A very cute young adult romance with a ton of depth and character development mixed in. 

I have enjoyed Talia Hibbert's work in the past, so I was not surprised when I enjoyed this one, as well! 

I absolutely love Celine. She is a strong, independent, determined, badie who may have some self-misguidance at times but works toward learning how to let other help her. With Hibberts stellar history of female leads, I knew Celine was going to hit it out of the park. 

And her relationship with Bradley...whew! Friends to enemies to friends to lovers to everything in between. I really, really enjoyed the dynamic between the two. Some of their interactions were predictable, but the ways in which Hibbert wrote their reactions and ways of handing the interactions felt well thought out and planned. 

I also appreciate the way in which Hibbert chose to write Brad's character with OCD. It is not the center of Brad's story. Instead, it is a piece of the story that shows how Brad has worked (and continues to do so) with himself and others to manage and combate the intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors with healthy coping strategies. 

I will absolutely be recommending this to readers!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. I have not read many fantasy novels, especially in physical format, so this was definitely a journey for me, however, I am happy I got around to it (but no, I have not read the Shadow and Bones series yet) and am super interested in picking up the second book in the near future.

The heist plot was a real win for me in part because I enjoy a good heist story, and I was also watching the TV show Kelidescope in tandem with reading Six of Crows.

- I appreciated all of the characters. Bardugo writes characters with such complexity and depth that you feel like they are people you know from real life. I also felt that the characters were true to their age (with some variance in maturity due to the nature of the world-building)

- I probably would have had a quicker grasp of the Grisha characters if I had read the Shadow and Bones series first, however, I enjoyed the uniqueness of their abilities and the first scene in the book really set the tone of true, raw power these characters had for me. 

- Romance lives in almost every young adult story, and fantasy does not get a pass on this. I appreciate the ways in which Bardugo intertwined the romance plot line(s) throughout the story without letting it completely overtake what was happening with the heist. 

- I appreciate the backstory that was given on the characters and the ways in which they were intertwined throughout the book

I will definitely be recommending this one!

This graphic novel is adorable!

It may not be a perfect story - the plot is not very dense and there isn't much character development - but the growing friendships, quirky magic, and unique illustrations make this a book I will recommend to (probably middle-grade and young teen) readers. 

Overall, this is a fine book. I am not upset that I read it, but I do think I was expecting a bit more. 

*I will preface with I have not played any of The Walking Dead games that Clementine's character originates from, however, I did try to read up on the summaries of those story to better understand this graphic novel. So please consider that while reading my review.*

- I don't mind Clementine as a character, and I find Amos and Ricca to be charming. There is not a ton of relationship building throughout, but what is there feels meaningful and intentional. 

- I really love Tillie Walden's art style, but I did feel like there were some important details lost in some of the panels due to the black and white nature of the art.

- The plot felt a bit lacking - it seemed that the plot didn't really go anywhere and there was no real growth to the story. I know it is a continuation from previous Clementine stories, but I was hoping to get a bit more movement in this book. 

**Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for an eARC of this audiobook in exchange for a review. All options are my own.**

The big message in this book seems to be about being overly positive. After her mom and dad split up, Natty tries to hold onto the “good vibes only” mindset and only think positively. She has moved to a new town, has to make new friends, and is trying to make everyone in the town think positively. It takes Natty’s friends calling her out on never listening to them fully and taking the time to understand what they are going through for her to finally reconsider what her positive-only mindset might be holding her back from. 

Unfortunately, I found this book to be extremely annoying. Natty’s character was full of over-the-top toxic positivity, and though that is part of the lesson learned throughout the book, it was distracting and made me annoyed every time I picked up the audiobook. This is an important topic to talk about, but I feel like it could have been done in a different manner. 

**Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for an eARC of this audiobook in exchange for a review. All options are my own.**

I love middle-grade ghost stories, and this one did not disappoint. 

Calista Wynn is about to turn thirteen years old and with that comes losing her ability to see and talk with ghosts. This is detrimental to Calista because her father and grandmother have passed on, but she has not had to fully grieve their loss because she is still able to see them as ghosts. As her birthday approaches, children in the town start to go missing, and Calista thinks she knows who is behind it - The Tall Lady. She only has a few short days to solve the mystery of the disappearances and try to make things right, but with her powers dwindling, Calista isn’t sure she will be able to stop The Tall Lady. 

Though the voicegalley of this book made it difficult to pick up the actual tone of this book, it stands with many of the spooky, adventurous middle-grade ghost stories. I enjoyed Calista’s character and thought that the curse plot line of losing their powers at 13 helped build tension in the story. I am looking forward to recommending this title. 

**Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for an eARC of this audiobook in exchange for a review. All options are my own.**

This is a really cute younger middle-grade read that pushes the expectations of friendships and growing up. 

Rylan is worried that his friendship with Wilder is no longer what it used to be. And maybe he is right. But Rylan is hopeful that this trip to France might help mend the tear that has been created in their relationship. 

What I really like about this book is that it offers a look at friendship that we don’t often see in middle-grade literature. This book shows that sometimes friends drift apart, and, though it isn’t always easy, it sometimes helps individuals grow and understand themselves better. 

I definitely say this book is suited for younger middle-grade readers looking for a fun read with fewer pages. 

**Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for an eARC of this audiobook in exchange for a review. All options are my own.**

This is a wonderful book about learning, understanding, and appreciating your strengths. 

Henrietta Weldon has dyscalculia, a math learning disability that makes it difficult for her to comprehend number-related concepts and perform mathematical calculations. Though this is something that has come to define her within herself and her family, Henri is determined to make this new school year at a new school the best it can be. 

Fighting with her lack of confidence mixed with the constant questioning from her family, Henri isn’t sure she will ever be “good” at math…

Henri’s story is full of determination, hard work, and the want to succeed. The path Henri takes isn’t smooth or straight, but that is what helps to make this story feel more realistic and relatable. 

Figure it Out Henri Weldon is a story that, I feel, will resonate with middle-grade readers across the board, allowing them to be seen in the struggles of middle school with the workload, extracurriculars, family life, and new friends.  

The one part I didn’t really buy fully into was the relationship between Henri and her sister Kat and the way in which it was perceived by their parents. It seemed that Kat was always allowed to talk down to and negatively at Henri without their parents really stepping in. And it’s not to say that they are not good parents because they seem to be attentive (surface level at the beginning of the story) to what Henri is trying to say, so it seemed odd that they would allow Kat to get away with talking to her sister in the ways in which she did. 

**Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for an eARC of this audiobook in exchange for a review. All options are my own.**

This is a magic-filled adaption of Anne of Green Gables. I will be honest in saying that it has been a while since I have listened to the audiobook of Anne of Green Gables, so I likely missed some of the comparisons and the references. 

That being said, I think this novel does a nice job of bringing together celebrating uniqueness and individualism with the complexities of trying to grow up and fit in. I do wish there was a bit more movement to the story as sometimes the plot felt a little dull. 

I enjoyed the relationship between Grace, Sareena, Poppy, and the other young characters who joined along in the adventures. Grace is full of love, curiosity, compassion, and imagination. Her relationship with the witch is both humorous and lovable. 

I am leaning toward saying this will be a fun read for younger middle-grade readers who are looking to explore magic, spells, and adventure.

I do want to note that though I am not allowing this to influence my overall rating of this book, I was not able to get the full tone of the author’s writing due to the pre-pub audiobook reading.

Secret underground book clubs? Wild spins on literary classics? Enemies-to-lovers...but with books? This was just the read I was looking for! 

I laughed, sighed, cringed, and cheered. 

I am very happy I got around to reading this book. It was full of everything I love and more. I adored Maggie's character (though sometimes I did want to ask her what the heck she was doing!), and I felt that almost every secondary character had an important, supporting role in the plot. 

The themed bookish events Maggie hosted are parties that I hope one day I can be invited to (or host myself)!

I am ready to read more of Shauna Robinson's work.