Full review to come!

This was sweet and I loved the train setting. Once again a novella without a lot of background and a whole lot of insta-love. I wasn't able to feel connected to the couple as much as I wanted to be. I liked the general plot set-up and plenty of holiday spirit to be found!

I'd be curious to see if this author comes out with any full length novels. I'd give it a go.

PRETTY GOOD.

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I liked this one y’all! Unfortunately not as much as I hoped but we’ll get into that.

All of the Christmas/holiday vibes were here. Adored the setting and plot set-up. The gingerbread houses were a fun touch and I wish I could see those in person!!

Landon was a dreamboat. I absolutely couldn’t get enough of him. He was clearly smitten from the get-go and really pulled out all of the stops in genuine ways to show Quinn that love after divorce is still possible. I loved a lot of the conversations and sentiments expressed between them and it pulled at my heartstrings at the tough things both main characters had to work through.

I did struggle with Quinn’s character. For most of the book I was cool with the mindset and difficulties. It worked with the plot and made sense for everything else. BUT, the character growth hardly showed up and that wasn’t until 90% through the book. I wanted to see a bit more of it overall and watch Quinn learn for herself how much she’s worth and how much she deserves.

There’s a lot of great moments here and I truly did have a good time reading it. Even with my one main issue I’d still recommend because a lot of people I know loved this one!

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Holiday Romance
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses
- Trigger/Content Warnings: both main characters are divorced, emotionally manipulative parents 

I’m completely biased on this book so I feel it this review would be better used in saying what you can expect in this YA fantasy book and hopefully convince you to give this one a try!

 

 LOOOOOOVED.

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Well this was magnificent and everything I could hope for when I picked it up. I’ve been looking forward to this book since it was announced and it’s an easy must read from me.

I loved the plot surrounding Willow, dealing with the fallout of her parent’s divorce, and Mason, dealing with the foster care system and wanting to know where his Mom is located. Both of these teens flat out needed some LOVE. And by golly, they found that and more. As someone who had to deal with her own parent’s divorce I felt really seen by many of the things Willow mentioned and talked about.

There is a very subtle romance between Willow and Mason that is just the sweetest. Why not at the forefront of the book (don’t think this is a romance please!), it gave both characters another layer to their stories and I adored it all the more. I loved how unassuming and caring they were to one another. Allowing the chance to be seen and heard and just to have someone on their side. My heart was an absolute puddle.

Misty eyes found their way to me with some of those ending conversations with parents and guardians. It was incredible and beautiful and pulled at every heart string I have. I loved this book and all it presented. READ IT.

Overall audience notes:
- YA Contemporary + Romance
- Language: very little
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: low
- Trigger/Content Warnings: divorce, a parent with a substance abuse 

WHAT WAS THE POINT?

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I should have listened to my friends, they did not give this good reviews but I still wanted to give it a go. Aaaand I wasted a day for this audiobook.

These were a bunch of lust and hormone filled adults acting like teenagers. The jump from YA to adult really didn’t work for me. I didn’t like that the focus was continually on the physical side of the relationship. It felt bleh and one dimensional. I want to see focus on all sides and really watch the them come together as a true partnership.

And what was with the other ex?? Why was he there?? SO DANG FRUSTRATING. He only caused stupid drama that made me want to throw my book across the room.

The setting with the home flipping show was great. I did enjoy those aspects and had a good time with all of that stuff. I probably could have had enough more of that in here and would have enjoyed the book more.

Yes yes, I’ll read her next book, but dearly hope it’s different.

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Romance
- Language: strong
- Romance: multiple open door; high explicit
- Trigger/Content Warnings: cheating recounted, disordered eating & food shaming recounted, paparazzi harassment 

THIS WAS SO GOOD.

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What’s a genre I never read? HORROR. But this book came highly recommended and I was told it’s a must because MERMAIDS and y’all, it delivered.

I loved that there was so many points of view. The people above the ocean and the creatures below the ocean. There were many different angles and types of thoughts on this ship and I loved that this showed every nuanced side of the story. It made everything feel real and authentic to how things would probably be going down in this situation.

This was definitely giving me Jurassic Park (a favorite of mine) + murderous mermaids and I was easily convinced that I needed to read it. I loved the morality discussions and how much gray area was being brought about as research needed to be accomplished.

Things were intense, spooky and I could not stop listening. I do think my enjoyment level was increased because of the audiobook. The narrator did a FANTASTIC job of giving every character their own style and it brought the book that much more alive in my mind. Highly recommend that route if you’re interested.

I don’t want to say much more because it’s filled with twists and sinister turns that are best brought out by reading it on your own. Just know, this is an easy recommendation for me to give.

Overall audience notes:
- Horror / Thriller
- Language: some strong
- Romance: quick fade to black / closed-door
- Violence: high
- Trigger/Content Warnings: high contents of gore and blood, multiple deaths, gun violence, poisonings, etc. 

This was heavier than I expected and a bit too fast paced. With only a brief explanation of their history,  I never felt that connected to them. Some unnecessary drama at the end made me roll my eyes too.

I did think some scenes were sweet and there was a lot of Christmas cheer to go around. 

I'm still curious enough to try the authors full length novels.

Thank you to Delacorte Press and Netgalley for an eARC.

PROGRESSIVELY BETTER.

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This lived up to a lot of hope I had for a new series starter.

An amazingly well crafted story unveiled itself over 500 pages (where I hardly noticed it was that long to begin with). I loved the writing style and most of the pacing worked well too. There’s a good balance of learning moments, action, and even a bit of romance.

My one issue was the info dumping. It was scattered throughout, but noticeable when you hit it. There were MANY explanations of the magic system, history of the world and political dynamics. All fine and dandy but I think it could have been spread out more effectively.

I loved the complexity of the magic system and yin vs. yang. Good vs. evil. It added a morally grey level that I am always here for as characters struggled to decide what kind of power they wanted to wield. I love dynamic characters who struggle and learn and grow and those arcs are definitely starting here.

The romance was sweet! I wish there had been a bit more build to the relationship, but I see the potential for continued intricacies over the series. The dual POV’s between Lan and Zen worked great for keeping the story moving and understanding multiple angles to the story.

I enjoyed multiple reveals and found that the book only got better and better. I can’t wait for the next one!!

Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy + Romance
- Language: a little
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: high
- Trigger/Content Warnings: mass loss of life, loss of parents, battle themes, torture, possession, assault 

TOOK ME BY PLEASANT SURPRISE.

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I saw this around recently and felt drawn in enough to give it a go. And Y’ALL. It surprised me in the best ways. I truly ended up loving this romance and story.

The circus setting was perfect. I liked how the good and bad was shown in the historical context of the time period. I thought things were handled with care and I loved learning more about how things were run with traveling circuses and all of the great people you can meet along the way.

Romance wise, I was swooned away by Charlie. It’s a fast paced romance (when they commented on the time that had passed I was shocked it had been so quick). Yet, the insta love nature was drawn out in the right ways that I did still feel the connection between Charlie and Ella. They were super sweet together and both had a lot of character growth.

There are clear Christianity aspects that I thought aligned well with the tone of the plot. Many aspects of forgiveness and realizing your true worth in the face of things out of your control. There’s quite a few hard topics that are addressed and I think both sides of this merged well.

Overall audience notes:
- Christian Historical Romance
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: medium
- Trigger/Content Warnings: rape (happened prior to book, but mentioned and vaguely recounted), loss of a baby (briefly mentioned)