Note: Please check content warnings before reading this. If you cannot read about student-teacher relationships in any context, I would skip this. however, if you can handle the content and love mysteries, I'd highly recommend it.

General Description: Eve is back for her 8th year of teaching, alongside her husband Mr. Bennett. Eve teaches math and unfortunately, she lost her mentor because of a "relationship" a student was having with them. That student happens to be in Eve's math class. Addie doesn't want to be back in high school, everyone judges her for her "relationship" with her math teacher last year. However, when Addie gets into Mr. Bennett's class, school doesn't seem so terrible anymore. How will Eve feel when Addie starts to mess with her life?

The five stars:
- THE. TWISTS. WERE. INSANE. and I'm sure there will be some reviews where they call the twists predictable, but not for me. I was shocked.
- The pacing is always quick and I could not put the book down.
- The two perspectives have such distinct voices, which I feel like I personally haven't seen from Freida before and I was sold.
- The vibes of this book did make me angry, as Freida wanted readers to be, and I was emotionally invested in the entire book.
- The description of high school felt very real to me, which I think made the book easier to read.

Overall: Freida keeps elevating herself and I cannot wait to see what else she does. If you're looking for quick thrillers, Freida should be your go-to.

General Description:
Korede gets a frantic call from her sister, who said her boyfriend was getting violent so Korede's sister killed him. However, that's the 3rd man Korede's sister has killed. Korede realizes her sister is a serial killer for men she's in a relationship with. When Korede's crush becomes entranced by her sister, Korede is caught between keeping her crush alive or keeping her sister happy in a new relationship. Which will she choose?

The goods:
- The short chapter style made this book fast paced and packed a punch.
- Korede is such a strong voice and seeing her explain the events related to her sister felt honest in the beginning...
- TBH, I thought the mom was a great point of comedic relief in the book and I enjoyed her personality.
- The subplot of Korede talking to a coma patient made my heart warm a bit.

The loss of a star:
- The character progression of Koredejust hasn't sat well with me? I wasn't 100% sure how the book would end, but I did not think there would be such a u-turn in the character progression and it's stuck as a sore spot in my mind.

Overall, if you're looking for a snappy, quick mystery read, this is what you should pick up next.

General Description:
Faith Jones was born into a cult. Her grandfather is the creator of the cult. Faith did not know there was much more out there, until she started to grow up and the cult started to falter. You get to grow up with Faith in this book to see how someone stays in a cult and then eventually gets out. How does one cope after leaving a cult? Faith is open and honest in her own journey and she graciously takes us along her very personal story.

All the stars:
- I personally loved the initial history section giving us background. I know that part can be dry to folks and luckily I don't think you need to read the history section to get the story, so it's nice if you want to skip it!
- Faith's voice grows with her and she grows up in the book and I enjoyed seeing that progression.
- This book sparks deeper thoughts around religion and as someone who enjoys self-reflection, I appreciated the thought processes I had based on this book and reflecting on my own relationship with God.
- The pacing was excellent to me, i read it within a 24 hour time period and did not want to put it down.
- this felt like a fictional story and at points I wish it was, but that kept me engaged and led me to want to research the cult further to see what others say about it from a different perspective. This book will stick with me.

Overall, if you're looking to get back into nonfiction, I feel this is a book that could spark your interest back into non-fiction!

General Description:
Bernadette is infamous among the Seattle elite. However, one day, she goes missing. B, her daughter, receives a lot of documents leading up to Bernadette's disappearance that she explores in order to hopefully find her mother. Will B be able to track her down, even if she's all the way across the work? Bernadette has disappeared once before, so will she be able to do it again?

The goods:
- This was such a fun format book between the emails, letters, and transcripts. I couldn't put it down!
- The adventure you go on in this book and the character development is a bit confusing but engaging at the same time.
- I really like B's perspective of the entire situation and am glad we get to hear her voice.

The loss of two stars:
- There is some outdated language that did make me a bit uncomfortable while reading.
- IT JUST ENDS, there is no resolution. I mean this is probably one of the books that will stick with me simply because I have a million questions.

Overall, do not pick up this book if you need everything wrapped up in a nice bow. It will haunt you, but if you like books with open endings and quirky adventures, this could be the book for you!

General Description:
Everyone in Ernest's family has killed someone, but he is the only family member to put another family member away in prison. When Ernest's brother did come to him with a mostly dead body, Ernest saw his brother finish the job. Ernest didn't lie when put on the stand, and now his brother is being released and the entire family is coming together to welcome him back from prison at a ski resort. However, when a dead body shows up in the snow, the family reunion is thrown off track when the infamous family has to figure out what happened. Will the killer be someone in the family?

The goods:
- The overall concept of the book was interesting.
- The voice of the story was lighthearted and unique.
- I do feel like most questions are answered by the end of the story, which is a nice perk.

The loss of two stars:
- I felt like there were 10 main characters and I got lost in the actual point of the story while trying to follow all the characters.
- While being lost in the point of the story, that made it feel like most of the plot twists came out of thin air, which is not an ideal plot twist for me personally.

Overall, if you like mysteries with a ton of characters and really like to put the puzzle together while you read, this could be the book for you, but grab the physical copy so you can make notes in the book.

General Description:
When Demeter promises Persephone to be the next Hera and marry Zeus, Persephone freaks out, and is rightfully so. The last 3 Hera has all been found dead. Instead of seeing the engagement through, Persephone escapes and is lucky to find solace away from the Upper City in the Lower City. However, the Lower City is Hades' domain, a place where not many folks want to find themselves. Hades agrees to shelter Persephone for 3 months. However, will this just be a favor to a lost girl, or turn into something more?

The goods:
- For a spicier book, I feel like this was one of the first books for me where the spicier scenes were a part of the plot, so I didn't feel like I was rushing through these scenes to get back to the plot.
- The world that this is set in is interesting in regards to how the other 13 treat Hades and I enjoyed it.
- Seeing Persephone's relationship with her 'sisters' in the book was an additional layer I hadn't seen before and kept me in the story.
- Understanding how the 13 gained power and seeing the politics of the society kept me engaged in the story.

The loss of a star:
- I feel like this is my 5th Hades and Persephone retelling and I just don't find the story exciting or new. So I was a bit bored at some point.

Overall, if you're looking for a spicier book that doesn't lose any of its plot, this would be a great book to try! Also if you like Hades and Persephone's story, this is a retelling of that classic story

General Description:
Mika Moon is a real witch. She plays it down on social media, but someone notices and invites her to train 3 young witches in a secret home. Mika has had it drilled in her head that witches should not all stay together, that the magic can be too strong, dangerous, and attract unwarranted attention. In a home that houses a retired actor, a handsome librarian, and two caretakers, Mika finds herself potentially biting off more than she can chew when she's told these witches have to try to control their skills within 2 months. How will Mika fair with these young witches?

The goods:
- The concept of this book is brilliant and somehow gives me Mary Poppins vibes? In the best way but without being exactly like Mary Poppins.
- The children characters in this book are absolutely hilarious and each have a very distinct personality.
- There's a lot of mystery in this book, yet it's wrapped up very nicely with a bow. I felt very satisfied on the ending.
- The different scenarios put forth for the found family to go through are entertaining and didn't feel too unrealistic for a fantasy book!

The loss of a star:
- The first part of losing a star is that the beginning is a bit slow for me, I didn't really feel gripped in the book until all the characters came together.
- The second part of losing a star, and this is a critique I've had of other books, but there's so much build up to this one big event, and there was maybe 15 minutes spent on the event. I was expecting the final big event to be much longer and was a bit let down.

Overall, if you're looking for a witchy cozy fantasy, this is it!

Note: This is the third book in a trilogy, there will inherently be spoilers in the review.

General Description:
The fates are free, and they are starting to awaken. Scarlett and Tella are each approached by different fates, but the sisters are united in one goal: staying alive. While Caraval is over, clearly the magic and stakes are high as ever. Who will come out on top now that the fates are back?

The goods:
- I loved having Scarlett back! I missed her perspective. Have both her and Tella was a great way to wrap up the series
- The overall travel and adventure was enticing.
- I feel like the stakes were high in this book and every action scene delivered.
- Listen, I did like the addition of the fates, but...

The loss of a star:
- Did I miss a book? Did I miss lore? I feel like there's so much about the fates I still don't understand and I feel like it's such an open end to what is a series finale? I am someone that usually likes everything tied up with a bow and the fates are something I don't feel like are completely tied up.

Overall, if you made it through Legendary, definitely reward yourself with Finale.

Note: This is the 2nd book in a series, so there will inherently be spoilers in the review!

General Description:
With being forced to prepare a Caraval in 5 days, Donatella joins the 'game' in order to find her mother and turn over the true name of Legend. When the game is suddenly real, can Tella still win when the rules are essentially thrown out of the window? Will she be able to keep her promise to a mysterious stranger?

The good:
- I do think the addition of the fates was interesting (I just wish it was done earlier)
- The mystery was an enjoyable ride
- The introduction of court politics was a nice touch as well.

The loss of 2 stars:
- I was not a fan of Donatella in book 1, and therefore her as our main character in book 2 I was not pleased about and unfortunately, she does not win me back over at all in this book.
- I feel like the concept of mixing reality in the book with the fantasy of caraval was tough to understand in the book. I felt too paranoid over what was real and what wasn't the entire book. It made me feel disengaged from it

Overall, in order to get to Finale, you have to read this one, so I'd suggest it only if you liked Caraval. If you did not like Caraval, I don't think you'll be a fan of Legendary.

4.5/5

General Description:
Rosie and her sister are spending Valentine's Day at a spa, celebrating her sister's job promotion. However, once Rosie and her sister get into the spa's latest flotation treatment machines, Rosie realizes she is stuck. The fire department has to be called, but the salon refuses to get Rosie out right away as the machine is still expensive. Luckily, a fire fighter is there to comfort Rosie. How much can their relationship develop in the time she's stuck in the device?

The goods:
- I absolutely love and relate to Rosie as a character
- The scenario this is set in made me a bit nervous but i was here for it
- This gave me 'love is blind' vibes, in more of a dangerous situation, and I loved it
- The sister was definitely looking out for Rosie even if Rosie couldn't see it at the time and I love a good sister relationship

The loss of a half star:
- Maybe I'm just not a novella reader, but I needed more. I don't know if any novella will be a 5 star for me as they keep seeming to leave me wanting more!

Overall, if you're looking for a romance with a wonky scenario, this should be your next read!