What happens when you are prophesied to die if you don’t bind yourself to another person just as you’ve been made king and were about to finally confess your love to your best friend? Well for King Arek life’s about to get real rough. He has 3 months to find a soulmate to bind himself with or he will literally die, the worst part? He’s absolutely in love with his best friend Matt and has been trying to work up the courage to confess his feelings... except every time he does something gets in the way. Arek, assuming that Matt is rejecting decides to go on a quest to woo his friends in order to find someone to fall in love with him while he struggles with his feelings for Matt... but maybe the signs were all wrong and maybe the his soul mate has been right in front of him the entire time. Throw in some painfully hilarious attemps at wooing friends and dealing with a crush and what you get is a sweet story about two very oblivious friends. This was a cute and fast read and I’d definitely recommend it!

*Thanks Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Margaret K. McElderry Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Two rivals for Valedictorian who absolutely loathe each other... and the fandom they share. Stella Green and Wesley Clarke are the school’s biggest rivals, they both want to be valedictorian but their rivalry is more than just wanting the top spot... its a deep loathing for the other. Stella believes that everything Wesley does is because of his privilege while Wesley is convinced Stella has a stick up her butt because she is constantly so uptight. Stella wants to be the first person in her family to make it into college, she wants all her hard work to finally pay off. Wesley doesn’t want to disappoint his family and has had to work for everything because his family won’t give him an inch. Stella is absolutely obsessed with the tv show Warship Seven, which was unfortunately cancelled. She is the captain of the ship between two of the main characters, she spends her time cosplaying and writing fanfics for the show. Wesley is also a huge fan of Warship Seven, he’s into making artwork for the show.. these two will soon become unlikely friends online and start talking to each other.. and maybe even fall for each other... yet as their online friendship grows their offline relationship and competition gets worse and worse. Soon how will these two enemies fall in love and what happens when the other finds out who they’re really talking to online is. This was a pretty cute story and the romance was adorable. I like how their relationship grew and how they both fell for each other. Super sweet fandom romance! (Plus we also get fun snippets of the show they both love)

She’s a romantic at heart but in her world... she’s just not meant to have the romance of her dreams... and in walks her walking nightmare. Elena is nicknamed Sweet Abelli for her sweet and docile nature, she is known for her beauty .... but after an incident she’s been kept under locks by her family. When her younger sister is forced to marry in her stead... Elena finds that she just might be falling for the one person she’s not suppose to be. Nicolas Russo is a Made Man, he’s reputation is as black as his heart. Nicolas was told that Elena was “unfit” to be married to but when he meets her he realizes that the only “unfit” thing about her is that every man in this world would want her. Nicolas becomes engaged to Elena’s sister but the chemistry between the two of them is undeniable despite how much they try to fight it. Elena has a deep dark secret and she is hell bent on fixing it. Nicolas can’t get Elena out of his mind, his soul, and he’ll do anything to make her his. Two people who aren’t meant to be together soon find themselves in unlikely situations and a deep love that neither had been expecting. This was a fun read, I did like how unrelenting Elena is about doing what she wants and doing whats right. She’s sweet, stubborn, and just all around a lovable protagonist. The romance between her and Nico was great, the sexual tension was real.

She’s been jaded by love and he’s been obsessed with her since the moment he laid eyes on her. She’s free, stubborn, and not afraid to be herself. He’s ice cold, loves order, and has no qualms with taking someone out. Gianna’s first husband broke her heart and jaded her... but there is one man who pushes all her buttons, his icy stare follows her and he knows exactly how to make her fire up. Christian lives for the lines he has in his life, he lives for order for steering clear of trouble... and Gianna is trouble, yet he can’t seem to stay away, can’t seem to follow her. Wherever Gianna is, Christian somehow is there. Both of them circling around each other year after year... but after one particular encounter where things finally climax... he leaves her and it wont be three years until they meet again and Gianna is once again married to her second husband... but this time Christian plans on keeping her in his life permanently. Three years of yearning, of pent up confusing emotions, and now Christian and Gianna are forced to confront the unsaid things between them. The hatred between them is hot enough to fuel the fire between them. Christian will have to figure out if he can fully show himself to Gianna without her running away and prove to her that he is exactly what she needs. Gianna will have to figure out if she is ready to truly give her heart to someone again, to finally put down her walls and be vulnerable. Two people, one mad obsession, and a romance for the books. I have to say this was a great read, I loved the chemistry between Gianna and Christian, they’re both people with traumatic childhoods and issues but they’re both willing to work on it. They support and love each other despite everything and its just really sweet.

Milah has always dreamed about being swept away.... too bad when it happens it is not at all what she expected. Milah has always dressed the part of perfect innocent daughter, she never asks questions about what her father does and has always done what was expected of her.... and yet when her father wont let her visit her home in Russia Milah decides to take matters into her own hands and go there herself. Ronan has dreamed about revenge... and when the man he wants to get revenge on’s daughter steps right into his hands he has found the perfect way to take it. Ronan kidnaps Milah and plays her... first by making her think he rescued her and that he has feelings for her only to blackmail, torture, and abuse her, yet when her father immediately is willing to sacrifice himself for her safe return Ronan just can’t find it in himself to give her up. Thus begins a long story of Stockholm syndrome, assault, and emotional abuse cuz this story really wanted to stress the dark romance. Sadly this was my least favorite of the three books in the series (despite each being able to be read as a standalone, yet characters from the other books do make cameos). This one was just straight up Stockholm syndrome and abuse and I felt just incredible bad for Milah and very uncomfortable. So... if you’re looking for a dark romance with these particular things then this is for you but unfortunately for me this one just didn’t work out as well as the previous two books.

Alice in Wonderland retelling but with an extremely twisted dark romance aspect and murder. Be warned this is NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART SERIOUSLY. CHECK ALL THE WARNINGS BEFORE READING THIS because right from the get go this book is DARK. This is a story told from Heathen “Rabbit” and Ellis “Dolly/Alice”’s POVS. They met when they were children and forced into an endless cycle of hell and separated... until 11 years later when Heathen has come back to get Ellis. This story definitely DEFINITIELY lives up to the DARK Alice in Wonderland aspect. This works for fans of Christina Henry’s “Alice” but might be even darker than that book and that book was pretty dark. So be warned before entering this twisted wonderland!

A super sweet story about falling in love for the first time. I have always loved this author’s work and her artwork is just *chef’s kiss* STUNNING. The story is off to a great start! Its about a girl who wants to experience love and when she starts class she is seated next to the new seat mate who seems like trouble... except he’s oddly sweet and kind and he’s hiding a secret.. that they have a deeper connection than she even knows. I can’t wait for the second book!

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

An enchanting story about a girl in love with her violin and her time in Prague where she will discover a ghost boy and a monster who will threaten to steal her away. This is a story about a biracial Jewish girl who is torn between her dreams of becoming a violinist and fulfilling her parents wish of obtaining a stable job. She is sent to live with her aunt in Prague and there she discovers a forgotten Jewish cemetery and a ghost boy named Benjamin who has died over a century ago. Soon she discovers more ghost... and a stranger who approaches her named Rudolph Wassermann who gifts her with a beautiful violin. Rudolf doesn’t have any shadows... and soon Illana discovers that Rudolph and Benjamin are far more connected than she thought and if she wants to rescue the boy she loves she will have to destroy the monster. A gorgeous fairytale told in verse prose!

*Thanks Netgalley and Peachtree, Peachtree Teen for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A boy seeking revenge and wanting to reclaim his throne and a girl cursed with magic to steal souls....destined to kill each other... who will make it out alive? Altan’s family was murdered before his eyes and by his uncle who wanted the throne, left to roam the desert, to grow, to plan for revenge it is finally time to reclaim what is rightfully his. Ahn is a girl gifted with magic she must keep hidden, with no memory of her childhood she was taken in by a kind woman and feels she owes her a life debt. Ahn will do anything to make sure her grandmother is okay, but when she accidentally steals a sword her magic is unleashed and she accidentally kills two people. Now she is being dragged back to the palace where she discovers she is the long lost daughter of an official... and her father knows all about her magic and wants her magic for his own purposes. Altan must find the sword that would allow him the magic that would make him strong enough to finally face his family’s murderer but when he runs into Ahn they find that their paths are much more entertwined than either had thought. Altan offers to protect Ahn, when in fact he must use her magic to find the missing sword... and kill her for her magic. Ahn just wants to not use her magic at all but must find a way to protect her grandmother... but who can she trust when everyone is hiding something from her. Altan will have to ask himself if he is willing to sacrifice everything for his revenge and if he will be able to give up the girl he is falling for... and Ahn will have to ask herself if she is willing to sacrifice everyone for everyone she loves. This was a beautiful story of revenge, friendship, love, sacrifice, and magic.

Truth or Dare? A new game has started at Bayview High and the stakes are up again for three students. The story takes place after the events of the Bayview Four ( and yes we do get glimpses of our four favorite troublemakers in this book). This one follows Maeve (Bronwyn’s younger sister who is recovering from her Leukemia and just wants to figure out what to do now since she wasn’t expecting to even make it out of high school alive), Phoebe a girl who likes to casually date and just relax but when one of her dark secrets is released her life is upended, and Knox (Maeve’s ex turned best friend who is the perpetual nice guy) who just wants to be defined as something more than just the “nice guy”. When a new game begins asking students at Bayview to play truth or dare things start to get out of hand when it starts to target Phoebe, Maeve, and Knox... and when a dead body shows up they’ll have to come together and figure out who is behind this new game before it’s too late. This one lacked the stacks and friendship of the first book but it was still a fun read! I did love getting to know more about Maeve and getting to see where the Addie, Cooper, Nate and Bronwyn have gone since graduating high school. It was a nice continuation of the story and I definitely can’t wait for the third book!