In Stay Sweet, Amelia finds herself knocked off course and trying to figure out what her future entails after the unexpected death of her boss and appointment of a young male boss. Often times in contemporary, we don’t see how much work and research goes into it because we associate worldbuilding with SFF but it’s actually an important element in Stay Sweet. Setting the stage for the dynamics young people face today leads to the messages of feminism. Stay Sweet lives in the modern world and straddles WWII with Molly’s journal and ultimately becomes about its characters and the relationships between them.

This book sat far too long before I picked it up. Don’t be me.

I didn’t love this arc as much as the others but I did love Ironheart ❤️

I’m not a fan of series but I am a fan of standalone books in a series, so the concept of The Glittering Court series appealed highly to me. For much of The Glittering Court, Mira (and Tamsin, who we will see more of in the next book) are off screen and I found myself wondering what she was up to. Midnight Jewel is that story

Mira has GOALS and the glittering court is how she’s going to achieve them. She’s got a plan and it was so fun watching how that plan took on a life of its own. She’s taking risks and opportunities when they present themselves - can relate!

You’re not going to read a Richelle Mead book without a romance plot. I’m totally cool with that…I was just waiting to see how this one would develop. I loved Grant and their developing relationship. I also loved that the romance with him was not going to get in the way of what she saw in her future.

Plus, there are pirates.

Set in a world that is an amazing mix of Colonial and Medieval elements, this is tale of a countess trapped in a society that has so many limits it’s hard to not feel as trapped as she is while reading! The world building surprisingly works, which has been a consistent strength across all of Mead’s works.

Lady Elizabeth, aka Adelaide, manages to get herself into quite a bit of trouble while trying to get out of marrying her cousin. Awesome adventures ensue, not without a lot of nail biting! Adelaide is likable and manages to keep her privilege in check in light of her want to be free. Going through the book, you’ll develop multiple OTPs but just as Adelaide chooses, you will, too.

The Glittering Court is one of three books but it’s perfect for those of us with series burnout. The two companion books are their own self contained stories about two of the characters in The Glittering Court. They’re not a retelling, either, as the characters are missing for much of the book. It’s a great premise, where we get to spend more time in the world without the same story over and over.

Overall, The Glittering Court is a great self-contained story with elements that will remind you of world, US, and current political/historical concerns.

When I started this book, I had one thought: it's going to be terrible or awesomely campy. That's really my favorite kind of sci-fi. With 4 hearts, I bet you can imagine which conclusion I came to. Flying became more enjoyable as the story went on and I'm excited to find out it's the first in a series!

"People have no faith in cheerleaders."

Mana (yes, like the magic potential in games) is your typical cheerleader type but with a whole lot sass. I love that Flying doesn't take itself too seriously (and you shouldn't, either). With a tagline like "Cheerleader vs Alien - Who will win?" you just can't afford to go into this with anything but a light attitude.

The aliens in Flying are more akin to the paranormal creatures we see in fantasy novels. There are fae, wendigo, and acid spitting creatures that start off as hot high school boys. There are references to all sorts of nerdy/geeky things such as Doctor Who. There's even a bit of romance that I hope is further developed in the next book.

There's a pretty big revelation at the end that leaves you wanting more and with the makings of a sequel so be on the lookout for that! Oh, and you can totally be allergic to caffeine...I used to be when I was younger. Or maybe that was the alien side of me. Who knows.

People who know me know it’s a hard sell for me to pick up a fantasy novel. Unfamiliar worlds laid out tend to bore me; magic and the like doesn’t entice me.

Folks, this book just punches all that in the face.

For as much as Bring Me Their Hearts is a fantasy novel, it’s also a character driven novel that is expertly shown, and not told. The world building was so natural that I felt like I could reach into the pages and live there. Not that I’d actually want to, considering the state of the world.

Let’s first talk about Zera, one of the most fascinating female characters I’ve read in a while. She’s 100% sass and 200% badass. Zera is fierce when it comes to protecting her heart – and I’ll leave it at that so you can see what I mean.

I loved that each of the side characters got their own backstory woven into the history of the world they live in. I can’t even decide who is my favorite (though it might be Malachite).

Also, THAT.ENDING. Winner takes their heart – Sara is just racking them up because we are all dead after reading this. Bring me book 2 to revive me!

OH MY GOSH you guys! This book was a total sleeper and you do not want to miss it! Such a cute summer kickoff story. I buddy-read this with two other girlfriends who were also feeling burnt out and in need of a reset book. Two of us read primarily horror/paranormal and one reads primarily contemporary but all three of us agree that this book is a LOBSTER for everyone (hehe - inside book joke). I'll share some of their thoughts with you, as if I weren't convincing enough!

The hardest part about reading this book was the actual buddy read I did. None of us wanted to put it down.

That transition to adulthood is equally exciting and scary, right? Everyone is doing it at their own pace but it certainly doesn't feel that way so it's easy to understand why Hannah and Sam are at a race to grow up and find their lobsters - their mate for life. We cut the book into 5 parts and here are some of our thoughts along the way:

Day 1:

This book makes me want to be British. I would also settle for being able to pull off a convincing British accent. Because really, if you're going to hold cans of Tresseme to your vagina, you need to have a British accent. Not that I'm doing that. High-ten anyone?

SQUEE this book is exactly what I need right now. I love Hannah and Sam's conversation about greetings because I'm totally that person that fumbles the handshake that turns into a hug.

Day 2:

I want to simultaneously beat Hannah with a slipper, and give her a hug, and say, "Preach, sister. I would have said the same stupid thing." And can we just talk about how much loathing I'm developing for Stella? She should not be anyone's best friend. She needs to be locked in a room with a therapist and no mirrors for at least six months.

So dang cute. I'm totally going to be Nan when I grow up.

Day 3:

Hmmm... Twists!

Today was the hardest to put down because !!! 1. Stella really is the worst but then again, don't we all have that friend? I think I maybe even am that friend to some. 2. Robin's dating advice is both hilarious and awful. Which means it's double hilarious. 3. Sam's "encounter." I'm pretty sure most girls have had that type of experience with a guy. I wish it was more normalized and that girls knew how not to react. 4. Everyone needs a Casper. Someone where there's no ego, no competition and you can just let it all out. His speech to her about boys? <3 LOVE

Day 4:

Casper is my favorite, hands down.

Today's selection was a literal roller coaster that I did not want to get off of. Ending at page 240 was so hard and I'm SO GLAD tomorrow I get to finish this book because I need to know how everything ends! So many tabs in this section. I wanted to make so many notes that amounted to SQUEE or OMG or SWOON. Very deep thoughts here.

Day 5:

New life goal: Become Nan. Those sequin shirts just look better and better every year.

But would you blame him for hanging it all up!

I have two cats, ok. Between the two of them, they basically have every cat-ism you’ve ever seen on Reddit.

This reason is why Manfried the Man spoke to me. Cats are some of the most peculiar creatures but I am convinced they also think the same of us. My two clearly do not understand why their humans do anything but their bidding.

Any bright yellow book featuring tiny naked men who act like cats and cats act like humans is gonna be an instant winner. Oh, and the Men say, “hey!” as their form of “meow.” Accurate.

Steve Catson, Manfried’s owner, is having a time. His job sucks, he’s single, and his place is a mess. He’s like every stereotype wrapped up into one but he does love his Man. The author and artist did a great job of conveying the emotions a pet owner goes through when their pets go missing. My cats like to hide and there’s always a sense of panic.

Overall this is a sweet and quirky story that really helps a person examine why we let these furry creatures into - rule - our lives (there’s definitely some mind control from cats, no doubt).