What happens after Jack and Sally’s happily ever after in the movie Nightmare Before Christmas? Well here it is. Jack and Sally are freshly married, and Sally has been crowned the Pumpkin Queen... except she begins doubting herself and her place in Halloween Town. The pressure of being a queen, the anxiety of everyone watching her, and the fact that all she wants is to have some alone time with her husband all come crumbling down. Sally begins to question if she was meant to be Pumpkin Queen, if she can live under all this pressure, and the words of Dr. Finkelstein still haunt her, that she’s worthless, nothing more than a doll, and that she’ll never be good enough. Despite being freed from his captivity, she is still trapped. When Sally and Zero accidentally uncover a hidden doorway to the ancient realm called Dream Town... Sally accidentally unleashes the Sandman onto all the other realms and soon everyone but Sally is asleep. She can only turn to Dream Town to find the answer and to find out a way to undo everything she’s did. But in Dream Town she discovers more family secrets and that she might have to pick between her new life with Jack and a potential home in Dream Town. This was a very sweet and great continuation of the story of Jack and Sally and really fleshes out Sally as a character. This is the perfect read for fans of Nightmare Before Christmas! Jack and Sally are so sweet, and getting to know more about Sally was wonderful!

*Thanks Netgalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide, Disney Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

What does it mean to be an Asian-American teenage girl struggling with boy drama, school drama, parental expectations, and finding your own identity? June Chu is in high school, she’s struggling to get the attention of the boy she has a crush on, she’s struggling to live in her sister’s shadow and meet her parent’s expectations, she’s struggling to decide where she’ll go to college, and where she fits in. June wants nothing more than to be wanted, to be loved, and to feel like she belongs. When she starts hooking up with her AP Bio partner Rhys, she thinks its finally the place she’s meant to be... except one trip to a cabin and one rebuffed advance from her and she’s suddenly doubting if he even wants her at all. Then comes Brad, cute hokey player who refers ot her as “ China Doll” or just “China” ( big red flags there) and she decides to date him and dump Rhys.... except things also go bad with Brad... and then comes Gang, a college musician who only sleeps with her while he has a gf because she’s “ just a child and nothing serious”. June cycles between all these boys with clear red flags and she’s struggling to find herself. This is a story had me cringing in embarrassment for her, and just being frustrated with her because yes she’s young but oh god all the red flags these boys have. I love how sex positive the story is and honestly it deals with a lot of relatable issues that many Asian-American girls have ( me being one myself I could relate to her). But the fact that June is super judgmental about people, the fact that she lets every guy she likes walk all over her, and the fact that she barely has a personality outside of liking boys is a bit much even for me. Yes she grows at the end of the book and thankfully she finally gets out of all these toxic boys but oh boy was it a bumpy ride for her. Overall a good growing up read for girls struggling with identity and boys!

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

He is known to be stone cold and like a Gargoyle but he might have just met his match in a sharp and beautiful ballerina who would sooner rip him apart than give him the time or day. Lord Lysander Blackstone, the duke of Montcroix is known for his stone cold demeanor that is reminiscent of a gargoyle to the point where his nickname is Stone. The only thing he is interested in is increasing his fortune and legacy after a series of betrayals and a harsh childhood he has learned to keep his emotions buried deep and to maintain a cool demeanor. When a potential business deal is put into jeopardy based on his reputation he finds himself asking for help from the most unusual person. After getting lost he ends up at the end of the gun of up-and-coming ballerina Miss Geneviève Valery, also known as Neve. Neve dreams about making it big as a ballerina, she loves dancing, but after a jealous suitor injures her sister and destroy’s her sister’s dancing career and her parents death Neve is left as the only bread winner and she has to find a way to get a job on the stage... preferably without having to be propositioned in order to get the role every single time. Neve doesn’t want to sacrifice her body or soul, so when she runs into Lysander and he offers her a job, she think’s its the perfect way to help pay off her rent, take care of her sister, and have spare money to hold her off until she can find a job. Lysander needs a fake fiancee, someone to hold off the vying mothers and daughters, and something to prove to his prospective business client that he isn’t heartless and can be trusted to buy the land. It was a simple offer: dress up, play companion for one ball, and get paid 100 pounds and she can keep the dress... except what starts off simple starts to heat up as the undeniable chemistry between the two lights up. Lysander and Neve are opposites, he’s cold she’s hot, he only sees the black and white and she see’s in shades... and yet for all their bickering comes passion and the undeniable urge to kiss each other. Lysander wants more and he offers a new arrangement: she stays and continues to be his companion until the season is over and he will pay her 5000 pounds and if she wants more he is willing to give it to her. Yet for all their brewing romance, they both have their own demons and struggles to get through. Lysander is struggling to deal with the childhood trauma his father put him through, the betrayals of his ex-fiancee, and just learning to let down his walls and let himself feel emotions while Neve is struggling to deal with if she can trust Lysander, if she can open herself up to someone like him, and if she is willing to risk her heart. They’re both so amazing, I loved reading this book so much and CANNOT WAIT TO READ THE REST OF THE BOOKS IN THIS SERIES!!! AHHH the romance was just perfection, their bickering and bantering, and their chemistry was off the walls. I swoon for them seriously. If you’re looking for a wonderful historical romance with lots of witty banter and seriously steamy romance, THIS IS FOR YOU. The pining, the light angst, the emotion... its so good.

*Thanks Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Forever for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A girl who dreams about making it into the film program at USC and an actor in hiding who wants to pursue his passion for photography and win a photo contest. Mina Rahman has three goals in her life: win the Golden Ivy student film competition, get into USC, and leave New York once and for all. Mina dreams about pursuing a career in film, but all her life her parents have been belittling her dreams, telling her its a joke and that they’re ashamed of her. It’s gotten more relentless as she starts to focus on the student film competition and apply for USC. She desperately needs to win this competition and the only way to do so is to make her film stand out... and when she quite literally runs into indie film star and known heartbreaker- Emmitt Ramos he is exactly what she needs. Despite the fact that they both got off to an extremely rocky start with him thinking she is a desperate fan trying to get a photo and her having an absolutely horrible day and lashing out at him. When she discover’s his real identity she see’s it as the perfect opportunity to help her film and it’s especially perfect since he just enrolled in her school under a secret identity to research his next role. They strike a bargain, in exchange for him helping her with her film she will help him find the perfect places in New York for him to photograph for his photography competition. Emmitt loves photography but his mom only wants him to focus on his career, so in a bid to work with one of his favorite photographers he enters into a competition and Mina is the perfect person to help him. Despite all their bickering and snarly attitude, they soon realize that they have a lot in common and that they both are facing pressures from their family and the people around them, and that they both have secret passions they want to pursue. They see each other. But the real question is can they handle all the pressure? When friendship starts to implode, when family drama takes over, can this budding relationship endure or will it all be over? This was a story about pursuing your dreams despite everything, Mina was passionate and worked hard to make her dreams come true, and despite the toxic family environment, and the relentless treatment she received from her family, she held it together. It really was a lovely story about finding your home and finding the strength to pursue your dreams.

*Thank you for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review Inkyard Press*

Secrets, magic, and sacrifices. Seventeen year old Ivy starts off her summer with breaking up with her boyfriend, nearly crashing, and meeting a mysterious girl in the middle of the road in the middle of the night... who knows her name. This is the first event to set up the rest of a string of increasing unsettling events... including dead rabbits showing up around her house, someone coming in and out of her house, and her mother keeping more secrets than usual from her. Yet soon she discovers a mysterious golden box that holds the key to all the secrets in her family, that holds the key to who Ivy truly is and who her mother truly is. Ivy’s mother Dana has had a dark history with magic, she did unspeakable things and is still reeling from her actions. But the past has a way of coming back, and now it is time to unleash everything that happened long ago. Can mother and daughter save each other before it’s too late or will their secrets destroy them in ways they never anticipated. I loved reading from both Dana and Ivy’s POVs, from both the past and present. You get to understand what drove Dana to do what she did but at the same time I loved Ivy. Ivy will do whatever it takes to uncover the truth and she’s relentless. She just wants her mother to love her, she just wants to uncover her missing memories, and she just wants to finally be her whole self. This was a great story about family relationships, toxic friendships, and the lengths that people go to protect their loved ones.

*I was sent an arc in exchange for an honest review, thank you Flatiron!*

A darker modern retelling of the Wizard of Oz? SIGN ME THE HELL UP. Enemies to lovers, villain girl and hero guy, enemies with benefits, undercover cope/ crime boss, praise , hot tension, and A STRONG AND AMAZING FEMALE LEAD. The story follows Eveline “Evie” Westerly, daughter of a crime boss and the actual brains behind the business. Years of biding her time, and running a crime business all the while her father takes credit for her work, and her sister Dorothy, vapid and the one to kill her sister Nessa... Evie’s got plans for her. However a wrench is thrown in her plans when a new guy is hired... an extremely attractive new guy that she had a one time fling with. Meet our undercover cop and all around good guy Nick. Nick just wants to do the right thing, he wants to protect his sister, and take down bad guys. When his new assignment has him going undercover to work for Evie’s father he finds himself face to face with the one woman who he can’t get out of his mind, the one person who has him begging for more. Soon Evie and Nick will be facing off against each other, both trying to find out what the other is hiding while also dealing with the overpowering tension between them. She’s sharp, smart, and will cut you ( seriously I fell in love with her almost instantly, move aside Nick, I’d gladly go out with Evie). Evie is EVERYTHING to me, she’s got impulse controls but she’s got the smarts and skills to back her up. She will step on you to get what she wants and honestly good for her. Nick is struggling to deal with his morals and falling for the one person who is completely off limits. But the heart wants what it wants, but the real question is if these two can survive each other and each other’s secrets or if they were doomed from the start. Seriously READ THIS BOOK ( READ THE ENTIRE SERIES )!!!

Boy meets Boy. One of the sweetest love stories ever. ( Seriously I just finished binging the Netflix show and started reading the books...) Charlie Spring is in Year 10 at Truham Grammar School for boys and is a highly-strung openly gay over-thinker. He’s been dealing with a lot, the past year being filled with bullies, and hooking up with a boy who hides their relationship and treats him poorly... but with then comes a new class... and a new seat mate. Cue Nick nelson, Year 11 rugby player. Nick is sweet, funny, and charming. Soon Nick and Charlie start up a friendship that starts blossoming into something more. This is the cutest book ever and I can’t wait to see where the next book goes!!! Nick’s journey with slowly discovering that he’s bi is just great because as someone who went through it myself, it was relatable and I sincerely applaud the author of this book for capturing it.

A girl who can see and speak to the dead, a war, deadly secrets, and a cult. With no one to trust and so many plots happening, Raine will have to navigate unknown terrain, relationships, and deciding who she can truly trust. One day when Raine rescues a woman fleeing from Redwinter, a fortress-monastery of the Draoihn, a warrior magician group who answer to no king and will stop at nothing to reclaim what this fleeing woman has stolen. Raine rescues her and takes her back to her to be healed, Raine is in an abusive and toxic relationship with the leader of her group who hits her and treats her like a child. When the Draoihn come seeking to reclaim the woman and what she stole Raine’s people are suddenly fighting against them, but admist the battle something terrible is unleashed and Raine’s entire group is slain except for her. Now she is taken back to enter the citadel and live with the Draoihn. There she discovers that her secret abilities could save an entire nation... except her powers would get her killed here if anyone finds out and she must also navigate difficult power dynamics within the monastery, especially between a childish future ruler and his quiet warrior cousin who seems to want to keep his distance from her. The story had an interesting start but started to lag in the middle but picked up in the end again. The tone is quite dreary and while I was interested in the magic system and what was occurring with the ghost and the dead spirits, I had to constantly remind myself not to be annoyed with people and their decisions, particularly Raine, when she is in fact only a 17 year old girl still trying to find her place, trying to find people who will love and care for her, while juggling a dark secret. Overall, definitely an interesting start to the series and I will be looking forward to how the next book develops and how the characters grow.

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A field trip to Paris, coming out, and officially letting people know you have a boyfriend! Charlie and Nick are back again and are now heading on a school trip to Paris. While navigating a new city they’ll also have to navigate letting the people in their lives know about their relationship and also discover new challenges. This was a great continuation of the previous books and navigates the struggles of coming out as well as sharing your own afflictions with a partner. It really handles the struggles of sharing not only your feelings but your relationship and sexuality with people in your life, the anxieties of letting people know, and how much of this journey is about prioritizing how YOU feel not about how others feel. This was so well done and the relationship progression between Nick and Charlie was just 10/10 I can’t wait to read the next book!

Nick and Charlie, best friends who are starting to fall in love with one another. Nick knows Charlie is gay but Charlie isn’t sure Nick is. Now its Nick’s turn to discover things about himself, his friends, and his family. This was a great step in the Charlie x Nick Journey. especially with the progression of Nick discovering his own sexuality. The way the author handles the question of sexuality is great, it’s not easy to come out, and it’s definitely a confusing time when you are discovering it for the first time. This was a lovely read and I can’t wait to read the next book.