Okay but that section where Bond freaks out about Yor's cooking and goes to find Loid? Hilarious. This was a fun, entertaining volume, getting to see another side of Damian, that whole camping scene was really fun to read. Overall, this series is just all around fun. Can't wait to get the next volume with that sort of cliffhanger!

I could just keep reading about this little group in Bright Falls forever. Blake has created such a realistic cast of characters, all struggling with their own things, and I love them. They've created their own little queer oasis in this small town in Oregon, and I am here for it. Plus, getting to see familiar characters from the first book is just a fun time.

You don't necessarily have to read [book:Delilah Green Doesn't Care|54756850] to get the happenings in this book, but it does give you a good background on some of the other characters that we meet. Blake gets to build on Astrid's character in this book, as she unpacks a bunch of stuff she learned growing up and finally learns to be happy. There is great chemistry between her and Jordan, and I enjoyed the way their relationship evolved throughout the book. Jordan also has her own things to work through. Astrid and Jordan help each other work through their anxieties, their trauma, and make each other better for it.

If you're looking for some adult sapphic romance to read, I definitely recommend this series! I've loved both books I've read so far, and can't wait to get Iris's story next fall.

It's been two years since Jordy cheated on Maya, and yet she still can't seem to escape him. Since his sister is marrying royalty, he's been all over the news. And yet no one seems to know how awful he truly is. On the other side, Jordy is the only person Skye has seriously dated, but since they broke up, she doesn't understand why they keep calling.

When Second-Chance Romance enters the scene, both Skye and Maya are invited to compete to win Jordy back. Skye is skeptical Jordy can win her back, but Maya has other plans: expose Jordy for who he really is. But what they both don't plan on is falling for each other.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced copy of this to review! I'm honestly not really a fan of reality shows, but reading about fictional ones can be really fun. If you love the drama of reality TV, I'm sure you will devour this book in one sitting because it definitely delivers on the reality drama.

The pros: I really enjoyed the characters in this. Gonzales does a good job of making them fully fleshed out, even though there's quite a large cast on the show. They all have uniquer personalities, and when they're all together, there is great chemistry between them. For a reality TV based romance, I think this is super important. Maya and Skye also have great chemistry, and the way their romance develops works well for the setting of the story.

However, I don't think this works super well pitched as YA. It was hard for me to figure out exactly what the ages of the characters were, and setting it as teenagers in a reality show doesn't sit super well with me. Personally, the story would have worked better as an adult romance, with the characters aged up to their early or mid-twenties, think more Bachelor aged. It didn't make a whole ton of sense in a teenager context, so I'm not exactly sure why it's being pitched for a YA audience.

Despite that, there are a lot of people who will have a lot of fun with this premise, especially since Sophie Gonzales has made a name for herself in YA. While I don't think this is her best work, fans of romance will definitely be entertained.

This is a fun, quick graphic novel! It's not really a super complex story, which makes it easy to fly through. The art style is fun and fits the general feel of the story. We always love a good case of mistaken identity, and Greene does a good job making the plot interesting, but not too complicated.

I do wish some of the characters could have been a bit more fleshed out, as I think it would have bumped the rating up a bit for me. It's so short that some of the world building gets lost as well. But all in all, this was entertaining and I mostly enjoyed it for what it was.

A quick read, but I really enjoyed how all of the stories connected in this. It really focuses on relationships and friendships, and how people can come back together. It will be a great read to have for the Christmas season, even though it's not 100% about Christmas. It's still featured throughout!

I listened to the audio for this one, and what I liked is that you don't necessarily know which author is writing what until the afterward at the end. If you know teen books and the author contributors, the clues are a fun way to figure out who writes what aspects of the book. 

If you liked Blackout and you enjoy interconnected stories, you'll definitely love this collection.

Read this for a Banned Book Club, which I honestly probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. Definitely not my usual cup of tea. War stories can be so hard to read, because of a plethora of reasons. And while this book is not an easy read, content wise, O'Brien has a way with words that makes it feel lyrical almost. There are really some beautiful quotes in here about stories, about trauma, and about the way we process things.

It definitely made for interesting discussions at book club, and I'm glad that I read it. 

The world of the Scythedom has an infinite number of stories to tell that the Arc of a Scythe series didn’t cover. There are large periods of time where humanity was living with immortality, with only scythes as population control. There are bound to be a lot of different stories to come with that.

With a variety of collaborators, Neal Shusterman presents a series of stories chronicling different eras of the Scythedom. Readers get to see from familiar characters, as well as be presented with new ones. See histories of beloved characters as well as get a glimpse at what’s happening around them. Expanding on the world that readers already love.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy of Gleanings by Neal Shusterman to review! The Scythe series is one of my most recent favorites, and I recommend it every chance I get. If you’re still looking for dystopian vibes, this is definitely a great series for you!

What I like about this short story collection is it gives Shusterman an opportunity to expand the world of the scythes. Not only do we get to hear from some favorite characters, we get new voices as well. Using short stories is a great way to add variety to the world and give us details we didn’t otherwise get in the original trilogy. I am happy Shusterman returned to this world, and would definitely read a spin-off series if he did one!

Like most short story collections, not all stories held my attention. But the one with Citra’s younger brother was great, as was the story with the dog (which was actually kind of creepy, actually). The short stories giving background on characters, like Scythe Curie, also helped to give the original series more complexity.

All in all, if you like expansions for your favorite series, you’ll love this short story collections.
-----
I enjoyed these short stories set in the world of Scythe. Stay tuned for a full review!

I know a lot of people really love this series, but I don't think it was really my cup of tea. It definitely gives me ACOTAR vibes, though, so I can see why it is so popular on social media. I just wasn't necessarily ready for the spice level, and it wasn't really what I was looking for. But I still had to know how the entire series was going to end.

I will say, Maniscalco took this in some directions I wasn't necessarily expecting, which is refreshing! There's a little bit of mythology thrown into this fantasy world, and I enjoyed those aspects of the story. The world building was very well done, even if I found the characters annoying sometimes.

All in all, I'm glad I read it so I know what I'm recommending when at work, but probably not one that I would visit it again.

So glad I decided to re-read this before the next book because I forgot everything that happened at the end of this book. It was great getting that refresh, and also just submerging myself back into Deonn's writing again. Definitely one of my favorite YA fantasy series at the moment!
----
All Bree had wanted to do was learn the truth behind her mother's death. So, she infiltrated a secret society called the Legendborn Order in order to reveal her mother's secrets. What she hadn't expected was to awaken a completely new power, one that no one was prepared for. 

As the shadows start to gain power and the war between the demons and the Order gets more and more dangerous, not everyone wants to fight. Those in control want to keep the war hidden. So, Bree and her friends decide to take matters into their own hands. But in order to save her friends and get an edge in this war, Bree has to first learn to control her powers.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy of Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn to review! Legendborn was one of my top reads of last year, and this was one of my most anticipated sequels. If you loved Legendborn, you'll love this follow up.

Sometimes, sequels can fall victim to second book syndrom, but this book definitely does not. Everything that I loved about Legendborn I still got in this book. Deonn expands the vast world that she already build in the original, and I loved getting to see new elements of it. There is a lot of world building in these books, but it is balanced out with the characters that Deonn created.

If you loved Sel in the first book, I am happy to tell you that you get so much more of him in this one. The relationship between him and Bree is a complicated one, and it is fully explored here. Man, the chemsitry between them. It just adds to the world and the plot and is part of what makes this book work so well.

Additionally, Bree isn't afraid to tell people like it is, especially when it's about race. There are some great moments in here where she pushes back against this old society run by pretty much all white people. And she just keeps overturning their expectations.

Before reading this, I wasn't sure if it was going to be a duology or a series. Now, I'm 100% sure it's going to be a series because it can't just end where it does. I need another book already!

All in all, if you love a strong YA fantasy with King Arthur vibes, you're going to love this series.

 A strong anthology! My favorite stories were probably from Casey McQuiston, Kalynn Bayron, Adib Khorram, and Julian Winters. But each story offered something unique and different in the paranormal romance genre, and they were all entertaining in their own right!