booksare42's Reviews (608)

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher (Simon and Schuster) through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

When I picked up this book, I honestly did not know what to expect. I had read the description of the book on Goodreads a few times, but I still didn’t understand what I was about to read. The Forgotten Home Child took me on a heartbreaking trip through a dark period of Canadian history that I knew nothing about. It opened my eyes to something I couldn’t imagine happening, and it’s made me want to do some more reading on the subject.

The Forgotten Home Child starts in the present day when Winny’s granddaughter and great-grandson start to ask her questions about their family’s history. Winny never planned on telling anyone about her tragic past, but she realizes that she has to tell her family the truth. The book then goes back to 1936, and we see Winny as a young girl living on the streets with Jack, Mary, Edward, and Cecil, her group of friends that became her family when she ran away from her abusive home at age fifteen. The book goes back and forth between Winny’s and Jack’s perspective as they experience the orphanage; Dr. Barnardo’s; Canada, where they suffer unimaginable abuse as Home Children; and their adult lives. The book periodically goes back to the present day, but the majority of it takes place in the past.

What made this book stand out to me was the characters. I thought that both Winny and Jack were incredibly brave, and I was impressed by the bit of optimism they had left, even though their past experiences gave them no reason to be optimistic. I thought both characters were clever, and my heart kept breaking for them with every tragedy they experienced. I also loved how determined they were to see their friends again and how they never stopped searching for each other.

I also loved how captivating this story was, and I had a hard time putting it down once I started reading. I wanted to know what happened next, I was rooting for the characters to overcome the latest obstacle thrown their way, and I was invested in their futures. I was especially drawn to Jack’s story because there was a bit more mystery around what he was going to end up doing and where his life would take him. I was also interested in Winny’s story, but since the present-day sections were told from her perspective, I had a bit more of an idea about how her life would unfold.

One thing I should note is that there are some scenes in this book that are difficult to read. The Home Children were abused by their mistresses and masters, and they were essentially indentured servants. Some of the things that happened, especially with Jack and the other boys, makes me shudder just to think about. I think this book is important for people to read because it brings light to such a dark and terrible period in Canada’s history, but it’s not easy to read about.

Overall, I’m very grateful that I read this book because, without it, I wouldn’t know about Home Children and all these terrible things that happened to them. I’m already planning on buying this book for a few of my friends because they like historical fiction, and I think that more people need to know about this dark period in Canadian history.

Thank you to The Write Reads for inviting me to be a part of the blog tour for this amazing book.

Magic Unleashed follows Grey and Rune as they get transported to a whole new world full of creatures and species that they thought only existed in books. In this world, they are Venators, a species with super-human abilities and are feared by many. They’ve been brought to this world at the council’s request, and now they’re forced to play a dangerous game of politics that could lead to the end of their existence.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a fantasy book, but I’m so glad that I signed up for this blog tour because I had a difficult time putting this book down. This book was fast-paced, action-packed, and it was constantly leaving me on the edge of my seat. I loved the world-building and all of the politics and game-playing between the different species.

I loved the two main characters in this book. I loved watching Grey and Rune learn to embrace their abilities and grapple with their fears. I liked how caring Grey is and how much he cared about Rune. I liked how even though he has no reason to help Rune save her brother, he takes steps to support her with this quest. I liked how determined Rune is, and even though she’s terrified and her world is falling apart, she’s willing to play the game. I also loved the chemistry between these characters, and I can’t wait to see how their friendship unfolds in the next book.

Overall, I loved this book. The characters were great, the story was exciting, and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher, Wednesday Books, through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Only Mostly Devastated follow Ollie, a love-struck teenager who thought that after summer was over, he would never see his fling, Will, again. When Ollie’s parents tell him that they aren’t going back to the West Coast and that they’re going to stay in North Carolina to be with his aunt, his world is flipped upside down. It’s flipped upside down again when he sees Will at a party, and he starts to wonder if their summer romance meant anything to Will at all.

This book was a lot of fun to read, and I thought the romance was super cute. I loved Ollie and I enjoyed reading about his struggle between following his head or his heart. I thought that he was super caring, and I loved his relationship with his family, especially with his two younger cousins. I loved how the girls, Juliette, Lara, and Niamh, accepted him into their group, and I love that these three girls all had their own personalities that actually added to the story.

One of the things that I loved about this book was the flashbacks to the summer and the romance between Ollie and Will. I thought that these moments were super cute, and they helped explain why Ollie was so hurt and confused by the Will he was experiencing in high school. Throughout the book, I felt bad for Will because he was juggling so many things and expectations, and it was clear that he was struggling to juggle it all.

I also liked that even though this book was cute and romancey, it also tackled a lot of serious issues. Some of the heavier topics that this book deals with is coping with a serious illness, grief, homophobia, and body image issues. I especially liked how this book dealt with grief, and I thought that some of the scenes dealing with this topic were quite moving.

Finally, I want to talk about the romance between Ollie and Will. They had their share of cringy moments together, but I think most romances have their share of cringy moments. The whole time I was rooting for them to get together publicly, and when they had their moment, I literally started clapping and squealing for joy because I was so happy for them.

This book has been pitched as Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda meets Clueless, and Grease and I can say that if you’re a fan of Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda you’ll probably like this book. Unfortunately, I can’t make any comments on the Clueless and Grease comparisons because it’s been eons since I’ve watched either of those movies, but if you like books that have a summer romance and a couple you can root for, check out this book.

Thank you Forever and Net Galley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Liya Thakkar has been telling her parents that she does not want to get married and that she has no interest in meeting any prospective husbands. Despite all this, her parents invite her to dinner, and they ambush her with Jay Shah and his mother. Liya decides that she’s not dealing with this, so she slips out the back door, runs straight into Jay, and knocks him over. They exchange some choice words, and they hope to never see each other again. Unfortunately, Jay has just been hired to help save the company Liya works for from a mountain of impending lawsuits, and they’re going to end up seeing a lot of each other.

My favourite thing about this book is that it falls into the enemies-to-lovers category. Liya and Jay despise each other at the beginning of the book. Liya thinks that Jay is cocky and that if he wants to get married, he must want a traditional and obedient wife. Jay thinks Liya is the rudest person on the planet, especially after she snuck out the back door without an apology. The book is full of their banter, arguments, and their constant challenging of each other and I loved it. At times I did get annoyed with their banter because their arguments were repetitive.

I really liked the two main characters in this book. Liya is smart, strong, independent, straight-forward, sharp-tongued, quick-witted, and she has a huge heart. She also has a vulnerable side, and it’s clear that she’s built up walls to protect herself. Jay is smart, kind, caring, and quick-witted. He also has a vulnerable side, and it’s clear that his past is weighing him down. I thought that these characters balanced each other out quite well, and I liked that they were eventually able to lean on and confide in each other.

I also really liked the side characters in this book. I adored Liya’s group of girlfriends, and I loved that they would drop everything to support each other. I liked that they all had their own personality and views, and I loved all the scenes where they were together. I loved Jay’s family, and his mother was my favourite side character because she was so kind, accepting, and strong-willed. I also liked getting a glimpse into the characters’ community, traditions, and beliefs.

I also liked that this book dealt with a few serious topics, including sexual assault, death, and trauma. I think that these storylines were handled well, and I liked that they were included in this book.

Overall, I loved The Trouble with Hating You. It’s classified as a romantic comedy, and it does have its funny moments, but it also has some serious things going on as well. I loved the main characters, and I thought they complemented each other well. If you’re looking for an enemies-to-lovers book to read, I recommend picking this one up.

Thank you, Thomas Nelson and Net Galley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Of Literature and Lattes is one of those books where a lot is going on. It features a wide cast of characters, many of which are going through their own struggles, and it bounces back and forth between multiple perspectives. Overall, it’s a book about forgiveness: forgiving yourself and forgiving others.

My favourite thing about this book was that it takes place in a small town. I love stories that take place in small towns because I love the sense of community that the characters have. Winsome is one of those communities where everyone knows everybody, and they’ve been there for each other during good times and bad. This book is full of moments that show the sense of community Winsome has, and I just loved reading about it.

Now to talk about the two main characters Alyssa and Jeremy. I wasn’t the biggest fan of either of them, but they did have some redeeming moments. I found Alyssa’s attitude to be annoying, and I thought that some of the things she said to her mother were incredibly rude. I understand that she was under a lot of stress and that she didn’t have the best relationship with her mother, but I don’t think that’s an excuse to be as terrible as she was. I found myself shaking my head at Jeremy a lot because I felt like a lot of his problems could have been avoided if he would have done more research before opening his coffee shop and paying more attention. I did really like his relationship with his daughter, and I loved reading the scenes they had together. Fortunately for both main characters, they both eventually learned how to forgive themselves and others, which made me like them more towards the end of the book.

One thing that I found a bit confusing at times was the shifting between different perspectives. Winsome is home to a lot of people, and it took me a while to figure out who they all were. Once I got a better idea of who each character was, and what role they had in the community, I started to appreciate the different perspectives more. What started as a confusing mix-mash of characters, eventually turned into a cozy community that I felt apart of.

This brings me to my next point, which is there was a lot of stuff going on with this book. There were the two main characters, and their many problems, but then different members of the community also had things going on. There was Janet, who was trying to be a better person and find her true self. There was George, who was dealing with his wife’s decline in health and the changing community around him. There was the new priest, who was trying to figure out if he could belong in the community. All of these things made the community feel whole, even if it was confusing to keep track of at times. Some of the issues that come up in this book include Alzheimer’s, found family, addiction, infidelity, and many more.

Finally, I want to take a second to talk about the romance in this book. There is some romance, it’s predictable, and in my opinion, it’s only a minor plot point.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but it wasn’t my favourite. I liked the sense of community and the small town, but I wasn’t thrilled with the two main characters. I liked that this book touched upon a lot of different issues, but at times I found it confusing to keep track of everything that was going on.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher (Page Street Publishing) through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Kit Sweetly works as a Serving Wench at a medieval-themed restaurant outside of Chicago with her brother, her uncle, and a bunch of her friends. Kit dreams of rising up the ranks and being a knight, like her brother, but she’s repeatedly told that company policy only allows for males to be knights. One night, after Kit’s brother Chris, gets into a fight, Kit takes his place, and when she takes her helmet off at the end of the match, the crowd goes wild, and a movement is started.

My favourite thing about this book is the main character, Kit Sweetly. I love her determination, her fascination with history, and how caring she is. She has so many goals that she wants to achieve, but she also wants to help her family to make sure they can get by. I loved that Kit wanted to make waves and fight for changes at her workplace, and I love that she took her quest viral to make everyone aware of the discrimination that was going on.

Another thing that I loved about this book is all the supporting characters. I loved how close Kit is with her brother Chris. I loved how hard he worked to support himself and his family, while also finding time to help Kit with her dreams of overthrowing the patriarchy. I loved the friendship between Kit and Jett, and I spent the entire book rooting for them to become more than friends. I loved Layla and how she stood by Kit and offered her time and resources to help her with her quest. I also loved Penny, Alex, Mags, and Lizzy and how much fun the group of friends had while they prepared for their quest.

This brings me to another point I want to talk about, which is how diverse this book is. The characters in this book are diverse in gender, race, socio-economic status, and orientation, and it was so refreshing to see. I find that some books try too hard to be diverse, and it feels awkward or offensive, but the diversity in this book felt natural, and all the characters felt like real people.

I also liked that this book dealt with real issues. Kit’s family is struggling financially, it’s not uncommon for the power to get shut off, they’re struggling with the mortgage, and an unexpected bill would be devastating to them. Kit’s dad has addiction issues, and there’s difficulty with the divorce proceedings. A lot of the characters deal with various forms of discrimination, especially gender discrimination. I liked that Kit’s quest was to allow anyone to become a knight and that her cause was starting small but could be applied to a much larger scale.

I want to take a minute to talk about the romance in this book. This book does feature the friends-to-lovers trope, which is something that I am always a fan of. I liked that the romance in this book wasn’t a major plot point. Kit and Jett have their moments, and it’s clear that Kit has a major crush on Jett, but the book is more about friendship and smashing the patriarchy than romance.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book. It’s only May, but I already know that this book is going to be one of my favourite books of the year. It has a diverse cast of characters, real-world problems, lots of breakfast food, and sword fighting. I recommend this book to everyone, especially people looking to smash the patriarchy.

I received an advanced copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Rosalie Underwood is a hard-working, single mother, who has reluctantly moved back to her hometown after her marriage ended in disaster. Nicholas Fontaine is the grief-stricken, single father, and new owner of failing Ady’s Creole Café. When Rosalie walks into Ady’s and asks for a job, Nick hires her on the spot, not knowing that she was going to turn his life and the café around.

I found this book to be cute, cliché, and frustrating. I liked the two main characters, and I thought that they brought out the best in each other. I liked how hard-working and determined Rosalie was, and I loved her relationship with her daughter Remi. I liked Nick, and I felt bad for him because people were calling him lazy when in actuality, he was struggling to process his grief. I also loved Nick’s relationship with his daughter Maxie, and I loved the moments featuring just the two of them. I loved Remi and Maxie’s relationship, and I’m glad that these two little girls found each other and were able to balance each other out.

One thing that frustrated me about this book is that the timeline didn’t make sense. The entire book takes place over a span of a few months, and in my opinion, too much happened during those few months. I think it’s great that Nick and Rosalie were able to get Ady’s back on its feet again, but I couldn’t wrap my head around that much progress being made in such a short amount of time. I also had a difficult time believing that Rosalie went from making spaghetti from a jar to being able to work side by side with a professionally trained chef and churning out an award-winning menu in a matter of weeks.

This brings me to my favourite part of the book, which was all the food. I love food and books with descriptions of food usually make me hungry and happy. Some of the dishes like cheesy shrimp with grits, gumbo, and cheesy creole pasta sounded delicious, and I wish I could eat what they were making. I also loved the Autumn festival, because the thought of being surrounded by falling leaves, delicious smelling food, and autumn treats made me happy, especially since I’ve barely left the house in seven weeks.

There were a few other things that annoyed me about this book, including how quickly the conflict was resolved. This book features the classic characters fail to communicate, and then they have a fight scene, and then they talked, and everything was resolved shortly after that. I was also annoyed with some of the language used when the characters were getting intimate. I’m not a writer, and I have to imagine that writing sex scenes is incredibly difficult, but there must be better language choices than the ones that were used in this book. I was also slightly annoyed with how many clichés were in this book, I love clichés, but it felt like this book had too many of them.

Overall, I liked this book. I thought it was cute, and I liked the relationship between the main characters. I especially liked all the food featured in this book, and I enjoyed the relationship between Remi and Maxie. If you’re looking for something cute and quick to read, I recommend checking this book out.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher (Montlake Romance) through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The Wedding War starts out in 1985 when pre-teen Melanie and Tennyson are meeting in their emergency rendezvous spot. The reason for the meeting is because Melanie found a box with something in it, and the two girls don’t know what to do with the secret they uncovered. The book then jumps forward to the present day, and Melanie and Tennyson hate each other because Tennyson revealed the secret at Melanie’s wedding. Unfortunately for Melanie and Tennyson, their children have fallen in love and are getting married, and they’re going to be seeing a lot of each other from now on.

My favourite thing about this book is how fun it was to read. There was so much drama in this book, and I was tempted to make some popcorn to snack on while it all played out. Weddings, in general, tend to be a bit dramatic, especially when there are competing opinions, but the wedding in this book took drama to a whole new level. This book threw some drama into every aspect of the wedding, and I loved it.

The other thing I liked about this book was the character development. Modern-day Tennyson is incredibly wealthy and very self-centred. She wants people to pay attention to her, and she likes to be over the top. Modern-day Melanie has turned into the person that everyone relies upon, and she never does anything for herself anymore. As these two characters are forced into each other’s life again, Tennyson is brought more down the earth, and Melanie starts to break out of her shell. The two characters balance each other out, and I loved reading about it.

I want to take a minute to talk about the romantic relationships in this book. I loved Tennyson’s relationship with “Hot Cop” aka Joseph. I was thoroughly amused by their relationship at the beginning, and I thought they made a great pair. I felt bad for Melanie as she dealt with the realization that her husband, Kit, was more interested in someone younger than her. Every time Charlotte made an appearance, I wanted to scream at Kit for making a poor decision.

The other thing I liked about this book is that there was a bit of a mystery going on. In the beginning, we know that Melanie and Tennyson found a box and inside of this box was a secret that ended up destroying Melanie and Tennyson’s relationship. Throughout the book, glimpses are given as to what was inside of the box and what Tennyson did, but the full story isn’t revealed until closer to the end. These little glimpses made me want to keep reading because I desperately wanted to know what happened.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was full of drama and laughs, and it was a lot of fun to read. I liked that this book was about friendship and healing the past and that the romance was just a subplot. I do want to throw in a few content warnings though for people who are thinking of picking up this book. There is a side character who has an eating disorder, there is also mention of someone committing suicide in the past, and someone having an abortion in the past.