en-US Sat, 12 Apr 2025 11:18:45 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 183086339
After surviving the Purging Trials, Ordinary-born Paedyn Gray has killed the King, and kickstarted a Resistance throughout the land. Now she’s running from the one person she had wanted to run to.

Kai Azer is now Ilya’s Enforcer, loyal to his brother Kitt, the new King. He has vowed to find Paedyn and bring her to justice.

Across the deadly Scorches, and deep into the hostile city of Dor, Kai pursues the one person he wishes he didn’t have to. But in a city without Elites, the balance between the hunter and hunted shifts �� and the battle between duty and desire is deadly.

Be swept away by this kiss-or-kill romantasy trilogy taking the world by storm.]]> 396 Lauren Roberts Sac 5 4.07 2024
author: Lauren Roberts
name: Sac
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/12
date added: 2025/04/12
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]]> 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 Sac 5 4.17 2023
author: Lauren Roberts
name: Sac
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/12
date added: 2025/04/12
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]]> 214151222 Paedyn and Kai are reunited but face a terrible decision in this thrilling conclusion to the New York Times bestselling romantic fantasy trilogy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and The Red Queen.

Paedyn Gray and Kai Azer return to the Kingdom of Ilya��

And Paedyn has a life-altering choice to make. Whatever she decides will determine her fate—and the fate of those around her—forever.

In the ultimate battle of love and loyalty, who wins?]]> 608 Lauren Roberts 1665955465 Sac 0 currently-reading 4.45 2025
author: Lauren Roberts
name: Sac
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 199332489
The demon didn't just want my body. He wanted my soul.


My reputation among magicians is unblemished. Killer, they call me; killing is what I’m best at. One wrong move and you’re dead. Except her . The one I was supposed to take, the one I should have killed. The cult that once controlled me wants her, but I’m not about to lose my new toy to them.

I’ve always believed in the supernatural. Hunting for ghosts is my passion, but summoning a demon was never part of the plan. Monsters are roaming the woods, and something ancient—something evil—is waking up . . . and calling my name. I don’t know who I can trust, or how deep this darkness goes. All I know is my one shot at survival is the demon stalking me, and he doesn’t just want my body—he wants my soul.]]> 496 Harley Laroux 1496752899 Sac 0 to-read 4.22 2021
author: Harley Laroux
name: Sac
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218485146 He’ll protect his best friend’s baby sister from anything…other than himself.

Rhyland

Dylan Casablancas is a forbidden fruit, undeniably delicious, but one bite just might kill you.
She’s my best friend’s baby sister, a single mom, and a royal pain in the ass.
When Little Miss Baggage moves downstairs to house-sit her brother’s Manhattan apartment, my potential business partner mistakes us as a couple.
He wants a family guy. I want access to his billions.
And Dylan? She needs a big, burly guy to scare off her loser ex.
Pretending to be engaged to the feisty girl next door gets messy when I take a bite of the illicit apple.
What can I say? I’m an instant gratification kind of guy.
We made a deal to walk out of each other’s lives once my contract is signed.
The only problem? She might take my heart with her when she leaves.

Dylan

Rhyland Coltridge is out of the question.
Unless the answer is: “Who’s the biggest man-whore you’ve ever met?��
Hedonistic. Wild card. Utterly corrupt. And those are just the traits the jerk prides himself on.
My life is too messy for a boyfriend. Even if it wasn’t, Rhyland would be the last man I’d consider.
He is supposed to be my ticket out of this nightmare.
But he’s fast becoming my wildest, most dangerous dream.]]> 432 L.J. Shen 1464223742 Sac 0 to-read 4.46
author: L.J. Shen
name: Sac
average rating: 4.46
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/07
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]]> 210864316 560 Homer 022660442X Sac 0 to-read 4.42 -800
author: Homer
name: Sac
average rating: 4.42
book published: -800
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/07
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]]> 222377159 A detour. A chance encounter. Two women who alter the pages of each other’s story.

Juliet Nightingale is lucky to be alive. Months after a freak accident involving lightning, she’s fully recovered but is left feeling that something is missing from her life. Something big. Impulsively, she decides to take a solo summer road trip, hoping that the journey will lead her down a path that will help her discover exactly what it is that she’s searching for.

Newly-single mom Tallulah Byrd Mayfield is hanging by a thread after her neat, tidy world was completely undone when her husband decided that their marriage was over. In the aftermath of the breakup, she and her two daughters move in with her eighty-year-old grandfather. Tallulah starts a new job at the Forget-Me-Not Library, where old, treasured memories can be found within the books—and where Lu must learn to adapt to the many changes thrown her way.

When a road detour leads Juliet to Forget-Me-Not, Alabama, and straight into Tallulah’s life, the two women soon discover there’s magic in between the pages of where you’ve been and where you still need to go. And that happiness, even when lost, can always be found again.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 352 Heather Webber 1250369274 Sac 0 to-read 4.00 2025
author: Heather Webber
name: Sac
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/07
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]]> 216247489 Subversive and unexpectedly heartwarming, Sky Daddy hijacks the classic love story, exploring desire, fate, and the longing to be accepted for who we truly are.

Linda is doing her best to lead a life that would appear normal to the casual observer. Weekdays, she earns $20 an hour moderating comments for a video-sharing platform, then rides the bus home to the windowless garage she rents on the outskirts of San Francisco. But on the last Friday of each month, she indulges in her true passion: taking BART to SFO for a round-trip flight to a regional hub. The destination is irrelevant because each trip means a new date with a handsome stranger—a stranger whose intelligent windscreens, sleek fuselages, and powerful engines make Linda feel a way that no human ever could.

Linda knows that she can’t tell anyone she’s sexually obsessed with planes—nor can she reveal her belief her destiny is to “marry�� one of her suitors by dying in a plane crash, thereby uniting her with her soulmate plane for eternity. But when an opportunity arises to hasten her dream of eternal partnership, and the carefully balanced elements of her life begin to spin out of control, she must choose between maintaining the trappings of normalcy and launching herself headlong toward the love she’s always dreamed of.]]> 368 Kate Folk 059323149X Sac 0 to-read 4.10 2025
author: Kate Folk
name: Sac
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/07
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]]> 217182552 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Just for the Summer comes a new playful yet deeply emotional contemporary romance.

There might be no such a thing as a perfect guy, but Xavier Rush comes disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes—all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediately yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Like, really wrong. Of course, there’s nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wrong��

. . . unless, of course, he can admit he made a mistake. But after one incredible and seemingly endless date—possibly the best in living history—Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that her family is in crisis and any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moment, as crushing as that may be.

Only no amount of distance or time is nearly enough to forget that something between them. And the only thing better than one single perfect memory is to make a life—and even a love—worth remembering.]]> 368 Abby Jimenez 1538759195 Sac 0 to-read 4.23 2025
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Sac
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read
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]]> 217182537 You Had Me at Hola meets and��Dirty Dancing in��this��enemies-to-lovers rom-com��set in Puerto Rico's��music industry.

Daniela is risk-averse, blazer-obsessed, and likes to be taken seriously. So when she lands an interview for a publicist position��at a record label, she’s prepared for anything. Except for working with the genre of music she hates ��reggaeton. It's supposed to inspire sensual hip-swinging dance moves and Dani’s hips do not swing—not like that anyway. Out of desperation, Dani lies and says she loves reggaeton. But not only does Dani get the job, she gets a ticket to Puerto Rico . . . on a mission to clean up the scandalous image of international reggaeton singer Rene ‘El Rico�� Rodriguez.

Despite her best act, Dani’s dislike of his music and Rene's��prickly disposition is palpable, resulting in��them��butting��heads at every turn. Yet as the two spend more time together under the island’s sizzling sun, Dani realizes there’s more to Rene than his��rough edges and good looks. The man that many only see as a sex icon��actually cares about his music, community, and culture. Against her will, she slowly begins finding him harder to hate. And before she knows it, Rene is teaching Dani how to find the rhythm of the music and learn to let go. But will she ever be ready to acknowledge��the heat growing between them and put her heart on the line?]]> 400 Lissette Decos 1538706776 Sac 0 to-read 3.86
author: Lissette Decos
name: Sac
average rating: 3.86
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222376763 Hannah Grace
'A fresh, fun and fast-paced sports romance that readers won't be able to put down' Becka Mack
_______________________

Ella Davies didn’t trade her life in England for a year in Nashville to let anything—or anyone—throw her off her game. She only has one to prove herself on her new school’s elite cheer squad.

What she hadn’t planned for was meeting a gorgeous stranger on her first evening in America.

Hudson Fox is Whitland’s prized possession, a star quarterback who’s never lacked admirers. But this year, he's sworn off temptation—especially the new English cheerleader who’s proving impossible to ignore.

When Ella and Hudson are forced to spend more time together, their "just one night" pact soon shatters.

Until tumbling from the pyramid becomes the least of Ella’s worries. Because instead of hitting the mat, she's falling hard for the quarterback. . .
_______________________

Praise for Game On:

'Sexy, fun and sprinkled with the best things of a sports romance, I devoured Game On!' Elena Armas

'A spicy and tender romance' Hannah Bonam-Young

'Game On tackles new beginnings, healing, and the thrill of unexpected love' Bal Khabra

'Game On flies high and lands with grace, the kind of sports romance that has you rooting for both leads—as individuals and as a couple—from the first page until the last' Simone Soltani]]> 336 Ki Stephens 1250407842 Sac 0 to-read 3.79
author: Ki Stephens
name: Sac
average rating: 3.79
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/07
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]]> 211004216 The first book in ten years from #1 NYT bestselling author Nicholas Perricone, M.D. introduces the beauty molecule—acetylcholine (AcH)—and delivers a program anyone can put into practice today to begin seeing benefits to their skin and overall health in 21 days.Skin is the largest organ in the body, and also can be the body’s canary in a many skin conditions, from acne and rosacea to eczema and psoriasis, can be flags for larger underlying disease and deterioration. Nicholas Perricone, M.D. has spent decades researching cellular health and its connection to both beauty and disease. Despite huge success in both book sales and product sales, he hasn’t stopped scientific exploration. Building on his original work with his most recent observations and clinical experience, THE BEAUTY MOLECULE to slow mitochondrial aging with amino acids, glycine and N-Acetyl cysteineTap the power of master metabolic regulatorsThe Vagus nerve/beauty molecule connectionThe magic bullet is hydrogen—small but mighty, and able to forestall and reverse cellular degeneration. It can restore muscle tone in body and skin, improve learning and memory, and lead to external radiance and a stronger shot at a healthy longer lifespan—it’s a true mind-beauty connection. Dr. Perricone’s new anti-inflammation diet features hydrogen water (Dr. Perricone sells a proprietary brand of H water, but gives readers the formula to make their own with distilled water and inexpensive tablets they can buy online) and a robust eating plan that includes nuts, seeds, cruciferous vegetables, grass-fed beef, specific beans (particularly kidney beans), free-range poultry, dairy and eggs. It’s far from restrictive, and points readers who may have unintentionally been starving their skin—and their mitochondria—toward nourishing themselves. On top of food, Dr. Perricone’s complete Beauty Molecule Program includes breathing, movement, sunlight, and topicals—everything within reach of readers.THE BEAUTY MOLECULE introduces Antioxidant 3.0, and ushers in a new era of smart beauty.]]> 256 Nicholas Perricone 1250286794 Sac 0 to-read 4.00
author: Nicholas Perricone
name: Sac
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/07
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]]> 214151565 A read-in-one-night suspense thriller narrated by a compulsive liar whose little white lies allow her to enter into the life and comfort of a wealthy married couple who are harboring much darker secrets themselves. For the millions of us still chasing those gone girls, this is perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Lucy Foley, and Laura Dave.

Sloane Caraway is a liar.

Harmless lies, mostly, to make her self-proclaimed sad, little life a bit more interesting.

So when Sloane sees a young girl in tears at a park one afternoon, she can't help herself—she tells the girl's (very attractive) dad she's a nurse and helps him pull a bee stinger from the girl's foot.

With this lie, and chance encounter, Sloane becomes the nanny for the wealthy, and privileged Jay and Violet Lockhart. The perfect New York couple, with a brownstone, a daughter in private school, and summers on Block Island.

But maybe Sloane isn't the only one lying, and all that's picture-perfect harbors a much more dangerous truth. To say anything more is to spoil the most exciting, twisty, and bitingly smart suspense novel to come out in years.

The thing about lies is that they add up, form their own truth and a twisted prison of a world. And in Count My Lies, Sophie Stava spins a breakneck, unputdownable thriller about the secrets we keep, and the terrifying dangers that lurk just under the images we spend so much time trying to maintain.

Careful what you lie for.]]> 336 Sophie Stava 1668079348 Sac 0 to-read 3.74 2025
author: Sophie Stava
name: Sac
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/07
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]]> 215626809 A 6'5 NHL goalie walks into a bar and meets the love of his life...no, this isn't the start of a bad joke.

I had a chance encounter in a dimly lit bar that led to an earth-shattering kiss with a beautiful stranger.

But then the next morning my world is rocked again--when I walk inside my team captain's house and see her.

Farrah Remington isn't a mysterious stranger after all, she's the little sister of my captain and best friend. A woman firmly off limits to anyone on the D.C. Eagles.

Now, I have to pretend that kiss never happened. But the more I see Farrah, the hotter our chemistry burns, and the stronger our connection grows--until we can't resist each other any longer.

Sneaking around isn't ideal, but what my team captain doesn't know won't hurt him (or piss him off in the middle of the Stanley Cup playoffs).

I'm with my dream girl and my team is sailing through playoffs...until the truth comes out.

Now my team captain hates me, I can't keep pucks out of my net to save my life, and the woman I love won't speak to me.

Can I save my relationship, my friendship, and enough goals to help the D.C. Eagles finally win the Cup...or will I get shut out of Farrah's life forever?

Secret or Shutout is a dual POV, fade-to-black romance that can be read as a stand alone. This work of fiction contains mild language, depictions of PCOS, infertility, and divorce. If you are sensitive to these subjects, please use this content warning to make an informed decision about reading this book.]]> 338 Leah Brunner Sac 0 currently-reading 4.22 2025
author: Leah Brunner
name: Sac
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> 485894 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 0553213695 / 9780553213690

"As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. He was laying on his hard, as it were armor-plated, back and when he lifted his head a little he could see his domelike brown belly divided into stiff arched segments on top of which the bed quilt could hardly keep in position and was about to slide off completely. His numerous legs, which were pitifully thin compared to the rest of his bulk, waved helplessly before his eyes."

With it's startling, bizarre, yet surprisingly funny first opening, Kafka begins his masterpiece, The Metamorphosis. It is the story of a young man who, transformed overnight into a giant beetle-like insect, becomes an object of disgrace to his family, an outsider in his own home, a quintessentially alienated man. A harrowing—though absurdly comic—meditation on human feelings of inadequacy, guilt, and isolation, The Metamorphosis has taken its place as one of the most widely read and influential works of twentieth-century fiction. As W.H. Auden wrote, "Kafka is important to us because his predicament is the predicament of modern man."]]> 201 Franz Kafka 0553213695 Sac 0 currently-reading 3.90 1915
author: Franz Kafka
name: Sac
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1915
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/01
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]]> 228320413
At least, that’s what I thought—until I met Conor Nilsen. In truth, I didn’t know he was the goalie for the Chicago Falcons when he struck up a conversation the night of my bachelorette party.

He proved he wasn’t just some hot guy looking to score when he helped me get my drunk bridesmaid safely back to our hotel. That’s when he discovered my 30-before-30 bucket list—a list I hadn’t managed to check a single item off.

What was meant to be a night of stargazing turned into so much more. The chemistry between us was undeniable, and after one innocent night together, I started to question everything—especially my upcoming wedding to a man I wasn’t sure loved me.

Fast forward to my wedding day, and just as I’m standing at the altar, Conor bursts through the church doors to object. And now, somehow, I’m his roommate. Yikes.]]> 356 Piper Rayne Sac 4 3.91 2025
author: Piper Rayne
name: Sac
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves:
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Swoony! Cute, funny, romantic!
]]> 223603274 Grey’s Anatomy, meet Northern Exposure��

Lee Tipton, MD, takes running from her past to an extreme, hotfooting it from Georgia to a temporary position at Yukon Valley Hospital in chilly Alaska. Her newly purchased winter gear may protect her from the elements, but no amount of insulation can protect her from her deep-seated fear that a romantic partner will once again use her for personal gains. Despite the hospital staff’s matchmaking efforts, Lee swears she has no interest in the town’s cocky lead paramedic, even if his sexy smile sets off palpitations.

Maverick Steen learned his one simple rule of romance the hard way: no dating outsiders. That includes the hospital’s newest fish-out-of-water doctor, whom he finds himself paired with as they navigate critical care cases and snowmachine accidents. Yet when Lee embraces the beauty in the Alaskan interior and cottons to his sled dog team of misfits, suddenly, Maverick’s heart—and his bed—feel a whole lot warmer.

But can they say yes to love before Lee’s assignment ends?]]> 260 Jillian David 1965640672 Sac 0 to-read 4.60
author: Jillian David
name: Sac
average rating: 4.60
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
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]]> 223138604 It’s Not What You’re Thinking by Dr. Rick van Pelt addresses the deep-rooted crises in healthcare—escalating costs, persistent safety issues, and the overwhelming burnout of caregivers. In this groundbreaking work, van Pelt introduces "Precision Problem Solving," a fresh, no-hypothesis approach that reveals how entrenched problem-solving methods have failed to transform the healthcare landscape. His methodology rejects conventional thinking and instead focuses on addressing conflict to create safe learning conditions, objective observation, and sustained solutions through comprehensive understanding of core functional problems.

With over thirty years of clinical experience, van Pelt outlines practical solutions for navigating the chaotic intricacies of healthcare. For example, he discusses how misaligned approaches to patient safety have hindered progress and why fragmented management systems continue to exacerbate burnout. He also explores the importance of interprofessional collaboration, offering insights into how healthcare systems can foster empowerment and ownership by eliminating conflict and focusing on comprehensive understanding.

This book offers a much-needed alternative for healthcare leaders, professionals, and administrators seeking to enact lasting, transformative change. It provides a methodology along with tools designed for practical implementation in complex environments where the stakes are high. It’s Not What You’re Thinking is essential reading for anyone ready to challenge the status quo and build a more reliable, sustainable system.]]> 253 Rick van Pelt 1642258490 Sac 0 to-read 2.67
author: Rick van Pelt
name: Sac
average rating: 2.67
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
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]]> 213395568 An astrophysicist’s reflection on how shifts in perspective have transformed our understanding of the cosmos.


When Neil Armstrong first set foot in the lunar dust, his action forever changed our view of what was possible. Once something new alters our perspective, a transformation starts. In The Story of Astrophysics in Five Revolutions, Ersilia Vaudo explores five such turning points in the history of Newton’s realization that gravity governs the celestial world; Einstein’s two theories of relativity, linking space with time and gravity with acceleration; Hubble’s revelation of an expanding universe; and the emergence of antiparticles and their implications for our cosmic evolution.


But we still have much to learn. We are navigating through shifting reference points, abandoned convictions, observations that surprise us, technologies that evolve—always waiting impatiently for new measurements, new questions. Vaudo illuminates the key insights that have led us to where we are today, but above all she urges us to look beyond, in an ongoing quest to understand the cosmos and our place in it.]]> 224 Ersilia Vaudo 132408927X Sac 0 to-read 4.40
author: Ersilia Vaudo
name: Sac
average rating: 4.40
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
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]]> 13621089
She knows that a cat has 32 muscles in each ear, a "jiffy" lasts 1/100th of a second, and the average person laughs 15 times per day. What she isn't quite so sure about is why nobody at school seems to like her very much. So when she's spotted by a top model agent, Harriet grabs the chance to reinvent herself. Even if it means stealing her Best Friend's dream, incurring the wrath of her arch enemy Alexa, and repeatedly humiliating herself in front of the impossibly handsome supermodel Nick. Even if it means lying to the people she loves.

As Harriet veers from one couture disaster to the next with the help of her overly enthusiastic father and her uber-geeky stalker, Toby, she begins to realise that the world of fashion doesn't seem to like her any more than the real world did.

And as her old life starts to fall apart, the question is: will Harriet be able to transform herself before she ruins everything?]]> 378 Holly Smale 0007489447 Sac 0 tbr-pile-2025 3.75 2013
author: Holly Smale
name: Sac
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: tbr-pile-2025
review:

]]> 217534420
Regan Fletcher
I used to have big dreams: finish college, make beautiful art, all while taking over my dad’s business. He wanted a legacy, and I wanted to give it to him. But his illness wasn’t part of the plan. Neither was his sudden need to keep me locked up in our mansion, safe and isolated. I want more from life, but could only spend my days waiting. Until one night, I came face-to-face with a street biker from a world far different from mine. What starts as him stalking me, quickly spirals into something deeper, and more deadly. I’m falling for a man who’s everything I should fear, yet he’s the only one who’s ever made me feel truly alive. But loving him means risking everything—my heart, my future, and my father.

Rook Emberson
Revenge has been my driving force for as long as I can remember. Cameron Fletcher stole everything from me, and I’ve spent years plotting the perfect way to take it all back. When fate puts his daughter in my sights, I know I’ve found the key to his destruction. But from the moment I meet her, my plans begin to unravel. Regan is everything I didn’t expect and I can’t help but be drawn to her. What starts as a twisted game of vengeance turns into an obsession. I need her, but I also need to destroy her father.

The lines between love and vengeance blur, and I’m not sure where one ends and the other begins.]]> 381 Kate Crew Sac 0 currently-reading 3.86 2024
author: Kate Crew
name: Sac
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> 36329818
After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister, Scarlett, from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.

The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister's. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice, but now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever...

Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . the games have only just begun.]]> 451 Stephanie Garber 125009531X Sac 0 currently-reading 4.12 2018
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Sac
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/25
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review:

]]> 199020721 The bookworm and the basketball player are about to meet their match.

Kendall Holiday spends her Friday nights exactly where she wants to be: with her head buried in a spicy romance novel while she works the graveyard shift at her university's library. She knows she could join her friends for a weekend of drunken debauchery and college parties, but she likes her alone time, so she tells herself she isn't hiding when she gets lost in the pages of fictional love stories.

But that all changes when Vincent Knight, captain of the basketball team, turns up with an injured wrist, a sour mood, and a pressing need for poetry recommendations for a class he hates. Vincent is tall, smart-mouthed, and challenges Kendall like no one has before. Suddenly, she's falling headfirst into her very own romance novel—but it takes a lot more truth than tropes to get to a happy ever after in real life.

NIGHT SHIFT is a 75k-word sweet and spicy single-POV college romance perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Hannah Grace, and Elena Armas.]]> 283 Annie Crown Sac 4 Loved the MMC.
Overall a decent read.]]> 3.53 2023
author: Annie Crown
name: Sac
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves:
review:
I like how the friends call out the FMC when she tries to stay that “she is not like other girls/people��.
Loved the MMC.
Overall a decent read.
]]> 209447302
And who comes to bail me out? The smiling giant who was the source of my rage.

You’d think after I lost my shit on him, he’d give me a wide berth, but instead, he’s got it into his head that we’re together.

Like the guy is seriously unhinged, showing up at my house in the middle of the night, talking about our future children, and calling me Kitten.

In an attempt to get him to leave me alone, we strike a deal. I give him one date, and if I tell him to take a hike after that, he listens.

Too bad for him, this girl’s had enough of men controlling her life. The world I ran away from was a dangerous one, but Sasha Gusev's smile might be even more deadly.

Too bad for me, this goalie only has one goal: making me his. And no is not a word in his vocabulary.]]> 428 Siena Trap Sac 4 4.11
author: Siena Trap
name: Sac
average rating: 4.11
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves:
review:
Cute.. Mafia princess trying to live a normal life!!
]]> 214152028 The highly anticipated follow-up to Peyton Corinne’s “unputdownable and unforgettable�� (Bal Khabra, author of Collide) TikTok sensation Unsteady follows hopeless romantic Ro and player—on and off the ice—Freddy as their feelings for each other grow from strictly friendly to so much more.

Matt “Freddy�� Fedderic is all smiles—at least on the surface. On the ice, he’s the star left winger for the Waterfell Wolves with a stellar reputation in bed and a potential future in the NHL. But in the classroom, he’s barely scraping by on a 2.0 GPA, retaking dropped classes and struggling with a rough mix of dyslexia, dyscalculia, and ADHD. Freddy had plans to enter the NHL draft at eighteen, but then his estranged father added a “graduation�� clause to his inheritance, and now, he needs help to pass Biology with a professor who’s already betrayed him before.

Ro Shariff is a hopeless romantic with terrible luck in love—and now, Freddy’s new tutor. She keeps telling herself that she’s very happy with her on again/off again boyfriend, but Ro is desperate for real affection. As her tutoring sessions with Freddy lead to friendship and late-night phone calls, an undeniable heat begins to simmer between them, which they’re both trying desperately to ignore.

Although they are too protective of their newfound friendship to cross that line, Ro can’t stop thinking about how Freddy was her first kiss her freshman year at Waterfell, a spine-tingling moment seared into Ro’s memory that Freddy doesn’t seem to remember, and Freddy is determined to protect Ro from his reputation at all costs. Meanwhile, Ro wants to prove to him that despite what others have led him to believe, he’s worth more than his body. But maybe, just maybe, together they can learn how easily the right person can love every part of you, even your flaws.]]> 449 Peyton Corinne 1668068486 Sac 4 4.11 2025
author: Peyton Corinne
name: Sac
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves:
review:
Literally cannot wait to read the next one! Amazing world building
]]> 198853583
During last year’s Frozen Four, the Waterfell University hockey captain, and NHL legacy, took a brutal hit that left him with a concussion and a new discomfort on the ice. Plagued by nightmares and panic attacks every time he attempt to skate, Rhys wonders if he’ll ever play again �� if he’ll ever want to.

Sadie Brown is staying focused this semester �� no matter what.

Currently drowning in debt, custody hearings for her younger brothers and skating practices, she's just trying to make it to the next day. A spitfire figure skater known for her bad attitude and frequent disappearing acts, she has a reputation on campus. And it’s not a pretty one.

When she accidentally witnesses one of the golden boy hockey captain’s panic attacks and attempts to help him, a strange sort of understanding strikes up between them.

No questions asked. Just comfort.

But Rhys finds himself drawn to Sadie. Where he feels empty, a shell of the man and player he was before, Sadie is so full of everything it bursts from her; every emotion she feels seems like it’s blasted at max. Rhys is desperate to feel anything, Sadie wants to stop feeling so much.

But healing doesn’t mix with secrets, and they’re both skating a thin line, unsteady .]]> 384 Peyton Corinne Sac 4 3.82 2023
author: Peyton Corinne
name: Sac
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves:
review:

]]> 218309872 A small town principal rewriting her future. A big city lawyer running from his past. The secret that could tear them apart.

After getting dumped, Christy Thornbury has zero intentions of setting foot on Seddledowne soil ever again. But when the school board begs her to be their high school principal, she packs up her car and leaves her toxic family in the dry, Wyoming dust.

Serial dater, Holden Dupree, sprints faster than any woman can catch him. But when Christy’s sisters devise a humiliating scheme to find her a husband, Holden breaks the one self-imposed rule he’s lived by for the last decade. And now he’s stuck in a frustrating, all-cuddling, no-kissing, fake relationship with his brother’s gorgeous ex.

With chemistry hotter than a branding iron, can Christy keep her heart on lockdown while tucked safely in a playboy’s embrace? And will Holden finally lasso his demons, fight for the love he never thought he’d find, and come home to Dupree Ranch for good?

Perfect for readers who enjoy a love story with sizzle but no spice. Get ready for fake dating and forbidden love, dark pasts and daring rescues. But always a hard-earned happily ever after.]]> 286 Susan Henshaw Sac 4 3.98
author: Susan Henshaw
name: Sac
average rating: 3.98
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves:
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]]> 215533543 A white lie.

A secret boyfriend.

And a house with a mystery��

Second-grade teacher Ivy Marsh hits rock bottom when she finds herself homeless and secretly living in her car. When her Gran gifts her a run-down house, Ivy gets a shot at a fresh start. Determined not to disappoint her Gran, Ivy moves in and tackles the renovations herself.

Enter Ethan King—adventure-seeking contractor, flirtatious life of the party, and future brother-in-law to Ivy’s best friend. Once he gets roped into helping with Ivy’s fixer-upper, Ethan's playful charm turns insufferably bossy whenever she’s around. Their constant bickering heats up as they uncover the house's decades-old secrets together.

Ethan is determined to show Ivy she’s capable of more than she realizes, But Ivy fears disappointing her Gran and letting her life unravel even further. As tempting as Ethan’s promises sound, the walls around her heart threaten to keep her from taking risks and building their happily ever after.]]> 352 Cindy Ras Sac 4 3.72
author: Cindy Ras
name: Sac
average rating: 3.72
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves:
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]]> 60568471
It couldn’t save their marriage.

Yasmen wasn’t prepared for how her life fell apart, but she is finally starting to find joy again. She and Josiah have found a new rhythm, co-parenting their two kids and running a thriving business together. Yet like magnets, they’re always drawn back to each other, and now they’re beginning to wonder if they’re truly ready to let go of everything they once had.

Soon, one stolen kiss leads to another…and then more. It's hot. It's illicit. It's all good—until old wounds reopen. Is it too late for them to find forever? Or could they even be better, the second time around?

Award-winning and bestselling "powerhouse" author Kennedy Ryan is at her absolute best in this compelling, scorching novel about hope and healing, and what it truly means to love for a lifetime (USA Today).]]> 391 Kennedy Ryan 1538706792 Sac 5 4.32 2022
author: Kennedy Ryan
name: Sac
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
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]]> 182762109 fixes��everything. She’s a domestic goddess who's never met a party she couldn't host or a charge she couldn't lead. The one with all the answers and the perfect vinaigrette��for that summer salad. But none of her varied talents can save her when catastrophe strikes, and the life she built with the man who was supposed to be her forever, goes��poof��in a cloud of betrayal and disillusion.

But there is no time to pout or sulk, or even grieve the life she lost.��She's too��busy keeping a roof over her daughters' heads and food on the table.��And in the process of saving them all, Soledad rediscovers herself. From the ashes of a life burned to the ground, something bold and new can rise.

But then an unlikely man enters the picture—the forbidden one, the one she shouldn't want but can't seem to resist. She's lost it all before and refuses to repeat her��mistakes. Can she trust him? Can she trust��herself?

After all she's lost . . .and found . . .can she be brave enough to make room for what could be?]]> 416 Kennedy Ryan 1538706822 Sac 5 4.37 2024
author: Kennedy Ryan
name: Sac
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves:
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]]> 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 Sac 0 currently-reading 4.35 2019
author: Caroline Criado Pérez
name: Sac
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 84550014 The brazen woman denies my cash offer along with my proposal for a more intimate payment. How much loss can a man take in one day?
At this point, who cares how rude I am to her? She’s public enemy number one and chances of seeing her again are slim to none. That is, until she appears at the arena the next morning as the newest marketing rep for the Chicago Red Tails hockey team.
Just my luck.
Carissa Smallson is feisty, outspoken, and boldly confident. She's also funny, down to earth, and…ugh, she’s insanely pretty. Everything about her is both unbelievably annoying and terrifyingly attractive.
As Captain of the team, I’m always laser focused on my job, but lately I can’t stop thinking about her. I lead my team to victory night after night. Hustle, hit, and never quit.
But if I’m not careful, she could knock me off my game.]]> 345 Susan Renee Sac 0 2023-reads 3.95
author: Susan Renee
name: Sac
average rating: 3.95
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2023/03/02
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: 2023-reads
review:

]]> 4671 The only edition of the beloved classic that is authorized by Fitzgerald’s family and from his lifelong publisher.

This edition is the enduring original text, updated with the author’s own revisions, a foreword by his granddaughter, and with a new introduction by National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward.

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. First published by Scribner in 1925, this quintessential novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the mysteriously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.]]> 180 F. Scott Fitzgerald 0743273567 Sac 0 to-read 3.93 1925
author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
name: Sac
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1925
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 198137731 From the bestselling author of Funny You Should Ask comes an inspiring romance novel about honoring the past, living in the present, and loving for the future.

In her small Montana hometown, Lauren Parker has assumed a few different roles: teenage hellraiser; sister of superstar Gabe Parker; and most recently, tragically widowed single mother. She’s never cared much about labels or what people thought about her, but dealing with her grief has slowly revealed that she’s become adrift in her own life.

Then she meets the devilishly handsome actor Ben Walsh on the set of her brother’s new movie. They have instant chemistry, and Lauren realizes that it has been far too long since someone has really and truly seen her. Her rebellious spirit spurs her to dive headfirst into her desire, but when a sexy encounter becomes something more, Lauren finds herself balancing old roles and new possibilities.

There’s still plenty to contend with: small-town rumors, the complications of Ben’s fame, and her daughter’s unpredictable moods. An unexpected fling seemed simple at the time—so when did everything with Ben get so complicated? And is there enough room in her life for the woman Lauren wants to be? Alternating between Lauren’s past with Spencer and her present with Ben, Totally and Completely Fine illuminates what it means to find a life-changing love and be true to oneself in the process.]]> 448 Elissa Sussman 0593725174 Sac 0 to-read 4.06 2025
author: Elissa Sussman
name: Sac
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
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]]> 222376487 Is it time to renew love or start a new chapter?

Ingrid Dahl, a cheerful twenty-nine-year-old librarian in the cozy mountain town of Ridgetop, North Carolina, has been happily dating her college boyfriend, Cory, for eleven years without ever discussing marriage. But when Ingrid’s sister announces her engagement to a woman she’s only been dating for two years, Ingrid and Cory feel pressured to consider their future. Neither has ever been with anybody else, so they make an unconventional decision. They'll take a one-month break to date other people, then they'll reunite and move toward marriage. Ingrid even has someone in mind: her charmingly grumpy coworker, Macon Nowakowski, on whom she’s secretly crushed for years. But plans go awry, and when the month ends, Ingrid and Cory realize they’re not ready to resume their relationship�� and Ingrid’s harmless crush on Macon has turned into something much more complicated.

Overdue is a beautiful, slow-burn romance full of lust and longing about new beginnings and finding your way.]]> 416 Stephanie Perkins 1250313465 Sac 0 to-read 3.89 2025
author: Stephanie Perkins
name: Sac
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 224004053
Good looks and wads of cash usually get me whatever I desire, unless I desire a box of my favorite cereal at the grocery store right before it closes. As if tonight’s loss wasn’t bad enough, I'm now watching said box of cereal, my literal good luck charm, disappear in some woman’s cart.

The brazen woman denies my cash offer along with my proposal for a more intimate payment. How much loss can a man take in one day?

At this point, who cares how rude I am to her? She’s public enemy number one and chances of seeing her again are slim to none. That is, until she appears at the arena the next morning as the newest marketing rep for the Chicago Red Tails hockey team.

Just my luck.

Carissa Smallson is feisty, outspoken, and boldly confident. She's also funny, down to earth, and…ugh, she’s insanely pretty. Everything about her is both unbelievably annoying and terrifyingly attractive.

As Captain of the team, I’m always laser focused on my job, but lately I can’t stop thinking about her. I lead my team to victory night after night. Hustle, hit, and never quit.

But if I’m not careful, she could knock me off my game.]]> 304 Susan Renee 1964264154 Sac 0 to-read 3.62
author: Susan Renee
name: Sac
average rating: 3.62
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220262236 The #1 International bestselling author of On Dublin Street is back with this witty, emotional and steamy fake-dating sports romance in which ambitious entrepreneur, Beth Carmichael, meets her match in the grumpy football captain who moves into the apartment above hers.

Imagine my surprise when my new neighbor turns out to be one of Scotland’s most famous (and hottest) professional footballers, Callan Keen. I’m even more shocked to discover that the brooding player is still holding a grudge for something that happened (or didn’t happen) between us years ago.

Too busy trying to take my social media management company to the next level, I don’t have time for this gorgeous blast from the past. Or at least I shouldn’t. Yet whenever I see him, I can’t help but engage in a battle of wits with the grump upstairs.

When a huge client opportunity arises, circumstances force me to enlist Callan’s help. I require a fake date and Callan needs me to facilitate a meeting with my dad to further his own business interests.

The deal between us should be simple. Except, of course, the blazing chemistry we’ve shared since the moment we met. We can’t deny it, we can’t control it, and soon we’re agreeing to six weeks of no-strings-attached, mind-blowing, steamy shenanigans.

I told myself I was too smart to catch feelings. But when Callan finally finds out the truth about our past, he becomes the guy I used to know. And that man is way too easy to fall for.

The problem is that Callan has vowed to never let another person close enough to break his heart again.

It just might prove impossible to show my stubborn Scotsman I’m worth the risk, especially when old wounds are re-opened and threaten to wreck any chance of a future together…]]> 440 Samantha Young 1915243270 Sac 0 to-read 3.98 2025
author: Samantha Young
name: Sac
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 219494869 Why do so many conversations leave us feeling unheard and disconnected? In Deep Listening, acclaimed BBC journalist, accredited executive coach, and mediator Emily Kasriel argues that it’s because we've forgotten how to truly listen.

Distracted by our own agenda, we so often hear without understanding, impatiently waiting for our turn to speak. In this exploration of transformational listening, Kasriel shows how shifting from surface-level exchanges to Deep Listening can enrich our relationships as friends, parents, and partners, enhance our effectiveness as leaders, and strengthen the fabric of our communities. At a time when divisions within communities, organizations, and families are often a source of profound pain, this book offers inspiration and practical guidance on how we can better listen to each other, even when we fiercely disagree.

Drawing on scientific studies, new research, and powerful stories from legendary listeners in politics, business, and the arts, Kasriel unveils her simple yet transformative eight-step approach. With Deep Listening as your guide, you’ll learn to become a better family member, friend, co-worker and citizen.

At once a practical guide and a heartfelt manifesto, this groundbreaking book challenges us to rethink our approach to listening and in doing so, transform our lives from the inside out. Whether readers seek to strengthen their empathy, boost their performance at work, or foster genuine understanding across cultural, political, and generational divides, Deep Listening provides the tools and inspiration to unlock the power of lasting, meaningful connections.]]> 352 Emily Kasriel 0063352982 Sac 0 to-read 4.67
author: Emily Kasriel
name: Sac
average rating: 4.67
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 39508663 A life-affirming anthem to kindness and self-sacrifice, The Travelling Cat Chronicles shows how the smallest things can provide the greatest joy.

We take journeys to explore exotic new places and to return to the comforts of home, to visit old acquaintances and to make new friends. But the most important journey is the one that shows us how to follow our hearts . . .

An instant international bestseller, The Travelling Cat Chronicles has charmed readers around the world. With simple yet descriptive prose, this novel gives voice to Nana the cat and his owner, Satoru, as they take to the road on a journey with no other purpose than to visit three of Satoru's longtime friends. Or so Nana is led to believe . . .

With his crooked tail--a sign of good fortune--and adventurous spirit, Nana is the perfect companion for the man who took him in as a stray. And as they travel in a silver van across Japan, with its ever-changing scenery and seasons, they will learn the true meaning of courage and gratitude, of loyalty and love.]]> 277 Hiro Arikawa 0451491335 Sac 0 to-read 4.38 2012
author: Hiro Arikawa
name: Sac
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 39320556 Adam Silvera reminds us that there’s no life without death and no love without loss in this devastating yet uplifting story about two people whose lives change over the course of one unforgettable day.

New York Times bestseller *��4 starred reviews *��A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year * A Kirkus Best Book of the Year * A Booklist Editors' Choice of 2017 * A Bustle Best YA Novel of 2017 * A Paste Magazine Best YA Book of 2017 * A Book Riot Best Queer Book of 2017 * A Buzzfeed Best YA Book of the Year * A BookPage Best YA Book of the Year

On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today.

Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day.

In the tradition of Before I Fall and If I Stay, They Both Die at the End is a tour de force from acclaimed author Adam Silvera, whose debut, More Happy Than Not, the New York Times called “profound.”]]> 389 Adam Silvera 0062457802 Sac 0 to-read 3.83 2017
author: Adam Silvera
name: Sac
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214151967 Is it really possible to change your entire personality in a year? The Atlantic journalist Olga Khazan proves that it is in Me, But Better, which covers her year-long experiment in personality change. Perfect for fans of 10% Happier and Year of Yes.

In recent years, Olga Khazan had been spiraling toward an existential crisis. Though she treasured her loving, long-term relationship and her dream job, she often caught herself snatching dissatisfaction from the jaws of happiness. Her neurotic overachieving had always been a professional asset, but lately, Olga felt that her brittle disposition could shatter under the weight of just one more thing. She knew something had to give—but was it really possible to change her entire approach to life?

In Me, But Better, Olga embarks on a year-long experiment to see if it’s truly possible to change your personality, sample one. Scientifically, personality consists of five sliding-scale extroversion (how sociable you are); conscientiousness (how self-disciplined and organized you are); agreeableness (how warm and empathetic you are); openness (how receptive you are to new ideas and activities); and neuroticism (how depressed or anxious you are). But research shows that you can alter these traits by consistently behaving in ways that align with the kind of person you’d like to be. And that, in turn, can make you happier, healthier, and more successful.

So, for one year, Olga decided to fake it until she made it. She reluctantly clicked “yes�� on a bucket list of new experiences, from meditation to improv to sailing, that forced her to at least act happy, healthy, and well-adjusted, in the hope that she would actually become those things. With a skeptic’s eye, Olga brings you on her personal journey through the science of personality, presenting evidence-backed techniques to change your mind for the better. Based on her viral article in The Atlantic, Me, But Better is a probing inquiry into what it means to live a fulfilling life, and how you can keep diving into change, no matter how uncomfortable it feels.]]> 288 Olga Khazan 1668012545 Sac 0 to-read 3.93
author: Olga Khazan
name: Sac
average rating: 3.93
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 219446175
Following a string of scandals and substandard grades, Chase is on thin ice with his teammates and tyrannical coach. The last thing he needs is to have his focus and loyalty called into question by fraternizing with his team's #1 rival. But a beautiful stranger who throws herself at him one night is too tempting to pass up... Until she throws up on his shoes.

Caught in the midst of a bitter rivalry that extends far beyond the arena, Bailey and Chase are on opposite sides of the bench. He's worked his entire life to secure a future in the NHL. She's tagged along for the ride while her brother Derek, star defensive for the Bruder College Bulldogs, has done the same. Fraternizing with the enemy is definitely out of the question. Except this enemy is impossible to resist.

*

Please This listing is for the published, revised version of Offside only as there will be some substantial edits and changes.

To review the Wattpad version, please find the other listing for Offside.]]> 560 Avery Keelan 1250400600 Sac 0 to-read 3.89 2019
author: Avery Keelan
name: Sac
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 205975210
This book will take you through:

Practical techniques for self-reflection and introspection, enabling you to tap into your inner wisdom and resilience.
Strategies for navigating self-exploration, managing emotions effectively, and fostering healthier relationships.
Actionable steps to create personalized systems that facilitate ongoing growth and success in overcoming present challenges.
Through addressing common problems people face within the realms of identity, emotions, and relationships, Rabbi Stein provides a roadmap for acknowledging broader wisdom and strategies that apply to specific issues. Employing poignant stories and insightful anecdotes, Rediscover Your Wisdom invites you to see the larger thread that connects your daily challenges and create systems and reminders that will help you grow and succeed.]]> 236 Rabbi Joel Stein Sac 0 to-read 4.33
author: Rabbi Joel Stein
name: Sac
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218155603 In this uplifting series debut, forgiveness and unlikely friendship blossom in the haven of a quiet lakeside town when two very different women bond over one man’s betrayals.

Marlow Heddings is starting over. She’s carried the outrage of her husband Dylan’s affair with a younger woman—and the expectations of his family’s powerful Chicago holdings company—long enough. Now, after another devastating twist of fate, she’s unapologetically moving on.

Arriving in tiny Bramble, Kentucky, Marlow revels in her freedom, swapping her executive suits for sundresses . . . and scouting places to open her dream boutique. Best of all is her new residence, an adorable cottage with gorgeous lake views—and a breathtaking landlord, former Marine Cort Easton. Soon they’re sharing dockside morning coffee and nighttime firefly gazing. Marlow’s new life feels like a dream.

Then Pixie Nolan arrives on her doorstep. With a shocking secret.

To Marlow’s astonishment, Dylan’s “other woman�� is a desperate girl of nineteen, destitute, exhausted, and disowned by her family. Defying her manipulative in-laws�� demands, and surprising even herself, Marlow vows to lay down roots in Bramble and help Pixie get on her feet. Then they’ll part ways. But empathy has a way of forging bonds. As Marlow grows close to the hard-working, devoted young woman, she becomes something of a big sister to Pixie.

Now, with each sunrise, Marlow awakens to the life she was truly meant to live, one filled with deepening connections, supportive friendship . . . and even a second chance at love.]]> 304 Lori Foster 1496752341 Sac 0 to-read 4.42 2025
author: Lori Foster
name: Sac
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
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]]> 222894045
My name is Rachel Price, and two months ago I walked away from The Perfect Man—sweet, funny, and so sexy he should be illegal. We shared one magical night. No names. No strings. I never thought I’d see him again. I was wrong.

As it turns out, Mr. Perfect is the playboy grinder for the Jacksonville Rays, the NHL’s hottest new hockey team . . . and thanks to the ten-month fellowship I just landed, I’m his new physical therapist. Imagine my anticipation as those familiar muscled legs walk towards me, the way my pulse races as he reaches out to . . . shake my hand. The jerk doesn’t even recognize me!

This is going to be the longest ten months of my life. Because now Mr. Perfect Mistake is determined to use his every seductive trick to win me back. Meanwhile, I also have to contend with his best friend the surly team equipment manager, and an exasperatingly stubborn, superstitious goalie who’s convinced I’m his good luck charm.

This is my chance to prove myself, and I’m not risking it for anything. But between one unexpected night, and one secret revealed, these men are ready to test all my limits. Still, I can’t fall for a player—let alone three. Or can I?]]> 640 Emily Rath 149675879X Sac 0 to-read 4.01 2023
author: Emily Rath
name: Sac
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
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]]> 220175562
Is it suicide or�� sacrifice?

Agent Swanson brings in archaeologist Nora Kelly to investigate. When a second body is found—exactly like the other—the two realize the case runs deeper than they imagined. As Corrie and Nora pursue their investigation into remote canyons, haunted ruins, and long-lost rituals, they find themselves confronting a dark power that, disturbed from its long slumber, threatens to exact an unspeakable price.]]> 368 Douglas Preston 1538765829 Sac 0 to-read 4.27
author: Douglas Preston
name: Sac
average rating: 4.27
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
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]]> 216247547 A fast-paced, witty, and delightful new mystery about a marriage proposal planner whose biggest job yet is threatened by a dead body (or two).

Jessamine Bricker loves a plan. Contingency plans and pros-and-cons lists are her love language, and because of that, her proposal planning business is thriving. But with rent costs rising at her office building, Jess jumps at the chance to plan a proposal between her snobby high school classmate, Diana, and her very wealthy boyfriend, Trenton Tillard…the Fourth.

Roped into joining Diana’s ”pre-bridal�� retreat at the exclusive Golden Ash resort, Jess hopes to fade into the background, get some work done, and maybe find some time to unwind. Their first day is anything but relaxing: Diana is furious about the mountain spa’s lack of cell phone reception, the couple next door argues constantly, and Jess swears she just saw a drug deal go down. To top it all off, she’s warned to stay out of the woods by the gruff and sexy chef, Dean Osbourne. Is this a retreat or a horror movie?

As Jess tries to do her job while placating the bride-to-be and her increasingly over-the-top demands, she spends more and more time with the resort owners, finding herself much more in tune with the laid-back Osbourne family than her social climbing “boss.�� Between a meditation garden-related drowning and Jess’s discovery of a body in a sauna, it's clear that deadly secrets abound at the Golden Ash. Now it’s up to Jess to unravel the mysteries here in the mountains—before all her plans are cancelled…permanently.]]> 352 Molly Harper 059381732X Sac 0 to-read 3.92 2025
author: Molly Harper
name: Sac
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/08
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]]> 59571997
Louisa’s father,��a retired judge and pillar of the community, is suffering from Alzheimer’s. Louisa’s mother is alternately pretending everything is fine and not pretending at all. And one of Louisa’s children happens upon a very confusing and heartfelt letter referring to something Louisa does not think her father could possibly have done. She is not the only one searching for something in Maine this summer.

Kristie took the Greyhound bus from Pennsylvania with the $761 left in her bank account and a whole lot of emotional baggage. She has a past she is trying to outrun, a secret she is trying to unpack, and a new boyfriend who is so kind she cannot figure out what she did to deserve him. As June turns to July turns to August, secrets will be unearthed; betrayals will come to light; and��both Louisa and Kristie will ask themselves what they are owed and what they owe others.]]> 384 Meg Mitchell Moore 0063026120 Sac 0 to-read 3.48 2022
author: Meg Mitchell Moore
name: Sac
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/08
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]]> 218129471 From national bestselling author Meg Mitchell Moore comes a sparkling new novel following a young woman entwined in the opulent lives of her neighbors on Block Island, set against a backdrop of scandal, secrets, and a not-so-subtle love triangle, perfect for readers of Pineapple Street and Sex and Vanity.

“An unputdownable modern-day take on The Great Gatsby. I gobbled it up.�� —J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times bestselling author

It’s the beginning of the summer, and Nicola Carr has just arrived on Block Island, RI, eager for a fresh start and some R&R. But her plans for a tranquil summer are derailed as the extravagant parties from the grand home next door pique her curiosity. She soon discovers the home belongs to Juliana George, an enigmatic entrepreneur with a past shrouded in mystery.

Juliana George, CEO and founder of a hot fashion-tech company, is at the top of her game. She’s spending the summer on Block Island preparing for a major IPO. But she’s chasing her dreams in more ways than one. This summer she hopes to rekindle a flame with a man from her past—a man who has a surprising connection to her neighbor Nicola.

Taylor Buchanan, the wife of Nicola’s cousin, is second-in-command of a real estate empire. Her life is exactly the way she planned it: she has the wealth, the family, the prestige, and the power. And there’s nothing she’ll let get in her way of Having It All. But when everything suddenly verges on the edge of collapse, she has no choice but to take matters into her own hands.

As Nicola, Juliana, and Taylor’s summers unfold, the three women are set on a collision course that leads to inevitable self-discovery, unforgivable betrayal, an unavoidable love triangle—and, most unexpectedly, a dead body.

A sophisticated escapist novel filled with light humor and surprising observations, Mansion Beach explores the depth of human relationships, our cruelly classist society, and the price of secrets that refuse to stay buried.]]> 336 Meg Mitchell Moore 0063336960 Sac 0 to-read 3.88 2025
author: Meg Mitchell Moore
name: Sac
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/08
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]]> 218671812 From the��New York Times��bestselling author of��The Kind Worth Killing�����Ի���Eight Perfect Murders��comes an inventive, utterly propulsive murder-mystery in reverse, tracing a marriage back in time to uncover the dark secret at its heart.

Thom and Wendy Graves have been married for over twenty-five years. They live in a beautiful Victorian on the north shore of Massachusetts. Wendy is a published poet and Thom teaches English literature at a nearby university. Their son, Jason, is all grown up. All is well…except that Wendy wants to murder her husband.

What happens next has everything to do with what happened before. The story of Wendy and Thom’s marriage is told in reverse, moving backward through time to witness key moments from the couple’s lives—their fiftieth birthday party, buying their home, Jason’s birth, the mysterious death of a work colleague—all painting a portrait of a marriage defined by a single terrible act they plotted together many years ago.

Eventually we learn the details of what Thom and Wendy did in their early twenties, a secret that has kept them bound together through the length of their marriage. But its power over them is fraying, and each of them begins to wonder if they would be better off making sure their spouse carries their secrets to the grave.]]> 288 Peter Swanson 0063433621 Sac 0 to-read 3.59 2025
author: Peter Swanson
name: Sac
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216971220 What could accidentally moving into a house with thirty feral cats teach you about going viral, surviving capitalism, and the importance of community? Kind of a lot, actually.

When Courtney Gustafson moved into a rental house in the Poets Square neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, she didn’t know that the property came with thirty feral cats. Focused only on her own survival—in a new relationship, during a pandemic, with poor mental health and a job that didn’t pay enough—Courtney was reluctant to spend any of her own time or money caring for the wayward animals.��

But the cats—their pleading eyes, their ribs showing, the new kittens born in the driveway—didn’t give her a choice.��

She had no idea about the grief and hardship of animal rescue, the staggering size of the problem in neighborhoods across the country. And she couldn't have imagined how that struggle—towards an ethics of care, of individuals trying their best amidst spectacularly failing systems—would help pierce a personal darkness she'd wrestled for with much of her life. She also didn’t expect that the TikTok and Instagram accounts she created to share the quirky personalities of the wild, but lovable cats, like Mushroom Risotto, Bubbles, Goldie, and Sad Boy, would end up saving her home.

Courtney writes toward a vision of community—from the dark alleys where she feeds feral cats, from inside the tragically neglected homes where she climbs over piles of trash and occasionally animals, from her own driveway with the cats she loves and must sometimes let go. Compelling and tender, Poets Square is as much about cats as it is about the urgency of care,��community, and a little bit of dumb hope, in a world that can feel insurmountably broken.]]> 256 Courtney Gustafson 0593727614 Sac 0 to-read 4.51 2025
author: Courtney Gustafson
name: Sac
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/08
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]]> 215361984 Two people, one hotel room, and all the choices and complications that make up a life.

After six years of a stolen hour here, another there, tonight is going to be different—very different—for Nick Holloway and Jenny Parrish. They’ve booked a room in a new luxury hotel in Manhattan, where they’ll spend the entire night together for the first time. Expectations are running high for this brief reprieve from ordinary life: they both need a good bout of ravishing sex and witty conversation.

But that’s not what they get.

Because they’ve barely gotten started when a smoke alarm goes off. Nick is annoyed, but not worried about what must be only a minor glitch. Jenny is anxious, guilty—is karma coming for them at last?

This existential page-turner seamlessly shifts between Nick and Jenny’s perspectives as the reality of their situation becomes apparent, and all their secrets, evasions and regrets come spilling out. Stripped of their defenses, disagreeing about everything, these two flawed, funny, very different people are forced to be honest—with each other and themselves—about what they want, where they’ve screwed up, and whether their affair is really as casual as it seems.]]> 288 Eliza Kennedy 0593800834 Sac 0 to-read 3.65 2025
author: Eliza Kennedy
name: Sac
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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]]> 217388378 Knives Out meets Saltburn in this wickedly plotted thriller where a group of friends play a deadly game that unwraps a motive for murder, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Alex Michaelides.

Anatol invites five of his oldest friends to his family home in the Wiltshire countryside to celebrate his thirtieth birthday. At his request, they play a game of his invention: Motive Method Death. The rules are simple: everyone chooses two players at random and imagines a scenario where one kills the other, then writes it down as a short story.

Points are given for making the murders feel real, as Anatol explains to the group. Of course, when given this assignment, it’s only natural to use what you know. Secrets. Grudges. Affairs. But once you’ve put it in a story, that secret is out. It’s not long before the game has reawakened old resentments and brought private matters into the light of day. So with each fictional murder, someone new gets a very real motive.

Ink Ribbon Red ultimately asks: When a real murder is headed your way, will you be able to spot it in time?]]> 320 Alex Pavesi 1250755956 Sac 0 to-read 3.07
author: Alex Pavesi
name: Sac
average rating: 3.07
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/08
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]]> 221452815 From the author of the internationally bestselling��The Book of Doors, another fantastical, stand-alone novel in which a trio of seemingly everyday people are members of a secret society tasked with finding and protecting hidden magical objects—ordinary items with extraordinary properties.��

The world of unknowable objects—magical items that most people have no idea possess powers—has been quiet for decades, but the three current members of a secret society have remained watchful, meeting every six months in the basement of a bookshop in London. They are pledged to protect their archive of magical items hidden away, safe from the outside world—and the world safe from them.��But when Frank Simpson, the longest-standing member of the Society of Unknowable Objects, hears of a new artifact coming to light in Hong Kong, he sends Magda Sparks—author by day and newest member—to investigate.

Within hours of arriving in Hong Kong, Magda is facing death and danger, confronted by a professional killer who seems to know all about unknowable objects, specifically one that was stolen from him a decade before. Magda is forced to flee, using an artifact that not even the rest of the Society knows about.

Returning to London, Magda learns hers is not the only secret being kept from the other two members. And that the most pernicious secret is about the nature of the Society’s mission.��Her discoveries will lead her on a perilous journey, across the Atlantic to the deep south of the United States, now in pursuit of not an unknowable object, but an unknowable the professional killer she first faced in Hong Kong. In doing so, Magda begins to understand that there are even more in the world who are chasing these magical items, and that her own family’s legacy is tied up in keeping all these secrets under wraps.

Magic has always been too powerful to reveal to the world. But Magda will learn there might be something even more

The truth.]]> 352 Gareth Brown 0063324032 Sac 0 to-read 4.24 2025
author: Gareth Brown
name: Sac
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/08
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]]> 215808067 ��
The trees that circle Someday Valley’s downtown of Honey Creek are dressed in their fall finest, providing a pretty backdrop for the local businesses—including the little bookshop loved by schoolteacher Cora Lee Buchanan. There in the cafe, under the watchful eye of owner Noah O’Brien, Cora Lee and her sister, Katherine, meet each Wednesday. Their talk mostly revolves around one their father, known to everyone in town as Bear.
��
Both Cora Lee and Katherine believe it’s time Bear found love again, and they’re compiling a list of prospects in a secret notebook. They’ve no idea Bear is aware of their plan—or that he has a secret of his own. As for the sisters, Katherine, beautiful and self-absorbed, is in search of her third husband, while Cora Lee is in love for the first time. On warm nights, she climbs up to her building’s roof to chat with Noah and listen to the melody of the water below. Yet there is more intrigue afoot in Honey Creek . . .
��
Andy Delane has arrived in town to hear the last wishes of the father she never met. She was shocked to get a letter from lawyer Jackson Landry, and has few expectations—of this mysterious will, or of Landry’s skill . . . But fall always brings changes, and this year there will be enough to alter not just the lives of those who call Honey Creek home, but the future of Someday Valley itself . . .]]> 272 Jodi Thomas 1420155113 Sac 0 to-read 4.29 2024
author: Jodi Thomas
name: Sac
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/08
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]]> 206549834 Two brothers in dire straits, living on the edge of Yellowstone, agree to a desperate act of survival.

In an aging timber house hand-built into the Absaroka-Beartooth mountains, two brothers are struggling to keep up with their debts. They live off the grid on the fringe of Yellowstone, surviving after the death of their father. Thad, the elder, is more capable of engaging with things like the truck registration and the medical bills from their father’s fatal illness and the tax lien on the cabin their grandfather built, while Hazen is... different, more instinctual, deeply attuned to the natural world. Desperate for money, they are approached by a shadowy out-of-towner with a proposition and agree to attempt a heist of natural resources from Yellowstone, a federal crime. Beartooth is a fast-paced tale set in the grandeur of the American West.]]> 256 Callan Wink 1954118023 Sac 0 to-read 3.71 2025
author: Callan Wink
name: Sac
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
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]]> 212114520
The Inclusion Equation is a comprehensive, one-of-a-kind guide to merging DEI and employee wellbeing concepts with data analytics and AI. In this book, renowned thought leader and professional keynote speaker Dr. Serena Huang explains exactly how to quantify the effectiveness of new talent strategies by connecting them to a firm ROI estimate, enabling readers to approach and win the favor of higher-ups in any organization with the same effectiveness that marketing and financial departments do.

This book is written in a style that is appealing and accessible to all readers regardless of technical background, but with enough depth to provide real insight and strategies. Dr. Serena H. Huang distills her 10 years of Fortune 500 people analytics leadership experience into tools and framework you can leverage to measure and improve DEI and wellbeing in your workplace. Some of the topics explored in this book include:

Attract and retain top talent, including Gen Z and Millennials, with tailored DEI and wellbeing strategies
Quantifying not only a talent strategy's perceived initial effect on an organization, but also its improvement and expansion over time
Turning DEI and wellbeing from illusive corporate concepts to quantifiable metrics
Harness the power of AI to create synchronized DEI and wellbeing strategies that maximize ROI
Getting serious attention from your CEO and CFO by quantifying HR initiatives
Using data storytelling to demonstrate the business impact of DEI and wellbeing
Preparing for the future by understanding the role of AI in creating an inclusive and healthy workplace
The Inclusion Equation is a complete guide for DEI and wellbeing, covering getting started in measurement to using storytelling to influence leadership. This is the contemporary playbook for any organization intending to substantially improve their diversity, equity, inclusion, and employee wellbeing by leveraging data & AI. This book is also perfect for any data analytics professionals who want to understand how to apply analytics to issues that keep their CEOs up at night. Whether you are a data expert or data novice, as long as you are serious about improving DEI and wellbeing, this book is for you.]]> 256 Serena Huang 1394294514 Sac 0 to-read 0.0
author: Serena Huang
name: Sac
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/08
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]]> 214152475 A “superb…refreshing�� (The New York Times Book Review) reimagining of the myth of Persephone and Demeter set on a lush private island, exploring themes of addiction and sex, family, independence, and who holds the power in a modern underworld.

Camp counselor Cory Ansel, eighteen and aimless, afraid to face her high-strung single mother’s disappointment, is no longer sure where home is when the father of one of her campers offers an alternative. The CEO of a pharmaceutical company, Rolo Picazo is wealthy, divorced, and magnetic. He is also intoxicated by Cory. When Rolo offers her a job, Cory quiets an internal warning and allows herself to be ferried to his private island. Plied with luxury and the opiates manufactured by his company, she tells herself she’s in charge. Her mother, Emer, head of a teetering agricultural NGO, senses otherwise. With her daughter seemingly vanished, Emer crosses land and sea to heed a cry for help that only she can hear.

Alternating between the two women’s perspectives, Fruit of the Dead incorporates its mythic inspiration with a light touch and devastating precision. The result is a tale that explores love, control, obliteration, and America’s late-capitalist mythos. Lyon’s reinvention of Persephone and Demeter’s story makes for a haunting, electric novel that readers will not soon forget.]]> 336 Rachel Lyon 1668020866 Sac 0 to-read 3.62
author: Rachel Lyon
name: Sac
average rating: 3.62
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
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]]> 218569869
In Dianaworld, Edward White offers both a portrait of the princess and a group portrait of those who existed in her orbit—from her royal in-laws, her servants, and the dilapidated ranks of the British aristocracy from which she rose, to drag performers, artists, Britain’s ethnic minorities, and the Gen Z superfans who maintain her status as a cultural icon.

Drawing on a wide array of sources and perspectives, many never used in books about Diana or the royal family, White vividly recreates the world Diana lived in, explores the growth of her global reputation, and illuminates her lasting impact on the world she left behind.]]> 416 Edward White 132402156X Sac 0 to-read 4.29 2025
author: Edward White
name: Sac
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/08
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]]> 41150287 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781250295637

Tiffy and Leon share an apartment. Tiffy and Leon have never met.

After a bad breakup, Tiffy Moore needs a place to live. Fast. And cheap. But the apartments in her budget have her wondering if astonishingly colored mold on the walls counts as art.

Desperation makes her open minded, so she answers an ad for a flatshare. Leon, a night shift worker, will take the apartment during the day, and Tiffy can have it nights and weekends. He’ll only ever be there when she’s at the office. In fact, they’ll never even have to meet.

Tiffy and Leon start writing each other notes �� first about what day is garbage day, and politely establishing what leftovers are up for grabs, and the evergreen question of whether the toilet seat should stay up or down. Even though they are opposites, they soon become friends. And then maybe more.

But falling in love with your roommate is probably a terrible idea…especially if you've never met.

What if your roommate is your soul mate? A joyful, quirky romantic comedy, Beth O'Leary's The Flatshare is a feel-good novel about finding love in the most unexpected of ways.]]> 328 Beth O'Leary Sac 0 currently-reading 4.02 2019
author: Beth O'Leary
name: Sac
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 52021504 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Tiffy Moore and Leon Twomey each have a problem and need a quick fix.

Tiffy’s been dumped by her cheating boyfriend and urgently needs a new flat. But earning minimum wage at a quirky publishing house means that her choices are limited in London.

Leon, a palliative care nurse, is more concerned with other people’s welfare than his own. Along with working night shifts looking after the terminally ill, his sole focus is on raising money to fight his brother’s unfair imprisonment.

Leon has a flat that he only uses 9 to 5. Tiffy works 9 to 5 and needs a place to sleep. The solution to their problems? To share a bed of course...

As Leon and Tiffy’s unusual arrangement becomes a reality, they start to connect through Post-It notes left for each other around the flat.

Can true love blossom even in the unlikeliest of situations?
Can true love blossom even if you never see one another?
Or does true love blossom when you are least expecting it?]]> 394 Beth O'Leary 1787474410 Sac 0 tbr-pile-before-2024 4.10 2019
author: Beth O'Leary
name: Sac
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: tbr-pile-before-2024
review:

]]> 22609310
For once, Auburn takes a chance and puts her heart in control, only to discover that Owen is hiding a huge secret. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything Auburn loves most, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it—but can she do it?]]> 306 Colleen Hoover 1476791457 Sac 0 to-read 4.14 2015
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Sac
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 123297378 Do you want to stand out in a very competitive market?
Or do you want to accelerate your sales career?

The StorySelling Method will teach you how to tell powerful stories that actually work in sales. No fluff, no BS�� just straightforward and effective storytelling tactics that will transform your sales game. The techniques you’re about to learn are the same ones that have helped thousands of professionals at top companies like Google, Oracle, and Visa win more business.

The methods within this book are simple, authentic, and effective. Whether you're a sales professional, entrepreneur, or consultant, this StorySelling blueprint is your ultimate resource to unlock your storytelling potential and level up your sales skills.

In this step-by-step guide on everyday business storytelling, you’ll learn how to��
�� Turn any moment (even the most boring one) into a captivating story
�� Find, craft, and deliver the five fundamental story types that will yield the best results
�� Build the confidence to share a story at any opportunity
�� Weave stories into any sales conversation naturally and authentically
�� Make storytelling an essential part of your communication

These storytelling tactics and techniques will help you:
�� Leave magical first impressions
�� Become your clients�� #1 trusted advisor
�� Communicate the value you’re bringing to the table
�� Overcome any sales resistance
�� Inspire, motivate, and positively influence anyone around you

Filled with exercises and examples of everyday business storytelling, the book offers pragmatic advice on how to use stories to wow your customers.

Are you ready to unleash the power of storytelling?

Having coached thousands of people, I can say with certainty that everybody has the ability to become great at storytelling. You have the ability to tell amazing stories. With the right techniques, a growth mindset, and practice, you’ll become a phenomenal storyteller.]]> 184 Philipp Humm Sac 0 tbr-pile-2025 4.09
author: Philipp Humm
name: Sac
average rating: 4.09
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: tbr-pile-2025
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]]> 7235533 From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings, book one of The Stormlight Archive begins an incredible new saga of epic proportion.

Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter.

It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them.

One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable.

Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands one of those other armies. Like his brother, the late king, he is fascinated by an ancient text called The Way of Kings. Troubled by over-powering visions of ancient times and the Knights Radiant, he has begun to doubt his own sanity.

Across the ocean, an untried young woman named Shallan seeks to train under an eminent scholar and notorious heretic, Dalinar's niece, Jasnah. Though she genuinely loves learning, Shallan's motives are less than pure. As she plans a daring theft, her research for Jasnah hints at secrets of the Knights Radiant and the true cause of the war.

The result of over ten years of planning, writing, and world-building, The Way of Kings is but the opening movement of the Stormlight Archive, a bold masterpiece in the making.

Speak again the ancient oaths:

Life before death.
Strength before weakness.
Journey before Destination.

and return to men the Shards they once bore.

The Knights Radiant must stand again.]]> 1007 Brandon Sanderson 0765326353 Sac 0 tbr-pile-2025 4.66 2010
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Sac
average rating: 4.66
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: tbr-pile-2025
review:

]]> 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 Sac 4
Let’s start with the good: The banter? Elite. Elsie Silver knows how to write witty, playful dialogue that had me laughing along. The chemistry? Solid. He’s absolutely GONE for her, and I ate that up. And if I ignore my practical mindset, the small-town setting and found-family vibes were warm and cozy in the best way.

But�� some plot points felt wildly unrealistic. I won’t spoil, but the way he ends up in a fatherly role? And the ease with which a mother is like, “Sure, here’s my kid, stranger I barely know��?? WHAT?! I tried to roll with it, but it just didn’t feel feasible.

And some of the dialogue? Just too cheesy at times. I love swoony lines, but a few moments had me cringing instead of swooning.

That said—I still devoured this book. If you don’t mind some logistical leaps, it’s a fun, feel-good read with lovable characters and that signature Elsie Silver charm.]]> 3.98 2024
author: Elsie Silver
name: Sac
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/26
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves:
review:
Cute! Small-town charm! Smitten MMC! He falls first! I should have LOVED this�� and yet, a few things pulled me out of the story.

Let’s start with the good: The banter? Elite. Elsie Silver knows how to write witty, playful dialogue that had me laughing along. The chemistry? Solid. He’s absolutely GONE for her, and I ate that up. And if I ignore my practical mindset, the small-town setting and found-family vibes were warm and cozy in the best way.

But�� some plot points felt wildly unrealistic. I won’t spoil, but the way he ends up in a fatherly role? And the ease with which a mother is like, “Sure, here’s my kid, stranger I barely know��?? WHAT?! I tried to roll with it, but it just didn’t feel feasible.

And some of the dialogue? Just too cheesy at times. I love swoony lines, but a few moments had me cringing instead of swooning.

That said—I still devoured this book. If you don’t mind some logistical leaps, it’s a fun, feel-good read with lovable characters and that signature Elsie Silver charm.
]]> 214295087
Madeline Galloway needs a job. Recently let go from her executive chef position in Las Vegas, she’s desperate as can be when she reaches out to an old acquaintance about a possible job opportunity��. in DC.

After hitting it off with her prospective employer, the blond hockey star who seems to have a heart of gold, she and her daughter, Lucy, make the move east.

The rules were simple: no personal relationships. No falling for the romantic guy who always made her smile, even if they were living together and spending all their free time with each other.

But after a kiss on New Year’s Eve, everything changes. The lines blur. Being Hudson’s friend—and only his friend—is the last thing on her mind.

And when Hudson learns American Sign Language for her daughter? It might be a slap shot to the heart.

Slap Shot is a spicy slow burn friends to lovers, private chef x hockey player romance with forced proximity and a man who if he wanted to, he would.]]> 530 Chelsea Curto Sac 4
This book is like a warm hug and a mug of hot chocolate on a winter morning while you watch the snow fall. Cozy, comforting, and packed with all the feels!

It’s fun, it’s sexy (yes, with that moment of the MMC spilling in his pants—iconic), and the slow-burn romance is absolute perfection. Madeline and Lucy are just the perfect fit for Hudson—every scene with them together made my heart melt.

And can we talk about the Puck Kings group chats? Hilarious. I was laughing out loud the entire time.

If you’re even thinking about reading this book, let me make it easy for you: Do it. It’s the best kind of contemporary romance—pure joy from start to finish!]]> 4.10 2025
author: Chelsea Curto
name: Sac
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/23
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves:
review:
Hudson Hayes!!! Everyone, meet my new book boyfriend—total golden retriever energy, and I am so here for it.

This book is like a warm hug and a mug of hot chocolate on a winter morning while you watch the snow fall. Cozy, comforting, and packed with all the feels!

It’s fun, it’s sexy (yes, with that moment of the MMC spilling in his pants—iconic), and the slow-burn romance is absolute perfection. Madeline and Lucy are just the perfect fit for Hudson—every scene with them together made my heart melt.

And can we talk about the Puck Kings group chats? Hilarious. I was laughing out loud the entire time.

If you’re even thinking about reading this book, let me make it easy for you: Do it. It’s the best kind of contemporary romance—pure joy from start to finish!
]]> 27883214 A legendary competition.
A mesmerizing romance.
An unbreakable bond
between two sisters.

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . beware of getting swept too far away.]]> 407 Stephanie Garber 1250095255 Sac 3 Probably will write a review at some point once I clear my head out - it is going to be a mix of positive and negative but I don’t regret reading this book - so that’s something! And I am planning to read the next one …]]> 3.97 2016
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Sac
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/18
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves:
review:
I have no clue how to review it at this point ? I think I know less about the caraval than I knew before I started this book�� is that what the author sought out to make it ?
Probably will write a review at some point once I clear my head out - it is going to be a mix of positive and negative but I don’t regret reading this book - so that’s something! And I am planning to read the next one ��
]]> 22926485 A knight in tarnished armor is still a knight.

When you’re a defense attorney in Washington, DC, you see firsthand how hard life can be, and that sometimes the only way to survive is to be harder. I, Jake Becker, have a reputation for being cold, callous, and intimidating—and that suits me just fine. In fact, it’s necessary when I’m breaking down a witness on the stand.

Complications don’t work for me—I’m a “need-to-know�� type of man. If you’re my client, tell me the basic facts. If you’re my date, stick to what will turn you on. I’m not a therapist or Prince Charming—and I don’t pretend to be.

Then Chelsea McQuaid and her six orphaned nieces and nephews came along and complicated the ever-loving hell out of my life. Now I'm going to Mommy & Me classes, One Direction concerts, the emergency room, and arguing cases in the principal's office.

Chelsea’s too sweet, too innocent, and too gorgeous for her own good. She tries to be tough, but she’s not. She needs someone to help her, defend her…and the kids.

And that �� that, I know how to do.]]> 267 Emma Chase 1501102079 Sac 4
Jake is the perfect knight in shining armor—charming, protective, and impossible not to fall for. And Chelsea? Total sweetheart with a heart of gold, stepping up to take custody of her six nieces and nephews without hesitation.

I laughed out loud more times than I can count, and the kids? Absolutely stole the show. Their chaos, love, and hilarious dynamics brought so much life to the story. Just pure joy from start to finish!]]> 4.22 2015
author: Emma Chase
name: Sac
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves:
review:
This book was everything I needed—funny, heartwarming, and the ultimate feel-good romance.

Jake is the perfect knight in shining armor—charming, protective, and impossible not to fall for. And Chelsea? Total sweetheart with a heart of gold, stepping up to take custody of her six nieces and nephews without hesitation.

I laughed out loud more times than I can count, and the kids? Absolutely stole the show. Their chaos, love, and hilarious dynamics brought so much life to the story. Just pure joy from start to finish!
]]> 217905592
When Noah Hebert swung his axe and rescued me from a coffee shop bathroom, I had only a vague sense of who the tattooed lumberjack was. Turns out he’s more than broad shoulders and a thick beard. He’s a devoted single dad and my new neighbor.

Soon after, we find ourselves falling into an easy friendship. I help him with his fussy baby, and he helps me survive my ex-husband and little sister’s wedding. Despite my vow never to risk my heart again, my defenses quickly crumble. The sight of him rocking his sweet baby in those muscular, inked arms only makes matters worse. And when he defends me to my toxic family, the sparks of attraction between us catch fire.

I moved back here with a mission. Grow the food pantry and make our little town a better place. I can’t get mixed up with the grieving single dad, even if he likes to braid my hair and slow dance in the kitchen.

He moved across the country to escape the flames of his past and protect the little girl he now calls his own. But our town is sitting on a bed of secrets ready to ignite.

And when the heat causes my world to go up in smoke, I’m not sure it’s possible to sift through the rubble and find our happily ever after.

Author’s Note: Axe Backwards is a standalone small-town romance featuring a bleeding-heart heroine, a lumberjack firefighter, and a cute baby. If you enjoy single dads, fake dating, small-town shenanigans, lumberjack competitions, and baby sign language, you will not be disappointed. Come for the wood chopping, stay for the moose!]]> 369 Daphne Elliot 1965530001 Sac 4
This was my first book in the series, even though it’s the fourth—and not once did I feel lost or out of place. Daphne Elliot didn’t just throw me in; she gently slid me into this world, and I felt like I belonged with these characters from the very beginning.

The tropes in this book? All fall under my favorites—single dad, small-town charm, fake dating, and that slow-burn goodness that had me screaming, “JUST KISS ALREADY!�� But this wasn’t just trope candy. The emotions felt raw and real. The plot? So intriguing. The characters? Fully developed and beautifully flawed. The pacing? Smooth, steady, and just right. The author nailed every single beat.
I have to go back and read the entire series now—no question about it!

One thing that hit me hard was the contrast between Victoria and Noah’s family. Noah’s family is just so sweet, supportive, and full of that warm sibling love that makes you want to be part of their group. Meanwhile, Victoria carries this cold, tense loneliness that made my heart ache for her. Watching her slowly let down her walls as Noah and his family pulled her in? Oof, it made their connection feel so much deeper and more powerful.

And oooooh—the mystery running beneath the surface of this small town? It’s still unresolved, and I am hooked. I need answers like yesterday. There’s no way I’m stopping until I get through the whole series.]]> 4.05
author: Daphne Elliot
name: Sac
average rating: 4.05
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves:
review:
Noah. Is. EVERYTHING. A swoony, tattooed firefighter-lumberjack and a single dad? Like, ooooof, how could I not be obsessed? And the way he defends Victoria? Ahhhhhhh!!! Every single time he stood up for her, I melted into a puddle. Absolute perfection.

This was my first book in the series, even though it’s the fourth—and not once did I feel lost or out of place. Daphne Elliot didn’t just throw me in; she gently slid me into this world, and I felt like I belonged with these characters from the very beginning.

The tropes in this book? All fall under my favorites—single dad, small-town charm, fake dating, and that slow-burn goodness that had me screaming, “JUST KISS ALREADY!�� But this wasn’t just trope candy. The emotions felt raw and real. The plot? So intriguing. The characters? Fully developed and beautifully flawed. The pacing? Smooth, steady, and just right. The author nailed every single beat.
I have to go back and read the entire series now—no question about it!

One thing that hit me hard was the contrast between Victoria and Noah’s family. Noah’s family is just so sweet, supportive, and full of that warm sibling love that makes you want to be part of their group. Meanwhile, Victoria carries this cold, tense loneliness that made my heart ache for her. Watching her slowly let down her walls as Noah and his family pulled her in? Oof, it made their connection feel so much deeper and more powerful.

And oooooh—the mystery running beneath the surface of this small town? It’s still unresolved, and I am hooked. I need answers like yesterday. There’s no way I’m stopping until I get through the whole series.
]]> 208095998
Now I must atone for my comments. Somehow that includes working at a daycare with seven year old Piper who thinks I’m her best friend. But Piper is not the one who has me tied up in knots. That job is reserved for Harper Wallace- her mother.

Harper is fierce, combative, and an irresistibly gorgeous single mom.

If hating me were a sport, she'd be MVP. For reasons I can't tell you, she's completely off limits so I obviously should stay away.

But hear me out?

I'm a competitive jerk. I’m not the guy that rides the bench. I’d rather go down swinging and foul out than not play at all.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐨 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭:
-Single Mom
-Enemies to Lovers
-Reformed Playboy
-Found Family
-Baseball Hero
-ASD Representation]]> 419 Jenni Bara 1959389165 Sac 4
That said, Harper was a solid lead—strong, relatable, and easy to root for. I’ve been loving this entire series, and I’m seriously hoping Asher and Tara get their own book soon. Jenni Bara has a real gift for translating deep emotions into words, and it shows on every page.

A solid addition to the series.]]> 4.22
author: Jenni Bara
name: Sac
average rating: 4.22
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves:
review:
Kyle did not disappoint as the MMC—charming, layered, and exactly what I expected from this series. The third-act breakup? Fully justified and made sense for the story. However, the quick forgiveness from Harper (the FMC) after such a major betrayal felt too easy. Honestly, Kyle needed to grovel more for that resolution to feel earned.

That said, Harper was a solid lead—strong, relatable, and easy to root for. I’ve been loving this entire series, and I’m seriously hoping Asher and Tara get their own book soon. Jenni Bara has a real gift for translating deep emotions into words, and it shows on every page.

A solid addition to the series.
]]> 211164792 Two feuding second-grade teachers (and neighbors) find themselves teaming up in this rivals-to-lovers romance.

Emily Walker hates having her carefully crafted world disrupted by anyone, most of all her legendary nemesis, Jack Bennett. He's the opposite of the wonderful heroes she dreams up in her double life as a romance writer, which is why Emily was perfectly happy when Jack left Rome, Kentucky, mid-school year, with his fiancée. The last thing Emily saw coming was Jack’s return at the start of the summer after calling off the wedding and ending his relationship, but he’s here to stay—as her colleague and her neighbor.

Jackson Bennett is glad to be back, eager to renovate his house and work on the next mystery novel under his bestselling pen name. But when he realizes he’s now neighbors with the one woman who has always pushed his buttons, he discovers something he’s even more excited for—thwarting Emily and her petty plans to sabotage his return.

With their chemistry-fueled animosity at an all-time high, Emily accidentally sends an email to their school’s principal that could reveal her secret literary side hustle. She needs to steal back her manuscript, and Jack—she hates to admit—is just the man to help her. Surprisingly, Jack agrees. Will their unlikely alliance put an end to their rivalry? Or could it lead to a steamy plot twist they never saw coming?]]> 384 Sarah Adams 0593723694 Sac 0 tbr-pile-2025 4.08 2025
author: Sarah Adams
name: Sac
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves: tbr-pile-2025
review:

]]> 213243908 A hopeless romantic meets a jaded radio host in this cozy, Sleepless in Seattle-inspired love story from beloved author B.K. Borison.

Aiden Valentine has a secret: he's fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore's romance hotline, that's a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.

Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life-or lack thereof—she begins to question if she's as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending... even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.]]> 448 B.K. Borison 0593641191 Sac 0 tbr-pile-2025 4.09 2025
author: B.K. Borison
name: Sac
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves: tbr-pile-2025
review:

]]> 212688557 The third in the steamy, hilarious Campus Diaries series by New York Times bestselling author Elle Kennedy, set in the same world as Off Campus and Briar U.

College senior Charlotte Kingston is living two lives―and she's nailing both of them. By day, she's the perfect sorority girl, a STEM student in biomedical engineering, and the adopted daughter of an overachiever family. At night, she's Charlie: a risk-taking daredevil looking for fun who finds herself chatting on a dating app with two anonymous hotties.

Will Larsen may seem like the breezy boy next door, but his congressman father is a constant thorn in his side. After a scandal hits another Division 1 hockey program, Will's dad is determined to distance his son from it, hiring a journalist to prove how squeaky-clean Will and his team are. Which means the last thing Will wants is for anyone to find out he and his best friend Beckett Dunne―a laidback Aussie shielding secret heartache―sometimes share girls in the bedroom.

When Charlie finally meets them in person and realizes she's been chatting with two gorgeous Briar U hockey players, things get steamy―fast. But all their messy secrets are piling up, and real life soon threatens to shatter the fantasy. With Charlie, Will, and Beckett all coming to terms with what they want and what others want for them, difficult decisions will need to be made.

Especially when lust starts to look a lot like love.]]> 528 Elle Kennedy 1464219354 Sac 0 tbr-pile-2025 3.48 2025
author: Elle Kennedy
name: Sac
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: tbr-pile-2025
review:

]]> 212808989
Fantasy romance aka romantasy is the wildly popular subgenre of fantasy that has strong romance elements and subplots. New to romantasy? The Journal of Ink & Ardor defines common bookish terms, guides you through each entry, and sets you off on the perfect journey through the genre. An introduction to all things romantasy, The Journal of Ink & Ardor is a must-have for readers, with:

�� Journaling spreads to rate and review books and record swoon-worthy quotes
�� Questions to answer for every read, from What’s your most unpopular opinion on this book? to If you could ask the author one question, what would it be?
�� Space for pasting in your favorite fan art or adding your own sketches
�� Guided activities for writing short epic love stories, casting movie adaptations based onyour favorite reads, and more
�� An expansive recommended reading list so you’ll always know what to read next

With a sturdy hardcover, a handy ribbon marker, and a beautiful cover design that will fit in with any bookshelf, The Journal of Ink & Ardor will let you fall in love with your favorite stories and characters again and again.]]> 272 Potter Gift 0593579887 Sac 0 to-read 5.00
author: Potter Gift
name: Sac
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217506310 There are no female publishing CEOs in 1960's New York. And that is exactly what savvy, ambitious Bernadette Swift plans to change.

Bernadette Swift, a young copyeditor at Lenox & Park Publishing, is determined to become the first female CEO in the publishing industry. But first she needs to take the next step up that ladder with a promotion that her boorish and sexist boss wants to thwart. Seeking a base of support, Bernadette joins a feminist women's book club at the New York Public Library, and soon, she's inspiring her fellow members to challenge the male gatekeepers and decades of ingrained sexism in their workplaces and pursue their personal and professional dreams.

And that is precisely what Bernedette does on a daily keeps her eye on the prize—equality for women in the workplace, and a promotion—while fending off the ire of her boss and the sabotaging efforts of a jealous coworker. With the support of her book club buddies and a certain charismatic editor at Lenox & Park who has completely fallen for her, maybe, just maybe, Bernadette will prove able to claim victory for herself and the young women coming after her.]]> 400 Eliza Knight 1464238235 Sac 0 to-read 4.40 2025
author: Eliza Knight
name: Sac
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214557382 A sly and chatty collection of the revered Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist’s most notorious celebrity profiles.

Shining a white-hot spotlight on America’s famous, from Hollywood legends to Broadway stars to media moguls, Notorious is a captivating assortment of Maureen Dowd’s most compelling style features and profiles. Using her signature wit and incisive commentary as a scalpel, Dowd dissects influential cultural elites,

Leading Hollywood women from Uma Thurman to Jane Fonda to Greta Gerwig. Silver screen foxes such as Paul Newman, Idris Elba, and Ralph Fiennes. Funny people like Tina Fey, Mel Brooks, and Larry David. Fashionistas from Andre Leon Talley to Ann Roth to Tom Ford. And hubristic media and tech titans like Elon Musk, Bob Iger, and Peter Thiel Notorious is the perfect antidote to our current political malaise and an intimate, gossipy romp through the culture of celebrity from a legend in American journalism.]]> 400 Maureen Dowd 0063392224 Sac 0 to-read 3.47
author: Maureen Dowd
name: Sac
average rating: 3.47
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 215514839 From award-winning author and creative writing teacher at Tulane University comes an intimate and powerful memoir exploring inherited trauma, family secrets, and the enduring bonds of love between mothers and daughters.

On her second birthday in 1967, Bernice McFadden died in a car crash near Detroit, only to be resuscitated after her mother pulled her from the flaming wreckage. Firstborn Girls traces her remarkable life from that moment up to the publication of her first novel, Sugar.

Growing up in 1980s Brooklyn, Bernice finds solace in books, summer trips to Barbados, and boarding school to escape her alcoholic father. Discovering the works of Alice Walker and Toni Morrison, she finally sees herself and her loved ones reflected in their stories of “messy, beautiful, joyful Black people.��

Interwoven with Bernice's personal journey is her family's history, beginning with her four-times enslaved great-grandmother Louisa Vicey Wilson in 1822 Hancock County, Georgia. Her descendants survived Reconstruction and Jim Crow, joined the Great Migration, and mourned Dr. King’s assassination during the Civil Rights Movement. These women's wisdom, secrets, and fierce love are passed down like Louisa's handmade quilt.

A memoir of many threads, Firstborn Girls is an extraordinarily moving portrait of a life shaped by family, history, and the drive to be something more.]]> 400 Bernice L. McFadden 0593184971 Sac 0 to-read 4.54 2025
author: Bernice L. McFadden
name: Sac
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 215057178 The highly anticipated sequel to My Life with the Walter Boys, the internationally bestselling novel that inspired the Netflix series!

Jackie Howard returns to the Walter ranch after a summer in New York. She needed space—and got it. But she doesn't know where things stand with her and Cole Walter after that goodbye kiss. Over the summer, she stopped texting him. She never stopped thinking about him.

Still, with Cole living off in town to work at Tony's garage before he heads off to college, Jackie thinks it'll be easy to avoid him—only to find that when she sees him face to face at last, it's, well... impossible to resist him. Things are getting complicated: he's the boy she can't get off her mind, and the Walters have become the family she loves and needs. How can Jackie move forward when she's afraid of taking the next step?]]> 336 Ali Novak 1464230226 Sac 0 to-read 4.00 2025
author: Ali Novak
name: Sac
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220161296 New York Times bestselling author and “the biggest literary phenom of her generation�� (Cosmopolitan) Anna Todd returns with a moving and empowering new romance about a sheltered young woman whose life transforms during a summer in Majorca with a mysterious local.

Between chronic health issues and an overprotective mother, twenty-two-year-old Oriah Pera feels like she’s stuck waiting for her life to begin. But when her mother’s job takes them to Majorca, Ry knows this summer could be the start of her very own coming-of-age story.

In her first small act of rebellion, she heads off to the beach alone and meets an infuriatingly charming Spaniard. Julian makes Ry feel even more naive and inexperienced than she normally does, but she can’t tamp down her growing attraction.

As the summer continues, Julian pulls Ry out of her shell and into the adventures she’s always craved. But with her return to America looming, Ry must decide if she’s brave enough to finally follow her heart and live for herself.]]> 384 Anna Todd 1668079534 Sac 0 to-read 3.40
author: Anna Todd
name: Sac
average rating: 3.40
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 200033357 New York Times bestselling authors of The Unhoneymooners.

One typo, and a boy and girl connect by chance. Wishing each other a happy Valentine’s Day isn’t the end. In fact, it becomes a friendly annual tradition—with rules: no pics, no real names, nothing too personal. As years pass, the rules for their email “dates�� are breaking, and they’re sharing more than they imagined—including the urge to ask��what if we actually met?

Christina Lauren’s The Exception to the Rule is part of The Improbable Meet-Cute, irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.]]> 101 Christina Lauren 1662519893 Sac 0 currently-reading 4.21 2024
author: Christina Lauren
name: Sac
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 667416
It's a celebration of almost everything that's ever made us smile. And that itself is reason number 14,001.]]> 610 Barbara Ann Kipfer 0894803700 Sac 0 tbr-pile-2025 4.01 1990
author: Barbara Ann Kipfer
name: Sac
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1990
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: tbr-pile-2025
review:

]]> 209220944
But Sarah has begun to wonder... Who is she without her other half?

When she decides to take on a project of her own, a fundraising gala in memoriam of her late mother, Sarah wants nothing more than to prove to herself—and to everyone else—that she doesn’t need Caleb’s help to succeed. She’s still her mother’s daughter, after all. Independent and capable.

That is until the event fails and Caleb uninvitedly steps in to save the day.

The rift that follows unearths a decade of grievances between them and doubts begin to grow. Are they truly the same people they were when they got married at nineteen? Are they supposed to be?

In a desperate attempt to fix what they fear is near breaking, Sarah and Caleb make the spontaneous decision to join a grueling hiking trip intended to guide couples through rough patches.

What follows is a life-affirming comedy of errors as two nature-averse people fight their way out of the woods in order to find their way back to their roots.]]> 336 Hannah Bonam-Young 0593871863 Sac 4
Out of the Woods is raw, real, and absolutely gut-wrenching in the best way. I didn’t expect to be this emotionally wrecked, but here we are. The marriage-in-crisis trope is quickly becoming one of my favorites because when done well, it delivers all the emotions—heartache, hope, love, and everything in between. And Hannah Bonam-Young? She NAILED it.

Sarah and Caleb have been together for seventeen years—high school sweethearts who built a life together. But now? Sarah is spiraling into an existential crisis, questioning everything. Who is she outside of this relationship? Outside of being Caleb’s wife? What does she even want anymore? It’s terrifying, but instead of burying it, she faces it head-on. Brave. That’s the only way to describe her. She’s brave enough to say, something is wrong, brave enough to shake things up, and brave enough to fight for herself—even if it means risking everything she’s known. If you’ve ever heard This Is Me Trying by Taylor Swift, that’s Sarah at the start of this book. And wow, did it hit hard.

And then there’s Caleb. The perfect book boyfriend. Kind. Patient. Unbelievably supportive. The type of man who loves deeply and consistently, even when things get messy. I adored him. But what made this story even more impactful is that this isn’t just about saving their marriage—it’s about figuring out who they are, both individually and together. After nearly two decades as “Sarah and Caleb,�� the lines between me and we have completely blurred. Where does one of them end and the other begin? And if they’re not them anymore, then who are they?

In an attempt to find answers, they sign up for a wilderness couples retreat—a literal and emotional journey that forces them to strip everything down to the core. The book flips between past and present, and the transitions are so seamless that it never once felt jarring. Hannah Bonam-Young balances humor and emotional depth perfectly, creating a story that feels brutally honest without ever being too heavy. A marriage in trouble isn't romanticized here. She gives equal weight to both their struggles and their love, crafting something that feels achingly real rather than just an angsty love story.

Some of my favorite quotes:
�� "I hope that if you have to rewrite your life, you won't erase my part in it, that you'll let me stay a part of your story."
�� "A lot of people will say relationships are fifty-fifty, but I think that's a load of rubbish. We all have seasons and periods where we require more from our partner. The trick to a long, lasting relationship in my professional experience is not getting stuck at a set percentage."

This book isn’t just about Caleb and Sarah—it’s about self-discovery, healing, and learning how to be present in your own life. It’s about love, yes, but also about growth. And I loved watching them fall in love with each other again.

My one gripe? The last 10% felt rushed. I wanted more. The resolution deserved just a little more time before cutting to the epilogue. It wasn’t bad, but compared to how well-paced the rest of the book was, the ending felt abrupt.

Still, this book was everything. Raw, intimate, and full of emotions so intense you feel them pouring off the pages. Their relationship is so healthy that even in crisis, they always had each other’s best interests at heart. This is the kind of love people should strive for.

Final thoughts: Caleb has officially been added to my book boyfriend list. And Sarah? She’s earned her spot among my favorite female characters. If you love deep, emotional romances that feel like a punch to the gut in the best way—this one is for you.]]> 4.01 2025
author: Hannah Bonam-Young
name: Sac
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves:
review:
⚠️ Trigger Warning: This book deals with grief related to the loss of a parent. The trigger warnings are listed in the prologue, so please check them before diving in.

Out of the Woods is raw, real, and absolutely gut-wrenching in the best way. I didn’t expect to be this emotionally wrecked, but here we are. The marriage-in-crisis trope is quickly becoming one of my favorites because when done well, it delivers all the emotions—heartache, hope, love, and everything in between. And Hannah Bonam-Young? She NAILED it.

Sarah and Caleb have been together for seventeen years—high school sweethearts who built a life together. But now? Sarah is spiraling into an existential crisis, questioning everything. Who is she outside of this relationship? Outside of being Caleb’s wife? What does she even want anymore? It’s terrifying, but instead of burying it, she faces it head-on. Brave. That’s the only way to describe her. She’s brave enough to say, something is wrong, brave enough to shake things up, and brave enough to fight for herself—even if it means risking everything she’s known. If you’ve ever heard This Is Me Trying by Taylor Swift, that’s Sarah at the start of this book. And wow, did it hit hard.

And then there’s Caleb. The perfect book boyfriend. Kind. Patient. Unbelievably supportive. The type of man who loves deeply and consistently, even when things get messy. I adored him. But what made this story even more impactful is that this isn’t just about saving their marriage—it’s about figuring out who they are, both individually and together. After nearly two decades as “Sarah and Caleb,�� the lines between me and we have completely blurred. Where does one of them end and the other begin? And if they’re not them anymore, then who are they?

In an attempt to find answers, they sign up for a wilderness couples retreat—a literal and emotional journey that forces them to strip everything down to the core. The book flips between past and present, and the transitions are so seamless that it never once felt jarring. Hannah Bonam-Young balances humor and emotional depth perfectly, creating a story that feels brutally honest without ever being too heavy. A marriage in trouble isn't romanticized here. She gives equal weight to both their struggles and their love, crafting something that feels achingly real rather than just an angsty love story.

Some of my favorite quotes:
�� "I hope that if you have to rewrite your life, you won't erase my part in it, that you'll let me stay a part of your story."
�� "A lot of people will say relationships are fifty-fifty, but I think that's a load of rubbish. We all have seasons and periods where we require more from our partner. The trick to a long, lasting relationship in my professional experience is not getting stuck at a set percentage."

This book isn’t just about Caleb and Sarah—it’s about self-discovery, healing, and learning how to be present in your own life. It’s about love, yes, but also about growth. And I loved watching them fall in love with each other again.

My one gripe? The last 10% felt rushed. I wanted more. The resolution deserved just a little more time before cutting to the epilogue. It wasn’t bad, but compared to how well-paced the rest of the book was, the ending felt abrupt.

Still, this book was everything. Raw, intimate, and full of emotions so intense you feel them pouring off the pages. Their relationship is so healthy that even in crisis, they always had each other’s best interests at heart. This is the kind of love people should strive for.

Final thoughts: Caleb has officially been added to my book boyfriend list. And Sarah? She’s earned her spot among my favorite female characters. If you love deep, emotional romances that feel like a punch to the gut in the best way—this one is for you.
]]> 57789637
“Epic, romantic, and enthralling from start to finish.”—Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Caraval series

“An all-consuming work of literary fantasy that is breathtaking both for its beauty and its suspense."—BookPage, starred review

A captivating and romantic debut epic fantasy inspired by the legend of the Chinese moon goddess, Chang’e, in which a young woman’s quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm.

Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the feared Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyin’s magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind.

Alone, powerless, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the emperor’s son, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the prince.

To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies. But when treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream—striking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess begins an enchanting duology which weaves ancient Chinese mythology into a sweeping adventure of immortals and magic, of loss and sacrifice—where love vies with honor, dreams are fraught with betrayal, and hope emerges triumphant.]]> 503 Sue Lynn Tan 0063031302 Sac 0 tbr-pile-2025 4.08 2022
author: Sue Lynn Tan
name: Sac
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: tbr-pile-2025
review:

]]> 211051685 A spicy, sassy, and swoony fake dating romantic comedy from Amazon Charts bestselling author Jennifer Millikin.

A week on an island sounds like the stuff of beach dreams, but for Paisley Royce, it's a nightmare. Her little sister is marrying her ex-college sweetheart, and Paisley is serving as maid of honor. To add insult to injury, nobody will let Paisley forget she’s single.

Bachelorette weekend changes everything when she runs into her old college frenemy, Klein Madigan.

Klein is still intelligent and funny, and somehow time has only made him more attractive.

Paisley is Klein’s ‘one that got away��, not that he’d ever admit it to her. A colossal misstep (and one terrible kiss) in college sealed their fate.

Or so they thought.

Klein’s an aspiring author allergic to social media. Paisley owns a digital marketing agency.

A brilliant plan is hatched: A trip across the country for a week of faking out her family in exchange for her firm marketing his work.

One hastily scrawled and signed contract on a bar napkin later, Paisley and Klein embark on a journey of tension, only one bed, and fake dating shenanigans.

Paisley’s goal is to survive the week.

Klein’s plan is to enjoy the sun, sand, and wedding cake.

But then there’s a scorching kiss to make up for that bad one in college.

And another kiss in a lighthouse during a thunderstorm. A gentle palm on Paisley’s lower back, and a reassuring hand squeeze under the table.

Everyone is convinced Klein and Paisley are the real deal, but as the week wears on, they begin to wonder if the only people they’re kidding are themselves.]]> 445 Jennifer Millikin Sac 5
The lack of a third-act breakup was a breath of fresh air, honestly. I loved that we got to dive straight into the good stuff without dragging out unnecessary drama. Plus, the vocabulary in this book is something else—it's rare for a contemporary romance to have me reaching for a dictionary, but I wasn’t mad about it! The author’s use of fancy words felt natural, and it suited the characters perfectly.

Now, Klein. Swoon. He’s officially made his way to my book boyfriend list. He’s adorable, thoughtful, and everything I want in a guy. That said, while the author touched on both Klein’s insecurities and Paisley’s people-pleasing tendencies, I wish we’d gotten a bit more depth there. I also would’ve loved to see more of Klein’s backstory and family issues, but hey, I’m not going to complain too much because I closed the book smiling and content.

This is the kind of feel-good romance that leaves you feeling at peace after finishing it. I’m definitely checking out more of Jennifer Millikin’s books—her writing is witty, her wordplay is impressive, and she knows how to make a rom-com actually feel fun and fresh.]]> 4.10
author: Jennifer Millikin
name: Sac
average rating: 4.10
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/09
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves:
review:
Here for the Cake by Jennifer Millikin is the kind of contemporary romance that keeps you turning the pages. I devoured this book in no time, and let me tell you—banter, chemistry, timing, and comedy were all spot on. Major props to the author for nailing all the punchlines, making me laugh out loud and grin like a fool.

The lack of a third-act breakup was a breath of fresh air, honestly. I loved that we got to dive straight into the good stuff without dragging out unnecessary drama. Plus, the vocabulary in this book is something else—it's rare for a contemporary romance to have me reaching for a dictionary, but I wasn’t mad about it! The author’s use of fancy words felt natural, and it suited the characters perfectly.

Now, Klein. Swoon. He’s officially made his way to my book boyfriend list. He’s adorable, thoughtful, and everything I want in a guy. That said, while the author touched on both Klein’s insecurities and Paisley’s people-pleasing tendencies, I wish we’d gotten a bit more depth there. I also would’ve loved to see more of Klein’s backstory and family issues, but hey, I’m not going to complain too much because I closed the book smiling and content.

This is the kind of feel-good romance that leaves you feeling at peace after finishing it. I’m definitely checking out more of Jennifer Millikin’s books—her writing is witty, her wordplay is impressive, and she knows how to make a rom-com actually feel fun and fresh.
]]> 180357146 From the New York Times-bestselling author of Cutting for Stone comes a stunning and magisterial epic of love, faith, and medicine, set in Kerala, South India, following three generations of a family seeking the answers to a strange secret

Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water is set in Kerala, on India’s Malabar Coast, and follows three generations of a family that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning—and in Kerala, water is everywhere. At the turn of the century, a twelve-year-old girl from Kerala's Christian community, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time. From this unforgettable new beginning, the young girl—and future matriarch, Big Ammachi—will witness unthinkable changes over the span of her extraordinary life, full of joy and triumph as well as hardship and loss, her faith and love the only constants.

A shimmering evocation of a bygone India and of the passage of time itself, The Covenant of Water is a hymn to progress in medicine and to human understanding, and a humbling testament to the hardships undergone by past generations for the sake of those alive today. Imbued with humor, deep emotion, and the essence of life, it is one of the most masterful literary novels published in recent years.]]> 715 Abraham Verghese 0802162177 Sac 0 tbr-pile-2025 4.34 2023
author: Abraham Verghese
name: Sac
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves: tbr-pile-2025
review:

]]> 63831009
Determined to walk away from a traumatic past, 22-year-old Grace Allen feels ready to take the next step in her healing journey—dipping a toe into the dating pool. Although she should probably start by making a friend or two, right?

Samuel ‘Cal�� Callaghan isn’t who she had envisioned as her first male friend in�� well, forever. With an intimidating build, tattoos everywhere, eight years her senior, and a little sister under his care, the last thing she expected was to warm up to him so easily. As their friendship evolves, Grace can’t help but wonder if Cal is exactly who she’s been looking for all this time.

Cal can’t afford to lose sight of his priorities—making sure his tattoo parlor thrives and taking care of his little sister. Especially the latter. He wants to make sure 4-year-old Maddie has a healthy and happy childhood despite their mother going off the rails and her father’s blatant neglect. There’s certainly no room for love in his life right now. But when a sweet blonde with a veiled past breaks down his walls, he finds it difficult to stick to his guns.

CONTENT NOTES: This book contains themes of sexual assault (there are no explicit scenes depicting sexual assault), profanity, alcoholism, and explicit sexual content. Recommended for 18+.]]> 412 Lisina Coney Sac 2 2025-reads
Okay, so I went into this book expecting a sweet, slow-burn romance with depth, and while it started strong, it quickly lost steam for me. The first half had promise, but somewhere along the way, it just�� fell flat. And don’t even get me started on the third-act breakup—predictable, unnecessary, and honestly, just frustrating.

For a book with a 30-year-old male lead, the dialogue and actions felt incredibly immature (he’s out here attending frat parties at 30? Really?). And speaking of Cal—where was the grovelling? Almost nonexistent. For a romance that should have built tension and chemistry, I felt like the slow burn actually dulled any real spark between him and Grace. We also barely see them at work, which made their characters feel underdeveloped outside the romance. The constant internal monologues dragged at times, and the POV switching per chapter wasn’t smooth at all—I had to adjust each time.

That being said, I did appreciate how the author portrayed Grace’s healing journey—it wasn’t a straight line, and I liked that it acknowledged the ups and downs of trauma recovery. That was well done.

But the side characters? Other than Maddie, they were forgettable. And by the second half of the book, I was just plain bored. There was so much unnecessary repetition—phrases, dialogue, entire thoughts—that it desperately needed more editing. Honestly, this book needed another solid round of revisions, maybe even some rewriting, to tighten everything up. And the pacing? Middle = dragged forever. Ending = rushed. Why?!

Since this is a debut novel, I’m willing to cut some slack, but overall, this one didn’t really hit for me.]]> 3.84 2023
author: Lisina Coney
name: Sac
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/05
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves: 2025-reads
review:
This book touches on heavy themes, so PLEASE check the trigger warnings before diving in.

Okay, so I went into this book expecting a sweet, slow-burn romance with depth, and while it started strong, it quickly lost steam for me. The first half had promise, but somewhere along the way, it just�� fell flat. And don’t even get me started on the third-act breakup—predictable, unnecessary, and honestly, just frustrating.

For a book with a 30-year-old male lead, the dialogue and actions felt incredibly immature (he’s out here attending frat parties at 30? Really?). And speaking of Cal—where was the grovelling? Almost nonexistent. For a romance that should have built tension and chemistry, I felt like the slow burn actually dulled any real spark between him and Grace. We also barely see them at work, which made their characters feel underdeveloped outside the romance. The constant internal monologues dragged at times, and the POV switching per chapter wasn’t smooth at all—I had to adjust each time.

That being said, I did appreciate how the author portrayed Grace’s healing journey—it wasn’t a straight line, and I liked that it acknowledged the ups and downs of trauma recovery. That was well done.

But the side characters? Other than Maddie, they were forgettable. And by the second half of the book, I was just plain bored. There was so much unnecessary repetition—phrases, dialogue, entire thoughts—that it desperately needed more editing. Honestly, this book needed another solid round of revisions, maybe even some rewriting, to tighten everything up. And the pacing? Middle = dragged forever. Ending = rushed. Why?!

Since this is a debut novel, I’m willing to cut some slack, but overall, this one didn’t really hit for me.
]]> 91274427 For fans of The Midnight Library and Before the Coffee Gets Cold, this charming Japanese novel shows how the perfect book recommendation can change a reader's life.

What are you looking for?

This is the famous question routinely asked by Tokyo’s most enigmatic librarian, Sayuri Komachi. Like most librarians, Komachi has read every book lining her shelves—but she also has the unique ability to read the souls of her library guests. For anyone who walks through her door, Komachi can sense exactly what they’re looking for in life and provide just the book recommendation they never knew they needed to help them find it.

Each visitor comes to her library from a different juncture in their careers and dreams, from the restless sales attendant who feels stuck at her job to the struggling working mother who longs to be a magazine��editor. The conversation that they have with Sayuri Komachi—and the surprise book she lends each of them—will have life-altering consequences.

With heartwarming charm and wisdom, What You Are Looking For Is in the Library is a paean to the magic of libraries, friendship and community, perfect for anyone who has ever found themselves at an impasse in their life and in need of a little inspiration.]]> 304 Michiko Aoyama 1335005625 Sac 0 currently-reading 4.07 2020
author: Michiko Aoyama
name: Sac
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 32794516 A collection of essays about growing up the daughter of Indian immigrants in Canada, "a land of ice and casual racism," by the cultural observer, Scaachi Koul.

In One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter, Scaachi deploys her razor-sharp humour to share her fears, outrages and mortifying experiences as an outsider growing up in Canada. Her subjects range from shaving her knuckles in grade school, to a shopping trip gone horribly awry, to dealing with internet trolls, to feeling out of place at an Indian wedding (as an Indian woman), to parsing the trajectory of fears and anxieties that pressed upon her immigrant parents and bled down a generation. Alongside these personal stories are pointed observations about life as a woman of colour, where every aspect of her appearance is open for critique, derision or outright scorn. Where strict gender rules bind in both Western and Indian cultures, forcing her to confront questions about gender dynamics, racial tensions, ethnic stereotypes and her father's creeping mortality--all as she tries to find her feet in the world.]]> 256 Scaachi Koul Sac 0 tbr-pile-2025 3.81 2017
author: Scaachi Koul
name: Sac
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: tbr-pile-2025
review:

]]> 41057294
A year later, they’re both studying at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne has found her feet in a new social world while Connell hangs at the sidelines, shy and uncertain. Throughout their years in college, Marianne and Connell circle one another, straying toward other people and possibilities but always magnetically, irresistibly drawn back together. Then, as she veers into self-destruction and he begins to search for meaning elsewhere, each must confront how far they are willing to go to save the other.

Sally Rooney brings her brilliant psychological acuity and perfectly spare prose to a story that explores the subtleties of class, the electricity of first love, and the complex entanglements of family and friendship.]]> 273 Sally Rooney 1984822179 Sac 0 currently-reading 3.81 2018
author: Sally Rooney
name: Sac
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 10588193
Karna was first born son of Kunti whom she had abandoned at birth as he was an illegitimate son. Karna grew up in a lowly family, yet became one of the best warriors of his time. In the Great Mahabharata war, Karna was obliged to fight from the side of Duryodhana as Duryodhana recognizing his merits had made him a king and adopted him as a close friend. Karna fighting from Kaurava's side was a great worry of Pandavas as he was reputed to be unconquerable in war. The way Dinkar has presented the story of Karna with all hues of human emotions trapped in moral dilemmas, is simply marvelous. The rhythm and meter is lilting. Choice of words and purity of language is exhilarating. The work has a timeless relevance and is a must read.]]> 176 Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar' 818031362X Sac 0 tbr-pile-2025 4.71 1981
author: Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar'
name: Sac
average rating: 4.71
book published: 1981
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves: tbr-pile-2025
review:

]]> 57127277 “I was born on the full moon under an auspicious constellation, the holiest of positions—much good it did me.��

So begins Kaikeyi’s story. The only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, she is raised on tales about the might and benevolence of the gods: how they churned the vast ocean to obtain the nectar of immortality, how they vanquish evil and ensure the land of Bharat prospers, and how they offer powerful boons to the worthy. Yet she watches as her father unceremoniously banishes her mother, listens as her own worth is reduced to the marriage alliance she can secure. And when she calls upon the gods for help, they never seem to hear.

Desperate for independence, she turns to the texts she once read with her mother and discovers a magic that is hers alone. With it, Kaikeyi transforms herself from an overlooked princess into a warrior, diplomat, and most favored queen.

But as the evil from her childhood stories threatens the cosmic order, the path she has forged clashes with the destiny the gods have chosen for her family. And Kaikeyi must decide if resistance is worth the destruction it will wreak—and what legacy she intends to leave behind.

The unforgettable tale of a woman determined to leave her mark in a world gods and men dictate the shape of things to come. "Patel's mesmerizing debut shines a brilliant light on the vilified queen from the Ramayana"
(Publishers Weekly, starred review).]]> 478 Vaishnavi Patel 0759557330 Sac 4
I had to keep reminding myself that Kaikeyi is historical fiction - fiction being the key word here! The line between the original Ramayana and Patel’s reimagining is so thin that it feels almost like an alternate history rather than a retelling. The book pulls in as much as it can from the epic and fills in the gaps to fit its own narrative, making it both familiar and fresh at the same time.

Kaikeyi’s story is steeped in themes of patriarchy, power, familial relationships, and societal expectations, along with moments of emotional and physical conflict. What really struck me was how it explores the what if—what if Kaikeyi was not the villain we’ve always been told she was? What if there was more to her than the one act she is remembered for? Before reading this, I already knew the broad strokes of her story from the Ramayana, but as I read, I found myself researching more. And I realized—there’s actually very little information about her in the original epic. That made this retelling even more interesting because it felt like an attempt to fill in those blanks.

That said, while this is a feminist retelling, I felt like the book leaned on patriarchy as a scapegoat a few too many times. Yes, it’s an undeniable force in Kaikeyi’s life, but I think the story could have explored some of the conflicts and decisions in a more nuanced way rather than always attributing them to societal structures.

What I really appreciated, though, was how well the book captured the emotional complexities of Kaikeyi—the warrior queen who became the first female minister of Ayodhya. The way she owns up to her faults instead of blaming others made her feel real and layered, which is something I loved about this version of her character.

However, one thing that didn’t sit well with me was how Rama’s character was handled. While I understand that this is a fictional retelling, but the Ramayana is an important part of Hindu culture, turning Rama into a villain—especially so late in the book and in such a subtle way—felt unnecessary. The story was strong enough to stand on its own without that subplot, and again, patriarchy was used as an explanation in a way that didn’t fully work for me. I can see how this choice might upset some readers who have a deep connection to the original epic.

Despite these reservations, I have to admire Patel’s courage in telling an entire epic from the perspective of its supposed villain. It’s a bold choice—one that many authors might shy away from—and she executes it with compelling writing and a deep understanding of character dynamics. I enjoyed her writing style, and I’m sure we’ll get some amazing books from her in the future.

Would I recommend Kaikeyi? Yes, with the caveat that it’s a retelling that takes creative liberties—some that work beautifully and some that might not land as well depending on the reader. But it’s definitely a book that makes you think, and that alone makes it worth reading.

I also want to remind readers again!! that this is fiction. If you are attached to Hindu culture and go into this expecting a faithful retelling of the Ramayana, you are in for a shock (I was thoroughly shocked) �� and possibly some hurt feelings. This is a reimagining, not a historical account, and it takes creative liberties that may not sit well with everyone. ]]> 4.18 2022
author: Vaishnavi Patel
name: Sac
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/30
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: 2025-indian-readers-challenge, 2025-reads
review:
Trigger Warnings - This is not a retelling of the Ramayana. It is a FICTION based on the Ramayana, and the author takes her own creative liberties regarding the narratives and perception of the characters.

I had to keep reminding myself that Kaikeyi is historical fiction - fiction being the key word here! The line between the original Ramayana and Patel’s reimagining is so thin that it feels almost like an alternate history rather than a retelling. The book pulls in as much as it can from the epic and fills in the gaps to fit its own narrative, making it both familiar and fresh at the same time.

Kaikeyi’s story is steeped in themes of patriarchy, power, familial relationships, and societal expectations, along with moments of emotional and physical conflict. What really struck me was how it explores the what if—what if Kaikeyi was not the villain we’ve always been told she was? What if there was more to her than the one act she is remembered for? Before reading this, I already knew the broad strokes of her story from the Ramayana, but as I read, I found myself researching more. And I realized—there’s actually very little information about her in the original epic. That made this retelling even more interesting because it felt like an attempt to fill in those blanks.

That said, while this is a feminist retelling, I felt like the book leaned on patriarchy as a scapegoat a few too many times. Yes, it’s an undeniable force in Kaikeyi’s life, but I think the story could have explored some of the conflicts and decisions in a more nuanced way rather than always attributing them to societal structures.

What I really appreciated, though, was how well the book captured the emotional complexities of Kaikeyi—the warrior queen who became the first female minister of Ayodhya. The way she owns up to her faults instead of blaming others made her feel real and layered, which is something I loved about this version of her character.

However, one thing that didn’t sit well with me was how Rama’s character was handled. While I understand that this is a fictional retelling, but the Ramayana is an important part of Hindu culture, turning Rama into a villain—especially so late in the book and in such a subtle way—felt unnecessary. The story was strong enough to stand on its own without that subplot, and again, patriarchy was used as an explanation in a way that didn’t fully work for me. I can see how this choice might upset some readers who have a deep connection to the original epic.

Despite these reservations, I have to admire Patel’s courage in telling an entire epic from the perspective of its supposed villain. It’s a bold choice—one that many authors might shy away from—and she executes it with compelling writing and a deep understanding of character dynamics. I enjoyed her writing style, and I’m sure we’ll get some amazing books from her in the future.

Would I recommend Kaikeyi? Yes, with the caveat that it’s a retelling that takes creative liberties—some that work beautifully and some that might not land as well depending on the reader. But it’s definitely a book that makes you think, and that alone makes it worth reading.

I also want to remind readers again!! that this is fiction. If you are attached to Hindu culture and go into this expecting a faithful retelling of the Ramayana, you are in for a shock (I was thoroughly shocked) �� and possibly some hurt feelings. This is a reimagining, not a historical account, and it takes creative liberties that may not sit well with everyone.
]]> 33304856
On 29 March 1849, the ten-year-old Maharajah of the Punjab was ushered into the magnificent Mirrored Hall at the centre of the great Fort in Lahore. There, in a public ceremony, the frightened but dignified child handed over to the British East India Company in a formal Act of Submission to Queen Victoria not only swathes of the richest land in India, but also arguably the single most valuable object in the subcontinent: the celebrated Koh-i Noor diamond. The Mountain of Light.

The history of the Koh-i-Noor that was then commissioned by the British may have been one woven together from gossip of Delhi Bazaars, but it was to be become the accepted version. Only now is it finally challenged, freeing the diamond from the fog of mythology which has clung to it for so long. The resulting history is one of greed, murder, torture, colonialism and appropriation through an impressive slice of south and central Asian history. It ends with the jewel in its current controversial setting: in the crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

Masterly, powerful and erudite, this is history at its most compelling and invigorating.]]> 335 William Dalrymple Sac 0 to-read 3.97 2016
author: William Dalrymple
name: Sac
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 63083638
And no matter how much he wants to lie to himself, he has to admit, it was mind-blowing.

Cara will not be tempted by the one night she spent with prince dickhead—even if her traitorous body remembers every earth-shattering moment. It was a mistake and she’s stronger than that. She’ll just keep avoiding him and pretend it didn’t happen.

But the feuding small town of Tilikum might not be big enough for the both of them. Avoiding each other isn’t working. And with every moment they’re forced to spend together, the sparks get hotter, the flames grow brighter, and the tension borders on unbearable.

Until they both reach their breaking point and their fiery relationship explodes.


Author’s note: a sexy firefighter and the sassy redhead who drives him crazy. All the banter, delicious tension, a heartwarming family, and Kindle-melting steam. Enemies to lovers is as hot as it gets and these two are FIRE.

The Bailey Brothers is meant to be read in order. Start with book one, Protecting You.]]> 456 Claire Kingsley Sac 4 2025-reads
I honestly never imagined the book would go the accidental pregnancy route, and I was nervous about how it would all play out. I wanted them together, but I didn’t want it to feel forced, you know? But Logan—oh my heart—this man stole the show. He’s got that goofy charm, but in this book, he showed a depth that truly won me over. The author did him justice, and it was such a satisfying transformation to see him rise to the occasion.

What I loved most was how we got to learn more about Cara’s background. Seeing what made her who she is today added so much depth to her character. Plus, we finally got the full backstory behind the bantering, enemies-to-lovers dynamic between her and Logan. Their chemistry was off the charts, and the tension between them was just so much fun to read.

I was also really happy to see a bit of the Bailey family. I’ve been craving that family dynamic, and it was great to get a taste of it here. Hopefully, in the next book—the final installment of the series—we get to see the Bailey-Haven feud come to a close. I’m eagerly waiting for Levi’s story, and I’m sure it’s going to be a wild ride!

Overall, I adored this book. It gave me everything I wanted from Logan and Cara and wrapped up their journey in such a satisfying way. I’m really looking forward to the next book and to seeing where the series goes from ]]> 4.15 2021
author: Claire Kingsley
name: Sac
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/15
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: 2025-reads
review:
I’ve been waiting for Logan and Cara’s story since book 2, and they did NOT disappoint! From the first time I saw their banter, I knew they were going to be relationship goals, and they absolutely lived up to my expectations—and more. Cara was the perfect fit for Logan. She was strong, and he became the protector she never knew she needed. It was beautiful to see him step up and be everything she didn’t realize she was missing.

I honestly never imagined the book would go the accidental pregnancy route, and I was nervous about how it would all play out. I wanted them together, but I didn’t want it to feel forced, you know? But Logan—oh my heart—this man stole the show. He’s got that goofy charm, but in this book, he showed a depth that truly won me over. The author did him justice, and it was such a satisfying transformation to see him rise to the occasion.

What I loved most was how we got to learn more about Cara’s background. Seeing what made her who she is today added so much depth to her character. Plus, we finally got the full backstory behind the bantering, enemies-to-lovers dynamic between her and Logan. Their chemistry was off the charts, and the tension between them was just so much fun to read.

I was also really happy to see a bit of the Bailey family. I’ve been craving that family dynamic, and it was great to get a taste of it here. Hopefully, in the next book—the final installment of the series—we get to see the Bailey-Haven feud come to a close. I’m eagerly waiting for Levi’s story, and I’m sure it’s going to be a wild ride!

Overall, I adored this book. It gave me everything I wanted from Logan and Cara and wrapped up their journey in such a satisfying way. I’m really looking forward to the next book and to seeing where the series goes from
]]> 63083650
Besides, he has her.

She’s his Juliet, the only woman in the world he can’t ever have. To an outsider, it probably seems crazy. But the Tilikum town feud is no joke—especially now—and Annika Haven is strictly forbidden.

Annika Haven never expected to be back in her hometown, let alone as a single mom with two jobs. Add in a pack of overprotective brothers, a brewing family crisis, and a gossipy, feuding town on the brink of chaos, and life gets complicated.

But at least she has him.

He’s her Romeo, a son of the enemy. He makes her smile on her worst days. Yet, despite his brooding sex appeal, the one thing she cannot do is fall for Levi Bailey. They’re just friends and that’s the way it has to stay.

But after months of secret texts and stolen glances, one soul-stealing kiss changes everything. And Levi Bailey is about to do the impossible.

Defy the feud.

Author’s note: an intense hero who relentlessly pursues what he wants and a single mom with a tender heart. Small-town shenanigans, a hundred-year-old mystery, a riot of crazy brothers, enough heat to melt your Kindle (and your ovaries) and the biggest, heart-burstingest, happily ever after you’ve been waiting for.

The Bailey Brothers series is meant to be read in order. Start with book one, Protecting You.]]> 558 Claire Kingsley Sac 4 2025-reads
Levi and Annika’s chemistry was undeniable. They fought their families' expectations, their own fears, and their growing attraction toward each other. The slow burn between them was perfect, and I loved how their journey unfolded. But what really stood out to me was how much emotional depth was packed into their story. They weren’t just fighting for their love; they were fighting their pasts and their own personal struggles.

I did wish we got a bit more of the dynamic between Levi and Annika’s son, Thomas. I loved him in the small glimpses we got, and I just felt like there was more to explore with that relationship. However, the rest of the book more than made up for it.

Levi had always caught my eye as the mysterious one throughout the series, especially compared to his louder, more playful twin, Logan. When his big secret came out, I was both nervous and excited to see how it would impact his relationship with his brothers. And in that moment, Logan once again won my heart. His unwavering support for Levi, even though he was blindsided by the revelation, was everything.

The feud between the Baileys and Havens was finally solved, and I loved the way the author tied up all the loose ends. The clues were dropped perfectly, and the resolution was satisfying. I’m so happy with the way this series ended—it wrapped up all the emotions and tensions while leaving me with a big smile on my face.

I’ll definitely be reading more by Claire Kingsley in the future. This series has been a wild, emotional ride, and I’m so glad I was along for the journey.]]> 4.40 2022
author: Claire Kingsley
name: Sac
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: 2025-reads
review:
Rewriting the Stars was everything I didn’t know I needed. The Romeo-and-Juliet dynamic between Levi Bailey and Annika Haven, set against the backdrop of the Bailey-Haven feud, had me completely hooked. It wasn’t just the forbidden romance that pulled me in, but the tension, the complexity, and the emotional depth that made this book so compelling.

Levi and Annika’s chemistry was undeniable. They fought their families' expectations, their own fears, and their growing attraction toward each other. The slow burn between them was perfect, and I loved how their journey unfolded. But what really stood out to me was how much emotional depth was packed into their story. They weren’t just fighting for their love; they were fighting their pasts and their own personal struggles.

I did wish we got a bit more of the dynamic between Levi and Annika’s son, Thomas. I loved him in the small glimpses we got, and I just felt like there was more to explore with that relationship. However, the rest of the book more than made up for it.

Levi had always caught my eye as the mysterious one throughout the series, especially compared to his louder, more playful twin, Logan. When his big secret came out, I was both nervous and excited to see how it would impact his relationship with his brothers. And in that moment, Logan once again won my heart. His unwavering support for Levi, even though he was blindsided by the revelation, was everything.

The feud between the Baileys and Havens was finally solved, and I loved the way the author tied up all the loose ends. The clues were dropped perfectly, and the resolution was satisfying. I’m so happy with the way this series ended—it wrapped up all the emotions and tensions while leaving me with a big smile on my face.

I’ll definitely be reading more by Claire Kingsley in the future. This series has been a wild, emotional ride, and I’m so glad I was along for the journey.
]]> 214650003
Conceited, unattainable, and downright delicious, renowned Michelin-starred chef Ambrose Casablancas has one passion in life―food.

Women are a distraction, and he doesn't do those. Especially Cal Litvin, his baby sister's best friend. Her entire existence is a complication; she's awkward, eccentric, infuriating...

And, much to his chagrin, hotter than his kitchen.

Ambrose has a lot on his a new restaurant to open, a multimillion-dollar property deal to execute, and a violent stalker to tame.

Then Cal shows up at his doorstep, looking for both a job and salvation after their messy goodbye. His resolve, like his patience, is ebbing each day she works at his restaurant.

Because Cal is no longer a doe-eyed girl.

Now? She's the woman he'll do anything to conquer.

***

Quirky, compassionate ball of sunshine Calla Litvin can't catch a break, and not just because she swore off running. Back in her hometown to nurse her mother's broken heart after losing her father, she finds herself jobless, hopeless, and penniless. She hopes to rekindle her friendship with her former BFF, but Dylan is attached at the hip to her cruel brother―the one Cal's been secretly crushing on since middle school.

Falling for the bad boy the second time around would be a mistake of gargantuan proportions.

Too bad she's always been clumsy...]]> 514 L.J. Shen 1399743392 Sac 3 2025-reads
The FMC is quirky and clumsy, supposed to be the sunshine to Row’s grumpy, but the narrative around her was just�� sad. It wasn’t the “fun, light-hearted sunshine�� we’re used to seeing in these types of stories. Instead, her perspective was a bit depressing and weighed down, which took some of the fun out of the dynamic.

The relationship itself? It was fine. The banter was there, the humor worked, and they did have some emotional moments where they opened up to each other. There was depth, but somehow, it still felt a little bland. Maybe because it was all so predictable. The connection felt like it had potential, but it never quite hit the mark for me.

Oh, and there’s a “food-sex�� scene for those into that kind of thing.

I honestly didn’t expect to feel bored reading an LJ Shen book, but here we are. It had a good premise, but it just didn’t live up to my expectations. Hopefully, the next LJ Shen book I pick up will be better and make up for this one]]> 3.89 2024
author: L.J. Shen
name: Sac
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/22
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: 2025-reads
review:
Not my first read by LJ Shen, but this one falls into the "okay" category. I liked the MMC Row, a celebrity chef who could give Gordon Ramsay a run for his asshole-ishness. He had that grumpy, brooding charm that Shen usually nails. But, as much as I loved Row, I felt the FMC just didn’t get the same treatment. She’s described as Russian, but the only “Russian�� thing we see is how she calls her parents and that she can handle her alcohol. Seriously? Did the author not have more to explore there? It felt a bit lazy.

The FMC is quirky and clumsy, supposed to be the sunshine to Row’s grumpy, but the narrative around her was just�� sad. It wasn’t the “fun, light-hearted sunshine�� we’re used to seeing in these types of stories. Instead, her perspective was a bit depressing and weighed down, which took some of the fun out of the dynamic.

The relationship itself? It was fine. The banter was there, the humor worked, and they did have some emotional moments where they opened up to each other. There was depth, but somehow, it still felt a little bland. Maybe because it was all so predictable. The connection felt like it had potential, but it never quite hit the mark for me.

Oh, and there’s a “food-sex�� scene for those into that kind of thing.

I honestly didn’t expect to feel bored reading an LJ Shen book, but here we are. It had a good premise, but it just didn’t live up to my expectations. Hopefully, the next LJ Shen book I pick up will be better and make up for this one
]]> 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 Sac 4 2025-reads
It took me a little time to figure out the characters, especially the recurring ones, but once I did, I found myself drawn into their lives. The book felt peaceful, almost like sitting in the café itself, watching time flow gently by. The author’s writing has a way of flowing seamlessly, like water in a river, making the experience feel both soothing and reflective.

I was especially intrigued by the woman in white, a mysterious and recurring figure who left me with so many questions. Her presence lingers in the background, making me curious enough to pick up the next book just to learn more about her.

This book felt like a warm, quiet moment of reflection—a chance to pause and think about the relationships, regrets, and moments that shape us. It’s not flashy or dramatic, but that’s what makes it so special. By the end, I felt like my maternal grandmother had just finished telling me a bedtime story—calming and full of quiet wisdom.]]> 3.67 2015
author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
name: Sac
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: 2025-reads
review:
Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a quietly profound and cozy story about love, regret, and the connections that shape us. Set in a small café in Tokyo where customers can travel back in time—but only under strict rules—it weaves together a series of heartfelt, bittersweet stories.

It took me a little time to figure out the characters, especially the recurring ones, but once I did, I found myself drawn into their lives. The book felt peaceful, almost like sitting in the café itself, watching time flow gently by. The author’s writing has a way of flowing seamlessly, like water in a river, making the experience feel both soothing and reflective.

I was especially intrigued by the woman in white, a mysterious and recurring figure who left me with so many questions. Her presence lingers in the background, making me curious enough to pick up the next book just to learn more about her.

This book felt like a warm, quiet moment of reflection—a chance to pause and think about the relationships, regrets, and moments that shape us. It’s not flashy or dramatic, but that’s what makes it so special. By the end, I felt like my maternal grandmother had just finished telling me a bedtime story—calming and full of quiet wisdom.
]]> 25489025
Celebrated by critics around the world, The Vegetarian is a darkly allegorical, Kafka-esque tale of power, obsession, and one woman’s struggle to break free from the violence both without and within her.]]> 188 Han Kang 0553448188 Sac 5 2025-reads
The story revolves around Yeong-hye, who makes the seemingly simple decision to stop eating meat, but her choice spirals into an exploration of autonomy, repression, and societal failure. Yet, what struck me most was how deeply it highlights the inability of those closest to us to truly understand us. Told from the perspectives of her husband, brother-in-law, and sister In-hye, the book denies us Yeong-hye’s voice, leaving an aching void as we try to make sense of her world.

For me, In-hye became the heart of the story. Through her, we witness the fine line between holding on and letting go. Her unwavering loyalty to Yeong-hye, even as she feels jealousy and desperation, is both heartbreaking and admirable. I found the contrast fascinating: Yeong-hye, plagued by mental illness, finds liberation and peace, while In-hye, the “normal�� sister by societal standards, feels herself unraveling. The tension between their realities is raw and powerful, and it’s impossible not to feel a connection to In-hye’s inner struggle.

The writing is relentless, forcing you to pause and catch your breath before plunging back into its inevitable truths. The third part, in particular, felt like a gift—a culmination of emotions that left me thinking long after. And the question that haunted me most was: Would it be so bad if I died? Simple, yet devastatingly thought-provoking.

Though Yeong-hye’s silence is central to the narrative, I found myself craving her perspective—to understand her inner world, her pain, and her peace. But perhaps that’s the brilliance of the story. It keeps you searching, incomplete, and deeply affected.

I picked up this book after hearing that the author won a Nobel Prize in Literature, and it left me wondering: How did I not know about this book sooner? It made me question and refine how I choose what to read. How many incredible books like this exist, waiting to be discovered? How many will I never know about, never get to read? This book is a stark reminder of the phrase: too many books, too little time.

The Vegetarian is raw, unsettling, and utterly unforgettable. It’s not just a book; it’s an experience that forces you to confront uncomfortable truths and leaves you pondering long after the final page.]]> 3.61 2007
author: Han Kang
name: Sac
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: 2025-reads
review:
The Vegetarian is one of those rare books that makes you question your understanding of human relationships, emotions, and even yourself. It left me in a state of incompleteness—constantly searching for interpretations, scouring through others�� takes, trying to grasp something that feels just out of reach. This is a book that unsettles and lingers, and its haunting rawness demands space to breathe as you read.

The story revolves around Yeong-hye, who makes the seemingly simple decision to stop eating meat, but her choice spirals into an exploration of autonomy, repression, and societal failure. Yet, what struck me most was how deeply it highlights the inability of those closest to us to truly understand us. Told from the perspectives of her husband, brother-in-law, and sister In-hye, the book denies us Yeong-hye’s voice, leaving an aching void as we try to make sense of her world.

For me, In-hye became the heart of the story. Through her, we witness the fine line between holding on and letting go. Her unwavering loyalty to Yeong-hye, even as she feels jealousy and desperation, is both heartbreaking and admirable. I found the contrast fascinating: Yeong-hye, plagued by mental illness, finds liberation and peace, while In-hye, the “normal�� sister by societal standards, feels herself unraveling. The tension between their realities is raw and powerful, and it’s impossible not to feel a connection to In-hye’s inner struggle.

The writing is relentless, forcing you to pause and catch your breath before plunging back into its inevitable truths. The third part, in particular, felt like a gift—a culmination of emotions that left me thinking long after. And the question that haunted me most was: Would it be so bad if I died? Simple, yet devastatingly thought-provoking.

Though Yeong-hye’s silence is central to the narrative, I found myself craving her perspective—to understand her inner world, her pain, and her peace. But perhaps that’s the brilliance of the story. It keeps you searching, incomplete, and deeply affected.

I picked up this book after hearing that the author won a Nobel Prize in Literature, and it left me wondering: How did I not know about this book sooner? It made me question and refine how I choose what to read. How many incredible books like this exist, waiting to be discovered? How many will I never know about, never get to read? This book is a stark reminder of the phrase: too many books, too little time.

The Vegetarian is raw, unsettling, and utterly unforgettable. It’s not just a book; it’s an experience that forces you to confront uncomfortable truths and leaves you pondering long after the final page.
]]> 217100570 For better or for worse.

When I said those words in front of the pastor, I meant them. But that was before everything changed. Before it became clear that my wife would be better off without me. I had no choice but to sabotage us, and that was exactly what I did. Even though I pushed Paige to leave, it still hurt like hell, watching her do it. I’d never love another woman for as long as I lived. She was it for me.

I guess those are the sacrifices we make for the people we love. And if I couldn’t make her dreams come true, I had no right to keep her. Not completely anyway.

Fast-forward to a year and a half later, and not a day has gone by where I don’t miss my wife. But I made my bed, and now, it’s time for me to lie in it. And while the rest of my life might be in ruins, my career on the ice has never been better.

At least, until a direct hit to the chest almost kills me. And just like that, my wife, who is my emergency contact, is back. But she isn’t happy with me—because those divorce papers she sent months ago? Yeah �� they somehow landed in the trash.

Realizing I will lose her again before I truly have her back, I offer her a deal. Ten days to prove we should have never separated. Ten days to redeem myself. And ten days to come clean about everything I’ve been hiding.

Should be easy enough, right?

Yeah, I didn’t think so either.

Shoot Your Shot features mature themes and content that may not be suitable for all audiences. Reader discretion is advised. TW include: infertility, substance abuse, mental health, sexual content, and some violence.]]> 309 Hannah Gray Sac 4 2025-reads
I felt every emotion in this one, especially as Paige navigates the delicate balance of wanting to help Kolt heal from his injury while also afraid to not cause more stress on him by bringing up their personal issues. Her internal struggle of wanting to be there for him, but unsure how to navigate the unresolved pain of their history, felt so real and relatable. There’s a rawness to their journey that makes it impossible not to root for them.

Both Kolt and Paige show real remorse for the mistakes they made, and they own up to the hurt they caused each other. There’s no easy path to redemption, but what I loved was how genuine their remorse felt. They didn’t just sweep things under the rug; they faced their flaws head-on, and that emotional honesty is what really pulls you in.

Kolt’s vulnerability and determination to prove himself are gut-wrenching and endearing, while Paige’s journey is equally powerful as she works through her doubts about whether they can rebuild what was broken. The emotional depth in their story is impossible to ignore, and it’s a journey worth following.

In the end, Shoot Your Shot is a sports romance centered around an ice hockey team. You get glimpses of the other players and their personalities, which adds another layer of fun to the story.

If you’re looking for a book that tackles the hard stuff with honesty and tenderness, this one is definitely worth reading. But I would suggest looking at the content warnings or trigger warnings before diving in, as this book deals with sensitive themes]]> 4.10
author: Hannah Gray
name: Sac
average rating: 4.10
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/28
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: 2025-reads
review:
What happens when a couple’s happily ever after is no longer what they imagined? In Shoot Your Shot, Hannah Gray takes us into the heart of a second-chance romance that’s messy, raw, and deeply emotional. It’s a story of two people torn between love and the painful realities of their past.

I felt every emotion in this one, especially as Paige navigates the delicate balance of wanting to help Kolt heal from his injury while also afraid to not cause more stress on him by bringing up their personal issues. Her internal struggle of wanting to be there for him, but unsure how to navigate the unresolved pain of their history, felt so real and relatable. There’s a rawness to their journey that makes it impossible not to root for them.

Both Kolt and Paige show real remorse for the mistakes they made, and they own up to the hurt they caused each other. There’s no easy path to redemption, but what I loved was how genuine their remorse felt. They didn’t just sweep things under the rug; they faced their flaws head-on, and that emotional honesty is what really pulls you in.

Kolt’s vulnerability and determination to prove himself are gut-wrenching and endearing, while Paige’s journey is equally powerful as she works through her doubts about whether they can rebuild what was broken. The emotional depth in their story is impossible to ignore, and it’s a journey worth following.

In the end, Shoot Your Shot is a sports romance centered around an ice hockey team. You get glimpses of the other players and their personalities, which adds another layer of fun to the story.

If you’re looking for a book that tackles the hard stuff with honesty and tenderness, this one is definitely worth reading. But I would suggest looking at the content warnings or trigger warnings before diving in, as this book deals with sensitive themes
]]>