In this captivating historical fiction + romance hybrid, two women's stories are interwoven by an ancient family heirloom.
In present day NINCREDIBLE.
In this captivating historical fiction + romance hybrid, two women's stories are interwoven by an ancient family heirloom.
In present day New England, single mother, Mallory, gets a phone call that no mother wants to experience: her 10 year old son, Sam, has been poisoned by a rare mushroom while off at summer camp.
Sam survives, but is now on a kidney donor list. Neither Mallory or her older sister Paige are a match, she's not in contact with her father, her mother had passed away, and she surely is not going to ask her son's father, the now famous musician Monk Adams, who she had a summer romance with; they have not been in touch since Mallory abruptly left him heartbroken all those years ago, and he doesn't even know he has a kid.
Through the kidney donor process, Paige and Mallory learn that their mother was adopted and is actually not from Ireland like they grew up thinking she was. They set out on a mission to learn more about their roots and all the secrets connected to their blood-related grandmother.
While all this is happening, the book is going back and forth between Mallory's life and Hannah's, the other main character, in 1950s Egypt. These two characters are connected by a cobra bracelet that Mallory inherited when her mother passed away; she was always fascinated by this bracelet but never understood its origin.
There is romance in both timelines, and a reappearance of Monk in Mallory's life. I am a SUCKER for a musician romance, it is my favourite niche and I rarely see it, so I was eating this up! Not to mention they were childhood best friends and that's my favourite trope too.
Monk was such a good guy; I highlighted so many of his parts because he was very sentimental and sweet. I also LOVED Paige!! She was my favourite supporting character, made me laugh out loud, and I loved the sister relationship she had with Mallory.
The way everything came together in the end was perfect, I couldn't have asked for better. The writing is so good and really sucked me in. Usually when there is more than one POV you prefer one over the other, but I loved them both. It is the perfect mix of romance and historical fiction and I need to now read everything Beatriz Williams has ever written.
I am so thankful to Penguin Canada for my early copy ...more
Piglet has what seems to be the perfect life – the editorial assistant for a cookbook publisher set soon to marry her fiancé, Kit, who comes from an aPiglet has what seems to be the perfect life – the editorial assistant for a cookbook publisher set soon to marry her fiancé, Kit, who comes from an affluent family.
This all comes crashing down, however, when two weeks before the wedding, Kit confesses something to Piglet that sends her down a spiral.
The reader is never privy to what exactly Kit has done but gets to sit through Piglet telling this information to her family and friends prior to their nuptials.
A lot of people seem to be caught up on the fact that the reader never finds out what has happened. I don’t know if it really matters, but the nosey part of me felt a little on edge by the lack of detail too.
At times it felt like something in this story was missing and even now I can’t quite put my finger on it.
Was it that the supporting characters didn’t feel fleshed out? Was it that I felt as though since we never got a history on Piglet and Kit’s relationship, I felt disconnected from them and therefore not caring so much about her spiral and what he did to trigger it? Was it that Piglet was stubborn and unlikable in her actions, causing frustration for the reader? It was probably a combination of all of these things.
However, despite these criticisms, I really enjoyed what was my interpretation of it all: that the life you thought was destined to make you feel full can and may actually leave you feeling so empty.
Piglet’s relationship with food was complicated, but she used it to fill up her life with some sort of joy and something to look forward to, even if it was just yet another toxic relationship to add to her roster.
Though I felt mostly satisfied, this book left me hungry for more.
City girl Ada is hired by Wes Ryder as the interior designer for his guest ranch project on his family's small town Rebel Blue property, at the recommCity girl Ada is hired by Wes Ryder as the interior designer for his guest ranch project on his family's small town Rebel Blue property, at the recommendation of his sister's friend, Teddy.
The night before she's set to meet him, they share a kiss at the local bar not knowing that he's her soon-to-be boss. Ada has just gotten out of a difficult marriage and wants to keep the relationship strictly professional - obviously, that isn't going to happen, as their chemistry is undeniable
I love all the characters in this book / series!!! Everything about it is so comforting, and not only does it deal with the romance but it also touches upon men's mental health and personal growth through a traumatic past.
It deals with serious and important topics but also making me giddy and laugh, which is the recipe for the perfect romance to me.
Jolene has a problem. Her job is in jeopardy because she is caught writing secret mean notes in white font on otherwise professional emails she sends Jolene has a problem. Her job is in jeopardy because she is caught writing secret mean notes in white font on otherwise professional emails she sends to her coworkers.
She ends up having to take these HR courses to keep her job, and HR puts a watch on her computer to prevent further instances of her misbehavior, but the new HR guy, Cliff, accidentally gives her access to everybody's emails and messages.
Instead of getting him to fix this error, she uses it to her advantage - reading her coworkers' emails and instant messages in real time and using the knowledge to keep on their good sides in the midst of pending company-wide job cuts.
This was a really fun read!! All the secrets between her coworkers as well as personal things no one knew about were really interesting to read and made me want to continue just to find out more details. Jolene also has a crush on the HR guy too, so that's a side plot, and I loved it.
This book made me realize that not only is there probably a lot of juicy info in real life company messengers, but that everyone has a story and there is a lot more to people than meets the eye. Just because you work with someone for 8 hours a day, doesn't mean you truly know what's going on in their life.
This book was deeper than meets the eye; it was funny, heartwarming, and relatable. Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins Canada for the eArc, I really enjoyed it!...more
Fresh out of her breakup, Gwen turns to a dating app to get herself back out there and fill the void. After a string of awful dates with guys from theFresh out of her breakup, Gwen turns to a dating app to get herself back out there and fill the void. After a string of awful dates with guys from the app, men in her city start turning up murdered – coincidentally, all these men are ones she’s just gone on dates with. But if she’s not going after them, who is?
The premise of this book caught my attention, I think it’s unique; however, sometimes I found that I really needed to suspend my beliefs and just let the story flow and take me wherever it was going. If you want a thriller that is logical, this book probably isn’t going to be satisfying for you, but if you are willing to let it take you on the ride and accept what is happening, you will find it entertaining.
While the book is meant to be humorous and I sometimes did see it, I didn’t always find it funny. Gwen can be insufferable; she tries to meddle in the investigation, and it often gets her in trouble. She is a deeply flawed character who uses crude humor to mask her feelings about herself and how she feels everyone’s life is taking a certain direction but hers is staying stagnant.
She makes a lot of mistakes, but she also owns up to them at the end and tries to make things right, even though admittedly the scenes where she is trying to right her wrongs and all the reasons for her wrongs in the first place made me cringe a bit with how it was executed.
Despite any cons I have though, this book was very readable. I wanted to sit and read chunks at a time, and I became almost addicted to the idea of getting closer to finding out the truth. It wasn’t until the reveal that I really knew who the actual murderer was, and the fact that the book kept me guessing for so long made this an entertaining read.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!...more
After a drunken night out at her company Christmas party, Molly wakes up with the mother of all hangovers, fully clothed with a stranger in her bed, aAfter a drunken night out at her company Christmas party, Molly wakes up with the mother of all hangovers, fully clothed with a stranger in her bed, and trending on Twitter for reasons she does not remember after a video of her has gone viral from the night before.
All she wants to do now is die of shame – that, or be consoled by her best friend, Posey, who also happens to be her flat mate.
Molly searches everywhere for Posey, but by the time she finds her, she is no longer alive. What happened last night, and how does Molly not remember? Who was the guy in her bed, does she know him? Does she even know Posey?
This was my most enjoyable read of the year so far – despite the topic and overall tone of the book, Katy Brent still managed to make me laugh out loud from page 6.
Molly is a relatable main character; she feels real because of her flaws and her acknowledgement of them. This is one reason I felt so connected to the book and was constantly thinking about it when I put it down.
The other reason is that I had absolutely no idea where the story was going at any given time. Though there are multiple suspects right from the get-go, I never could have guessed how it would unfold, and even when the book was over 90% through, my jaw was still dropping (literally) at the twists and turns.
This gave me the same feeling I had with A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, except this is not a YA. It takes a special thriller to get me this engaged, I am so happy I got to read this one!!
It’s a 5/5 thriller, I can’t recommend it enough!...more
I loved Out of Love by this author, so I was very eager to get my hands on her new release.
This book is about a breakup and how the main character is I loved Out of Love by this author, so I was very eager to get my hands on her new release.
This book is about a breakup and how the main character is struggling to cope with it. She is also still trying to come to terms with her mother's death that happened over 20 years prior.
The first quarter of the book was a 4 or 5 stars for me. However, after that, it felt like too much was going on with the supporting characters, none of which I felt super attached to. I did really enjoy what happened in the end and the conclusion she drew from their time apart.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book ahead of its release!...more
Have you ever worried that you're a bad person for the things that you've done? For the things that you didn't do when you could have? For the hurt yoHave you ever worried that you're a bad person for the things that you've done? For the things that you didn't do when you could have? For the hurt you've caused other people? For the hurt you've caused yourself?
Fortunately, truly bad people never worry about whether or not there is something wrong with them, they simply don't care.
Also - fortunately for you - if you have ever questioned this, you will fall in love with this story and the main character, Enid.
Enid has a fear of bald men that she doesn't know the origin of. She is also adamant that someone is following her and sneaking into her apartment when she isn't around, which isn't helped by the fact that she listens to hours and hours worth of true crime podcasts daily that puts her more on edge.
She also works at the space agency and spews interesting facts about space to her mom, or anyone who will listen, as a coping mechanism for dealing with her anxieties.
Emily Austin succeeded in making this both serious and lighthearted - though the book deals with some heavy issues, it is also laugh-out-loud funny.
Enid reminded me a lot of Eleanor from the book Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. She is so innocently funny, lovable, quirky, and vulnerable to the reader, even when that is the last thing she wants to be, and I admired it. I will miss her so much.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC. This is a must-read new release this year!! It might just become a new favourite for you like it did for me! I already want to reread it. ...more
In a world where a plague years ago caused most people to develop supernatural powers, Paedyn is an Ordinary; she has none. But in order to survive inIn a world where a plague years ago caused most people to develop supernatural powers, Paedyn is an Ordinary; she has none. But in order to survive in the slums, she has to pretend amongst Elites - the people who do - or else she will be killed.
After Paedyn saves the Prince's life, the public want her to compete in the Purging Trials that happen every year where Elites fight to the death to celebrate the Plague and the gifts it brought the people.
The only problem is Paedyn is not an Elite, but no one can know, so she has to rely on her physical strength, cunning abilities, and willpower to get through the games.
Of course there is romance between Paedyn and Kai, the Prince, and I thought the rivalry between lovers was done so well as Kai is in The Trials too. This was like, dagger to the throat enemies to lovers, and honestly I was all for it.
There was a lot of great banter between the two characters, but some of it was a little cheesy for my taste. Additionally, I do wish the world building had a bit more depth. Otherwise, the actual story itself was amazinggg!
Thank you so much to Simon and Schuster Canada for my copy.
Read this if you like: ✨ Dual POV ✨ Forbidden love ✨Enemies to lovers ✨ Strong FMC ✨ Banter...more
When you hear the words, "teacher's pet", I bet you can think of at least one kid you grew up with who always wanted to be by your teacher's side, kisWhen you hear the words, "teacher's pet", I bet you can think of at least one kid you grew up with who always wanted to be by your teacher's side, kissing up to them to get preferential treatment and annoying everyone else by it. No one wants to be remembered as the teacher's pet, but that's not true in 12-year-old Justine's class.
It's 1984 in Wellington, New Zealand, and everyone wants to be the beautiful and charming Mrs. Price's pet, especially Justine. When the belongings of all her classmates start to go missing, her best friend Amy is the only one who hasn't gotten anything stolen. While the entire class suspects Amy, Amy suspects something isn't quite right with Mrs. Price, but her only potential ally is Justine, Mrs. Price's favourite pet at the moment. Justine needs to decide where her loyalties lie - is it true that there is something off with Mrs. Price, or is Amy just jealous that she gets to be her pet?
This is one of the best thrillers I've ever read. Mrs. Price gave Meredith Blake from The Parent Trap vibes. Something isn't right about her but you can't put your finger on it until her patience is tested and you catch a very small glimpse of the devil within, but then she goes sweet again and you're questioning if that glimpse of evil was all in your head. I had to read sentences over and over to prove to myself that it was real, and in a similar fashion, so did Justine.
I'm picky about thrillers, but I genuinely have no complaints, it was so suspenseful. This book is a lot darker than it seems from my blurb so please read trigger warnings. Something so unexpected happened in this book and I actually cried about it; I was so invested in these characters and I don't think I'll ever get over it. Since when do we cry at thrillers?! The bar is now set high.
You need to read this if you want a suspenseful and engaging read. It was so different from anything I've read and I could not put it down!!!
Thank you so much to Europa Editions for my ARC, I've found a new favourite!...more
Harper Cruz is a young aspiring writer who has seen her fair share of dead end publishing jobs in New York City. She comes across an ad for a job postHarper Cruz is a young aspiring writer who has seen her fair share of dead end publishing jobs in New York City. She comes across an ad for a job posting to work directly for a famous self-help mom-fluencer who she has never really paid much attention to before, but because the salary is 3x more than what she is currently making, she takes a chance and applies.
Harper instantly gets the job and is whisked away to Nashville to work for Charlotte Green and become a member of “The Greenhouse.” Though Charlotte’s movement is all about inspiring and uplifting others, Harper quickly learns that this may mean compromising her core values, her personal life, and her alliances in order to make it in Charlotte’s good graces.
I can’t believe how much I enjoyed this book. At first, it was reading very parody-like, and I wasn’t too sure about it. What I mean by that is, things were happening too quickly to be realistically believable – like she got the job overnight with no interview, just a text saying she was in, yet it was mentioned that 1500 people applied lol. However, I appreciate that the author did not waste any time, and after only ~30 pages, I was hooked. Some parts were still a little too animated for me though, and there was a bit of predictability in the plot, but maybe that was done to prove a point at how silly we can become when we get sucked into these influencer crazes.
I loved all the supporting characters, from Harper’s colleagues – especially Bella, to her best friend Poppy from NYC, to her extended family. Reading Harper slowly go from treating it as just another job to making it her life was fascinating and the author did a great job making the reader empathize with her reasons for getting so enveloped into The Greenhouse lifestyle. When everyone around her had big things going on in their personal lives and she did not, her job was something she could be proud of, even if it was at the cost of her morality.
Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster Canada for my ARC! If you enjoyed the movie The Devil Wears Prada, this book is for you; it really gave me Andy x Miranda vibes. I’ll definitely be looking out for anything else Noelle Crooks writes next....more
In 1940, WWII rips the Thompson family apart when 11-year-old Beatrix is sent by her parents to America from London in hopes that she will be safer thIn 1940, WWII rips the Thompson family apart when 11-year-old Beatrix is sent by her parents to America from London in hopes that she will be safer there while the war rages on.
When she arrives in Boston, Bea is welcomed by the Gregory family which consists of two boys, William and Gerald - one her junior and one her senior - who take to Bea immediately. Over the span of 5 years, Bea is one of the Gregory's - going on adventures with the boys, sharing intimate secrets, and confiding in one another.
Bea is the glue that holds the family together, and while no one wants to face the facts, she won't be there forever. Once the war ends, Bea needs to find solace in her old life without them, but with so many of her formative memories a sea away, will she ever truly move on?
Every member of the Thompson and Gregory family had a POV in this book. Sometimes, I hate that. I hate waiting for the next person, getting all jumbled with info and perspectives, not caring about one and skimming. There were 8 in this book and I didn't want to skip or skim any. Each one was only 2-6 pages, yet I felt SO connected to them all. I like character-driven books over just plot, so this worked really well for me.
Not to mention, you know when you end a chapter and something has been described so breathtakingly that you need to stop for a second to take it all in? That happened almost every time. I liked the first half more than the second, when Bea was in America with the Gregory’s, but it was all very beautifully done. She remains in contact with them over the years and it was nice to see their relationship continue to develop. The book is emotional, sad, and hopeful, and I didn’t guess any of the twists which made it exciting.
I’m so happy I got to read this ahead of its release on March 21; thank you to Celadon Books for my copy....more
Identity. Community. Music. Faith. These are some of the words that come to mind when I think of Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson.
The book followsIdentity. Community. Music. Faith. These are some of the words that come to mind when I think of Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson.
The book follows a young Ghanaian man living in London through his late teens – navigating young adulthood with respect to his future, his romantic life, and his place in his community. It depicts the struggles of keeping your identity when moving to a new country through food, music, gathering, faith, and celebration.
It explores the small worlds we create through our intimate relationships with others while we are trying to make sense of the bigger one around us. I really loved that part of it, because it's so true. The relationship you have with one person is entirely different than one you have with another, yet they can all stand alone as a small little world entirely yours that you share together, which I think is so beautiful.
If you have read Open Water, the author's debut novel, you will know that Azumah Nelson has some very poetic writing. I hate to compare it to Open Water, but I did enjoy that one a bit more. I think what can happen when an author has a specific writing style is that their work can feel repetitive. I could almost picture Stephen, the main character in this book, as a younger version of the main character in Open Water. Not that it's a bad thing, it's just something that I noticed.
Overall, I really did enjoy this and I recommend it. I feel like I created my own small world with the book, just like I do with every book I read that I feel connected to, and I'm so thankful to have been given that perspective through this story.
Thank you very much to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review....more
Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the eArc!
In theory, this book is everything I go for in a contemporary novel. I always gravitate tThank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the eArc!
In theory, this book is everything I go for in a contemporary novel. I always gravitate towards the unlikable young woman main character trying to navigate her life; I think it’s interesting and fun, and I especially was drawn to the premise of this one where she jumps from place to place after a “breakup”.
Unfortunately, this is a rare occurrence where a book like this wasn’t for me. In the beginning, I was a little bit confused about Alex as a character. I personally prefer character driven stories, and Alex’s character sounded interesting, but I felt like throughout the book I only got to know her on a surface level, and therefore wasn’t really rooting for her. It felt more like a vibey book than either character or plot driven, which I actually like, but there were so many unknowns that I grew restless. The pace is slow, and with neither characters I loved, nor thick plot to move me forward, I felt it was hard to get through. I love the cover and the blurb so much but this one didn’t work for me. ...more
After loving Boy Parts, I was elated to find out that Eliza Clark was coming out with another novel and was lucky enough to receive an ARC from NetgalAfter loving Boy Parts, I was elated to find out that Eliza Clark was coming out with another novel and was lucky enough to receive an ARC from Netgalley for it. Admittedly, I did not know what I was getting myself into, only that I loved her prior work.
Within the first couple pages I had to research whether the events being told actually happened because the writing was so believable. Only then did I clue in that this is not a regular mystery/ thriller, but a fictional true crime one. It took me a while to get used to the format this type of story entails – especially because this book was an inception of sorts where the narrator is an author himself, writing a true crime novel about the account of events that took place of the murder and interviewing people closest to the victim and suspects.
The story was a little all over the place. Rightfully so, the author included background stories of many minor characters and historical stories about the town. These mostly all tied in at some later point in the book, but in the moment I was a bit frustrated trying to understand their purpose. My favourite parts were the ones that accounted for the background stories of the girls themselves, as well as the account of what happened that led to Joni’s death: the Tumblr posts, the Sims tie-in, the text messages – these were the exciting parts, but they were in between some other things that I sometimes found it a chore to get through. This book also needs major trigger warnings for so many things; especially near the end, I had a hard time getting through the gory details, but also the huge plot point of bullying was a bit triggering for me too, and that only scratches the surface of them.
The ending both shocked me in the way I love to be shocked by mystery/ thrillers, and made me annoyed, because I feel like I read all that (view spoiler)[for it all to be a fabrication lol like we were duped! However, I do see what the author was trying to do – these things have multiple sides, and even the people trying to bring the truth to light may have ulterior motives, so you can’t really trust anyone. (hide spoiler)]
Nevertheless, when I picked up the book, I couldn’t put it down. I was even flying through the parts I didn’t care about because I knew that on the other side, we’d get more juicy details, and I couldn’t wait for those. I’ve only been seeing hype around it, and while it’s not my favourite like Boy Parts was, it is a really interesting and engaging read....more
This book follows a girl named Sam from when she's 7 all the way to 20 and it reminded me why I enjoy bildungsromans.
Watching Sam grow up before my eThis book follows a girl named Sam from when she's 7 all the way to 20 and it reminded me why I enjoy bildungsromans.
Watching Sam grow up before my eyes was captivating. I thought the pacing was great and her actions as she got older felt believable based on things that happened to her in the past. The side characters were also so well developed and I found myself rooting for them too. Sam has had a difficult life: her mom is struggling to make ends meet for her and her younger brother, Noah, even with 2 jobs, and her dad is an addict popping in and out of her life with no consistency. Even though Sam grows to resent her father over time and you as a reader gradually grow to understand how that frustration of hers was pent up over the years, I couldn't help but feel for her dad as well. I think that's what makes for good writing - when you can even empathize with characters that the main one can't.
Though there were some heavy topics discussed in the book, there were a lot of lighthearted moments too and some that made me laugh out loud. I particularly liked the little tidbits of advice her mom would give and I looked forward to their interactions. I thought this was going to center a lot more on Sam's passion for rock climbing which she starts right at the beginning, and though that was part of it, it took more of a backseat as the story went on which I liked. The rock climbing served more as a catalyst for everything else that happened to her and as an introduction to the main people in her life, and I thought it was very well done.
Overall I really liked this book and recommended it for people who appreciate good characters and coming of age stories.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. ...more
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