Quick Stats
Age Rating: 14/15+
Over All: 4 stars
Plot: 3.5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 4/5

Special thanks to TLC Book Tours and Amulet Books for an ARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.

TW: sexual assault, rape, outing, religious trauma, cheating, addiction (painkillers and alcohol) + more

Alannis Morrisette’s debut album got the Mamma Mia treatment and was made into a musical. That musical got the Dear Evan Hansen treatment, and was made into a YA novel.
I think the driving force behind this novel is Alannis and her fame, however I’m not sure how affective that will be in bringing readers to this book. Most Alannis fans are older millennials and gen x, who are unlikely to be interested in reading a YA book. I picked it up because my mom was a huge fan in college, so I’m familiar with her name and music, but I’m not sure how many of today’s teens are. And, honestly, I find that disappointing, because this book was good, and I definitely recommend it—whether or not you’ve heard of Alannis Morrisette or Jagged Little Pill.

This story hits on so many hard, important topics. At it’s center, it is a story of a survivor and those around her fighting for justice, but it touches on so much more. Bella’s assault and the aftermath are the driving factor of the plot, and while nothing is directly described, it still has the potential to be triggering. However, Frankie deals with what it’s like to be a Black girl who was adopted into a white family, as well as feeling like you come in second to your sibling, and figuring out you sexuality and being closeted/coming out. Jo deals with being out in a non-accepting home and environment, and it touches on religion as a factor of that. This book tackles the #MeToo movement, race, sexuality, interracial adoption, religious trauma, addiction, and more in 300 some pages, and it manages to do all of that well, and in a way that never feels too overwhelming or heavy handed.
A large part of Frankie’s story revolves around cheating, and I really didn’t enjoy that aspect of the book. Frankie’s character started off strong, but as the book went on, she started to bug me more and more. I feel like that whole fiasco took away from the main focus of Bella, and almost undermined all the other serious issues Frankie was dealing with. And yes, I understand she did what she did because she was overwhelmed by the other things going on in her life, but to me that felt like it was used to excuse her actions. It was never made out to be “that bad” and I felt like we were supposed to feel bad for Frankie for what she was doing, and I just couldn’t.
Outside of that one storyline, I really enjoyed the book, and I do recommend it as long as you check all the trigger warnings.

Quick Stats
Age Rating: 18+
Over All: 4.5 stars
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Disability Rep: 5/5

My first Chloe Liese book! I learned about The Bergman Brothers series last year—and about their incredible disability rep—and have really been interested in reading them since. But they’re adult romances, which I don’t tend to read, and they’re self published which means they aren’t available at my library, so I kept putting it off.
But a few weeks ago I figured I’d check one more time, and lo and behold: My library had ebooks! I now have holds on every book in the series and am excited to get into them.
Yes, they do have some spice. I’d say maybe 2.5 stars? Too much for what I enjoy, but within the amount that I’m willing to skim over when there’s disability rep. I never factor spice into my ratings when reading adult books, so even if I don’t enjoy that aspect, I rate books based on how I enjoyed the other aspects of plot, character, and writing.

I really enjoyed the book. The banter and chemistry between Ryden and Willa was top notch from the start. I’m thinking “frenemies-to-lovers” may be one of my new favorite tropes. Both characters were so real, I felt as if they could climb right of the page. I cried when they cried and laughed when they laughed. Sure, they infuriated me at times with their willful blindness to each other’s real feelings in the first half (and Willa’s bullheaded refusal to acknowledge her own feelings). But while it drove me crazy, it was written in a way that felt natural and real.

I also really appreciated that this is a “revised edition”. In the front of a book there was an authors note saying the book had been updated and revised in 2021 with the help of someone who had lived Ryden’s disability. Chloe Liese acknowledged that in her first printing, there were aspects that were innacurate to the representation of Deaf people who lost their hearing later in life, and did what she could to correct that. Is it the bare minimum? It should be. But so many authors would never take the steps to fix what they wrote, so I appreciate it all the same.

Quick Stats
Age Rating: 18+
Over All: 5 stars
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 4/5
Disability Rep: 10/5

Yeah. I’m a Chloe Liese stan.
Please note this book has 2-3 star spice and is solidly 18+.
It is solidly an adult romance. I think it was even a little spicier than book 1 in the series. I ended up skimming/skipping a handful of pages. But it was done in a way that I didn’t miss anything by doing so, and there was plenty of plot, romance, and character development outside of the spicy scenes that I was fully engaged in the book despite skipping a scene here or there.

Chloe Liese writes some of the most raw and real characters I’ve read. They are all unique and fully developed and beautifully written. She utilizes classic tropes—in this case, grumpy x sunshine—without ever letting her characters become stereotypes in any way, shape, or form. And all of her couples have IMMACULATE chemistry and banter.

Like Only When It’s Us (see my review here ), there is amazing disability rep in this book. Frankie, one of the main POV characters is autistic and has Rheumatoid Arthritis and uses a cane. Chloe Liese has autism as well, so it’s #ownvoices for that rep, and while as far as I know, she doesn’t have a chronic illness, her representation of one was really well done.

I love Frankie. I love how she interacted with each of her disabilities differently. I love how strong she was, and how vulnerable she was at the same time. All the ways she had come to terms with herself, and all the ways she was still coming to terms with about herself throughout the novel.
I love Ren. He’s just the biggest teddy bear of a man with an absolute heart of gold. He, too, was a complex character, but he just made me melt like, constantly with how sweet he was. I adore him.

I also really liked Ziggy, and I hope we get her story someday, too. I’m desperate for more of her, and I relate to her quite a lot.

All in all, decently spicy, definitely adult, be warned, but definitely worth the read if you’re over 18.

Quick Stats
Age Rating: 13+
Over All: 4 stars
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 4/5

Special thanks to Penguin Teen and storygram for providing me with a copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.

This was a very strong debut. It’s a YA speculative mystery/thriller, and it was just enough creepy to keep you on the edge of your seat without keeping you up all night after you’ve finished it. (It may keep you up all night because you can’t put it down though).
I honestly don’t think I’ve read anything quite like this. The magic, the characters, the plot. I mean, small town secrets, corrupt leaders, those tropes are common—but they’re popular for a reason, and Stacy Stokes executed them flawlessly, using them to weave a unique story that truly kept me guessing from page one.
It’s twisty. It’s fun. It’s even got some romance and female friendships.
There’s not much I can say about this book, because I think it’s one you need to go into without knowing too much, but I definitely recommend, and I can’t wait to see what Stokes comes out with next.

Tricia Levenseller is one of my favorite authors. Her books never disappoint. This is not an exception.

Thank you FierceReads and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

This book felt different from the first book in the duology. It was less band of rogues on their own and a lot more courtly politics. I thoroughly enjoyed it, however I don’t think it *quite* lived up to the expectations the first one set. I just found the plot of this one to be a little less engaging, a little slower, and just a little…less.
However, I still really enjoyed it. I will always love Ziva, Kellyn, and co. And I’m sad to say goodbye to them. I loved watching Ziva come into her own more and learn to embrace who she is and learn how to use her power in a way that she wanted to. And, of course, I adored the anxiety rep in this book. It was a little less than in the first book, but it was still there and still way too relateable,
This was a solid conclusion to an amazing duology and I impatiently await Tricia’s next book!