Note: Liselle always puts content warnings at the beginning of her books. You can also find them on her website: https://lisellesambury.ca/tenderbeasts/

General Description: Sunny Behre believed she'd run her family one day. She's the 4th sibling in a line of 5. After her mother unexpectedly passes away, Sunny was given a singular note from her mother stating she needed to "take care of Dom". Dom is the youngest Behre sibling and is suspected of murder. The entire family has been wary of Dom, but when Sunny finds him over another dead body, Sunny realizes it truly is on her to take care of Dom. Will she be able to protect her family, the people of their community, and herself? Will she be able to find whoever the killer is, or is the killer truly in her own home?

The good:
- The mystery was twisting and turning the entire time. I could have never predicted the ending.
- The rest of the family outside of Dom and Sunny add a layer of complexity to the book that makes the twists hit even harder.
- The school itself was a very interesting setting, considering how the school was created.
- The other students in the school and their perception of the Behre family was a layer of the story i wasn't expecting but appreciated.

The loss of a star:
- A half star off because it was a bit heavy to get through in the beginning. For a standalone, the pacing was a bit off.
- Another half star off because Sunny was just a bit too stuck in her own head for me. It got to the point where it was irritating when she literally cuts someone off before getting an answer that probably would have benefitted her.

Overall, Liselle Sambury does it again. If you want a YA thiller/horror/mystery to add to your TBR that's centered around family, this should be your next addition.

General Description: Soledad Barnes thought her life was all figured out. Married for years, three kids, and a homemaker. That is, until her husband is arrested for a crime she didn't even know he was committing. And the man that discovered her husband's crimes wants nothing more than to help her. But Soledad needs to discover who she is without a man, who she can be for her children during this difficult time and finding out she can live on her own, before allowing anyone else to enter into her life. Will Soledad be able to let anyone else in?

All the good:
- I was WAITING for Soledad's story and she felt consistent between Before I Let Go, which I greatly appreciated.
- While Edward SUCKED, he was weirdly compelling villain for this story? He gets everything in deserves in this book :)
- I loved seeing Soledad's journey of self discovery and I feel like I learned a lot about how to love yourself in this book.
- The children in this book were perfection. They were complex, witty, and added a layer of reality to the story.
- While the romance as good this felt like a book of loving yourself, which made the romance all the more sweeter.

Overall, if you like Before I Let Go, I thoroughly believe This Could Be Us will be another top read for you.

Note: This is the 3rd book in a series, so definitely read the first 2 before delving into this one. The description will also have minor spoilers, but I held back from going in depth :)

General Description: The Champions are spread out all over the Realm. One Spindleblade remains, the sole hope of the realm or the sole reason it will be crushed. The Champions must find a way to find each other again, if they are all alive, and bring down What Waits once and for all. Will they be able to prevail in the end?

All the good:
- This honestly has one of the best tension filled romances I've read. "Haunt me" as a line STILL haunts me to my core.
- The battle scenes are like movie scenes in my mind, I felt like I was there.
- The travel scenes and the champions coming together felt like coming home, I was completely engrossed in every second of the book.
- There is clear resolution in this book, which I highly appreciate as a series finale.
- The world is magnificent and while I'm sad not to go back into the world, it was a great one to be in.

Overall: If you're read Realm Breaker and Blade Breaker, you have to finish it out with Fate Breaker. If you need a new high fantasy series to delve into, you should pick up all three books.

I would check the content warnings before delving in, specifically related to dating violence. 

General Description: 14-year-old Bri is heading off to fulfill her family legacy of attending Briarcliff Prep, a historically black boarding school. Her sister Belle has already been at the boarding school for years. However, Belle's boyfriend Logan is a new addition to the scene. Bri has to juggle what she witnesses between Belle and Logan, her own love life, and determining what kind of person she wants to be. This is a coming of age novel that tackles heavy issue head on. Bri must decide who she wants to be and it may not be everyone's favorite person.

The good:
- The way dating violence is handled in this book is complex and addresses all facets of an issue that is important for teens to learn about yet hard to talk about.
- Bri and Belle's relationship is a rollercoaster that I appreciated being on.
- Bri's own look into relationships felt extremely real, with not everything being the happiest ending.
- The social scene laid out in this book was intriguing and immersed you into the world completely, making the book feel extremely real.

The loss of a half star:
- The book was pretty slow at the beginning, but since I've learned this is turning into a series, the world building make a bit more sense, which is why it is only losing a half star.

Overall: If you're looking for a contemporary YA book that handles the topic of dating violence with grace, this is your next read. I would even recommend it as a book to discuss with any teen in your life.

General Description: Audrey Love believes she's cursed to not find love, that she's always the person before someone finds their soulmate. Kind of awkward to think about as she is off to her best friends' wedding, meaning she'll have to see the man she had a one-night stand with months prior. However, when her best friend goes missing, the only one that can help her is her one-night stand man. Will they find her best friend and will she actually find love along the way?

The good:
- This is the novella in the improbable meet cute series that I feel has the most mystery, which added a layer of depth of the novella.
- Audery seems like someone I could definitely see myself being friends with. 
- While there was a mystery hanging over us, the vibes were still upbeat.
- I do love a good second chance romance, even if the MMC is questionable.

The loss of a star:
- I felt like the book took the miscommunication trope and turned it into a no communication trope, which was just way too far for me. It took me out of the story a bit.

Overall: If you're looking for a short romance novella, this one can't hurt to add to your TBR.

General Description: Daisy Murray is avoiding her favorite bakery on Valentines Day because she does not want to be glared at by the grumpy baker. However, she can't help but go inside, and luckily she did, or else she would have been outside during an earthquake! Now she's trapped with the grumpy baker, but has he really been grumpy about her all along, or something else?

All the goods:
- This felt like a true novella. I didn't want more or less, which was perfect.
- I love a good natural disaster bringing folks together.
- There were no lingering questions, everything was tied up neatly for me.
- Daisy was definitely a FMC I could relate to with her thought process.
- Duke is a MMC that I didn't dislike!

Overall: If you're a Jasmine Guillory fan, I think you'd enjoy this quick story from her.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book!

4.5/5 Stars

General Description: Jack Orsino was set to play college ball, until a knee injury took him out of his senior year. His friend recommended the only game Twelfth Knight. On there, he meets a play who he thinks is Viola Reyes' twin brother. However, it's actually Viola. And Viola does not like Jack Orsino. As VP to his President, Viola believes Jack is lazy, uninterested in anything, and only cares about football. When Viola gets to learn more about Jack through the game and through his actions at school, Viola isn't sure she's always known the real Jack Orsino, but does Viola actually want Jack to know her? As their relationship blossoms in real life, can Viola continue to keep their online relationship a secret?

The good:
- The lore of Twelfth Knight the game is something I'd read on it's own. I love that we essentially get two worlds in this book, one fantasy and one contemporary.
- Jack Orsino's character development after an injury felt extremely real, especially as someone who had knee surgery, and it added a depth to Jack I wasn't expecting.
- Viola's snarky character was consistent throughout and while that may make people not like her, I appreciated her candor and her own reflection throughout the book.
- I love a good catfish trope (not sure if that's what it's called, but it feels right to me)

The loss of a half star:
- There is conflict resolution in this book, but knowing both Jack and Vi, I was surprised how the resolution happened. It threw me off enough that I put the book down and wasn't necessarily inclined to finish it (but I did).

Overall: If you're looking for a YA romance that centers around a video game, you should already have pre-ordered this.

So grateful to have won an advanced reader copy of this novel in a giveaway! Thank you to Brittany and the facebook group!

Note: You should read the entire Crave series before picking this up. There are spoilers for the Crave series in this book, but won't be spoilers in this description.

4.5/5 Stars

General Description: Clementine Calder, daughter of the headmistress of Calder Academy, has never left the Academy. Meaning, she's never accessed her magic. Calder Academy takes in troubled magical youths, does not allow them to access their powers, and tries to reform them. Clementine knows she'll be stuck at the Academy forever. However, when an exceptional hurricane is heading towards the Academy, the Academy has to evacuate. Clementine gets paired with the boy who broke her heart, Jude Abernathy-Lee, and some other friends, to put in storm measures to protect the Academy as they plan to leave. When everything goes wrong, Clementine must rely on herself, Jude, and anyone left alive. How will they weather the storm?

The goods:
- Seeing past Crave characters was so sweet to see and I loved the addition they had to the story.
- The new found family of Clementine, Jude, and others stole my heart.
- The concept of having NO magic and having to face the sudden influx of magic was captivating.
- This is heavier than the beginning of the Crave series, a bit darker magic and situation, which felt nice to see the series grow up with the readers.

The loss of a half star:
- The pacing of all of Tracy's books are always faster than I am used to, which makes the amount of information you take in a bit overwhelming and takes me out of the books a bit. There is a lot of information related to future books that are left open and between the pacing of the book and open plot points, it was overwhelming.

Overall: If you're a fan of the Crave series, you'd enjoy this. If you are not a fan of the Crave series, you will not enjoy this.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book early.

General Description: Ava Williams has been petitioning for a bowling club at the high school she teaches at for the past four years. However, it's always shot down. Until, local bowling legend Grace Jones, returns to town as a teacher and suggests the club to the principal, who readily agrees. Ava is conflicted, especially because she is told she must coach alongside Grace, her high school nemesis. The women will have to face their past if they want to move forward with a bowling team, but will they be able to do it? What will their relationship develop into? Will the bowling team triumph? You'll have to read to find out!

The goods:
- The banter between Ava and Grace for me is top tier.
- The side characters were meddling in both of the women's lives and I was here for it.
- You do handle heavier topics such as moving, death, and discovering yourself as a person which I felt added depth to the book.
- The high school kids' commentary was hilarious

The loss of a star:
- A half start off is because of the lack of bowling information in this book. And this is because I am being nit-picky as a current high school bowling coach and someone who was on a high school bowling team for four years. It is called the 7-10 split but I had a lot of bowling logistical questions that weren't answered in the book.
- It ended way too quickly. I feel like the final resolution could have been quite a bit longer, which made the pacing of the book feel off for me.

Overall: If you're looking for a contemporary romance book, this would be a great next pick for you!

Thank you to Netgalley for an early eARC of this book!

4/5

Description: Marigold Claude is given the chance of her lifetime: to be freed of the societal pressures of her home and live with her grandmother to become the next Honey Witch. However, there's a curse Marigold has to take on, which is no one can fall in love with her once she becomes the Honey Witch. But Marigold can't really focus on love as she's learning all her new witchy skills and learning to protect the isle of Innisfree and take care of the surrounding residents. Marigold must protect the land from the Ash Witch, who is the mortal enemy of the Honey Witch. But, love tries to find its' way to Marigold in the form of Lottie Burke, the resident grump of the town. Once Lottie claims magic isn't real, Marigold tries to win over her opinion...and Lottie in general. Will Marigold be able to protect her island and her heart?

All the good:
- The magic system is well thought out and I love learning more about the world. I'd definitely delve back in if Sydney writes a series.
- I like Marigold's motivations, they were consistent throughout the book and she is someone I would trust with my life.
- The relationship between Marigold and her grandmother is precious, I was almost moved to tears.
- The side characters in Mr. Benny and August were refreshing additions to the story, adding humor and love throughout.

The loss of a star:
I have 2 main issues here:
1) The pacing was just all over the place. The beginning felt so slow and it ended WAY too fast. It feels like the build up to a series but it's a standalone so my brain was confused and it took me out of the reading a bit. You also do this random side quest it feels like about 70% of the way through the book and I was just thrown off.
2) I feel like the description was a bit misleading. Lottie's name is in the description but you don't really meet her until like a third of the way through the book (or more?). It is still a romance, but I really thought we'd see even more of Lottie than we did.

Overall, if you're into slower burn stories and are looking for your next sapphic romance read, I'd definitely recommend The Honey Witch.