🥁THE INCOMPLETES🥁
Linda Smolkin @lindasmolkin 
Available now!

Thank you @katerockbooktours and the author for including me on this tour and my #gifted copy. 

Emma is a teacher and a hopeful first time homeowner when she discovers a set of drums in the basement of the home. As a drummer she is elated and the kit is included in the sale. Upon inspection she finds a list of names with all but one crossed out but isn’t sure what it’s about. 

She’s also grieving the loss of a family member and decides to join a grief group. While leaving the group she meets Katie, a guitarist there for music therapy. It’s kismet. Along with Zev, who she met at a music store, they form a band, The Incompletes. 

These things come together in what is called bashert, Yiddish for ‘meant to be’. Invisible strings weave through their lives and Emma must decide if an evil person deserves to die. 

This was an intriguing premise and I found myself wrapped up in the history and grief of it all. The background story of music and this “band” of friends was engaging. I love a genre blend and this one includes mystery, contemporary, historical, and suspense. 

HERE ONE MOMENT
Liane Moriarty @lianemoriarty_official 

Thank you @tandemcollectiveglobal @crownpublishing and the author for my #gifted copy. 

This was an incredible read. I love the way Liane Moriarty writes her characters. There are quite a few of them but the short chapters alternating between them all really helped to get to the depth of who they were. I finished this a couple weeks ago and still keep thinking about it, even having a long conversation with my daughter about probability and chance (thank you Cherry). I love reading books where you have to think and this one really made me think. 
If you’d like to follow along with my reading thoughts check the Tandem Readalong featured tab on my profile. No spoilers, just my feelings as I read along. Thank you to @tandemcollectiveglobal for guiding this conversation and my great readalong buddies. 

This is out now!! 

QOTD Do you believe chance or fate guide our lives??

A MATCH MADE IN AUTUMN
Jessica Booth

Thank you @bookedwiththemilys and the author for the #gifted ALC.

I absolutely love stories set in Louisiana. I’m a little biased because it’s home, but the people of Louisiana are just so much fun and Rhett and Amelia fit the bill. This was a sweet and cozy fall second chance romance with a little mystery thrown in there. (It’s still in the upper 90s down here but we’re gonna just pretend the leaves are turning, ok?!) 
I’ve been to Ruston (Home of the state’s Peach Festival) and even though they’re “northerners” they are still the sweetest small town people around. 
I loved the audio and Ali Dane and Jake Macaskill really gave the southern country vibe. Their drawls were perfect.  
Grab an extra pump in your PSL and settle in to listen, it’s a quick read. Enjoy y’all! 

PHANTOM
Kara Badalamenti

Thank you @bookedwiththeemilys and the author for my #gifted review copy.

When I saw that this was a Phantom of the Opera reimagining I was sold. See in the art world, this dark academia explores topics such as identity and mental health.
When Maeve [she/her] meets the person who has been a mystery to her she can’t believe it. Phantom [they/them] has been a source of inspiration for her for a long time. Their art has fueled much of Maeve’s work. When suddenly her work goes viral and she is invited to attend a prestigious art college, she can’t believe it. Once there she meets the mysterious Phantom and her world is forever changed.
Kara deftly handles topics such as identity, mental health, toxic relationships, and imposter syndrome. Found family is also  the core of this story.

What You’ll Find:
Love Interest falls first, Main Character falls harder
Hidden Identity
"Who did this to you?"
Emotional hurt x comfort
Dark art academia
Almost entirely LGBTQIA+ cast
Mental health and disability rep

THE HEARTBREAKER 
Book 3 in the Goode Brothers series
Sara Cate

Thank you so much Sara Cate for having me on your arc team and the ALC copy. Thank you to Hambright PR for the ARC copy. 

Dr. Goode and Ms. Green… Lucas and Sadie… what a story!! This is the third in the Goode Brothers series and my first, but I didn’t feel like I missed out by not reading the first two (YET). I’m really looking forward to Isaac’s story. 

This emotionally charged was full of heart and yet soooo spicy! I’d heard that’s what Sara’s books were like and I’m so glad it didn’t disappoint. Their chemistry and the dom/brat relationship were on fire!! 

RIYL:
Teacher/student 
Dom/Sub 
Forbidden romance
Family drama
Unplanned pregnancy, not MMC’s

MAKE A HOME OUT OF YOU
Ginella Testa 

Thank you @booksforwardpr for my early review copy. These thoughts are my own. *note- I do not rate memoirs. 

Ginelle’s story is an unflinching and often heartbreaking look at life with multiple addictions. Starting at age 13 with webcamming to seek love and attention sadly lacking in a home with addiction and little attention and continuing on to drinking and drugs in high school along with body image and disordered eating issues, Ginelle’s life is laid bare. Several times while reading I audibly said, nooo Ginelle. That is not to say I judged her but to empathize with what life dealt her. Following her path with recovery, engaging in painful relationships and navigating her way to healthy ones, and the self discovery of someone dealing with questioning in LGBTQIA + was remarkable. She shows enormous resilience and strength and her story needs to be heard by all.  
Highly recommend.