Books I Read in March and April

A bit late, but here are my thoughts on all of the books I read in March and April! I was really surprised by how many books I read, but I think the Elle Kennedy series helped by being so good and so easy to read.

Time of Our Lives by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

As someone from Massachusetts I have to be annoying for one moment: There's a part in this novel where Juniper says that she's driven through Boston on her way to Springfield from New York. Incorrect. If you're driving to Springfield from New York and you end up in Boston, you missed a turn. 

Moving on, I loved this book. It was fun to read about high schoolers exploring colleges for the first time because it's such an exciting time. I didn't do a full college tour road trip like Fitz and Juniper, but I remember touring campuses and trying to picture myself sitting in the classrooms and making friends in the dorms. It's also a little scary. It's a big change, which is definitely something Fitz and Juniper learn along the way. Fitz learns that being away from home doesn't mean abandoning the people there and Juniper learns that she doesn't need to be too far away to get the space and freedom she craves. The road trip also impacts the personal relationships of the characters. Fitz discovers that his brother isn't as self-centered as he originally thought and has in fact made sacrifices for their mother, just like Fitz is trying to do. On the other side of that spectrum, Juniper and Matt realize that their relationship wasn't meant to last past high school, and in fact staying together would hold both of them back. And of course, Fitz and Juniper grow closer and closer as their interest align and they get to know each other.  

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

I had no idea going into this that it was a one bed situation. Typically, I like the one bed trope, when it happens to an enemies to lovers at a hotel or a fake dating couple at a wedding, but the idea of renting a room knowing that you're sharing a bed with your roommate is so bizarre to me. And sure, they weren't in the bed at the same time, but it was still so odd, and it took me a long to time to get past that. Also, it took me a minute to get used to how Leon's mind worked and his chapters were written. Once I did get past those things I did enjoy the novel. The communication via notes was cute as anything and the two of them were such a good couple. Watching them get to know each other through their stuff and then through notes and then finally in person was unlike anything I've really read before and it was interesting to see how their perceptive of each other changed as time went on,

The Lake by Natasha Preston

Esme knows something is up from the very beginning of this novel, and I love it. She's immediately on guard and once bad things start happening she's not surprised. However, because this is a Natasha Preston YA Thriller, being prepared means nothing. All of the counselors have secrets that they're not willing to part with which means it takes them longer to figure out all of the connections between everyone and what exactly is going on. Not going to lie, I thought Kayla was kinda annoying. She was so scared of the truth getting out, but it was an accident that happened years before. It just seemed like they would have gotten through whatever repercussions came from telling the truth. And if they came clean, they would have been able to give more information to Andy. The final scene was really sad, and I wasn't expecting so much death, but there was one thing that made me a little more hopeful than most Preston Novels. Esme is left sitting with a bunch of dead teenagers and the gun that killed them, but she never actually touched the gun, so I think the police will believe that she didn't do anything.

Elle Kennedy

TikTok made me buy it! These Elle Kennedy books were all over my TikTok so I decided to buy The Off-Campus Series and then I quickly bought the Briar U Series. They're considered two different series, but they don't really need to be. They all follow Briar U hockey players (except Jake, who plays for Harvard) as they fall in love. Instead of giving overviews on all of them, I'm just going to share my favorite aspects of each one.

I quickly became obsessed with these books. I love new adult romances because the characters are typically in college so they're a bit more mature than those in YA, but they also tend to have more freedoms and responsibilities because they're living on a college campus, which can lead to more serious drama.  

All of these books cover serious topics including insecurities, sexual assault, strained family relationships, drugs, pregnancy, and death. However they do so while also being absolutely hysterical. The conversations they have are so realistic and ridiculous that I couldn't help but laugh to myself as I read.  

The Off-Campus Series

This series follows the four boys who live in the off-campus apartment. 

The Deal  

Garrett and Hannah: the couple that started it all. The hands-off law is great for a number of reasons. 1) It's hilarious that everyone took it so seriously. 2) I loved that Garrett did it not because he was being possessive, but because he knew there was something Hannah wasn't telling him. He was willing to give her space and time to come clean, but he wasn't willing to give up on their relationship.

The Mistake 

Logan is scared to go after what he wants because of his father. He doesn't pursue the NHL because he knows he has to work at his dad's auto body shop, so there's no point. He expects Grace will break up with him because when his dad falls down the stairs drunk Logan is the one who has to help pick him up. However, Grace knows that Logan is up for a challenge and isn't willing to give up that easily, which results in an amazing declaration of love that proves that just because you love someone doesn't mean you always like them. 

The Score 

Everyone told Dean and Allie not to get involved, but Dean isn't going to say no when Allie wants rebound sex and somehow it snowballed from there. The comfort scene is the best moment in this book. Dean's sole focus is on making Allie feel better, but it's combatted with his "I'll deal with you two later" attitude towards a shocked Garrett and Hannah. This book also has a terribly sad and unexpected death in it that turns Dean's whole world upside down, but sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom to decide what's important.

The Goal 

A lot of people don't like this book (at least compared with the others) because it involves a pregnancy trope. However, the only issue I have with it is whether or not it was realistic. The way they got pregnant seemed like such a long shot, but obviously still possible. And then I just don't know if Sabrina would have been able to handle the Harvard Law workload and a newborn. I feel like she would have needed to defer for a year, but she made it work which was awesome to see. Other than that though I didn't mind the pregnancy trope. Especially because Tucker and Sabrina already had feelings for each other before they found out about the pregnancy. In fact they held back their feelings after that because they were afraid the other would think they were saying it for the sake of the baby. I think John Tucker is a stand up guy and Sabrina is a GirlBoss we should all be afraid of.

Briar U Series

This series include Fitz and Hunter, who took over the off-campus apartment lease, and also Jake and Conor who don't live there. The only complaint I have about this series is that there should have been a bonus Mike Hollis novella because he's nuts in the best possible way. Then again, maybe we wouldn't be able to handle getting a look inside his, or Rupi's minds.

The Chase

Fitz tried so hard not to like Summer. It was adorable to watch, but we all knew that they belonged together. And for a couple who tries to keep their relationship under wraps they get walked in on quite a few times. The greatest part was at the end when Dean finds out. 

The Risk

Jake and Brenna, the star-crossed lovers. One is the Briar coach's daughter. The other is a player for the rival team. Sounds dramatic, right? That's because it is, and people do not take kindly to the revelation. Thankfully, they eventually get over it and no one dies unnecessarily.  Also the good luck bracelet is the cutest thing.

The Play

I didn't love that Demi basically forced Hunter to have sex with her. Don't get me wrong, I like them as a couple, and I didn't mind that Demi and Conor were flirting to make him jealous, but I wish Hunter saw that as more of a joke than a real threat. It felt like their first time was more of something Hunter felt like he had to do than how he really wanted to do it. Obviously they were both interested in each other and it was only a matter of time until they got together, but how it happened wasn't great. 

The Dare 

It killed me that Taylor broke up with Conor for the same reason she got mad at him for breaking up with her. And she knows it! She calls herself out on it, but she rationalizes that his secret was about something in his past that could easily be fixed, while her's could effect her entire future. Which was true, but it still came down to miscommunication - typical!   

Books I read in September & October

I feel like I need to make an apology before you get into these reviews. Many of these books were mysteries or had some type of big revelation that I didn't want to spoil, which meant I couldn't write too much about them. Also, I always tell myself to write my reviews once I finish a book, but I never do, and then it's one week before the post goes live, and I'm trying to remember the book I read three weeks ago. 

Stand-In Saturday by Kirsty Moseley
Read that HERE

If I'm Honest by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

Cameron is mean, but she's not dumb. In fact, I don't even know if mean is the right word. She's blunt and honest, and she always makes sure that she can present herself in a certain way. This means everyone she chooses to hang out with has to fit a certain mold she's decided determines value. And she certainly proves that she's capable of owning up to her actions, but her parents have definitely influenced her mindset. Her mother is pretty useless for most of the novel and seems to be living in a fantasy world. Cameron doesn't understand her lack of drive and can't help but resent her. On the other hand, Cameron's father is probably one of the worst human's on the planet, but she wants nothing more than to impress him. However, with only her mom as a reference, Cameron can't help but be impressed by his successful professional life.

And then there's Andrew, Cameron's secret crush that she won't own up to until after he's made the varsity soccer team. When he calls her out on her actions, she decides to prove that she can change. To do that, she has to be forgiven by Brendan, the boy with an awful nickname she's responsible for. Brendan isn't quick to forgive, but Cameron isn't a quitter, and she's willing to do whatever it takes to make his torment stop and apologize. However, she didn't expect to actually enjoy spending time with him...

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Resentments and secrets, that's what everyone in the Keegan and Slater wedding party has. Every single one of them has something going on behind the scenes that could drive anyone to murder. However, what they don't realize is how interconnected they all are. Sure, they're all at the same wedding, so they have at least one mutual connection, but it goes so much deeper than that. While all of their issues are a big deal, I definitely felt more sorry for some of the characters than others, making reading certain points of view a little slow, but every detail revealed was important to the entire story.

As a reader who often flips to the back of the book to see the ending (I know...) I was able to refrain from doing so with this novel, but it was hard. This novel kept the killer and the victim a secret, and there were points where I wanted it to move faster and get to at least one revelation. I was proud of myself for figuring out who the killer was, but I didn't do so until a chapter or two before it was revealed, and I wasn't 100% correct about the killer's reasoning. I pride myself on guessing the killer because I watch way too much Criminal Minds to not be good at it, so whenever it takes me a while to guess, I consider that an aspect of a good mystery novel. I want the hints to be hard to register.  

Pleasant Grove by Jason Price*

This novel reminded me of Divergent. A town isolated from everything else by a dome and told there is no reason to ever go outside of it. However, when something gets in, Agnes and her friends decide it's time to figure out whatever secrets the adults have been trying to keep from them. Soon enough, they realize that there's more to whatever's outside the dome than even their parents know.

Sy-Fy isn't my favorite genre, and this novel is definitely for middle-grade readers, but I knew both of these things before I started reading, and I still enjoyed this novel. I liked that the adults in town remember life before the dome. I feel like usually, generations have passed by the time the story starts, but in this one, it's only been a little over a decade. 

I found Agnes to be a very well-written main character, especially for middle-grade readers. Her protective instincts are clearly very strong, but she's also a kid and gets herself into situations that she might be able to avoid if she was a little older. I don't like it when an author tries to make characters more mature than they need to be, and I thought Agnes was the perfect mix of leader and kid. If I was twelve, I could definitely see Agnes being the cool character I wanted to be like.

Hocus Pocus & The All-New Sequel by A.W. Jantha

Hocus Pocus has to be one of my favorite Halloween movies, so I was excited to read the book and get a sequel. The first part is basically the screenplay of the movie. A few inner monologue moments foreshadow the sequel, but other than that, it's the movie. 

The sequel follows Max and Allison's daughter, Poppy. Like a true Dennison, she and her friends accidentally bring the witches back to Salem, but this time it comes at the cost of sending Max, Allison, and Dani to hell. The witches are willing to trade all of Salem's souls to form a coven of their own, but to do so, they need their family's moonstone before sunrise.

This novel introduces another Sanderson Sister, Elizabeth. She was also killed for being a witch, but not before making sure her husband and daughter were safe, which allowed the Sanderson bloodline to continue. She does her best to help Poppy and her friends, but she's only a ghost. When it comes to it, Poppy and her crush, Isabella, are the only two who can stop the Sanderson Sisters.

This book was fun to read. Incorporating 2018 technology into the story was interesting. Considering the paved road threw the Sisters for a loop when they faced off against Max, their ability to figure out a cell phone is very impressive. Learning how Max and Allison treat Halloween after their experience was also intriguing. They've told Poppy the story, but she doesn't believe it and instead has learned to resent Halloween.

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

WARNING: There are some spoilers in this review, which is true for many of my reviews, but because this book is so new, I wanted to give you a heads up.

I'm not going to lie: I was a little skeptical about this book when I originally read the synopsis. The magical Groundhog Day element was different from everything Christina Lauren has done in their adult novels before (Sublime and House are YA, and both involve magical elements). However, I did really enjoy this book and ended up reading it wicked fast.

Mae's life is the epitome of "good, not great." Has a job, doesn't like it. Has a huge crush she's never acted on. It's like she can't make too many complaints but wants to complain anyway, which I think is a situation many of us have been in. We know in the grand scheme of things we're doing fine, but we wish we were doing better. However, when Mae really feels at the bottom of the barrel, she makes a wish and is rewarded with restarting the week. 

It takes Mae a few tries to get the hang of time travel, but she eventually accepts it. Something is freeing for her about knowing her choices may not be permanent. She doesn't take advantage, but she stops caring so much about what other people think and makes decisions she was previously afraid of. However, the one thing that she struggles with is that on the original Christmas Day, she kissed Theo, not his brother/her crush Andrew. And although it doesn't happen again and Theo doesn't even know it ever happened, Mae can't help but look at him differently, which results in her spending less time with him and Theo being very confused.   

I will say that I was waiting for her to go back one more time and wake up in the hospital or at the car crash. I expected there to be an explanation for what was going on, but she never did. Time travel was real in this novel, and it was just something Mae had to deal with. If that was me, I'd be afraid of getting send back like she was during the scavenger hunt, but I guess once she started doing things for herself, the universe decided she could handle the rest on her own.

Although the story takes place over Christmas, it's not really a Christmassy book. I was kind of expecting a Hallmark-style, true meaning of Christmas thing, but it's not, which I liked. 

*This book was gifted to me by the author. Opinions are my own.

Books I Read in July & August

Summer reading is upon us! This summer feels a little different than most because of lockdown, but no matter - it's not like we need a specific season to read, right?

One Month Forever by Kate J. Blake

The conclusion to Ricardo and Angie's story. I really liked how it resolved. They have to reconfigure their relationship to be something they both flourish in, which took some time, but they were able to do. I don't have a whole lot to say about this one because, for me, it was a quick, happy read that wrapped up the story, but I did enjoy it. There is a small part of me that thinks all three of the One Month books could have been combined into one, but that's just me.

Spoiler Alert: My favorite scene is when Ricardo tries to sneakly give Angie a new car by getting her dad to offer it to her. She gets upset because she already had a discussion with him about buying her unnecessary gifts. Then he tries to propose to her and she wants nothing to do with it. I loved it when she pointed out that he didn't have the ring on him because that wasn't how he wanted to propose and he was basically grasping at straws to keep her from getting upset. It wasn't that the two of them didn't want to be together forever, it was that Ricardo was going about the situation all wrong. I found this scene to really show Angie's growth. Ricardo isn't in her life because she needs him there, he's there because she wants him there, but she's strong enough to walk away if he fails to grow with her (no matter how badly it would hurt).

One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

This was one of my Book of the Month choices, which I chose because I was intrigued by the premise of getting a behind the scenes look of a dating show. I'm not a huge Bachelor(ette) fan, but I have watched a few seasons with friends, and thanks to social media I can usually figure out what's going on.

I really liked Bea's character and the fact that she challenges the norm of dating show contestants. I think that's a really prevalent issue, especially when compared to the Bachelor franchise because pretty much everyone looks the same on that show, and it simply isn't what normal people look like.  

To be honest, this book was a little slow for me. I felt like I was reading for hours, but I was only 50 pages further than when I started. A lot of this had to do with the blog posts and email chains that broke up the book. I really wish they were used to show more than what they did. One of the most frustrating things for viewers is when the boys act differently at the house then they do with the Bachelorette, which causes her to think the boy is amazing but the rest of the world knows he's terrible. I wish that's what those extra bits showed us, instead of rehashing what readers already get to see from Bea's point of view.

Also, something really weird about my version of the book was that one of the pages had a ton of mistakes on it. I have no idea if this is a random mistake or it was in all of the book editions, but when Bea is at her house and there's a transcript of her parents being interviewed by the producers, there were so many mistakes that I couldn't even figure out what it was supposed to say. I got the gist, but it was so bizarre to see so many mistakes only on one page.

Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein

Gymnasts fascinate me. Two of my best friends were gymnasts and as someone who could never properly complete a cartwheel, I am just awed by the ability of gymnasts. That alone made me excited for this novel, but I also watched "Athlete A" a little while ago so I was ready to get mad at coaches and cheer for the athletes. 

I'm obsessed with Avery and Ryan. I liked how they both very clearly liked each other, but were like, "We're co-coaches, we can't" and then continued to find themselves kissing. I just thought it was cute how it was more the question of "when", instead of "if."

Obviously, I hated Dmitri. And I got very upset when Ryan was more focused on the chance to work with a great coach instead of listening to one of his past athletes who didn't agree with his teachings. As frustrating as it was, I kind of liked that Ryan had to see Dmitri's gym/coaching style for himself before admitting Avery was right. Because Ryan was such a good guy, that this instance showed that he wasn't perfect, that he could get distracted by the idea of someone and what they could do to further his own career, and made him more realistic. Especially after seeing how guilty he was for sending Jasmine to the Doctor who ended up being a pedophile, you don't fully understand how he doesn't listen to Avery's concerns about Dmitri. But I personally think that's life. You hear someone did something terrible and immediately hate them, but when someone you idolize is accused of something bad you want to make excuses because you don't want to have to rebuild them in your mind.

I liked how this book covered very serious topics without being too graphic and including some lighthearted storylines that exemplify that people are more than their bad experiences.

Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

I struggled to relate to Megan. The flirt who loves having a boyfriend is so far from who I am that half the time I was rolling my eyes and wondering how she was surprised there relationships didn't work out. And it's not that there's anything wrong with that personality - I know and love girls with this personality - but it's not me. Owen on the other hand I was like, "Okay, yup. I get you." However, I was able to sympathize with Megan. It was sad that she felt like an outsider in her own family, and that she got cheated on twice, the first time involving her best friend. 

I liked how her relationship with Owen played out as well. They started off without pretense because he had a girlfriend and she wanted to date his friend. It allowed them to bypass the awkwardness a little bit and really get to know each other. Of course, that led to more and more feelings that eventually made things complicated between the two of them, but they were able to figure it all out pretty gracefully. In a lot of books I read, the couple breaks up over some type of miscommunication, but that didn't happen in this novel. Sure, Megan and Owen fight and don't talk for a little while, but once they commit themselves to each other they're in it 100%. There's even a moment when you think a rumor is going to mess with them, but Owen clears everything up quickly.

The one thing I did notice was that Owen tells Megan he broke up with his girlfriend directly after they kiss in his room, but at the open mic, he's late because he was face timing her. That's never really explained, so I don't know if it's just a continuity error in the plot, or if there was another reason he was facetiming his ex.    

Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco

The only thing I didn't like about this novel was that it was the last one in the series. I'm so sad to say goodbye to the Ripper series, but I already have Kingdom of the Wicked preordered and I'm excited about that.

In this novel, Audrey Rose and Thomas are rehunting Jack the Ripper while also fighting for their future together. After discovering that her brother wasn't the Ripper, but instead his partner, Audrey Rose finds herself digging through Nathaniel's journals for hints about who was the true mastermind behind so many deaths. While Thomas reads through the journals quickly and methodically, Audrey Rose struggles to read her brother's descriptions of the horrendous deeds he was a part of. Their search leads them out of New York City and into Chicago where things get even crazier for the duo. They reconnect with a friend they met in Romania and spend time admiring the world fair, but murders continue. After Thomas and her Uncle are poisoned, Audrey Rose figures out who the killer is and, as independent as ever, decides to confront him alone. The decision nearly gets her killed, but this is Audrey Rose we're talking about. Even with a limp, the girl is able to fight with the best of them. Of course, it was helpful that Thomas designed her cane to hold a secret dagger. 

Throughout this whole investigation, Audrey and Thomas are also struggling to regain their future. During what should have been their wedding, a woman informed the church that she was Thomas' true intended and if he didn't marry her, he and his sister would lose everything. Even though Thomas knows his father made the betrothal promise with a signed piece of paper leftover in Thomas' bedroom, he feels helpless. His refusal of marriage means that his father will out his sister and her girlfriend. Meanwhile, Audrey Rose refuses to become a mistress out of fear for what that would do to her cousin's reputation. They know that they want each other and even though they don't care what happens to them, they don't want to take their loved ones out with them. Thankfully, Audrey Rose's grandmother has connections that Thomas' father could only dream of, who doesn't mind helping them out.

I love the Ripper series, not only because Audrey Rose and Thomas are amazing, but because I also learn quite a bit about life in the late 19th century. Maniscalco does a lot of research for her novels and is able to weave that knowledge into an incredible story. It interesting to read about two characters who are outliers of their day, but still have to abide by societal rules to some degree.

Well Met by Jen DeLuca

Boyfriend dumps you after you quit school to help him through Law school? Sister gets in a car crash that leaves her immobile and unable to care for her teenage daughter for a few months? The simple solution would be to move in with your sister while she heals and you figure out your next steps. Get in, do your job, get out. Easy. Or so Emily thought.

I loved this. A summer Renaissance Faire that brings the whole town together. Amazing. But I also loved that this novel brought you behind the scenes to who is actually apart of things like this. While plenty of people volunteer because they enjoy the fun of the faire. Emily and Simon, although they also enjoy the faire, are mostly there because they have to be. Since her niece is underage, Emily is forced to volunteer as her guardian. Simon's older brother started the faire and ever since he lost his battle with cancer, it's been up to Simon to keep it going in his memory. But when Emily, the newcomer in town, is able to look at Simon without knowing his brother, she notices that Simon takes on more than he needs to when it comes to the faire. Simon doesn't really know how to handle Emily and ends up being seemingly cruel to her. Of course, this leads to a great "enemies to lovers" storyline. However, when it gets harder to differentiate between their faire personas and their true identities, their relationship crumbles until Simon learns to delegate responsibilities.