lara's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 01 Apr 2025 13:53:45 -0700 60 lara's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Deep End 212808709 A competitive diver and an ace swimmer jump into forbidden waters in this steamy college romance from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis.

Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A Junior at Stanford and a student-athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships—at least, that’s what she tells herself.

Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy, Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It’s how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus, with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.

So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water...]]> 464 Ali Hazelwood lara 4 okay cute 3.96 2025 Deep End
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: lara
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves:
review:
okay cute
]]> The Inmate 61149872 1) Treat all prisoners with respect.
2) Never reveal any personal information.
3) Never EVER become too friendly with the inmates.

But none of the staff at the prison knows Brooke has already broken the rules. Nobody knows about her intimate connection to Shane Nelson, one of the penitentiary's most notorious and dangerous inmates. And they certainly don't know that Shane was Brooke's high school sweetheart―the star quarterback who is now spending the rest of his life in prison for a series of grisly murders. Or that Brooke's testimony was what put him there.

But Shane knows. And he will never forget.]]> 388 Freida McFadden lara 0 currently-reading 4.03 2022 The Inmate
author: Freida McFadden
name: lara
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Familiar 133286777 From the New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House, Hell Bent, and creator of the Grishaverse series comes a highly anticipated historical fantasy set during the Spanish Golden Age

In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family's social position.

What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen—and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king's favor.

Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the line between magic, science, and fraud is never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.]]> 387 Leigh Bardugo 125088425X lara 2 3.74 2024 The Familiar
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: lara
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves:
review:
the people who dnfed this were wiser than me
]]> The Women 127305853 From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah's The Women—at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie� McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.]]> 471 Kristin Hannah 1250178630 lara 0 currently-reading 4.59 2024 The Women
author: Kristin Hannah
name: lara
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[This Could Be Our Future: A Manifesto for a More Generous World]]> 44525559 A vision for building a society that looks beyond money and toward maximizing the values that make life worth living, from the cofounder of Kickstarter

Western society is trapped by three assumptions: 1) That the point of life is to maximize your self-interest and wealth, 2) That we're individuals trapped in an adversarial world, and 3) That this is natural and inevitable.

These ideas separate us, keep us powerless, and limit our imagination for the future. We see them as truth. They're not. They're a point of view that previous generations accepted. It's time we replace them with something new.

This Could Be Our Future is about how we got here, and how we change course. While the pursuit of wealth has produced innovation and prosperity, it also established an implicit belief that the right choice in every decision is whichever option makes the most money. This belief in financial maximization has produced dire consequences: environmental collapse, corruption, inequality, and a growing dissatisfaction around the world. The answer isn't to get rid of money; it's to expand our concept of value. By assigning rational value to other values besides money--things like community, purpose, and sustainability--we can refocus our energies to build a society that's generous, fair, and ready for the future. By recalibrating our definition of value, a world of scarcity can become a world of abundance.

Hopeful but firmly grounded, full of concrete solutions and bursting with creativity, This Could Be Our Future brilliantly dissects the world we live in and shows us a road map to the world we are capable of making.]]> 304 Yancey Strickler 0525560823 lara 3 adam-lara-bookclub
there was just a bit too much bento box chat at the end. ]]> 4.05 This Could Be Our Future: A Manifesto for a More Generous World
author: Yancey Strickler
name: lara
average rating: 4.05
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/20
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: adam-lara-bookclub
review:
i love the idea of moving away from financial maximisation being our main value as a society.

there was just a bit too much bento box chat at the end.
]]> Richard II 82397 Richard II occupies a significant place in the Shakespeare canon, marking the transition from the earlier history plays dominated by civil war and stark power to a more nuanced representation of the political conflicts of England's past where character and politics are inextricably intertwined. It is the first of four connected plays--including 1 Henry IV, 2 Henry IV, and Henry V--generally considered Shakespeare's finest history plays.
The drama of Richard II centers on the power struggle between the grandiloquent King Richard and the plain-spoken, blunt Henry Bolingbroke, who is banished from Britain at the beginning of the play. But when Henry's father John of Gaunt dies, Richard confiscates his property with no regard to his son's rights, and Bolingbroke returns to confront the king, who surrenders his crown and is imprisoned in Pomfret Castle, where he is soon murdered. This new edition in the acclaimed Oxford Shakespeare series features a freshly edited version of the text. The wide-ranging introduction describes the play's historical circumstances, both the period that it dramatizes (the start of the "wars of the roses") and the period in which it was written (late Elizabethan England), and the play's political significance in its own time and our own. It also focuses on the play's richly poetic language and its success over the centuries as a play for the stage. Extensive explanatory notes help readers at all levels understand and appreciate the language, characters, and dramatic action and the book's lively illustrations provide a sense of the historical background and performance of the play.]]> 168 William Shakespeare 0198320043 lara 4
me always: “Madam, I know not, nor I greatly care not.”]]> 3.75 1595 Richard II
author: William Shakespeare
name: lara
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1595
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/19
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves:
review:
my fav history (so far)

me always: “Madam, I know not, nor I greatly care not.�
]]> <![CDATA[Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief (Arsène Lupin, #1)]]> 58474196 The inspiration behind the hit NETFLIX Series

The year is 1905. Meet Arsène Lupin: a gentleman and a thief.

An enemy to the rich and powerful; a friend to the poor - Arsène Lupin will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants. When Arsène Lupin is arrested, the police think it's all over. But the most dangerous place for Lupin to be is behind bars...]]> 233 Maurice Leblanc 1398706248 lara 2 temu sherlock holmes 3.63 1907 Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief (Arsène Lupin, #1)
author: Maurice Leblanc
name: lara
average rating: 3.63
book published: 1907
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/10
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: adam-lara-bookclub, series-i-quit
review:
temu sherlock holmes
]]> Brave New World 5129 Brave New World is a searching vision of an unequal, technologically-advanced future where humans are genetically bred, socially indoctrinated, and pharmaceutically anesthetized to passively uphold an authoritarian ruling order–all at the cost of our freedom, full humanity, and perhaps also our souls. “A genius [who] who spent his life decrying the onward march of the Machine� (The New Yorker), Huxley was a man of incomparable talents: equally an artist, a spiritual seeker, and one of history’s keenest observers of human nature and civilization. Brave New World, his masterpiece, has enthralled and terrified millions of readers, and retains its urgent relevance to this day as both a warning to be heeded as we head into tomorrow and as thought-provoking, satisfying work of literature. Written in the shadow of the rise of fascism during the 1930s, Brave New Worldd likewise speaks to a 21st-century world dominated by mass-entertainment, technology, medicine and pharmaceuticals, the arts of persuasion, and the hidden influence of elites.

"Aldous Huxley is the greatest 20th century writer in English." —Chicago Tribune]]> 268 Aldous Huxley 0060929871 lara 0 to-read, adam-lara-bookclub 3.99 1932 Brave New World
author: Aldous Huxley
name: lara
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1932
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: to-read, adam-lara-bookclub
review:

]]> Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2) 90202302 “The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.� —Xaden Riorson

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders� capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.]]> 623 Rebecca Yarros 1649374178 lara 5 4.33 2023 Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: lara
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/01
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves:
review:
nobody talk to me. i’m feeling traumatised by that ending
]]> <![CDATA[The Dixon Rule (Campus Diaries, #2)]]> 200338241
Shane just moved into her apartment building and seems dedicated to sleeping his way through her entire cheerleading squad. Sure, he’s a tall, gorgeous hockey player, but he’s messing with her turf. This calls for some ground rules: no parties in her apartment, leave her teammates alone, and—most importantly—leave her alone.

What Diana doesn’t realize is that Shane’s sick of hookups and tired of being on the rebound after his long-term girlfriend called it quits. He wants a relationship. And when his ex comes back into the picture, he pretends he has one to make her jealous…and who better to play the girlfriend role than his sassy new neighbor?

Despite Diana’s reluctance to break her rule, a fake relationship is the perfect solution for her own ex issues, and soon she can’t deny something is sizzling between her and Shane. Something hot and completely unexpected.

And it might just be getting a little too real.]]> 498 Elle Kennedy lara 4 4.16 2024 The Dixon Rule (Campus Diaries, #2)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: lara
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/09
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves:
review:
still silly, but less silly than the graham effect x
]]> <![CDATA[The Graham Effect (Campus Diaries, #1)]]> 123233861
Ryder is six-foot five, built, opinionated, rude…and sexy as hell. But he's still the enemy.

Briar's new hockey co-captain has his reasons, though. The men's team just merged with a rival program, leaving Ryder with an angry roster where everyone hates one another's guts. To make matters worse, the summer coaching spot he's angling for with the legendary Garrett Graham is out of reach after he makes the worst possible first impression on his hero. So, really, this compromise with Gigi is win-win. He helps her make the national team, she puts in a good word with her dad.

The only potential snag? This bone-deep, body-numbing, mind-spinning chemistry they're trying to ignore. It's a dangerous game they're playing, but the risks just might be worth it.]]> 496 Elle Kennedy 1728283272 lara 3 unfinished-series
[spoilers removed]]]> 4.28 2023 The Graham Effect (Campus Diaries, #1)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: lara
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/07
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: unfinished-series
review:
a fun easy read but so silly??

[spoilers removed]
]]> <![CDATA[What Moves the Dead (Sworn Soldier, #1)]]> 58724626 From the award-winning author of The Twisted Ones comes a gripping and atmospheric retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's classic "The Fall of the House of Usher."

When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruravia.

What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.

Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.]]> 165 T. Kingfisher 1250830753 lara 3 unfinished-series this made me feel uncomf 3.86 2022 What Moves the Dead (Sworn Soldier, #1)
author: T. Kingfisher
name: lara
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/30
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: unfinished-series
review:
this made me feel uncomf
]]> The Wedding People 198902277 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781250899576.

A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew.

It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years—she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other.

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.]]> 384 Alison Espach lara 5 4.11 2024 The Wedding People
author: Alison Espach
name: lara
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/07
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves:
review:
this was SO GOOD, i'm sad i finished it so quickly
]]> Antiracist Baby 52535437 Antiracist Baby introduces the youngest readers and the grown-ups in their lives to the concept and power of antiracism. Providing the language necessary to begin critical conversations at the earliest age, Antiracist Baby is the perfect gift for readers of all ages dedicated to forming a just society.]]> 24 Ibram X. Kendi 0593110412 lara 2
I feel like Antiracist Baby had an important message but kind of missed the mark on being a children's book. I read a couple of the other books in this category and feel like there were more deserving winners (that also managed to cover this important topic in a more accessible way for wider age groups of children).

In saying that, I am also not a parent so maybe I'm not the best judge of childrens book. Would totally recommend reading this and forming your own opinion on whether it's a good book for you and the children around you!]]> 4.04 2020 Antiracist Baby
author: Ibram X. Kendi
name: lara
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2021/04/06
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves:
review:
I read this as part of my mission to read all the 2020 Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ Choice Awards winners and you know what... I didn't love it.

I feel like Antiracist Baby had an important message but kind of missed the mark on being a children's book. I read a couple of the other books in this category and feel like there were more deserving winners (that also managed to cover this important topic in a more accessible way for wider age groups of children).

In saying that, I am also not a parent so maybe I'm not the best judge of childrens book. Would totally recommend reading this and forming your own opinion on whether it's a good book for you and the children around you!
]]> <![CDATA[Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy, #1)]]> 217536270
In the land of the unforgiving desert, there isn't much a girl wouldn't do for a glass of water.

Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about the strange powers she possesses, or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen's reservoirs for as long as she can remember.

But a secret is like a knot. Sooner or later, it is bound to come undone.

When Saeris comes face-to-face with Death himself, she inadvertently re-opens a gateway between realms and is transported to a land of ice and snow. The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, of legend, of nightmares... but it turns out they're real, and Saeris has landed herself in the middle of a centuries-long conflict that might just get her killed.

The first of her kind to tread the frozen mountains of Yvelia in over a thousand years, Saeris mistakenly binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior, who has secrets and nefarious agendas of his own. He will use her Alchemist's magic to protect his people, no matter what it costs him . . . or her.

Death has a name. It is Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate. His past is murky. His attitude stinks. And he's the only way Saeris is going to make it home.]]> 624 Callie Hart 1538774194 lara 3 unfinished-series 4.30 2024 Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy, #1)
author: Callie Hart
name: lara
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves: unfinished-series
review:
literally the same plot as every romantasy book published in the last two years but i’m not even mad about it x
]]> <![CDATA[King of Wrath (Kings of Sin, #1)]]> 217206738
Ruthless. Meticulous. Arrogant.

Dante Russo thrives on control, both personally and professionally.

The billionaire CEO never planned to marry—until the threat of blackmail forces him into an engagement with a woman he barely knows.

Vivian Lau, jewelry heiress and daughter of his newest enemy.

It doesn’t matter how beautiful or charming she is. He'll do everything in his power to destroy the evidence and their betrothal.

There’s only one problem: Now that he has her...he can't bring himself to let her go.

***

Elegant. Ambitious. Well-mannered.

Vivian Lau is the perfect daughter and her family’s ticket into the highest echelons of high society.

Marrying a blue-blooded Russo means opening doors that would otherwise remain closed to her new-money family.

While the rude, elusive Dante isn't her idea of a dream partner, she agrees to their arranged marriage out of duty.

Craving his touch was never part of the plan.

Neither was the worst thing she could possibly do: fall in love with her future husband.

King of Wrath is a steamy arranged-marriage billionaire romance. It includes explicit content and profanity. Recommended for mature listeners only.]]> 398 Ana Huang lara 4 unfinished-series 4.05 2022 King of Wrath (Kings of Sin, #1)
author: Ana Huang
name: lara
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/19
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: unfinished-series
review:
king of wrath >> twisted love
]]> <![CDATA[Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster]]> 40538681
Chernobyl has become lodged in the collective nightmares of the world: shorthand for the spectral horrors of radiation poisoning, for a dangerous technology slipping its leash, for ecological fragility, and for what can happen when a dishonest and careless state endangers not only its own citizens, but all of humanity. It is a story that has long remained in dispute, clouded from the beginning in secrecy, propaganda, and misinformation.

Midnight In Chernobyl is an indelible portrait of history's worst nuclear disaster, of human resilience and ingenuity and the lessons learned when mankind seeks to bend the natural world to his will - lessons which, in the face of climate change and other threats - remain not just vital but necessary.

Now, Higginbotham brings us closer to the truth behind this colossal tragedy.]]> 538 Adam Higginbotham 1501134612 lara 4 adam-lara-bookclub
soooo if anybody wants to know anything about nuclear energy, hit me up x ]]> 4.35 2019 Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster
author: Adam Higginbotham
name: lara
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: adam-lara-bookclub
review:
my toxic trait is that when I read non-fiction I become convinced that I’m an expert on the topic.

soooo if anybody wants to know anything about nuclear energy, hit me up x
]]> <![CDATA[The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club, #1)]]> 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 lara 3 3.87 2020 The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club, #1)
author: Richard Osman
name: lara
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/10
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves: unfinished-series, adam-lara-bookclub
review:
a bit slow to start and i didn’t love the ending� but the middle was fun!
]]> Love's Labour's Lost 332489 392 William Shakespeare lara 3 3.56 1598 Love's Labour's Lost
author: William Shakespeare
name: lara
average rating: 3.56
book published: 1598
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/03
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves:
review:
"Your wit's too hot, it speeds too fast, 'twill tire"
]]> Weyward 127280850
2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.]]> 392 Emilia Hart 1250842727 lara 3 4.02 2023 Weyward
author: Emilia Hart
name: lara
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/31
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves:
review:
just a book about generations of women dealing with abuse and misogyny (not the escapism i was looking for)
]]> Caught Up (Windy City, #3) 199335111
I’m a single dad and starting pitcher for Chicago’s MLB team.
I’m stretched too thin, but I don’t want help raising my son.

Each of his previous nannies only lasted a few weeks before I let them go.
Now, my coach is putting his foot down by hiring the one person I can’t fire—his daughter.

Miller Montgomery is the last woman I should fall for. Too wild, too young, and too unattached.

Chicago is just a quick stop for her. I thought I’d be counting down the days until she left, but summer feels too short when I start thinking about forever.


Miller

As a high-end pastry chef who recently won the most prestigious award in my industry, I’m desperate to prove I deserve it. But with a new title comes new pressure, and I can’t create a fresh and inspiring dessert to save my life.

With only two months to get back on track, I should be focusing in the kitchen, but instead, I let my dad talk me into using my time off to nanny for his star player’s kid.

Kai Rhodes forgot how to have fun, and I’m eager to jog his memory. But when he and his son start to feel like home, I have to remind us both that my time in Chicago ends with the summer.

Besides, I’ve always been a runner, and the last thing I want is to get caught.]]> 408 Liz Tomforde 139972858X lara 3 4.37 2023 Caught Up (Windy City, #3)
author: Liz Tomforde
name: lara
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/14
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves:
review:
finally updating my goodreads 6 months after reading this and i remember nothing... do with that what you will
]]> <![CDATA[The Housemaid Is Watching (The Housemaid, #3)]]> 199235727
I used to clean other people’s houses—now, I can’t believe this home is actually mine. The charming kitchen, the quiet cul-de-sac, the huge yard where my kids can play. My husband and I saved for years to give our children the life they deserve.

Even though I’m wary of our new neighbor Mrs. Lowell, when she invites us over for dinner it’s our chance to make friends. Her maid opens the door wearing a white apron, her hair in a tight bun. I know exactly what it’s like to be in her shoes.

But her cold stare gives me chills�

The Lowells� maid isn’t the only strange thing on our street. I’m sure I see a shadowy figure watching us. My husband leaves the house late at night. And when I meet a woman who lives across the way, her words chill me to the bone: Be careful of your neighbors.

Did I make a terrible mistake moving my family here?

I thought I’d left my darkest secrets behind. But could this quiet suburban street be the most dangerous place of all?]]> 364 Freida McFadden 1464223319 lara 3 3.79 2024 The Housemaid Is Watching (The Housemaid, #3)
author: Freida McFadden
name: lara
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/24
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves:
review:
we really out here doing this again
]]> <![CDATA[It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1)]]> 27362503
Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up � she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating� rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan � her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.]]> 386 Colleen Hoover 1668021048 lara 1 unfinished-series do not perceive me 4.11 2016 It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1)
author: Colleen Hoover
name: lara
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2016
rating: 1
read at: 2024/07/22
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves: unfinished-series
review:
do not perceive me
]]> <![CDATA[Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass, #6)]]> 31450852
After enduring unspeakable horrors as a child, Yrene Towers has no desire to help the young lord from Adarlan, let alone heal him. Yet she has sworn an oath to assist those in need—and will honor it. But Lord Westfall carries shadows from his own past, and Yrene soon comes to realize they could engulf them both.

In this sweeping parallel novel to the New York Times bestselling Empire of Storms, Chaol, Nesryn, and Yrene will have to draw on every scrap of their resilience if they wish to save their friends. But while they become entangled in the political webs of the khaganate, deep in the shadows of mighty mountains where warriors soar on legendary ruks, long-awaited answers slumber. Answers that might offer their world a chance at survival—or doom them all . . .]]> 660 Sarah J. Maas 1681195771 lara 5
---------------------------------------

apologies to chaol, but i did not think i would like this book. turns out i was wrong - tower of dawn would probably be one of my favs in the series.

LOVED nesryn, LOVED the royal family in antica, LOVED the ruks (i need a ruk or a wyvern asap).

ALSO look at me coming closer to finishing this series after eight(!!) years.]]> 4.25 2017 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass, #6)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: lara
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/20
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves:
review:
tandem reread - 20/7/24

---------------------------------------

apologies to chaol, but i did not think i would like this book. turns out i was wrong - tower of dawn would probably be one of my favs in the series.

LOVED nesryn, LOVED the royal family in antica, LOVED the ruks (i need a ruk or a wyvern asap).

ALSO look at me coming closer to finishing this series after eight(!!) years.
]]> <![CDATA[Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5)]]> 28260587 Kingdoms will collide.

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius as war looms on the horizon. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don't.

With her heart sworn to the warrior-prince by her side, and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past, and dark forces become poised to claim her world, the only chance for salvation will lie in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

In this breathtaking fifth installment of the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, Aelin will have to choose what—and who—to sacrifice if she's to keep the world of Erilea from breaking apart.]]> 689 Sarah J. Maas lara 4
-----------------------------------------------------------

CAWPILE rating: 4.1 stars

After 5 years of having this on my currently reading shelf, I finally finished it! Not sure why it took me so long to finish this... I'm excited to move on to the rest of this series and finally see how it all ends.]]> 4.57 2016 Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: lara
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/19
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves:
review:
tandem reread: 19/7/24

-----------------------------------------------------------

CAWPILE rating: 4.1 stars

After 5 years of having this on my currently reading shelf, I finally finished it! Not sure why it took me so long to finish this... I'm excited to move on to the rest of this series and finally see how it all ends.
]]> Good Material 96177629
Now he is. . .

Without a home

Waiting for his stand-up career to take off

Wondering why everyone else around him seems to have grown up while he wasn't looking

Set adrift on the sea of heartbreak, Andy clings to the idea of solving the puzzle of his ruined relationship. Because if he can find the answer to that, then maybe Jen can find her way back to him. But Andy still has a lot to learn, not least his ex-girlfriend's side of the story�

In this sharply funny and exquisitely relatable story of romantic disaster and friendship, Dolly Alderton offers up a love story with two endings, demonstrating once again why she is one of the most exciting writers today, and the true voice of a generation.]]> 345 Dolly Alderton 0241523672 lara 3 average material 3.85 2023 Good Material
author: Dolly Alderton
name: lara
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/17
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves:
review:
average material
]]> <![CDATA[Half Wild (The Half Bad Trilogy, #2)]]> 20814989 "You will have a powerful Gift, but it’s how you use it that will show you to be good or bad."

In a modern-day England where two warring factions of witches live amongst humans, seventeen-year-old Nathan is an abomination, the illegitimate son of the world's most powerful and violent witch. Nathan is hunted from all sides: nowhere is safe and no one can be trusted. Now, Nathan has come into his own unique magical Gift, and he's on the run--but the Hunters are close behind, and they will stop at nothing until they have captured Nathan and destroyed his father.]]> 432 Sally Green 0670017132 lara 4 arc 3.98 2015 Half Wild (The Half Bad Trilogy, #2)
author: Sally Green
name: lara
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2015/10/03
date added: 2024/10/16
shelves: arc
review:

]]> Rouge 157184735 From the critically acclaimed author of Bunny comes a horror-tinted, gothic fairy tale about a lonely dress shop clerk whose mother’s unexpected death sends her down a treacherous path in pursuit of youth and beauty. Can she escape her mother’s fate—and find a connection that is more than skin deep?

For as long as she can remember, Belle has been insidiously obsessed with her skin and skincare videos. When her estranged mother Noelle mysteriously dies, Belle finds herself back in Southern California, dealing with her mother’s considerable debts and grappling with lingering questions about her death. The stakes escalate when a strange woman in red appears at the funeral, offering a tantalizing clue about her mother’s demise, followed by a cryptic video about a transformative spa experience. With the help of a pair of red shoes, Belle is lured into the barbed embrace of La Maison de Méduse, the same lavish, culty spa to which her mother was devoted. There, Belle discovers the frightening secret behind her (and her mother’s) obsession with the mirror—and the great shimmering depths (and demons) that lurk on the other side of the glass.

Snow White meets Eyes Wide Shut in this surreal descent into the dark side of beauty, envy, grief, and the complicated love between mothers and daughters. With black humor and seductive horror, Rouge explores the cult-like nature of the beauty industry—as well as the danger of internalizing its pitiless gaze. Brimming with California sunshine and blood-red rose petals, Rouge holds up a warped mirror to our relationship with mortality, our collective fixation with the surface, and the wondrous, deep longing that might lie beneath.]]> 383 Mona Awad lara 4
Merged review:

glow up gone wrong (ft. tom cruise)]]> 3.54 2023 Rouge
author: Mona Awad
name: lara
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/22
date added: 2024/09/30
shelves:
review:
glow up gone wrong (ft. tom cruise)

Merged review:

glow up gone wrong (ft. tom cruise)
]]> <![CDATA[The Assassin and the Healer (Throne of Glass, #0.2)]]> 18333581 40 Sarah J. Maas lara 5 novella 4.21 2013 The Assassin and the Healer (Throne of Glass, #0.2)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: lara
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/08/18
shelves: novella
review:

]]> <![CDATA[World After (Penryn & the End of Days, #2)]]> 12983100 Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?]]> 438 Susan Ee lara 4 4.24 2013 World After (Penryn & the End of Days, #2)
author: Susan Ee
name: lara
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2014/08/19
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet]]> 55145261 A deeply moving and mind-expanding collection of personal essays in the first ever work of non-fiction from #1 internationally bestselling author John Green

The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his ground-breaking, critically acclaimed podcast, John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet - from the QWERTY keyboard and Halley's Comet to Penguins of Madagascar - on a five-star scale.

Complex and rich with detail, the Anthropocene's reviews have been praised as 'observations that double as exercises in memoiristic empathy', with over 10 million lifetime downloads. John Green's gift for storytelling shines throughout this artfully curated collection about the shared human experience; it includes beloved essays along with six all-new pieces exclusive to the book.]]> 304 John Green 0525555218 lara 2
do with that information what you will]]> 4.37 2021 The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet
author: John Green
name: lara
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2022/03/16
date added: 2024/08/06
shelves:
review:
john green writes non-fiction exactly the same way he writes fiction...

do with that information what you will
]]> <![CDATA[Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men]]> 41104077
Celebrated feminist advocate Caroline Criado Perez investigates the shocking root cause of gender inequality and research in Invisible Women�, diving into women’s lives at home, the workplace, the public square, the doctor’s office, and more. Built on hundreds of studies in the US, the UK, and around the world, and written with energy, wit, and sparkling intelligence, this is a groundbreaking, unforgettable exposé that will change the way you look at the world.]]> 448 Caroline Criado Pérez 1419729071 lara 4 aaaaand now i’m angry 4.35 2019 Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
author: Caroline Criado PĂ©rez
name: lara
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/16
date added: 2024/07/16
shelves:
review:
aaaaand now i’m angry
]]> A Little Life 29408433 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER � A stunning “portrait of the enduring grace of friendship� (NPR) about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves. A masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century.

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST � MAN BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST � WINNER OF THE KIRKUS PRIZE �

A Little Life follows four college classmates—broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition—as they move to New York in search of fame and fortune. While their relationships, which are tinged by addiction, success, and pride, deepen over the decades, the men are held together by their devotion to the brilliant, enigmatic Jude, a man scarred by an unspeakable childhood trauma. A hymn to brotherly bonds and a masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century, Hanya Yanagihara’s stunning novel is about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves.]]> 723 Hanya Yanagihara 1447294831 lara 0 to-read 4.36 2015 A Little Life
author: Hanya Yanagihara
name: lara
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Magnolia Parks (Magnolia Parks Universe, #1)]]> 58527403 423 Jessa Hastings 1737281198 lara 4 unfinished-series 3.68 2021 Magnolia Parks (Magnolia Parks Universe, #1)
author: Jessa Hastings
name: lara
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/26
date added: 2024/06/29
shelves: unfinished-series
review:
so silly & stupid!!! literally gossip girl on crack but i ate that shit up
]]> In the Lives of Puppets 60784549
The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled “HAP,� he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio–a past spent hunting humans.

When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.

Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?

Inspired by Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio, and like Swiss Family Robinson meets Wall-E, In the Lives of Puppets is a masterful stand-alone fantasy adventure from the beloved author who brought you The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door.]]> 432 T.J. Klune 125021744X lara 2 just not my vibe x 3.90 2023 In the Lives of Puppets
author: T.J. Klune
name: lara
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/06/25
date added: 2024/06/29
shelves:
review:
just not my vibe x
]]> The Two Gentlemen of Verona 82346 The Two Gentlemen of Verona is more intelligible if we think of them as boys, leaving home for the first time. One has a crush on a girl, Julia, though he hasn’t yet told her.

Sent to court to learn to be “perfect gentlemen,� Valentine and Proteus are derailed by their attraction to Sylvia, the ruler’s daughter. Valentine’s mental denseness does not deter Sylvia from returning his love, but he is caught, and banished, when he tries to elope with her. Proteus’s desire for Sylvia wipes out his former love, leading him into despicable acts that win scorn from Sylvia and wound Julia, who has pursued him disguised as a boy.

When Sylvia follows Valentine into banishment, Proteus follows Sylvia, and Julia follows Proteus, the stage is set for a disturbing ending. But the stage is also set for the “gentlemen� to take small steps toward maturity.

The authoritative edition of The Two Gentlemen of Verona from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, includes:

-Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play
-Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play
-Scene-by-scene plot summaries
-A key to the play’s famous lines and phrases
-An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language
-An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play
-Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books
-An annotated guide to further reading

Essay by Jeffrey Masten

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit Folger.edu.]]> 245 William Shakespeare 0671722956 lara 4 3.40 1594 The Two Gentlemen of Verona
author: William Shakespeare
name: lara
average rating: 3.40
book published: 1594
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/23
date added: 2024/06/29
shelves:
review:
this was way more silly goofy fun than i was expecting
]]> This Summer Will Be Different 197577126 This summer they’ll keep their promise. This summer they won’t give into temptation. This summer will be different.

Lucy is the tourist vacationing at a beach house on Prince Edward Island. Felix is the local who shows her a very good time. The only problem: Lucy doesn’t know he’s her best friend’s younger brother. Lucy and Felix’s chemistry is unreal, but the list of reasons why they need to stay away from each other is long, and they vow to never repeat that electric night again.

It’s easier said than done.

Each year, Lucy escapes to PEI for a big breath of coastal air, fresh oysters and crisp vinho verde with her best friend, Bridget. Every visit begins with a long walk on the beach, beneath soaring red cliffs and a golden sun. And every visit, Lucy promises herself she won’t wind up in Felix’s bed. Again.

If Lucy can’t help being drawn to Felix, at least she’s always kept her heart out of it.

When Bridget suddenly flees Toronto a week before her wedding, Lucy drops everything to follow her to the island. Her mission is to help Bridget through her crisis and resist the one man she’s never been able to. But Felix’s sparkling eyes and flirty quips have been replaced with something new, and Lucy’s beginning to wonder just how safe her heart truly is.]]> 368 Carley Fortune 0593638883 lara 3 CRINGE (but also kinda fun) 3.94 2024 This Summer Will Be Different
author: Carley Fortune
name: lara
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/22
date added: 2024/06/29
shelves:
review:
CRINGE (but also kinda fun)
]]> The Only One Left 62703226 At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope

Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.

Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life

It’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer�I want to tell you everything.

“It wasn’t me,� Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead

As Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.]]> 383 Riley Sager 0593183223 lara 4 okayyyyyyyyy love 4.12 2023 The Only One Left
author: Riley Sager
name: lara
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/20
date added: 2024/06/29
shelves:
review:
okayyyyyyyyy love
]]> <![CDATA[A Study in Drowning (A Study in Drowning, #1)]]> 75302266 Angharad—Emrys Myrddin’s epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him—is the only thing keeping her afloat. So when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to redesign the late author’s estate, Effy feels certain it’s her destiny.

But musty, decrepit Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task, and its residents are far from welcoming. Including Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar determined to expose Myrddin as a fraud. As the two rivals piece together clues about Myrddin’s legacy, dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspire against them—and the truth may bring them both to ruin.]]> 378 Ava Reid 0063211505 lara 3 3.73 2023 A Study in Drowning (A Study in Drowning, #1)
author: Ava Reid
name: lara
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/18
date added: 2024/06/29
shelves:
review:
i read this book 2 weeks ago & i honestly can't remember anything so idk what that says about it
]]> <![CDATA[Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit]]> 15055
This is the story of Jeanette, adopted and brought up by her mother as one of God's elect. Zealous and passionate, she seems destined for life as a missionary, but then she falls for one of her converts.

At sixteen, Jeanette decides to leave the church, her home and her family, for the young woman she loves. Innovative, punchy and tender,

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit is a few days ride into the bizarre outposts of religious excess and human obsession.]]> 176 Jeanette Winterson lara 4 a LOT of religious trauma 3.76 1985 Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
author: Jeanette Winterson
name: lara
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1985
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/17
date added: 2024/06/29
shelves:
review:
a LOT of religious trauma
]]> <![CDATA[Codename Charming (Palace Insiders, #2)]]> 63391920 Following Battle Royal, beloved author Lucy Parker pens another delicious romantic comedy about a fake relationship between a grumpy royal bodyguard and the charming, sunny assistant who melts his cold, hard exterior.

Petunia De Vere enjoys being the personal assistant to lovable, bumbling Johnny Marchmont. But the job has its share of challenges, including the royal's giant, intimidating bodyguard, Matthias. Pet and Matthias are polar opposites--she's spontaneous and enthusiastic, he's rigid and stoic--but she can sense there's something softer underneath that tough exterior...

For Matthias Vaughn, protecting others is the name of the game. But keeping his royal charge out of trouble is more difficult than he imagined because everywhere Johnny goes, calamity ensues, and his petite, bubbly assistant is often caught in the fray. Matthias hates the idea of Pet getting hurt and he's determined to keep everyone safe, even if it means clashing with his adorable new coworker.

When a clumsy moment leads to a questionable tabloid photo, the press begins to speculate that Pet is romantically involved with Johnny. To put an end to the rumors, the royal PR team asks Pet and Matthias to stage a fake relationship and the two reluctantly agree. But as they spend more time together outside of work, they begin to wonder what real emotions this pretend connection might uncover. Especially when a passionate kiss leaves both of their heads spinning...]]> 378 Lucy Parker 0063040107 lara 0 to-read 3.71 2023 Codename Charming (Palace Insiders, #2)
author: Lucy Parker
name: lara
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Saga, Volume 10 29237224
Collects: Saga #55-60.]]> 160 Fiona Staples 1534323341 lara 0 to-read 4.30 2022 Saga, Volume 10
author: Fiona Staples
name: lara
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Secretly Yours (A Vine Mess, #1)]]> 61109599 A steamy new rom-com about a starchy professor and the bubbly neighbor he clashes with at every turn...

Hallie Welch fell hard for Julian Vos at fourteen, after they almost kissed in the dark vineyards of his family's winery. Now the prodigal hottie has returned to their small town. When Hallie is hired to revamp the gardens on the Vos estate, she wonders if she'll finally get that smooch. But the grumpy professor isn't the teenager she remembers and their polar opposite personalities clash spectacularly. One wine-fueled girls' night later, Hallie can't shake the sense that she did something reckless--and then she remembers the drunken secret admirer letter she left for Julian. Oh shit.

On sabbatical from his Ivy League job, Julian plans to write a novel. But having Hallie gardening right outside his window is the ultimate distraction. She's eccentric, chronically late, often literally covered in dirt--and so unbelievably beautiful, he can't focus on anything else. Until he finds an anonymous letter sent by a woman from his past. Even as Julian wonders about this admirer, he's sucked further into Hallie's orbit. Like the flowers she plants all over town, Hallie is a burst of color in Julian's gray-scale life. For a man who irons his socks and runs on tight schedules, her sunny chaotic energy makes zero sense. But there's something so familiar about her... and her very presence is turning his world upside down.]]> 384 Tessa Bailey 0063238985 lara 2 series-i-quit WHY WAS I BORED IM SORRY 3.26 2023 Secretly Yours (A Vine Mess, #1)
author: Tessa Bailey
name: lara
average rating: 3.26
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2023/02/20
date added: 2024/06/02
shelves: series-i-quit
review:
WHY WAS I BORED IM SORRY
]]> <![CDATA[Fix Her Up (Hot & Hammered, #1)]]> 39854434 A brand new romantic comedy from New York Times bestseller Tessa Bailey!

Georgette Castle’s family runs the best home renovation business in town, but she picked balloons instead of blueprints and they haven’t taken her seriously since. Frankly, she’s over it. Georgie loves planning children’s birthday parties and making people laugh, just not at her own expense. She’s determined to fix herself up into a Woman of the World... whatever that means.

Phase one: new framework for her business (a website from this decade, perhaps?)

Phase two: a gut-reno on her wardrobe (fyi, leggings are pants.)

Phase three: updates to her exterior (do people still wax?)

Phase four: put herself on the market (and stop crushing on Travis Ford!)

Living her best life means facing the truth: Georgie hasn’t been on a date since, well, ever. Nobody’s asking the town clown out for a night of hot sex, that’s for sure. Maybe if people think she’s having a steamy love affair, they’ll acknowledge she’s not just the “little sister� who paints faces for a living. And who better to help demolish that image than the resident sports star and tabloid favorite?

Travis Ford was major league baseball’s hottest rookie when an injury ended his career. Now he’s flipping houses to keep busy and trying to forget his glory days. But he can’t even cross the street without someone recapping his greatest hits. Or making a joke about his� bat. And then there's Georgie, his best friend’s sister, who is not a kid anymore. When she proposes a wild scheme—that they pretend to date, to shock her family and help him land a new job—he agrees. What’s the harm? It’s not like it’s real. But the girl Travis used to tease is now a funny, full-of-life woman and there’s nothing fake about how much he wants her...]]> 400 Tessa Bailey 0062872842 lara 2 series-i-quit 3.56 2019 Fix Her Up (Hot & Hammered, #1)
author: Tessa Bailey
name: lara
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2022/05/10
date added: 2024/06/02
shelves: series-i-quit
review:
i'm sorry but this guy is the definition of an ick.
]]> Hooked (Never After, #1) 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 lara 1 series-i-quit uhhhhhhh not for me x 3.78 2021 Hooked (Never After, #1)
author: Emily McIntire
name: lara
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2021
rating: 1
read at: 2023/12/27
date added: 2024/06/02
shelves: series-i-quit
review:
uhhhhhhh not for me x
]]> Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1) 10429045 I have a curse
I have a gift

I am a monster
I'm more than human

My touch is lethal
My touch is power

I am their weapon
I will fight back

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war—and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.]]> 338 Tahereh Mafi 0062085484 lara 3 series-i-quit 3.86 2011 Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1)
author: Tahereh Mafi
name: lara
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2022/08/18
date added: 2024/06/02
shelves: series-i-quit
review:
reread almost 10 years later because twitter wont shut up about it and i finally want to finish the series.
]]> <![CDATA[A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon (Glimmer Falls, #1)]]> 59441717 Mariel Spark knows not to trust a demon, especially one that wants her soul, but what’s a witch to do when he won’t leave her side—and she kind of doesn’t want him to?

Mariel Spark is prophesied to be the most powerful witch seen in centuries of the famed Spark family, but to the displeasure of her mother, she prefers baking to brewing potions and gardening to casting hexes. When a spell to summon flour goes very wrong, Mariel finds herself staring down a demon—one she inadvertently summoned for a soul bargain.

Ozroth the Ruthless is a legend among demons. Powerful and merciless, he drives hard bargains to collect mortal souls. But his reputation has suffered ever since a bargain went awry—if he can strike a bargain with Mariel, he will earn back his deadly reputation. Ozroth can’t leave Mariel’s side until they complete a bargain, which she refuses to do (turns out some humans are attached to their souls).

But the witch is funny. And curvy. And disgustingly yet endearingly cheerful. Becoming awkward roommates quickly escalates when Mariel, terrified to confess the inadvertent summoning to her mother, blurts out that she’s dating Ozroth. As Ozroth and Mariel struggle with their opposing goals and maintaining a fake relationship, real attraction blooms between them. But Ozroth has a limited amount of time to strike the deal, and if Mariel gives up her soul, she’ll lose all her emotions—including love—which will only spell disaster for them both.]]> 367 Sarah Hawley 0593547926 lara 3 series-i-quit 3.64 2023 A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon (Glimmer Falls, #1)
author: Sarah Hawley
name: lara
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/05/19
date added: 2024/06/02
shelves: series-i-quit
review:
why did this lowkey read like a YA (minus the smut lol)
]]> The Ex Hex (The Ex Hex, #1) 56554626 New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins, writing as Erin Sterling, casts a spell with a spine-tingling romance full of wishes, witches, and hexes gone wrong.

Nine years ago, Vivienne Jones nursed her broken heart like any young witch would: vodka, weepy music, bubble baths…and a curse on the horrible boyfriend. Sure, Vivi knows she shouldn’t use her magic this way, but with only an “orchard hayride� scented candle on hand, she isn’t worried it will cause him anything more than a bad hair day or two.

That is until Rhys Penhallow, descendent of the town’s ancestors, breaker of hearts, and annoyingly just as gorgeous as he always was, returns to Graves Glen, Georgia. What should be a quick trip to recharge the town’s ley lines and make an appearance at the annual fall festival turns disastrously wrong. With one calamity after another striking Rhys, Vivi realizes her silly little Ex Hex may not have been so harmless after all.

Suddenly, Graves Glen is under attack from murderous wind-up toys, a pissed off ghost, and a talking cat with some interesting things to say. Vivi and Rhys have to ignore their off the charts chemistry to work together to save the town and find a way to break the break-up curse before it’s too late.]]> 308 Erin Sterling 006302747X lara 4 series-i-quit 3.46 2021 The Ex Hex (The Ex Hex, #1)
author: Erin Sterling
name: lara
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/16
date added: 2024/06/02
shelves: series-i-quit
review:
fun spoopy halloween vibes all round
]]> <![CDATA[One of Us Is Lying (One of Us is Lying, #1)]]> 32571395 This is an alternate cover edition of ASIN B01M98J44U.
---
One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.

Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.]]> 360 Karen M. McManus lara 4 series-i-quit 4.00 2017 One of Us Is Lying (One of Us is Lying, #1)
author: Karen M. McManus
name: lara
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2017/08/19
date added: 2024/06/01
shelves: series-i-quit
review:

]]> Red Queen (Red Queen, #1) 17878931
The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance - Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart...]]> 383 Victoria Aveyard 1409151174 lara 5 arc, series-i-quit 4.04 2015 Red Queen (Red Queen, #1)
author: Victoria Aveyard
name: lara
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2015/02/09
date added: 2024/06/01
shelves: arc, series-i-quit
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Selection (The Selection, #1)]]> 10507293
But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.]]> 336 Kiera Cass 0062059939 lara 5 series-i-quit 4.07 2012 The Selection (The Selection, #1)
author: Kiera Cass
name: lara
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2014/08/13
date added: 2024/06/01
shelves: series-i-quit
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Are We All Lemmings and Snowflakes?]]> 39297840 Welcome to Camp Reset, a summer camp with a difference. A place offering a shot at “normality� for Olive, a girl on the edge, and for the new friends she never expected to make � who each have their own reasons for being there. Luckily Olive has a plan to solve all their problems. But how do you fix the world when you can’t fix yourself?

A raw and compelling exploration of mental health, friendship and the power of compassion from the acclaimed Holly Bourne.

]]> 400 Holly Bourne 1474958494 lara 5 harper-collins, review-copy 3.94 2018 Are We All Lemmings and Snowflakes?
author: Holly Bourne
name: lara
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2018/10/16
date added: 2024/06/01
shelves: harper-collins, review-copy
review:
You know how I started ARE WE ALL LEMMINGS AND SNOWFLAKES nine hours ago? Yes, it’s 1am in the morning and yes I did just finish it. No, I am not okay, but yes, you do need to read it. Still trying to collect my thoughts but a definite five star read 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
]]> Wild Love (Rose Hill, #1) 199368721 She's been driving him wild for years . . . the good kind of wild.

The kind of wild that comes with wanting your best friend's little sister and knowing you can't have her.

Forbes may have labeled Ford Grant the World's Hottest Billionaire, but all he cares about is escaping the press and opening a recording studio in gorgeous small town Rose Hill. Something that comes to a screeching halt when he ends up face-to-face with a young girl who claims he's her biological father. Now, he spends his days balancing business with parenting a sullen twelve-year-old, all while trying desperately to keep his hands the hell off his best friend's sister, Rosie Belmont.

After living in the city, Rosie came blasting back into town like a storm. Beautiful, messy, and chaotic. And one wide-eyed, desperate plea for a job is all it takes for Ford to hire her. He vows to keep her at arm's length. Tries to stick to scowls and grumpy one-liners. But with her, verbal sparring is a type of foreplay―friction that soon turns to blistering heat.

Ford knows damn well he shouldn't cross this line. But shouldn't and can't are two very different things.

And the only thing he truly can't do is resist her.]]> 402 Elsie Silver 0349441626 lara 4 unfinished-series 3.98 2024 Wild Love (Rose Hill, #1)
author: Elsie Silver
name: lara
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/06
date added: 2024/06/01
shelves: unfinished-series
review:
i’m sorry i’m just a slut for a small town romance
]]> <![CDATA[Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4)]]> 18006496
She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.

The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series continues Celaena’s epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.]]> 648 Sarah J. Maas 1619636042 lara 5 aelin my queen &lt;3 4.56 2015 Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: lara
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/28
date added: 2024/06/01
shelves:
review:
aelin my queen <3
]]> <![CDATA[King of Sloth (Kings of Sin, #4)]]> 75491526 He'd never wanted anyone enough to chase them...until he met her.

Charming, easygoing, and rich beyond belief, Xavier Castillo has the world at his fingertips. 

He also has no interest in taking over his family’s empire (much to his father’s chagrin), but that hasn’t stopped women from throwing themselves at him…unless the woman in question is his publicist. 

Nothing brings him more joy than riling her up, but when a tragedy forces them closer than ever, he must grapple with the uncertainty of his future—and the realization that the only person immune to his charms is the only one he truly wants.  

***
Cool, intelligent, and ambitious, Sloane Kensington is a high-powered publicist who’s used to dealing with difficult clients. 

However, none infuriate—or tempt—her more than a certain billionaire heir, with his stupid dimples and laid-back attitude. 

She may be forced to work with him, but she’ll never fall for him…no matter how fast he makes her heart beat or how thoughtful he is beneath his party persona. 

He’s her client, and that’s all he’ll ever be. Right?]]> 466 Ana Huang lara 3 sloane is a girlboss &lt;3 4.00 2024 King of Sloth (Kings of Sin, #4)
author: Ana Huang
name: lara
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/26
date added: 2024/06/01
shelves:
review:
sloane is a girlboss <3
]]> <![CDATA[King of Greed (Kings of Sin, #3)]]> 124943221 He had her, he lost her…and he’ll do anything to win her back.

Powerful, brilliant, and ambitious, Dominic Davenport clawed his way up from nothing to become the King of Wall Street.

He has everything—a beautiful home, a beautiful wife, and more money than he could spend in a lifetime. But no matter how much he accumulates, he’s never satisfied.

In his endless quest for more, he drives away the only person who saw him as enough.

It isn’t until she’s gone that he realizes there may be more to life than riches and glory…but by then, it may be too late.

***

Kind, intelligent, and thoughtful, Alessandra Davenport has played the role of trophy wife for years.

She stood by her husband while he built an empire, but now that they’ve reached the top, she realizes he’s no longer the man she fell for.

When it becomes clear that she’ll always come second to his work, she finally takes charge of her life and puts herself first—even if it means leaving the only man she’s ever loved.

But what she didn’t count on was his refusal to let her go…or for him to fight for their marriage, no matter what it takes.

King of Greed is a steamy marriage in trouble/second chance romance. It's book three in the Kings of Sin series but can be read as a standalone.]]> 352 Ana Huang lara 3 3.91 2023 King of Greed (Kings of Sin, #3)
author: Ana Huang
name: lara
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/24
date added: 2024/06/01
shelves:
review:
no offence but i just wanted alessandra to completely pack up and leave dom, she deserved better x
]]> None of This Is True 62334530 Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.

Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.

A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.

But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.

Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?]]> 390 Lisa Jewell 1982179007 lara 5 what a wild ride !! 4.08 2023 None of This Is True
author: Lisa Jewell
name: lara
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/19
date added: 2024/05/22
shelves:
review:
what a wild ride !!
]]> <![CDATA[Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)]]> 61431922 Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders...

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile� humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die]]> 665 Rebecca Yarros 1649374046 lara 5 unfinished-series i ate that shit up 4.56 2023 Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: lara
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/15
date added: 2024/05/15
shelves: unfinished-series
review:
i ate that shit up
]]> Penance 62898932 Do you know what happened already?
Did you know her?
Did you see it on the internet?
Did you listen to a podcast?
Did the hosts make jokes?

Did you see the pictures of the body?

Did you look for them?

It's been nearly a decade since the horrifying murder of sixteen-year-old Joan Wilson rocked Crow-on-Sea, and the events of that terrible night are now being published for the first time.

That story is Penance, a dizzying feat of masterful storytelling, where Eliza Clark manoeuvres us through accounts from the inhabitants of this small seaside town. Placing us in the capable hands of journalist Alec Z. Carelli, Clark allows him to construct what he claims is the 'definitive account' of the murder - and what led up to it. Built on hours of interviews with witnesses and family members, painstaking historical research, and most notably, correspondence with the killers themselves, the result is a riveting snapshot of lives rocked by tragedy, and a town left in turmoil.

The only question is: how much of it is true?]]> 336 Eliza Clark 0571371795 lara 5 3.87 2023 Penance
author: Eliza Clark
name: lara
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/15
date added: 2024/05/15
shelves:
review:
sometimes i forget about the tumblr era but then i read a book like this and remember how fucked up it could be
]]> <![CDATA[The Wrong Bride (The Windsors, #1)]]> 62316382 She’s his fiancée’s younger sister. He’s the man she’s always loved.

When her sister doesn’t show up on her wedding day, Raven has no choice but to take her place � but marriage to Ares Windsor is nothing short of torture.

The elusive billionaire media mogul is the man she’s always loved� yet he’s only ever had eyes for her sister.

Married to him at last, Raven is determined to win him over.

After all, everything is fair in love and war.

And this?

This is war.]]> 382 Catharina Maura lara 0 new-series-tbr 3.88 2022 The Wrong Bride (The Windsors, #1)
author: Catharina Maura
name: lara
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/10
shelves: new-series-tbr
review:

]]> Funny Story 194802722 A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it... right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned-up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex... right?]]> 400 Emily Henry lara 5 okay miss henry 4.21 2024 Funny Story
author: Emily Henry
name: lara
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/09
date added: 2024/05/09
shelves:
review:
okay miss henry
]]> The Song of Achilles 11250317
Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.]]> 352 Madeline Miller 1408816032 lara 5
still sobbed for the last 50 pages though.]]> 4.38 2011 The Song of Achilles
author: Madeline Miller
name: lara
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/07
date added: 2024/05/07
shelves:
review:
if you have a boyfriend who knows greek mythology, don't read this around him. he will spoil it.

still sobbed for the last 50 pages though.
]]> <![CDATA[The Assassin's Blade (Throne of Glass, #0.1-0.5)]]> 18243700 Contains all five novellas.

Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan's most feared assassin. As part of the Assassin's Guild, her allegiance is to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. In these action-packed novellas - together in one edition for the first time - Celaena embarks on five daring missions. They take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, where she fights to liberate slaves and seeks to avenge the tyrannous. But she is acting against Arobynn's orders and could suffer an unimaginable punishment for such treachery. Will Celaena ever be truly free? Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine to find out.]]> 448 Sarah J. Maas lara 5 novella 4.30 2014 The Assassin's Blade (Throne of Glass, #0.1-0.5)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: lara
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/06
date added: 2024/05/06
shelves: novella
review:
the worst part of rereads is crying before the sad thing happens bc you know what's coming
]]> <![CDATA[Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment, #1)]]> 60784546 After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again�

All eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow wants to do is hold her family together. With a brother on the frontline forced to fight on behalf of the Gods now missing from the frontline and a mother drowning her sorrows, Iris’s best bet is winning the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

But when Iris’s letters to her brother fall into the wrong hands � that of the handsome but cold Roman Kitt, her rival at the paper � an unlikely magical connection forms.

Expelled into the middle of a mystical war, magical typewriters in tow, can their bond withstand the fight for the fate of mankind and, most importantly, love?

An epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.]]> 357 Rebecca Ross 1250857430 lara 4 unfinished-series 4.14 2023 Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment, #1)
author: Rebecca Ross
name: lara
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/30
date added: 2024/05/03
shelves: unfinished-series
review:
looking for a handsome pen pal with a magical typewriter x
]]> Listen for the Lie 127279000 What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn't matter?

Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all and, if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. But after Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer.

It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life. But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast Listen for the Lie and its too-good looking host, Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one who did it.

The truth is out there, if we just listen.]]> 352 Amy Tintera 1250880319 lara 4 4.07 2024 Listen for the Lie
author: Amy Tintera
name: lara
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/03
date added: 2024/05/03
shelves:
review:
such an easy-to-read, slightly trashy, mixed-media thriller. what's not to love?
]]> <![CDATA[Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass, #3)]]> 20613470 565 Sarah J. Maas 1619630656 lara 5 4.47 2014 Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass, #3)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: lara
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/30
date added: 2024/05/01
shelves:
review:
rereading this almost 10yrs later and i'm still way too obsessed with the 300yr old fae man
]]> Wildfire (Maple Hills, #2) 101145836
Maple Hills students Russ Callaghan and Aurora Roberts cross paths at a party celebrating the end of the academic year, where a drinking game results in them having a passionate one-night stand. Never one to overstay her welcome (or expect much from a man), Aurora slips away before Russ even has the chance to ask for her full name.

Imagine their surprise when they bump into each other on the first day of the summer camp where they are both counselors, hoping to escape their complicated home lives by spending the summer working. Russ hopes if he gets far enough away from Maple Hills, he can avoid dealing with the repercussions of his father’s gambling addiction, while Aurora is tired of craving attention from everyone around her, and wants to go back to the last place she truly felt at home.

Russ knows breaking the camp’s strict “no staff fraternizing� rule will have him heading back to Maple Hills before the summer is over, but unfortunately for him, Aurora has never been very good at caring about the rules. Will the two learn to peacefully coexist? Or did their one night together start a fire they can’t put out?]]> 387 Hannah Grace 1668026279 lara 4 3.82 2023 Wildfire (Maple Hills, #2)
author: Hannah Grace
name: lara
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/26
date added: 2024/04/26
shelves:
review:
the most wholesome and unproblematic romance i've read in a long time
]]> <![CDATA[Hothouse Flower (Calloway Sisters, #2)]]> 60690795 Ryke Meadows, meet Daisy Calloway ... she’s all grown up.

Twenty-five-year-old Ryke Meadows knows he’s hard to love. With a billion-dollar inheritance, a track-star resume, and an alpha-male personality—he redefines the term likable asshole. But he’s not living to make friends. Or enemies. He just wants to free climb three of the toughest mountains in Yosemite without drama or interruption.

And then he receives a distressed call from a girl in Paris—a girl that he has never been allowed to have.

Daisy Calloway is eighteen. Finally. With her newfound independence, she can say goodbye to her overbearing mother and continue her modeling career. Next stop, Paris. Fashion Week begins with a bang, and Daisy uncovers the ugly reality of the industry. She wants to prove to her family that she can live on her own, but when everything spirals out of control, she turns to Ryke to keep her secrets.

As Daisy struggles to make sense of this new world and her freedom, she pushes the limits and fearlessly rides the edge. Ryke knows there’s deep hurt beneath every impulsive action. He must keep up with Daisy, and if he lets her go, her favorite motto—�live as if you’ll die today”—may just come true.

New Adult Romance: recommended for readers 18+ for mature content

***Authors' Note***
Hothouse Flower is a spin-off of the Addicted series. Kiss the Sky is required before reading, and we strongly recommend reading the Addicted series before this spin-off.]]> 479 Krista Ritchie lara 3 4.20 2014 Hothouse Flower (Calloway Sisters, #2)
author: Krista Ritchie
name: lara
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/22
date added: 2024/04/22
shelves:
review:
just out here trying to stop thinking of daisy as a 15yr old girl
]]> <![CDATA[Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth]]> 58312875
This is the story of Fenfang who, determined to carve out a life more independent than her provincial roots, gets a job as a film extra in Beijing. But living a modern life is not as easy as it looks in this tumultuous, messy city. Grappling with the narrow world of cinema, an outworn Communist regime, and the city's far-from-progressive attitudes to women, charismatic Fenfang finds her true freedom in the one place she never expected.

20 Fragments of a Ravenous Youth is a sparkling and wry coming-of-age story about the changing identity of women in contemporary China.

Meet ten of literature's most iconic heroines, jacketed in bold portraits by female photographers from around the world.]]> 208 Xiaolu Guo lara 4 3.91 2000 Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth
author: Xiaolu Guo
name: lara
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/20
date added: 2024/04/20
shelves:
review:
for the last week i've loved dipping in and out of these 20 vignettes of a woman coming of age in a rapidly changing world. highly recommend!
]]> <![CDATA[Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #1)]]> 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 lara 4 unfinished-series 3.67 2015 Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #1)
author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
name: lara
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/31
date added: 2024/04/16
shelves: unfinished-series
review:
just a lil book that made me ugly cry
]]> Holly 65916344 Holly Gibney, one of Stephen King’s most compelling and ingeniously resourceful characters, returns in this thrilling novel to solve the gruesome truth behind multiple disappearances in a midwestern town.

“Sometimes the universe throws you a rope.� � BILL HODGES

Stephen King’s Holly marks the triumphant return of beloved King character Holly Gibney. Readers have witnessed Holly’s gradual transformation from a shy (but also brave and ethical) recluse in Mr. Mercedes to Bill Hodges’s partner in Finders Keepers to a full-fledged, smart, and occasionally tough private detective in The Outsider. In King’s new novel, Holly is on her own, and up against a pair of unimaginably depraved and brilliantly disguised adversaries.

When Penny Dahl calls the Finders Keepers detective agency hoping for help locating her missing daughter, Holly is reluctant to accept the case. Her partner, Pete, has Covid. Her (very complicated) mother has just died. And Holly is meant to be on leave. But something in Penny Dahl’s desperate voice makes it impossible for Holly to turn her down.

Mere blocks from where Bonnie Dahl disappeared live Professors Rodney and Emily Harris. They are the picture of bourgeois respectability: married octogenarians, devoted to each other, and semi-retired lifelong academics. But they are harboring an unholy secret in the basement of their well-kept, book-lined home, one that may be related to Bonnie’s disappearance. And it will prove nearly impossible to discover what they are up to: they are savvy, they are patient, and they are ruthless.

Holly must summon all her formidable talents to outthink and outmaneuver the shockingly twisted professors in this chilling new masterwork from Stephen King.]]> 449 Stephen King 1668016133 lara 2 4.01 2023 Holly
author: Stephen King
name: lara
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/03/31
date added: 2024/04/16
shelves:
review:
it felt like stephen king's personality and political views bled through the pages of this book - did not vibe.
]]> Madame Bovary 2175 329 Gustave Flaubert 0192840398 lara 2 3.70 1856 Madame Bovary
author: Gustave Flaubert
name: lara
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1856
rating: 2
read at: 2024/03/14
date added: 2024/03/14
shelves:
review:
no offence, but you can tell this was written by a man.
]]> Bride (Bride, #1) 181344829 A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again...

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was�.

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.]]> 410 Ali Hazelwood lara 4 3.98 2024 Bride (Bride, #1)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: lara
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/11
date added: 2024/03/11
shelves:
review:
this was ridiculous but i had a good time
]]> <![CDATA[Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead]]> 55711706
In between trying to memorize the lines to Catholic mass, hiding the fact that she has a new girlfriend, and erecting a dirty dish tower in her crumbling apartment, Gilda strikes up an email correspondence with Grace’s old friend. She can’t bear to ignore the kindly old woman, who has been trying to reach her friend through the church inbox, but she also can’t bring herself to break the bad news. Desperate, she begins impersonating Grace via email. But when the police discover suspicious circumstances surrounding Grace’s death, Gilda may have to finally reveal the truth of her mortifying existence.]]> 256 Emily R. Austin 1982167351 lara 4 3.86 2021 Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead
author: Emily R. Austin
name: lara
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/29
date added: 2024/03/01
shelves:
review:
why was this uncomfortably relatable at times
]]> The Fury 123206645 A masterfully paced thriller about a reclusive ex–movie star and her famous friends whose spontaneous trip to a private Greek island is upended by a murder � from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient.

This is a tale of murder.

Or maybe that’s not quite true. At its heart, it’s a love story, isn’t it?

Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex–movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Every year, she invites her closest friends to escape the English weather and spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island.

I tell you this because you may think you know this story. You probably read about it at the time � it caused a real stir in the tabloids, if you remember. It had all the necessary ingredients for a press a celebrity; a private island cut off by the wind…and a murder.

We found ourselves trapped there overnight. Our old friendships concealed hatred and a desire for revenge. What followed was a game of cat and mouse � a battle of wits, full of twists and turns, building to an unforgettable climax. The night ended in violence and death, as one of us was found murdered.

But who am I?

My name is Elliot Chase, and I’m going to tell you a story unlike any you’ve ever heard.]]> 298 Alex Michaelides 125075898X lara 2 3.34 2024 The Fury
author: Alex Michaelides
name: lara
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/02/23
date added: 2024/03/01
shelves:
review:
this was trying so hard to be meta but it was just messy
]]> <![CDATA[Love Redesigned (Lakefront Billionaires, #1)]]> 199070596 Julian
If I ever caught on fire, Dahlia Muñoz would fan the flames with a smile.
So, when she returns to Lake Wisteria, I fully intend to avoid the interior designer.
At least until my meddling mother exploits my savior complex.
The faster I help Dahlia find her creative spark, the sooner she will leave town.
But while I was busy getting rid of Dahlia, I overlooked one potential issue.
What happens if I want her to stay?

Dahlia
People say the devil has many faces, but I know only one.
Julian Lopez—my childhood rival and family frenemy.
I vow to steer clear of him while recovering from my broken engagement, but then the billionaire makes an irresistible offer.
Renovate a historic house together and triple our profits.
Our temporary truce becomes compromised as we face years� worth of denied attraction and mixed emotions.
Giving into our desire is inevitable…but falling in love?
That isn’t part of the plan.

Love Redesigned is a steamy, small town romance about two family friends-turned-childhood rivals. It is the first book in the standalone Lakefront Billionaires series and has a happy ending.]]> 530 Lauren Asher lara 4 unfinished-series 4.01 2023 Love Redesigned (Lakefront Billionaires, #1)
author: Lauren Asher
name: lara
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/19
date added: 2024/02/19
shelves: unfinished-series
review:
always here for a cosy small town romance <3
]]> The Woman in Me 63133205 The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.

In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.

Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last.]]> 288 Britney Spears 1668009048 lara 4 such a heartbreaking read 3.83 2023 The Woman in Me
author: Britney Spears
name: lara
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/19
date added: 2024/02/19
shelves:
review:
such a heartbreaking read
]]> <![CDATA[Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)]]> 7896527 Meet Celaena Sardothien.

Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.

In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, Celaena, an assassin, is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king’s champion.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass—and it’s there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena’s fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.]]> 406 Sarah J. Maas lara 5 finished-series 4.19 2012 Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: lara
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/31
date added: 2024/02/19
shelves: finished-series
review:
reread 20/2/24 - the nostalgic vibes rereading this >>>>>>
]]> A Twisted Love Story 52379875 From the bestselling author of My Lovely Wife comes a reckless, delicious thriller about a young couple that gives a whole new meaning to the dangers of modern dating.

Wes and Ivy are madly in love. They've never felt anything like it. It's the kind of romance people write stories about.

But what kind of story?

Because when it's good, it's great. Flowers. Grand gestures. Deep meaningful conversations where the whole world disappears.

When it's bad, it's really bad. Vengeful fights. Damaged property. Arrest warrants.

But their vicious cycle of catastrophic breakups and head-over-heels reconnections needs to end fast. Because suddenly, Wes and Ivy have a common enemy--and she's a detective.

There's something Wes and Ivy never talk about--in good times or bad. The night of their worst breakup, when one of them took things too far, and someone ended up dead.

If they can stick together, they can survive anything--even the tightening net of a police investigation.

Because one more breakup might just be their last…]]> 390 Samantha Downing 0593101006 lara 4 best kinda love story &lt;3 3.19 2023 A Twisted Love Story
author: Samantha Downing
name: lara
average rating: 3.19
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/09
date added: 2024/02/09
shelves:
review:
best kinda love story <3
]]> The Seven Year Slip 62926938 An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.

So Clementine forms a plan to keep her heart safe: work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. The last one is silly and obviously metaphorical, but her aunt always told her that you needed at least one big dream to keep going. And for the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. Mostly. The love part is hard because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone—she isn’t sure her heart can take it.

And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment. A man with kind eyes and a Southern drawl and a taste for lemon pies. The kind of man that, before it all, she would’ve fallen head-over-heels for. And she might again.

Except, he exists in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. And she, quite literally, lives seven years in his future.

Her aunt always said the apartment was a pinch in time, a place where moments blended together like watercolors. And Clementine knows that if she lets her heart fall, she’ll be doomed.

After all, love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing.]]> 336 Ashley Poston lara 3
minus one star for the insta-love.
minus one star for the gaps in time that left me with many many questions. ]]> 4.18 2023 The Seven Year Slip
author: Ashley Poston
name: lara
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/25
date added: 2024/01/25
shelves:
review:
wholesome vibes all around.

minus one star for the insta-love.
minus one star for the gaps in time that left me with many many questions.
]]> <![CDATA[Heartstopper: Volume Five (Heartstopper, #5)]]> 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 lara 4 4.47 2023 Heartstopper: Volume Five (Heartstopper, #5)
author: Alice Oseman
name: lara
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/23
date added: 2024/01/23
shelves:
review:
i don’t want this series to end
]]> <![CDATA[The Housemaid's Secret (The Housemaid, #2)]]> 62848145 As he continues showing me their incredible penthouse apartment, I have a terrible feeling about the woman behind closed doors. But I can't risk losing this job � not if I want to keep my darkest secret safe . . .

It's hard to find an employer who doesn't ask too many questions about my past. So I thank my lucky stars that the Garricks miraculously give me a job, cleaning their stunning penthouse with views across the city and preparing fancy meals in their shiny kitchen. I can work here for a while, stay quiet until I get what I want. It's almost perfect. But I still haven't met Mrs Garrick, or seen inside the guest bedroom. I'm sure I hear her crying. I notice spots of blood around the neck of her white nightgowns when I'm doing laundry. And one day I can't help but knock on the door. When it gently swings open, what I see inside changes everything...

That's when I make a promise. After all, I've done this before. I can protect Mrs. Garrick while keeping my own secrets locked up safe. Douglas Garrick has done wrong. He is going to pay. It's simply a question of how far I'm willing to go...]]> 318 Freida McFadden 1837901317 lara 4 so silly, but so fun 4.22 2023 The Housemaid's Secret (The Housemaid, #2)
author: Freida McFadden
name: lara
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/23
date added: 2024/01/23
shelves:
review:
so silly, but so fun
]]> From Lukov with Love 37683751
After seventeen years—and countless broken bones and broken promises—she knows her window to compete in figure skating is coming to a close.

But when the offer of a lifetime comes in from an arrogant idiot she’s spent the last decade dreaming about pushing in the way of a moving bus, Jasmine might have to reconsider everything.

Including Ivan Lukov.]]> 493 Mariana Zapata lara 5
comfort fav <3

10/08/21: 4 stars

WOW. Now I get why people say Mariana Zapata is the queen of slow burn romance... I am obsessed!]]> 4.19 2018 From Lukov with Love
author: Mariana Zapata
name: lara
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/22
date added: 2024/01/22
shelves:
review:
reread 22/01/24: 5 stars

comfort fav <3

10/08/21: 4 stars

WOW. Now I get why people say Mariana Zapata is the queen of slow burn romance... I am obsessed!
]]> All Rhodes Lead Here 57605091 572 Mariana Zapata lara 4
back to four stars <3

reread 14/07/2022: 3 stars

someone please tell me why i didn't love this as much the second time round....

first read 11/08/2021: 4 stars

Rate From Lukov with Love (which I read literally a day ago) slightly higher than this but still loved All Rhodes Lead Here. Mariana Zapata just writes the best romance.]]> 4.24 2021 All Rhodes Lead Here
author: Mariana Zapata
name: lara
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/18
date added: 2024/01/22
shelves:
review:
reread 18/01/2024: 4 stars

back to four stars <3

reread 14/07/2022: 3 stars

someone please tell me why i didn't love this as much the second time round....

first read 11/08/2021: 4 stars

Rate From Lukov with Love (which I read literally a day ago) slightly higher than this but still loved All Rhodes Lead Here. Mariana Zapata just writes the best romance.
]]> Lessons in Chemistry 58065033 390 Bonnie Garmus lara 4 4.23 2022 Lessons in Chemistry
author: Bonnie Garmus
name: lara
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/07
date added: 2024/01/07
shelves:
review:
don’t mess with the stem girlies x
]]> <![CDATA[Powerless (The Powerless Trilogy, #1)]]> 75513900 She is the very thing he’s spent his whole life hunting.
He is the very thing she’s spent her whole life pretending to be.

Only the extraordinary belong in the kingdom of Ilya—the exceptional, the empowered, the Elites.

The powers these Elites have possessed for decades were graciously gifted to them by the Plague, though not all were fortunate enough to both survive the sickness and reap the reward. Those born Ordinary are just that—ordinary. And when the king decreed that all Ordinaries be banished in order to preserve his Elite society, lacking an ability suddenly became a crime—making Paedyn Gray a felon by fate and a thief by necessity.

Surviving in the slums as an Ordinary is no simple task, and Paedyn knows this better than most. Having been trained by her father to be overly observant since she was a child, Paedyn poses as a Psychic in the crowded city, blending in with the Elites as best she can in order to stay alive and out of trouble. Easier said than done.

When Paeydn unsuspectingly saves one of Ilyas princes, she finds herself thrown into the Purging Trials. The brutal competition exists to showcase the Elites� powers—the very thing Paedyn lacks. If the Trials and the opponents within them don’t kill her, the prince she’s fighting feelings for certainly will if he discovers what she is—completely Ordinary.]]> 523 Lauren Roberts lara 0 dnf 4.17 2023 Powerless (The Powerless Trilogy, #1)
author: Lauren Roberts
name: lara
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/03
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> Masters of Death 38311338 From Olivie Blake, the New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six comes Masters of Death, a story about vampires, ghosts, and death itself!

Viola Marek is a struggling real estate agent, and a vampire. But her biggest problem currently is that the house she needs to sell is haunted. The ghost haunting the house has been murdered, and until he can solve the mystery of how he died, he refuses to move on.

Fox D’Mora is a medium, and though is also most-definitely a shameless fraud, he isn’t entirely without his uses—seeing as he’s actually the godson of Death.

When Viola seeks out Fox to help her with her ghost-infested mansion, he becomes inextricably involved in a quest that neither he nor Vi expects (or wants). But with the help of an unruly poltergeist, a demonic personal trainer, a sharp-voiced angel, a love-stricken reaper, and a few high-functioning creatures, Vi and Fox soon discover the difference between a mysterious lost love and an annoying dead body isn’t nearly as distinct as they thought.]]> 349 Olivie Blake lara 0 dnf 3.64 2018 Masters of Death
author: Olivie Blake
name: lara
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/03
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (Millennium, #3)]]> 6892870
Lisbeth Salander - the heart of Larsson's two previous novels - lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She's fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she'll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge - against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

Once upon a time, she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back.

~from the jacket]]> 566 Stieg Larsson 030726999X lara 0 dnf
Page 326.]]> 4.23 2007 The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (Millennium, #3)
author: Stieg Larsson
name: lara
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/03
shelves: dnf
review:
I'm enjoying this book, but it's not exactly light reading. I need a break!

Page 326.
]]> <![CDATA[The ​Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash, #3)]]> 55240343 She's been the victim and the survivor�

Poppy never dreamed she would find the love she’s found with Prince Casteel. She wants to revel in her happiness but first they must free his brother and find hers. It’s a dangerous mission and one with far-reaching consequences neither dreamed of. Because Poppy is the Chosen, the Blessed. The true ruler of Atlantia. She carries the blood of the King of Gods within her. By right the crown and the kingdom are hers.

The enemy and the warrior�

Poppy has only ever wanted to control her own life, not the lives of others, but now she must choose to either forsake her birthright or seize the gilded crown and become the Queen of Flesh and Fire. But as the kingdoms� dark sins and blood-drenched secrets finally unravel, a long-forgotten power rises to pose a genuine threat. And they will stop at nothing to ensure that the crown never sits upon Poppy’s head.

A lover and heartmate�

But the greatest threat to them and to Atlantia is what awaits in the far west, where the Queen of Blood and Ash has her own plans, ones she has waited hundreds of years to carry out. Poppy and Casteel must consider the impossible—travel to the Lands of the Gods and wake the King himself. And as shocking secrets and the harshest betrayals come to light, and enemies emerge to threaten everything Poppy and Casteel have fought for, they will discover just how far they are willing to go for their people—and each other.

And now she will become Queen.]]> 645 Jennifer L. Armentrout 1952457254 lara 0 dnf 4.11 2021 The ​Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash, #3)
author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
name: lara
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/03
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes, #1)]]> 61242426
The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success � not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.

If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone.

But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.]]> 296 Travis Baldree lara 3 unfinished-series 4.05 2022 Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes, #1)
author: Travis Baldree
name: lara
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/01/25
date added: 2024/01/03
shelves: unfinished-series
review:
so so cute but not a lot of plot. loved all the cosy little elements of this book and it was a great wee quick read!
]]> The Chase (Briar U, #1) 34851664
And that his best friend has a crush on me.

And that I just moved in with them.

Oh, did I not mention we’re roommates?

I suppose it doesn’t matter. Fitzy has made it clear he’s not interested in me, even though the sparks between us are liable to burn our house down. I’m not the kind of girl who chases after a man, though, and I’m not about to start. I’ve got my hands full dealing with a new school, a sleazy professor, and an uncertain future. So if my sexy brooding roomie wises up and realizes what he’s missing?

He knows where to find me.]]> 368 Elle Kennedy 0994054459 lara 3 finished-series
i loved summer and fitz!! can't wait to read more.]]> 3.84 2018 The Chase (Briar U, #1)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: lara
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2023/05/05
date added: 2024/01/03
shelves: finished-series
review:
was in the mood to reread the off campus series but then i remembered this series exists too!

i loved summer and fitz!! can't wait to read more.
]]> <![CDATA[Flawless (Chestnut Springs, #1)]]> 108514520 The rules were simple . . . Keep my hands off his daughter and stay out of trouble. But now I'm stuck with her. There's only one bed. And, well, rules are made to be broken.

I'm the golden boy of professional bull riding. Or at least I was until it all blew up in my face. Now, my agent says I have to clean up my image, so I'm stuck with his ball-busting daughter for the rest of the season as my "full-time supervision."

But I don't need a goddamn babysitter, especially one with skin-tight jeans, a sexy smirk, and a mouth she can't stop running . . . A mouth I can't stop thinking about.

She says this means nothing.

I say this means everything.

She says there are boundaries we shouldn't cross. That my reputation can't take any more hits-and neither can her damaged heart.

I say I'm going to steal it anyway.]]> 416 Elsie Silver 0349437661 lara 3 finished-series three out of five yeehaws 3.93 2022 Flawless (Chestnut Springs, #1)
author: Elsie Silver
name: lara
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/11/27
date added: 2024/01/03
shelves: finished-series
review:
three out of five yeehaws
]]> A Certain Hunger 53180064 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781951213145.

Food critic Dorothy Daniels loves what she does. Discerning, meticulous, and very, very smart, Dorothy's clear mastery of the culinary arts make it likely that she could, on any given night, whip up a more inspired dish than any one of the chefs she writes about.

Dorothy loves sex as much as she loves food, and while she has struggled to find a long-term partner that can keep up with her, she makes the best of her single life, frequently traveling from Manhattan to Italy for a taste of both. But there is something within Dorothy that's different from everyone else, and having suppressed it long enough, she starts to embrace what makes Dorothy uniquely, terrifyingly herself.

Recounting her life from a seemingly idyllic farm-to-table childhood, the heights of her career, to the moment she plunges an ice pick into a man's neck on Fire Island, Dorothy Daniels show us what happens when a woman finally embraces her superiority.

A satire of early foodieism, a critique of how gender is defined, and a showcase of virtuoso storytelling, Chelsea G. Summers' A Certain Hunger introduces us to the food world's most charming psychopath and an exciting new voice in fiction.]]> 240 Chelsea G. Summers lara 3 3.77 2019 A Certain Hunger
author: Chelsea G. Summers
name: lara
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/03
date added: 2024/01/03
shelves:
review:
just another unhinged woman on the hunt for a good meal
]]> <![CDATA[Hopeless (Chestnut Springs, #5)]]> 174753697
I’m the outcast bartender, a shy girl from the wrong side of the tracks.

He’s thirty-five and all man, and I’m twenty-two and all� virgin.

He’s also my fiancé. Correction: my fake fiancé.

We start out as a bet. He doesn’t believe that anyone holds my last name against me. So he offers me his to prove a point.

It’s win-win. He gets a break from his concerned family’s prying, and I get a chance to shed my family’s reputation while I save up to ditch this small town.

He says all I have to do is wear his ring, follow his lead, and pretend I can’t keep my hands off of him in public.

But it’s what happens between us in private that blurs all those carefully drawn lines.

It’s what transpires behind closed doors that doesn’t feel like pretending at all.

This engagement was supposed to be for show. This agreement? It has an end date.

He once told me he’d never fall in love.

And yet here I am, head over heels for my fake fiancé.]]> 486 Elsie Silver lara 3 4.12 2023 Hopeless (Chestnut Springs, #5)
author: Elsie Silver
name: lara
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/16
date added: 2024/01/03
shelves:
review:
yeehaw i'm done with this series now
]]> <![CDATA[Reckless (Chestnut Springs, #4)]]> 108518990 Theo Silva. Rowdy bull rider. Notorious ladies� man. Scorching hot trouble wrapped up in a drool-worthy package.

And he’s looking at me like I might be his next meal.

But I’m almost free of my toxic marriage and have sworn off men entirely. So all I see when I look back is temptation served up with a heaping side of heartbreak.

The man is hard to trust—and even harder to resist.

Make that impossible. Because Theo is persistent. And no matter how hard I try to freeze him out, he melts my icy exterior and pulls apart all my defenses.

Over a drink in a small town bar, I blurt out my deepest, darkest secrets. Then I spend the singular hottest night of my life with him.

He worships my body. He makes me blush. I come alive beneath his hands.

Then I tell him to forget it ever happened. I want simple, and with him it all feels complicated.

It was supposed to be a one-time thing.

A secret.

But that little plus sign is going to make this secret impossible to keep.]]> 466 Elsie Silver lara 4 okay theo &lt;3 4.38 Reckless (Chestnut Springs, #4)
author: Elsie Silver
name: lara
average rating: 4.38
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/09
date added: 2024/01/03
shelves:
review:
okay theo <3
]]> <![CDATA[Powerless (Chestnut Springs, #3)]]> 125195303
But hockey heartthrob Jasper Gervais isn’t looking at me like a friend anymore. And he isn’t touching me like one either.

To his fans, he’s the handsome, talented athlete on TV. But to me he’s still the lost boy with sad eyes and a heart of gold.

The man I’ve loved in secret for years.

So when my life falls apart on my wedding day, it only makes sense that he’s the one to swoop in and save me. And when his world comes crashing down around him, I’m there to return the favor.

But the more time we spend alone, the more Jasper doesn’t feel like a friend at all. He feels like everything I’ve ever wanted and thought I could never have.

Our feelings aren’t straight forward though. They twist and turn around the pain of his past and the reality of my present.

Jasper Gervais acts like he wants me.

But after years of turning me away, he’s going to need to prove it.]]> 464 Elsie Silver 1728297028 lara 2 3.96 2023 Powerless (Chestnut Springs, #3)
author: Elsie Silver
name: lara
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2023/12/03
date added: 2024/01/03
shelves:
review:
i didn't like jasper and i don't want to talk about it
]]> Everything I Know About Love 46041465
When it comes to the trials and triumphs of becoming an adult, journalist and former Sunday Times columnist Dolly Alderton has seen and tried it all. In her memoir, she vividly recounts falling in love, finding a job, getting drunk, getting dumped, realizing that Ivan from the corner shop might just be the only reliable man in her life, and that absolutely no one can ever compare to her best girlfriends. Everything I Know About Love is about bad dates, good friends and—above all else� realizing that you are enough.

Glittering with wit and insight, heart and humor, Dolly Alderton’s unforgettable debut weaves together personal stories, satirical observations, a series of lists, recipes, and other vignettes that will strike a chord of recognition with women of every age—making you want to pick up the phone and tell your best friends all about it. Like Bridget Jones� Diary but all true, Everything I Know About Love is about the struggles of early adulthood in all its terrifying and hopeful uncertainty.]]> 368 Dolly Alderton 0062968785 lara 4 3.98 2018 Everything I Know About Love
author: Dolly Alderton
name: lara
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/06
date added: 2023/12/06
shelves:
review:
love!! would recommend to all girlies in their mid-twenties who are having their quarter life crisis
]]> <![CDATA[Heartless (Chestnut Springs, #2)]]> 125460757 Working as a nanny for the world's grumpiest single dad should be simple...except she can't keep her eyes off him. And he can't keep his hands off her.

Cade Eaton is thirteen years older than Willa Grant, and he barely looks her way, even though she's living in his house for the summer. That is, until she gets him into the hot tub one night for a game of truth or dare. Then, all bets are off--and so are their clothes.

Cade is gruff, a little rough around the edges, but broad-shouldered ranchers with calloused hands and filthy mouths are this city girl's kryptonite. So who is she to resist?

But it's in their quietest moments together that he softens. It's in the unexpected way he takes care of Willa that she realizes his hardened exterior is just a façade. And it's when she watches him go all sweet with his little boy that she starts to fall for him, whatever the consequences.

Someone once convinced Cade that his best wasn't good enough. But Willa has never felt more cherished than she does in his arms.

Her contract says this arrangement is only for two months.

But her heart says this is forever.]]> 432 Elsie Silver 172829701X lara 3 4.34 2022 Heartless (Chestnut Springs, #2)
author: Elsie Silver
name: lara
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/01
date added: 2023/12/01
shelves:
review:
do not perceive me reading only cowboy romances
]]> The Play (Briar U, #3) 43877254
But there’s nothing in the rulebook that says I can’t be friends with a woman. And I won’t lie—my new classmate Demi Davis is one cool chick. Her smart mouth is hot as hell, and so is the rest of her, but the fact that she’s got a boyfriend eliminates the temptation to touch her.

Except three months into our friendship, Demi is single and looking for a rebound.

And she’s making a play for me.

Avoiding her is impossible. We’re paired up on a yearlong school project, but I’m confident I can resist her. We’d never work, anyway. Our backgrounds are too different, our goals aren’t aligned, and her parents hate my guts.

Hooking up is a very bad idea. Now I just have to convince my body—and my heart.]]> 422 Elle Kennedy lara 2
i'm sorry but the off-campus girlies just did it better.]]> 4.00 2019 The Play (Briar U, #3)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: lara
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2023/07/12
date added: 2023/10/22
shelves:
review:
i liked hunter. i didn't like demi.

i'm sorry but the off-campus girlies just did it better.
]]> The Long Game (Green Oak, #1) 101144869 A disgraced soccer exec reluctantly enlists the help of a retired soccer star in coaching a children’s team in this smalltown love story in the vein of Ted Lasso and It Happened One Summer —from the New York Times bestselling author of The Spanish Love Deception.

Adalyn Reyes has spent years perfecting her daily routine: wake up at dawn, drive to the Miami Flames FC offices, try her hardest to leave a mark, go home, and repeat.

But her routine is disrupted when a video of her in an altercation with the team’s mascot goes viral. Rather than fire her, the team’s owner—who happens to be her father—sends Adalyn to middle-of-nowhere North Carolina, where she’s tasked with turning around the struggling local soccer team, the Green Warriors, as a way to redeem herself. Her plans crumble upon discovering that the players wear tutus to practice (impractical), keep pet goats (messy), and are terrified of Adalyn (counterproductive), and are nine-year-old kids.

To make things worse, also in town is Cameron Caldani, goalkeeping prodigy whose presence is somewhat of a mystery. Cam is the perfect candidate to help Adalyn, but after one very unfortunate first encounter involving a rooster, Cam’s leg, and Adalyn’s bumper, he’s also set on running her out of town. But banishment is not an option for Adalyn. Not again. Helping this ragtag children’s team is her road to redemption, and she is playing the long game. With or without Cam’s help.]]> 373 Elena Armas 1668011301 lara 3 unfinished-series 3.54 2023 The Long Game (Green Oak, #1)
author: Elena Armas
name: lara
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/09/30
date added: 2023/10/22
shelves: unfinished-series
review:
the first half was fun, the second half i was bored x
]]>