Inspired Inner Genius is a new publishing house that believes every child is a genius. They are founded with the purpose to inspire, educate, and empower young minds across the globe from a tender age. The first book in the series is the story of Albert Einstein.

I don’t have children, but was more than happy to read and review this story. I think that the illustrations were very cute and really liked how this story teaches kids that they might not be the best at school, but can make something of their lives if they follow their dreams. Here’s a quote from the story that I thought was great:

“Whenever you’re feeling sad, remember that Albert Einstein started out as a kid whose future didn’t look promising. But he was very curious and he had a dream to learn as much as he could and share his knowledge with everybody around him. Deep down, Albert Einstein was just an ordinary kid with very big dreams!”

If you have children, I would highly recommend this series. The second book is about Steve Jobs and the third is about Amelia Earhart. I’m looking forward to reading them as well!

Thank you Inspired Inner Genius for my copy in exchange for my honest review.

When Mariana Andros’ niece, Zoe, calls her from Cambridge University asking her to come immediately, she knows something is wrong. Zoe thinks her friend Tara was murdered and is positive that Edward Fosca, a professor at the university, is the one who killed her. The problem is that Fosca is untouchable. Adored by the staff and students no one believes Mariana when she accuses him. Then another girl is murdered, and a secret society known as The Maidens is uncovered. An all-female, secret society that Fosca leads. Mariana becomes obsessed with proving his guilt, which threatens her credibility and her close relationships, but Mariana is determined to catch the killer.

Alex Michaelides does it again with his second novel, The Maidens. I enjoyed The Silent Patient, but I really loved The Maidens. This book is a bit of a slow burn in the beginning, but by Part 3, it picks up the pace, and I could not put it down at that point. I enjoy Michaelides writing style, and the shorter chapters made this book a complete page-turner. Greek mythology was woven throughout the story, and it was done so well that instead of taking up too much of the plot, it helped it progress. I thought I knew how it was going to end then a huge twist is thrown at us that I didn’t see coming at all. There is also a little surprise thrown into the story as well, that I thought was super clever on Michaelides part.

It’s best to go into this story blind so I don’t want to say more that would give anything away. All I will say is read The Maidens as soon as you can when it’s released on June 15th. While you do that, I’ll be waiting impatiently for Michaelides next book!

Thank you Celadon Books and NetGalley for my advanced copies in exchange for an honest review.

In 1915 Russia, Sofiya Moon volunteers to assist wounded soldiers at a makeshift hospital in the St. Petersburg Winter Palace. When she meets a wounded soldier, they fall in love, but he has no memory. When he remembers working for the House of Fabergé, they head there to get some answers as to who he was.

In 1948 New York, Isobelle Moon finds a tiara hidden in the apartment she shared with her late mother, Sofiya. She begins to research it to try to get a better understanding of who her parents were. Isobelle meets a young jeweler who also wants to find out the origins of the tiara, but for his own personal reasons.

The Last Tiara by M.J. Rose is a beautifully written historical fiction novel. Told from two perspectives, I really enjoyed both Sofiya’s and Isobelle’s journeys. I loved the dual timelines, and I enjoyed trying to figure out how their stories would come together. The premise of this book was wonderful. I loved learning about the historical aspects, but at times, they could be a little hard to follow. I cannot say much more without giving the story away so I’ll just say that I highly recommend this book if you like historical fiction.

Thank you NetGalley and Blue Box Press for an advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review. I actually decided to listen to the audiobook, and I’m glad I did. Tavia Gilbert beautifully narrated it.

Happy Pub Day!

August is a 23-year-old, bisexual woman who has just moved to New York City. She’s super cynical and likes to go through life alone. She doesn’t see how her eccentric roommates and job at a 24-hour pancake diner could change that. Then she meets Jane on her subway commute.

Jane is beautiful and mysterious and has this edgy punk rocker vibe. August is drawn to her and looks forward to her daily commute so she can see her. Then August realizes that Jane isn’t from this time. She’s literally displaced from the 1970’s and can’t get off the train. Maybe it’s time August starts believing in something so she can help Jane.

I really enjoyed this story. It’s a fun LGBTQ+ romance with some magical realism thrown in. Being from NY originally, I really loved the setting. August was written so realistically, and I enjoyed her relationship with Jane.

The best part of the book was all the secondary characters. The roommates and the diner employees were all fantastically written. I loved the scenes that included them. The character development was great for all of the characters.

The one negative I had was that I found the premise a little far fetched and was surprised this book wasn’t classified as magical realism. You really need to have an open mind when going into this one.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the the narrator, Natalie Naudus did an incredible job. You could feel her emotions while listening.

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

3.5 rounded up.

This is not a full review, but a recommendation! I honestly can’t write reviews lately. Call it reviewers block!

With that said, I absolutely enjoyed the Fable duology. I loved Fable. The characters were my favorite part. I wanted to be on the Marigold. Sadly I didn’t love Namesake as much. I missed the crew of the Marigold because they weren’t the main focus of the second book which didn’t give me the same feelings as the first book did.

With this said I would 100% recommend these books. Fable is a bad ass, and a role model. Women of any age would enjoy her story.

”We begin at the end Duchess. If you believe that you’ll be alright.”

Thirteen-year-old Duchess calls herself an outlaw. She has seen more heartache than most adults have. She will do whatever it takes to survive and to protect her five-year-old brother. Walk is the sheriff who grew up in this small town. He turned his best friend, Vincent in for murder thirty years ago, and now Vincent is being release. When they were young, they hung out with Star, who is now Duchess’s mother and has many issues she’s dealing with. When something happens, it will bring all these characters together in a devastating way.

We Begin at the End really surprised me. What started as a slow burn turned into a really powerful and moving story. The way Chris Whitaker intertwined the lives of these characters was truly impressive. This story tells the lives of people who deserve so much more than the hand they’ve been dealt. It is a coming of age story, a story of loss and hope, and a devastating story that truly touched my heart. This is one of those books where it is hard to review without giving too much away, and I don’t like giving spoilers. This was a beautifully written journey of self-preservation. I highly recommend this one.

I listened to the audiobook, and thought that the narrator, George Newbern, was the perfect choice.

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

Alice Lindstedt is a filmmaker who has decided to do a documentary on the residents of an old mining town known as “The Lost Village” who all vanished. In 1959, her grandmother’s family all disappeared there in a mysterious tragedy. The only people left were a woman stoned to death and an abandoned newborn baby. Alice gathers a small crew to make a film of what really happened.

Once they arrive at camp, mysterious things start to happen such as walkie-talkies malfunctioning, destroyed equipment, and people going missing. Alice really wants to get to the truth of what happened in the village back in 1959, but she begins to fear they are not alone. Something sinister is lurking around the lost village and seems to be looking for them.

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten is told from dual timelines. “Now” is from Alice’s point of view, and “then” is from her great-grandmother Elsa’s perspective. I found the “now” perspective to be a bit creepier, but preferred the storyline of “then”. I felt it brought more to the story giving us the background of what happened to the people of the village.

This book had all the makings for a great horror story. It has been compared to The Blair Witch Project, which I can see because it does have similarly eerie vibes; however, the story did fall short for me. I feel like there was not enough character development, which would have helped the story a lot. There were times the author would bring something up that would have benefited the book, but then it was never mentioned again. I’m not going to give examples to avoid spoilers. I also think the author would have benefited to include more about the creepiness of the village itself. It would have set the mood better. Overall, this book had a good premise that fell a little short.

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

What if you had a chance to relive your life to undo your regrets? What if you could do it over and over again until you found the right life for you?

Nora Seed gets this chance one night after attempting suicide when she wakes up in The Midnight Library. A place between life and death, that has infinite possibilities for a new life. Mrs. Elm, Nora’s school librarian oversees the library and helps to point out what Nora might be looking for. She goes through many different lives, but in each of these other lives there is always something that brings Nora back to The Midnight Library.

I thought this book had a really slow start. I really struggled to get into it. Then, about of a third of the way in, Nora ends up in the Arctic, and I felt the story finally picked up.

There are a lot of different lives that Nora goes through. Some I loved while others didn’t seem needed to help the story. I loved Mrs. Elm and the wisdom she imparted. I found the ending a bit predictable, but honestly loved it. I felt all the feels in the last three-four chapters that I was looking to feel throughout the entire story.

This is definitely a unique take on the what might have been story.

Birdy’s life is a bit hectic. Going from job to job, living in her best friend’s flat, and feeling no attachment to her family, she feels a bit lost. Heather’s life seems perfect. She’s a sommelier, has her own apartment, and has the prospect of a summer job as the sommelier at a hotel in Scotland, but she’s in search of love.

When Heather decides to ditch the sommelier job at a chance for love in Italy, Birdy jumps at the chance to go to Scotland and pretend to be Heather. When Birdy, aka Heather, arrives at Loch Dorn for her job she realizes she’s in over her head. Loch Dorn isn’t a rundown hotel like the website shows, but a newly renovated hotel with a Michelin star Chef. What’s Birdy to do?

Birdy was such a relatable character. I’m sure we’ve all felt lost like her at some point. Her insecurities are what makes her such a great female lead. Her missteps are what made this book so good. The way she learns from them made it even better.

I loved the supporting characters too! Bill, with his own issues, but his caring heart was endearing. Irene is the role model we all need in our lives. Anis is a strong woman who has to be tough to be noticed in the culinary world. And then there’s James.

Oh James. He’s a swoon worthy crush for sure. With his head on his shoulders, but naivety he was the perfect counterpart to Birdy’s flamboyance. I really loved his character.

The setting of this book was my favorite part though. Scotland was described so beautifully. It was atmospheric, and almost its own character.

I won’t give too much of the story away, but there were a lot of funny moments as well as some real heartfelt ones. My only gripe was that I felt it could be a bit shorter. It seemed to drag a bit before the emotional ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam - G.P. Putnam’s Sons for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.