bandherbooks's Reviews (3.65k)

"Mom says I'm stubborn, and maybe that's true. But she also taught me not to blindly follow rules without thinking. Not everything in this world is fair, and people with power don't always have sense." (p255)

This YA book hit me in all the right places. Bennett makes her hometown of San Francisco sparkle, the lovely parks, the gritty metro stops, and the neighborhoods. What she does even better, if possible, is make you fall in love with Bex and Jack, two people who are passionate about their art despite the risks.

Bex is sneaking into the cadaver lab at the local medical college to create her piece to enter into a scientific art contest for a scholarship. Jack is secretly spraying gold glitter graffiti words around San Francisco, and if caught would be charged with a felony. They meet on the bus and quickly become immersed in each other. Both struggle with their family lives for reasons I won't spoil here, but man this is simply fantastic.

A SUPER steamy YA book, I was blushing really good for a large part of it. Adore.

Actually more like a 3.5, but I rounded up for the fun nerd references (So say we all).

Very similar to her last trilogy (Cousin O'Dwyer) but with more fantastical creatures, this is a story of six strangers pulled together to search for three lost stars and protect them from an evil underworld god/queen. Book 1 focuses on artist/seer Sasha, who has painted and foretold the gathering of the six and their quest, along with the warlock she has dreamed of, Bran.

I don't really go for insta-love, but this is conveniently skipped around due to Sasha's visions/dreams. I think I'll enjoy the stories of the other couples more, especially since we've discovered one is a mermaid (Annika) and her love interest Sawyer is a time-hopper. Also, Riley is a lycan and her love interest Doyle is a hot warrior who has been around for quite some time.

Fun, but not one of my favs.

A fun listen, but not my favorite celebrity book. I really enjoyed [b:Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?|10335308|Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)|Mindy Kaling|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1443264638s/10335308.jpg|15237902], but felt this was a little more uneven. However, most parts I did enjoy, and the ending really shone.

*Review based on Audiobook version*

A story of 5 year old Jack, and his "Ma"

Both Bailey and Hudson want to live for the moment because of the huge baggage they each carry around. She is crossing her fingers that her ten year battle with cancer may finally be over; he keeps himself immersed in his families' ski resort and his search and rescue ski patron work. Of course, all these plans are off when they meet cute.

Great characters, as usual for Shalvis, and fun dialog and very sexy sex (on the desk, on the office floor, in the snow). I had a great time reading it, and enjoy this new series set in the mountains.

**Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review*

Christina Lauren is my new guilty pleasure. Fairly ridiculous premise that is wish-fulfillment at it's finest. Basically, a one night stand ending in a quick-Vegas marriage, but with the PERFECT guy who whisks you off to France because he promised you (while you were drunk) that he wouldn't annul the marriage for two months. Of course he is the best sex you've ever had, he has money, and he is a perfect human being (except for that one secret he has). Whatever, this was a ton of fun, and super hot. Perfect to secretly read on your eReader while on vacation or stuck home in a winter storm.

I waited SO LONG for this trade volume and it was totally worth the wait. Thanks for punching me in the feels there a the end Fraction, you S.O.B. (FYI I loved it). I had a few moments of "Who is this person?" as I had read the previous three volumes so very long ago, but I loved the addition of Clint's brother and the issue that incorporated ASL into it.

I am sad that we've lost Fraction and Aja as the team for future Hawkeyes, but I will look forward to [a:Jeff Lemire|543719|Jeff Lemire|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1300396580p2/543719.jpg]'s take on it in [b:Hawkeye, Vol. 5: All-New Hawkeye|25066770|Hawkeye, Vol. 5 All-New Hawkeye|Jeff Lemire|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1432791687s/25066770.jpg|44751532].

I used to love Choose Your Own Adventure Tales as a kid, but often found myself skipping around instead of fully immersing myself into the story. Second person narrative just really never captures me. Thus, I really enjoyed the premise of Harris's autobiography, but felt at times, especially with the "made up" bits, that I wasn't getting as much meat as I wanted. This audio book version also didn't let me "choose," so that format was a bit lost in translation.

However, Harris is an excellent narrator, with a pleasant and emotive voice that DID capture my interest. I also liked how he talked candidly, with real names, about other people he has worked with and encountered during his career. The narrative arc regarding Harris's intense interest in discovering the magic behind, well, magic and Broadway and his own life was very cool.

Upon first picking this up, I thought I was in a for a bildungromans about a young girl born with an exceptional palate and her rise to chef stardom as per the book blurb. Something not too heavy.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that while this was the underlying theme, the book was far more interesting. Each chapter focuses on a different character in Eva Jorgenson's orbit and it often took a little while to find out why exactly you were in this character's perspective. Each chapter, much like the courses in Eva's famous dinners, was it's own entree, with a perfect, bitter sweet dessert at the end.

I would recommend this to those who love food, the Midwest, and a little bit of darkness. If you can find it on audio, I also recommend because the two narrators nailed the Midwest accents without making them a joke.

PS. A passage about a Kohl's coupon and a capri pants nailed the Midwest character for me. Nailed it.

Right before violin prodigy Etta debuts at her first major public performance, she is whisked back in time to the 18th Century, where she finds out her mother has been keeping a massive secret, namely that she and Etta can both access passages through time and are the arch enemies of another family who can do the same.

The other family, the Ironwoods, are holding Etta's mother hostage to force Etta to follow a trail of clues Etta's mother left for her (and her only) and to recover an important artifact. Joining her on this quest is the bastard grandson of the head of the Ironwood family.

All Nicholas wants is his own ship to sail the seas, and to escape his circumstances, namely that he is biracial in a time when it is very dangerous to be so, and that he also has the ability to travel through the passages but is not trusted to do so anymore. Can Etta and Nicholas both overcome their own needs and secrets to stop Ironwood from destroying history as they know it?

I was really excited to read this, and overall enjoyed the story line. What kept me from LOVING this tale was that went very quick and was sparse on details that would have given the mystery a bit more heft. Everything, including the explanations of how the "traveling" worked was a bit light for me as an adult reader.

Also, both of the teens in this novel are just founts of random information that I found doubtful a 17 year old violin player and a 20 year old son of a slave would just have at the tip of their memories.

However, it is a promising start to a new series.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the ARC.