Reviews of my Reading List
2022 Book Wrap-up
Here's a list of all the books I finished this year. There were about 50 others I didn't finish if you'd like to see my comments on my blog of why. Otherwise, all of these should have their own review- just check out the tabs above on this site. They're ranked in...
Review #330
What a beautiful cover. So Isobel is a (possible) witch because she sees colors associated with letters or peoples voices. Just before her mom dies, she warns Isobel never to tell anyone about her gift, because others will hunt her out of fear for being different....
DNF- Only A Monster
I didn’t finish “Only A Monster” despite how awesome the concept seemed. In was too bored in the beginning chapters and nothing grabbed my attention. Also, the writing doesn't feel natural, but forced. In the first chapter there's a lot of backstory and telling. I...
Review #329
I really liked another book by this author but they're both very YA feeling. Obviously that's the intended genre, but the topic of the post-divorce issues of her parents aren't my cup of tea. I gave this YA contemporary called, “Spells and Lost Things” a 3.8/5 stars....
Review #328
“The Tourist Attraction” by Sarah Morgenthaler earned a solid 4.5/5 stars. This was a cute, clean, stand-alone contemporary romance that flowed smoothly. Someone had recommended it as a Christmas book. But, it’s not. I love that it’s set in Alaska, but there’s no...
DNF- Blame It On the Mistletoe
I didn’t get very far in this holiday contemporary romance. It’s written in first person past tense narrative and has a countdown to Christmas so each chapter gets closer and closer to the big day. Elle and Holly flip flop points of view throughout. In the...
Review #327
I felt like “The Dictionary of Lost Words” was too slow and gave it a 3/5 stars. There’s some comments below from when I was reading but honestly I don’t have much to say. Here’s the blurb: Esme is born into a world of words. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, she...
Review #326
Trigger warning for depression and teen suicidal thoughts. I’m rating this unique family drama a 4/5 stars. It’s all in Merit’s point of view in first person present tense narrative. Here’s my live thoughts while reading:Oh the first chapter was divine in so many...
Review #325
I rated this holiday romance a 4/5 stars. I usually don’t think about characters when I’m away from the book, but I did about this one. It dig a spot into my brain. This first person narrative (all in one POV) had heavy LGTBQ+ representation throughout. I’m glad I...
Review #324
I gave this holiday standalone romance a 3.1/5 stars. Well I kind of hated everything about the first chapter. Social media. To hashtags. To magazine covers. To trending clothes. To expensive gifts. To celebrities. To spoiled brats. To pity parties. And the author is...
Review #323
I rated this Nutcracker retelling as 4.87/5 stars. Midnight in Everwood by M.A. Kuzniar starts with a prestigious family dinner. Marietta, in 1906, is age 20 and apparently needs to entertain her suitors more thoroughly according to her parents. Neither know that she...
November wrap-up
I was very busy doing the final edits on my Linked trilogy this month so I only got around to six books, and let me tell you … I’m in a major reading slump. These reviews were the lowest collectively in quite some time. Hopefully my December picks up. Check out my...
Review #322
I absolutely loved this unique contemporary romance by Ashley Poston. I gave “The Dead Romantics” a 4.9/5 stars. It was written all in one point of view, first person-past tense. Here’s my live thoughts while reading: Florence Day is a ghost writer for a best selling...
Review #321
The cover is breath-taking. But I’m giving this mermaid-esque fantasy novel a 2.9/5 stars. I read the first novel in this series many months ago but I'm immediately overwhelmed by too many names being dropped by page 2. To be reintroduced to all of these all at once...
Review #320
I loved her other YA books but this adult fantasy didn’t quite make the cut for me. I rated it a 2.9/5 stars but I actually skimmed the second half. Here’s my live thoughts while reading: The first chapter of "Spells for Forgetting" was about August returning to his...