Lena, just your average teen who wants to make it through her senior year and who secretly loves her best friend Sebastian, almost loses it all after a very bad decision.

Definitely a "teen issues" book with a classic, YA male protagonist who is the epitome of male beauty who of course is in love with the self-proclaimed "average" and "nothing special" female lead. Teens will enjoy this emotional read.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

Sisters Olivia and Kelly come to terms with their parents' failed marriage and their own relationship as they find love in small town Tulpen.

One of those you know where it's going the minute you start reading it comfortable sweater type books with a few too many meh moments for me to fully enjoy it. The audio book narrator did a great job, even playing her at 1.25x speed! I do love that feature on Hoopla/Overdrive.

Spoilers ahead!

Spoiler

I found the men of this novel to be quite infuriating at times, especially how Jeff treated Helen after the return of Merilee AND when Sven immediately called Olivia a whore after accusing her of two-timing him. Not cool dude, and I thought she should have made him suffer a bit more. Also, it was nice to Kelly's struggle with climaxing which is a rare occurence in romance novels but of course Griffith's magic sex skills fixed it for her the second time they tried.

The premise of this book was SO good, but the execution was just not right for me. I loved the fact the heroine was older than most historical romances at 35, was a mother, and in the first book of this series seemed to be a strong willed lady. I was hoping for a super sexy and consensual tryst with her step-son's best friend, a younger man who would show her what she had been missing out on during her marriage and widowhood.

Unfortunately, Graciela turned into a wilting flower. Her first experience at a sex club is non-consensual and the two men who try to force her are merely brushed away and allowed to continue being at this club by the hero! Um, hello, where are the bouncers?!

Plus, she repeatedly tells Colin no, verbally AND in a letter but he continually pursues her, sneaks into her bedroom to watch her sleep, and basically forces her into submitting to a relationship with him. I craved more banter, more battle of wits, not just the repeated continuation of "I'm too old for you, so no, but really I mean yes."

I've been reading a lot of romance lately and needed a genre break, so picked this one up based of a Shelf Awareness recommendation.

I don't want to give much away, but it is a Nordic Noir in the vein of Stieg Larrsson and Jo Nesbo, but written by a female and featuring a female lead which is refreshing.

Leona is a complicated main character with an intriguing voice. She is not sentimental or emotional, and the reader is given hints into her difficult childhood. I enjoyed being in Leona's brain for the majority of the story as she investigates a bank robbery pulled off by a naked, bloody seven-year old girl.

The writing style was a bit cold, for lack of a better word, and I'm not sure if this is due to translation or just what the author was going for. Not usually my preference but it worked for this book.

I'll definitely be reading the next books in the series because DAMN that ending.

The fates of the Baldwine clan are revealed as the various mysteries plaguing the characters throughout the series are resolved. A bit conveniently wrapped up, but hey, this is fun, ridiculous reading. I could definitely see this series developed into a lush television show.

After Emma shows up at the Duke of Ashbury's home demanding payment for the wedding gown she painstakingly sewed for the Duke's now ex-fiancee, she receives a far better proposition - become his duchess.

Ashbury, horribly scarred from a rocket explosion during the campaign against Napoleon figures he has found a convenient bride. Emma is of child-bearing age, she's pretty, she isn't scared of him, and she has nothing to lose by suddenly becoming rich.

They strike a deal - Emma will become his wife, they'll eat dinner together, have sex in the dark, and when she bears his heir she'll be set up for life away from him. What they both don't expect is that they are perfect for one another, despite both their flaws.

So much fun, so swoony, and a lovely way to spend the evening. I loved all the banter between Emma and Ashbury, her silly nicknames for him and the slow, steamy way they eventually fall in love.

Looking forward to more books in this series!

Our motley crew of paper delivery gals find themselves 20,000 years in the past and must find a way to not alter time while finding their way home. Still a delight three volumes in and I still continue to massively enjoy the color palette and illustrations.

Liv and Finn were making out in a janitor's closet during prom when they heard gunshots. Finn left Liv to find his actual prom date causing Liv to be discovered but allowed to live by one of the shooters while Finn was shot (and survived).
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

Twelve years later, Liv, Finn, and other survivors reconnect after all agreeing to be part of a documentary. The horrible experience brought some of them closer together, including Liv and a group of three girls, but completely killed any chance of Liv and Finn having a real relationship.

Now adults, Liv and Finn still feel a magnetic pull to one another, but each still struggle with their own issues that clearly mean they probably shouldn't even try, but they cannot resist.

A sweet and emotional romance that never felt schlocky or over-wrought. I appreciated the journey of both characters and how they finally found their way to one another. I also really appreciated that the girl who Finn took to the prom instead of Liv was given complete agency and wasn't a "villain." I ate up the the tension between Liv and Finn. Phew.

The concept of a whiskey bar/men's barbershop was a cool one and I loved that both main characters were barbers, but these things were underdeveloped as the majority of the plot revolved around family drama, trauma, and conflict.

Maybe and Alexei felt a little insta-love despite a two year gap in time between their introduction and relationship, but it was steamy and kept me reading. I felt like I was missing some plot about Maybe's sister's abduction, but perhaps this will be explored further in the next title in the series.

Intriguing, but not sure if I'll keep up with the series.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

Claudia Gray can write all the Star Wars books, for real. She so accurately captures the voice of Princess Leia, both as a seasoned politician in Bloodline and here as a teenager on the cusp of becoming the great Rebel leader we all know from a New Hope.

Leia is about to be named the heir to the Alderaanian throne after she completes three challenges, but is irked her parents Bail and Breha seem to be very absent. Leia isn't satisfied to ignore why, and finds herself learning dangerous new information that could threaten her, her family, and Alderaan.

**Mild Spoiler**

There was a bit of a romance here and at first I was skeptical, but I really enjoyed how it was handled. Breha also made a great crack about hoping Leia would date a scoundrel and I had a good cackle.