jaduhluhdabooks's Reviews (333)

No because. “IVE BEEN THE ARCHER. IVE BEEN THE PREY. SCREAMING, WHO COULD EVER LEAVE ME DARLING? BUT WHO COULD STAY?”


Stephanie. You really wrote a t swift song INTO A WHOLE BOOK AND IT READS WONDROUSLY. 

The first book did not sell me… but someone told me to keep going because the plot thickens and baby DID IT. 

I’m picking up book three with greasy and grungy fingers like - give it to me neeeoooowww. 

Ugh. I cried for them all. Eva, Jacks, Chaos, LaLa. Ugh. 😩🤍🫶🏾

“time, mystical time. cutting me open, then healing me fine. were there clues, I didn’t see? isn’t it just so pretty to think. all along there were some, invisible strings. tying you to me.”
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ASHLEY. Not me thinking I was going to be giggling and kicking my lil feet the entire read but actually was silently screaming into the void trying to suck tears back into my eye sockets. Like. Dang. Warn a broke sista on a healing journey before they pick up this book.

Synopsis
Clementine West a rising publicist, a well traveled twenty something, with an aching heart. Navigating the extreme grief after loosing her vibrant and lively aunt, Clementine is gifted her apartment where all the adventures and dreaming began. Here’s the kicker, the apartment can time travel, 7 years to the past. And in the past there’s a boy (there always is) and time will only tell (hehehe) what happens when they meet.

***REVIEW***
I loved this book for so many reasons. Clementine and Iwan are *chefs kiss* (see what I did there 🫣). Their dynamic is cute and fun and soooo sweet. I love everything about the friendships in this book. Her parents. Her aunt. Fiona and Drew and even Juliette. What a reminder that grieving does not have to be alone. That people will love you through it. The most beautiful thing about this book is the reminder that time is literally what you do with it. It’s so malleable and I think we often forget that. We can use it or it can use us. Time sucks, both literally and figuratively. Patience and waiting and wondering and dreaming. That all takes time. And so does breaking and healing and remaking again. But there’s so much beauty to be found if we’re looking and we often just go without being present and miss out on what time is teaching us…offering us. Clementine’s journey reminds me of what time can offer us. What grief can point us to … all consuming and beautiful love. That we’ve known, that we’ve touched, that we’ve felt. What we can create and what we steward. That’s so beautiful and it takes time to know such a beauty and time to see and admire such a song. Or in her case, a picture that changes colors with the season.

I think I gave it 4.5 stars just for the predictability, and I really would have loved to know more about Vera and Analea’s story and for Iwan and Clementine to have talked about it. But maybe there’s a lesson to be learned about the obscurity of their story…and having no clarity. 

Anyways. LOVED.

“I know you want to be whole, but I think being whole means acknowledging all your parts. And there are parts of you that want to be held, want to be needed and loved. That is just as emotionally valid as the parts of you that crave independence.”

ARC Review
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Synopsis 
This book follows Soledad Barnes (Charles) on a journey of discovering self and love. I separate the two because that is what Kennedy brilliantly demonstrates. Through the writings and philosophies of bell hooks, Soledad embraces a sudden change in her life with her family and her purpose. In between her husband, turned ex, lying and raising her three girls as a newly single mom, Soledad walks with her sisters and her best friends and learns about choosing herself. Along the way she connects with forensics accountant, Judah Cross and navigates what love looks like in the midst of knowing self. The only kicker is...Judah is the person who brought her world as she knew it a-crumbling... In the end who will Soldedad choose? Love or self?
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Kennedy. Sis. You did it AGAIN. There were so many things about this book that just brought me life, healing, and sight!! From the sisterly love and bonds that exists in neutral and chosen family. The way that rage and grief are portrayed in this book are novel to some, but as Black woman, they just felt freeing. How often do we have to choose between raging or holding. The scene when Soledad just lets loose and demolishes things, I felt that scene to my core. She just raged and screamed and as Black women, we have to choose between succumbing to stereotypes or being "above board" and all of that rage builds up and festers and it's just RICH to see a Black woman get her rage correctly. AND THE MENTION OF LEMONADE IS EVERYTHING. I WAS SCREAMING. Yonce really released something for the ladies... 

Another thing this book does is talk about colorism sooooo richly! The difference in tone amongst Lupe, Inez, and Lottie to her sisters, Nayeli and Lola and then her best friends Henz and Yasmen is not only stated but something Kennedy returns to often. Navigating in-laws who are of a different race that may favor a lighter toned grandchild over the other, and the reality of reminding each of the girls that they're beautiful beyond the tone of their skin. All of it is touched on and so beautifully flushed out. The real beauty of this book is how Kennedy shines light on autism and how the lack of conversation around disability awareness in the Black community is prominent. How often Black boys on the spectrum are overlooked or not provided the correct the supports in schools. The intersection of disability and the Black body is something that Kennedy just writes so beautifully and I found myself crying just sitting in her words. I would literally die for Judah, he's not only a wonderful father, but a great friend and someone who literally embraces who he is in all its beauty. 

I just loved everything about this story and Soledad and Judah's love story is one for the ages. This book means everything to me and I can't wait to re-read it in march of 2024 when it's released.

Hear me out … the book wasn’t that good 😩 and as a fourth wing apologist, that’s tough for me to say because I really wanted it to be!! 

We pick up where we left off in the first book with a developing story and a heavy cliffhanger. It’s riveting but also loses momentum as their thrust back into their war college as if there’s not more pertinent things going on. There are a lot of new characters and sparse significance placed on the importance of their characters…but not much development of their background and just a lot of questions unanswered and what I deem as unrealistic reactions and realities like Sloan and Araic specifically. Like… Sloan holding contempt for Violet but having no context surrounding the death of her brother is WILLLDDD. It makes her character development unrealistic for me. Also AINT NO WAYYYY the kingdom isn’t searching for their LOST. PRINCE. And also… when did Poromeil become an aristocracy!? 

But the disorganization of the plot and the character arcs are what REALLY brought me out of the story multiple times, which is why it was so incredibly hard for me to finish. I really came out of this book disliking Violet, which is rare for me to dislike an FMC… but I think so much time was wasted on her ruminating on what she didn’t know and respectfully as a second year cadet, dating a powerful lieutenant and having family that ranks significantly higher than her…you’re not going to know things because you still have SO MUCH growing to do yourself…you’re not allowed to know it all. Xaden. Sweetie. Tell the truth, but you kinda can’t because I don’t even think YOU know what truth is and that’s fair. So I stand beside you tip toeing around Violet in the fights because lol, we are also confused why you’re fighting…

The conversations between her and Xaden were infuriating to read … not even Violet could explain why she was so upset at Xaden like ahaha… Xaden better than me I would’ve been done with her 💀

The ending is … how? How does that work? In confused on the flashbacks and the dreams now? And how does his relationship with Sgaeyl exist behind his decision making and WHY did he make that decision and how did he come out of that situation with the general…we literally get NO CONTEXT.

I’m just. Spent. Having read this book and not being able to make connections and truly understand what’s occurring … I’m tired and disappointed to say the least lol.

What saved this book for me were her relationships with her siblings and mom. I was HERE for the Lilith redemption arc THROUGH and THROUGH. There’s something so beautiful about how she stands up to her mom in multiple ways, while also keeping the respect for her and her position as her general and her mother. The same goes for her Brennan and Mira. They love Violet so much and care for her but don’t hold her back and know what she’s capable of. You can see the pride they have for her throughout this book, by how they stand beside her and correct her, and push her to find her voice and use it. She’s a powerful rider and they truly wanted her to see that beyond who she was connected to and her last name. 

I’m really hoping it turns around in the third book because… in the famous words of t swift… 

“Stop. You’re losing me…”

Peace and love to all the readers living is disarray after this read lol. 😩🤍🫶🏾

As a sister with four older brothers that she ADORES, this book just hit so close to home. The amount of times I just wanted to hold Grayson and Jameson and let them know that everything is gonna be ok. @authorjenlynnbarnes you write YA insanely beautifully!! I was, as always, hooked from the get go. But the character development and the challenges of acknowledging your emotions and facing the things that scare you and your trauma - you really did it all. And I would just die for all the Hawthorne boys. Like. UGH. 

Also…let me just say this … I love Jamie and Ave. BUT I AM A #GRAVERY STAN. AND IN THE GRANDEST GAME. I NEED THEM TO END GAME BECAUSE IM GONNA DIE IF NOT. 😩