This was a nice continuation to the series, with characters that realistically develop and yet an ending I did not expect.

The history was beautifully woven into the narrative but the characters fell flat for me.

Sanderson has done it again! Every Stormlight book is so fun, but Dawnshard was especially enjoyable because you just got to focus in on one set of characters and their adventures. It feels lighter and easier than a regular Stormlight read, but still the growth and journey of the characters was fascinating.

I loved the interwoven narrative between the two times and how it intersected with each character's voice getting to shine.

Another great story from Kara McDowell to show what it's like to be an AZ girl!

The premise of this story (While You Were Sleeping retelling set at Lake Powell) hooked me before I even started reading, but my favorite part about Gemma's narrative was how relatable it was that she kept circling back to "Are you going to leave Page after high school?" when she talked to classmates. That really was how it went senior year of high school, where everyone is trying to get the most they can out of all the "lasts" while also being obsessed with cataloguing who's heading where.

Yes, this is a romance (and one that I couldn't put down!), but it was also more than that. Gemma facing her fears was also an important aspect of the progression through the plot and her character arc. I loved (spoilers) how she recognized that having a fake relationship with the guy you've always fantasized about isn't actually what a girl really wants.

I can't wait to recommend this book to everyone who wants a quick, fun read - not to mention one that's also inspiring and has good representation!

I really love the way that Rowell balances her descriptions of physical and emotional intimacy and attraction. The aspect of this story that bothered me, though, was that both the man and woman in the main couple had an alternative love interest hopefully waiting around for them, which seemed a little too easy. The main character was also pretty frustrating in the way she mothered her children. But still I did enjoy the overall experience with this book.

I thought this book was clever even while engaging with familiar tropes. It's hard to incorporate texting naturally into prose fiction, though it is so much a part of our daily lives, so I appreciated how Buxbaum dealt with that tension. However, the other characters did at times seem like props for the main character to engage with rather than being their own fleshed-out people with motivations apart from the new girl.

It's been over a decade since you've talked to your first love and now you realize he's written a bestselling novel about your very dramatic experience together as a love letter to you? GREAT premise. Except...then why wouldn't this girl, a reader/writer herself, then immediately read the book as fast as she could? I get that it was hard for her because of everything she'd been through, but it felt very unrealistic to me that she would stretch out not finishing the book he wrote for her for sooooo long. Especially after she saw him, and everyone kept teasing about the ending, etc.

I read this book in one sitting and had a great time with it overall. I just couldn't get past Emi taking so long to finish Jase's book.

I normally love Eliot stories, but I had a harder time getting into this one. The setting felt immersive but the relationships fell flat - maybe that was her point, but still. The ending seemed way too convenient for Adam.

This story felt like a more explicitly Cinderella-inspired rewrite of "This Is What Happy Looks Like" by Jennifer E. Smith - nerdy teenage guy who's famous from doing movies but craves normal connection accidentally makes virtual contact with a "regular" teenage girl who doesn't know that he's famous, and sparks ensue. The pumpkin aspect of the Cinderella retelling was a fun twist. Overall, though, the character interactions felt somewhat convenient or repetitive at times. I enjoyed the experience overall, but I was rarely, if ever, surprised by what happened.