Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy of Love Radio to review! Intrigued by the premise of the book, I was excited to pick it up. Plus, it absolutely has a great cover!

This is being pitched as Hitch meets The Sun is Also a Star, and that’s such a great way to describe it. I particularly liked that Prince is supposed to be this suave guy who has everything together, but he’s pretty clumsy on his dates with Dani. It made him more endearing as a character, and as Dani gets to know him, she realizes he’s completely different than his DJ persona.

Dani’s journey toward working through her sexual assault also feels realistic. While at times, the flashbacks included were a bit confusing, the section breaks did help. Throughout the book, Prince knows that something maybe happened there, and he lets Dani take his time. Honestly, their whole realtionship was so sweet, and worked so well for this story.

My only other complaint is that the passage of time wasn’t quite clear? It didn’t feel like that much time was passing, but then it would be like a month later. I think I just wanted an overall clearer timeline for the story.

You should definitely pick up this book if you’re look for a romance to start your summer on. There’s so much to the story, and you’re sure to get sucked into Dani and Prince’s relationship from the beginning. 
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This was an easy to read teen romance that definitely dives into some deeper topics. Stay tuned for a full review to come tomorrow!

The villain in this wasn't exactly my favorite, and I think the main storyline itself felt a little long. There were some great panels throughout, though, really bringing to life some of these scenes. And we always love a good team up, so it was fun to see Wolverine and Doctor Strange make an appearance. Overall, it was just a fine read. Nothing really stood out to me.

This book took me longer to read than usual, and that's definitely not because of the writing. Ferguson dives into some really tough topics, topics that are not always easy to read. Lou is carrying a lot of emotional baggage, on top of trying to figure out her own identity. And trying to figure out her past and her future. It's a lot for a teenager to carry, and you feel all of these emotions throughout the book.

The side characters were also really well developed, providing complex relationships for Lou all around. One of the best, most complex relationships was hers with King. King was just so patient with her, which was something she wasn't necessarily used to. I loved the way their relationship evolved throughout the book, and it evolved with the way Lou was learning about herself throughout the book.

And the discussions about asexuality! That conversation Lou has with King is so important to have in teen books, and I'm so glad that it's there. There are some other reviews that talk about the maybe not-so-great portrayal of bisxuality in this book, so I would check those out as well because there are some valid points there.

I think this is a book I'll be thinking about for a while. It's a greta debut, and I can't wait to see what Ferguson does next.

After starting to free the goddesses and discovering her true identity, Deka is tasked with ensuring the rest of them are free. But the task proves difficult when everyone thinks you’re a monster and a war rages on in your country. Being named a traitor to your nation makes everything more dangerous, even as you’re trying to save them.

However, as Deka releases the other goddesses, she starts seeing strange symbols everywhere. Symbols that repel her powers and make her lose all of her senses. Deka knows that there is a dark force is out there, threatening the mere existence of humanity. And her powers grow stronger, it will be up to Deka and her army to stop it to save humanity.

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte for an advanced copy of this to review! The Gilded Ones was one of my favorite fantasy books from last year, and with that ending, I was excited for the sequel. I loved the way Forna expands the world in this book, even adding more diversity in the characters and some interesting plot twists.

Picking up six months after the first book, this book doesn’t waste any time jumping into the action. Forna is also a master at crafting worlds. There’s so much detail that went into creating this world and mythology and I was really impressed. Where sometimes description can weigh down a fantasy novel, Forna does it in a way that helps in moving the plotline forward.

Unfortunately, I do think this book falls prey to second book syndrome. While I appreciated the world building, the pacing felt off at times. After the first scene, the beginning feels a little slow. I also am not sure that this necessarily needed to be a trilogy? I actually didn’t even realize that it was going to be until I got to the end of the book.

Will I read the third book when it comes out? With that ending, probably! Even if I just stick around to see how these characters will evolve in the future, because I am hooked.
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I think this falls victim to second book syndrome, a little. It felt a little long at times, and the pacing was sometimes off. But I did like how it expanded the world from the original novel. Stay tuned for a full review to come!

Oh, I see why everyone was raving about this! I did think maybe it was a little longer that it needed to be, but the characters were just so wonderful I didn't particularly care. Both Viola and Gracewood are dealing with grief and trauma from war and they need each other. You can tell they have such a connection right from the moment they first meet, and the way their relationship evolves throughout the story it just beautiful.

Alexis Hall has such skill when writing relationships, and I loved that this was a historical romance that is unapologetically queer. Not only is the romance between Viola and Gracewood wonderful, but we also get a colorful cast of side characters that just add to the story. The way they interacted and supported each other was wonderful, and I would definitely read another story about them! The narrator also does an excellent job bringing them all to life.

If you're fresh off Bridgerton and want another historical romance, I'd recommend this when it comes out next week!

It's not a bad reboot of the character, getting to start from ground zero (sort of) allows you to take the character in new directions. I did enjoy that we get a lot of the classic Spider-Man snark in this. We also get to see how Peter is dealing with the fallout after Civil War, and we all know what happened when he revealed his identity to the world. So.

I have read some of Dan Slott's later Spider-Man stuff, and I do really enjoy him as a writer. Overall, the art in this was pretty well done, too. Not the worst I've seen so far. Just another volume on my quest to read alllll the Spider-Man!

Ohh I think I will be buying a copy of this because it is just so lovely. The characters, the art, the story, there was nothing I didn't like about it. A fairy and a beast raising a little human child together in the human world where they're basically hiding in plain sight? Sign me up.

I love the way that the realtionship between Bon and Razz evolved throughout the book. And their feelings for each other changed without either of them realizing. One of my favorite romance tropes, honestly. They're adorable, and Melody is a adorable, and I love them all dearly.

The world Costa created is also fascinating and lovely. While I did feel like maybe a little more background would have been helpful, I still loved the characters and just kind of went with it. I would definitely read more graphic novels about them!

Before becoming a full-fledged merperson, they have to take a Journey on land and help a human. Crest is not excited to be on their Journey. After all, humans are the ones responsible for the pollution of the planet. But if they don’t complete their Journey, they risk being stuck on land forever.

Meanwhile, Sean has recently been dumped. Completely devastated, his summer plans are ruined. But when Crest washes up on land nearby where Sean is a lifeguard, it might just be an act of fate. If Crest can help Sean get his boyfriend back, they can get back to the ocean. And Sean will be happy with his ex. However, fake dating only works if you don’t develop feelings for each other.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperTeen for an advanced copy of Out of the Blue to review! I enjoyed Jason June’s debut YA from last year, Jay’s Gay Agenda, so I was excited for what this one had in store. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a mixed bag for me.

What I appreciated about this book was the mythology and the lore June put behind merpeople. It was an overall different approach, and I think it worked well for this particular story. Making merpeople nonbinary is brilliant, and I loved the idea of them having to help humans on land before becoming a full member of their society. Such an overall fun concept that I haven’t seen done before.

For the most part, the characters were well-writtne, too. Sean and Crest/Ross were the best narrators for this story, and each of their voices were distinct. I do wish some of the side characters had been more developed, especially Miguel. That storyline felt a bit rushed to me, and I wanted it to be explored more.

The pacing is what really took me out of this story. It felt like the first half dragged a bit too much, while the second half was too fast. Cutting out some of the unecessary plot elements would have helped to make the pacing feel more even. Some of the dialogue also felt…off to me. Not necessarily with Crest, because that made sense. But with some of the other characters. Also, the plot twists felt a bit convenient for me.

Despite that, I do think the story itself is entertaining enough and will make a great summer read!
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Okay I was so excited for this book, but it didn't hook me like Jay's Gay Agenda did. Which is a bummer because we love a gay book about merpeople! Stay tuned for a full review to come next week.

This is marketed as a cross between Buffy and Stranger Things, and that absolutely hits the nail on the head. Anderson has crafted this incredibly creative world, where Ladybirds fight monsters that appear because of people's emotions. I loved that they mentioned things like Girl Scouts, and the Ladybirds used groups like that as a cover for the fact that they go out slaying these monsters every night instead. That concept is just so fun and it was executed, for the most part, really well.

There's a lot of great discussion in here about gender, about the way society separates us out by gender, and the ways that women are kind of supposed to be emotional guardians. Prudence decides to leave the Ladybirds because it was too much of a reminder of the death of her friend, but in training new recruits, she's able to see that maybe she could make a change to some of the more probelmatic aspects of the organization. Her character arc and emotional journey is a satisfying one, and she makes a great narrator for the story.

I will say, this is tagged as LGBTQ, but there's really only one side character who is a lesbian and it's not mentioned very much. I do kind of wish this was more present in the book because there were so many opportunities for it, but oh well. I still loved the way this book fought against the patriarchy and worked to say that you can go out slaying monsters as much as you want, but your emotional health is just as important as your physical health. Not enough fantasy books talk about that!

All in all, this was a fun read that fans of any kind of monster hunting I think will love. And the narrator for the audiobook does a fantastic job!

 Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Small Town Pride to review! I'ved loved Phil Stamper's YA books, so I was definitely interested in reading his debut middle grade. Stamper definitely nails the voice, and I think middle grade readers will fall in love with Jake.

From the plot to the characters to the setting, I think everything about this book fits the middle grade audience perfectly. Jake is desperate to make a difference in his town, but only being in middle school means that he needs help from adults. And his parents absolutely step up! I love to see a queer middle grade book where the parents are nothing but supportive. Even if their large gestures of love might draw the wrong attention. The positive intent was there.

There are also a lot of queer middle grade readers who will find themselves in towns like Jake. It's so encouraging to see that even if the loudest people are the least supportive, there will be others that support them. Outside of Jake, Stamper does a good job fleshing out the surrounding characters, and I especially loved the evolving relationship between him and Brett. It was so middle school, and it was so perfect.

This will honestly be the perfect book to read going into Pride Month. Definitely pick it up when it comes out at the end of the month! 

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I would say that Phil Stamper's middle grade debut is a success! Stay tuned for a full review to come soon!