“But hoping," he said, "is how the impossible can be possible after all.”


We all know who the Queen of Hearts is but we don't know how she became the tyrant she is within Wonderland or her motivations. If you've read Meyer's Fairest, you know how well she writes villain's backstories and this is no exception.


Catherine is a sweet, sweet-creating girl who has big aspirations of opening her own bakery someday. That day is not today, unfortunately, because her parents aspire to improve their station by marrying their daughter off to the king. Of course, Cath does not want to marry the king, not only because he has little backbone or substance but because she is in love with someone else. Jest, the court joker whom you will fall in love with just as she does. 


Heartless is not an Alice in Wonderland retelling but rather inspired by the characters and world prior to Alice arriving. They all have their own backstory to tell and Meyer gives it to them, much to all of our delight. This book gets very dark at times, which I appreciate. The story of a girl going from sweet and inspired to a monarch who deals with disappointment by death is not going to be fluffy. Characters such as Cheshire provide just enough comic relief to get you through the end. 


Oh, and you'll never think of turtles the same way again.


The narrator in the audiobook will be familiar to those who listened to the Lunar Chronicles. While it's clear she has a range of characterizations she can provide, I found her portrayal that mirrors the animated movies to be distracting and uninspired. I nearly gave up listening due to the high-pitched, incredibly loud portrayal of the White Rabbit. I recommend reading the book versus listening (plus it's beautiful!).

Raise your hand if you're all about the mystery and suspense books for October. That's right, it's time to hide your face under the covers and sleep with the lights on and Shutter is here to help.

Oh, Day. Sweet, sweet Day. Our resident Veronica Mars comes face to face with suspected murderer turned escaped convict, Julian, and unlike the rest of us sane people, his intriguing stare invites her to look further into his case. Day spends most of the novel unraveling Julian's past, which is sweet albeit slightly dangerous. Much to the reader's dismay, she typically ignores conventional safety precautions and I found myself constantly worrying for her safety. Then there's our jailbird who's nested in Day's barn (and heart). Julian has clearly been through some stuff but does that excuse his dodgy reasons and inaccurate recollections? Time will tell.

Laurie Faria Stolarz explores some tough subjects, starting with the murder (or murder-suicide?) of Julian's parents, going through intense child abuse and neglect situations, and landing with Day's dismay over her parent's recent separation. There's no sheltering the reader from the realities of both of their lives, from their feelings to their reactions and everything in between.

I enjoyed the novel's variety of storytelling, from the investigative nature that Day uses to the simple way the story unfolds from beginning to resolution. There's a bit of an unreliable narrator that keeps you guessing how the Roman family came to be a family of one.

I am a huge fan of the gimmick. I can buy into nearly anything that adds a little extra to a book. Replica checks that box by being two novels in one, a book you can read in two different ways. Gemma and Lyra, two interconnected lives with individual stories to tell. So how did I read it?

I debated first, do I read the stories side by side or back to back? I get too distracted going back and forth (looking at you, Nevernight, with all your footnotes!) so back to back way to the way for me to go. But do I read Gemma or Lyra first? I let luck decide, as the e-book was formatted with Lyra's story first. Having read the whole book, I am now glad that is the route I went.

Of the two stories, Lyra's story drew me in something fierce. Why is she locked in this secret facility and what's up with all this testing? I've read enough sci-fi to know nothing good is going on here. The way Lauren Oliver unfolded the story had me hooked and I devoured this part of the story.

About halfway through, Lyra's story ends on a cliffhanger and we begin Gemma's story. I was less drawn to Gemma, though she does have an unknown past. Lauren focused so much on Gemma's weight that it felt like overkill. We get it, she's overweight and has insecurities. Surely she thinks about something other than this some of the time? Anyways, though the stories parallel and eventually intersect, they don't feel as interconnected as I thought they would. Gemma's story seems to tie up and doesn't leave me wanting for more from her.

Together, this is the story of being yourself in a world where replicas - clones - exist. It's nature versus nurture. Lyra is stripped of her humanity and originally given only a number for a name; she's developed her identity as an "it" rather than a person. Gemma, who has a past she is yet unaware of, wants to break out and do her own thing. Both of them need to discover their origin and what it means to be human.

Overall, the most compelling characters are Lyra and the scientists/doctors. The male characters in the book are irritating or forgettable. I felt the male protagonists took away from the story that centered around Lyra and Gemma.

I have a hit and miss relationship with Lauren Oliver novels. I loved Before I Fall but Delirium was not my cup of tea. I feel the same way about this book...Half of it was addicting and the other half I could take or lose. I lost momentum in the last 5% or so, which is interesting to me. I do plan to pick up the sequel, which I hope will be more of Lyra and Gemma together.

The cutest, as always.

Five stars seems pitiful for the book that quickly entered my top 10 books EVER. No joke, you need to pick this one up.


I've had Exit, Pursued by a Bear on my TBR for a while now. I was drawn in by the title, loved the cover, and intrigued by the premise. It wasn't until fellow book club member, Olivia, highlighted the book in an activity that we were doing that I felt compelled to move it up the list. 

I want to put this book into every teenager's hands and hold discussions with them. This isn't your typical YA book about sexual assault and mental health. This is a book about youth who consistently do the right thing. The girls who slut shame Hermione apologizes. The boys all step up to take DNA tests after the rape. The adults are fantastic and supportive, from the parents to the school staff to the police and doctors. 


Hermione isn't "broken" after her trauma, but she wonders what's wrong with herself for wanting to heal and generally "being ok". Her strength and resilience resonated with me because I saw myself in her journey. When people hear about serious traumas, they often assume you're broken forever but some people just cope differently and that's ok. People need to be exposed to all types of processes.


The author calls Exit the book that is her biggest fantasy novel, even though she's written fantasy and this is a contemporary/realistic fiction. This is the world we should all strive to live in. We should want our youth to have the level of support that works for them, to not be questioned or have there be a ton of drama around a difficult situation. 


I highly recommend you all pick up this book, and grab a few extra copies while you're there.

THIS BOOK HAS EVERYTHING. Seriously, I just want all kids to have the types of life experiences that Ari and Dante have. The adults in their lives are amazing, their friendship is real, and the things they do and experience clearly set them on their path to becoming who they are.

Words were different when they lived inside of you.

Ari and Dante are bffs, the type of friends who are just as comfortable in silence as they are in social situations. Ari is dealing with some anger and trauma over being an only child who is not an only child as his brother went to prison. You can imagine his parents have some fear over a repeat situation. Dante is a bit more sure of himself and puts himself out there quite a bit. Ari is reserved, which is a contrast at times to Dante's more extroverted personality. But together, they're dynamic. They both recognize when there's weirdness in their friendship and don't let things die down, even when they're separated by distance for a chunk of time. Their parents are perfect (imperfect) examples of what we all want for our kids. They challenge them and support them at the same time. They grow their children while also accepting them for who they are.

Set in the 80s, the discrimination against Dante as a gay identifying teen is real. I worried the whole time about how that might play out. The author kept the setting real while also giving us a story that you just can't put down.

Let's be real here...We are all crying at the end of this book. You can check yourself at the door if you try to say otherwise. Fans of I'll Give You the Sun, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, and Everything Leads to You will love this book. Fans of HAMILTON, if you weren't aware, Lin-Manual Miranda performs the audiobook and it's fantastic. I now want him to do all audiobooks!

The Game of Love and Death is one of those books that you go to review and you just feel like you can't put your finger on what you loved or wanted more from.


A tale of fate vs destiny is as old as time (reference Greek god, etc) but what makes this unique is the force behind the destiny. No ominous God or set of gods, just two old friends (with some very real romantic tension) on opposite teams rooting for Love over Death. Or vice verse.

Rather than one love story, The Game of Love and Death feels like two. You have two sets of main characters who are experiencing "life" in tandem, as things happen through and with both parties. On one side is Love and Death, a set of competitors who engineer events in a game of chicken. In the other corner are Henry and Flora, pawns in the game of love and death and determined to make it work in a time when they know they'll never be accepted. Unlike what you might expect, Love doesn't always do good things, some of the things he does fall in the ethical gray area and Death calls him out for doing things out of character just to win. Death isn't always likeable, but that is to be expected. She definitely takes liberties in playing the game. The two are not God and the Devil be any means. Just two old friends who use humans as playthings.

As I listened to the book, I started to think about all the events in our lives that shape our future. The so called butterfly effect. Imagine if there's someone behind the scenes creating natural disasters or major incidents just to get you to move along so you can fall in love or die (or both). That's terrifying! Free will sounds so much more pleasant.

I enjoyed Henry and Flora's journey alongside Love and Death. Getting to know them was a treat. Living in the 20s was less so, since the author did not shy away from the blatant racism, homophobia, and discrimination that took place in the time. Looking at the time period where aviation was just becoming a thing was eye opening, too. The Game of Love and Death is full of magical realism, so if that's your thing, you've come to the right place.

Awwwww yeah! This was awesome. Full review to come.

Well this is just fantastic.

Lots going on in this volume!