Note: this is a sequel to "The 7-10 Split", but there are no major plot spoilers below. However, if you want the full effect of this book, I would recommend reading the in publication order.

The good:
- I loved the growth both Vini and Jessica have. They did have clear expectations at the beginning of the book, but the growth of expectations felt natural.
- Aiden was a great side character and I'd love to see his own book at some point!
- You see Ava and Dani and Grace again from the first book, and it was nice to see how their stories intertwined with Vini's and Jessica's. I am excited for Dani's book later this year!

The loss of 1.5 stars:
- There are just some glaring typos in this book (Vini is once spelled at Vino) and usually I don't take off for that, but it was so distracting, I couldn't bring myself to give it a 4 stars.
- Because it was so spice heavy, it slowed down the pace for me personally, the spicy scenes were not bad, but it just slowed the reading experience and i felt myself getting distracted easily.

Overall, if you liked "The 7-10 Split", I'd say keep going with the series!

Note: I did have a chance to Beta read this, and it has changed in the best way possible in my opinion. I can tell a lot of work, editing, and time went into this final version of the book and I couldn't be prouder!

The goods:
- Rua's personality is honestly something I aim to achieve. While she's trying to figure herself out, she still has traits where she's true to herself.
- This book has a lot of yearning, which I fully appreciated. I loved the insight into the time period.
- I loved all the connections to Irish mythology.
- If you're looking for Bridgeton vibes, this book fits it. I felt like I could imagine everything clearly and felt like I was in every ball, carriage, and library scene.

The loss of a half star:
- I'm not 100% sure where the book will go. If this is a standalone, I feel like I was left with too many questions. If there's a series, I feel like I'd need to read book 2 to fully finish rating book 1.

Overall, if you're hankering for a book with yearning, myths, and high society settings, this should be your next read.

note: this is the second book in a duology. If you haven't read HappyHead, you will be thoroughly confused reading Dead Happy. So I highly recommend the entire duology if you're looking for a queer, dystopian novel.

The goods:
- Sebastian's character progressions is extremely interesting. I really enjoy his arc throughout the story.
- ElmHallow is a place I never wish to visit, but I felt like I was there every second I was reading. I was very engaged.
- The trials that the characters go through pushed me a bit mentally reading because the descriptions of the trials were extremely well done.
- Many plot points were wrapped up from book one and overall the ending was well done, but....

The loss of a star:
- ...there is a plot point/question that I feel is still unanswered, which is sad because I really wanted to give this a 5 star!

Overall, if you're looking for a creepy, queer, dystopian duology pairing, HappyHead and Dead Happy should be on your TBR.

Before goods and bads, this was my first Neal Shusterman book. I have wanted to read him FOREVER and I was not disappointed. The only shock to me was that this was a series, but that's definitely on me LOL. This is a series. It ends on a cliffhanger, as series usually do. I was shocked so I hope you are not.

The goods:
- Ron, Mariel, and Morgan are extremely unique characters and I think each perspective was necessary.
- Dame Havilland, is someone I can't wait to see in the next book. Her character definitely brings a new thought process to how Crown Royale affects people.
- This was extremely creative and definitely had me questioning what I would do wth Crown Royale.
- I could not guess what would happen next and I really liked seeing all the puzzle pieces fall together, and see which clues are placed for the next books..

The loss of a star:
- The writing style I was not used to and it took me a while sometimes to see who's perspective we were in. Also the random perspectives of people we'd shortly see again later, while clever, did confuse me until I realized what was going on.

Overall, if you're looking for a Dystopian/Sci-Fi book, this should definitely be your next one. 

The goods:
- The beginning of the book when you're focused on the unromancing, I really enjoyed.
- I personally liked Sawyer's tone of voice, but I don't think it's for everyone.
- I felt both Sawyer and Mason had a wealth of backstory for me to dig into to really understand them.

The loss of 2 stars:
- The second half of the book loses the fun of the unromancing for me, which was really sad.
- After losing the unromancing, i feel like the book doesn't really find a good pace again. I was just trying to get to the end during the last 1/4 of teh book.


Overall, if you're looking for a unique romance, this could be a good choice. However, you may want to read a preview beforehand to see if you like the tone of the book.

The good:
- I was gripped right away and it's been a while since a book has forced me to read it, to the point where I only read 2 chapters day 1 and could not stop thinking about it until I got time to read.
- I love how Liz KNOWS she's not perfect but continues trying to learn how to balance her ambitions with her community. 
- I feel like both Liz and Amy have well developed backstories but it was done in a short amount of time where I wasn't bogged down by their internal reflection monologues.
- The mystery was very twisty and I loved it.

The loss of a half star:
- There is ONE OPEN PLOT POINT that is just dismissed at the end of the book and I cannot stand that. Otherwise, all other plot points are wrapped up nicely.

Overall, if you're looking for a quick YA thriller to help get you out of a reading slump, I'd highly recommend this.

Seriously over the moon grateful to Forever Publishing for an advanced reader copy of one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 and it did not disappoint!

The goods:
- The concept feels so unique yet relatable at the same time. I think there's always one moment people look back on thinking it went different, their lives would be different and this book perfectly encapsulates it.
- The viewpoint of being a home caregiver for a family member was done with care and highlights the complexity of being in that position.
- I absolutely loved Samantha's humor, and her relationship with each one of her family members.
- Xavier was definitely the definition of a black cat working as a vet and I was here for every single minute of it, along with him relationship with Samantha.

The loss of a star:
- The pacing was not it for me in this one sadly. I felt suddenly shocked when I was at 93% of the book and felt like the ending was rushed. I could've taken at least 50 more pages.

Overall, if you're down for a more serious romance, this is for you, but if you need something a bit more lighthearted, come back to this later.

First audiobook of 2024. Tbh I wish I had a stronger start but it could have been worse :P 

The goods:
- The mystery was twisty and enjoyable. I liked putting the puzzle pieces together with the main character.
- The action scenes were done very well, I felt like I could visualize everything.
- The vibes were definitely spooky filled.

The loss of 2 stars:
- The rules felt like nothing was actually set and everything was festival. It just always felt like there was an exception and it got rid of any suspense it tried to build.
- The ending kind of wrapped stuff up but I still have way too many questions in general in this world.
- The romance was weird on all ends and I wish it wasn't there at all.

Overall, there are definitely other YA thriller/mysteries that do it better, but this did have good spooky vibes. If you're looking for a spookier book that isn't horror, this is a good mix to try.

Thank you to Forever Publishing for an advance read of this book! (2nd read of 2025, but I did read about 95% of it in 2024...oops)

The goods:
- I loved the incorporation of traditional Chinese medecine. I had no knowledge of TCM before the book but it really sparked my interest and kept me engaged the entire time.
- Chryssy's interpretation of her family curse and living with her aunts was a dynamic I had not seen before in a novel and thought it was a unique aspect to the story.
- I giggled during meet cute between Chryssy and Vin and the fake dating turned real behind it all, especially with Vin's progression in the relationship.
- I enjoyed all the side characters, stories, and plots that you get to add to the meat of the book. 

The loss of a star:
- The pacing overall was a bit slower. It reads as a cozy romance in my opinion, with overall low stakes, and it just didn't feel right with how deep the relationship was between Chryssy and Vin (if that makes any sense)

Overall, if you're looking for a sweet romance with an in depth look at TCM, this should be your next read!

Thank you to Forever Publishing for an advanced reader copy! (Finished in 2024)

The goods:
- I loved all the board games you got to see and how it related to the different ups and downs of Rose and William's relationship.
- Rose's parents were a breathe of fair air, even if they do a cause a little chaos themselves...
- I enjoyed Rose and William both having roles in the wedding side plot that they could also focus on in between the games
- The book wraps up nicely, which is always a requirement for me with standalones.

The loss of a star:
- I just felt the pacing was a bit all over the place and i never settled fully into the pacing. Maybe that's how D&D sessions feel? It wasn't my favorite.

Overall, if you enjoy board games and romances, this should definitely be your next read.