Soooo...I really enjoyed this book. I’m a little surprised, because urban fantasy hasn’t typically been something I’m interested in. I picked this up because I kept hearing this author recommended as fantasy with good romantic subplots. I’m so glad I did because I’m hooked.

How hooked? Well, I listened to this book on audio and absolutely HATE the job the voice actor does. Nevada (our protagonist) is 25 years old, but this woman’s voice sounds like the voice of a 60 year old woman. The way she voices Adam (antagonist) and Rogan (the love interest) is even creepier. They sound like a couple of old leches. Not sexy at all. Somehow, I was able to still really enjoy the story.

The characters are interesting and flawed. I loved Nevada and her family dynamic. I really enjoyed the scenes with Rogan interacting with them, and how they take care of him but also don’t let him off the hook when he does something wrong.

I really enjoy Nevada and Rogan together as well. Not just as love interests, but also as equals trying to find out the truth about what is happening.

Also, I was a little surprised at the level of slow burn here. There is only one scene in the book that even approaches being considered a ‘sex scene’ and it is right near the end of the book. I feel like this is slow burn done right though. They’ve got a lot of obvious interest and heat. She wants him. She knows it, he knows it, everyone else knows it. And it pisses her off. Love that.


Now I’m contemplating whether I should jump into the next audiobook, which is readily available on Overdrive, or wait the 2-3 weeks for my turn to read an e-book copy...and I’m leaning toward the audiobook!

I still really enjoyed this book, but I wasn't quite as engaged as I was in the first book. Still a fun, quick read.

Like the title, this book was just so cute. I really enjoyed our protagonists and the friend group that forms throughout the book. I like the way the author uses what I call the 'You've Got Mail' trope (two people who know each other in real life are communicating with each other anonymously in some way) in a way that feels current and realistic.

The antagonists-to-friends-to-lovers romance here really works. I like that she is one of the only people who can tell him apart from his twin brother, and that it kind of throws him off guard but he appreciates it at the same time.

I like that the author doesn't keep their identities secret with regards to the twitter war for the entire book. They learn about it and agree to continue with their adversarial tweets, which is what really keeps them in the other's orbit as they begin to really get to know each other.

And can we just talk about the food? If the physical book doesn't have the recipe for monster cake and kitchen-sink macaroons, I will riot. Also, I really want a grandma's grilled cheese...like now. I love when a book that involves characters cooking actually makes me want what they're cooking.

My only qualms with this book are small. For one, I find it unlikely that it wasn't known that Pepper was the daughter of the founders of a big time restaurant chain. I don't get the sense that the private school they go to was huge, and even if it was, it still seems odd that no one would know.

Pepper's mom got off a little too easy with regards to the way she put so much on Pepper. What kind of mom expects her teenage daughter to run her business's social media account while she's supposed to be focusing on school and getting into college, then get upset when her grades suffer and not see that she was at least a little at fault?

Overall, I did enjoy this and would recommend to anyone looking for a cute, fluffy romance with funny banter and strong friendships.

This was my BOTM pick for January 2020, and I'm so glad I took a chance on it. I'd read a few mixed reviews that gave me some pause, but ultimately decided to see for myself.

I really enjoyed this. This is the first book I've read by this author and now I really want to go read her debut. The creepy atmosphere that she creates really sucked me in. There was tension in this book from beginning to end.

Some of the criticism I've seen of this book is that it felt repetitive because the characters in the two different timelines are learning the same things, but I actually felt like their respective investigations were different enough, and they found out things at different times in different ways. I never felt bored or like there were scenes that were extraneous.

I wasn't expecting the ghost story aspect of this to be so prevalent, but I think it was really well done. I was thoroughly creeped out. I could see this being a movie or show kind of like the Haunting of Hill House. It gave me the same vibe.

I am officially a Simone St. James fan, and am really interested to see what she does next.

I wasn't expecting this to be a five-star read when I started it. The premise itself is a little absurd. There are so many 'what ifs' that I had during the first few chapters. They're things that, if you think too hard about them, make this entire idea preposterous. It's definitely a story where you have to suspend disbelief and just go with it. Your DNA can be used in order to find the one person who you are the most compatible with on the planet. Okay, let's move along.

I really ended up enjoying this book and its characters, even though they were all a mess. Let's be clear, I didn't LIKE any of them. In fact, the one I did kind of like through most of the book ended up being my least favorite of the bunch, but this isn't a book that is asking you to like any of the people within it.

It's difficult to describe why this worked so well for me. It's weird and disturbing while still being really engaging. All of the storylines explored a different aspect of what would happen in a world where you trust a for-profit company to determine important life choices.

I was nervous that this would come across as pretentious, but it didn't at all. I found it really accessible and the pacing was spot-on.

I want to read more by this author in the future, and find more things like this.

2.5 stars I don't have a lot to say about this book. I love the story of The Count of Monte Cristo and was really excited when I heard that this was a spin on that book, but I'm not sure if it really embodies that story the way I wanted it to. The COMC elements seemed to be kind of thrown in without a lot of thought and I wanted this to be more about Amaya getting revenge on the people who had wronged her and less about Amaya being suckered into carrying out someone else's vendetta, which is what we got.

I also found several of the plot beats a little contrived. The circumstances surrounding Amaya meeting Boon and the idea that they both have the same enemy is pretty unrealistic. To be fair, the author does bring it back up at the very end of the book, but we don't actually get an answer. I also thought the timing of Amaya's father's vault being opened and her finding out about it were a little too cookie-cutter perfect for me.

As far as the plot...there isn't that much here. There are the makings of a plot with the counterfeit money but that's not really a plot. Amaya's desires for revenge never fully manifest themselves in a way that feels like she is pulling the reins, and in fact she's not. It's more a mystery story with her finding out what happened to her and her family when she was younger, but it doesn't feel proactive. Most of these things just happen to her and people tell her bits and pieces as the plot needs her to know the information in order to move forward. A perfect example is the ring Soria wears that ends up belonging to Amaya's mother. She apparently didn't see it when she and Soria met, and it's only after Soria randomly tells Cayo how she got it and the conversation she managed to overhear and remember from 7 years before (when she was what? 7? 8?) and then Amaya happens to spot Cayo with it and he tells her where it came from and she realizes the truth behind her abduction...it's just a lot of little contrivances that didn't end up feeling organic.

Cayo was a more interesting character, in my opinion. I found his story more interesting and him as a character more developed. I liked the relationship he had with his sister, and the fact that he obviously had vices that he was fighting against.

As far as the dynamic between Cayo and Amaya...it was fine. I liked the scenes between them but I wish there had been more of them. I needed more banter or angst or something to convince me that she would abandon her initial plans to use him as a means of revenge against his father.

The world is a little murky, but I'm thinking it will be fleshed out more in the sequel, now that our characters are on their way out of the city.

As much as it seems like I'm criticizing this, I did enjoy my reading experience, for the most part. It was mostly as I finished up the book that a lot of these issues I had came into focus. I think I probably will read the sequel, which could absolutely have an effect in the long run on how I feel about this book.

Ooh, one more super nitpicky thing...I don't get the title of this book. It doesn't actually seem to have ANYTHING to do with what is inside the book. Before I began reading (I didn't read the synopsis, all I knew is that it was a Count of Monte Cristo retelling) I thought it was a sci-fi set in space or something. I know that sailors use the stars to navigate, and that the first part of Amaya's story takes place on a boat. But it's not something that is a focus at all and I just don't understand what it means.

3.5 stars
I can't lie...I almost DNF'd this about 50% of the way through. I found the writing to be pretty dry and somewhat detached, which surprised me since I love the movie so much and found it to be full of heart and completely engaging.

That said, I felt like the last third of this book is really strong as it gets closer to the space race and these women's part in making it a reality. Unfortunately, then it goes into an 'epilogue' that isn't really an epilogue but instead introduces more 'characters' (I know they are real women, but even the author refers to them as characters.) and their stories. I would've preferred hearing more about the ladies we had been following for the previous 300 pages.

I really enjoyed the moments where we saw the impact that these women had on the world around them and their connections to their families. One of my favorite stories surrounds a soapbox race. One of the mathematician's (I think it was Mary Jackson, but I'm not 100% sure) sons wins the race and when he's asked what he wants to be when he grows up he says, "I want to be an engineer, just like my mom." As a woman, this would make me proud. As a woman of color breaking barriers like these women were, I can't even imagine how something like that would feel. Especially considering the fact that, at this point in time, women weren't given the same recognition as men were. They weren't called engineers, even though that's what they were.

This is an important book discussing important topics. I just wish it had been structured a little differently. I felt like there were sections that just weren't holding my attention, mostly regarding the more technical aspects of their jobs. When it got into more of the social and political aspects of this point in time and the personal lives of Katherine, Mary, and Dorothy, I found myself far more interested.

I listened to this on audiobook, which is my preferred method of digesting non-fiction. The narrator is okay, but she seems very detached, like she is giving a report rather than reading a book about such an important topic. And perhaps that can be contributed to the detached style in which the author presented the story...I'm not sure one way or the other. I didn't think this was a BAD audiobook, but I wanted a little more emotion than I got.

I highly, HIGHLY recommend the movie. Even though there are creative licenses taken with some of the characters and timeline, it's a wonderful story full of heart and emotion and I feel like it does justice to these smart, amazing women.

Well, it had to happen eventually. I've been on a roll this year with my reading. Of the 25 books that I read before now, none were one-star, and only 3 were 2 stars. But this book is not good. Like...not good at all. It forced me to give it one star with its insipid characters, tedious dialogue and pointless time jumps.

I'm too tired to give a full-on rant for the moment, but let me sum it up by saying that this is book completely wasted my time and I cannot figure out for the life of me how it was ever published.

More in-depth review maybe to come if I can bring myself to care.