A sweet and magical story about a girl starting a new school and changing into a turtle! Tally has just moved to a new school and is extremely anxious about starting a new class and meeting new friends. Suddenly she finds that she has turned into a turtle and begins to explore throughout the day and meet new animal friends who help her get her confidence back. It’s a sweet and fun story and helps kids who are starting at new schools. The artwork was super adorable too!

*Thanks Netgalley and ABRAMS Kids for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

What happens when your grandma, who you’ve never met before, moves into the same room as you? In this funny and sweet story about an 11 year old boy who suddenly finds himself sharing a room with his chinese grandma, they face language and cultural barriers, all the while getting to know each other. This definitely reminded me of my own grandma who lived with me until she passed away when I was younger. My grandma lived in the room next door to mine and could only speak vietnamese, but this book brought back so many memories of the timeI had growing up with her and taking her out on walks and just getting to know her (thankfully for me I didn’t have a language barrier). The story is really relatable and also showcases a lot of struggles of being a POC has. Danny struggles with trying to understand the “chinese way” and just trying to fit in, and understanding his grandma’s way of life. But the book really points out how despite various barriers, being family and loving each other can cross any barrier. It was a sweet story and a must read!

*Thanks Netgalley and ABRAMS Kids for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A magical adventure about a girl who just wants to prove herself and the friends she makes along the way. Poppy’s family has been in charge of dealing with monsters and protecting the town, and Poppy has always wanted to join her parents in their job. One day her parents go missing on one of their expeditions and Poppy thinks it’s finally the time to not only prove to her parents she can handle this but to rescue them and go on her own adventure into the Grimwoods. Fairies, witches, magical creatures, and even a three-headed dog fill this book with so much fun. Seriously a great read for middle grade readers!

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Diana is back again in the sequel to the first book and this time she is adventuring into the Underworld in order to rescue her friends! The story picks up right after the first book and Diana is still reeling from the danger she faced in the previous book. This time, more children are going missing and her friends end up kidnapped. Diana realizes that she is also being targeted and that it is up to her to solve this mystery and find her friends before its too late. The gods and goddesses are much more prominent in this book and their powers are being heavily impacted. Diana must venture into the Underworld and rescue her friends before more children go missing.

This was a fun adventure and it was really nice to read more about Wonder Woman’s journey into becoming the warrior she is. She’s a great protagonist and the story was a great continuation in the journey of Diana.

*Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children's for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Second chance loves, grief, sailing, and new discoveries come together in this romantic and beautiful story about what happens on the journey of dealing with the grief of losing a loved one and trying to move on. It has been one year and Anna is still reeling from the loss of her fiancee Ben, who had committed suicide and left her asking herself what she could have done and how she is suppose to continue on if she is left in this state of grief and pain. Ben and Anna had planned on going on a world sailing voyage together, and after losing Ben, Anna decides it’s time to go on the sailing voyage they had originally planned to go on together by herself. However, after a dangerous night of sailing, Anna realizes she’s going to need help completing her journey and hires Keane, a professional sailor who offers to help for free as long as they arrive at the destination. Keane is struggling with loss, though a different loss than Anna’s. He has lost a leg due to a horrible accident and is now sailing the sea. Anna and Keane begin to find that they understand one another and each other’s losses, and a sweet friendship and romance ensues about two people who are discovering something new together.

This was a really great book that deals with how moving on is extremely difficult and the grief we feel after losing a loved one takes time to heal. Sometimes it takes trying new things, meeting new people, crying, or going on an impulsive sailing journey and quitting your job, but healing takes time and learning to give things a second chance is important. It’s a sweet story about not only opening yourself up again after grieving, but about healing yourself and finding acceptance.

*Thank you so much St. Martin’s Press for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review and for being part of the blog tour!*

Four people, one mission, and a crap ton of magic.

Tavia: a busker who wants nothing more than to get rid of her life debt and be free to roam the world but her criminal life just keeps pulling her back, it doesn’t help that her best friend is the leader of the criminal gang in town

Wesley: The underboss of the criminals in Creije, but even he has to answer to someone and that someone is starting to ask for more than Wesley is willing to give, especially if it endangers Tavia. His only option is to put his boss down and take control himself, but there are more prices that Wesley will have to pay

Karam: a warrior and bodyguard, she’s loyal to Wesley as his bodyguard, but also sworn to protect Saxony, the girl she’s in love with. To top it off she comes from a line of warriors and she must fight to not only protect her people but the girl she’s fallen in love with

Saxony: resistance fighter who wields magic, she is desperately searching for her little sister who went missing and trying to find a way to free her people from the monster that haunts them all.

In a town where magic is illegal, four people who all have committed some type of crime and harbor complicated feelings for one another must come together in order to try and destroy their worst nightmare. Secrets come to light and sometimes the surviving means being the monster.

I absolutely adored the various relationships between these four people. Tavia and Wesley by far are my two favorite!! Childhood best friends who grew apart but just can’t seem to keep away from one another, the banter, the chemistry, the love, THEY ARE EVERYTHING! Karam and Saxony were also a great pair! Their dynamic between duty and love was such an interesting one to read. The book is told in 4 POVs and leaves on such a cliffhanger!

Two sisters, a futuristic world, and a mystery that haunts them both. Celia and Kasey are sisters, Celia- a fun extrovert who mysteriously disappears one day, and Kasey- a more detached introvert who is obsessed with science and trying to find where her sister went. They both live in eco-city, a place floating above earth that is meant to be a sanctuary for people. Cee wakes up one day on the shores of an abandoned island with barely any memories and a little robot to keep her company until a mysterious boy shows up and tries to kill her, i.e. meet Hero. He also has no memories and blacks out when he tries to kill her. Kasey is trying to solve the mystery of what happened to her sister and where she went, all the while a mysterious boy named Actinium shows up and seems to be the missing piece to finding where her sister went. Throw in a whole lot of future tech, eco-planet stuff, and a big mystery with a little bit of romance and this is what you get. The overall story is interesting and the world setting is definitely unique. I found myself getting confused at some parts but in the end it made sense, sort of haha. Overall, a interesting read and great for anyone who is interested in a futuristic mystery.

*Thanks Netgalley and Text Publishing for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A funny and interesting story about a turtle and his group of friends trying to go to Antarctica! Filled with adorable drawings, fun facts, and an equally fun group of animal characters, this is a great read for all kids!

*Thanks Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Kids for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

What happens when kissing a girl suddenly stops your tics from happening? Stephen Luckie has Tourette’s Syndrome and when one game of spin the bottle leads to him getting kissed by a girl for the first time, suddenly his tics disappeared when he was kissed. Now Stephen is on a journey or rather an experimental journey to see if kissing girls really does stop his tics from occurring. Throw in lots of girls with lots of drama, and one guy who is experiencing a lot of firsts and what you get is a kind of funny journey about Stephen and finding not just a girl to stop his tics but maybe someone he actually likes. It was definitely an interesting story and getting to know Stephen was a fun read. The relationship drama was packed in this book haha. One girl who saved him from a bully when he was younger who has has a hate/love relationship with, another girl who thinks he is her boyfriend, and another girl who gets into a bit of a miscommunication with Stephen. But the question is, which one is the right one?

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

The thrilling conclusion to an amazing journey between two rulers who have struggled to survive and learn to love one another. Picking up right where the second book left off Conri has managed to rescue Lia who was brought back to life but is still adjusting to having her body separated from her land. Being brought back to life after enduring torture and having her blood and life drained from her has changed her and now Lia must decide where her future stands and if she is willing to let Conri be with her. Conri is reeling from having held a dead Lia in his arms and now he is determined to stay by her side and show her he loves her, no matter what costs. Both of them still must deal with the evil magicials and the evil Emperor Anure who is still holding Conri’s sister captive and is trying to capture all the other lands. Together, Lia and Conri must decide where their relationship stands and if they are willing to risk giving their hearts to each other on top of their duties.

This was a wonderful conclusion to the series, I absolutely loved this ending! It had everything I could have ever wanted and I adored Conri and Lia in this book. Their relationship definitely grew from the previous book and we got to see a much more tender and loving aspect between them. The overall story had a satisfying ending and I was so happy for all the characters!

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Paperbacks for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*