What a beautiful retelling! I actually didn’t know this was a retelling because I went into this completely blind. It was such a beautiful story and I was enchanted right away. I really enjoyed going on this adventure!

A prince, jinn in disguise, jinn killer, and merchant go off on a journey together. Nothing can go wrong, right?! They are such an unlikely group but they kind of have to band together to face many obstacles. I loved the relationships between all of them! They are all weary of each other but then have to band together to survive.

The world-building was stunning and Abdullah’s writing has a way to captivate you with her writing. The beginning was a little bit slow but it really took off and I had a hard time putting it down. I loved all the elements that came together.

One of the things I loved the most about this book is the relationship between Loulie and Qadir. They come together in a very heartbreaking way, but the love they have for each other, is so beautiful. There is some strife that happens but you really get the absolute love and devotion Qadir has for Loulie. I loved him as a character as well. He’s serious at times but then kind of feels like a teddy bear at times. Regardless, they were my favorite relationship in this book!

I’m a little confused about the relationship Loulie had with Ahmed. I don’t know if it was really a romantic relationship or really good friends trying to make some type of romantic impact. I wish we would have gotten a bit more of Ahmed though.

I have to take a moment to shout out Aisha. I wasn’t sure that I would like her much but I came to really enjoy her character. I’m so intrigued about her journey. I loved her sass with Mazen. I think she has a really conflicting inner battle and I feel for her.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and it was a strong start to a series. I ended up flying through this one and really loving all the characters. There are a lot of retellings at the moment but I thought this stood out. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Thanks to Orbit for providing me with an arc of this book. It has in no way influenced my opinions. 

 

I buddy read this with Dini, and we had some issues with this one. It seems that we are both are in the unpopular opinion category. I’m glad I finally read it and marked off the TBR.

This book had a lot of issues and the main one being it’s so slow. It took a good 60% of this book before we both became interested in the plot. There are so many info dumps throughout this book, and it just goes over your head. I started skimming them because there really isn’t much of a point. Yet, there were many questions that we never had answered. This was something that really frustrated both of us.

Another thing, I didn’t love the romance. I just got friendly vibes and I think it’s because it just wasn’t developed very well. There is intent but most of the times they saw each other (very little) it just didn’t get me to where it was supposed to. I am not a fan of insta-love, at all. It’s my least favorite trope and this is kind of what that felt like.

The overall idea and characters of the book had so much promise. It was such an interesting take on the retelling concept. The creatures and world she built were unique and interesting. The whole Graces’ and their powers were really cool. The different places and creatures were also something I enjoyed.

I really did like Alyce as a character. She was always towing that line between good and evil. Her character was really the best part of this book. It always drives me crazy how people don’t understand one simple thing- hate breeds hate. She just wants to be loved and accepted but they treat her like a monster. What do you expect to happen? A person can only take so much.

Overall, this was a book that just left me a bit disappointed. Her take on the retelling was interesting and intriguing but it just didn’t get there, for me. There are some plot holes and too much information about things that didn’t matter. I really had high hopes for this book and wanted to love it, but I just didn’t. It’s not all bad but my overall impression is that it was just “okay.” 

It's painfully slow and actually quite brutal in places. I was just grossed out and didn't expect it to be that graphic. I could not stand the main characters and their immaturity. This was not the book for me. 

 

I have seen many people talk about this book lately and I decided I needed to read it stat. I buddy read both of these with Destiny @ Howling Libraries, and we loved them so much!!

Finlay Donovan is basically a mess. She’s recently divorced (cheating jerk) and has two kids. She’s disorganized, running really behind on writing her book, and way behind on her bills. She’s talking about her book details at a Panera and another woman overhears her. She then offers to pay Finlay a big chunk of money to kill her husband for her. Finlay decides to check out some things, innocently. Things turn for the worse and she finds herself in a lot of trouble- the middle of a murder!

Finlay was an amazing character because she felt like a “real” mom. She’s kind of a mess and things are chaotic, not to mention she has two kids. It really is the most accurate description I’ve read in a while to describe a mom that’s struggling. Her wit was hilarious, and I really enjoyed her banter with Vera. Speaking of Vera, I loved her so much. She reminds me of a smarta$$ teenager and I love it. Sometimes, I’m not sure if she’s being real or actually joking. 

I did not plan on reading this book right now. In fact, I had several arcs that I need to read asap. I could not stop thinking about this and needing to pick it up. I couldn’t concentrate on my current arc and decided to just put it down. I had to read this book and now! I pre-ordered this book without even reading the synopsis. I saw the cover and title and thought it would just be perfect for me. Not to mention, I adored both of her previous books! She has done it again, another book that I loved!

This is a rom com with enemies to lovers built in! If any of those words sound good to you then pick it up right now! This book was so full of books and bookish things. It was really a reader’s dream. Nora is a literary agent and Charlie is in editing. Of course, they don’t really work together but have a meeting that doesn’t go so well. Nora and her sister go off on a vacation to reconnect and who happens to live in this town? Charlie. Then the fun begins!

This one is funny, and I had a lot of laugh out loud moments. I remember laughing on the very second page. In fact, I sent a screenshot of it to a friend! There’s a lot of humor in the book which helps with the tougher moments. I could not put it down. I started and finished this book in less than a day! There are also a million quotable moments in this book. It’s just so good.

One of the things I adored about this book was the sister relationship. In their case, Nora kind of takes on the mother aspect, which is too much for Libby. Nora’s every decision and anxiety is wrapped up in Libby’s happiness. They went through a lot at a young age. Nora had to take care of Libby, but she takes it on fully and never lets up. It was really great to see Nora’s growth in this book. She’s kind of lost and her identity is Libby and her well-being. She has to learn to figure out what she wants and realize that Libby can take care of herself. It was such a beautiful relationship and honestly the focus of this book.

The romance was a bonus to me. I really loved the enemies-to-lovers aspect, which is my all-time favorite trope. The banter was top-notch in this one. There was a lot that Charlie and Nora had to unpack and learn about themselves. I loved how they grew together and get to a much better place with their own development- together. The support they got from one another was so beautiful. It made the moments later so much more impactful. I cried a lot!

There’s an aspect of the book that I did not love. I don’t really want to get into much detail but the book her client was writing was weird. I didn’t think it was very professional and it was just odd. I didn’t think it added very much to the book. There were better ways to have Nora realize things about herself. It’s all I’m going to say about that. Something else that I was surprised not to like was the epilogue. It might be one of the worst epilogues I’ve read in a while. I was extremely rushed and felt just randomly thrown together. I wanted so much more from it since it was included. I think it would have been better to not have added it.

Overall, I adored this one and I couldn’t put it down. I am still thinking about that ending! There’s a lot of focus on the sisters, which I loved. There’s so much book content in here that just made me so happy! Books, Bookstores, Book professions, and book quotes. Seriously, so good! The romance was just perfect and sweet. I loved it all! I cannot wait to read the next one and Emily Henry is now a top favorite!!

 

This is going to be one of my top books of the year, I know it. It is so far! It was just so beautifully written, and I was completely swept away. I stayed up way too late because I had to finish this book.

Axie Oh, created such amazing characters and mythology was just so beautifully descriptive. I don’t know much about the Korean Mythology this is based on, but I want to know more. Oh, did such a fabulous job that she made me feel like I knew it and I didn’t question it.

Mina is headstrong and will do anything for her family. She sacrifices herself to save the girl her brother is in love with. She kind of throws a wrench into the plans and shows up ready to roll. She has no intention to just let things be and wants to make sure she can finally fix it for good. She is on this journey in the spiritual world that ends up becoming very dangerous and not at all what she thought.

Shin was a character that I really loved. Not knowing anything about this retelling, I kind of figured out the ending. It didn’t take away anything about the story for me. I was just aching for Shin and wanted to wrap him up in a big hug. The romance between he and Mina was lovely. As many of you know, I despise insta-love. This kind of hints at it but it feels more like it was tied to their fate and gave off different vibes. There’s a lot of angst between these two!! I was wrapped up in it and just hoping against all hope for them.

The friendships in this book are fabulous! Oh, did an amazing job creating complex side characters that really gripped you. I just adored them all! Can I please get a prequel about Namgi and Kirin?! Pleeaassee?? Their relationship was so much deeper as the book goes on. I need more! Even the trio that helps Mina out was just so well done. I kind of figured all that out but when it was finally revealed- still lots of tears!

I’m having such a hard time writing this review because I loved this book so much. This was a book about feelings and hope. I was engrossed from the very beginning and invested in all of these characters. Oh, does a fantastic job with the vivid imagery and I’m so sad this is a standalone. I felt so many emotions and by the end of the book I was in such a happy place. I’m so glad I didn’t let this amazing book sit on my shelf for years. If you have had this on your radar, I implore you to pick it up! 

 
I was so excited to get an early read of this book. A book about Noodles and I was imagining all the different pasta creations I would be making. Sadly, I was a bit let down because it was not at all what I envisioned. True, there's a lot of delicious-sounding pasta in here, but many are hard to make. There are so many ingredients that would be hard to find at a local grocery store. Many of these pasta recipes were heavily Asian influenced, more so than Italy. This is a gorgeous book and there are photos of each recipe, which I love. I really appreciate it when cookbooks have pictures since I'm a visual person. Will this be a great gift for a college student or beginner? Nope. This is more geared to those who want to experiment with many flavors and ingredients than the average noodle dish. I would love to try so many of these if someone else was making them for me! I just don't have the time with a toddler to try involved recipes.


I want to thank the publisher, Workman Publishing Company, for providing me with an e-ARC to review. Thanks to Netgalley as well. It has in no way influenced my opinions. 

 

This book is full of so many amazing authentic places and stories. It’s actually much more than just a recipe book. I am of Mexican descent and love reading and learning about all the different places. He has several recipes that go with each part of Mexico. I have a hard time with Mexican cookbooks because so many of them are not really authentic. This one definitely has many authentic recipes! I can’t wait to buy this one. Not only is it beautiful there’s just so many delicious recipes. There are several recipes that I’m really excited to try but also some that have been a part of my childhood! Some of the recipes might be harder to find ingredients for, if you don’t shop at the Mexican grocery store. On the flip side, there are several that are fairly easy to make with common ingredients. I saw someone post about too much cilantro. Guys, this book is about Mexican cuisine and cilantro is a stable in ALL our cooking! Just an FYI- there’s a lot of cilantro in this book!

A special thanks to Clarkson Potter Publishers for an arc via Netgalley! All thoughts and opinions are my own!