3.5/5 stars

Description: Chloe Brown has been sheltered for the majority of her life. Her later in life chronic illness diagnosis, and then a near-death incident, Chloe decides she wants to take her life in her own hands for once. She moves out, makes a list of what she wants to do, and of course, her building superintendent, Red, gets on her nerves. After they bonded over a cat in a tree incident, Chloe and Red decide to talk her list together. Well, the majority of it. Will the list that brought them together also tear them apart?

The good:
- I loved the representation and dynamic of what a relationship looks like with taking a chronic illness and 
- The sisters were so funny and I'm so excited to see them in their own books!
- I liked the resolution the book provided.

The loss of a star and a half:
- I feel like the pacing and timing of this book was weird? I felt lost a lot of the time. It felt like a slower-paced book.
- I'm not really sure where their 'hatred' really started? And I don't know even now if it was really talked out...I did listen to the audiobook so maybe my confusion came from the media I chose to listen to it.

Overall: I think the ending is cute, but the journey to get there was a little tough for me. I look forward to trying more of Talia's books!

I want to preface this review with my Spanish Love Deception rating: 2/5 stars. This book turned me back on to Elena Armas books.

4/5 stars

Description: When the ceiling literally comes crashing down on Rosie (literally) she decides to stay in her best friend's vacant apartment. She knows Catalina is gone on her honeymoon, so Rosie should be fine. Until someone is banging on the door to get in. Enter Lucas: Catalina's cousin who Rosie has no clue was promised the apartment. After talking it out, they decided to share the studio. As their friendship grows, Rosie admits she has no inspiration for her next romance book. Lucas decides to help her get that spark back, but will that spark burn both of them in the end?

The good:
- I really like Rosie and Lucas as characters. They both felt genuine and not over the top.
- I appreciated the serious subplots under Rosie and Lucas, it added a depth to the book that kept it interesting.
- The dates were SO cute. I really loved the progression of the relationship in this book.
- It was a fast paced read, I read it in a day and couldn't put it down!

The loss of a star: I still feel like Elena's spicy things are just awkward? There was no milking term in this book, but the tease to me was better than anything that actually happened.

Overall: You can read this without the spanish love deception tbh. I think if you're looking for a rom-com book, this fits the bill.

4/5 stars (September Bookclub Pick)

Description: If it's meant to be, it'll be right? Izzy and Nate believe so, after meeting in a traumatic plane crash. 10 years later, Nate is assigned (last minute) to guard Izzy. They hadn't seen each other in 3 years. How did their relationship progress over the years and why can't they be together? Will this finally be their chance to settle down?

The good:
- The book was extremely fast-paced (too fast at some points) and easy to understand, which was a nice palette cleanser compared to other books I've read this month.
- Nate has an interesting character arc that I enjoyed reading
-The emotions were jammed back in this book, all the way from anger, heartbreak, love, and everything in between. 
- There are plot twists that keep you on your toes and that I did not see coming.

The loss of a star: Izzy's stubbornness was really inconsistent and I couldn't get myself to really like her? Her decisions and her loyalties seemed to be all over the place, making her decisions inconsistent and confused me in regards to the plot.

Overall: If you enjoy contemporary romance books and aren't turned off by traumatic situations, this would be a book that could easily fit on your TBR.

4.5/5 Stars.

Description: Dawn is late. Natalie knows Dawn is NEVER late. When Dawn's desk phone rings and Natalie hears a plea for help, Natalie cannot sit by and do nothing. She put on her civilian investigator hat to find out what happened to Dawn. But her personal investigation turns into a real one, Natalie has all the attention on her. Natalie knows she's just trying to help, but what will the public think? Can Dawn be found? Is Natalie really innocent?

The good:
- You know some people call Freida predictable. I am not one of those people, I thought the twists were clever and I didn't see them coming.
- The character arcs of Dawn and Natalie were so unique to me, I would read more books with this type of character arc.
- The constant change in dynamics in this book kept me reading the book. It was extremely hard to put down!
- The idea of this happening in a workplace and moving the situation outside of the workplace was an interesting way of building the world the characters were in, without bogging us down with worldbuilding.

The loss of a half star: I didn't like how the book wrapped up? It was just odd to me and didn't leave me feeling as satisfied as the ending in the other 2 Freida books I've read.

Overall: If you're a Freida fan, this is another hit in my opinion.

2/5 stars.

Description: Josh and Jules have always hated each other, mainly due to Jules's relationship with Ava. However, when Josh's volunteer space because Jules's workplace, their relationship starts to evolve. Will they admit they actually like each other, or will their hate remain too strong?

The good:
- I still listened to the whole thing and enjoyed the spicier scenes to a point. I couldn't get over the issues below to enjoy the book further.

The major issues I PERSONALLY had:
- This book made me realize I don't enjoy the haters-to-lovers type trope? They just held on to their hate SO LONG it didn't make sense.
- Typically I like the mystery plotlines in Ana's books, but this one was just so unrealistic to me, the way Jules handled it did not match her personality.
- HER BACKSTORY. The fact that Alex AND Rhys kind of hinted at how dangerous Jules was, I just had high expectations for what Jules was. It let me down SO much and I felt really misled.

Overall: This book is for someone out there, and go off if you love it, but this book is not specifically for me. Will I pick up the 4th? Honestly, this book kind of turned me off from continuing the series.

3/5 Stars. This was my husband's favorite book series as a kid so I wanted to read them all. I could not review all of them until I finished the series.

Description: New MC again: Jon (Jonathan, Jonny) lives in an enclave (get ready, there's a lot of new lingo) which is the safe towns mentioned in earlier books. He lives nearby his family, but they live outside that enclave and are considered 'grubs'. The 'clavers' look at Jon as a 'slip', because his family was not rich enough to get in but he had a pass to enter the town. Jon is on the soccer team that proves the enclaves strength and if he slips up (haha) then he's out of there. However, when a girl comes to town, he starts to question his entire life (again)

The good:
- I was still very emotionally invested in the series, this was still an emotional book, which I enjoyed
- This book introduces us to more of the world than in the first 3 books, which was cool to see (there could be a book 5, I would still read it)
- Honestly, the action in this book and extreme situations (since this book loses a lot of reality) were interesting to read

The loss of two stars: 
- This just went completely off the rails in not the best way, I'm not sure how we got to this society from the first 3 books.
- This book really loses the realistic survival feel of the first 3 books and there is a large learning curve to get into this society, which makes it a bit slower-paced.

Overall: I mean...if you've read the other 3, sure. I do think this can be skipped if you're unsure after the 3rd book if you'd want to continue.

4/5 Stars. This was my husband's favorite book series as a kid so I wanted to read them all. I could not review all of them until I finished the series.

Description: We get a beautiful coming together of our first 2 books. Miranda and Alex come into the same timeline through Miranda's first-person diary entries. When Miranda's dad (stepmom and others too) make it back to Miranda's house, they all have to adjust from 4 people to up to 11 now living together. Can they make the resources stretch and continue to live in their same neighborhood forever?

The good:
- This was the most stressful book in the best way; I couldn't imagine more people showing up and was fully invested in the storyline 
- The character dynamics only improved in this book
- I liked the continued scenarios the world put the family through, staying consistent with the moon messing with the world
- This could have been the end to the series and I would have been happy with it. The resolution made me feel sound.

The loss of a star: The relationships formed were just odd to me? It seemed like the most unrealistic part and truly threw me for a loop.

Overall: If you're looking for a dystopian series that will tear at your heartstrings, this is the series for you (well, at least the first 3 books...)

4/5 Stars. This was my husband's favorite book series as a kid so I wanted to read them all. I could not review all of them until I finished the series.

Description: Alex Morales is a teen who is experiencing an apocalyptic situation in the big city of New York. Alex's parents don't make it back to their basement apartment to see their kids, making Alex now the sole caretaker of Bri and Julie (his younger sisters). Alex has to make tough decisions in order to help his family stay alive as the weather changes, as food runs out, and as more people leave.

The good:
- While I was initially upset we had a new main character, I did like Alex in the end (just not as much as Miranda)
- I liked the different setup while still following the same timeline as book #1
- Julie is a queen imo, Bri also owns my heart (the side characters were also fantastic overall)
- This book for me held a lot more emotions than book #1, which I thoroughly enjoyed

The loss of a star: The scenarios in this book just felt a bit more unrealistic and I really like the realistic feel of the first book so much, I was looking forward to that in the rest of the series.

Overall: If you're looking for a dystopian series that will tear at your heartstrings, this is the series for you (well, at least the first 3 books...)

4.5/5 Stars. This was my husband's favorite book series as a kid so I wanted to read them all. I could not review all of them until I finished the series.

Description: Miranda is your average teen girl, except she's put in an extraordinary situation once an asteroid hits the moon. This forces the moon into a new orbit, affecting the tides, weather, volcanos, and earthquakes. Miranda documents her account in a diary as her family attempts to live in this strange new world

The good:
- I really enjoyed the diary style after page 30 (see loss of star for reference)
- The side characters were unique and the relationships with Miranda and each family member felt genuine and dynamic
- The twists in this book had me gasping out loud
- The survival felt real, the methods that were used did not seem like fiction, which made the book feel real to me.

The loss of half a star: It was just a slow start with the diary-type format for me; I read the first 10 pages, then put it down for 2 weeks, and didn't feel drawn to read it again. Once I got to page 30 I was hooked!

Overall: If you're looking for a dystopian series that will tear at your heartstrings while feeling real, this is the series for you (well, at least the first 3 books...)

4/5 Stars

Description: Is love a possible premise when you feel completely lost? Hattie and Presley are both handling a lot of life at one. Hattie can taste words, has an absent mother, can not longer swim due to trauma, and doesn't believe in love. Presley lost his twin, moved continents, and isn't sure what he can do anymore now that he can't skate after a traumatic accident. These two somehow intersect and begin to build something neither of them expected, but can it survive everything they are holding onto?

The good:
- I loved Hattie's and Presley's character arcs.
- The side characters were perfect compliments to the main characters
- The exploration of grief and handling trauma was handled very well.
- The book within a book was definitely a cool concept!

The loss of a star:
- The Taylor Swift references were a bit forced for me (especially as a certified swiftie)
- Timing was just not very clear to me? I was very confused and all over the place a lot of the time.