i really like fuchsia dunlop's writing; she treats chinese food with such respect and love, and has introduced me to a lot of exciting information about my own culture's food. her memoir is very interesting and i def reccommend it for any food book lovers

kinda disappointed LOLZIES...i thought the premise of this book was so exciting and it was honestly a very middling ya book. i think it could've been better if mack and jordan's relationship was expanded upon and we got some perspective from mack. i think their reconcilation felt rushed, especially since they were apparently "nemeses." 

i liked the book, but i would be remiss if i didn't say that this does present the "white savior" trope; it's obvious and very apparent. 

 a compelling memoir from one of my favorite wrestlers!

so this may or may not be a surprise but ever since i was in fourth grade, i've loved watching wwe. i had a brief break during my initial high school years, but i'm back to following wwe again. becky lynch has been my favorite women's wrestler ever since i saw her and her story with charlotte on the internet( their evolution last woman standing match changed my life btw) and i was thrilled to find out that she was writing a memoir!

i thought this was a decent, if not great, memoir; i think you can really feel her voice and know that it's her own writing. i really liked learning more about her relationships with the other wrestlers and how her life was like during her hiatus from wrestling. i also feel like even if someone who's not a wrestling fan like i am wants to read this, they'll be able to understand, because she does a good job of explaining the wrestling industry.

if you're interested in reading a personal and interesting memoir from a very compelling figure in the wrestling industry, i would recommend this to you! 

a pleasantly strong ya debut! i enjoyed this book, it was a quick read but i was hooked from the first few pages. i thought the tarot card reading set up an interesting plot and i really liked the different cast of characters. can't wait to read the next two books!

brett is the first manic pixie dream girl she is so crazy but she is free. also jake GET UP oh my god she does not want you. that last line was crazy btw

isn't it pretty to think so

i know he went home and crashed out i would've

just such a sludge to get through. all the characters are insufferable and are not as cool as they remotely think of themselves to be. the dialogue in particular is so awful because it's so fake. there's nothing interesting nor enjoyable reading about a bunch of 20-year olds speaking like they're tumblr poets or faux philosophers while hooking up with each other. nobody talks or acts like this ever, and if someone did, they would be the most annoying person alive. every single character is this is unlikeable and unbearable. 

no semblence of any plot any exposition any story just shit from a butt trying its hardest to be marketed to tiktok readers who want a hot cast of characters to ship, "deep" lines to quote and absolutely nothing of substance or content. so empty and meaningless. ultimately says nothing in the trash piles it calls dialogue. a waste of my time and a surefire waste of yours should you decide to pick it up.  

read this on my flight to vegas and basically everyone in this book committed some type of crime and is going to hell like damn do we not possess common sense all of a sudden? why were both of them so  compliant do they not have autonomy?

also it's VERY FUNNY to me how they didn't mention any political parties in this book at all like this is a political thriller but you're not mentioning any politics...okay. 

however i unfortunately was entertained despite how batshit crazy and unrealistic this book is

a fantastic sequel that does the first book justice while preserving the spirit of the first book!

i loved the guncle when i first read it; it was so charming and sweet and the relationships between patrick, grant, and maisie were so compelling and well-written. when i found out about the sequel, i jumped in my seat(i was very excited) and raced to netgalley to request it. i then proceeded to read the book in one sitting.

this book captures the spirit of the first book so well, but is also its own distinct story, yet it's still so funny and sad and touching all in one! i thought greg's storyline was so compelling and it was so nice to see grant and maisie, and see how they've changed! patrick was as funny as ever, but his guncle lessons(?) were so touching, especially when they were brought up in the last few chapters!

i really, really, really enjoyed this book! a great sequel

thanks to netgalley and penguin group putnam for the arc! 

let me tell you a story. i was reading a blog post about anticipated lgbtq+ books coming out in 2024 and then i saw this book. my interest was instantly piqued...i added it to my tbr within seconds of reading the description. after that, i proceeded to go to erin baldwin's website, where i saw the art for the characters, and then to her twitter, where i read a preview of the story. by this time, this book had rocketed to one of my most anticipated stories of 2024. then, one fateful day, i saw that she had tweeted that this book went up on netgalley. when i tell you i RACED to netgalley, logged in, and smashed that request button.

this book is just so great. it follows juliette and priya, two "polite enemies" when they become roommates at juliette's summer camp. the setting was so well-done; the writing made me want to go to fogbridge, and i hate summer camps. the plot was great as well! i loved that there was no third-act conflict(i hate third-act conflict)

juliette is such a great narrator, and i honestly felt that her story resonated with me deeply; her story seemed, in some parts, what i had felt many times before. her voice is so authentic; it feels wholly unique. she's so relatable and messy and real! i love her!

i also loved the cast of characters; priya, lucy, gia. all of them were so real! so unique and so fleshed-out! this story may have had juliette as its main character, but it treated all the other characters with love and care!

i also loved how the romance was done. usually i love enemies to lovers, but a rushed love can ruin the entire book. i felt like the romance in this was built up well, the progression was natural, and the conclusion was so satisfying. i loved the epilogue!!!! i don't like unnecessary sequels but FUCK IT like let's bring them back like we need their college years their wedding like DAMN

i read this book on the fourth of january and already it may become a new ya favorite. this was a fantastic debut by erin baldwin and TRUST if she ever releases more writing i will be there! i would recommend this to anyone who likes ya romance, a funny yet relatable mc, and a well-thought out cast of characters.

thank you to netgalley and viking books for the arc!