433
Lightfall er en vildt charmerende serie om store eventyr og særlige venskaber �� fortalt med både humor og masser af action.

Bea og Cad drager videre på deres færd gennem Irpas magiske verden for at standse Kest, den mytiske fugl, der stjal solen.

Her er spænding, mystiske skabninger og dramatiske kampe, og bøgerne er perfekte til alle dem, der elskede Amulet-serien.

Det er underholdende og sjovt, og bøgernes smukke tegninger og bevægende personskildringer hæver dem op over de fleste lignende udgivelser. Dette er andet bind i Lightfall-serien.]]> 256 Tim Probert 8740085759 Laura 5 4.56 2022
author: Tim Probert
name: Laura
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/19
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves:
review:

]]> 213186396 Fall in love with the brand new spring romance set in Dream Harbor, from the bestselling author of The Pumpkin Spice Café.

As a renowned chef, single-dad Archer never planned on moving to a small town, let alone running a pancake restaurant. But Dream Harbor needs a new chef, and Archer needs a community to help raise his daughter, Olive.

Iris has never managed to hold down a job for more than a few months. So when Mayor Kelly suggests Archer is looking for a nanny, and Iris might be available, she shudders at the thought. But in need of money she reluctantly agrees.

As Archer and Iris get used to their new roles, is it possible that they might have more in common than they first thought, or is Olive just determined to play match-maker��

Tropes:

�� single dad
�� forced proximity
�� slow burn
�� found family
�� one bed]]> 361 Laurie Gilmore 0008713340 Laura 3
I don't know what was in the air when I read the first two Dream Harbour books and loved them so much because this was just..Decent? Way better than the Christmas tree farm, don't get me wrong, but just not proper good. Though, I will say, it was easily digestible and kept me entertained. Kind of like fast food in book form.

Archer and Iris were both annoying, especially Archer. Mostly in the beginning with all his "Oh I'm such an important and good chef I'm far above this shitty little town". They did both grown on me a little, though. But just a little. They weren't really properly fleshed out, just personalities. Characteristics. Tropes, maybe. Their chemistry was also just kind of meh, and very insta-lust which is not my cup of tea. Many of their domestic moments were ruined by one of them being lusty, which is such a shame because their domestic moments were EVERYTHING to me. Like, they were so adorable and had me kicking my feet and giggling. I'm so weak for a good single-parent trope and seeing Archer freak out over Oliver calling him dad, holding his hand, etc. was beyond cute. Speaking off, Olive was without a doubt, the star of the show. I loved that kid so much. Her just wanting Iris to be her mum was very sweet. Was she a realistic 5 year-old? I don't know, you tell me, but I loved her.

Where this book lost me a little (again) was the unexpected pregnancy trope. I guess I should've seen it coming since a big theme of this book was the thought of wether or not you wanted to have kids, but still. That got a major eye roll from me. The epilogue did save it a little, because yeah Olive asking if she can call Iris mum too did make me cry a little, and so what? sue me, it was emotional after seeing their relationship develop throughout the book.

On a similar note, I couldn't care less about the smut parts, those were by far my least favourite parts. Chuck those out and give me all the domestic fluff. Those moments was what saved the book for me. The whole "yes, chef" being turned into something sexy was very eeeeeh for me, especially because it just reminded me of gordon ramsay, who I don't find sexy at all (but you do you). Way better than the nickname "Peaches" from the last book, so there's that. Also, a thing I've noticed is that there's a lot of nipple sucking in all the books. I'm not gonna yuck anyones yum, if that's what you're into then go ahead, but it's just a whole thing and I have feelings about it. Anyways, it was cute enough, but ultimately didn't do anything for me.]]> 3.93 2025
author: Laurie Gilmore
name: Laura
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/18
date added: 2025/04/18
shelves:
review:
**3.5

I don't know what was in the air when I read the first two Dream Harbour books and loved them so much because this was just..Decent? Way better than the Christmas tree farm, don't get me wrong, but just not proper good. Though, I will say, it was easily digestible and kept me entertained. Kind of like fast food in book form.

Archer and Iris were both annoying, especially Archer. Mostly in the beginning with all his "Oh I'm such an important and good chef I'm far above this shitty little town". They did both grown on me a little, though. But just a little. They weren't really properly fleshed out, just personalities. Characteristics. Tropes, maybe. Their chemistry was also just kind of meh, and very insta-lust which is not my cup of tea. Many of their domestic moments were ruined by one of them being lusty, which is such a shame because their domestic moments were EVERYTHING to me. Like, they were so adorable and had me kicking my feet and giggling. I'm so weak for a good single-parent trope and seeing Archer freak out over Oliver calling him dad, holding his hand, etc. was beyond cute. Speaking off, Olive was without a doubt, the star of the show. I loved that kid so much. Her just wanting Iris to be her mum was very sweet. Was she a realistic 5 year-old? I don't know, you tell me, but I loved her.

Where this book lost me a little (again) was the unexpected pregnancy trope. I guess I should've seen it coming since a big theme of this book was the thought of wether or not you wanted to have kids, but still. That got a major eye roll from me. The epilogue did save it a little, because yeah Olive asking if she can call Iris mum too did make me cry a little, and so what? sue me, it was emotional after seeing their relationship develop throughout the book.

On a similar note, I couldn't care less about the smut parts, those were by far my least favourite parts. Chuck those out and give me all the domestic fluff. Those moments was what saved the book for me. The whole "yes, chef" being turned into something sexy was very eeeeeh for me, especially because it just reminded me of gordon ramsay, who I don't find sexy at all (but you do you). Way better than the nickname "Peaches" from the last book, so there's that. Also, a thing I've noticed is that there's a lot of nipple sucking in all the books. I'm not gonna yuck anyones yum, if that's what you're into then go ahead, but it's just a whole thing and I have feelings about it. Anyways, it was cute enough, but ultimately didn't do anything for me.
]]> 65211701 Am I making it worse? I think I'm making it worse.

Everyone's favorite lethal SecUnit is back.

Following the events in Network Effect, the Barish-Estranza corporation has sent rescue ships to a newly-colonized planet in peril, as well as additional SecUnits. But if there’s an ethical corporation out there, Murderbot has yet to find it, and if Barish-Estranza can’t have the planet, they’re sure as hell not leaving without something. If that something just happens to be an entire colony of humans, well, a free workforce is a decent runner-up prize.

But there’s something wrong with Murderbot; it isn’t running within normal operational parameters. ART’s crew and the humans from Preservation are doing everything they can to protect the colonists, but with Barish-Estranza’s SecUnit-heavy persuasion teams, they’re going to have to hope Murderbot figures out what’s wrong with itself, and fast.

Yeah, this plan is... not going to work.]]> 245 Martha Wells 1250826977 Laura 4
Another good murderbot book! A little sad to be finishing the series, but also kinda not, as I've been bingereading it the last like 2 and a half weeks, and that did kill the enjoyment of the later books for me a little. Though I'm really glad I decided to pick it up, as I have genuinely been enjoying it a lot. I love Murderbot and its reluctance to feel emotions, especially towards humans, but ending up doing it anyways. I'm also really glad it ended up staying with ART<33 I love whatever it is that's going on between them, and how much they both clearly care for each other, even though neither wants to admit it. I can definitely imagine myself doing a reread in audioform, as I've heard a lot of great things about the audiobooks.]]> 4.19 2023
author: Martha Wells
name: Laura
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/17
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves:
review:
**4.5

Another good murderbot book! A little sad to be finishing the series, but also kinda not, as I've been bingereading it the last like 2 and a half weeks, and that did kill the enjoyment of the later books for me a little. Though I'm really glad I decided to pick it up, as I have genuinely been enjoying it a lot. I love Murderbot and its reluctance to feel emotions, especially towards humans, but ending up doing it anyways. I'm also really glad it ended up staying with ART<33 I love whatever it is that's going on between them, and how much they both clearly care for each other, even though neither wants to admit it. I can definitely imagine myself doing a reread in audioform, as I've heard a lot of great things about the audiobooks.
]]> 53205854 No, I didn’t kill the dead human. If I had, I wouldn’t dump the body in the station mall.

When Murderbot discovers a dead body on Preservation Station, it knows it is going to have to assist station security to determine who the body is (was), how they were killed (that should be relatively straightforward, at least), and why (because apparently that matters to a lot of people—who knew?)

Yes, the unthinkable is about to happen: Murderbot must voluntarily speak to humans!

Again!]]> 168 Martha Wells 1250765374 Laura 4 Super weird going from the long murderbot book back to the short, face paced murderbot book, but enjoyable still! I miss ART, though3

Detective murderbot was also a nice change in the series, though I think I prefer the other regular plots]]> 4.25 2021
author: Martha Wells
name: Laura
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/13
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves:
review:
**4.25
Super weird going from the long murderbot book back to the short, face paced murderbot book, but enjoyable still! I miss ART, though3

Detective murderbot was also a nice change in the series, though I think I prefer the other regular plots
]]> 52381770
It worries about the fragile human crew who've grown to trust it, but only where no one can see.

It tells itself that they're only a professional obligation, but when they're captured and an old friend from the past requires urgent assistance, Murderbot must choose between inertia and drastic action.

Drastic action it is, then.

]]> 350 Martha Wells 1250229863 Laura 4 This is definitely my least favourite Murderbot book so far. Usually I don't really understand what's going on, and is just enjoying the vibes, but this time I genuinely didn't understand what was going on for the majority of the time, partly because of the huge cast of characters. It also dragged a bir for me? I 100% prefer the shorter MB books. I also didn't get into the story properly until the last 40% ish. BUT!!! that being said, ART<333 I love ART so much<333 Murderbot and ART making up was so>>> argh I loved that whole part, I love their dynamic. I just met 3, but I already love it, and I hope we get to see it again. ALSO??? THE MENTIONS OF MIKI??? FOUL]]> 4.44 2020
author: Martha Wells
name: Laura
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/13
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves:
review:
**3.75
This is definitely my least favourite Murderbot book so far. Usually I don't really understand what's going on, and is just enjoying the vibes, but this time I genuinely didn't understand what was going on for the majority of the time, partly because of the huge cast of characters. It also dragged a bir for me? I 100% prefer the shorter MB books. I also didn't get into the story properly until the last 40% ish. BUT!!! that being said, ART<333 I love ART so much<333 Murderbot and ART making up was so>>> argh I loved that whole part, I love their dynamic. I just met 3, but I already love it, and I hope we get to see it again. ALSO??? THE MENTIONS OF MIKI??? FOUL
]]> 35519109
Having traveled the width of the galaxy to unearth details of its own murderous transgressions, as well as those of the GrayCris Corporation, Murderbot is heading home to help Dr. Mensah—its former owner (protector? friend?)—submit evidence that could prevent GrayCris from destroying more colonists in its never-ending quest for profit.

But who’s going to believe a SecUnit gone rogue?

And what will become of it when it’s caught?]]> 163 Martha Wells Laura 4 *4.75 4.38 2018
author: Martha Wells
name: Laura
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/06
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves:
review:
*4.75
]]> 35519101
And Murderbot would rather those questions went away. For good.

]]> 158 Martha Wells 1250191785 Laura 5 Miki3 4.21 2018
author: Martha Wells
name: Laura
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/06
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves:
review:
Miki3
]]> 36223860 alternate cover for ISBN 9781250186928

It has a dark past �� one in which a number of humans were killed. A past that caused it to christen itself “Murderbot." But it has only vague memories of the massacre that spawned that title, and it wants to know more.

Teaming up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don’t want to know what the “A�� stands for), Murderbot heads to the mining facility where it went rogue.

What it discovers will forever change the way it thinks.]]> 158 Martha Wells Laura 5 I love this little robot freak]]> 4.23 2018
author: Martha Wells
name: Laura
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/05
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves:
review:
*4.5
I love this little robot freak
]]> 32758901 "As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure."

In a corporate-dominated space-faring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. For their own safety, exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists is conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid--a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.�� Scornful of humans, Murderbot wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is, but when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and Murderbot to get to the truth.]]> 144 Martha Wells Laura 5
Murderbot is me, I am murderbot]]> 4.11 2017
author: Martha Wells
name: Laura
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves:
review:
*4.75

Murderbot is me, I am murderbot
]]> 35068705
When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.]]> 545 R.F. Kuang 0062662597 Laura 5 *4,25<br />Holy shit 4.16 2018
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Laura
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/02
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves:
review:
*4,25
Holy shit
]]> 199793393
Enter Mackenize Ishikawa. She’s the girl all girls want to be and all boys want to be with—and, Mackenzie has decided, Phoebe's new best friend. Mackenzie knows what it takes to survive and thrive as a girl in high school, most of all that no matter who Phoebe wants to be, or who she wants to date, she's going to need someone having her back.

Phoebe soon realizes what Mackenzie knows too well: Being true to yourself is going to mean breaking some hearts. But as Phoebe discovers what kind of girl she is—and what kind of girl everyone around her thinks she's supposed to be—she worries one of those hearts will be her own.]]> 224 Magdalene Visaggio 0063060655 Laura 3 3.58 2024
author: Magdalene Visaggio
name: Laura
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves:
review:

]]> 199531795
Eleanor has always wanted to do everything "right," including falling in love—but she’s never met a boy she was interested in. She’d much rather spend time with her best friend, George, and beloved cousin Charlotte. However, when a new suitor comes to town, she finds her closest friendships threatened, forcing her to rethink what "right" means and confront feelings she never knew she had.

Inspired by Jane Austen and queer history, I Shall Never Fall in Love shines a light on what it means to be true to yourself and rewrites the rules for what makes a happily ever after.]]> 288 Hari Conner 035868238X Laura 5 4.75 stars rounded up 4.29 2024
author: Hari Conner
name: Laura
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves:
review:
4.75 stars rounded up
]]> 206354271
Lightfall er en vildt charmerende serie om store eventyr og særlige venskaber - fortalt med både humor og masser af action. I en smuk og magisk verden må pigen Bea forlade sit rolige og trygge liv i skoven, da hun pludselig bliver tvunget ud på en farefuld færd for at redde sin planet fra et evigt mørke.

Hun slår følge med Galdurianeren Cad, og mens de sammen trodser alverdens farer, vokser et smukt venskab mellem dem.]]> 256 Tim Probert 8740085740 Laura 5 4.50 2020
author: Tim Probert
name: Laura
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/19
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves:
review:

]]> 36127488
Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests.

Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they've been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed.

Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when her mom thinks she should stick to math because English is not her first language?

It will take all of Mia's courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams?]]> 298 Kelly Yang 1338157795 Laura 0 to-read 4.36 2018
author: Kelly Yang
name: Laura
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 215585974
Ømse ankommer med rutebil til sommerlandet. Her venter dage med lærkesang over gule marker, strandture, pludselige regnskyl og lange lyse nætter.

Sommerdage �� Ømse holder fri er en sanselig haiku-fortælling om at stoppe op og opleve verden omkring sig. Illustrator Charlotte Pardis lyse, varme akvareller er med til at give den danske sommer dens eget unikke Ømse-twist, som både børn og voksne vil finde genkendelse i.]]> 48 Jeppe Madsen 8743408044 Laura 5 4.50
author: Jeppe Madsen
name: Laura
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 12069434 ��
For Laurence and Temeraire, put out to pasture in Australia, it seems their part in the war has come to an end just when they are needed most. But perhaps they are no longer alone in this opinion. Newly allied with the powerful African empire of the Tswana, the French have occupied Spain and brought revolution and bloodshed to Brazil, threatening Britain’s last desperate hope to defeat Napoleon.
��
And now the government that sidelined them has decided they have the best chance at negotiating a peace with the angry Tswana, who have besieged the Portuguese royal family in Rio—and thus offer to reinstate Laurence to his former rank and seniority as a captain in the Aerial Corps. Temeraire is delighted by this sudden reversal of fortune, but Laurence is by no means sanguine, knowing from experience that personal honor and duty to one’s country do not always run on parallel tracks.
��
Nonetheless, the pair embark for Brazil, only to meet with a string of unmitigated disasters that force them to make an unexpected landing in the hostile territory of the Incan empire, where they face new unanticipated dangers.
��
Now with the success of the mission balanced on a razor’s edge, and failure looking more likely by the minute, the unexpected arrival of an old enemy will tip the scales toward ruin. Yet even in the midst of disaster, opportunity may lurk—for one bold enough to grasp it.]]> 325 Naomi Novik 0345522869 Laura 4 3.95 2012
author: Naomi Novik
name: Laura
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/16
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves:
review:

]]> 60717747 It's difficult to find a husband in Regency England when you're a young lady with only half a soul.

Ever since she was cursed by a faerie, Theodora Ettings has had no sense of fear or embarrassment - a condition which makes her prone to accidental scandal. Dora hopes to be a quiet, sensible wallflower during the London Season - but when the strange, handsome and utterly uncouth Lord Sorcier discovers her condition, she is instead drawn into dangerous and peculiar faerie affairs.

If Dora's reputation can survive both her curse and her sudden connection with the least-liked man in all of high society, then she may yet reclaim her normal place in the world. . . but the longer Dora spends with Elias Wilder, the more she begins to suspect that one may indeed fall in love, even with only half a soul.

Bridgerton meets Howl's Moving Castle in this enchanting historical fantasy, where the only thing more meddlesome than faeries is a marriage-minded mother.

Pick up HALF A SOUL, and be stolen away into Olivia Atwater's charming, magical version of Regency England!]]> 304 Olivia Atwater Laura 5
This book was SUCH a good time. I love regancy historical romances, especially the ones with low fantasy like this one. It did take me a bit to get into, though, as I was in a reading slump. It did hinder my enjoyment a little, but, luckily, not by much.

The mystery of the 'sleeping plauge' and all the faerie stuff were very enjoyable, but Elias and Dora were the true stars of the show. And speaking of, I loved Elias so much. This damned half faerie MAN had me kicking my feet and giggling, even though he was a bit of an asshole sometimes, but oh he was also so soft with Dora and ARGH. I wanna reread it already just to highlight all the things he said and did. The ballroom scene with the stars? I died. Their banter was also just so GOOD. To begin with I actually found him a bit annoying, as I asume I was supposed to, and almost hoped Dora would marry Albert instead, but I much prefer this outcome, and really enjoyed her and Alberts friendship.

Now, Dora, I loved her a lot as well, and I think it was partly because I could see myself in her. She only has half a soul, which means she isn't able to express emotions as clearly as she would like, doesn't react 'as she should', etc. I believe it might be a metaphor for being neurodivergent? I'm neurodivergent myself and I've often been scolded by my mum for not reacting 'properly'/saying the wrong things etc., just as Dora is throughout the book. I'm not gonna go into details because of spoilers, but the ending and the things being said just made me really happy, iykyk.

The relationship she had with her cousin Vanessa was so sweet, and I adored how much they cared about each other. It was almost touching how Vanessa would rather give up marriage than leave Dora behind, and always supported her no matter what.

I didn't give this book 5 stars, and I didn't for a few reasons other than just taking a bit to get into the story. If you're looking for a well developed plot, I don't believe this is the book for you. A few things felt like they came out of nowhere, and the ending felt a bit rushed. I was just reading and suddenly realised I only had about 30 pages left with so much left still needing to happen. Maybe it was fitting for the pace, as it was quite fast paced in general, I'm not sure, but it did surprise me. The epilogue also just felt like a quick overview of the future? It was all like 'x happened, then y, then x, then etc etc and they all lived happily every after'. The first part was nice, but I could've been without the last, as it was almost just listing events.

All this to say, if you're here for characters and vibes, this is very much the book for you. It was just what I needed to get out of my slump, and just enjoyed it so much. If you're into regancy fairytales, please read this next.]]> 4.04 2020
author: Olivia Atwater
name: Laura
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves:
review:
*4,75 rounded up

This book was SUCH a good time. I love regancy historical romances, especially the ones with low fantasy like this one. It did take me a bit to get into, though, as I was in a reading slump. It did hinder my enjoyment a little, but, luckily, not by much.

The mystery of the 'sleeping plauge' and all the faerie stuff were very enjoyable, but Elias and Dora were the true stars of the show. And speaking of, I loved Elias so much. This damned half faerie MAN had me kicking my feet and giggling, even though he was a bit of an asshole sometimes, but oh he was also so soft with Dora and ARGH. I wanna reread it already just to highlight all the things he said and did. The ballroom scene with the stars? I died. Their banter was also just so GOOD. To begin with I actually found him a bit annoying, as I asume I was supposed to, and almost hoped Dora would marry Albert instead, but I much prefer this outcome, and really enjoyed her and Alberts friendship.

Now, Dora, I loved her a lot as well, and I think it was partly because I could see myself in her. She only has half a soul, which means she isn't able to express emotions as clearly as she would like, doesn't react 'as she should', etc. I believe it might be a metaphor for being neurodivergent? I'm neurodivergent myself and I've often been scolded by my mum for not reacting 'properly'/saying the wrong things etc., just as Dora is throughout the book. I'm not gonna go into details because of spoilers, but the ending and the things being said just made me really happy, iykyk.

The relationship she had with her cousin Vanessa was so sweet, and I adored how much they cared about each other. It was almost touching how Vanessa would rather give up marriage than leave Dora behind, and always supported her no matter what.

I didn't give this book 5 stars, and I didn't for a few reasons other than just taking a bit to get into the story. If you're looking for a well developed plot, I don't believe this is the book for you. A few things felt like they came out of nowhere, and the ending felt a bit rushed. I was just reading and suddenly realised I only had about 30 pages left with so much left still needing to happen. Maybe it was fitting for the pace, as it was quite fast paced in general, I'm not sure, but it did surprise me. The epilogue also just felt like a quick overview of the future? It was all like 'x happened, then y, then x, then etc etc and they all lived happily every after'. The first part was nice, but I could've been without the last, as it was almost just listing events.

All this to say, if you're here for characters and vibes, this is very much the book for you. It was just what I needed to get out of my slump, and just enjoyed it so much. If you're into regancy fairytales, please read this next.
]]> 199531917
Paz Dario stays up every night, waiting for the Death-Cast call that would mean he doesn’t have to keep faking his way through this lonely life. After a devastating day, Paz decides he’s done waiting around for Death-Cast. If they say he’s not dying, he’ll just have to prove them wrong. But right before Paz can die, a boy saves his life.

Alano Rosa is heir to the Death-Cast empire that encourages everyone to live their best lives, but he doesn’t feel in control of his own existence thanks to his father. And with a violent organization called the Death Guard threatening Alano, his End Day might be closer than he thinks. It’s time to live.

Fate brings Paz and Alano together, but it’s now up to the boys to survive the tragic trials ahead so no one dies at the end.

This book contains themes that some readers may find difficult.]]> 720 Adam Silvera 0063240858 Laura 0 to-read 4.05 2025
author: Adam Silvera
name: Laura
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223878710 Adam Silvera Laura 0 to-read 4.50
author: Adam Silvera
name: Laura
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 50209317
At the Five-Hop One-Stop, long-haul spacers can stretch their legs (if they have legs, that is), and get fuel, transit permits, and assorted supplies. The Five-Hop is run by an enterprising alien and her sometimes helpful child, who work hard to provide a little piece of home to everyone passing through.

When a freak technological failure halts all traffic to and from Gora, three strangers—all different species with different aims—are thrown together at the Five-Hop. Grounded, with nothing to do but wait, the trio—an exiled artist with an appointment to keep, a cargo runner at a personal crossroads, and a mysterious individual doing her best to help those on the fringes—are compelled to confront where they’ve been, where they might go, and what they are, or could be, to each other.]]> 336 Becky Chambers 0062936050 Laura 5
This book was super cozy. Just like the 3 previous books, it was super low stakes, just chill vibes and the comforting BC writing style. That is, until shit unexpectedly hit the fan. I was NOT prepared and it gave me a bit of emotional whiplash, I'm too attached to these characters (iykyk).

Speaking off, I really enjoyed just reading about the different characters interact with- and learn about each other and each other's species. From an outsiders perspective I also really enjoyed learning about the different species this way. It wasn't info-dumpy or anything, the information just came along naturally. I already knew a little about the Aeluons from the previous books, but everything else was brand new and interesting. I'm really impressed with how Becky Chambers can come up with these things and making them so convincing, almost like she was just describing a monkey or something. It all just..made sense.

Back to the characters. They were all lovely- and I know I'm gonna sound like a broken record when I say this, because I've said it in all my BC reviews- and so three dimensional. Their different personalities shined through, and it was a delight getting to know them throughout the story. The relationships they formed with each other were so sweet, and seeing it in full force in the epilogue honestly made me cry a little (again, this book made me very emotional okay).

Getting to know new characters is always interesting, but I especially liked reading about Pei. We heard about her through Ashby in the first book, but actually getting to know her was really nice. This booked added to much to her character, and I'm so glad she ended up getting her own POV. Having gotten the two perspectives it's so obvious how much they love and care about each other, and I need a spinoff about them ASAP please. Honestly all the characters from this book would be interesting to read more about, as they all had cool background I want to learn more about.

Besides Pei, I really liked Roveg. Couldn't tell you why specifically, he was just a delightful guy.

The book also managed to sneak in a really important point about not choosing to have kids simply because you don't want to, and how that is all the reasons you need. I didn't expect it at all, but it was really nice.

This review is so nonsensical, but it was just a really nice and emotional ending to the series and I'm so sad there's no more wayfarer content for me to consume as I've really come to love this universe and these characters, and I cannot recommend it enough. ]]> 4.38 2021
author: Becky Chambers
name: Laura
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves:
review:
**4.75 stars rounded up

This book was super cozy. Just like the 3 previous books, it was super low stakes, just chill vibes and the comforting BC writing style. That is, until shit unexpectedly hit the fan. I was NOT prepared and it gave me a bit of emotional whiplash, I'm too attached to these characters (iykyk).

Speaking off, I really enjoyed just reading about the different characters interact with- and learn about each other and each other's species. From an outsiders perspective I also really enjoyed learning about the different species this way. It wasn't info-dumpy or anything, the information just came along naturally. I already knew a little about the Aeluons from the previous books, but everything else was brand new and interesting. I'm really impressed with how Becky Chambers can come up with these things and making them so convincing, almost like she was just describing a monkey or something. It all just..made sense.

Back to the characters. They were all lovely- and I know I'm gonna sound like a broken record when I say this, because I've said it in all my BC reviews- and so three dimensional. Their different personalities shined through, and it was a delight getting to know them throughout the story. The relationships they formed with each other were so sweet, and seeing it in full force in the epilogue honestly made me cry a little (again, this book made me very emotional okay).

Getting to know new characters is always interesting, but I especially liked reading about Pei. We heard about her through Ashby in the first book, but actually getting to know her was really nice. This booked added to much to her character, and I'm so glad she ended up getting her own POV. Having gotten the two perspectives it's so obvious how much they love and care about each other, and I need a spinoff about them ASAP please. Honestly all the characters from this book would be interesting to read more about, as they all had cool background I want to learn more about.

Besides Pei, I really liked Roveg. Couldn't tell you why specifically, he was just a delightful guy.

The book also managed to sneak in a really important point about not choosing to have kids simply because you don't want to, and how that is all the reasons you need. I didn't expect it at all, but it was really nice.

This review is so nonsensical, but it was just a really nice and emotional ending to the series and I'm so sad there's no more wayfarer content for me to consume as I've really come to love this universe and these characters, and I cannot recommend it enough.
]]> 228539437 448 Brigid Kemmerer 1547613459 Laura 0 to-read 4.50 2026
author: Brigid Kemmerer
name: Laura
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 32802595
Tessa chose to stay home when her brother Ashby left for the stars, but has to question that decision when her position in the Fleet is threatened.

Kip, a reluctant young apprentice, itches for change but doesn't know where to find it.

Sawyer, a lost and lonely newcomer, is just looking for a place to belong.

When a disaster rocks this already fragile community, those Exodans who still call the Fleet their home can no longer avoid the inescapable question:

What is the purpose of a ship that has reached its destination?]]> 359 Becky Chambers 1473647606 Laura 4
This book felt very different compared to the two previous books. Firstly, it's all about humans. There were barely any aliens in the book, besides a few side characters, all the main characters were human. The two previous books were filled with aliens, so it was a bit strange, as I had grown to quite enjoy the presence of said aliens. I wouldn't say it made it more boring, it just made it feel less sci-fi-y, for a lack of better explanations.

Secondly, it barely had any ties to the original wayfarer crew. Only one character, Tessa, had any ties to the crew, as she was the sister of the captain, Ashby. It was by no means a bad thing, it just took some getting used to, as I had to get to know a whole new cast of characters, who I will get to later.

Thirdly, the pacing felt different. As far as I understood, the book is mostly speculation about why are we still doing this? What's the point of continuing when we've got this far? And, as it says on the back of the book, What is the purpose of a ship that has reached its destination? I suppose it is just that, speculative fiction, because not a lot happens. Because of this, it took me quite a bit to get into the story, I had to push myself forward at times. Once I got into the story, I did enjoy it, but it wasn't easy getting there. I don't think speculative fiction is really for me, I need a bit more of a plot. It doesn't necessarily have to be plot-driven, as Becky Chambers has proven that I can, in fact, enjoy character-driven books, I just need a bit more going on.

Now to the characters. I did enjoy them overall, but I didn't care about and connect with them the same way I did the ones from the previous books. Don't get me wrong, Becky Chambers is really good at writing characters, and they were all unique and 3 dimensional and had an interesting story to tell, but it just didn't click for me.

It was interesting reading about Tessa, as we'd only heard about her and her little family from Ashby, so it was nice actually getting to see what happened in her life. I don't have a lot to say about her character, but I did like her, and enjoyed her chapters.

Eyas was by far my favourite character to read about. She's what they call a caretaker, which in this universe means she works with dead people, to put it simply. That specific way they do it, and the traditions around it was interesting and honestly a little touching. Her friendship with Sunny was also so sweet, and I wish they had more..what's the book equivalent of screen time? page time? you know what I mean, I loved them, is what I'm trying to say. Kip is a teenager, and the youngest of the main characters, was a breath of fresh air. It was nice seeing an actual teenager trying to figure it all out, instead of adults who more or less have their life together. He had some really nice character development, and, even though I suppose it was a bit predictable, that little bit of his adult life we got so see at the end was, again, nice, sweet. It made sense for him.

Isabelle was an old, lesbian history nerd with a sassy wife, what's not to love? She works in the achieves, so a lot of her chapters were explaining Exodan/human history and culture to one of her alien co-workers. It was interesting enough to begin with, but at times it just dragged a bit. Said co-worker wrote reports about this which we got to read snippets of throughout the book. I, unfortunately, ended up skipping quite a bit of them, as I personally found them a bit long and boring at times. Though, when Isabelle weren't explaining human culture, I enjoyed her chapters.

The last main character, Sawyer, we didn't spend a lot of time with, and I didn't really care about him all that much on a deeper level, but he was seemed kind, curious and genuine. He was new to the Fleet, where the story took place, and I feel like he had a lot of potential, had his story taken a different route. Though the route his personal story took made a lot of sense for the overall story, so it was probably for the better.

Now, some of you might be confused about why I gave the book such a high rating, yet had so much almost negative to say, but I promise, I did enjoy the story overall. It had a nice message, nice characters, and Chambers' comfy writing style. Despite what I said about the story only featuring humans, it was interesting to me that it took place on the Fleet, as it was only a thing we had heard about before, but never actually gotten to visit. The universe was yet again queernormative, and, I don't think I've mentioned this in my previous reviews, but I love the neopronouns xe/xyr/xem being used as gender neutral pronouns. I think I've only seen them being used once before in a book, so it's good to see them being used casually, helping normalise them. Speaking of things being normalised, the topic of sex workers were completely normalised and just viewed as any other career, nothing more, nothing less. Idk I just found it cool that it weren't looked down on or a taboo like in the real world.]]> 4.10 2018
author: Becky Chambers
name: Laura
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/23
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves:
review:
**4,5 stars rounded down

This book felt very different compared to the two previous books. Firstly, it's all about humans. There were barely any aliens in the book, besides a few side characters, all the main characters were human. The two previous books were filled with aliens, so it was a bit strange, as I had grown to quite enjoy the presence of said aliens. I wouldn't say it made it more boring, it just made it feel less sci-fi-y, for a lack of better explanations.

Secondly, it barely had any ties to the original wayfarer crew. Only one character, Tessa, had any ties to the crew, as she was the sister of the captain, Ashby. It was by no means a bad thing, it just took some getting used to, as I had to get to know a whole new cast of characters, who I will get to later.

Thirdly, the pacing felt different. As far as I understood, the book is mostly speculation about why are we still doing this? What's the point of continuing when we've got this far? And, as it says on the back of the book, What is the purpose of a ship that has reached its destination? I suppose it is just that, speculative fiction, because not a lot happens. Because of this, it took me quite a bit to get into the story, I had to push myself forward at times. Once I got into the story, I did enjoy it, but it wasn't easy getting there. I don't think speculative fiction is really for me, I need a bit more of a plot. It doesn't necessarily have to be plot-driven, as Becky Chambers has proven that I can, in fact, enjoy character-driven books, I just need a bit more going on.

Now to the characters. I did enjoy them overall, but I didn't care about and connect with them the same way I did the ones from the previous books. Don't get me wrong, Becky Chambers is really good at writing characters, and they were all unique and 3 dimensional and had an interesting story to tell, but it just didn't click for me.

It was interesting reading about Tessa, as we'd only heard about her and her little family from Ashby, so it was nice actually getting to see what happened in her life. I don't have a lot to say about her character, but I did like her, and enjoyed her chapters.

Eyas was by far my favourite character to read about. She's what they call a caretaker, which in this universe means she works with dead people, to put it simply. That specific way they do it, and the traditions around it was interesting and honestly a little touching. Her friendship with Sunny was also so sweet, and I wish they had more..what's the book equivalent of screen time? page time? you know what I mean, I loved them, is what I'm trying to say. Kip is a teenager, and the youngest of the main characters, was a breath of fresh air. It was nice seeing an actual teenager trying to figure it all out, instead of adults who more or less have their life together. He had some really nice character development, and, even though I suppose it was a bit predictable, that little bit of his adult life we got so see at the end was, again, nice, sweet. It made sense for him.

Isabelle was an old, lesbian history nerd with a sassy wife, what's not to love? She works in the achieves, so a lot of her chapters were explaining Exodan/human history and culture to one of her alien co-workers. It was interesting enough to begin with, but at times it just dragged a bit. Said co-worker wrote reports about this which we got to read snippets of throughout the book. I, unfortunately, ended up skipping quite a bit of them, as I personally found them a bit long and boring at times. Though, when Isabelle weren't explaining human culture, I enjoyed her chapters.

The last main character, Sawyer, we didn't spend a lot of time with, and I didn't really care about him all that much on a deeper level, but he was seemed kind, curious and genuine. He was new to the Fleet, where the story took place, and I feel like he had a lot of potential, had his story taken a different route. Though the route his personal story took made a lot of sense for the overall story, so it was probably for the better.

Now, some of you might be confused about why I gave the book such a high rating, yet had so much almost negative to say, but I promise, I did enjoy the story overall. It had a nice message, nice characters, and Chambers' comfy writing style. Despite what I said about the story only featuring humans, it was interesting to me that it took place on the Fleet, as it was only a thing we had heard about before, but never actually gotten to visit. The universe was yet again queernormative, and, I don't think I've mentioned this in my previous reviews, but I love the neopronouns xe/xyr/xem being used as gender neutral pronouns. I think I've only seen them being used once before in a book, so it's good to see them being used casually, helping normalise them. Speaking of things being normalised, the topic of sex workers were completely normalised and just viewed as any other career, nothing more, nothing less. Idk I just found it cool that it weren't looked down on or a taboo like in the real world.
]]> 29475447
Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet introduced readers to the incredible world of Rosemary Harper, a young woman with a restless soul and secrets to keep. When she joined the crew of the Wayfarer, an intergalactic ship, she got more than she bargained for - and learned to live with, and love, her rag-tag collection of crewmates.

A Closed and Common Orbit is the stand-alone sequel to Becky Chambers' beloved debut novel The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and is perfect for fans of Firefly, Joss Whedon, Mass Effect and Star Wars.]]> 365 Becky Chambers 1473621445 Laura 5 I loved this book. Not sure I loved it as much as the first, but loved it none the less. The 'Jane' chapters were by far my favourite, I loved learning about her past and really getting to know her. She was a cool side character in TLWTASAP, but this book added so much depth to her character. Oh her and Owl's familiar relationship was simply the cutest. Becky Chambers needs to STOP making me feel so many things for sentient AI's, I cannot take it.

Speaking of AI's, I really enjoyed watching Sidra experiencing being in a body kit for the first time and having to come to terms with all that follows alongside with its limitations. Seeing her both struggle and find joy along the side made her so much more human which I just really loved. Her friendship with Blue and Pepper, and especially with Tak, was just really sweet and aaaah.

This review is mostly just me rambling and not really that deep. Chambers writing style was comfy and addicting yet again, and I was completely sucked in. If the series continues down this route I can for sure see it become a comfort one. ]]> 4.35 2016
author: Becky Chambers
name: Laura
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/19
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves:
review:
**4.75 stars rounded up
I loved this book. Not sure I loved it as much as the first, but loved it none the less. The 'Jane' chapters were by far my favourite, I loved learning about her past and really getting to know her. She was a cool side character in TLWTASAP, but this book added so much depth to her character. Oh her and Owl's familiar relationship was simply the cutest. Becky Chambers needs to STOP making me feel so many things for sentient AI's, I cannot take it.

Speaking of AI's, I really enjoyed watching Sidra experiencing being in a body kit for the first time and having to come to terms with all that follows alongside with its limitations. Seeing her both struggle and find joy along the side made her so much more human which I just really loved. Her friendship with Blue and Pepper, and especially with Tak, was just really sweet and aaaah.

This review is mostly just me rambling and not really that deep. Chambers writing style was comfy and addicting yet again, and I was completely sucked in. If the series continues down this route I can for sure see it become a comfort one.
]]> 196038712 This outrageously charming and infuriatingly adorable enemies-to-lovers coffee shop romance is perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Better Than the Movies.

Meet River Langston-Lee. In the past 24 hours, he’s dumped his girlfriend, walked out of his SATs, and quit his job at his parents�� cafe in spectacularly disastrous fashion—even for him.

Somehow, he manages to talk his way into a gig at a failing Korean cafe, Bingsu for Two, which is his lucky break until he meets short, grumpy, and goth: Sarang Cho. She’s his new no-BS co-worker who’s as determined to make River’s life hell as she is to save her family’s cafe.

After River accidentally uploads a video of his chaotic co-workers to his popular fandom account, they strike viral fame. The kicker? Their new fans ship River and Sarang big-time. In order to keep the Internet’s attention—and the cafe’s new paying customers—River and Sarang must pretend that the tension between them is definitely of the romantic variety, not the considering the best way to kill you and hide your body variety.

But when Bingsu for Two’s newfound success catches the attention of River’s ex and his parents�� cafe around the corner, he faces a choice: keep letting others control his life or stand up for the place that’s become home. And a green-haired girl who’s not as heartless as he originally thought . . .]]> 320 Sujin Witherspoon 1454954027 Laura 5
AAAAAH okay this book. Wow, I loved it so much. It managed to be both super silly and very serious at the same time. The gang is just goofing around and creating content for the café for most of the book, but it also explores identity and making your own choices outside of your family and breaking free from their expectations. I really enjoyed reading about River struggling with all this and having to deal with his ex, and I just wanted to give him a HUG because my man was trying so hard. Speaking of River, he gave me the craziest Percy Jackson vibes which I'm quite frankly obsessed with. The book in general read like a PJO book, especially with the unhinged chapter titels. Oh and Kai is basically Leo Valdez and I love him so much. The whole gang to be honest, the found family running a family business hits HARD and I would do everything for them.

Sarang and River are probably one of my favourite bookish couples because oh my god. Not only are they goth x nerd, they also roast the living hell out of each other in such an enjoyable way. Obviously they were going to since it's an rivals/dislikes to lovers situation, but this was just so funny, I loved their banter. Also River going "EW NO" every time he thinks something positive about Sarang. This book made me laugh out loud countless of times and really put the comedy in romcom.

Sarang in general was also very *chefs kiss*, I loved her. She seemed cold and mean but had so many layers and was very 3 dimensional.

Not only are the characters, the banter and the writing style perfect, but there's also FANDOM ELEMENTS. Different Kpop references, River being a massive fanboy with a fan account, which he's very real for, and FANFICS. I felt so seen as a fanperson, and I need way more books with fandom elements.

Also VERY CASUAL QUEER REP!! mlm and wlw side characters!

I'm writing this review at 1am so apologies for the quality but I am BEGGING YOU to read this when it comes out in January because it's easily one of my favourite books of this year and definitely my favourite romcom.]]> 4.02 2025
author: Sujin Witherspoon
name: Laura
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/09
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves:
review:
Thank you to the author for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

AAAAAH okay this book. Wow, I loved it so much. It managed to be both super silly and very serious at the same time. The gang is just goofing around and creating content for the café for most of the book, but it also explores identity and making your own choices outside of your family and breaking free from their expectations. I really enjoyed reading about River struggling with all this and having to deal with his ex, and I just wanted to give him a HUG because my man was trying so hard. Speaking of River, he gave me the craziest Percy Jackson vibes which I'm quite frankly obsessed with. The book in general read like a PJO book, especially with the unhinged chapter titels. Oh and Kai is basically Leo Valdez and I love him so much. The whole gang to be honest, the found family running a family business hits HARD and I would do everything for them.

Sarang and River are probably one of my favourite bookish couples because oh my god. Not only are they goth x nerd, they also roast the living hell out of each other in such an enjoyable way. Obviously they were going to since it's an rivals/dislikes to lovers situation, but this was just so funny, I loved their banter. Also River going "EW NO" every time he thinks something positive about Sarang. This book made me laugh out loud countless of times and really put the comedy in romcom.

Sarang in general was also very *chefs kiss*, I loved her. She seemed cold and mean but had so many layers and was very 3 dimensional.

Not only are the characters, the banter and the writing style perfect, but there's also FANDOM ELEMENTS. Different Kpop references, River being a massive fanboy with a fan account, which he's very real for, and FANFICS. I felt so seen as a fanperson, and I need way more books with fandom elements.

Also VERY CASUAL QUEER REP!! mlm and wlw side characters!

I'm writing this review at 1am so apologies for the quality but I am BEGGING YOU to read this when it comes out in January because it's easily one of my favourite books of this year and definitely my favourite romcom.
]]> 22733729
Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.]]> 518 Becky Chambers 1500453307 Laura 5
I know I haven't read a lot of sci-fi books, but to me, it feels like Becky Chambers is the perfect author for newbies like myself. Not only did the science part of sci-fi not feel overwhelming, her writing style is very comfortable and cosy, for lack of better words. It was addictive, and had my urge to keep my sleep schedule intact not been in the way I would've eaten it up way faster, as I barely wanted to put it down.

The story had a comfortable flow and pace, making sure the generally chill story never felt boring or like it dragged on. It was mostly just vibes until stuff REALLY happened towards the end, and holy shit, I cried. I also cried at the actual ending, because it was so sweet. I had really come to love and care for the crew, as each of them were so dimensional, and so much their own person with unique and individual personalities, flaws and quirks. Despite their differences, they were just one big family, and my found family loving self ATE.IT.UP! Seeing their relationships with each other and how they interact was just so cdudbdushshsudhehs. I love this book so much, I'm so glad I finally picked it up, after YEARS on my tbr.

Oh and I also just want to give a shout out to Lovey. My sweet, sweet, Lovey. I miss her, and want to reread the book already, just to get more time with her. I applaud you, Becky Chambers, for making me feel such strong emotional towards an AI, the only other piece of media who managed to do that was Detroit; Become Human, my favourite game. All this to say, please read this book, it's absolutely wonderful, and I cannot express how much I enjoyed reading it. I'm so happy this ended up as my first 5 star read of the year.]]> 4.15 2014
author: Becky Chambers
name: Laura
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/04
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves:
review:
I'm gonna be honest I don't even know where to begin with this one. Sci-fi has always been one of my weakest genres, all the space/science stuff never really appealed to me, and, like high fantasy, a lot of the stuff just confused me. This book, on the other hand, was practically perfect. Sure, some science/space stuff did confuse me, but it didn't bother me at all. The different species of aliens, their appearances, cultures, home planets, behaviours, everything was so fleshed out and detailed, I almost felt like I understood it. It didn't leave me with any questions, plot related or otherwise.

I know I haven't read a lot of sci-fi books, but to me, it feels like Becky Chambers is the perfect author for newbies like myself. Not only did the science part of sci-fi not feel overwhelming, her writing style is very comfortable and cosy, for lack of better words. It was addictive, and had my urge to keep my sleep schedule intact not been in the way I would've eaten it up way faster, as I barely wanted to put it down.

The story had a comfortable flow and pace, making sure the generally chill story never felt boring or like it dragged on. It was mostly just vibes until stuff REALLY happened towards the end, and holy shit, I cried. I also cried at the actual ending, because it was so sweet. I had really come to love and care for the crew, as each of them were so dimensional, and so much their own person with unique and individual personalities, flaws and quirks. Despite their differences, they were just one big family, and my found family loving self ATE.IT.UP! Seeing their relationships with each other and how they interact was just so cdudbdushshsudhehs. I love this book so much, I'm so glad I finally picked it up, after YEARS on my tbr.

Oh and I also just want to give a shout out to Lovey. My sweet, sweet, Lovey. I miss her, and want to reread the book already, just to get more time with her. I applaud you, Becky Chambers, for making me feel such strong emotional towards an AI, the only other piece of media who managed to do that was Detroit; Become Human, my favourite game. All this to say, please read this book, it's absolutely wonderful, and I cannot express how much I enjoyed reading it. I'm so happy this ended up as my first 5 star read of the year.
]]> 206318178 From the author of the viral TikTok sensation, The Pumpkin Spice Café, comes the only spicy grumpy x sunshine Christmas romcom you need this year!

Kira North hates Christmas. Which is unfortunate since she just bought a Christmas tree farm in a town that’s too cute for its own good.

Bennett Ellis is on vacation in Dream Harbor taking a break from his life in California. And most importantly, taking a break from his latest run of disastrous dates.

After a run in with Kira in her fields, Ben has no intention of offering to help the grumpy owner set up her tree farm, despite the fact she’s clearly got no idea what she’s doing.

Kira knows she should stop being so stubborn, but her farm is not all cute and cozy like people always show on social media, it’s borderline dangerous with no heating, and she’d rather no one saw it.

But somehow fate finds Ben at Kira’s farm once more, and as Kira watches him swing an ax at the first tree, she finds herself appreciating his strength and questionning why she refused help in the first place..

The Christmas Tree Farm is a spicy romantic mystery for fans of Gilmore Girls with a HEA guaranteed!

Tropes:

�� grumpy x sunshine
�� small town
�� forced proximity
�� one bed]]> 369 Laurie Gilmore 0008610738 Laura 2
I know it's supposed to be grumpyxsunshine, but Laurie Gilmore couldn't for the life of her commit to Kira being this grumpy grinch character. Sure, in the beginning she was a little mean to Bennet, but she switched up SO fast, and just spent the remaining part of the book shriveling in self pity and being like "oh im such a bad person, im so selfish, people couldnt possibly like me, and im just manipulating them" like, girl, shut the fuck up, I'm begging you. Also, I'm pretty sure we're supposed to feel bad for her, but I couldn't find a single bone in my body to do so. She's a trust fund baby who needed to get away from mummy and daddy's money, and made a seemingly bad financial decision. You're a grown woman, that's on you.

Bennett I also didn't really like all that much. First of all, he, like any Laurie Gilmore mmc, desperately needs therapy, he's too much of a people pleaser. He spent far too long convinced Kira didn't really like him, and he was just company to her. Also??? Peaches?? Gross, stop yourself. It's not cute, it's not sexy.

Idk, I didn't dislike him as much as I disliked Kira, but he just annoyed me. They both really did, actually. It wasn't even miscommunication, they just didn't listen and didn't communicate. They were both so stupid, urgh. A thing I generally really hate in romance books is how often we hear about how GREAT the mmc is at sex, how many times he makes the fmc orgasm, how big he is, etc etc. This book had that as well, so minus points yet again.

Also???? I know the mystery subplot is just that, a sub plot, but it just??? Wasn't really a thing?? At all?? It was randomly brought up a handful of times and then hooray surpise suprise, the treasure was found at last! It seemed so unnecessary to me, and did absolutely nothing to the story.

The only reason I didn't dnf/give it a lower rating was because the narration was actually pretty decent, she was good at accents, and because it had some nice moments. I do like dream harbor and the other characters, so it was nice seeing them again. I was also listening at work and it kept me somewhat entertained, so there's that.

A complete miss, but I'll probably still read the next book once it comes out in March]]> 3.66 2024
author: Laurie Gilmore
name: Laura
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/18
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves:
review:
So..this book was just bad, which was a huge letdown, because I really enjoyed "pumpkin spice" and "cinnamon bun".

I know it's supposed to be grumpyxsunshine, but Laurie Gilmore couldn't for the life of her commit to Kira being this grumpy grinch character. Sure, in the beginning she was a little mean to Bennet, but she switched up SO fast, and just spent the remaining part of the book shriveling in self pity and being like "oh im such a bad person, im so selfish, people couldnt possibly like me, and im just manipulating them" like, girl, shut the fuck up, I'm begging you. Also, I'm pretty sure we're supposed to feel bad for her, but I couldn't find a single bone in my body to do so. She's a trust fund baby who needed to get away from mummy and daddy's money, and made a seemingly bad financial decision. You're a grown woman, that's on you.

Bennett I also didn't really like all that much. First of all, he, like any Laurie Gilmore mmc, desperately needs therapy, he's too much of a people pleaser. He spent far too long convinced Kira didn't really like him, and he was just company to her. Also??? Peaches?? Gross, stop yourself. It's not cute, it's not sexy.

Idk, I didn't dislike him as much as I disliked Kira, but he just annoyed me. They both really did, actually. It wasn't even miscommunication, they just didn't listen and didn't communicate. They were both so stupid, urgh. A thing I generally really hate in romance books is how often we hear about how GREAT the mmc is at sex, how many times he makes the fmc orgasm, how big he is, etc etc. This book had that as well, so minus points yet again.

Also???? I know the mystery subplot is just that, a sub plot, but it just??? Wasn't really a thing?? At all?? It was randomly brought up a handful of times and then hooray surpise suprise, the treasure was found at last! It seemed so unnecessary to me, and did absolutely nothing to the story.

The only reason I didn't dnf/give it a lower rating was because the narration was actually pretty decent, she was good at accents, and because it had some nice moments. I do like dream harbor and the other characters, so it was nice seeing them again. I was also listening at work and it kept me somewhat entertained, so there's that.

A complete miss, but I'll probably still read the next book once it comes out in March
]]> 7038489
Convicted of treason despite their heroic defense against Napoleon’s invasion of England, Temeraire and Laurence—stripped of rank and standing—have been transported to the prison colony at New South Wales in distant Australia, where, it is hoped, they cannot further corrupt the British Aerial Corps with their dangerous notions of liberty for dragons. Temeraire and Laurence carry with them three dragon eggs intended to help establish a covert in the colony and destined to be handed over to such second-rate, undesirable officers as have been willing to accept so remote an assignment—including one former acquaintance, Captain Rankin, whose cruelty once cost a dragon its life.

Nor is this the greatest difficulty that confronts the exiled dragon and Instead of leaving behind all the political entanglements and corruptions of the war, Laurence and Temeraire have instead sailed into a hornet’s nest of fresh complications. For the colony at New South Wales has been thrown into turmoil after the overthrow of the military governor, one William Bligh—better known as Captain Bligh, late of HMS Bounty. Bligh wastes no time in attempting to enlist Temeraire and Laurence to restore him to office, while the upstart masters of the colony are equally determined that the new arrivals should not upset a balance of power precariously tipped in their favor.

Eager to escape this political quagmire, Laurence and Temeraire take on a mission to find a way through the forbidding Blue Mountains and into the interior of Australia. But when one of the dragon eggs is stolen from Temeraire, the surveying expedition becomes a desperate race to recover it in time—a race that leads to a shocking discovery and a dangerous new obstacle in the global war between Britain and Napoleon.]]> 274 Naomi Novik 0345496892 Laura 5 4,75 stars** 3.74 2010
author: Naomi Novik
name: Laura
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/01
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves:
review:
4,75 stars**
]]> 43190272
Ariadne is one such explorer. As an astronaut on an extrasolar research vessel, she and her fellow crewmates sleep between worlds and wake up each time with different features. Her experience is one of fluid body and stable mind and of a unique perspective on the passage of time. Back on Earth, society changes dramatically from decade to decade, as it always does.

Ariadne may awaken to find that support for space exploration back home has waned, or that her country of birth no longer exists, or that a cult has arisen around their cosmic findings, only to dissolve once more by the next waking. But the moods of Earth have little bearing on their mission: to explore, to study, and to send their learnings home.

Carrying all the trademarks of her other beloved works, including brilliant writing, fantastic world-building and exceptional, diverse characters, Becky's first audiobook outside of the Wayfarers series is sure to capture the imagination of listeners all over the world.]]> 153 Becky Chambers 0062936018 Laura 4 Sci-fi is by far one of my weakest genres, but I found the premise of the book utterly interesting. I did, for the most part, enjoy it as well. The dialogue parts were my absolute favourite, I really enjoyed seeing the characters interact with each other, as they had such a lovely (*cough cough* queer *cough cough*) dynamic. They were fleshed out enough that I personally felt like I had a pretty good idea of who they were, and their different personalities, which I found impressive considering the length of the book.

I adored the quiet/casual queer rep. 3 of the 4 characters were, to quote another review I saw online, "quietly polyamorous", 1 is trans and 1 is at least asexual (though I've seen others say they were aromantic as well, not sure if this is canon, though). It's so nice to be in a universe where being queer and being in a queer relationship is just..normal. Accepted. It might just be because the story takes place far out in the future, but still.

Another thing I enjoyed was the general space/astronaut aspect. Space fascinates me, so learning about the differen planets themselves, what they would do to the human body, etc. was interesting to me, as well as their astronaut training and all that followed.

The story is supposed to be a report of sorts, written by the astronauts, sent to earth. That was obvious by the writing style, and I quite liked that. I have heard from others that Becky chambers has a 'comfortable' writing style, and I would agree. It had enough impact, that the ending actually made me quite emotional.

Now onto the negatives, because unfortunately there were some. The biological explanations of the different species kind of bored me. I've never really been interested in biology, so despite these species being interesting in theory, all the scientific terms did nothing for me, and I found myself skipping over explanations of before mentioned species and even sometimes environments. It just dragged a little. It also just took me a bit to get into the story, up until the second planet was being introduced, to be exact, which is such a shame seeing how short the book is.

All that being said, Chambers is definitely an author I can see myself returning to again, as both the wayfarers series and the monk and robot series interests me.]]> 4.19 2019
author: Becky Chambers
name: Laura
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/11
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves:
review:
**4,5 stars
Sci-fi is by far one of my weakest genres, but I found the premise of the book utterly interesting. I did, for the most part, enjoy it as well. The dialogue parts were my absolute favourite, I really enjoyed seeing the characters interact with each other, as they had such a lovely (*cough cough* queer *cough cough*) dynamic. They were fleshed out enough that I personally felt like I had a pretty good idea of who they were, and their different personalities, which I found impressive considering the length of the book.

I adored the quiet/casual queer rep. 3 of the 4 characters were, to quote another review I saw online, "quietly polyamorous", 1 is trans and 1 is at least asexual (though I've seen others say they were aromantic as well, not sure if this is canon, though). It's so nice to be in a universe where being queer and being in a queer relationship is just..normal. Accepted. It might just be because the story takes place far out in the future, but still.

Another thing I enjoyed was the general space/astronaut aspect. Space fascinates me, so learning about the differen planets themselves, what they would do to the human body, etc. was interesting to me, as well as their astronaut training and all that followed.

The story is supposed to be a report of sorts, written by the astronauts, sent to earth. That was obvious by the writing style, and I quite liked that. I have heard from others that Becky chambers has a 'comfortable' writing style, and I would agree. It had enough impact, that the ending actually made me quite emotional.

Now onto the negatives, because unfortunately there were some. The biological explanations of the different species kind of bored me. I've never really been interested in biology, so despite these species being interesting in theory, all the scientific terms did nothing for me, and I found myself skipping over explanations of before mentioned species and even sometimes environments. It just dragged a little. It also just took me a bit to get into the story, up until the second planet was being introduced, to be exact, which is such a shame seeing how short the book is.

All that being said, Chambers is definitely an author I can see myself returning to again, as both the wayfarers series and the monk and robot series interests me.
]]> 195790870 From Chuck Tingle, author of the USA Today bestselling Camp Damascus, comes a new heart-pounding story about what it takes to succeed in a world that wants you dead.

Misha is a jaded scriptwriter who has been working in Hollywood for years, and has just been nominated for his first Oscar. But when he's pressured by his producers to kill off a gay character in the upcoming season finale��"for the algorithm"―Misha discovers that it's not that simple.

As he is haunted by his past, and past mistakes, Misha must risk everything to find a way to do what's right―before it's too late.]]> 295 Chuck Tingle 1250874653 Laura 0 to-read 4.13 2024
author: Chuck Tingle
name: Laura
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 207567782 For readers of Nightbitch and We Ride Upon Sticks, this strange and sexy novel of queer love in a small town is an unsettling reminder that the horrors of modern life are monsters ready to possess us all.

In the valley at the intersection of three towering mountains sits Cadenze, an ugly, remote town with little to its name. It's filled with tourists in the summer and dead the rest of the year, when most of its residents surrender to a sleepier existence. Except, that is, for whatever is lurking in the caves...

Angelina Sicco was born and raised in Cadenze, and for many generations, so was every member of her family. Determined to be content with her lot in life, she walks her mongrel dog, attends her brother's heavy metal concerts, holds court in the local dive bar, and does everything she can to bait hot, queer women to her sleepy, conservative hometown. But on the night of a family party much like every other, Angelina runs into Patrick's ex, the sternly handsome Jagvi, who's back in town for a spell. Perhaps enticed by Jagvi’s arrival, an ancient evil lying dormant in those caves is awakened, and soon Angelina’s small, contained world begins to shatter.

As the monstrous force grows bolder, it infiltrates Angelina’s life. It talks with her dog’s mouth; it guzzles on her memories; it controls Angelina from the inside. Only Jagvi’s touch repels it �� the final trigger for a secret, passionate romance. But this monster feasts on all the passion, heartbreak, and mess that makes up a life, and Angelina Sicco’s life has never looked tastier. What will Angelina do to protect her future? And what will it cost her?]]> 304 Mikaella Clements 153874225X Laura 0 to-read 3.89 2024
author: Mikaella Clements
name: Laura
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 40864002 ASIN B08H831J18 moved to the more recent edition

Centuries before, robots of Panga gained self-awareness, laid down their tools, wandered, en masse into the wilderness, never to be seen again. They faded into myth and urban legend.

Now the life of the tea monk who tells this story is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered. But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how. They will need to ask it a lot. Chambers' series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?]]> 151 Becky Chambers Laura 0 to-read 4.25 2021
author: Becky Chambers
name: Laura
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 891593
It is a grim time for the dragon Temeraire. On the heels of his mission to Africa, seeking the cure for a deadly contagion, he has been removed from military service - and his captain, Will Laurence, has been condemned to death for treason. For Britain, conditions are grimmer still: Napoleon's resurgent forces
have breached the Channel and successfully invaded English soil. Napoleon's prime objective: the occupation of London.

Separated by their own government and threatened at every turn by Napoleon's forces, Laurence and Temeraire must struggle to find each other amid the turmoil of war and to aid the resistance against the invasion before Napoleon's foothold on England's shores can become a stranglehold.

If only they can be reunited, master and dragon might rally Britain's scattered forces and take the fight to the enemy as never before - for king and country, and for their own liberty. But can the French aggressors be well and truly routed, or will a treacherous alliance deliver Britain into the hands of her
would-be conquerors?]]> 352 Naomi Novik 0007256752 Laura 4 **4,75 stars 4.07 2008
author: Naomi Novik
name: Laura
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/09
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves:
review:
**4,75 stars
]]> 129510 Bonaparte’s dragons are already harrowing Britain’s ships at sea. Only one recourse remains: Temeraire and his captain, Will Laurence, must take wing to Africa, whose shores may hold the cure to the mysterious and deadly contagion. On this mission there is no time to waste, and no telling what lies in store beyond the horizon or for those left behind to wait, hope, and hold the line.]]> 416 Naomi Novik 0345496876 Laura 5 *4,75 3.98 2007
author: Naomi Novik
name: Laura
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves:
review:
*4,75
]]> 198971383
AD(H)D overses hyppigt hos kvinder, og målgruppen for denne bog er kvinder, der mistænker, at de kan have en opmærksomhedsforstyrrelse eller allerede lever med AD(H)D, samt deres pårørende og fagpersoner.

Bogen beskriver, hvordan symptomerne på AD(H)D ændrer sig i takt med kroppens hormonelle svingninger, fx i puberteten, igennem menstruationscyklus, ved graviditet og i overgangsalderen. Bogen indeholder en grundig beskrivelse af symptomer, udredning og behandling, samt hvordan forstyrrelsen adskiller sig fra andre psykiatriske lidelser.

I bogen fortæller en række kvinder om deres liv med AD(H)D, herunder udfordringer og glæder i en hverdag med uddannelse, arbejdsliv, parforhold og familieliv samt kampen for at nå frem til den rigtige diagnose.

Charlotte Jokumsen (f. 1963) Uddannet læge ved Aarhus og Københavns Universitet. Privatpraktiserende psykiater i Silkeborg med speciale i ADHD og ADD hos kvinder. Underviser, foredragsholder, forfatter og medvirkende i flere podcasts om ADHD.

Eva Poulsen (f. 1992) Uddannet læge ved Aarhus Universitet. Læge på Afdeling for Hjertesygdomme, Aarhus Universitetshospital. Bachelor i psykologi ved University of Colorado, ACT-terapeut og stifter af Studenterlinjen.

Christina Wex (f. 1964) Journalist og forfatter. Har bl.a. tidligere udgivet Forklædt som normal om en ung pige med ADHD.]]> 190 Charlotte Jokumsen 8712059560 Laura 0 3.95
author: Charlotte Jokumsen
name: Laura
average rating: 3.95
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves:
review:

]]> 218542130
Wilhelm Østergaard fik hjernerystelse til boksetræning og lå brak i halvandet år uden at kunne læse, se tv, arbejde eller høre musik. Han købte en skrivemaskine og begyndte at skrive sine egne tekster. Det blev hen ad vejen til ”Din hund rejser på børnebillet��, der kredser om fortællerens rejse gennem sygdomsforløb og den ensomhed, der opstår, når man sidder hjælpeløs og alene og glor ud i luften. Et andet spor er de syrede drømmesekvenser, der vokser frem i isolationens halvverden. Et tredje spor erindringsglimtene om faren, moren og broren og en vild ungdom med slagsmål og fængselsophold, men også stærke maskuline fællesskaber og kærlighedsforhold. Fra dage på sofaen derhjemme løsrevet fra virkelighed og dagligdag til speedede ture gennem Berlins undergrund og farlige ayahuasca-trips dybt inde i den sydamerikanske jungle.]]> 86 Wilhelm Bidstrup Østergaard 8727182304 Laura 1 3.30
author: Wilhelm Bidstrup Østergaard
name: Laura
average rating: 3.30
book published:
rating: 1
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves:
review:

]]> 46000520
But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it's too late?

Alternate cover edition can be found here .]]> 382 Richard Osman Laura 0 dnf 3.87 2020
author: Richard Osman
name: Laura
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 44421460 What would you change if you could go back in time?

In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.

In Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the café’s time-travelling offer, in order to: confront the man who left them, receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer's, to see their sister one last time, and to meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.

But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the café, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold . . .

Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s beautiful, moving story explores the age-old question: what would you change if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time?]]> 213 Toshikazu Kawaguchi 1529029589 Laura 0 to-read 3.66 2015
author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
name: Laura
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 221383076 128 Thomas Korsgaard 8740092119 Laura 2 3.69 2024
author: Thomas Korsgaard
name: Laura
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/25
date added: 2024/12/25
shelves:
review:

]]> 91989 365 Naomi Novik 0345481305 Laura 4 3.90 2006
author: Naomi Novik
name: Laura
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/25
date added: 2024/12/25
shelves:
review:

]]> 62198706 329 Glenn Bech 8702382067 Laura 4 4.30 2022
author: Glenn Bech
name: Laura
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/21
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves:
review:

]]> 62919375
At first, Wren internally resists her husband’s fate. Is there a way for them to be together after Lewis changes? Then, a glimpse of Lewis’s developing carnivorous nature activates long-repressed memories for Wren, whose story vacillates between her childhood living on a houseboat in Oklahoma, her time with her college ex-girlfriend, and her unusual friendship with a woman pregnant with twin birds.]]> 416 Emily Habeck 1668006499 Laura 5 2024-reads
Despite the formatting making it a quick read, it was no easy read. Parts confused me, made me unsure of why they were included until it all made sense and hit me like a truck. The parallels were devastating and the poetic writing beyond touching. I sobbed more times reading this than I'd like to admit. Wren and Lewis, their love for each other, and the story itself showed me a whole new perspective to life and what it means to love.

"Love as an effort, a doing, a conscious act of will. Soulmates, like her and Lewis, were not theoretical and found. They were tangible, built."

I am incredibly unwell and my brain chemistry has been altered. I have nothing more to say other than to read this book. I know it probably sounds weird as hell, but give it a go, I promise it's worth it. ]]> 3.96 2023
author: Emily Habeck
name: Laura
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/28
date added: 2024/11/28
shelves: 2024-reads
review:
This is probably one of the most unique and beautiful books I've ever read. The book is split into 3 parts and the "chapters" are all formatted differently. Some like a regular book, some in verse, some in script like in a play and others with singular sentences.

Despite the formatting making it a quick read, it was no easy read. Parts confused me, made me unsure of why they were included until it all made sense and hit me like a truck. The parallels were devastating and the poetic writing beyond touching. I sobbed more times reading this than I'd like to admit. Wren and Lewis, their love for each other, and the story itself showed me a whole new perspective to life and what it means to love.

"Love as an effort, a doing, a conscious act of will. Soulmates, like her and Lewis, were not theoretical and found. They were tangible, built."

I am incredibly unwell and my brain chemistry has been altered. I have nothing more to say other than to read this book. I know it probably sounds weird as hell, but give it a go, I promise it's worth it.
]]> 62015302 “Du kan jo overveje, hvorfor der er så mange ord, der aldrig er lavet i feminin form. Som drabsmand og voldtægtsmand. Eller krigsherre.��

I den nye tid er der ingen mænd tilbage i samfundet. Ud over en lille flok hanner, man opbevarer på et avlscenter på Lolland.

Fire kvinders liv vikles ufrivilligt ind i hinanden, men de bliver tvunget til at samarbejde, da der pludselig dukker en dreng op ude i det fri.

Spørgsmålet er, hvornår han indeholder så meget testosteron, at han bliver en trussel for dem alle?]]> 351 Maren Uthaug 8711996781 Laura 2 3.61 2022
author: Maren Uthaug
name: Laura
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2024/11/28
date added: 2024/11/28
shelves:
review:

]]> 195105296 A psychic priest is thrown headfirst into a battle of faith and love against the forces of Hell when his dearest friend becomes possessed.

Father Isaias Flores may not have much, but he has his faith—and his dear friend Hector to keep him anchored when he is mired in self-doubt. But when Hector’s daughter, Violet, comes to Isaias with concerns that her father is acting strangely, Isaias’s doubts only increase, now with no one to keep him steadfast. For Hector seems to be possessed by something darker than even the traumas of the past, and Violet has nowhere else to turn to save her only family.

This is a problem that may require divine intervention—the rites of exorcism.

Unsure of his place in the church, doubting his gifts from God, and struggling to make sense of his feelings for the man he had thought was only a friend, Isaias isn’t sure if he is strong enough to save anyone’s soul from damnation.

For what can one man do against the torments of Hell?]]> Tyler Battaglia Laura 0 to-read 4.45
author: Tyler Battaglia
name: Laura
average rating: 4.45
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216823146
HYACINTH is an m+m speculative romance featuring supernatural horror elements and a trans love interest.]]> 99 Elle Porter Laura 0 to-read 4.14 2021
author: Elle Porter
name: Laura
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 207611551 A wandering fortune teller finds an unexpected family in this warm and wonderful debut fantasy, perfect for readers of Travis Baldree and Sangu Mandanna.

Tao is an immigrant fortune teller, traveling between villages with just her trusty mule for company. She only tells "small" fortunes: whether it will hail next week; which boy the barmaid will kiss; when the cow will calve. She knows from bitter experience that big fortunes come with big consequences��

Even if it’s a lonely life, it’s better than the one she left behind. But a small fortune unexpectedly becomes something more when a (semi) reformed thief and an ex-mercenary recruit her into their desperate search for a lost child. Soon, they’re joined by a baker with a knead for adventure, and—of course—a slightly magical cat.

Tao sets down a new path with companions as big-hearted as her fortunes are small. But as she lowers her walls, the shadows of her past are closing in—and she’ll have to decide whether to risk everything to preserve the family she never thought she could have.]]> 336 Julie Leong 0593815912 Laura 0 to-read 3.81 2024
author: Julie Leong
name: Laura
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 199190261
Percy, Annabeth, and Grover settle into Hecate’s seemingly endless mansion and start getting acquainted with the fussy, terrifying animals. The trio has been warned not to touch anything, but while Percy and Annabeth are out at school, Grover can’t resist drinking a strawberry-flavored potion in the laboratory. It turns him into a giant frenzied goat, and after he rampages through the house, damaging everything in sight, and passes out, Hecuba and Gale escape. Now the friends have to find Hecate’s pets and somehow restore the house, all before Hecate gets back on Saturday. It’s going to take luck, demigod wiles, and some old and new friends to hunt down the animals and set things right again.]]> 322 Rick Riordan 1368112382 Laura 5 *4.5 stars rounded up 4.14 2024
author: Rick Riordan
name: Laura
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/17
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves:
review:
*4.5 stars rounded up
]]> 63035432
Unfortunately, the gods aren’t quite done with him yet. Poseidon breaks the bad news that if Percy expects to get into New Rome University, he will have to fulfill three quests in order to earn the necessary three letters of recommendation from Mount Olympus.

The first task is to help Ganymede, Zeus’s cupbearer, retrieve his golden goblet before it falls into the wrong hands. You see, one sip from it can turn a mortal into a god, and Zeus would not be pleased with that result. Can Percy and his friends Grover and Annabeth find the precious cup in time? And if they do, will they be able to resist its special power?

Readers new to Percy Jackson universe and fans who have been awaiting this reunion for more than a decade will delight equally in this latest hilarious take on Greek mythology by the "storyteller of the gods."]]> 288 Rick Riordan 1368098177 Laura 5 4.27 2023
author: Rick Riordan
name: Laura
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/10
date added: 2024/11/10
shelves:
review:

]]> 218075340 192 Quantic Quantic Dream Laura 0 to-read 4.33
author: Quantic Quantic Dream
name: Laura
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 210594757 144 Kazami Sawatari Laura 5 3.88
author: Kazami Sawatari
name: Laura
average rating: 3.88
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/10
date added: 2024/11/10
shelves:
review:

]]> 220143357
When the pattern begins anew, she follows her mother’s last lead to a high-ranking member of the Syndicate, but her plans go awry when she is caught in a devastating trap, dragging Lina �� an upper-class girl with blood on her hands and a stolen memory �� into the crossfire.

Forced to fight against illusions of the past and the twisted reality of the city’s history, Ash must save herself and the girls she has vowed to protect before she becomes another victim of a Saint she never believed in.]]> 376 Wren Archer 1738566609 Laura 4 arcs, 2024-reads
The author described the book as a "love letter to Banana Fish", and as a BF enthusiast I can confidently say that they vibes were THERE. Multiple times throughout the book I went "omg Banana Fish moment", and I just loved that.

Anime excitement aside, this book was beautifully written. Archer writes in an almost poetic way, and even though it was a little overwhelming at times, it was still really enjoyable. He manages to write Ash's inner monologue in a way where you can easily catch on to the fact that she's a-spec and neurodivergent without having it spelled out. The slight mention of potential gender dysphoria was good as well, and I really hope that aspect gets explored further in the sequel.

On a similar a-spec related note, I loved Ash and Efraíns friendship, and how it was described. How we were told, and shown, that Ash was never alone because she'll always have Efraín by her side, and how they'll always care for each other, even though it'll always "just" be purely platonic. Idk that just made me really happy.

The Affinities and magic system in general was so interesting and creative, and I loved learning about it all throughout the books. Learning about how Drenthe was split into the different areas and about its history was really interesting as well. Like, the whole Saints/Blesséd thing? wow.

The book's ending was satisfying, which I feel like is not always the case with books in a series. It didn't feel rushed, or ended on a cliffhanger. The story was tied together nicely, while still making it clear there were more to the story. I know I sound like a broken record, but I did genuinely have such a good time with this book, my writers block just won't allow me to articulate it in a proper way. Now, go read the book!!!]]> 4.40
author: Wren Archer
name: Laura
average rating: 4.40
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/07
date added: 2024/11/09
shelves: arcs, 2024-reads
review:
Thank you to the author for sending me an E-ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review!!

The author described the book as a "love letter to Banana Fish", and as a BF enthusiast I can confidently say that they vibes were THERE. Multiple times throughout the book I went "omg Banana Fish moment", and I just loved that.

Anime excitement aside, this book was beautifully written. Archer writes in an almost poetic way, and even though it was a little overwhelming at times, it was still really enjoyable. He manages to write Ash's inner monologue in a way where you can easily catch on to the fact that she's a-spec and neurodivergent without having it spelled out. The slight mention of potential gender dysphoria was good as well, and I really hope that aspect gets explored further in the sequel.

On a similar a-spec related note, I loved Ash and Efraíns friendship, and how it was described. How we were told, and shown, that Ash was never alone because she'll always have Efraín by her side, and how they'll always care for each other, even though it'll always "just" be purely platonic. Idk that just made me really happy.

The Affinities and magic system in general was so interesting and creative, and I loved learning about it all throughout the books. Learning about how Drenthe was split into the different areas and about its history was really interesting as well. Like, the whole Saints/Blesséd thing? wow.

The book's ending was satisfying, which I feel like is not always the case with books in a series. It didn't feel rushed, or ended on a cliffhanger. The story was tied together nicely, while still making it clear there were more to the story. I know I sound like a broken record, but I did genuinely have such a good time with this book, my writers block just won't allow me to articulate it in a proper way. Now, go read the book!!!
]]> 139391940 A spicy small-town romance and TikTok phenomenon, perfect for fans of Hannah Grace and Stephanie Archer.

When Jeanie's aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Café in the small town of Dream Harbor, Jeanie jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job.

Logan is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor's gossip at all costs. But Jeanie's arrival disrupts Logan's routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her.

Will Jeanie's happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan, or has this city girl found the one person in town who won't fall for her charm, or her pumpkin spice lattes��

The Pumpkin Spice Café is a cozy romantic mystery for fans of Gilmore Girls, with a grumpy x sunshine dynamic, a small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed!

Tropes:

�� grumpy x sunshine
�� small town
�� found family
�� spicy]]> 373 Laurie Gilmore 0008610665 Laura 5
I had really low expectations for this because of some negative reviews I've seen, and because straight grumpy x sunshine is very hit or miss for me, usually the latter, but safe to say I was pleasantly surprised. Logan was not really grumpy at all, but he was a massive simp for Jeanie, which was cute. He also had hella abandonment issues (which is understandable enough if you read the book), and the miscommunication this causes drove me a bit mad, hence why I didn't give it 5 stars.

This book is advertised as spicy, which I don't really agree with? Sure, there's a lot of making out and them thirsting for each other, but the actual spice doesn't happen before the end of the book. I didn't mind, I don't need smut in my books. In the description it also mentions found family as one of the tropes, which, again, I wouldn't really agree with. It got that small town/tight knit community feeling, but I wouldn't call that found family. I enjoyed the small town feel, don't get me wrong, but the trope tag was just wrong IMO.

Jeanie is also a bit of a mess, for a lack of better descriptions. That might've been why I enjoyed their chemistry, which, much like the sequel, carried the book. I figured out the mystery subplot pretty quickly, but that didn't brother me that much, as that was not my reason for picking it up in the first place. I expected a cosy autumn read, and that's what I got. This was no literary masterpiece, and maybe I'm just a simple guy to please, but I had a good time. I didn't mind the insta love or the hallmark vibes, and I sure as hell will read the 3rd book once December comes around because I've come to care for these characters. I'm curious to see what goes on in the townfolk's lives, and maybe that makes me an honorary dreamer, but I can live with that. ]]> 3.36 2023
author: Laurie Gilmore
name: Laura
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/18
date added: 2024/10/19
shelves:
review:
*4,75 stars

I had really low expectations for this because of some negative reviews I've seen, and because straight grumpy x sunshine is very hit or miss for me, usually the latter, but safe to say I was pleasantly surprised. Logan was not really grumpy at all, but he was a massive simp for Jeanie, which was cute. He also had hella abandonment issues (which is understandable enough if you read the book), and the miscommunication this causes drove me a bit mad, hence why I didn't give it 5 stars.

This book is advertised as spicy, which I don't really agree with? Sure, there's a lot of making out and them thirsting for each other, but the actual spice doesn't happen before the end of the book. I didn't mind, I don't need smut in my books. In the description it also mentions found family as one of the tropes, which, again, I wouldn't really agree with. It got that small town/tight knit community feeling, but I wouldn't call that found family. I enjoyed the small town feel, don't get me wrong, but the trope tag was just wrong IMO.

Jeanie is also a bit of a mess, for a lack of better descriptions. That might've been why I enjoyed their chemistry, which, much like the sequel, carried the book. I figured out the mystery subplot pretty quickly, but that didn't brother me that much, as that was not my reason for picking it up in the first place. I expected a cosy autumn read, and that's what I got. This was no literary masterpiece, and maybe I'm just a simple guy to please, but I had a good time. I didn't mind the insta love or the hallmark vibes, and I sure as hell will read the 3rd book once December comes around because I've come to care for these characters. I'm curious to see what goes on in the townfolk's lives, and maybe that makes me an honorary dreamer, but I can live with that.
]]> 84943172
She’s a distraction, that’s what she is.

I’m the newest Captain of the Devils, Chicago’s NBA team, and the last thing I needed this year was for Indy Ivers, my sister’s best friend, to move into my apartment. She’s messy, emotional, and way too tempting.

But when the team’s General Manager vocalizes his blatant disapproval of my promotion to Captain, referring to me as an unapproachable lone wolf with no work-life balance, I can’t think of a better way to convince him otherwise than pretending to date my outgoing roommate.

The only problem? Faking it feels far too natural.

Having a fake girlfriend wasn’t supposed to be messy but having Indy under my roof and in my bed is complicated, especially when she wants all the romantic parts of life that I could never give her.


INDY

I never imagined I’d be living with my best friend’s brother, NBA superstar Ryan Shay. Even more unbelievable? He needs me to act as his loving girlfriend who’s suddenly changed him into a friendly and approachable guy.

Because, well…he’s not. He’s controlling of his space and untrusting of others.

Our arrangement isn’t one-sided, though. I’m in a wedding coming up, one where every one of my childhood friends, including my ex-boyfriend, will be in attendance, and there’s no better date than my ex’s celebrity hero.

Blurred lines make it almost impossible to separate real from fake. Falling for my roommate was never part of the deal, especially when Ryan is quick to remind me that he doesn’t believe in love.

I’m a romantic and can’t help fantasizing that he’ll change, but soon enough, I find myself questioning if sharing a roof with my best friend’s brother was the right move after all]]> 499 Liz Tomforde Laura 2
I haven't read the first book in the series, just putting it out there, so that might've contributed to my feelings towards this book, idk. Some of my lovely colleagues recommended this series, and I thought this sounded way better than "Mile High", so I decided to pick it up. Unfortunately, I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.

Let's start with what I did enjoy:

The general banter throughout the book. I'm a simple guy, I read some good banter, I'm having a good time. It was especially entertaining between Indy and Ryan, but the banter between their teammates/friends/family was also very good, and I enjoyed it a lot. "read with me?" "Talk dirty to me why don't you" or however that scene went, very good, I respect that.

The side characters in general were pretty solid, especially Rio, I quite liked him. He was kind of like the comedic side character at times, but was also a really solid friend towards Indy.

There were some really cute romantic moments that did have me kicking my feet, giggling. "Come home, Blue" "Take me home, Shay". Like, okay, adorable as fuck, I gotta admit. The two did have some nice moments.

The epilogue was cute, I guess? Idk, I didn't hate it, so there's that.

Now to the things I didn't enjoy, and buckle up, because there's a lot:

For the love of god people, go touch some grass. Yes, to a certain degree I can see why people like Ryan Shay so much. He build Indy a bookshelf, paid for her fertility thing, learned sign language to communicate with her dad without her help and bought them a house to prove how much he did want that white picked fence life with her. But my god, if I have to hear about how big his dick is, and how much he makes her come and how he gives her 11 orgasms in the span of 5 minuets I think I might explode. The spice in general ended up giving me the biggest ick. To begin with it was like "Just fuck each other PLEASE" because the tension was a lot, but by the end it was more like "We get it, you're sexually attracted to the each other, PLEASE stop fucking", because they kept going at it in the last part of the book. I ended up skipping at least 1 sex scene lasting 3 pages. There were this part where he said something about waking her up in the middle of the night to give her the 4th orgasm, and that whole thing just sounded SO weird to me?? Like, did you wake her up by fingering her or did I read that wrong because I sure hope I did. He was also just borderline manipulative at one point? Not letting her come unless she said she wouldn't move out? I know orgasm control or whatever is a very real thing people are into, but hello? How is that not a massive red flag?? I'm watching you, Ryan Shay. Oh and also, the guy is possessive, it was cute enough to begin with, but, dude, it's a sports romance, you have no reason to be so "touch her and die".

This book was too long, I'm just gonna say it. It was almost 500 pages, and the beginning and end of the book just dragged on. The middle was nice, but the rest could've been cut at least 50 pages.

The miscommunication was REAL, it's almost like they refused to communicate properly just to annoy me because holy shit. I'm no saint, but I, an almost 20 year old, can communicate way better than these almost 30 year olds. I get that they both have some past relationship trauma to work through, but refusing to listen to the other is just not the way to go.

Also, the big trope in this book is fake dating, and Indy is supposed to take Ryan to her friend's weeding as his fake boyfriend, but that whole thing is almost forgotten about entirely?? It lasts maybe 3 or 4 pages, and is never mentioned again afterwards. Seeing as it's literally on the back of the book you would think it would have a bigger focus, but apparently not.

I guess this is on me for trusting a straight romance, I'll just go back to my queer books now thanks.]]> 4.39 2023
author: Liz Tomforde
name: Laura
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/10/10
date added: 2024/10/10
shelves:
review:
*2,5 stars rounded down

I haven't read the first book in the series, just putting it out there, so that might've contributed to my feelings towards this book, idk. Some of my lovely colleagues recommended this series, and I thought this sounded way better than "Mile High", so I decided to pick it up. Unfortunately, I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.

Let's start with what I did enjoy:

The general banter throughout the book. I'm a simple guy, I read some good banter, I'm having a good time. It was especially entertaining between Indy and Ryan, but the banter between their teammates/friends/family was also very good, and I enjoyed it a lot. "read with me?" "Talk dirty to me why don't you" or however that scene went, very good, I respect that.

The side characters in general were pretty solid, especially Rio, I quite liked him. He was kind of like the comedic side character at times, but was also a really solid friend towards Indy.

There were some really cute romantic moments that did have me kicking my feet, giggling. "Come home, Blue" "Take me home, Shay". Like, okay, adorable as fuck, I gotta admit. The two did have some nice moments.

The epilogue was cute, I guess? Idk, I didn't hate it, so there's that.

Now to the things I didn't enjoy, and buckle up, because there's a lot:

For the love of god people, go touch some grass. Yes, to a certain degree I can see why people like Ryan Shay so much. He build Indy a bookshelf, paid for her fertility thing, learned sign language to communicate with her dad without her help and bought them a house to prove how much he did want that white picked fence life with her. But my god, if I have to hear about how big his dick is, and how much he makes her come and how he gives her 11 orgasms in the span of 5 minuets I think I might explode. The spice in general ended up giving me the biggest ick. To begin with it was like "Just fuck each other PLEASE" because the tension was a lot, but by the end it was more like "We get it, you're sexually attracted to the each other, PLEASE stop fucking", because they kept going at it in the last part of the book. I ended up skipping at least 1 sex scene lasting 3 pages. There were this part where he said something about waking her up in the middle of the night to give her the 4th orgasm, and that whole thing just sounded SO weird to me?? Like, did you wake her up by fingering her or did I read that wrong because I sure hope I did. He was also just borderline manipulative at one point? Not letting her come unless she said she wouldn't move out? I know orgasm control or whatever is a very real thing people are into, but hello? How is that not a massive red flag?? I'm watching you, Ryan Shay. Oh and also, the guy is possessive, it was cute enough to begin with, but, dude, it's a sports romance, you have no reason to be so "touch her and die".

This book was too long, I'm just gonna say it. It was almost 500 pages, and the beginning and end of the book just dragged on. The middle was nice, but the rest could've been cut at least 50 pages.

The miscommunication was REAL, it's almost like they refused to communicate properly just to annoy me because holy shit. I'm no saint, but I, an almost 20 year old, can communicate way better than these almost 30 year olds. I get that they both have some past relationship trauma to work through, but refusing to listen to the other is just not the way to go.

Also, the big trope in this book is fake dating, and Indy is supposed to take Ryan to her friend's weeding as his fake boyfriend, but that whole thing is almost forgotten about entirely?? It lasts maybe 3 or 4 pages, and is never mentioned again afterwards. Seeing as it's literally on the back of the book you would think it would have a bigger focus, but apparently not.

I guess this is on me for trusting a straight romance, I'll just go back to my queer books now thanks.
]]> 195007359 288 Fernando Llor 8411404420 Laura 5
I love graphic novels so much, and 'Soma' was no exception. We follow Maya, a comic artist who fells burned out and uninspired in her work. Suddenly, an alien-like creature, almost like the ones she draws in her comics, comes crashing in through her window asking for her help to save the earth. We also follow her friend Juu who tries to survive on the street with the help of Vic and Hannah, two people he runs into.

It was action packed, fast paced and just really fun. I loved the art style, how expression filled the characters were, and the colours were so *chefs kiss*. I really liked the change in perspective, both in the real world, the alien world, and in Maya's comic world. Oh and the pixelated, video game part was such a cool touch as well.

The characters were likeable, and I was genuinely invested in their story. It made me smile, laugh, and even had me teary eyed at times. Normally I have a hard time with Sci-fi, but I was immediately hooked. I found the themes of rebellion, freedom, and political oppression very enjoyable, as it added some seriousness to the otherwise silly humour. Oh and I loved Soma and Maya's strange friend-/companionship, it was so cute.

I highly recommend checking it out, and I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy once it releases!]]> 3.94 2025
author: Fernando Llor
name: Laura
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/06
date added: 2024/10/06
shelves:
review:
Thank you to Netgalley and the Author for sending me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I love graphic novels so much, and 'Soma' was no exception. We follow Maya, a comic artist who fells burned out and uninspired in her work. Suddenly, an alien-like creature, almost like the ones she draws in her comics, comes crashing in through her window asking for her help to save the earth. We also follow her friend Juu who tries to survive on the street with the help of Vic and Hannah, two people he runs into.

It was action packed, fast paced and just really fun. I loved the art style, how expression filled the characters were, and the colours were so *chefs kiss*. I really liked the change in perspective, both in the real world, the alien world, and in Maya's comic world. Oh and the pixelated, video game part was such a cool touch as well.

The characters were likeable, and I was genuinely invested in their story. It made me smile, laugh, and even had me teary eyed at times. Normally I have a hard time with Sci-fi, but I was immediately hooked. I found the themes of rebellion, freedom, and political oppression very enjoyable, as it added some seriousness to the otherwise silly humour. Oh and I loved Soma and Maya's strange friend-/companionship, it was so cute.

I highly recommend checking it out, and I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy once it releases!
]]> 196241667 From the author of the Sunday Times bestseller and viral TikTok phenomenon, The Pumpkin Spice Café, comes a brand new spicy romance set in Dream Harbor!

When a secret message turns up hidden in a book in the Cinnamon Bun Bookstore, Hazel can't understand it. As more secret codes appear between the pages, she decides to follow the trail of clues�� she just need someone to help her out.

Gorgeous and outgoing fisherman, Noah, is always up for an adventure. And a scavenger hunt sounds like a lot of fun. Even better that the cute bookseller he's been crushing on for months is the one who wants his help!

Hazel didn’t go looking for romance, but as the treasure hunt leads her and Noah around Dream Harbor, their undeniable chemistry might be just as hot as the fresh-out-of-the-oven cinnamon buns the bookstore sells��

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store is a cozy romantic mystery with a HEA guaranteed!

Tropes:
�� opposites attract
�� small town
�� forced proximity
�� he falls first]]> 384 Laurie Gilmore Laura 5 2024-reads
If you're looking for a fun, quick, and sweet read for autumn, this is definitely the one! It's duel POV and we follow Noah and Hazel as they try to navigate their feelings for each other through clues planted in various romance books from the bookstore Hazel works at. It got opposites attract, forced proximity, takes place in a small town, and some nice spice as well. What's not to like!

I loved Hazel and Noah's chemistry and banter, and it was the highlight of the book for sure. It did the heavy lifting, in my opinion. I didn't feel much for the other characters, despite the cozy small town feeling, but that might just be because I haven't read the first book. Whoops. The pacing and the writing style made it a quick read and easy to digest, while still dealing with some more serious topics such as feeling like a disappointment to your family and feeling like you wasted the "best years of your life" aka your 20's, as well as discovering you can be both stable and serious and fun and sexy at the same time, and how that is perfectly okay.

Noah, despite some personal issues like low self-esteem, was peak book boyfriend, in my opinion, but that might just be because he reminded me a lot of Augustus Waters from "The fault in our stars" whom I really love. He was down bad for Hazel, which was so cute and refreshing because the girl usually falls first in most romance novels, as far as I've seen. Hazel was more in denial about her feelings for Noah, which I also kinda liked, as she did it as a protective method due to Noah's reputation.

Another thing I really liked was the casualty of the queer rep. Hazel has two dads and a mum, and one of her employees, Alex, uses they/them pronouns. This was just a thing, and no one questioned it. One of Hazel's dads was the mayor as well, and it was so nice to see how queernormative it was. That's just not always the case with small towns.

The only thing preventing this book from being a 5 star read was the lack of proper communication between Hazel and Noah. I really don't like the miscommunication trope, and unfortunately that was a thing at times. Otherwise a very solid cozy autumn read! ]]> 3.67 2024
author: Laurie Gilmore
name: Laura
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/05
date added: 2024/10/06
shelves: 2024-reads
review:
*4.75 stars rounded up*

If you're looking for a fun, quick, and sweet read for autumn, this is definitely the one! It's duel POV and we follow Noah and Hazel as they try to navigate their feelings for each other through clues planted in various romance books from the bookstore Hazel works at. It got opposites attract, forced proximity, takes place in a small town, and some nice spice as well. What's not to like!

I loved Hazel and Noah's chemistry and banter, and it was the highlight of the book for sure. It did the heavy lifting, in my opinion. I didn't feel much for the other characters, despite the cozy small town feeling, but that might just be because I haven't read the first book. Whoops. The pacing and the writing style made it a quick read and easy to digest, while still dealing with some more serious topics such as feeling like a disappointment to your family and feeling like you wasted the "best years of your life" aka your 20's, as well as discovering you can be both stable and serious and fun and sexy at the same time, and how that is perfectly okay.

Noah, despite some personal issues like low self-esteem, was peak book boyfriend, in my opinion, but that might just be because he reminded me a lot of Augustus Waters from "The fault in our stars" whom I really love. He was down bad for Hazel, which was so cute and refreshing because the girl usually falls first in most romance novels, as far as I've seen. Hazel was more in denial about her feelings for Noah, which I also kinda liked, as she did it as a protective method due to Noah's reputation.

Another thing I really liked was the casualty of the queer rep. Hazel has two dads and a mum, and one of her employees, Alex, uses they/them pronouns. This was just a thing, and no one questioned it. One of Hazel's dads was the mayor as well, and it was so nice to see how queernormative it was. That's just not always the case with small towns.

The only thing preventing this book from being a 5 star read was the lack of proper communication between Hazel and Noah. I really don't like the miscommunication trope, and unfortunately that was a thing at times. Otherwise a very solid cozy autumn read!
]]> 213725805
When his young nephew falls ill with a mysterious sickness, Nikolai Esterwick, Heir to the Manor, performs a drastic action to try and save him - he steals from the Holder of Healing. When he succeeds, Sahriya Misra contacts him with a deal he cannot refuse; if he gives her a piece of the healing crystal, she’ll take him to Constantine Arkola, the one who broke his heart three years ago when he left Nikolai to become a Holder. Their reunion is cut short, when the Lord of the Manor contracts the same sickness, his dying wish being that Nikolai seeks out The Dragon King of Dargmore.

Now shoved into a world he feels like he has never fit into, Nikolai must grapple with lordship, loose ends and love.]]> 332 Lou Nova 1923180010 Laura 4
Thank you to the lovely Lou for providing me with an e-arc. Life and a very persistent reading slump got in the way and I only just managed to finish it, so it's more of a regular review

This story had a really interesting premise with dragons, crystal magic, secrets and a sweet romance. Unfortunately, I didn't love it as much as I though I would, but lets start with the positives:

The autistic rep is phenomenal, and paints such a raw and realistic picture of what it can look like and which struggles it can come with. On a similar note, it was really sweet to see the way Constatine loved him unconditionally, and just got him, his boundaries and everything else.

The way Nikolai got pushed into becoming Lord, and the way we got to see him struggle with it. It always sucks when the character just excels in situations like this, but we truly saw him mess up at times, which I really liked because of how realistic it was. He was grieving the loss of his father while also having to deal with all the responsibilities lordship comes with.

Great queer rep! We got to meet a lot of different queer characters throughout the story, and it was great seeing them just exist. The universe was relativley queernormative, and only having to focus on the dragons and betrayals instead of homophobia as well was very nice.

Nik being the sweetest uncle to August<3

Nik and Cons relationship in general, we love soulmates in this household

Badass women with and without swords, enough said

Now the few negatives:

The pacing felt a little off. Firstly it felt like not much happened, and things were progressing at a slower pace, and suddenly everything was happening at once.

As sweet as the different connections/relationships throughout the book were, I wish we had gotten some more background and explanation for them. Especially Con and Nik

Similarly as above, I wish the whole magic system and "kingdoms" had been explained some more, as I'm still a bit confused about the magic, but that might've just been me!

Overall this was a fun time and had me engaged enough (especially with that cliffhanger, damn) that I'm excited for the sequel! I'm interested to see where the story takes us and I believe that Nik will be able to defeat whatever he might face.]]> 4.11
author: Lou Nova
name: Laura
average rating: 4.11
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/28
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves:
review:
*3,5 stars rounded up

Thank you to the lovely Lou for providing me with an e-arc. Life and a very persistent reading slump got in the way and I only just managed to finish it, so it's more of a regular review

This story had a really interesting premise with dragons, crystal magic, secrets and a sweet romance. Unfortunately, I didn't love it as much as I though I would, but lets start with the positives:

The autistic rep is phenomenal, and paints such a raw and realistic picture of what it can look like and which struggles it can come with. On a similar note, it was really sweet to see the way Constatine loved him unconditionally, and just got him, his boundaries and everything else.

The way Nikolai got pushed into becoming Lord, and the way we got to see him struggle with it. It always sucks when the character just excels in situations like this, but we truly saw him mess up at times, which I really liked because of how realistic it was. He was grieving the loss of his father while also having to deal with all the responsibilities lordship comes with.

Great queer rep! We got to meet a lot of different queer characters throughout the story, and it was great seeing them just exist. The universe was relativley queernormative, and only having to focus on the dragons and betrayals instead of homophobia as well was very nice.

Nik being the sweetest uncle to August<3

Nik and Cons relationship in general, we love soulmates in this household

Badass women with and without swords, enough said

Now the few negatives:

The pacing felt a little off. Firstly it felt like not much happened, and things were progressing at a slower pace, and suddenly everything was happening at once.

As sweet as the different connections/relationships throughout the book were, I wish we had gotten some more background and explanation for them. Especially Con and Nik

Similarly as above, I wish the whole magic system and "kingdoms" had been explained some more, as I'm still a bit confused about the magic, but that might've just been me!

Overall this was a fun time and had me engaged enough (especially with that cliffhanger, damn) that I'm excited for the sequel! I'm interested to see where the story takes us and I believe that Nik will be able to defeat whatever he might face.
]]> 33295690
But when Janie Lee confesses to Billie that she’s in love with Woods, Billie’s filled with a nagging sadness as she realizes that she is also in love with Woods…and maybe with Janie Lee, too.

Always considered “one of the guys,�� Billie doesn’t want anyone slapping a label on her sexuality before she can understand it herself. So she keeps her conflicting feelings to herself, for fear of ruining the group dynamic. Except it’s not just about keeping the peace, it’s about understanding love on her terms—this thing that has always been defined as a boy and a girl falling in love and living happily ever after. For Billie—a box-defying dynamo—it’s not that simple.]]> 357 Courtney C. Stevens 0062398539 Laura 0 to-read 3.88 2017
author: Courtney C. Stevens
name: Laura
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 34325090
Jimmy Kaga-Ricci owes everything to The Ark too. He’s their frontman �� and playing in a band is all he’s ever dreamed of doing. It’s just a shame that recently everything in his life seems to have turned into a bit of a nightmare.

Because that’s the problem with dreaming �� eventually, inevitably, real life arrives with a wake-up call. And when Angel and Jimmy are unexpectedly thrust together, they will discover just how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be.]]> 396 Alice Oseman 0008244103 Laura 4 4.02 2018
author: Alice Oseman
name: Laura
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/20
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves:
review:

]]> 25322449
What if everything you set yourself up to be was wrong?

Frances has been a study machine with one goal. Nothing will stand in her way; not friends, not a guilty secret �� not even the person she is on the inside. Then Frances meets Aled, and for the first time she's unafraid to be herself.

So when the fragile trust between them is broken, Frances is caught between who she was and who she longs to be. Now Frances knows that she has to confront her past. To confess why Carys disappeared��

Frances is going to need every bit of courage she has.

Engaging with themes of identity, diversity and the freedom to choose, Radio Silence is a tour de force by the most exciting writer of her generation.]]> 496 Alice Oseman Laura 5 4.18 2016
author: Alice Oseman
name: Laura
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/15
date added: 2024/09/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 20618110 Alternate cover of ISBN 9780007559220

In case you’re wondering, this is not a love story.

My name is Tori Spring. I like to sleep and I like to blog. Last year �� before all that stuff with Charlie and before I had to face the harsh realities of A-Levels and university applications and the fact that one day I really will have to start talking to people �� I had friends. Things were very different, I guess, but that’s all over now.

Now there’s Solitaire. And Michael Holden.

I don’t know what Solitaire are trying to do, and I don’t care about Michael Holden.
I really don’t.

This incredible debut novel by outstanding young author Alice Oseman is perfect for fans of John Green, Rainbow Rowell and all unflinchingly honest writers.]]> 392 Alice Oseman Laura 5 3.97 2014
author: Alice Oseman
name: Laura
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/10
date added: 2024/09/10
shelves:
review:

]]> 59694078
By the winner of the YA Book Prize, Heartstopper is about love, friendship, loyalty and mental illness. It encompasses all the small stories of Nick and Charlie's lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us.

'The queer graphic novel we wished we had at high school.' Gay Times

Contents:
�� Introduction
�� Profile Pages: Alice, Nick, and Charlie
�� Heartstopper Moment: Pride
�� The Art of Heartstopper
�� Profile Pages: Tara, Darcy, Elle, and Tao
�� Heartstopper Moment: Summer
�� Quiz: Are You More Nick . . . or More Charlie?
�� Mini-comic: The Teachers
�� Profile Pages: Harry, Ben, Nellie, Henry, and Aled
�� Heartstopper Moment: Halloween
�� The World of Heartstopper
�� Mini-comic: Moments
�� Profile Pages: Tori, Sahar, Mr. Farouk, and Mr. Ajayi
�� Heartstopper Moment: Winter
�� Family Tree: The Springs
�� Family Tree: The Nelsons
�� How to Draw Heartstopper
�� Mini-comic: Girlfriends
�� Heartstopper Moment: Alternate Universes
�� Author's Note]]> 154 Alice Oseman 1444968394 Laura 5 4.39 2022
author: Alice Oseman
name: Laura
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/06
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves:
review:

]]> 53344030
Nick and Charlie are very much in love. They've finally said those three little words, and Charlie has almost persuaded his mum to let him sleep over at Nick's house ... But with Nick going off to university next year, is everything about to change?

By Alice Oseman, winner of the YA Book Prize, Heartstopper encompasses all the small moments of Nick and Charlie's lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us.

Contains discussions around mental health and eating disorders, and sexual references.]]> 336 Alice Oseman 1444957651 Laura 5 2023-reads 4.47 2023
author: Alice Oseman
name: Laura
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/04
date added: 2024/09/04
shelves: 2023-reads
review:

]]> 56060300 Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. The bestselling LGBTQ+ graphic novel about life, love, and everything that happens in between: this is the fourth volume of HEARTSTOPPER, for fans of The Art of Being Normal, Holly Bourne and Love, Simon.

Charlie didn't think Nick could ever like him back, but now they're officially boyfriends. Charlie's beginning to feel ready to say those three little words: I love you.

Nick's been feeling the same, but he's got a lot on his mind - not least coming out to his dad, and the fact that Charlie might have an eating disorder.

As summer turns to autumn and a new school year begins, Charlie and Nick are about to learn a lot about what love means.

Heartstopper is about love, friendship, loyalty and mental illness. It encompasses all the small stories of Nick and Charlie's lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us.

This is the fourth volume of Heartstopper, which has now been optioned for television by See-Saw Films.]]> 384 Alice Oseman 1338617567 Laura 5 4.57 2021
author: Alice Oseman
name: Laura
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/04
date added: 2024/09/04
shelves:
review:

]]> 43449920
Meanwhile Tao and Elle will face their feelings for each other, Tara and Darcy share more about their relationship origin story, and the teachers supervising the trip seem�� rather close��?]]> 384 Alice Oseman Laura 5 4.55 2020
author: Alice Oseman
name: Laura
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/04
date added: 2024/09/04
shelves:
review:

]]> 43307358
But love works in surprising ways, and Nick is discovering all kinds of things about his friends, his family ... and himself.]]> 320 Alice Oseman 1444951408 Laura 5 4.52 2019
author: Alice Oseman
name: Laura
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/04
date added: 2024/09/04
shelves:
review:

]]> 40495957
Charlie Spring is in Year 10 at Truham Grammar School for Boys. The past year hasn't been too great, but at least he's not being bullied anymore. Nick Nelson is in Year 11 and on the school rugby team. He's heard a little about Charlie - the kid who was outed last year and bullied for a few months - but he's never had the opportunity to talk to him.

They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn't think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways, and sometimes good things are waiting just around the corner...]]> 288 Alice Oseman 152722533X Laura 5 4.43 2018
author: Alice Oseman
name: Laura
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/04
date added: 2024/09/04
shelves:
review:

]]> 55817097 He has a heart of ice...but for her, he'd burn the world.

Alex Volkov is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and cursed with a past he can’t escape.

Driven by a tragedy that has haunted him for most of his life, his ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance leave little room for matters of the heart.

But when he’s forced to look after his best friend’s sister, he starts to feel something in his chest:

A crack.
A melt.
A fire that could end his world as he knew it.

***

Ava Chen is a free spirit trapped by nightmares of a childhood she can’t remember.

But despite her broken past, she’s never stopped seeing the beauty in the world…including the heart beneath the icy exterior of a man she shouldn’t want.

Her brother’s best friend.
Her neighbor.
Her savior and her downfall.

Theirs is a love that was never supposed to happen—but when it does, it unleashes secrets that could destroy them both…and everything they hold dear.

Twisted Love is a brother’s best friend/opposites attract romance with a hint of suspense. It's book one in the Twisted series but can be read as a standalone.

WARNING: This book contains a possessive, morally gray alphahole; explicit sexual content, and profanity. No cheating or menage, but if you're looking for a traditionally sweet, loveable hero, this is not the book for you. Recommended for 18+. ]]> 360 Ana Huang Laura 0 currently-reading 3.74 2021
author: Ana Huang
name: Laura
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/31
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 23714521
Joseph almost killed a teacher.

He was incarcerated at a place called Stone Mountain.

He has a daughter. Her name is Jupiter. And he has never seen her.

What Jack doesn’t know, at first, is how desperate Joseph is to find his baby girl.

Or how urgently he, Jack, will want to help.

But the past can’t be shaken off. Even as new bonds form, old wounds reopen. The search for Jupiter demands more from Jack than he can imagine.

This tender, heartbreaking novel is Gary D. Schmidt at his best.]]> 183 Gary D. Schmidt Laura 4 Overall, I liked this story a lot. It had some very touching moments, and I cried over the ending. The parallels between the ending and beginning of the book I really liked. The way Jacks parents (and Jack himself) immediately just took him in, and didn't care what anyone said, they were just so determined to love and help him, was very sweet. And of course, Josephs undying love for Madeline and Jupiter was touching, and really admirable as well. It was nice and short, and I probably could've read it in one sitting had I had the time. The writing was very easy to digest, hence why it was such a quick read apart from its short length.

That being said, I also had my issues with this book. Despite the writing being easily digestible, I also found it a bit immature, for a lack of better words. I suppose it makes sense, seeing as the main character, Jack, is 12 years old and is told from his perspective, but non the less, it didn't work for me. The pacing also felt kind of off, which might've been because of its only 183 pages, but still. Yes, the characters had many nice moments, but I still kind of felt like we didn't get to know the characters that well. We were told some things about them, and that was what was shown, so I couldn't tell anyone very much about any of them. Maybe that was on purpose, or maybe it was just me.

Criticism aside, I'm glad I read it, as it's very different from what I usually read, so it was a nice experience. ]]> 4.23 2015
author: Gary D. Schmidt
name: Laura
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/30
date added: 2024/08/30
shelves:
review:
*3,75 stars rounded up
Overall, I liked this story a lot. It had some very touching moments, and I cried over the ending. The parallels between the ending and beginning of the book I really liked. The way Jacks parents (and Jack himself) immediately just took him in, and didn't care what anyone said, they were just so determined to love and help him, was very sweet. And of course, Josephs undying love for Madeline and Jupiter was touching, and really admirable as well. It was nice and short, and I probably could've read it in one sitting had I had the time. The writing was very easy to digest, hence why it was such a quick read apart from its short length.

That being said, I also had my issues with this book. Despite the writing being easily digestible, I also found it a bit immature, for a lack of better words. I suppose it makes sense, seeing as the main character, Jack, is 12 years old and is told from his perspective, but non the less, it didn't work for me. The pacing also felt kind of off, which might've been because of its only 183 pages, but still. Yes, the characters had many nice moments, but I still kind of felt like we didn't get to know the characters that well. We were told some things about them, and that was what was shown, so I couldn't tell anyone very much about any of them. Maybe that was on purpose, or maybe it was just me.

Criticism aside, I'm glad I read it, as it's very different from what I usually read, so it was a nice experience.
]]> 214513062
Follow Ben and Casper throughout their lives as they rise to fame as the goth icons of the band Forever Red, and watch through interviews and their own narration as they navigate their passions, relationships, and eventually, their undead lives.

The rockstar life is not always as it seems, but some bonds were never meant to be broken.

{Forever Red is a prequel companion novel to Fallen Thorns and can be read as a standalone or as a prequel, however it will spoil the ending of Fallen Thorns.}]]> 288 Harvey Oliver Baxter 1739520823 Laura 5 arcs, 2024-reads
"For Eternity"
"My Eternal"

I was not surprised that this Novella ended up being a 5-star read considering how much I enjoyed "Fallen Thorns". I loved Marianne, Mars and especially Ben and Casper, so it was an absolute delight digging deeper into their story and getting to know them better. That being said, this was an insane rollercoaster of emotions.

The story is split into 6 parts, the first 4 taking place before "Fallen Thorns", the 5th taking place during primarily the ending, therefore spoiling it, and the 6th taking place after the events of the ending. It's also filled with interviews with the band and occasionally individual members, as well as home videos and other 'vlogs', which I really enjoyed. The writing was easily digestible, and at times more so felt like a narration, a person speaking and telling the story, almost like in the previously mentioned interviews. It is also dual P.O.V, so we get to hear from both Casper and Ben.

Speaking of Casper and Ben, I love these two so much, and I loved seeing their relationship develop, starting from their first meeting until the end of the story. Baxter managed to write them in such a way that made it clear just how much they adore each other. Yes, they had their ups and downs throughout the story, but they came out stronger on the other side each time. I truly believe they're soulmates, simply meant for each other. Seeing them do band stuff with their bandmates, getting used to their new life as vampires, joining The Thorns, and just being domestic and cute made forget about the inevitable, therefore making it hit me harder. If you know, you know. Certain scenes during the story made me cry, simply because they show, again, just how much they love and adore each other. Gosh.

Now, the other characters. It was super nice getting to know them better, as previously mentioned. They were already great in "FT", but this just added another layer to them, and made them more 3-dimensional. Many of their backstories was just a slap in the face, but in an enjoyable way, if that makes sense. Because, as I've said so many times already, it made them more real.

I honestly don't know what else to say. I loved this story and the silly little vampire band. If you enjoyed "Fallen Thorns" I'm begging you to give Ben and Caspers story a chance, you won't regret it.

And to you, Harvey Oliver Baxter, that ending was cruel, and I can't wait for more content from this universe. ]]> 4.55
author: Harvey Oliver Baxter
name: Laura
average rating: 4.55
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/27
date added: 2024/08/27
shelves: arcs, 2024-reads
review:
Thank you to the author for sending me an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"For Eternity"
"My Eternal"

I was not surprised that this Novella ended up being a 5-star read considering how much I enjoyed "Fallen Thorns". I loved Marianne, Mars and especially Ben and Casper, so it was an absolute delight digging deeper into their story and getting to know them better. That being said, this was an insane rollercoaster of emotions.

The story is split into 6 parts, the first 4 taking place before "Fallen Thorns", the 5th taking place during primarily the ending, therefore spoiling it, and the 6th taking place after the events of the ending. It's also filled with interviews with the band and occasionally individual members, as well as home videos and other 'vlogs', which I really enjoyed. The writing was easily digestible, and at times more so felt like a narration, a person speaking and telling the story, almost like in the previously mentioned interviews. It is also dual P.O.V, so we get to hear from both Casper and Ben.

Speaking of Casper and Ben, I love these two so much, and I loved seeing their relationship develop, starting from their first meeting until the end of the story. Baxter managed to write them in such a way that made it clear just how much they adore each other. Yes, they had their ups and downs throughout the story, but they came out stronger on the other side each time. I truly believe they're soulmates, simply meant for each other. Seeing them do band stuff with their bandmates, getting used to their new life as vampires, joining The Thorns, and just being domestic and cute made forget about the inevitable, therefore making it hit me harder. If you know, you know. Certain scenes during the story made me cry, simply because they show, again, just how much they love and adore each other. Gosh.

Now, the other characters. It was super nice getting to know them better, as previously mentioned. They were already great in "FT", but this just added another layer to them, and made them more 3-dimensional. Many of their backstories was just a slap in the face, but in an enjoyable way, if that makes sense. Because, as I've said so many times already, it made them more real.

I honestly don't know what else to say. I loved this story and the silly little vampire band. If you enjoyed "Fallen Thorns" I'm begging you to give Ben and Caspers story a chance, you won't regret it.

And to you, Harvey Oliver Baxter, that ending was cruel, and I can't wait for more content from this universe.
]]> 22822858
Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride.��Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome—but that will define his life forever.]]> 720 Hanya Yanagihara 0385539258 Laura 0 currently-reading 4.28 2015
author: Hanya Yanagihara
name: Laura
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/05
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 16050285 Librarian note: an alternate cover for this edition can be found here.

"Sidst på vinteren i mit 17. år kom min mor frem til, at jeg var deprimeret. Hun baserede sin diagnose på, at jeg næsten aldrig kom ud af huset, lå det meste af tiden i min seng, læste den samme bog igen og igen, spiste meget lidt og brugte ret meget af min tid på at tænke over døden."

En flænge i himlen er en roman om alt det største og smukkeste i livet. Hazel har i flere år levet med en alvorlig sygdom og føler sig som en granat, der snart vil detonere. Men så hun Augustus og bliver for første gang nogensinde forelsket. Måske er det ikke en tragedie, at vi skal dø. Det er et mirakel, at vi lever.]]> 336 John Green 8740006840 Laura 5 4.07 2012
author: John Green
name: Laura
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/28
date added: 2024/07/27
shelves:
review:

]]> 58170822
The only person who truly missed Peter is Captain James Hook, who is delighted to have his old rival back. But when a new war ignites between the Lost Boys and Hook’s pirates, the ensuing bloodshed becomes all too real �� and Peter’s rivalry with Hook starts to blur into something far more complicated, sensual, and deadly.]]> 310 Austin Chant 1087818192 Laura 5 4.09 2017
author: Austin Chant
name: Laura
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/14
date added: 2024/07/14
shelves:
review:

]]> 58545703 From USA Today bestselling author Emily McIntire comes a dark and delicious fractured fairy tale reimagining of Peter Pan.

He wants revenge, but he wants her more��

James has always had one agenda: destroy his enemy, Peter Michaels. When Peter’s twenty-year-old daughter Wendy shows up in James’s bar, he sees his way in. Seduce the girl and use her for his revenge. It’s the perfect plan, until things in James’s organization begin to crumble. Suddenly, he has to find the traitor in his midst, and his plan for revenge gets murkier as James starts to see Wendy as more than just a pawn in his game.

Wendy has been cloistered away most of her life by her wealthy cold father, but a spontaneous night out with friends turns into an intense and addictive love affair with the dark and brooding James. As much as she knows James is dangerous, Wendy can’t seem to shake her desire for him. But as their relationship grows more heated and she learns more about the world he moves in, she finds herself unsure if she’s falling for the man known as James or the monster known as Hook.

Hooked is a dark contemporary romance and the first complete standalone in the Never After Series: A collection of fractured fairy tales where the villains get the happy ever after. It is not a literal retelling and not fantasy. Hooked features mature themes and content that may not be suitable for all audiences. Reader discretion is advised. For all content warnings, check the author's website. ]]> 312 Emily McIntire 173750832X Laura 1 3.78 2021
author: Emily McIntire
name: Laura
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2021
rating: 1
read at: 2024/07/13
date added: 2024/07/14
shelves:
review:

]]> 200539015 My heart has made its mind up
And I'm afraid it's you.

The Orange and Other Poems provides the perfect introduction to Wendy Cope, one of Britain's wittiest, best-selling, and best-loved poets.

In poems that go from laugh-out-loud funny to deeply moving, Cope offers reflections on love and life. From the joy of falling—and being—in love to how to manage a painful break-up to cherishing the memories of people loved and lost, this is a collection to savour and share.]]> 53 Wendy Cope 057138952X Laura 2 4.13 2023
author: Wendy Cope
name: Laura
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/07/08
date added: 2024/07/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 182867679 224 Theo Parish 0063319586 Laura 5 4.37 2024
author: Theo Parish
name: Laura
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/08
date added: 2024/07/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 214945740
But on his graduation trip across Paris, Switzerland, and Italy, Alis discovers that isolation isn’t so easy to maintain in hostel rooms and cross-country trains. Soon he finds himself growing closer to classmates who were once strangers to him—namely the class clown, Craig Miltenberg, whose frustratingly good hair and cheerful disposition don’t irritate Alis nearly as much as they should.

Yet, as his deepening connections stir up painful reminders of his last doomed friendship, Alis continues to cope the only way he knows how: drowning out the pain on the inside by hurting himself on the outside. When his self-destructive behaviours intensify and put him and his new relationships in jeopardy, Alis must find the courage to confront his spiralling mental health—even if it means letting someone in.

Lex Carlow's gritty queer debut is perfect for fans of Alice Oseman, Kathleen Glasgow, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.]]> 402 Lex Carlow 1738566412 Laura 0 currently-reading 4.60 2024
author: Lex Carlow
name: Laura
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/27
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 213343624 again, on Valentine’s Day. During the annual Cupid speech before the grand lover’s day, Jaya comes across Iris’s file. Unable to look away from those beautiful brown eyes, Jaya chooses Iris for her imminent mission.

When the winged woman shows up at Iris’s house and tells her she is going to find her a partner for the day, Iris can’t believe it. With some tweaks to their official agreement, the two find themselves wandering the city to complete Iris’s list of dream dates, so that she can get the opportunity to finally experience the romance she always dreamed of.

But what will happen if the feelings between the two of them become a little too real, and their agreement is only supposed to last one day?]]> 94 Robin Jo Margaret Laura 5
I was a beta/sensitivity reader for this book, so I was super excited to see which changes had been made in the more final version, and I was not disappointed. Robin Jo Margaret described the story as "Cozy and spicy" which I'd say is pretty accurate. Jaya and Iris interact in such a sweet way, and I really enjoyed seeing how they clearly adored each other. Also the way Jaya simps whenever Iris geeks out about her special interest was adorable. Even though this was a novella and they obviously fell for each other fast, it didn't feel rushed. The different dates they went on was enough to see them bond and get to know each other.

As someone who tends to be sex-repulsed, the smut in this book was good, and not overwhelming/too much. I also really liked that both Iris and Jaya were virgins and were experimenting together. Maybe I've just been traumatised by fanfics, but I just really enjoyed that detail, especially because Iris is a-spec. It's also a gentle step into the paranormal romance/ "monster" x human romance genre since Jaya is very human-like. Overall this was just a sweet and very enjoyable story and I would definitely recommend it, especially if you're looking for a quick read. ]]> 3.64 2024
author: Robin Jo Margaret
name: Laura
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/12
date added: 2024/06/25
shelves:
review:
Thank you to the author for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was a beta/sensitivity reader for this book, so I was super excited to see which changes had been made in the more final version, and I was not disappointed. Robin Jo Margaret described the story as "Cozy and spicy" which I'd say is pretty accurate. Jaya and Iris interact in such a sweet way, and I really enjoyed seeing how they clearly adored each other. Also the way Jaya simps whenever Iris geeks out about her special interest was adorable. Even though this was a novella and they obviously fell for each other fast, it didn't feel rushed. The different dates they went on was enough to see them bond and get to know each other.

As someone who tends to be sex-repulsed, the smut in this book was good, and not overwhelming/too much. I also really liked that both Iris and Jaya were virgins and were experimenting together. Maybe I've just been traumatised by fanfics, but I just really enjoyed that detail, especially because Iris is a-spec. It's also a gentle step into the paranormal romance/ "monster" x human romance genre since Jaya is very human-like. Overall this was just a sweet and very enjoyable story and I would definitely recommend it, especially if you're looking for a quick read.
]]> 203043539 Glenlivet has never cared about the fear-mongering. Her ship welcomes those who are rejected and need a home.
For all the sailor´s superstitions and “codes�� of piracy the captain mocks every day, not leaving the docks when it’s dark is a personal boundary she swears by ever since acquiring The Outsider about eight years ago.
She just might have to break her own rules to protect her crew, escape the claws of a king who wants her dead, and murder the man who raised her.]]> 411 Darcia G. Laucerica Laura 0 to-read 3.78
author: Darcia G. Laucerica
name: Laura
average rating: 3.78
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 170448 Librarian's note: There is an Alternate Cover Edition for this edition of this book here.

A farm is taken over by its overworked, mistreated animals. With flaming idealism and stirring slogans, they set out to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality. Thus the stage is set for one of the most telling satiric fables ever penned –a razor-edged fairy tale for grown-ups that records the evolution from revolution against tyranny to a totalitarianism just as terrible.
When Animal Farm was first published, Stalinist Russia was seen as its target. Today it is devastatingly clear that wherever and whenever freedom is attacked, under whatever banner, the cutting clarity and savage comedy of George Orwell’s masterpiece have a meaning and message still ferociously fresh.]]> 141 George Orwell 0451526341 Laura 5 4.07 1945
author: George Orwell
name: Laura
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1945
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/12
date added: 2024/06/12
shelves:
review:

]]> 111672538
Sophie Chi is in her first year at Wellesley College (despite her parents�� wishes that she attend a “real�� university, rather than a liberal arts school) and has long accepted her aromantic and asexual identities. Despite knowing she’ll never fall in love, she enjoys running an Instagram account that offers relationship advice to students at Wellesley. No one except her roommate knows that she’s behind the incredibly popular "Dear Wendy" account.

When Joanna “Jo�� Ephron―also a first-year student at Wellesley―created their “Sincerely Wanda�� account, it wasn't at all meant to be serious or take off like it does―not like Dear Wendy’s. But now they might have a rivalry of sorts with Dear Wendy? Oops . As if Jo’s not busy enough having existential crises over gender, the fact that she’ll never truly be loved or be enough, or her few friends finding The One and forgetting her!

While tensions are rising online, Sophie and Jo are getting closer in real life, bonding over their shared aroace identities. As their friendship develops and they work together to start a campus organization for other a-spec students, can their growing bond survive if they learn just who’s behind the Wendy and Wanda accounts?

With its exploration of a-spec identities, college life, and more, this platonic comedy, perfect for fans of Netflix’s The Half of It and Alice Oseman’s Loveless , is ultimately a love story about two people who are not―and will not―be in love!]]> 368 Ann Zhao 1250885000 Laura 5
While I adored Jo's character and felt truly seen, it was so refreshing reading about Sophie, who's on the total opposite end of the self-acceptance spectrum. She's secure in her identity and views it as more of a blessing than a curse. The primary representation we see on the internet is of people who hates their aroace-identity because of how much society value romance and sex, so it was nice seeing someone feeling differently about it, and gave me hope that I can someday achieve that.

i will admit, I'm jealous of Jo and Sophie's friendship. Don't get me wrong, I love and cherish my friends and appreciate all their support, and I'm not sure what I would do without them, and I do have some irls who are ace-spec, but they don't really get it, because they're not aro-spec. Shoutout to my online aroace pals, though, you guys do. That being said, the strong friendship element in the book, did remind me of how much I love my friends, and how much platonic relations means to me. Also just seeing them do cute stuff for/with each other that couples do just because they appreciate each other so much was super wholesome.

My aroace ramble aside, I also really appreciated the other, for a lack of betters words, political topics being discussed such as being a child of immigrants and the struggles and expectations that follows, the male gaze being a woman in todays society etc etc. The silly rivalry between Jo and Sophie on their instagram account without knowing it's each other was also just fun to read about, especially because it didn't end up in romance, obviously, but that might just be me. Aaah and their club/org as well called "the dianas"?? Hello?? My greek mythology loving self really appreciated that. Side note: Inside out also always makes me cry, Jo was very real for that.

Anyways I am BEGGING every a-spec person to read this book because if I felt so seen, then maybe other people will as well. Allo people should read this as well, because I personally felt that it represented the a-spec experience well. ]]> 3.99 2024
author: Ann Zhao
name: Laura
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/10
date added: 2024/06/10
shelves:
review:
As an aroace person I don't think I'll ever truly be able to express how much this books means to me. In its dedication it says "to the people who are about to realize they're asexual and/or aromantic after reading this book. (You never know. It could be you.)", and mentions Loveless by Alice Oseman at one point. While Loveless was my lesbian masterdoc and helped me realise, and partly accept, that I'm aromantic, this book was very healing. Time and time again Jo smacked me in the face with my own fears and feelings like my friends leaving me once they find "The One", that'll be alone forever, that I'm less human or less deserving of love etc etc. While it made me sob my eyes out it was also very nice to get confirmed that I'm not alone in feeling these things, even though it was through a fictional character. The reassurance she got from. her mums and friends was also really nice and made me think that I would most likely get the same reaction from the people in my life if I dared to voice my concerns.

While I adored Jo's character and felt truly seen, it was so refreshing reading about Sophie, who's on the total opposite end of the self-acceptance spectrum. She's secure in her identity and views it as more of a blessing than a curse. The primary representation we see on the internet is of people who hates their aroace-identity because of how much society value romance and sex, so it was nice seeing someone feeling differently about it, and gave me hope that I can someday achieve that.

i will admit, I'm jealous of Jo and Sophie's friendship. Don't get me wrong, I love and cherish my friends and appreciate all their support, and I'm not sure what I would do without them, and I do have some irls who are ace-spec, but they don't really get it, because they're not aro-spec. Shoutout to my online aroace pals, though, you guys do. That being said, the strong friendship element in the book, did remind me of how much I love my friends, and how much platonic relations means to me. Also just seeing them do cute stuff for/with each other that couples do just because they appreciate each other so much was super wholesome.

My aroace ramble aside, I also really appreciated the other, for a lack of betters words, political topics being discussed such as being a child of immigrants and the struggles and expectations that follows, the male gaze being a woman in todays society etc etc. The silly rivalry between Jo and Sophie on their instagram account without knowing it's each other was also just fun to read about, especially because it didn't end up in romance, obviously, but that might just be me. Aaah and their club/org as well called "the dianas"?? Hello?? My greek mythology loving self really appreciated that. Side note: Inside out also always makes me cry, Jo was very real for that.

Anyways I am BEGGING every a-spec person to read this book because if I felt so seen, then maybe other people will as well. Allo people should read this as well, because I personally felt that it represented the a-spec experience well.
]]> 211365763 Dangerous magic. Fateful choices. Broken promises.

The King's Courier Tycho has made a treacherous bargain. Now beholden to the magical scraver who saved King Gray's life, one false move could end everything.

Jax escaped his life in Briarlock and traveled with Tycho to Emberfall. But life outside his small village brings unexpected challenges--and unlikely adversaries.

After years of hating the royal family and their magic, Callyn never expected to be at the Queen's side, with magic on her fingertips. But at the royal court, she can't trust anyone--including the man she thought she loved.

Cast apart, Tycho, Jax, and Callyn must learn to wield the magic that is dividing their kingdom. As the magical scravers attack from the north and the king's rivals gain strength, time is running out.

War is looming. Love is tested. And magic could be the only answer. . .]]> 496 Brigid Kemmerer 1547610107 Laura 0 to-read 4.17 2025
author: Brigid Kemmerer
name: Laura
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 213183465
Following her recent breakup and her evolving bond with her best friend, Noah, Emma begins to question everything she ever knew about relationships, romantic and platonic. When Emma suggests the possibility of a queerplatonic relationship to Noah, the two must navigate their feelings, unveiling secrets they’ve kept from each other�� but as confusing it can be, at least they’re doing it together.]]> 105 Margherita Scialla Laura 5 2024-reads
I loved the addition of Noah's POV because it allows us to learn a lot more about him and his past. It was so nice hearing his thoughts about his squish on Emma and the idea of their potential QPR, as well as seeing his friendship with Dawson instead of having it described only. While I originally loved his character and found him very relatable, those feelings only grew stronger after reading this.

Speaking of Dawson, seeing more of him was lovely, and hearing him reassure Noah that he did indeed belong in their little family made me very emotional, as it's a genuine fear I've had myself. Oh and actually meeting Rowan and seeing the two interact and be cute together was just *chefs kiss*

This book was still very comforting and relatable to me, as I've only seen myself represented this way very few times, so I laughed and cried many tears over, and I loved ever second of it. "This was family" if you very closely you can see me crying in a corner. I firmly believe everyone should read this book, not only because it shines a light on the importance of friendships/platonic relationships, but also because of its Queerplatonic representation. It might help a lot of people, and to quote the dedication "for the people who didn’t know there was another option��.

Oh and the disability representation was also really nice. One of the main characters and a side character having autism and the other main character having PCOS was really cool. I didn't know anything about PCOS before, so that was especially nice! ]]> 4.04 2023
author: Margherita Scialla
name: Laura
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/17
date added: 2024/05/17
shelves: 2024-reads
review:
When I heard Margherita Scillia was rereleasing "By your side" with new content I was beyond excited, and as expected, I loved it just as much as the original, if not more. While the essence of the story is the same, the new scenes added so much depth to the story. From the original story we knew Noah and Emma cared about each other a lot, but here we were shown it even more. This also involves the two of them talking about their potential QPR and the boundaries way more, instead of a short (but still very sweet) conversation at the end of the book.

I loved the addition of Noah's POV because it allows us to learn a lot more about him and his past. It was so nice hearing his thoughts about his squish on Emma and the idea of their potential QPR, as well as seeing his friendship with Dawson instead of having it described only. While I originally loved his character and found him very relatable, those feelings only grew stronger after reading this.

Speaking of Dawson, seeing more of him was lovely, and hearing him reassure Noah that he did indeed belong in their little family made me very emotional, as it's a genuine fear I've had myself. Oh and actually meeting Rowan and seeing the two interact and be cute together was just *chefs kiss*

This book was still very comforting and relatable to me, as I've only seen myself represented this way very few times, so I laughed and cried many tears over, and I loved ever second of it. "This was family" if you very closely you can see me crying in a corner. I firmly believe everyone should read this book, not only because it shines a light on the importance of friendships/platonic relationships, but also because of its Queerplatonic representation. It might help a lot of people, and to quote the dedication "for the people who didn’t know there was another option��.

Oh and the disability representation was also really nice. One of the main characters and a side character having autism and the other main character having PCOS was really cool. I didn't know anything about PCOS before, so that was especially nice!
]]> 17259690
Signing a contract with the PSU Foxes is the last thing a guy like Neil should do. The team is high profile and he doesn't need sports crews broadcasting pictures of his face around the nation. His lies will hold up only so long under this kind of scrutiny and the truth will get him killed.

But Neil's not the only one with secrets on the team. One of Neil's new teammates is a friend from his old life, and Neil can't walk away from him a second time. Neil has survived the last eight years by running. Maybe he's finally found someone and something worth fighting for.]]> 237 Nora Sakavic 1301529044 Laura 0 currently-reading 4.03 2013
author: Nora Sakavic
name: Laura
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/11
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 14069
Now China has discovered that its rare gift, intended for Napoleon, has fallen into British hands–and an angry Chinese delegation vows to reclaim the remarkable beast. But Laurence refuses to cooperate. Facing the gallows for his defiance, Laurence has no choice but to accompany Temeraire back to the Far East–a long voyage fraught with peril, intrigue, and the untold terrors of the deep. Yet once the pair reaches the court of the Chinese emperor, even more shocking discoveries and darker dangers await.]]> 398 Naomi Novik 0345481291 Laura 5 3.89 2006
author: Naomi Novik
name: Laura
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/10
date added: 2024/05/10
shelves:
review:

]]> 12067
People have been predicting the end of the world almost from its very beginning, so it’s only natural to be sceptical when a new date is set for Judgement Day. This time though, the armies of Good and Evil really do appear to be massing. The four Bikers of the Apocalypse are hitting the road. But both the angels and demons �� well, one fast-living demon and a somewhat fussy angel �� would quite like the Rapture not to happen.

And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist…]]> 491 Terry Pratchett Laura 0 to-read 4.27 1990
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Laura
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1990
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 125376277 Storms and pirates are nothing compared to the evil within men’s hearts.

After a lifetime of abuse at the hands of superstitious townsfolk, Ophelia Young, a bastard child of the notorious pirate queen, is tired of paying for the sins of her mother. Despite playing by the rules her whole life, she’s earned nothing but spite and suspicion. So when a naval officer saves her from the jeering crowd at her mother’s hanging, Ophelia hatches a new hope of enlisting in the navy to escape her mother’s legacy and redeem her own reputation for good. But Ophelia soon discovers that a life at sea isn’t as honorable as she hoped.

Betsy Young is as different as she could be from her half-sister Ophelia. She’s a nervous homebody who wants to keep her family safe and longs to be in love. So naturally, she’s devastated when the son of their family’s business partner rejects her hand in marriage and her sister joins the navy. But when her father contracts a life-threatening illness as well, Betsy has to bring Ophelia home to save the family business.

Unfortunately for the Young sisters, Betsy trying to get Ophelia recalled reveals that Ophelia enlisted fraudulently under Betsy’s name, a secret which Ophelia struggles to keep from crewmates who would kill her if they knew she was the pirate queen’s daughter. To save Ophelia from the naval authorities, Betsy will have to board a ship during hurricane season and brave all the dangers of the sea to get them both home safe.]]> 384 Christine Calella 1645678725 Laura 0 to-read 3.88 2024
author: Christine Calella
name: Laura
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 203166772 Bestselling and award-winning author Andrew Joseph White returns with a queer Appalachian thriller, that pulls no punches, for teens who see the failures in our world and are pushing for radical change.

A gut-wrenching story following a trans autistic teen who survives an attempted murder, only to be drawn into the generational struggle between the rural poor and those who exploit them.

On the night Miles Abernathy—sixteen-year-old socialist and proud West Virginian—comes out as trans to his parents, he sneaks off to a party, carrying evidence that may finally turn the tide of the blood feud plaguing Twist Creek: Photos that prove the county’s Sheriff Davies was responsible for the so-called “accident�� that injured his dad, killed others, and crushed their grassroots efforts to unseat him.

The feud began a hundred years ago when Miles’s great-great-grandfather, Saint Abernathy, incited a miners�� rebellion that ended with a public execution at the hands of law enforcement. Now, Miles becomes the feud’s latest victim as the sheriff’s son and his friends sniff out the evidence, follow him through the woods, and beat him nearly to death.

In the hospital, the ghost of a soot-covered man hovers over Miles’s bedside while Sheriff Davies threatens Miles into silence. But when Miles accidentally kills one of the boys who hurt him, he learns of other folks in Twist Creek who want out from under the sheriff’s heel. To free their families from this cycle of cruelty, they’re willing to put everything on the line—is Miles?

A visceral, unabashedly political page-turner that won’t let you go until you’ve reached the end, Compound Fracture is not for the faint of heart, but it is for every reader who is ready to fight for a better world.]]> 370 Andrew Joseph White 1682636127 Laura 5
Holy shit, this book was insane. It was messed up and scary, but in such a different way than "Hell followed with us" and "The spirit bares its teeth". It wasn't accompanied by angels, or spirits (well, except for one), or other otherworldly creatures. Instead it slapped you in the face with very real and realistic issues that the southern states of America might genuinely be facing. It was terrifying, and I loved it.

A.J White truly knows how to mess with the reader's emotions, because mine sure were all over the place. My blood boiled over Davis and Noah's actions and my heart broke for Miles, Saint, Dallas, Cooper and everyone effected by the Davis family's utter bullshit because it isn't fair. I was also scared for Miles and his family. Scared of what might happen to them or sweet Lady. There weren't a single moment reading this book were I wasn't at least a little bit stressed out, but at the same time I couldn't put it down. Seeing how fucked up the justice system was frustrating and so on point with today's society, so getting to see the socialist and anarchist youth and grown-ups sticking it to the man was very satisfying.

The representation were on point, as always. Seeing Miles struggling with accepting not only his autism, but also his aro-spec identity was very relatable, and made me feel seen, as I've struggled with the same. Though, ADHD and not autism. The historical elements were really interesting to learn about, and I loved that we got them through Miles and hyperfixations. It made it all the more enjoyable. The general queerness was represented beautifully, and the QPR rep made me very emotional.

Oh and dear Saint, I loved his character as well. There's just something so comforting about knowing Trans people has always existed, even 100's of years ago. His story was so sad, and it was really nice seeing Miles seeking justice for him, and looking up to him. So thank you, Andrew Joseph White, for writing this very important book, for bringing the Abernathy family even a little bit of justice with a rather symbolic, even slightly hopeful ending, and for keeping Lady safe. ]]> 4.44 2024
author: Andrew Joseph White
name: Laura
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/30
date added: 2024/04/30
shelves:
review:
Thank you to the author for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Holy shit, this book was insane. It was messed up and scary, but in such a different way than "Hell followed with us" and "The spirit bares its teeth". It wasn't accompanied by angels, or spirits (well, except for one), or other otherworldly creatures. Instead it slapped you in the face with very real and realistic issues that the southern states of America might genuinely be facing. It was terrifying, and I loved it.

A.J White truly knows how to mess with the reader's emotions, because mine sure were all over the place. My blood boiled over Davis and Noah's actions and my heart broke for Miles, Saint, Dallas, Cooper and everyone effected by the Davis family's utter bullshit because it isn't fair. I was also scared for Miles and his family. Scared of what might happen to them or sweet Lady. There weren't a single moment reading this book were I wasn't at least a little bit stressed out, but at the same time I couldn't put it down. Seeing how fucked up the justice system was frustrating and so on point with today's society, so getting to see the socialist and anarchist youth and grown-ups sticking it to the man was very satisfying.

The representation were on point, as always. Seeing Miles struggling with accepting not only his autism, but also his aro-spec identity was very relatable, and made me feel seen, as I've struggled with the same. Though, ADHD and not autism. The historical elements were really interesting to learn about, and I loved that we got them through Miles and hyperfixations. It made it all the more enjoyable. The general queerness was represented beautifully, and the QPR rep made me very emotional.

Oh and dear Saint, I loved his character as well. There's just something so comforting about knowing Trans people has always existed, even 100's of years ago. His story was so sad, and it was really nice seeing Miles seeking justice for him, and looking up to him. So thank you, Andrew Joseph White, for writing this very important book, for bringing the Abernathy family even a little bit of justice with a rather symbolic, even slightly hopeful ending, and for keeping Lady safe.
]]> 198973533 Mente I det er en kortroman om en ung mand og om de psykiske følger, han oplever i tiden efter et overfald. Med præcise, ordknappe og indfølte linjer giver bogen et indblik i oplevelsen af stigmatisering og diskrimination �� og hvordan det er ikke altid at kunne føle sig tryg i verden.]]> 107 Thomas Korsgaard 8727056570 Laura 5 2023-reads 4.28 2023
author: Thomas Korsgaard
name: Laura
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/29
date added: 2024/04/29
shelves: 2023-reads
review:

]]> 28876 356 Naomi Novik 0345481283 Laura 5 belonging around the other aviators.

Characters and banter aside, it was so interesting reading about the aviator system, their ranking, training, their place in society and how the dragons are used in war. Historical fiction can be heavy, especially is based on real events, but this wasn't. I ate it up. Please, sir edward, infodump about the different dragon breads and their abilities some more. Speaking of, I loved how the dragons were fully fledged characters themselves instead of just war machines. Urgh beloveds, BUT ESPECIALLY YOU LEVITAS, YOU WILL FOREVER LIVE IN MY HEART. Him and Temeraire>>>>

Everyone go read this book NOW, thank you]]> 4.06 2006
author: Naomi Novik
name: Laura
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/28
date added: 2024/04/28
shelves:
review:
I listened to the audiobook while reading along in a physical copy, and my god Simon Vance is a genius. This fact might've made me enjoy it slightly more than I would, had I read it without the audiobook to accompany it, but oh my god. I expected to enjoy it because I love dragons and historical fiction, so a combination of the two sounded right up my alley, but I never expected to enjoy it THIS much. Laurens and Temeraire's bond is so special to me, and I adored how quickly they came to care for one another. Laurens calling Temeraire "my dear"??? Stop?? "I would rather have you than any ship in the navy"?? STOP?? I love them so much. The way Laurens showed compassion towards all the dragons in general was so sweet, and it was really nice seeing how quickly he gained his sense of
belonging around the other aviators.

Characters and banter aside, it was so interesting reading about the aviator system, their ranking, training, their place in society and how the dragons are used in war. Historical fiction can be heavy, especially is based on real events, but this wasn't. I ate it up. Please, sir edward, infodump about the different dragon breads and their abilities some more. Speaking of, I loved how the dragons were fully fledged characters themselves instead of just war machines. Urgh beloveds, BUT ESPECIALLY YOU LEVITAS, YOU WILL FOREVER LIVE IN MY HEART. Him and Temeraire>>>>

Everyone go read this book NOW, thank you
]]> 210530158 A tree falls in the forest �� listen.

Ainsley is a dryad �� a spirit of the woods and leader for the local magical community �� whose yearly hibernation is turning into decades-long periods of sleep. She fears the worst for her earth-walking body and dares not think of next winter.

Fate has different plans, and it waits for none.

Priscilla �� human, chronic daydreamer, and eternal sunshine �� leads a relatively peaceful life after leaving an abusive past behind. She battles the scars of that time still, fighting random episodes of maladaptive daydreaming �� yet always choosing to face them with a smile.

A simple misunderstanding lands Priscilla being roped into working as Ainsley’s event decorator for her best (and perhaps last) May Day Festival �� despite the magical and mundane being kept separate for their safety.

Two people, two stories, two scars kept close to their hearts, two kindred souls finding each other in this silent forest.]]> 248 Faeri Sami Laura 5
Thank you to the author for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was beyond anything I expected. I fell head over heals in love with Ainsley, Priscilla and their wonderful relationship. It was heartwarming seeing the way they came to care so deeply for each other and how Priscilla only fell even more in love with Ainsley after learning about her true self. The nicknames they called each other, they way they described the other in such endearing ways, the way they loved each other unconditionally, and the sex scenes gosh. They were so beautifully written and I adored reading about how much they worshipped each other, and communicated to to make sure no boundaries were crossed and the ultimate level of pleasure was provided. Dirty talk and the likes has never really been my cup of tea but this I really enjoyed reading, and this is coming from a usually sex-repulsed asexual.

Not only did I love Ainsley and Priscilla's relationship, I also loved them separately. Ainsley's calm and protective personality, and undying love for her community, friends and found family. Priscilla's curious, happy personality and found family relation with Orion and the rest of the Moor family. It was all so sweet.

Ainsley being a Dryad and connected to the birch tree was really cool and creative, and I would honestly love to know more about her and her past, as it seemed super interesting since she's lived as long as she has. I'm also just ridiculously in love with her, or as much as an aroace person can be. If she called me any of the things she called Pri I would quite simply fold. In the words of Lucy Moor "Woah! Giant tree lady!".

All the rep is also just awesome. Ainsley being enby, Priscilla being POC, plus sized and a lesbian and Orion being a trans guy. I've also never read a book with maladaptive daydreaming rep, so that was very nice as well!

This is not really about the story, but more about the book itself. I am beyond obsessed with the illustrations, they're beautiful!! Why isn't that a thing in more books, show me the characters please! As someone who can sometimes get uncomfortable reading about sex, I really appreciated the way Faeri Sami prepared the reader for the upcoming spice. All chapters including explicit sexual content were underlined, and an icon was visible next to the paragraph when things started to get steamy. It's such a small yet super inclusive thing, and it honestly made me really happy to see. That way I could mentally prepare for the upcoming sex, and even skip if I needed to. BIG BIG props to them for this.

I highly recommend everyone to read this book once it releases, which I know I've said a lot recently, but it's true none the less. This will be a very nice addition to any human x non-human romance lovers, and a very nice introduction to anyone who wants to dip their toes into the genre. ]]> 4.18 2024
author: Faeri Sami
name: Laura
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/24
date added: 2024/04/24
shelves:
review:
**4,75 stars rounded up

Thank you to the author for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was beyond anything I expected. I fell head over heals in love with Ainsley, Priscilla and their wonderful relationship. It was heartwarming seeing the way they came to care so deeply for each other and how Priscilla only fell even more in love with Ainsley after learning about her true self. The nicknames they called each other, they way they described the other in such endearing ways, the way they loved each other unconditionally, and the sex scenes gosh. They were so beautifully written and I adored reading about how much they worshipped each other, and communicated to to make sure no boundaries were crossed and the ultimate level of pleasure was provided. Dirty talk and the likes has never really been my cup of tea but this I really enjoyed reading, and this is coming from a usually sex-repulsed asexual.

Not only did I love Ainsley and Priscilla's relationship, I also loved them separately. Ainsley's calm and protective personality, and undying love for her community, friends and found family. Priscilla's curious, happy personality and found family relation with Orion and the rest of the Moor family. It was all so sweet.

Ainsley being a Dryad and connected to the birch tree was really cool and creative, and I would honestly love to know more about her and her past, as it seemed super interesting since she's lived as long as she has. I'm also just ridiculously in love with her, or as much as an aroace person can be. If she called me any of the things she called Pri I would quite simply fold. In the words of Lucy Moor "Woah! Giant tree lady!".

All the rep is also just awesome. Ainsley being enby, Priscilla being POC, plus sized and a lesbian and Orion being a trans guy. I've also never read a book with maladaptive daydreaming rep, so that was very nice as well!

This is not really about the story, but more about the book itself. I am beyond obsessed with the illustrations, they're beautiful!! Why isn't that a thing in more books, show me the characters please! As someone who can sometimes get uncomfortable reading about sex, I really appreciated the way Faeri Sami prepared the reader for the upcoming spice. All chapters including explicit sexual content were underlined, and an icon was visible next to the paragraph when things started to get steamy. It's such a small yet super inclusive thing, and it honestly made me really happy to see. That way I could mentally prepare for the upcoming sex, and even skip if I needed to. BIG BIG props to them for this.

I highly recommend everyone to read this book once it releases, which I know I've said a lot recently, but it's true none the less. This will be a very nice addition to any human x non-human romance lovers, and a very nice introduction to anyone who wants to dip their toes into the genre.
]]> 198629212
Gossip queen ALEX longs to be seen. Cheerleader TULSI is sick of cutting people on her sharp heart. New kid CLEMENTINE can’t escape the violence inside. And wallflower SUNJU is tired of keeping quiet.

When a twist of fate brings this unlikely quartet together, sparks and punches fly. They call it ‘Girls Night,' an underground fight club that’s girls only. Soon every girl at Sterling High is showing up to class with bruised knuckles and split lips.

Alex, Tulsi, Clementine, and Sun have never felt more alive. Until demonic head cheerleader, Quentin Scarhill, steps in the ring with her eyes on Alex.

As Quentin’s hold over Alex tightens, Girls Night spirals out of control. Can they take back the reins before things turn deadly? And if Girls Night ends will they throw in the towel on their newfound friendships?]]> 333 I.S. Belle 1915585112 Laura 4 2024-reads
Disclaimer: I have never watched fight club, so my experience might be different from those who have

It took me a bit to get into the book, but I'm glad I pushed through, because I ended up really enjoying it. Firstly, it was fun reading about these girls beating the shit out of each other for fun, and seeing the empowerment and community they got out of it (at least in the beginning, iykyk) was so nice. Secondly, the found family. I'm a sucker for this trope, and seeing these girls so different form an unlikely friendship and stick together was so heartwarming. The yearning was also very real, and I'm so here for it. Speaking of the characters, the MC's, the laundromat girls, if you will, was very well written. They were, as previously mentioned, so different, with their owl unique personality and background. I cared deeply for all of them, and my heart broke for them. I also wanted to scream at one of them to get her shit together and get back to reality because one of the characters were, indeed, a manipulative bitch to give it to you straight. Though, I consider this a good thing.

The writing style was fun and easy to read, and once I got hooked, I breezed through the chapters. The pacing was good overall as well, though a bit wonky at times, but not enough to hinder my enjoyment. My only real critique is the fact that it kind of felt like some things, even parts of the main conflict, was brushed over a bit quickly, instead of properly dealt with, which is a shame. The book is out now, and I recommend everyone to check it out because I know you need sapphic fight club in your life, just as I did. ]]> 3.96 2024
author: I.S. Belle
name: Laura
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/19
date added: 2024/04/19
shelves: 2024-reads
review:
Thank you to Tiny ghost press for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Disclaimer: I have never watched fight club, so my experience might be different from those who have

It took me a bit to get into the book, but I'm glad I pushed through, because I ended up really enjoying it. Firstly, it was fun reading about these girls beating the shit out of each other for fun, and seeing the empowerment and community they got out of it (at least in the beginning, iykyk) was so nice. Secondly, the found family. I'm a sucker for this trope, and seeing these girls so different form an unlikely friendship and stick together was so heartwarming. The yearning was also very real, and I'm so here for it. Speaking of the characters, the MC's, the laundromat girls, if you will, was very well written. They were, as previously mentioned, so different, with their owl unique personality and background. I cared deeply for all of them, and my heart broke for them. I also wanted to scream at one of them to get her shit together and get back to reality because one of the characters were, indeed, a manipulative bitch to give it to you straight. Though, I consider this a good thing.

The writing style was fun and easy to read, and once I got hooked, I breezed through the chapters. The pacing was good overall as well, though a bit wonky at times, but not enough to hinder my enjoyment. My only real critique is the fact that it kind of felt like some things, even parts of the main conflict, was brushed over a bit quickly, instead of properly dealt with, which is a shame. The book is out now, and I recommend everyone to check it out because I know you need sapphic fight club in your life, just as I did.
]]> 211112491
Unlike Isamu, John Love doesn't consider himself a dreamer. A car accident took his mother way too soon, and he has all but lost his father to alcoholism. All he wants is to work his mechanic job to pay for school and leave everything else behind. Adding more work by helping out Isamu is the last thing he wants.

When a friend convinces John to take the job, will he find something, or someone, worth dreaming for?

Only if Isamu can prove that John is more than just a pit stop on everyone else’s path.]]> 213 Ellis Mae Laura 0 to-read 4.10
author: Ellis Mae
name: Laura
average rating: 4.10
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 208833640
Years later, Emily meets a man on a dating app and their instant connection seems to be just what she longed for. Right when she thinks she has everything figured out, her past comes back to haunt her. Will it destroy everything she worked so hard to gain?]]> 348 Laura May 1956183221 Laura 0 arcs, dnf 4.07
author: Laura May
name: Laura
average rating: 4.07
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/16
shelves: arcs, dnf
review:

]]> 61484873 Teach the Torches to Burn, a breathlessly romantic remix of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet and seventh book in the Remixed Classics series, a queer teen boy discovers first love amid a bloody, centuries-old feud.

Verona, Italy. Seventeen-year-old aspiring artist Romeo dreams of a quiet life with someone who loves him just as he is. But as the heir to the Montague family, he is expected to give up his womanly artistic pursuits and uphold the family honor--particularly in their centuries-old blood feud with a rival family, the Capulets. Worse still, he is also expected to marry a well-bred girl approved by his parents and produce heirs. But the more Romeo is forced to mingle with eligible maidens, the harder it is to keep his deepest secret: He only feels attracted to other boys.

In an attempt to forget his troubles for just one night, Romeo joins his cousin in sneaking into a Capulet party. During a fateful encounter in the garden, he meets the kindest, most beautiful boy he's ever encountered, and is shocked to learn he's Valentine, the younger brother of one of his closest friends. He is even more shocked to discover that Valentine is just as enamored with Romeo as Romeo is with him.

So begins a tender romance that the boys must hide from their families and friends, each of them longing for a world where they could be together without fear. And as the conflict between the Montagues and Capulets escalates out of control, Romeo and Valentine find themselves in danger of losing each other forever--if not by society's scorn, then by the edge of a blade.]]> 384 Caleb Roehrig 1250828481 Laura 0 to-read 3.98 2023
author: Caleb Roehrig
name: Laura
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 208691775 You, Me, and Bad Movies is a YA novel about Avery Cormier, an agender and pansexual teen, and their mysterious pen pal carrying secrets that may lead to disappointment.

Fresh out of a horrendous summer break up, Avery is absolutely done with romance, or so they thought. After discovering a scribbled list of bad movies in the school library, they end up exchanging notes with a witty, charming, and bad movie loving pen pal going by the name K.

Two months later, K has stolen their once shattered heart. Avery wants to take a chance and meet in person, even if that means they may be turned away for being agender. However, K shuts the idea down immediately, leaving Avery pondering why and more desperate to discover their pen pal’s true identity.

But with Avery’s ex lingering on their mind and in their life, moving on is harder than they thought, especially when K suddenly wants to cut off all contact. The question of why is only explained when K's identity is accidentally revealed and it's the last person Avery could have imagined.]]> 236 Twoony Laura 0 to-read 4.41
author: Twoony
name: Laura
average rating: 4.41
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 195095016
HELSINGØR, 1536.

Ophelia is a disgraced handmaid to the queen, the cast-off lover of Prince Hamlet.

She is also a witch, and a good one at that. And she can see that Denmark is rotting from the inside out, afflicted by dark magic.

WITTENBERG, 1536.

Hamlet is a useless son, a failed heir. He is the prince of a nation about to fight a war they won't win.

He doesn't know about magic, but if he did he would use it to destroy their enemies—no matter the consequences.

As Hamlet and Ophelia find themselves increasingly torn apart, they must decide: how much are they willing to sacrifice in order to save Denmark?

And, by the end of it all, will they be beyond saving?]]> 435 Yves Donlon Laura 5 2024-reads, arcs, netgallery
Disclaimer: I have not read Hamlet, and therefor my experience with this book might be different than someone who has (E.G plot twists etc.)

I knew I would love this book the moment I heard the premise; "Hamlet but queer". I've been fascinated by Shakespear for a while now, and having previously only read 'If We Were Villains', I thought a Hamlet retelling would be perfect to further fuel this fascination, and boy oh boy was I correct.

This book was, with its beautiful writing style, fast pace and short chapters, addicting. I had to force myself to put it down, and had I not, I would've devoured this in only 2 or 3 sittings. Though, I'm glad I took my time, as this meant I had more time with these characters whom I absolutely adored. Magical, badass Ophelia who loves her father, her brother, her Otherworld family and who just wants to do whats best for Denmark, and the queer mess that is Prince Hamlet. They were filled with unique personality and I could do nothing but root for them the entire time. I loved reading about Ophelia and her struggles as a lady in a royal court, alongside her struggles of using her magic to try and keep Denmark free of the corruption, and the love she shared with Hamlet was so sweet. Oh and the fact that she's ACE, god she's just like me. Now, Hamlet. He was such a troubled boy, and reading about his yearning and internalised homophobia saddened me. Though, I really enjoyed the banter he shared with Guildenstern and Rosencrantz (and the rest of the characters, but especially these two). It was heartbreaking reading about the betrayals tragedies they both went through (though, I might've seen them coming, had I actually read the original source material, but whatever, it only added to my misery and enjoyment). The characters in general were so lovable (except for you, Claudius), unique and complex that I just wanted to learn more about them and never felt the "Urgh when does this character stop talking" feeling.

The magic system with the corruption and the Otherworlds and the seight guids and everything was so well done, and fascinated me a lot. The descriptions of the corruption and the corruption-creatures were gross, and I LOVED it. The whole thing felt so original, and I just wanted to read more.

I might not have read a lot of historical fiction, but Yves Donlon managed to capture the time period perfectly, which only made me enjoy this book even more. The writing style was, as previously mentioned, beautiful and only added to this. I know I will think about this book in the next forseeable future because Oh my god. I know this review probably made no sense, and was just me yapping without actually saying anything intelligent, but trust me, you will not want to miss out on this book once it releases.

I might be a bit biased as a Dane, but shh it only made the story feel more special to me. ]]> 4.56 2024
author: Yves Donlon
name: Laura
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/21
date added: 2024/02/21
shelves: 2024-reads, arcs, netgallery
review:
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Disclaimer: I have not read Hamlet, and therefor my experience with this book might be different than someone who has (E.G plot twists etc.)

I knew I would love this book the moment I heard the premise; "Hamlet but queer". I've been fascinated by Shakespear for a while now, and having previously only read 'If We Were Villains', I thought a Hamlet retelling would be perfect to further fuel this fascination, and boy oh boy was I correct.

This book was, with its beautiful writing style, fast pace and short chapters, addicting. I had to force myself to put it down, and had I not, I would've devoured this in only 2 or 3 sittings. Though, I'm glad I took my time, as this meant I had more time with these characters whom I absolutely adored. Magical, badass Ophelia who loves her father, her brother, her Otherworld family and who just wants to do whats best for Denmark, and the queer mess that is Prince Hamlet. They were filled with unique personality and I could do nothing but root for them the entire time. I loved reading about Ophelia and her struggles as a lady in a royal court, alongside her struggles of using her magic to try and keep Denmark free of the corruption, and the love she shared with Hamlet was so sweet. Oh and the fact that she's ACE, god she's just like me. Now, Hamlet. He was such a troubled boy, and reading about his yearning and internalised homophobia saddened me. Though, I really enjoyed the banter he shared with Guildenstern and Rosencrantz (and the rest of the characters, but especially these two). It was heartbreaking reading about the betrayals tragedies they both went through (though, I might've seen them coming, had I actually read the original source material, but whatever, it only added to my misery and enjoyment). The characters in general were so lovable (except for you, Claudius), unique and complex that I just wanted to learn more about them and never felt the "Urgh when does this character stop talking" feeling.

The magic system with the corruption and the Otherworlds and the seight guids and everything was so well done, and fascinated me a lot. The descriptions of the corruption and the corruption-creatures were gross, and I LOVED it. The whole thing felt so original, and I just wanted to read more.

I might not have read a lot of historical fiction, but Yves Donlon managed to capture the time period perfectly, which only made me enjoy this book even more. The writing style was, as previously mentioned, beautiful and only added to this. I know I will think about this book in the next forseeable future because Oh my god. I know this review probably made no sense, and was just me yapping without actually saying anything intelligent, but trust me, you will not want to miss out on this book once it releases.

I might be a bit biased as a Dane, but shh it only made the story feel more special to me.
]]> 200584819 Fox & Wit Book Box April 2024 Feature
Indie Ink Award Nominee 2024

At Adraredon Academy, fervent passion, contemporary companionship, and forbidden desires intertwine with tall gothic spires, ancient halls, and centuries of history. Veaer Rosell can't imagine a better place to satiate her craving for beauty, knowledge, and art.

Yet senior year shatters her illusion of tranquillity and civil intellect when she witnesses the headmaster's daughter murder another student and is confronted by an unthinkable choice: avenging her fallen peer or taking this secret to the grave, one way or another.

But fate laughs at Veaer's expense when the headmaster's daughter requests her aid. Driven by an all-consuming thirst for answers, Veaer becomes an untimely partner in solving a murder they both know the answer to, unaware of the intricacies that come with learning the bigger picture and playing with death.

Chrysalis & Requiem is a haunting thriller of tragic obsession and relentless grief, weaving two young, queer women in a spiral of clandestine violence and illicit love.]]> 310 Quinton Li 064568158X Laura 3 arcs, 2024-reads
Thank you to the author for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review

I really wanted to love this book, the promise of a queer culty dark academia story with trans angels sounded like something right up my alley, but unfortunately, I didn't. Don't get me wrong, there were definitely aspects I enjoyed, like the writing style. It was very fitting for both the story itself and the academic setting. I also found the religion/cult themes very interesting. Oh and the way Li described the trans body as something heavenly and dive. Though, I had a very hard time getting into the book. I was very confused, and I think I'm just too dumb to get it, which is on me, and not the book itself. It just made the entire book feel like a fever dream, which might've been the point, but unfortunately hindered my enjoyment.

Now for the characters. Veaer and Elise were both mad, just in different ways. Veaer was obsessed with Elise in a stalker-like way, and throughout the story it only gets worse. She's being followed by a ghost and is feeding into Elise's delusions. While I was very aware that this is a very unconventional lovestory, it wasn't something I could enjoy. I liked the diverse and queer cast, but I never really got attached to the characters, and only got properly invested in the story in the last 30%.

I had too high expectations and i realised that this book was just not really for me. Though, I would still recommend that everyone checks it out once it releases, as it's concept is interesting and something a lot of people for sure will enjoy, if you're into morally grey dark academia stories.]]> 2.81 2024
author: Quinton Li
name: Laura
average rating: 2.81
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/11
date added: 2024/02/19
shelves: arcs, 2024-reads
review:
*2,75 stars rounded up

Thank you to the author for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review

I really wanted to love this book, the promise of a queer culty dark academia story with trans angels sounded like something right up my alley, but unfortunately, I didn't. Don't get me wrong, there were definitely aspects I enjoyed, like the writing style. It was very fitting for both the story itself and the academic setting. I also found the religion/cult themes very interesting. Oh and the way Li described the trans body as something heavenly and dive. Though, I had a very hard time getting into the book. I was very confused, and I think I'm just too dumb to get it, which is on me, and not the book itself. It just made the entire book feel like a fever dream, which might've been the point, but unfortunately hindered my enjoyment.

Now for the characters. Veaer and Elise were both mad, just in different ways. Veaer was obsessed with Elise in a stalker-like way, and throughout the story it only gets worse. She's being followed by a ghost and is feeding into Elise's delusions. While I was very aware that this is a very unconventional lovestory, it wasn't something I could enjoy. I liked the diverse and queer cast, but I never really got attached to the characters, and only got properly invested in the story in the last 30%.

I had too high expectations and i realised that this book was just not really for me. Though, I would still recommend that everyone checks it out once it releases, as it's concept is interesting and something a lot of people for sure will enjoy, if you're into morally grey dark academia stories.
]]> 199440249 definitely not.

Theo and Kit have been a lot of things: childhood best friends, crushes, in love, and now estranged exes. After a brutal breakup on the transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, they exited each other's lives once and for all.

Time apart has done them good. Theo has found confidence as a hustling bartender by night and aspiring sommelier by day, with a long roster of casual lovers. Kit, who never returned to America, graduated as the reigning sex god of his pastry school class and now bakes at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. Sure, nothing really compares to what they had, and life stretches out long and lonely ahead of them, but—yeah. It's in the past.

All that remains is the unused voucher for the European tour that never happened, good for 48 months after its original date and about to expire. Four years later, it seems like a great idea to finally take the trip. Solo. Separately.

It's not until they board the tour bus that they discover they've both accidentally had the exact same idea, and now they're trapped with each other for three weeks of stunning views, luscious flavors, and the most romantic cities of France, Spain, and Italy. It's fine. There's nothing left between them. So much nothing that, when Theo suggests a friendly wager to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide first, Kit is totally game. And why stop there? Why not a full-on European hookup competition?

But sometimes a taste of everything only makes you crave what you can't have.]]> 432 Casey McQuiston 1250862744 Laura 0 to-read 3.70 2024
author: Casey McQuiston
name: Laura
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 202011391
Sebastian taps into an encrypted line to the violent rebel sect threatening the galactic government. The man on the other end seems suspicious�� and for good reasons�� but as Sebastian relinquishes valuable information his ex-employer would execute him for, the two start an ill-advised relationship across galactic allegiances.

With not only Sebastian's life in danger, but those of his ward and confidant too, every step away from the IPF is of infinite importance. But while Sebastian knows what he’s running from, what is his end goal? What does survival�� and above that, freedom�� look like for a guilt-ridden defector like him?]]> Olive J. Kelley Laura 5 2024-reads, arcs
After reading, and loving, Junker Seven I was more than excited to return to the twin suns universe. Olive. J Kelly has a way of writing sci-fi that has me absolutely hooked and craving for more, and this is coming from someone who typically doesn't read sci-fi. Returning to this universe was very comforting, and I couldn't do anything but love this little addition to the duology.

Found family is one of my all-time favourite tropes, so reading about Bash and Lily was so sweet, and I could easily read a full sized novel about them. Kelly knows how to write characters with depth, and like the novella itself, I loved all of them (well, besides the bad guys, obviously, but they were well written as well). I normally dislike insta love/insta attraction, but Olive. J Kelly made it work. I really enjoyed reading about Bash and Mars, and how quickly Bash came to care for Mars despite them knowing each other for such a short period of time. The story itself was fast-paced, but never to much to the point where it felt rushed. The story only had about 100 pages or so to unfold itself, and it did very nicely. If you've read J7, you cannot miss this, and I'm now even more excited for the sequel, especially with the Castor cameo. ]]> 4.46
author: Olive J. Kelley
name: Laura
average rating: 4.46
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/13
date added: 2024/02/13
shelves: 2024-reads, arcs
review:
Thank you to the author for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review

After reading, and loving, Junker Seven I was more than excited to return to the twin suns universe. Olive. J Kelly has a way of writing sci-fi that has me absolutely hooked and craving for more, and this is coming from someone who typically doesn't read sci-fi. Returning to this universe was very comforting, and I couldn't do anything but love this little addition to the duology.

Found family is one of my all-time favourite tropes, so reading about Bash and Lily was so sweet, and I could easily read a full sized novel about them. Kelly knows how to write characters with depth, and like the novella itself, I loved all of them (well, besides the bad guys, obviously, but they were well written as well). I normally dislike insta love/insta attraction, but Olive. J Kelly made it work. I really enjoyed reading about Bash and Mars, and how quickly Bash came to care for Mars despite them knowing each other for such a short period of time. The story itself was fast-paced, but never to much to the point where it felt rushed. The story only had about 100 pages or so to unfold itself, and it did very nicely. If you've read J7, you cannot miss this, and I'm now even more excited for the sequel, especially with the Castor cameo.
]]>