I have a hit or miss for YA romance, but this was a hit! Addie was at a wedding in Ireland after having her had her broken. All she asked was to visit her bestie in Italy, but her trip goes wrong! Her and her brother, Ian, join his friend, Rowan, on a super fun road trip across Ireland.

This book was so cute! I loved the story of boy meets girl (stranger trope), on a trip across Ireland! Sign me up! Addie finds a guide book showing her through Ireland, but with a twist...it’s titled “Ireland for the Heartbroken”. When her and Rowan decide to follow it the fun begins!

I really liked this second book in the series. I didn’t need to read the first book, and you too can get away without reading it.

Although I loved Addie, Rowan was my favorite character. A guy who eats “sugar cereal” can’t go wrong! Plus he drives a Volkswagen. What’s not to love? Well, he does the guide book with her and we find out so much more!

Love & Luck is so cute! Addie is a character that I think most girls can relate to, and Rowan is the nice guy that sometimes we need.

Prudence and Quint are high school lab partners. Pru is an overachiever while Quint lives a more relaxed lifestyle. When they get a C in their class, Pru wants to do extra credit over the summer, but Quint is not on board with spending his summer working on a school project. When Pru hits her head after singing "Instant Karma" by John Lennon she gets the ability to cast instant karma on those around her that she feels are doing wrong. The only person she can’t use this power on is Quint. When she discovers more about Quint and how he volunteers at his mother’s animal rescue center, she offers to volunteer as long as he does the extra credit with her.

This was a cute young adult contemporary romance with some magical realism thrown in. Prudence is a bit stuck up, but she’s a smart teenage girl with her head on straight, which I like as a main character in young adult. Quint seems to be a slacker, but there’s so much more to his character. This is definitely an enemies to lovers trope with the two being an unlikely couple.

My favorite part of the book was once Pru started volunteering at the animal rescue center. I loved all of the animals that they helped. I enjoyed that this book gave me an education on beach cleanup and conservation of wildlife. I liked Pru and Quint’s relationship especially as he teaches her more about the animals at the rescue center and how people can make a difference in helping them.

The only negative I have is that this booked dragged a bit at the end. It could have been a few chapters shorter.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that narrator, Rebecca Soler, did a great job. I enjoy Marissa Meyer’s writing style, and I would recommend this to fans of YA romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Happy Publication Day!

Fern and Rose are twin sisters, but they couldn’t be more different. Rose seems to have her life together working as an interior decorator and happily married although her husband has been away on business for an extended amount of time. Fern has been single most of her life, works in a library, and has sensory issues. When she finds out Rose can’t have children she decides she can help her sister out.

Enter Wally! Fern meets him in the library, and there’s a connection between them. She asks him out thinking he can be the father. Problem is she starts to like him and forgets about her plan to have a baby for Rose.

I can’t say much more than that without giving away spoilers so you’ll just have to read the book to see what happens.

The Good Sister is told from Fern and Rose’s perspectives. Fern’s is told as present day while Rose’s is written as journal entries.

I loved Fern and Wally! Fern is such a unique character with her sensory issues, and Sally Hepworth did a great job writing this character and showing how she processes things differently. Wally and Fern’s relationship is so pure and caring. It was nice to read about a couple that wasn’t all about drama.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a slow burn, but the first half is so important to the story. We get to know all about these characters and what their lives are like. At about the 60% mark, we start getting more into the twists and turns of the thriller. At this point, the book picks up pace and flies by!

Although some of the twists might have been predictable there were so many I didn’t see coming, and don’t get me started on that ending!

This is the second book I’ve read by Sally Hepworth, and I look forward to reading more. She does an excellent job of keeping the reader guessing and on their toes while building an enjoyable story where we get to know the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

When their mother is court ordered to go to rehab after a drunk driving incident, 13-year-old, Eli, and 17-year-old, Anna are forced to pretend that their Aunt Lisa is staying with them so they aren’t separated. Eli is not your typical 13-year-old girl. She dresses more like a boy and is in love with her female best friend. Anna is going through her own things as a 17-year-old who does not know what she wants to do after graduation. The two find themselves in trouble at school, so when a social worker shows up at their house they flee in search of their real Aunt Lisa.

For a middle grade book, Middletown touches on many hard subjects including alcoholism, sexual harassment, gender identification, homosexuality, and parental neglect. I was impressed with how the author, Sarah Moon, handled this subject matter. She did it in a way that was not too in your face and perfect to help middle grade readers get an understanding of subject matter that they do not always get insight on.

I really loved the relationship between Eli and Anna. They acted like normal siblings, but actually relied on each other in a way that made them so much more. With an alcoholic mother, they had to take care of themselves a lot of their time and found ways to get by. I enjoyed when they were on the road to visit Aunt Lisa because it really showed their bond. Aunt Lisa was another great character. I liked how she took the girls in without really knowing them. She also helped them to grow up and figure out what they wanted from their lives.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator, Hope Newhouse, did an excellent job. This was my first book by Sarah Moon, but I am planning to read more of her books.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Samantha Casey is a school librarian who loves her jobs, the students, and her work family. When the beloved principal, Max, passes away, Duncan Carpenter takes the job. Years ago, he worked with Sam, but is not the same person he was back then after a tragic accident. Now, he wants to change everything that Max set up to make the school a comfortable and educational experience for the kids. Sam had feelings for Duncan when they worked together before, and she thought Duncan would be perfect for the job. Now she’s not so sure because she sees how much he has changed. He used to be carefree and fun, but now he’s a suit wearing, straight-laced guy. Will Sam and Duncan continue to butt heads? Or, will Sam get what she wished for all those years ago?

I have read two other books by Katherine Center and loved them. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel the same about this one. There wasn’t as much character development as we’ve seen in previous books. Sam is very immature for a 28-year-old and was extremely needy. I found her character hard to like. There wasn’t much plot, and it felt like the first 60% of the book focused mostly on Sam and her insecurities. Duncan definitely had a better backstory, but I felt Sam overshadowed it. It was also odd to me how one minute Duncan and Sam were fighting, and the next they were kissing. It didn’t seem realistic to me how quickly their opinions changed. I did really like some of the secondary characters and wish they were an integral part of the story.

I do plan to read more books by Center. Although this book wasn’t for me, I have seen some reviews where the readers loved it. Please don’t let my opinion stop you from reading it.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my late, but honest opinion!

A Vow So Bold and Deadly is the third book in The Cursebreakers series by Brigid Kemmerer. A Curse So Dark and Lonely was my first YA fantasy book, and I immediately fell in love. What’s not love about a retelling of Beauty and the Beast? It tells the story of Rhen and Harper, but my favorite character was Grey so I was excited when I found out A Heart So Fierce and Broken would focus more on his story. It also includes a new character, Lia Mara. I gave both of these books 5 stars. When I heard that A Vow So Bold and Deadly would bring all four main characters together I couldn’t wait to read it.

The first four chapters alternate so each character has their own chapter. I was hooked right away! The book then goes into sections where we have Rhen and Harper alternating chapters and Lia Mara and Grey alternating chapters. I liked the way it was written from all four perspectives. The one thing I wanted though were more chapters with the four of them together.

I love Brigid Kemmerer’s books. She’s become one of my favorite authors, but I just wanted more from this story. I didn’t feel like it had the same excitement as the first two books and at times I actually found it somewhat slow. I still enjoyed it though and was happy to see how the story unfolded. I’m still #teamgrey for life!

Minnie Cooper (yes, that’s her name!) was born on New Year’s Day, but her birthday has always been unlucky. She blames it on Quinn Hamilton who was born at the same hospital, on the same day, only one minute before her. His family won a cash prize for the first baby born that year. A prize that should have been Minnie’s along with Quinn’s name. Every year, Minnie’s birthday is a disaster, but thirty years later, she actually meets Quinn at a party. When they continue to run into each other it seems maybe their worlds were meant to collide.

This Time Next Year is told in alternating timelines from present day to different times in the past where we see Quinn and Minnie’s lives intersect. I loved the way it was written and seeing how it would all come together. Sophie Cousens does a great job with this writing style.

Although predictable at times, I really enjoyed this rom-com. The characters were so charming and likeable, and I was rooting for Quinn and Minnie to get together. Leila is Minnie’s best friend, and I loved their friendship and the parts of the book that included her. All of the characters were relatable and seemed genuine.

This was a fun read and told in a creative way. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys contemporary romance with some LOL moments.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Sunflower Sisters is the third book in the Lilac Girls or Woolsey-Ferriday series by Martha Hall Kelly. I have read all three books in order, but this book can be read as a standalone. Since I’ve read all of the books though I’ll give you a little feedback!

Lilac Girls was highly recommended to me by a friend who knows my love of WWI historical fiction. I thought this book was done so well. I loved the story of Caroline Ferriday, an American philanthropist who helped young girls released from Ravensbruck concentration camp. Her story has stuck with me since reading it. This was a 5-star read for me.

Lost Roses is set during WWI, and follows the story of Caroline Ferriday’s mother, Eliza who goes to Russia with a friend who is the cousin of the Romanov’s. When they arrive, Austria declares war on Serbia and the Russian Imperial Empire. Although I don’t read much WWI historical fiction, I still this story. This was a 4-star read for me.

Sunflower Sisters is set during the Civil War and is told from first-person perspectives of the three main characters. Georgey – an abolitionist nurse, Jemma – a slave, and Anne-May – a plantation owner. I really loved Georgey, and how she followed her passion for nursing instead of marrying someone and living a society lifestyle. Jemma is such a strong character who works as a slave for Anne-May. When Anne-May tries to sell her, Jemma finds a way to escape and join the Union Army. Anne-May is left behind to run the plantation when her husband and brother go to war. She joins a secret Southern spy network, which leads her to the fate she deserves.

Martha Hall Kelly does a great job in all three of these books by intertwining the lives of her main characters. This book is a great example of historical Civil War fiction as it takes us all throughout the US from southern plantations, slave auctions, battlefields, draft riots, war-torn New York City, and Gettysburg.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine/Random House Publishing Group for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. I had listened to the first two books on audiobook though and since it’s a multi-narrator cast (which I love), I decided to wait to listen to the audiobook rather than read the eBook I received. The audiobook has a great cast of narrators including Cassandra Campbell, Saskia Maarleveld, Shayna Small, and Jenna Lamia. I highly recommend all three books in this series on audiobook.