I was really curious about the premise of this book, but the actual execution didn't work for me. I love a wilderness romance (think Christina Lauren's Something Wilder) and the first part of the book where Teagan and Darcy are in Montana was fun, but when they went to New York, the book lost a lot of its interest for me. The dual POV was good for understanding both characters fully, but there were times I got confused about whose chapter I was reading because it went back and forth with no explanation. The miscommunication was frustrating and went on for waaayyy too long. I thought Darcy's struggles were much more interesting than Teagan's, and would love to have read more about her dyslexia and past.

artwork is stunning, story is heartfelt. i loved this

eh

LOVED THIS. the family bonds, running away from your problems vibes, the highs and lows of falling in love with a ghost, having ghost writer's block, the reminder that sometimes things fall into place as they're falling apart, realizing the guy you love isn't actually dead. iconic. screamed at the end.

an honest and well-written story about the impact of a school shooting on a middle schooler and his family, simon sort of says took me by surprise. i really enjoyed this story, but i will say that it might not be for everyone and that readers should take care of themselves. erin bow is a great writer and i loved how she developed her characters throughout this story. raw and upsetting and hopeful and funny (jesus squirrel made me crack up) and overall an amazing story of growing up, trauma and the power of supportive friends and family.

really fun premise! i think emilie is a more developed character than liz from BTTM, but it still feels a little self-insert at times, mainly because nick is SUCH a good character and gets so much attention. wish lynn developed her female leads as much as her love interests. the music references were cool, but i read it around publication, so i know it's gonna be hard to understand once some of those songs aren't in the trend cycles anymore. i liked how the time loop issue resolved, but the last line was kinda cringe. this is one of those books where you just have to lean into the cheese and not think too much about it. 

really enjoyed this one! it was kind of hard to empathize with evie after a little while, since she's sooo negative throughout the first half of the story. x was an awesome character, and i'd love to read more about him. the ending was .... something. i know why yoon made that decision, but i am still Mad About It.

 i loved the premise of this, but it felt like it dragged on a bit. the found family aspect was lovely, and i enjoyed vera as a narrator immensely, but the murder kind of seemed unnecessary. this could have been a book completely void of crime and would have worked well, maybe better. by the end i was reading for the characters and not to find out who did it, which to me is more about sutanto’s character creation than murder mystery skills. 

 big thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the eARC!

things you need to know about this book:
-i loved the summer of broken rules by k.l. and was/am very excited for this
-it comes out on my birthday (!!!!)
-there are tons of taylor swift references and easter eggs
-the main character and her mom are inspired by rory and lorelai from gilmore girls
-heists! boarding schools! second chance romance!

i had so much fun reading this book. the joker storyline was so intriguing and kept the novel moving forward really well, and the romance was developed at a pace that felt natural to the story. i loved the adventure and rush of the heists, following tag's clues and finding as many taylor swift reference as i could. i really enjoyed seeing lily go from goody-two-shoes to taking more chances and being a bit more reckless throughout the story, but i wish i got more insight into her motivations and character (however, this is just me being a character-driven story girlie and this being a plot-driven book). can't wait to go get a physical copy of this on my (our?) birthday! 

 

full of lovable and carefully crafted characters, the lonely hearts book club is a great read for a cozy day. i was surprised by the rotating POV, but found that i enjoyed it immensely. the story ended too quickly for me, and i would have been much happier with a few more chapters