**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net** 

I hate writing negative reviews. Especially about books that I get for review. I screen my books so carefully, but there are bound to be at least a few books that I thought I would really enjoy that just end up not working out. And Pretty Instinct was one of those books. I love new adult contemporary, but this one just wasn't for me. Now I do have to say, I am in the extreme minority here! There are almost 1,500 ratings and almost 300 reviews on goodreads! And almost all of them are 5 star! Throw in a small amount of DNFs and an even smaller amount of bad ratings from people that finished the book, and I am left thinking if maybe this time I got it wrong? But even though I wanted to DNF this book a few times (ok more than a few time) I didn't, I stuck it out and read the whole thing. And I still didn't connect with the book.

The characters were the main problem. I couldn't connect with the main character Liz, which is a really tough hurdle for me to overcome with a book. But the other problem was that I just couldn't connect with any of the characters really. The writing was fine, but I just couldn't bring myself to get over an ehh feeling at best about most of the characters. And the romance just wasn't believable for me. It was very abrupt at the start and then it was over the top cheesy.

The family dynamic got on my nerves too. I know there was this huge "secret" going on that explained the awful father and everything else going on, but I saw it coming. I liked some of the musical aspects of book, with the band but nothing about this story really jumped out at me.

A ton of people absolutely loved this book. They loved the romance, and they loved Conner and Liz. So if this seems like the type of book you would enjoy, and you like rockband/music new adult contemporaries, you should give Pretty Instinct a try! Everyone else seems to love it. I have never scored a book so low that has gotten such amazing reviews, so maybe I am just missing something. But I read the whole thing so I wanted to give you my honest feedback about the book. Check out some of the 5 star reviews to see what everyone loved so much and then decide if this book is for you. I hope you enjoy it more than I did.

P.S. I have never read an S.E. Hall book before, and I would love to try another one, so if anyone has a suggestion for one of her books they think I would like better, let me know!

 This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**
Step into Magic is the first book in the middle grade fantasy series, Portals to Whyland by author Day Leitao. I thought Step into Magic was a solid first book in the series. In some ways, it was solidly in the middle grade category,, but in other ways I did think it was a little busy for a middle grade book, but I will get more into that in a bit. Step into Magic was a fun story about our main character Karina who find a pair of magic shoes, which leads her to a magic land. I really enjoyed the story and I can't wait to pick up the second book in the Portals to Whyland series.

Karina is fourteen, and what fourteen year old girl would not love to get swept away to a magical world to go on an adventure? What I loved about Step into Magic was that I was instantly hooked with the story. There was no slow start, we got to dive right into the action, which was awesome. I liked Karina. And I liked that as soon as she got to Whyland that the plot got even more interesting. Things are not what they seem in Whyland, and I was really excited to find out more. And I got more and more excited as the story progressed and we started meeting more and more characters and learning more. But then, we got to a point around half way through the book where I thought things got a little too busy. There was a lot going on, and there were a lot of characters. It was harder to keep track of everyone and everything.

I do think by the end of the book, everything kind of evened out, and there is the potential that it will be even better in the next installment, but I do wish there were a handful less characters introduced in this story. I think just focusing on Karina, Cayla, Darian and Sian would have been more than enough. I especially want to see more from Sian, so hopefully he will play a larger role in the next story. 

Overall, Step into Magic was a fun magical story that is perfect for middle grade readers who are looking to go on a fast paced magical adventure. I am excited to see where the next book is going to take us. 

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

super cute. i love a good gaming romance. Full review to come

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Forget you, Ethan is a new adult contemporary romance by author Whitney G. (as an aside, I guess this title has had some goodreads controversy surrounding its' release date.  I don't know anything about that and I just heard about this book a month or so ago, so I am coming in way after all of the release date changes have happened. But since I didn't know about any of that while I was reading the book, those events did not affect or impact my opinions on this novel.) I really enjoyed Forget You, Ethan. Whitney G is an author I have read a few times, and her writing style is always pretty funny. Forget you, Ethan is described as a "friends (to enemies) to lovers romance", which as you probably know by now is usually a hit for me. I love a good bantering story with lots of URST, and Forget You, Ethan hit the mark for me. While it didn't knock my socks off, it was a solidly good read. 

Forget You Ethan is the story of our main characters, Ethan and Rachel. Ethan and Rachel have known each other forever, but they are very different people. Rachel has not had many boyfriends and Ethan...well he gets around. He is a fan of the ladies, I should say. My main problem with the story was with Rachel. I wish that she was a little bit of a stronger person because her whole Let's pretend to be friends thing, so I don't come across as a friendless person, seemed a bit sad. I wanted to like Rachel and Ethan more than I did, but something was stopping me from completely loving them individually or together. I found myself liking them more when I thought about them as a unit. I really enjoyed their interactions and Forget You, Ethan was a book that I easily breezed through. It was a story that was a lot of fun as a whole. It was not my favorite of Whitney G's books, but it was a fun read. 

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

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Someone I used to Know by Patty Blount is a young adult contemporary novel that deals with a serious issue. Someone I used to Know looks at the aftermath of dealing with your life after a sexual assault. One of the things I admire most about author Patty Blount is that she is not afraid to deal with tough issues. Someone I used to Know is not a fun read by any stretch of the imagination, nor is it a light, breezy story. It is a heavy narrative, but it's an important one. Someone I used to Know is a novel that will stick with me. It is a novel that I will remember, but be warned that it does deal with rape, so if that is something that is upsetting for you to read about, this is going to be a difficult novel for you.

Our main character is Ashley. And honestly this novel was hard for me to get through, but I loved Ashley so much that I wanted to hear her story to the end. And the character growth we get to witness with Ashley is so wonderful. Patty Blount is so excellent at writing characters. Characters that you feel like you know. Ashley felt real to me, so all of the emotions she was going through, I felt. I felt her at her weakest and I felt her as she gained confidence and strength again. Watching Ashley's journey made the tough subject matter worth it for me. Someone I used to Know is a really wonderfully executed story. Ashley is a powerful character. Someone I used to Know by Patty Blount is a book I would recommend you check out for yourself.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

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You have no idea how excited I was to see that not only was Hocus Pocus being made into a novel, but also learning there was going to be a sequel. Hocus Pocus is still one of my all time favorite Halloween movies. I watch it every single year in October. I know I am not the only one who loves belting out "I've put a spell on you!" And Thackery Binx is one of my favorite feline characters ever! So to find out I was going to get to relive Hocus Pocus in novel form, I was all in! And I am happy to report that this book did not disappoint.

Hocus Pocus and the All New Sequel is split into two parts. Part one is the movie we all know and love in novel form. And Part two is the all new sequel, set 25 years in the future. Because I already have such an attachment to characters and story of the original Hocus Pocus, part one was definitely my favorite part of the story. I loved revisiting my old friends and the author did a fantastic job staying true to the movie. I felt the Sanderson sisters come to life. I think anyone who is a fan of Hocus Pocus will really love Part one of the Novel.

Part two of the novel, follows Poppy, who is Max and Allison's seventeen-year-old daughter. It was cool that we got to meet Poppy and her friends, and her story had a very similar vibe to the original. I would love to see the sequel made into a tv mini series or movie. I feel like that would be so much fun. I think my heart will always be with the original, but I really liked meeting a new generation of characters as well. And I definitely would love to see more from the Sanderson sisters in the future. Overall, both part one and the new sequel in part two were really fun reads. I can't wait to pass these along to some friends for Halloween reading!

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**

The Book of M is a dystopian whirlwind adventure by author Pen g Shepherd. The Book of M was a really unique story. I hate using the word "unique" but I truly feel that is the best way to describe this book. It was also completely engaging, and it kept my interest from the first page until the last. Set in a world where people start losing their shadows for some unknown reason. Once their shadow disappears their memories begin to leave them as well, which is completely terrifying.  (that aspect of the story kind of reminded me of the end of Avengers infinity war when 

when people started disappearing into thin air. that is what losing your memories feels like to me. The person that you once were has poofed away.

If you like thriller mysteries, then you have to grab The Book of M, because this book will keep you guessing until the end. 

I think The Book of M would make a fantastic movie plot. I don't want to get into too many of the plot specifics because this is a story that really builds on itself, and revealing any particular detail can really ruin another aspect of the story, so you will just have to trust me and read this story for yourself. But then def come back so we can discuss! I've already loaned my copy of the book out to my friend because I am dying to break the story down and chat about it with someone. 

In The Book of M we meet Max and Ory, who have been in hiding as they try to escape the plague known as The Forgetting. They are doing great until one day Max loses her shadow. They set off to try and figure out what is going on, and the real adventure kicks in. Peng Shepherd did a fantastic job keeping me guessing. I honestly did not see so many of the twists and surprises coming, which is a real feat when you have read as many books as I have. I really applaud her for her storytelling. I can't wait to read more from her. The Book of M was a very strong debut novel, one that will delight dystopian, mystery and thriller fans alike. If you have not yet checked out this novel, what are you waiting for? 

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs