hello everyone! today i am going to be talking about my worst books of 2021. for this post, these were just books i didn’t like, but i am going to make another post in a few days where i talk about the most disappointing books. and the books in this list are honestly not going to be in any order, since it would be kind of hard.
7. love is a revolution by renee watson
when nala robertson reluctantly agrees to attend an open mic night fir her cousin\sister\friend imani’s birthday, she finds herself falling in instant love with tye brown. he’s perfect, expect that tye is an activist and is spending the summer putting on events for the community when nala would rather watch movies and try out the new seasonal flavors at the local creamery. in order to impress tye, nala tells a few tiny lies to have enough in common with him. as they spend more time together, sharing more of themselves, some of those lies get harder to keep up. as nala falls deeper into keeping up her lies, and into love, she’ll learn all the ways love is hard, and how self love is revolutionary.
6. 14 ways to die by vincent ralph.
ten years ago, jess’ mother was murdered by the magpie man. she was the first of his victims, but not the last. now jess is the star of a youtube reality series and she’s using it to catch the killer once and for all. the whole world is watching her every move, and so is the killer.
5. some laneys die by brooke skipstone.
laney’s world collapsed when she caught her dad cheating, he begged her not to tell, but she did. her family fell apart and regret consumes her, especially when she learns every decision she makes spawns a new universe for the opposite choice. if only she could skip sideways to the laney who didn’t tell. but her only escape is through her imagination, until a news story blurs the lines between worlds. two girls were murdered at the same time and same place as her father’s adulterous act. strange events lead laney to believe their bones are connected to her and the sister she always wanted.
4. city of the plague god by sarwat chadda
thirteen year old sik wants a simple life; going to school and then helping at his parents deli in the evening. but all that is blown to smithereens when nergal comes looking for him, thinking that silk holds the secret to eternal life. turns out sik is immortal but doesn’t know it, and that’s about to get him and the entire city into deep trouble. sik is not in this alone. he’s got belet, the adopted daughter of ishtar, the goddess of love and war, on his side and a former hero named gilgamesh, who has taken up gardening in central park. now all they have to do is retrieve the flower of immortality to save manhatan from being wiped out by disease.
3. being amani by annabelle steele
it’s been over a year since that night and amani hopes that starting all over again will help her move on from the past. so, when she moves to a new city, amani wants to focus on her new life, her best friend and the boy she’s been crushing on but everything is falling apart and amani finds herself looking for happiness in all the wrong places.
2. the famoux by kassandra tate
out of the wreckage of environmental collapse, the country of delicatum emerged. it’s most popular celebrities are the famoux, uniquely beautiful stars of a reality tv show called the fishbowl. in a world still recovering from catastrophe, they provide a 24/7 distraction. and sixteen year old emilee laurence is obsessed with the famoux, they provide a refuge from her troubled home life and the bullies at school. when she receives an unimaginable offer to become a member herself, she tales it. leaving behind everything she’s ever known, emilee enters a world of high glamour and even higher stakes.
kissing the coronavirus by mj edwards.
this isn’t so much of one book though, since all these books just get worse and worse as they go on. and these books are like less than 30 pages. so, yeah this whole series sucked.
anyway, that is all for today! i mean, i feel like a lot of these books have something to offer, at least the first three. but, i mean, i think overall i had a good reading year, so of course i was gonna get a couple bad ones here and there.
hello everyone! today i am going to be talking about my best books of 2021. this list was honestly was easier to create than i thought it was, where for the worst books, i had no clue what to put where. but, for most of this list, the order doesn’t really matter, and i keep changing which way i want to put it, but the top five are the ones that are definite.
10. survive the night by riley sager.
charlie jordan is being driven across the country by a serial killers. maybe. behind the wheel is josh baxter, a stranger charlie met by the college ride share board, who also has a good reason for leaving university in the middle of term. on the road they share their stories, carefully avoiding the subject dominating the news, the campus killer, who tied up and stabbed three students in the span of a year, has just struck again. travelling the lengthy journey between university and their final destination, charlie begins to notice the discrepancies in josh’s story. as she begins to plan her escape from the man she is becoming certain is the killer, she starts to suspect that josh knows exactly what she’s thinking.
9. all these bodies by kendare blake
summer 1958- a string of murders plagues the midwest. the victims are found in their cars and in their homes- even in their beds- their bodies drained, but with no blood anywhere. september 19- the carlson family is slaughtered in their minnesota farmhouse, and the case gets its first lead: 15 year old marie catherine hale is found at the scene. she is covered in blood from head to toe, and at first she’s mistaken for a survivor, but not a drop of blood is hers. michael jensen, son of the local sheriff, yearns to become a journalist and escape his small town. he never imagined that the biggest story in the country would fall into his lap, or that he would be pulled into the investigation, when marie decides that he is the only one she will confess to.
8. people we meet on vacation by emily henry
poppy and alex have nothing in common, she is a wild child; he wears khakis, she has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. and somehow, even since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. for most of the year they live apart, she’s in new york and he’s in their small hometown, but every summer, for a decade, they have taken on glorious week of vacation together. until two years ago, when they ruined everything, and they haven’t spoken since. poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. when someone asks when she last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill fated, final trip with alex. and so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together, lay everything on the table, make it all right, and he agrees.
7. our violent ends by chloe gong
i’m not going to give an description of what this book is about, since i don’t want to spoil anyone if they haven’t read this book yet. but, this in the second book in the these violent delights series.
6. it happened one summer by tessa bailey
piper bellinger is fashionable, influential, and her reputation as a wild child means the paparazzi are constantly on her heels. when too much champagne and an out of control rooftop party lands piper in the slammer, her step father decides enough is enough. so, he cuts her off, and sends piper and her sister to learn some responsibility running their late father’s dive bar in washington. piper hasn’t even been in westport for five minutes when she meets big, bearded sea captain, brendan, who thinks she won’t last a week outside beverly hills. so what if piper can’t do math, and the idea of sleeping in a shabby apartment with bunk beds gives her hives. it can’t be bad, and she’s determined to show her stepfather, and the hot, grumpy local, that she is more than jus a pretty face. except it’s a small town and everywhere she turns, she bumps into brendan. the fun loving socialite and the gruff fisherman are polar opposites, but there’s an undeniable attraction simmering between them. piper doesn’t want any distractions, especially feelings for a man who sails off into the sunsets for weeks at a time. yet as she reconnects with her past and begins to feel at home in westport, piper starts to wonder if the cold, glamorous life she knew is what she truly wants.
5. married by morning by lisa kleypas
for two years, catherine marks has been a paid companion to the hathaway sisters, a pleasant position, with one caveat. her charges’ older brother, leo hathaway, is thoroughly exasperating. marks can hardly believe that their constant arguing could mask a mutual attraction, but when one quarrel ends in a sudden kiss, marks is shocked at her powerful response, and even more so when leo proposes a dangerous liaison. but, leo must marry and produce a heir within a year to save his family. marks respectable demeanor hides a secret that would utterly destroy her, but to leo, marks is intriguing and infernally tempting, even to outrun is about to separate them forever; unless two wary lovers can find a way to banish the shadows and give into their desires.
4. the shadow between us by tricia levenseller
alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power: woo the shadow king, marry him, and then kill him and take his kingdom for herself. no one knows the extent of the freshly crowned shadow king’s power, some say he can command the shadow that swirl around him to do his bidding. others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. regardless, alessandra knows what she deserves, and she’s going to do everything within her power to get it. but alessandra’s not the only one trying to kill the king and as attempts on his life are made, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen, all while struggling not to lose her heart.
3. malibu rising by taylor jenkins reid
malibu: august 1983. it’s the day of nina riva’ annual end of summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. everyone wants to be around the famous riva’s: nina, a surfer and supermodel; jay and hud one a championship surfer and the other a talented photographer, and their adored baby sister, kit. together the siblings are a source of fascination in malibu and the world, especially as the offspring’s of the legendary singer, mick riva. the only person not looking forward to the party of the year is nina herself, who never wants to be the center of attention and who just got publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. and then hud, who is long past time to confess something to his brother. but jay, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there and kit who has a couple secrets of her own, and a guest who she invited without telling anyone else. and by midnight, the party will be completely out of control and by morning, the riva mansion will have gone up in flames. but before the first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shape this family’s generations will all come to the surface.
2. the atlas six by olivie blake
the alexandrian society, caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity, are the foremost secret society of magical academicians in the world. those who earn a place among the alexandrians will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams, and each decade, only the six most uniquely talented magicians are selected to be considered for initiation. now, libby rhodes and nico de varona, unwilling halves of an unfathomable whole, who exert uncanny control over every element of physicality. reina mori, a naturalist, who can intuit the language of life itself. parisa kamali, a telepath who can traverse the depth of the subconscious, seeing the worlds inside the human mind. callum nova, an empath easily mistaken for a manipulative illusionist, who can influence the intimate workings of a person’s inner self. and tristian caine, who can see through the illusions to a new structure of reality, an ability so rare that neither he nor his peers can full grasp its implication.
as good as dead by holly jackson
pip is about to head to college, but she is still haunted by the way her last investigation ended. she’s used to online death threats in the wake of her viral true crime podcast, but she can’t help noticing an anonymous person who keeps asking her: who will look for you when you’re the one who disappears? soon the threat escalates and pip realizes that someone is following her in real life. when she starts to find connections between her stalker and a local serial killer caught six years ago, she wonders if maybe the wrong man is behind bars. police refuse to act, so pip has only one choice: find the suspect herself, or be the next victim. as the deadly game plays out, pip discovers that everything in her small town is coming full circle, and if she doesn’t find the answers, this time she will be the one who disappears.
anyway, that is all for today! i honestly had a pretty great reading year, and i mean i did read a ton of really good books. so, i mean making this list was kind of hard, but at the same time i know which books i did really like.
hello everyone! today i am going to be talking about all the books i want to read in january. honestly, i think this month i’m going to try to read whatever i want, and not really feel obligated to read what is on my tbr, just so i don’t get into a reading slump this early into the year.
punk 57 by penelope douglas. i can’t help but smile at the words in her letter, she misses me. in fifth grade, my teacher set us up with pen pals from a different school, thinking i was a girl, with a name like misha, the other teacher paired me up with her student, ryen. my teacher, believing ryen was a boy, agreed. it didn’t take long for us to figure out the mistake, and in no time at all, we started arguing about everything. and that was the start, for the next seven years, it was us. her letters are always on black paper with silver writing. sometimes there’s one a week or three in a day, but i need them. she’s the only one who keeps me on track, talks to me down, and accepts everything i am. we only had three rules, no social media, no phone numbers, no pictures, we had a good thing going, until i find a photo of a girl online, with the same names, loves gallo’s pizza, and worships her iphone.
the deal by elle kennedy. hannah wells has finally found someone who turns her on. but while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she’s carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. if she wants to get her crush’s attention, she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice, even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date. all garrett graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he’s worked so hard for. if helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help hum secure his position on the team, he’s all for it. but when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn’t take long for garrett to realize that pretend isn’t going to cut it. now he just has to convince hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.
ugly love by colleen hoover. when tate collins meets pilot miles archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. they wouldn’t even go as far as to consider themselves friends. the only thing tate and miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set up. he doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have the time for love, so that just leaves sex. their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as tate can stick to the only two rules miles has for her: never ask about the past and don’t expect a future. they think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.
the love hypothesis by ali hazelwood. as a third year phd candidate, olive smith doesn’t believe in lasting romantic relationships, but her best friend does, and that’s what got her into this situation. convincing anh that olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever afer was always going to take more than hand wavy jedi mind tricks. so, like and self respecting biologist, olive panics and kisses the first man she sees. that man is none other than adam carlsen, a young hotshot professor, and well know ass. which is why olive is positively floored when stanford’s reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. but when a big science conference goes haywire, putting olive’s career on the bunsen burner, adam surprises her again with his unyielding support.
the risk by st abby. lana didn’t expect him, she didn’t want to fall in love, but she can’t let go of him. logan bennett makes the world a safer place, he’s brilliant, a hero, he locks away the sick and depraved. but, while he’s saving lives, lana is taking them, they left her for dead, they should have made sure they stayed dead. but, now she’s taking from them, one at a time. she’s trained to long, she’s been patient, and she can’t stop now. they never see her coming, until she paints their walls red. logan doesn’t know that they hurt her, he doesn’t know the screams they ignored, he doesn’t know how twisted that town really is. he just knows people are dying, he doesn’t know that he’s in love with their killer. no one suspects a dead girl and logan doesn’t suspect the girl in his bed.
the diviners by libba bray. evie o’neil has been exiled from her boring hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of new york city, and she is ecstatic. it’s 1926, and new york is filled with speakeasies, ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. the only catch is that she has to live with her uncle will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult. evie worries her uncle will discovers her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. but when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and will is called to the scene, evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer. as evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps.
ice planet barbarians by ruby dixon. you’d think being abducted by aliens would be the worst thing that could have happened. but that’s wrong because now, the aliens are having ship trouble, and they’ve left their cargo of the human woman on an ice planet. but, the only native inhabitant that i’ve met, he’s big, horned, blue and really has a thing for me.
love and other disasters by anita kelly. recently divorced and on the verge of bankruptcy, dahlia woodson is ready to reinvent herself on the popular reality competition show, chef’s special. too bad the first memorable move she makes is falling flat on her face, sending fish tacos flying, not quite the fresh start she was hoping for. still, she’s focusing on winning, until she meets someone she might want a future with more than she needs the prize money. after announcing their pronouns on national television, london parker has enough on their minds without worrying about the klutzy competitor stationed in front of them. they’re there to prove the trolls, including a fellow contestant and their dad, wrong and falling in love was never part of the plan. as london and dahlia get closer, reality starts to fall away. goodbye, guilt about divorce, anxiety about uncertain futures, and stress from transphobia.
a touch of darkness by scarlett st. clair. persephone is the goddness of spring by the title only. the truth is, since she was a little girl, flowers have shriveled at her touch. after moving in new athens, she hopes to lead an unassuming life disguised as a mortal journalist. after a chance encounter with hades, persephone finds herself in a contract with the god of the dead and the term are impossible: persephone must create life in the underworld or lose her freedom forever.
the hating game by sally thorne. lucy hutton has always been certain that the nice girl can get the corner office. she’s charming and accommodating and prides herself on being loved by everyone at bexley & gamin. everyone excepts for coldly efficient, impeccably attired, physically intimidating joshua templeman and the feeling is mutual. trapped in a shared office together, 50 or 60 hours a week, they’ve become entrenched in an addictive, ridiculous never ending game of one upmanship. there’s the staring game, the mirror game, the HR game and lucy can’t let joshua beat her at anything, especially when a huge new promotion goes up for the taking. if lucy wins this game, she’ll be joshua’s boss. if she loses, she’ll resign. so why is she suddenly having steamy dreams about joshua, and dressing for work like she’s on a date. after a perfectly innocent elevator ride end with an earth shattering kiss, lucy starts to wonder whether she’s got joshua templeman all wrong.
the sweetest oblivion by danielle lori. nicknamed sweet abelli for her docile nature, elena smiles on cue and has a charming response for everything. she’s the favored daughter, the perfect mafia principessa. now all she can see in the mirror’s reflection is blood staining her hands like crimson paint. they say first impressions are everything, in the murky waters of new york’s underworld, elena’s sister is arranged to marry nicolas russo. a made man, a boss, a cheat, even measured against mafia standards. his reputation stretches far and wide and is darker than his black suits and ties. after his and elena’s first encounter ends with an accidental glare on her part, she’s realized he’s just as rude as he is handsome. she doesn’t like the man or anything he stands for, though that doesn’t stop her heart from pattering like rain against glass when he’s near, nor the shivers that ghosts down her spine at the sound of his voice. and he’s always near, telling her what to do, making her feel hotter than any future brother in law should. elena may be the sweet abelli on the outside, but she’s beginning to learn she has a taste for the darkness, for rough hands, cigarettes, and whiskey colored eyes. having already escaped one scandal, however, she can hardly afford to be swept in another.
anyway, that is all for today! i honestly can’t wait for this month and hopefully this is a good month and i read a lot of books that i like, since that would be really good and honestly a great kick off for the year.
hello everyone! today i am going to be talking about all the books i’ve read today. i had a decent reading month, but i only reread a lot of books, which is okay but i do wish i read more new books. but, i do think it was still a decent book.
when we were infinite by kelly loy gilbert. i gave this book 3/5 stars. i honestly really liked this book. like, i think that this was a good book but i feel like everyone was just kind of toxic to each other at the same time. but, i also think that they all need therapy, which also might go into the fact that they were toxic and why they all were going through so much. and i do think that the romance was unnecessary, but it still was a decent book and did have a good message.
our violent ends by chloe gong. i gave this book 5/5 stars. i honestly love this book so much and i think that this book was just so good. like, i think that the whole plot and story was just so great and i really loved it. and i mean, this was such a great book and i liked this book so much. but, i do think that the ending of this book was way to quick.
kissing the coronavirus by MJ edwards. i gave this book 1/5 stars. honestly, i think that this book was honestly a hot mess at it’s finest. but, i feel like that this book was kind of a nightmare, but honestly very entertaining at the same time.
kissing the coronavirus: the second wave by MJ edwards. i gave this book 1/5 stars. honestly, this book was a mess, but it was still very entertaining though. like, it was honestly very unbelievable, but it was still a really fun book, even if it was a shit show.
kissing the coronavirus: the mutant strain by MJ edwards. i gave this book 1/5 stars. the only good part of this book was the queer rep, and now that they made covid now a girl, was kind of entertaining and just really odd at the same time. but, i mean, it was still a really stupid book, but in the best way possible.
married by morning by lisa kleypas. i gave this book 5/5 stars. this is honestly by far my favorite book in this series, since it was just so good and cute. and i honestly loved their relationship and how it all happened and how everything went down, was just so cute and i really liked seeing leo not fight his feelings for marks anymore.
disney after dark by ridley pearson. i gave this book 5/5 stars. i believe this is my fourth reread of this book. but, i honestly really loved this book again. like, i feel like this is such a comfort book and i loved seeing all of the keepers come together and become friends and solve the mystery.
you’ve reached sam by dustin thao. i gave this book 4/5 stars. this book was so good and i completely understand why people love this book so mcuh, since it was so heartbreaking, but i loved it so much at the same time. and like i think it was just such a great read and it was such a good book that explored grief and really showed julie’s emotions, which i really liked.
capturing the devil by kerri maniscalo. i gave this book 5/5 stars. i really liked this book, but i feel like it was so obvious? like i didn’t remember a lot of this book from my last reread, just the weddings, isaac, and then the incident, but i think the killer was so obvious. but, i also think that as much as i love cressworth, the romance got to be a bit much after awhile cause the case kind of went on the back burner.
disney at dawn by ridley pearson. i gave this book 5/5 stars. this is another reread, but i honestly thought i remembered more of this book than i actually did, to be honest. like, i remembered something completely different from what happened in this book to what actually happened, which i didn’t really expect. but, it was still a good book, and a really fun and quick read nonetheless.
the girls are never gone by sarah glenn marsh. i gave this book 3/5 stars. honestly, this book was a shit show, and not in a good way. like, i feel like so much of this book just doesn’t make sense and that i know your supposed to suspend what could really happen in real life for a ghost book, but this just took it to far, and i even believe in ghosts. but, i feel like the only way that this could seem real or something is you were high or drunk.
the mistletoe motive by chloe liese. i gave this book 3/5 stars. this was a cute book, but they just were so stupid and naive. like, i don’t know how they didn’t put together the online texting thing or like so many small things that they were just so stupid with. but, i mean, it was short and quick, so you can’t really complain.
anyway, that is all for today! i honestly had a decent month, even if there is a lot of rereads on this list, but i still think it was a good month nonetheless.
hello everyone! today i am going to be talking about all the books i got in december. there honestly isn’t to many, but i’m still so excited that i got these, especially one of the books i got for christmas, since i’ve already read it an love it so much.
practical demonology by clare rees. this book comes out march 29th. there have always been castles in the valley, and the people have always been under threat. they’ve always needed those thick walls, the protection of that enclosing stone. non feel like she needs it more than most, because her mother was infected by the demons that live in the woods. as the doctor’s daughter, non had planned a career in medicine, partly to please her father, but also because it would keep her inside the protective walls of the citadel. when plague strikes the citadel, all the teenagers are evacuated to the ruined cirtop castle. while there, she’s given the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to study the demons that she’s always feared. but will she be brave enough to take it?
confession of an alleged good girl by joya goffney. this book comes out may 3rd. monique is a preacher’s daughter who detests the impossible rules of her religion. everyone expects her to wait until marriage, so she has no one to turn to when she discovers that she physically can’t have sex. after two years of trying and failing, her boyfriend breaks up with her. to win him back, monique teams up with straight-laced, church girl sasha, who is surprisingly knowledgeable about monique’s condition. as well as reggie, the misunderstood bad boy who always makes a ruckus at church, and together they embark upon a top secret search for the cure. while on their quest, monique discovers the value of a true friend and the wonders of a love that accepts her to who she is. despite everyone’s opinions about her virtue, she learns to live for herself, inspiring us all to reclaim our bodies and unapologetically love ourselves.
our violent ends by chloe gong. the year is 1927, and shanghai teeters on the edge of revolution. after sacrificing her relationship with roma to protect him from the blood feud, juliette has been a girl on the warpath, one wrong move, and her cousin will step in to usurp her place as the scarlet gang’s heir. the only way to save the boy she loves from the wrath of the scarlets is to have him want her dead for murdering his best friend in cold blood. if juliette were actually guilty of the crime roma believes she committed, his rejection might sting less. roma is still reeling from marshall’s death, and his cousin benedikt will barely speak to him. roma knows it’s his fault for letting the ruthless juliette back into his life, and he’s determined to set things right, even if that means killing the girl he hates and loves with equal measure. then a new monstrous danger emerges in the city, and though secrets keep them apart, juliette must secure roma’s cooperation if they are to end this threat once and for all. shanghai is already at boiling point: the nationalists are marching in, whispers of civil war brew louder every day, and gangster rule faces complete annihilation. roma and juliette must put aside their differences to combat monsters and politics, but they aren’t prepared for the biggest threat of all: protecting their hearts from each other.
chosen ones by veronica roth. a decade ago near chicago, five teenagers defeated the otherworldly enemy known as the dark one, whose reign of terror brought widespread destruction and death. the seemingly un-extraordinary teens- sloane, matt, ines, albie, and esther, had been brought together by a clandestine government agency because one of them was fated to be the ‘chosen one’ prophesizes to save the world. with the goal achieved, humankind celebrate the victors and began to mourn their lost loved one. ten years later, though the champions remain celebrities, the world has moved forward and a whole, younger generation doesn’t seem to recall the days of endless fear. but sloane remembers, it’s impossible for her to forget when the paparazzi haunts her every step just as the dark one hasn’t moved one: she’s adrift, no direction, no goals, no purpose. on the eve of the ten year celebration of peace, a new trauma hits the chosen: the death of one of their own. and when they gather for the funeral at the enshrined site of their triumph, they discover to their horror that the dark one’s reign never really ended.
you’ll be the death of me by karen m. mcmanus. type a ivy lost a student council election to the class clown, and now she has to face the school, humiliated. heartthrob mateo is burned out, he’s been working two jobs since his family’s business failed. and outsider cal just got stood up, again.so when cal pulls into campus late for class and runs into ivy and mateo, it seems like the perfect opportunity to turn a bad day around. they’ll ditch and go into the city, just the three of them, like old times. except they’ve barely left the parking lot before they run out of things to say. until they spot another carlton high student skipping school, and follow him to the scene of his own murder. in one chance move, their day turns from dull to deadly, and it’s about to get worse. it turns out ivy, mateo, and cal still have some things in common, they all have a connection to the dead, and they’re all hiding something.
blade of secrets by tricia levenseller. eighteen year old ziva prefers metal to people. she spends her days tucked away in her forge, safe from society and the anxiety it causes her, using her magical gift to craft unique weapons imbued with power. then ziva receives a commission from a powerful warlord, and the result is a sword capable of stealing its victims’ secrets. a sword that can cut far deeper than the length of its blade. a sword with the strength to topple kingdoms. when ziva learns of the warlord’s intentions to use the weapon to enslave all the world under her rule, she takes her sister and flees. joined by a distractingly handsome mercenary and a young scholar with extensive knowledge of the world’s known magics, ziva and her sister set out on a quest to keep the sword safe until they can find a worthy wielder or a way to destroy it entirely.
anyway, that is all for today! i honestly can’t wait to read these books, since they just sound so good and i honestly really think these books sound so good. and hopefully i’ll get to read these soon.
hello everyone! happy blogmas day 25 and merry christmas! today i am going to be doing the joy of christmas book tag. i’m honestly so excited to do this, since it sounds so fun and i’ve seen quite a few people doing this already.
anticipation: the christmas excitement is real, what book release(s) are you most anticipating?
i think for this one, it’s either the atlas paradox by olivie blake, hook, line, and sinker by tessa bailey or book lovers by emily henry. these are probably some of the books i’m most excited for, which i’ll talk about more in another post in the next couple days.
christmas songs and carols: what book or author can you not help buy sing it’s praise?
as good as dead by holly jackson. this is honestly such a great book, and even in the series, that i honestly really loved this author too. but, i honestly think that this book was just so great and it was honestly something that i really loved and i’ll never stop talking about this book / holly jackson.
gingerbread house: what book or series has wonderful world building?
these violent delights by chloe gong. i honestly don’t know if this would be considered world building, but i still think how they built everything up was just so amazing and i really liked it and i think the world being built up was just really good and i loved how she explained it all.
a christmas carol: favorite classic or one that you want to read.
i honestly really want to read pride and prejudice by jane austen. i honestly see so many people reading this book, and they love it so much so i honestly really want to read this one eventually and hopefully in 2022 i’ll get to read this and actually like this one.
christmas sweets: what book would you love to receive for christmas?
you’ll be the death of me by karen m. mcmanus. i honestly am so excited for this book and to read it, but i honestly hope i get this for christmas since it just sounds so good and the cover is so pretty.
candles in the window: what book gives you that warm fuzzy feelings?
honestly, any of the kingdom keeper books by ridley pearson. i honestly love these books so much and i remember reading these books for the first time years ago, and these are probably my all time favorite books, since i just have such great memories of reading them.
christmas trees and decorations: what are some of your favorite book covers?
this isn’t really a specific book cover, but i love when romance books, especially adult romance, have drawn covers. like, i think they are so much better than having two actual people on them.
christmas joy- what are some of your favorite things about christmas and/or some of your favorite christmas memories?
i honestly really like the christmas food, which is like so random. but, christmas food is so much better than thanksgiving food, in my opinion at least. but, i also like how around christmas you could just take breaks and nobody would judge you, if you didn’t work or study.
anyway, that is all for today! i honestly had so much fun doing this tag. but, if you celebrate merry christmas and i hope you have/had a great day.
hello everyone! happy blogmas day 24 and merry christmas eve! today i am going to be doing the christmas carol book tag. i honestly am super excited for this tag, since i watched a couple tag youtube videos, so this sounds so cool.
THE GHOST OF CHIRSTMAS PAST- A BOOK THAT WAS A CHILDHOOD FAVORITE.
not really a specific book, but more so the fear street series. like, i think that it was probably my favorite series / book when i was a kid, especially since they were this cool murder mystery thing, and i honestly really loved this one, and honestly still kind of do.
THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT- A RECENT BOOK THAT YOU THINK WILL BECOME OF YOUR ALL TIME FAVORITES.
you’ll be the death of me by karen m. mcmanus. i honestly liked mcmanus’ other books, so i honestly think that this book also just sounds so good and i think that it has so much potential. and i honestly can’t wait to read this and i honestly think that this would be so cool.
THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS YET TO COME- A BOOK COMING OUT NEXT YEAR THAT YOU’RE EXCITED ABOUT.
the atlas paradox by olivie blake. i’m honestly so excited for this book. like i honestly loved the atlas six so much, so getting the second book, i’m just so excited for this and to be back with these characters and this world again, since i just sounds so amazing.
BAH HUMBUG- A BOOK THAT EVERYONE ELSE LOVES THAT YOU CAN’T STAND.
one last stop by casey mcquinston. i didn’t hate this book, but i feel like it was just so messy and i honestly didn’t like this book since i just feel like so much was happening, yet nothing was really important.
BOB CRATCHIT- A OLD DEPENDABLE THAT YOU ALWAYSRECOMMEND.
a good girl’s guide to murder by holly jackson. if you followed me even a for a little while, you know that i literally don’t shut up about this book. so, i’ll always talk about this book and i always recommend this book all the time since it is just so good.
TINY TIM- AN UNDERHYPED BOOK THAT YOU THINK DESERVES MORE LOVE.
if the shoe fits by julie murphy. i honestly think that this book was just so good, and i honestly think that more people need to read this book, since i think so many people would like this book if they actually decided to pick this up. so, i honestly think that this would be the perfect bachelor read.
TODAY? WHY IT’S CHRISTMAS DAY- WHAT’S A BOOK THAT ALWAYS GETS YOU IN THE MOOD FOR CHRISTMAS?
i honestly don’t think i really have one, since i think that i really read whatever i want, when i want, so i don’t really have one honestly.
THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL- YOUR FAVOREITE BOOK TO FILM ADAPTION.
i would either say shadow and bone or bridgerton, even if they both are kind of a mess, and not very good in the grand scheme of things. but, i still had fun watching them.
anyway, that is all for today! i honestly really had fun to do this and to talk about these prompts and it was just so fun.
hello everyone! happy blogmas day 23! today i am going to be talking about the gilded wolves by roshani chokshi. i gave this book 3/5 stars. i honestly liked this book, but i think that there was just so much happening that it got to be a little bit confusing after awhile.
trigger warnings- death, violence, child abuse, torture, blood, murder, emotional abuse, racism, ableism, physical abuse, cultural appropriation, injury / injury detail, animal cruelty, bullying, homophobia, panic attacks / disorder, antisemitism, grief, death of a parent, abandonment.
i think my biggest issue with this story was the writing. like, i think there is a fine line between actual good pretty and aesthetic writing, and then writing that is just for the aesthetics. where, i feel like with a story like this, or something like six of crows, that with the story that you are trying to tell, you can’t glamorous this, like you make it sound way to pretty then it actually is with all the things that happen during this book. and i feel like chokshi spent way to much time to get the writing to be so beautiful, that it just took away from the story and took away from the actual heists that they were doing.
another issue i had with this book was how you were just thrown into this book. like, i feel like from page one we were just supposed to expect where the relationships were and how each character interacted with each other person in this group and also just to already know who the characters are and what they do and what their specialty was, it just got to be kind of confusing and i didn’t really like it, since it was just so confusing. and i feel like they didn’t take enough time to fully explain everything.
but, i also think that the world building was really good, which i did really like. like, i feel like they did flesh out the world pretty well with explaining each of their ranks, if they had one, and i think everything was just really fleshed out and kind of explained. especially with the prologue in the start of this book, i feel like that kind of set the stage for this book and to put out what it meant, which i honestly really liked.
kind of with that, i feel like chokshi did have good ideas with how to use this, and how to use the plot and the location to her advantage, but they just weren’t executed well though. like, i feel that they did try to have these different plot points, but they just didn’t do them well and they just weren’t good, in a grand scheme of things. and i feel like some of the plot just didn’t make sense, since they would do something, but the same characters would do something else two pages later, but they were just doing something else and we never got a proper ending to the first thing, and it just got to be to much.
but, i also think that they brought into this plot with to many different things, like things that most people don’t actually understand and just have common knowledge of this all. but, i feel like that so many things got to be so confusing and that with the things not being explained, it just got to be way to confusing when they brought it up, like i think they would keep talking about forging, and i think that they were kind of confusing and i think that they needed to explain it all, since we obviously don’t have it, and i think they just needed to explain it and break it down more, which honestly got to be so confusing after awhile.
personally, i think the world building was just really good, and i honestly know that the world building was decent. but, the magic aspect would just get to be such a mess. like, i think they needed to kind of break it down and talk about what was happening and how this worked and how the different people get different powers. and i mean, i think they needed to break it down, and kind of make it be these plots that just make sense and honestly just kind of figure out all the different things, and i think everything should have been dumbed down a bit.
then for severin, i did like him in the sense that he was so smart and this mastermind, and he was honestly pretty clever. but, besides that, i think that he was honestly just super bland and kind of cold and standoffish. like, i think that he didn’t have any personality and nothing with him you could really connect too. i mean, i think also he was just such an asshole, because the other people in this group would be going through something, like a mental health thing or they’d just be plain struggling and all he would do was turn around and tell them to do something else, instead of actually helping them.
then for enrique, i honestly did like him, and he was probably my favorite character in this book since it was all very flesh outed. like i feel like his growth was just so good, and i honestly really liked seeing how he was someone that kind of went through a lot, and that in the book he was kind of underestimating everything about him. but, then he kind of grew up and kind of got to grew and became this really big historian and i really liked him and he honestly has so much potential in the other books.
for laila, i honestly really liked her and i honestly think she was very interesting. but, i feel like she was only a good character in the chapters with other characters chapters, but i think when it was her own chapters, it didn’t make sense and she was just so confusing. like, i feel that she had so much happening and that she was just so confusing. like, i do think she is a very interesting and complexed character, and i think that her development was also really good and i did like her so much.
finally for zofia, i honestly think that she did have so much growth, and i do think that she had so much potential, but i feel like she was kind of a mess at some parts. like, i think the biggest issue i had with her was that they kind of threw us into her as a character, and i honestly think that it was kind of fun, but she did kind of not be really explained to well. since, i think that they never really broke her down a lot, which got to be kind of confusing.
anyway, that is all for today! i honestly did like this book a little bit, but i do think that i probably won’t read the next books in this series, since it was just so confusing and i didn’t really understand this, for a most part.
hello everyone! happy blogmas day 22! today i am going to be talking about seduce me at sunrise by lisa kleypas. i gave this book 4/5 stars. i honestly really liked this book, and i feel like it did a good job with giving depth to these characters that we already seen in book 1, and i honestly really loved that part.
trigger warnings- racism, sexual content, toxic relationship, alcoholism, child abuse, death, death of a parent.
i honestly think that a lot of this book that kind of annoyed me was that merripen and win kind of got teased that they were this childhood friends to lovers with all this growing sexual tension and angst, but i feel like it was there, but it also wasn’t there at the same time. since, i feel like a lot of this relationship and this growth in the relationship, or at least for the first start of this book was that merripen would tell or act towards win that he really liked her, but then he would pull away at the last moment and just kind of not give her reasons on why he couldn’t / shouldn’t be with win, which just got to be on my nerves.
another one of my issues with this book was kind of how jumpy the start of this book was. like, i feel like at the start they were all just at the hotel and then suddenly leo and win were leaving and then these weird flashbacks to kev and win’s childhood. like i feel like it just didn’t make sense since so much was happening, and then suddenly they just jumped like three years or something to when leo and win got back. like, they should have had them just have them leave in book one would make sense, but who knows. but then the flashbacks should have been places throughout this book better and i feel like they shouldn’t just have thrown them in for like two chapters at the start.
with that though, i didn’t hate the flashbacks, since i think it was just so fun to see all of the hathaway’s as kids, and just cause we know them as adults / older teenagers, it was kind of cool to see them as kids and for them to just see how they acted with each other from the two different age ranges. and also i think that it was cool to see how they acted from kids to adults. and even just to see kev still really care about win was just so cute and i honestly loved seeing them figure it all out. and even to see the hathaway parents, i think it was just kind of fun to see how much they played into their lives and even just to see their death, full out, i think it was just so cool and i really liked it.
but, with that being said, like i really liked how they kind of played into win coming back home. like, i really liked it and i kind of liked seeing the two of them kind of interacting and having that encounter was just so fun, and i honestly really liked it and liked seeing it. but, i think that even that incident should have pushed that sexual tension and to see the angst from these characters. but, i think that they should have kind of played into that more, but i feel like it was just kind of lacking, in a sense. but, i still think this was a good book none the less.
something that i did like in this book though was the humor and the emotion in this book. like, i honestly liked that they kept up the com in rom com, since i think so many books just don’t do that anymore, even if this book it a bit older. but, i honestly this kleypas did/does such a good job in this series with having the moments that are cute and funny and then having the hard hitting moments, maybe not even between the leads, with the other siblings, that honestly really added so much to this book, which i really liked. and i think that there was just such a good balance with keeping in light and fluffy and also giving it some emotional depth for the characters.
but, i also really liked how they still showed cam and amelia get to see more plot with them and to kind of see how they still had these plot points with this and to have them still have importance, especially since amelia is the head of the head of the family, in away, but also just to see them post their HEA and just to find it all. but, i also liked how we got to see marks and leo, since they are the couple in book 4, so i kind of liked seeing them interact and kind of become these enemies to lovers and to see all of this growth from here to there was kind of fun. so, i honestly liked that we saw more couples than just win and merripan, even if they are the main couple in this book, it was cool to see other people.
for kev as a character, i honestly did like him. like i feel like he did have his issues and there was definitely things i didn’t really like about him, but i still really liked how complexed his was. like, i think that it was kind of fun to see how he acted from cam and leo then to win, i think it was just cool to see how much he cared for win and all of it. i mean, i think see so much of his backstory and just to kind of have him figure out the different aspects of his personality and what he cared for, i honestly really liked him.
then for win, i honestly really liked her. again, i do feel like she was a very complex characters and i did really like seeing her and to kind of figure out what she did. like, i also think that she was just so interesting and i honestly really liked reading about her. and i also really liked seeing how she grown from book one than to book two, i think it was just so cool. and like besides to see her grow mentally, i honestly liked to see her grow stronger physically and emotionally, i honestly liked to see how she functioned and grown, i really liked it.
anyway, that is all for today! i honestly really loved this book and this series and i really love this series so much, and i honestly loved to see how this all played out and this series as a whole, it was just so amazing.
hello everyone! happy blogmas day 21! today i am going to be talking about house of hollow by krystal sutherland. i gave this book 4/5 stars. i honestly really loved this book, and i think that this book was just such a great read.
trigger warnings- body horror, gore, child death, blood, death, suicide, violence, death of a parent, murder, vomit, grief, kidnapping, sexual assault, stalking, injury / injury detail, gun violence, bullying, alcohol, drug use, toxic relationship, child abuse, mental illness, physical abuse, self harm, sexual violence, medical content, suicide attempt, fire / fire injury, addiction, alcoholism, drug abuse, emotional abuse, sexual harassments, animal death, suicidal thoughts.
one of my favorite things of this book was just the vibe from this book. like, i think this book was just so fun, and even in away about how it all happened and worked. like, i think it was just so cool to see this witchy aspect of this book and just to see how they all worked and just to get this very cool atmosphere, which i just think was so cool.
i also think that the dark fairy tale horror thing honestly really worked. like, i feel like when you take up a plot like this, it honestly isn’t the most easy thing to do, and it probably takes a lot of planning and things from this, like any book honestly. but, i think that it was just so cool and with how the two of them interwind together was just so fun and i honestly really loved reading it and seeing how it got scarier and how it all worked and carried out throughout the book.
but, i also think that this book did kind of have this very big folklore vibe in here. like, i really did get this kind of dark fairytale and kind of brothers grimm vibe from this book. since, i think that this book was kind of cool and i think it was done really well and i think that it was very well and that it was just super fun and kind of a dark disney movie aspect, which i honestly really loved and done really well.
another thing i really liked with this book, was how fast paced this book was. like, i think it was just really well done and i honestly think it being fast paced also just worked. but, i also think at some parts of this book it was just way to fast, and i think it was just kind of a mess, since there was one scene in the end of the book, and if you read this book you might know which part i am talking about, that it honestly confused the hell out of me, since it just happened so fast. but, i still feel like it was done really well, even if it did get to be a bit much of this book, even if it was kind of a mess. but, if this book was slower, i think it wouldn’t have worked as well.
another thing i really liked was the female empowerment, if you could call it that. but, i feel like that it was just so cool to see how they had this sexy vibe, like i think they weren’t the most sexual vibe, but also having the ‘if you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us,’ which i think was just really good and i honestly really loved seeing it and reading it. and also the whole jennifer body vibe from this, like i think that was just really fun and i think it was just very well done and i think it was so great.
but, i think that it did have a couple moments that were a bit dragged out, when it really didn’t need to be dragged out. like, i feel that there was just so much happening at so much of this book, but then they would drag things out, especially when they couldn’t find the sister and when they were in the house, which got to be a little bit annoying. and also, i feel like the plot didn’t really move for a while, since they were just trying to find the sister and they weren’t really doing anything and just struggling with doing that. but, i think that as it went on, it did get better and got to be more of the edge of your seat moments.
i also liked the characters though. like, besides their ages, i feel like they were all different, but also the same at the same times. like i think that they had these moments were they felt the same, probably because they were all siblings, and they had the same upbringing and trauma, but i honestly did like it. and i also really liked that each of the characters were kind of unique and different, and honestly had these creepy vibes to them, but in the best way possible. and that they all honestly felt and interacted like siblings, which i honestly really loved and think was done so well.
i also think that this book was just so well written. like, i honestly didn’t really expect this, since in away i think with having so many different moving parts, i thought the writing was going to be kind of rocky. but, i honestly loved it so much and i think it was just very lyrical and i honestly thought that the way everything was described was just so disgustly beautiful. like, i feel that this book dealt with so many hard topics and had so many gross moments, but the writing was just so beautiful and i honestly loved it so much.
but, i guess one thing that i didn’t really like in this book was how the ending or the big twist was. like, i think that the twist of this book was just not that good. personally, i feel like the twist was something that i borderline expected, but i still think that they pulled it off and even still made it interesting, even if you did know what happened, i still liked the girls figuring out what was happening and to figure out what to do after that big reveal.
anyway, that is all for today! i honestly really liked this book a lot, and i honestly can’t wait to see what else this author publishes in the future, since i honestly really loved this one.
r.bookish 