A basketball coach finds herself cohosting with a hot ex-WNBA basketball player who also happens to be her idol. Julie Parker is the coach to a girls junior basketball team and was excited for the new season... what she never expected was for her idol and hot ex-WNBA basketball player Elle Cochrane to show up to her practice... or that she's the foster parent for a teen that is on Julie's team. Julie knows Elle is out of her league but she somehow manages to persuade her to become her assistant coach for the girls. Elle has avoided basketball ever since her career-ending injury but she can't seem to resist Julie. Elle finds herself falling for Julie and for basketball all over again but can these two make it work when they both have so much going on and very different lifestyles. This was such a cute romance and it definitely was a quick read. Julie and Elle were so good for each other and their romance was a really cute one to read. I loved how we got to see Elle act as a foster parent and then see the sweet family relationship Julie had with her twin (and of course the first couple in the book made frequent cameos and I loved them so much). I had a lot of fun with it and would absolutely recommend for anyone looking for a sweet read.

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

A sorcerer obsessed with a young woman... an bloody obsessive love that spans history and multiple dead bodies. Gus loves Catherine, he loves her more than anything... loves her enough to murder her and trap her soul... to send projections of himself out into the world to seduce women who will return the love that Catherine denied... and if they deny him... they will suffer terrible consequences. Catherine was friends with Gus, but she never was in love with him the way he loved her. Yet he murders her before her engagement... and now she is trapped bound to him. But she will not lie waiting.. she'll wait, plotting her revenge against the man who destroyed her who was so obsessed with her that that she can't ever find peace. Can she kill him before it's too late? This book was a DRAG. I felt like Catherine being dragged on by Angus for years while reading this book. The story's pacing is so beyond slow and for a book that is 500+ pages, this book had me disassociating so much. Angus's constant "woe is me" chapters kept going on and on and on and I would absolutely prefer if we got more Catherine revenge plotline. The story itself is confusing, the constant jumping back and forth does not help at all and for a book about revenge and obsessive love, I was hoping I would love it but I so badly wanted to DNF it over and over but forced myself to read it until the end. This book is beyond slow and the plot drags on and on to the point where you begin to ask yourself what even is the point or what is even happening. Honestly for a book that is meant to be a dark historical fantasy filled with obsessive love and revenge, it sounds right up my alley... yet it's nothing like what I had expected or wanted. This book is for anyone who enjoys extremely slow paced stories and lots of time jumping and drawn out character stories.

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group, Tor Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A great story about friendship, growth, and what it means to change. When two high schoolers who constantly run into each other end up working on a film, their friendship begins to change... and the question of who they are becoming forces them to face difficult questions. Felix Ma is a high school junior who constantly finds himself into Cassie Chow, a bubbly high school senior. Felix and Cassie begin a friendship and Felix knows he has to do something to make his college app stands out so he decides to make a film and asks Cassie to be the main star... but the story of the film begins to feel a little too real, a little too much about Cassie, and thus the question between what the movie means to both of them begins to change as well as their friendship. Felix has to face difficult questions about himself and how he treats his friends, about the costs of wanting to please his friends but at the cost of hurting his closest friend... and what he's going to do about it. This was a really interesting story about a teen coming to understand his feelings and treatment of people in his life, of growing and trying to decide who he wants to be. Felix isn't a bad person, he is growing and he is learning to change, his friendship with Cassie was really the highlight of the story and I really enjoyed how this book ended. This is a great read for anyone who enjoys a coming of age story.

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Quill Tree Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

The daughter of a famous wizard's groundskeeper has to help said recently deceased wizard's ghost find a new apprentice while also deal with her home crumbling under the foundation spells. Faye is the daughter of the famous Wizard West's Groundskeeper. She's been looking after the castle with her father for as long as she's known. When her father goes out to work on something Faye is left to deal with a new situation, the fact that Wizard West has passed away and now is a ghost... and he has to name his own apprentice... which means it's time for a competition to be arranged with famous princes and princesses coming to the castle. Faye has to help West arrange the competition and keep it running smoothly... but that means dealing with a whole host of newcomers and guests she was never expecting. It doesn't help that a servant of the evil Shadow Queen is bent on sabotaging the contest and Faye has to stop it before it's too late. Along the way Faye will discover that she's got more magic and courage than she ever expected... and that the perfect successor might just be here. This was a really cute and fun read with a dash of Howl's Moving Castle and a bit of Nevermoor. Faye is such a fun protagonist and the whole competition storyline was fun. I had fun with this and definitely think that this would make a great read for middle grade readers and anyone who enjoys a fun fantasy read.

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Quill Tree Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

The sequel to The Buried and the Bound further delving into faerie politics, risky deals, and fights. Aziza, Leo , and Tristan have survived the hag... only to now face a new threat. The Summer Court, a nomadic community of Fair Folk from deep in Elphame. They've come back and want one thing: Hazel, Leo's changeling sister. Leo will do anything to keep her safe. Tristan is still keeping it a secret that he is Leo's forgotten true love and Aziza is dealing with the mystery of her family and a new librarian witch in town who is hiding many secrets. The three friends will have to find a way to work together to stop the threat at their door or risk losing each other. This is the second book in the trilogy and I can't wait to see how the story ends and where the characters go next. This one was a little less exciting than the first book, it kind of felt stagnant at certain points, but that does not mean this was a bad book in any way, it was just slower than the first one. I loved the first one a lot and this one was a pretty decent follow up to the story, it does suffer a bit from sequel syndrome, however I am excited for the third book. Aziza is my favorite hedgewitch trying to protect her coven and find out about her family. I wish there was a bit more progress in Leo and Tristan's cursed romance but alas, that is fort he next book. I did enjoy the fae court we got to see and how Leo played into it too. Overall its an interesting way to see how the story had continued and I look forward to the final book.

Spoiler

Leo is the new prince of the summer court and he sacrificed his eye in exchange for the ability to see past all fae tricks (deal with the nymphs) while his sister hazel has gone off to train with the fae. Leo and Tristan end up sleeping together. Aziza finds out more about her family and what happened to them and meets some of the former members of her mother's coven. One of the members, Castor Thorn, had betrayed her family and was helping the faeries.

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

Suspiria, Death Becomes her, and the legend of Countess Elizabeth Bathory come together to make a story about a Sophia, a young woman who begins working for Hebe, a skincare brand with a dark secret as to how it's founder stays young and youthful. Sophia Bannon begins working as a creative at Hebe, a skincare and makeup brand founded by Tree Whitehouse (a popular influencer who is known for her beauty). Sophia craves perfection and beauty and working at Hebe introduces her to Youthjuice, a cream that destroys your blemishes... but the secret ingredient will cost you. Sophia wants more, she wants to be perfect like Tree, she craves the image of perfection, yet the closer she gets to Tree and the more involved she gets in the company the more she'll begin to delve into the question of how far she'll go for perfection and what price she is willing to pay. For me, this book was advertised as American Psycho meets The Devil Wears Prada (Two of my favorite things) but it very much did not live up to that for me, it felt closer to Suspiria and Countess Bathory with a dash of Goop. It's got some cool moments of body horror but other than that the book just kind of felt meh to me. I was expecting something else and this one just kind of fell flat to me overall. I love horror and this one just was kind of boring to me unfortunately, it definitely felt similar to Rouge by Mona Awad but a little less horror compared to that one. Overall, if you are looking for a slowish horror book with a mixture of modern beauty and a dash of Elizabeth Bathory, give this a go, maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

*Thanks Netgalley and Soho Press, Hell's Hundred for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

The daughter of a K-pop company owner and politician finds herself being reunited with the one boy who still holds her heart despite her breaking his, her ex-boyfriend, a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands around. Sori is a model and an upcoming idol, her mother owns a K-pop company and her father is a politician.... she's always done everything for her family, bending over backwards to make sure they are happy... even at the cost of her own heart. Sori used to date Nathaniel, a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands. Sori and Nathaniel were so in love... but then a potential scandal happened and her mother told her break up with him and she did... but that doesn't mean she stopped loving him. Sori is still very much in love with Nathaniel, and hiding it has been easy since he was always on tour. But their paths have converged again when her mother asks her to train a potential new member for a girl group called ASAP and Nathaniel is on a break from tour... and is caught in a new scandal... which has Sori offering him to lay low and live in her house until his break is over. Being around the one boy who still has her heart while pretending she isn't affected is harder, it only gets harder when they have to work on shows together... and live together. Sori's mother wants her to not be with Nathaniel while her father wants to use her to get more political connections and support by having her go on dates with potential supporter's sons.... but what Sori wants is to be back with the boy who still has her heart, if only she could break free of her parent's expectations and try to do everything for everyone but herself. In a world where scandals could make or break you and pleasing your parents is second nature, can Sori find it in herself to seize a second chance at happiness while risking it all. This is the sequel to XOXO and does feature cameos of characters from the first however you can read it as a standalone. This was a really cute and fun read. I get the pressure Sori is under and her need to want to make her family happy but at the same time struggling to grasp her own wants. I loved Sori and Nathaniel, Nathaniel is such a sweetheart, constantly ready to do anything for Sori and you can feel that he hasn't ever stopped loving her. I had fun with the characters in this book and loved seeing them get their second chance at romance. The story is sweet overall and I would love to read more romance stories featuring the other members of the band. Overall, I would definitely recommend this series for anyone looking for a celebrity romance, a k-drama like romance, or just a fun romance!

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperTeen for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Magical heists, gifted individuals, and a secret society. Evie Wilder is an orphan who uses her jobs as a cover to rob wealthy individuals. Yet during one of her jobs she gets caught up in someone else's heists... the legendary Dark Fable. They are a crew of extremely talented individuals all gifted with magical abilities who have stolen artifacts all throughout history. The current members of this society have chosen her as the newest member for their society as Evie has the ability to turn invisible. Her powers make her the perfect addition for a group of thieves. Evie has always wanted more and she thinks this is the perfect opportunity for her. Yet this secret group has its own skeletons... which might connect to her own tragic past. Evie will have to sort out who she can trust in a group of thieves and how far she'll go to uncover the truth. In the Dark Fable group includes Cirian, a mysterious leader, Mads, a gifted flyer, Dev who can open a door yo any place, and Quuenie, an alchemist. This is the first book in a series and unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations at all. I was hoping for something along the lines of Six of Crows or a unique heists group with found family elements, yet this book kind of fell flat for me. I found myself getting bored while reading it and not really caring at all about the characters. I forced myself to finish it until the end and honestly, it just felt like the story constantly dragged on and I really don't see myself continuing on the series. Rather than a focus on the plot and creating a story that would entice you, the story just felt lackluster and boring, If you want to read a book about magical heists and found family, give this a go, maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

*Thanks Netgalley and Bloomsbury USA Children's Books, Bloomsbury YA for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A great story about a girl's life becoming uprooted as she moves from Toronto to Hong Kong and starts over. Ruth Chan loves her life in Toronto but when her dad gets a better job in Hong Kong, her family decides it's time to move. Ruth isn't ready to give up her best friends, her favorite things, and starting over in a new place where her language skills aren't the best and her parents are never around is hard. Ruth will go through a lot of growing but along the way her dad will tell her stories of her family and how they have persevered. Moving to a new place and trying to fit into a whole new society is hard, but anything is possible with a bit of strength, courage, and open heart. This was a really cute story and since it was based on the author's own life, it really felt so authentic. I think it's a great read for kids !

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

A girl finds herself dealing with her anxiety and depression... and also the fact that she's begun to see nightmarish creatures and ghosts have begun talking to her too. Cleo just wants to be better after getting out of the hospital and try and reintegrate back into her regular life, which has been not going so great. Yet strange things keep happening around her and when a ghost tells her she is the only person who can stop the evil that is coming... Cleo's life is about to get a lot more complicated. The story deals with mental illness and the demons we fight, both in our minds and in real life. It's definitely a unique story and the artwork is interesting.

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