I loved it! It was a refreshing take, not quite enemies to lovers, not quite fake dating, but with my favorite elements of both, including an "only one bed" getaway.

Shay and Dominic are so incredibly fun together. Who doesn’t love the banter between love interests (or potential love interests) and the tension that you can feel as though you’re in the book with them? I hate that the big kerfuffle always has to happen, but it was not quite what I was expecting, so for that I am grateful.

I loved the diversity in this book and that it wasn’t written in “to be diverse.” It was all just a natural part of the story like every day life. And it still managed to be a shout-out to what many women encounter in the work force daily, without feeling like a completely feminist propaganda. Basically, I just thought everything was very natural and loved to watch it play out on the page.

Speaking of the pages… I love the transcripts, Twitter messages, etc. that gave a little bit of a non-traditional structure to the page. I only wish there had been a little more!

And finally, for some content warnings... this book does discuss the grief of losing a parent and/or spouse. It's a pretty significant part of what makes some of the characters who they are and how they react to certain events. With that said, as someone who has gone through a very similar experience of losing a parent, I thought the author handled the entire topic exceptionally well. It's not often that I can read a trigger like this and cry while at the same time completely feel as though the character could be my best friend, because we had so many of the same thoughts and feelings. I know everyone processes grief differently, and some may disagree with this review. But for me, it was incredibly true to life and handled in such a way that I wish I had read it sooner.

Overall, if you haven't read The Ex Talk yet, I would highly encourage you to jump on that soon!

"In the county, there’s nothing more dangerous than a woman who speaks her mind..."

The Grace Year is everything I wanted from a YA Dystopian. The story was gripping and while I was listening to the audiobook and not reading a physical copy, I found it difficult to press pause and take out the headphones. The audio was fantastic and by far one of the best audiobooks I've listened to lately. The story played a huge part in that, of course. But the narrator also did a spectacular job voicing the characters, especially the nuances between Tierney, Kiersten and Gertie, and really made me feel immersed in the story.

The details regarding the Grace Year are kept a secret to all in the county. Similar to Fight Club, the number one rule is, "we don't talk about the Grace Year." Which serves to keep a shroud of mystery wrapped around the entire rite of passage until the girls reach their own personal Grace Year. However, they quickly begin to discover what the year is about, and while I won't spoil it here, I really enjoyed discovering it right along with them rather than from an omniscient narrator with heaps of background information.

My second favorite thing about the book was how the author handled the twists. I won't go into more detail, but Kim did a fantastic job giving the reader just enough information to just begin to suspect a few things... and I'll stop there letting you read the book for the rest.

It's difficult to describe how I felt reading the book without taking away your own experience. But suffice it to say that I still have goosebumps when I think about this story and all the amazing things the author made me feel.

I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy when the book is released and rereading it again soon. And it will always hold a special spot on my shelf right next to [b:The Giver|3636|The Giver (The Giver, #1)|Lois Lowry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1342493368l/3636._SY75_.jpg|2543234].

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. However, all thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

Dating Mr. Darcy was a really cute update on Pride and Prejudice with a fun reality tv/dating show twist. It's a super clean romance, and while I found the use of the term "Dude" by the female main character a bit cringey, it was overall a really enjoyable read. I'll definitely be picking up the rest of the series soon!

This was a really cute historical romance with a fairytale feel. Another fantastic start to a series and I can’t wait to read more.