Tam finally breaks up with her boyfriend when he throws away her precious cheese. Well, she also finds him cheating on her. Gouda Friends is a hilarious and charming friends-to-lovers romance. Tam and Josh have been friends since childhood. They fear a romance gone wrong could hurt their friendship, but soon they are living together as Tam plans her next steps. 

Some of my favorite scenes involved “The Nerd Herd,” the motley group of friends that surround the duo. While they face romantic troubles, Tam and Josh are also both focused on helping Tam find a new career. This was an entertaining and relatable problem for them to work through. 

I would recommend Gouda Friends for anyone looking for a lighthearted and well-written romance. The characters are lovable and a joy to read about. The pacing flows very well. I hope we get to find out Vinh and Emily’s story soon! This was my first book by Cathy Yardley, but I will definitely be reading more from her. Thank you to Cathy Yardley, Montlake, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The City of Dusk is a fantastic new fantasy debut from Tara Sim. In a rapidly dying city, four heirs fight to save it. All have a connection to a god, but the gods no longer speak to them. The pressure mounts and it becomes clear that the realms will die, trapping them, unless a forbidden ritual is attempted. The City of Dusk must be saved by the four unlikely heirs who can succeed only by working together and combining their powers. 

Taesia, Nik, Risha, and Angelica are all competing for power and peace. I loved the characters and was interested in the compelling magic system. Risha was my favorite character; she had to balance her power with her love for her family and their traditional practices. She was very kind and had to make difficult choices about how far to go to protect her family and friends. One of my favorite parts of the story was how the four heirs were always working together as they unravelled the secrets behind the forbidden ritual. All four have a long history together, which was interesting to see play out in the present. They also all have very different magical abilities and struggle with them in some way. 

The prose is very beautiful, painting vivid sensory pictures. The worldbuilding feels immersive and  extensive, including: different religions, gods, powers, and politics. I did struggle a bit with the pacing of this book, which at times felt slow. I’m looking forward to the sequel, especially now that world-building has been established. I can’t wait to see what happens next after that ending! I would recommend this for fans of high fantasy who enjoy incredible worldbuilding and a great magic system. I would also recommend this for fans of The Mask of Mirrors and All of Us Villains. Thank you to Tara Sim, Orbit Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.