Take a photo of a barcode or cover
677 reviews by:
courtknee__vn
Thank you to Edelweiss for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
4.5/5 ⭐️
I really really enjoyed this book! I’m a sucker for the dating someone famous trope so I knew I needed to read this book as soon as I read the synopsis! There were a lot of things I loved about this book and only a couple things that kept me from giving it the other .5 ⭐️.
My favorite things:
- I loved Katelyn! She was a really fun and lovable lead character. The fact that she was still a huge Fangirl even though her brother is one of the most famous people in the world was really relatable!
- The way Katelyn’s relationship with her family evolved over the course of the book was really beautiful. I can’t imagine how hard it is to have to live in the spotlight of your brother and feel like your accomplishments aren’t good enough. But I really loved the relationship between her and Connor, them feeding the ducks was a great sibling moment for them!
- Katelyn and Zach were so sweet
4.5/5 ⭐️
I really really enjoyed this book! I’m a sucker for the dating someone famous trope so I knew I needed to read this book as soon as I read the synopsis! There were a lot of things I loved about this book and only a couple things that kept me from giving it the other .5 ⭐️.
My favorite things:
- I loved Katelyn! She was a really fun and lovable lead character. The fact that she was still a huge Fangirl even though her brother is one of the most famous people in the world was really relatable!
- The way Katelyn’s relationship with her family evolved over the course of the book was really beautiful. I can’t imagine how hard it is to have to live in the spotlight of your brother and feel like your accomplishments aren’t good enough. But I really loved the relationship between her and Connor, them feeding the ducks was a great sibling moment for them!
- Katelyn and Zach were so sweet
I have a lot to say about this book but It’s the middle of the night and I’m exhausted right now so right now I’m just going to say that this book is going to help so many young girls that grew up in religious situations and this story was absolutely beautiful and I can’t wait for the rest of the world to read it. Full review to come in the next couple of days!
Full review:
When I heard Erin had written a book about Meg after meeting her in More Than Maybe, I could not wait to get my hands on a copy! I was lucky enough to receive and arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and let me tell you, I have so much to say about this beautiful book. The journeys that both Meg and Micah went on throughout this story was as much heartbreaking as it was uplifting. I could easily read dozens more books about these two.
I’m going to start off with the heaviest part of the book. Obviously a big aspect of the story is religion and each of the characters relationship with it. I grew up in church and while I have a lot of really great memories from it, the religious trauma that comes from being raised in a church is nearly impossible to escape. I think it’s especially difficult for girls that grow up in church because we’re told our entire lives that it’s our responsibility to be modest as to not tempt anyone, to stamp down our feelings and be submissive, to protect our virtue because it’s the most precious thing we have and once it’s gone, you’re ruined. This leads to so many problems in adulthood when we’re trying to get out of that head space, it turns into fear and disgust for yourself and your body. I was lucky enough to not grow up in a conservative household so I didn’t have to deal with the same things at home as Meg did. It broke my heart anytime Meg would question if she was worthy of God’s love after she initiated any type of physical contact with Micah. Not to mention she believed that their relationship wouldn’t “be blessed” if they didn’t uphold the churches standards. She would also apologize profusely anytime she acted on an impulse it was her responsibility to make sure she didn’t tempt Micah. I think one of the worst things about church is the different ways that girls and boys are taught growing up and this is one of the main reasons. Micah was always really great at helping Meg deal with the self hatred she felt in these moments and I loved that about their relationship.
On the other side, Micah had completely different religious trauma. The way his church treated him and his family after his dad went to prison was awful. Church is supposed to be a place with a community that takes care of you when you fall on hard times but instead they ostracized their family for decisions his dad made. Thankfully it didn’t make him lose his faith bu it did push him away from church and that’s really sad. Personally, like Micah, I’ve come to the conclusion that church and organized religion aren’t for me. I’ve always come out of it feeling worse about myself than I did going in and I’ve always believed that faith should be something that makes you feel good not bad. Even though I’ve figured out that organized religion is not for me, I never stopped having faith. I love God and while my beliefs and ideas change and evolve, my love for him never wavers. As someone that’s dealt with mental illness my entire life, I have to believe that there’s a purpose and that’s what my faith is for me. My issue with church is that every one I’ve ever gone to has ingrained in me that if I just trusted God enough, I wouldn’t feel the way I do. It’s taken me a long time to lose the mindset that my anxiety and depression make me weak in the eyes of Go and while I’m in a much better place now, it’s going to be something I struggle with for the rest of my life.
My favorite thing about this book was the characters. First, both Meg and Micah were perfect lead characters. They each had their individual storyline that were moving and important while they also had their journey together. I love book couples that meet and you just know they’re soulmates and were meant to find each other and that’s exactly how they are. I also loved getting to see more of Vada and Luke. I adored their relationship and Vada’s friendship with Meg so getting more of them in this was so fun! James and Betty were exactly the family that Meg needed when this story started and James was a great sounding board for Micah. Last but certainly not least, Duke. I would die for Duke. He is an absolute precious human being that deserves everything good in the world. I need to know more about his life and his journey in the future.
One of my favorite things about each of Erin’s books is how music always plays an important part in the characters stories. As someone that’s very driven by music, I always connect so deeply to this aspect of the stories & I love it. I’m going to stop rambling now and just say that this is a book I’m going to be recommending to everyone forever. I think it’s going to help so many people going through religious trauma & need to know that they’re not alone. Please pick up this book when it’s released in September, you won’t regret it.
Full review:
When I heard Erin had written a book about Meg after meeting her in More Than Maybe, I could not wait to get my hands on a copy! I was lucky enough to receive and arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and let me tell you, I have so much to say about this beautiful book. The journeys that both Meg and Micah went on throughout this story was as much heartbreaking as it was uplifting. I could easily read dozens more books about these two.
I’m going to start off with the heaviest part of the book. Obviously a big aspect of the story is religion and each of the characters relationship with it. I grew up in church and while I have a lot of really great memories from it, the religious trauma that comes from being raised in a church is nearly impossible to escape. I think it’s especially difficult for girls that grow up in church because we’re told our entire lives that it’s our responsibility to be modest as to not tempt anyone, to stamp down our feelings and be submissive, to protect our virtue because it’s the most precious thing we have and once it’s gone, you’re ruined. This leads to so many problems in adulthood when we’re trying to get out of that head space, it turns into fear and disgust for yourself and your body. I was lucky enough to not grow up in a conservative household so I didn’t have to deal with the same things at home as Meg did. It broke my heart anytime Meg would question if she was worthy of God’s love after she initiated any type of physical contact with Micah. Not to mention she believed that their relationship wouldn’t “be blessed” if they didn’t uphold the churches standards. She would also apologize profusely anytime she acted on an impulse it was her responsibility to make sure she didn’t tempt Micah. I think one of the worst things about church is the different ways that girls and boys are taught growing up and this is one of the main reasons. Micah was always really great at helping Meg deal with the self hatred she felt in these moments and I loved that about their relationship.
On the other side, Micah had completely different religious trauma. The way his church treated him and his family after his dad went to prison was awful. Church is supposed to be a place with a community that takes care of you when you fall on hard times but instead they ostracized their family for decisions his dad made. Thankfully it didn’t make him lose his faith bu it did push him away from church and that’s really sad. Personally, like Micah, I’ve come to the conclusion that church and organized religion aren’t for me. I’ve always come out of it feeling worse about myself than I did going in and I’ve always believed that faith should be something that makes you feel good not bad. Even though I’ve figured out that organized religion is not for me, I never stopped having faith. I love God and while my beliefs and ideas change and evolve, my love for him never wavers. As someone that’s dealt with mental illness my entire life, I have to believe that there’s a purpose and that’s what my faith is for me. My issue with church is that every one I’ve ever gone to has ingrained in me that if I just trusted God enough, I wouldn’t feel the way I do. It’s taken me a long time to lose the mindset that my anxiety and depression make me weak in the eyes of Go and while I’m in a much better place now, it’s going to be something I struggle with for the rest of my life.
My favorite thing about this book was the characters. First, both Meg and Micah were perfect lead characters. They each had their individual storyline that were moving and important while they also had their journey together. I love book couples that meet and you just know they’re soulmates and were meant to find each other and that’s exactly how they are. I also loved getting to see more of Vada and Luke. I adored their relationship and Vada’s friendship with Meg so getting more of them in this was so fun! James and Betty were exactly the family that Meg needed when this story started and James was a great sounding board for Micah. Last but certainly not least, Duke. I would die for Duke. He is an absolute precious human being that deserves everything good in the world. I need to know more about his life and his journey in the future.
One of my favorite things about each of Erin’s books is how music always plays an important part in the characters stories. As someone that’s very driven by music, I always connect so deeply to this aspect of the stories & I love it. I’m going to stop rambling now and just say that this is a book I’m going to be recommending to everyone forever. I think it’s going to help so many people going through religious trauma & need to know that they’re not alone. Please pick up this book when it’s released in September, you won’t regret it.
Askjaksjsusjebdk I am going to be screaming about this book for the rest of my life!! I can’t even put into words all of my feeling about it right now so I’ll be back later for a full review but just know this book is a masterpiece and I can’t wait for the rest of the world to read it in December!!
While this wasn’t my favorite work of Nikita’s, I did really enjoy this book of poetry! It was very uplifting in a time where hope is hard to find and a light in the darkness that is happening in the world! Nikita has a beautiful way with words that always resonates with me at the exact time I need them!
This book has been on my tbr for a while and I don’t know why it took me so long to pick it up but I’m so glad I finally did! I knew a few chapters in when Luke & Cullen played Kiss, Merry, Kill with Stiles, Derek, and Scott from Teen Wolf (the correct answer to this is Kiss Derek, Merry Stiles, Kill Scott and I can’t be convinced otherwise
*I received an arc of this book from NetGalley*
I honestly have never been disappointed by Amanda Lovelace and this book of poetry is no different. I don’t know what it is but I will devour anything that is a modern, feminist kind of retelling of fairytales, I just love them so much.
I honestly have never been disappointed by Amanda Lovelace and this book of poetry is no different. I don’t know what it is but I will devour anything that is a modern, feminist kind of retelling of fairytales, I just love them so much.
*I received an arc for this book from NetGalley to review*
This book of poetry was honestly a breath of fresh air. It was an empowering work of art, perfect for every girl.
“The battles you fight do not take away from who you are”
This book of poetry was honestly a breath of fresh air. It was an empowering work of art, perfect for every girl.
“The battles you fight do not take away from who you are”
*I got an ARC of this from Net Galley*
This took me a little longer to get into than I thought it would and I think it’s because I was really annoyed by the way Maritza & JaKory treated Codi at the beginning so I didn’t get super into it until Codi met Ricky and the story really took off. Overall, I loved this book and I didn’t want to put it down once I got to about chapter 6!
Codi was a great narrator because of how relatable she is. She was so relatable at times that I really had to think about myself. I loved getting to see Codi through all of the different friendships she had, especially with Lydia, Ricky, & her brother Grant! Everything just wrapped up so well and made me feel so hopeful!
Definitely 5 stars, would read again! ☺️
This took me a little longer to get into than I thought it would and I think it’s because I was really annoyed by the way Maritza & JaKory treated Codi at the beginning so I didn’t get super into it until Codi met Ricky and the story really took off. Overall, I loved this book and I didn’t want to put it down once I got to about chapter 6!
Codi was a great narrator because of how relatable she is. She was so relatable at times that I really had to think about myself. I loved getting to see Codi through all of the different friendships she had, especially with Lydia, Ricky, & her brother Grant! Everything just wrapped up so well and made me feel so hopeful!
Definitely 5 stars, would read again! ☺️
*I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley for review*
I couldn’t decide if I wanted to give this book 3 or 4 stars but I ultimately decided on 4 because I think it ended pretty strongly. Update: I’ve thought a lot about this book and decided to change my review to 3 stars because I just didn’t like most of the characters.
I want to start by saying that mass shootings are one of my biggest fears and I hate that they’re something that have become so normalized in the lives of Americans that they are something we have to constantly be worried about when we go out in public. This book is about a girl that is the only survivor from the room where a school shooting happens and a boy that’s mom is the defense attorney for the shooter. Both May and Zach are dealing with the trauma a year after the shooting.
I had a really hard time connecting with both May and Zach in different ways and while I felt horrible for the situations that they were in, I found them both to be really unlikable. I understand why they would be because of all they’d been through but I just didn’t really like either of them until the end. Although I didn’t connect to them, I was rooting for them to make it through their grief and I was so sad for everything they went through. I especially can’t imagine the pain, grief, and regret that May was dealing with after being the only survivor and losing her twin brother and I was hoping she would be able to realize that it wasn’t her fault.
Overall, I think the book was okay. Even though the characters didn’t click with me through most of the book, I’m glad they were going down a path of healing at the end and I hope that they’re both able to live good lives!
I couldn’t decide if I wanted to give this book 3 or 4 stars but I ultimately decided on 4 because I think it ended pretty strongly. Update: I’ve thought a lot about this book and decided to change my review to 3 stars because I just didn’t like most of the characters.
I want to start by saying that mass shootings are one of my biggest fears and I hate that they’re something that have become so normalized in the lives of Americans that they are something we have to constantly be worried about when we go out in public. This book is about a girl that is the only survivor from the room where a school shooting happens and a boy that’s mom is the defense attorney for the shooter. Both May and Zach are dealing with the trauma a year after the shooting.
I had a really hard time connecting with both May and Zach in different ways and while I felt horrible for the situations that they were in, I found them both to be really unlikable. I understand why they would be because of all they’d been through but I just didn’t really like either of them until the end. Although I didn’t connect to them, I was rooting for them to make it through their grief and I was so sad for everything they went through. I especially can’t imagine the pain, grief, and regret that May was dealing with after being the only survivor and losing her twin brother and I was hoping she would be able to realize that it wasn’t her fault.
Overall, I think the book was okay. Even though the characters didn’t click with me through most of the book, I’m glad they were going down a path of healing at the end and I hope that they’re both able to live good lives!