The Dead Romantics – audiobook mini-review

Author: Ashley Poston
Publication date: June 28, 2022
Genre: contemporary, romance, paranormal
Audiobook narrator: Eileen Stevens
My rating: 4.75/5 stars

A romance ghostwriter who doesn’t believe in love anymore, who can also literally see ghosts, who goes home for her father’s funeral and encounters the ghost of her new editor. The premise sounds wild, and yet The Dead Romantics fuses it into a beautiful reflection on grief, love, family, and the complex ways in which those three intersect. I’m aware that I’m writing this review in April, but this was my first book of the year back in January, and honestly, it was a perfect start to 2023. Read on for a mini-review with more comprehensive thoughts!

All the Right Reasons – blog tour (ARC review + EDS rep!)

Author: Bethany Mangle
Publication date: February 15, 2022
Genre: YA Contemporary
My rating: 4/5 stars

Fans of Gilmore Girls, this book was basically made for you. A story of a single mother and her daughter, both struggling to find love, propelled by hefty doses of sarcasm and coffee, this is a great read if you’re looking for something sweet, fast, and fun. And, more importantly, it has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome representation! Read on for more about the book and my thoughts on it.

Top Ten Tuesday 2/9 – Love Is All You Need

Hello, lovelies! It’s been ages since I’ve written one of these (I think close to a year actually?), but getting back on my blogging game–I’ve only missed one day so far this month–means that I get to start joining in more of the fun-filled weekly memes, including the delightful Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week is a Valentine’s Day/”Love Freebie,” so I figured I would get back to basics and just list 10 of my favorite fictional couples. Yes, I know, I’m ace, but that doesn’t mean I can’t love reading about the emotions of fictional characters, okay?

This list is by no means definitive–it is a mix of old favorites and then some I really liked from books I’ve read in the past year or so. I’m sure I’m missing a bunch. Please don’t be too harsh on me; I’m still getting back into the swing of things.

Without further ado, let’s begin!

The Gravity of Us – mini-review

Author: Phil Stamper
Publication date: March 4, 2020
Genre: young adult, contemporary, LGBTQIA+, romance
My rating: 3.5/5 stars

You’ve got to admit, no matter what you think of the book, that this is a gorgeous cover.

Once again, I’m finding myself in a position where I’m a little too worn out to write full reviews, but I do have thoughts I want to share on books! To that end, I present you with this mini-review of a cute, if not remarkable, queer YA contemporary (with a splash of romance, a ton of commentary on media, and a hefty dose of outer space).

Book Haul – Christmas 2019

A week or two ago, I promised a post with pictures from my Christmas book haul, and now the time is here! Now, admittedly, only one person got me books this year–my dad–and he had to ask someone at the bookstore to help him pick them out, so they’re four titles that I literally hadn’t even heard of before. To that end, I caved and included the Goodreads blurbs for each of them in this post, because…well, might as well know what they’re about, right?

These books are, in order: a historical mystery, a historical rom-com (think Pride and Prejudice type story, from what I’ve heard), a YA contemporary/historical, and a fantasy. Yeah, apparently this lady thought I was super into historical books? I don’t really get why–she literally looked at my Goodreads account and I know historical fiction is one of my least-read genres–but whatever works, I guess. At the very least, my horizons will be broadened quite a lot! And hopefully, dear reader, by perusing this post, yours will too.

Audiobook review blitz – Invisible Women, This Is How You Lose the Time War, & When Dimple Met Rishi

Being off from work for the holidays has set me behind a little on my audiobook listening, but I’ve finally gotten through another round of three, and you know what that means: more mini-reviews! This time, we have a nonfiction, feminist, data-driven book; a queer sci-fi romance; and an #OwnVoices YA contemporary/rom-com about two Indian-American teens at a summer coding program. Let’s get started!

It’s My Life – ARC review

Author: Stacie Ramey
Publication date: January 1, 2020
Genre: young adult contemporary, romance
My rating: 4/5 stars

A timely narrative about disability, sense of self, and first love, It’s My Life deftly navigates the difficulties–physical, emotional, and social–that accompany serious disability, through the eyes of a smart, likable, and relatable narrator. Though it does get a bit cheesy and/or implausible at times, the story itself is an important one, specifically targeting the younger end of the YA spectrum with a solid message of hope.

Our Wayward Fate – review

Author: Gloria Chao
Publication date:
Genre: young adult, contemporary
My rating: 2/5 stars

Such a pretty cover. Such a disappointing book 😭😭😭

What do you get when you cross an OwnVoices story with odd mythological tie-ins, a cheesy romance, and parental conspiracies? Hint: it’s this book, and it isn’t very good. At first glance, Our Wayward Fate looked perfect for me (Chinese-American story, discussions of racism, quirky protagonist who likes puns, etc), but like a poorly-planned recipe, the ingredients became stale very quickly and did not blend well, resulting in a forgettable trifle of a read.

Serpent & Dove – ARC review

Author: Shelby Mahurin
Publication Date: September 3, 2019 (yes, I’m aware that that was two months ago, but I received this ARC less than a week before the book came out, as part of a thank-you from Epic Reads, and it’s been hard to fit into my schedule…)
Genre: YA fantasy, romance
My rating: 3.5/5 stars

I really, really wanted to love this book. It sounded like my kind of story–witches! enemies-to-lovers! morally gray characters!–but the reality was disappointing in its execution.