Give me all the Abby, all the time. 

“Take responsibility for your own unhappiness. If you don’t like your life, change it.”
I needed this one. As I approach the two year anniversary of my mom’s passing next week, this was a reminder to keep going. 
Abby can somehow write a book that makes you cry but laugh through the tears. The meet cute was hilarious and I so enjoyed the snarky notes too. I loved this little journey with Holly and John… would love to see it expanded one day. And of course my fave regular Abby narrator Zachary Webber is back with Andi Arndt and they were perfect. 

HOW THE BOOGEYMAN BECAME A POET 
𝚃𝚘𝚗𝚢 𝙺𝚎𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙹𝚛
February 6, 2024

FTC Disclosure: Thank you to @epicreads @tonykeithjr @storygramtours for my #gifted review copy. 
All thoughts are my own. 

💾𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚜: 
Poet, writer, and hip-hop educator Tony Keith Jr. makes his debut with a powerful YA memoir in verse, tracing his journey from being a closeted gay Black teen battling poverty, racism, and homophobia to becoming an openly gay first-generation college student who finds freedom in poetry.

Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, George M. Johnson, and Jacqueline Woodson.

💽𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝:
Tony Keith’s genre bending memoir was masterful. This YA memoir, covers his childhood but spends the most time covering his last year of high school and freshman year in college, 1999-2000. It is written in verse and is interjected with poems side-by-side with images of the poems from the author’s original,  lined, three-hole notepaper, scratch outs and all, such an authentic aesthetic. The new chapter pages each have that copy machine black corner too… I’m obsessed with it for some reason.  Along with the poems we also get AIM chat messages. I could hear the noise while I was reading. 
Even though we live in invariably different lives- reading this reassured me that others feel the way I do. That’s why I love reading memoirs. They continue to teach me not just more about others and the world but more about myself. 

📝𝚁𝙸𝚈𝙻
All Boys Aren’t Blue meets Poet X
Epistolary novels
Music references
Turn of the century (haha)

THE EXCITEMENTS
𝙲𝙹 𝚆𝚛𝚊𝚢
January 30, 2024

🧳𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
This was just about the most fun I’ve had reading a book in a while. Josephine and Penny are a mess and their great nephew, Archie, is the sweetest thing ever (I need more Archie!) They are 97 and 99 but nothing is stopping them. 
One of the most interesting features of the book is that it’s not only a non-linear timeline- in and around WWII but not in a specific order, 2022, and present day,  but it is also multiple locations and POVs, and includes letters.  This does take attention but I really loved this because that’s how we tell stories- jumping from one thing to another then going back to fill in another piece. The layers build on each other. 
I read a book last year about the WRNS and was fascinated. Now I find out about the FANY! For those who are clueless like I was, these are branches of service that the women served in during WWII in the UK. Such a fascinating time. 
There was also a bit of poignancy and that was nice to see with these nonagenarians. Plus a little pop of bubbly here and there 🍾

4.5

💍𝚁𝙸𝚈𝙻:
Killers of a Certain Age
Brit Lit goes to Paris
Jewelry Shopping

Thank you #partners @bibliolifestyle @williammorrowbooks 
@authorcjwray 
These thoughts are my own.

A LOVE SONG FOR RICKI WILDE 
𝚃𝚒𝚊 𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚖𝚜
February 6, 2024- Out TODAY! 

🗽I read Seven Days in June when I joined Booksta last year and, as someone who suffers from chronic illnesses, was so moved by the disability rep in the book that I reached out to her to tell her thank you. So when this book was announced suffice it to say I shrieked. Did I order it on the B&N preorder sale last year? Yes. Read the ARC/ALC, yep. Order the Aardvark copy to get that velvety hardcover trophy for the shelf… YEP. 
But, let me back up. Before I ordered it or read it, I didn’t even look at what it was about. I went in completely blind. Because I trust in Tia that much. And that’s what I suggest you do. 
What I will tell you is this- 
In leap year, something always seems a little special doesn’t it? (Aren’t we a little jealous of those leap year babies?) Well, 2024 is a leap year that finds Ricki Wilde unsatisfied in her life. She’s the youngest of four sisters from Atlanta (I legit lol’d at what she calls them- you will too) and she doesn’t want to go into the family business, so she moves to Harlem to start her own floral shop. Once she’s settled in, with a new grandma to boot, she’s on her way.  Then, on a walk in a fab garden she meets a man and ✨✨…
The rest you need to read. 

There is an interwoven story of the historical culture and life that is Harlem and the Renaissance. The found family is INCREDIBLE. The way Tia Williams writes about soulmates leaves me feeling SO many feels. 

*Seven Days fans look for a visit from a couple of old friends.* 

I did an immersive read and Mela Lee (who also narrated Seven Days) and Preston Butler did an outstanding job. The emotion, heartache, lust, love… it’s all there. Phenomenal audio experience. 

💜𝚁𝙸𝚈𝙻:
Soulmates
Black love
Musical expressions of love & pianos 
NY settings
The magic of Leap year

🎼Thank you @grandcentralpub @hachetteaudio & @tiawilliamswrites for my review copies. 
These thoughts are my own.

KEEP THIS OFF THE RECORD
𝙰𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝙹𝚘𝚢
January 30, 2024

🙄👀😘𝚂𝚢𝚗𝚘𝚙𝚜𝚒𝚜:
Abigail Meyer and Freya Jonsson can’t stand one another. 
But could their severe hatred be masking something else entirely?

From the moment they locked eyes in high school, Abby and Freya have been at each other’s throats. Fifteen years later, when Abby and Freya cross paths again, their old rivalry doesn’t take more than a few minutes to begin anew.

And now Naomi, Abby’s best friend, is falling for Freya’s producer and close pal, Will. Both women are thrilled to see their friends in a happy relationship – except they are now only a few degrees of separation from the person they claim to despise … and they can’t seem to avoid seeing one another.

Keep This Off The Record is a fun and fresh LGBTQIA+ story about the freedom to be who you are, even if that means falling for the person you hate. 

🩵 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
I adore retelling/adaptations/reimaginings so when I heard this was an adaption of Much Ado About Nothing, one of the most fun Shakespeare plays, I was intrigued. Add to that an enemies to lovers ✅, sapphic ✅ story with Jewish and non-binary rep as well! ✅✅✅ 
I really enjoyed the banter and wittiness. The found family is really the heart of this story. The friendship and the side characters were quite funny. 

There is some sexting and closed door with mentions of sex. Mild levels of spice.

💜𝚁𝙸𝚈𝙻:
Shakespeare adaptations
LGBTQ rep
Jewish rep
enemies to lovers 
HEA 


Thank you @booksforwardpr @risingaction @ardenjoy for my review copy. 
These thoughts are my own.

Stacy Willingham is one of my favorite thriller writers. When this books was announced I posted a huge excited post about it. So, when I started it and then had to restart it, and restart it, AND RESTART it to say I was disappointed would be a huge understatement. I just could NOT get into it. It draaaggggggged. But, because I love Stacy I went against my norm and continued. I fully believe in the DNF, but have faith in Stacy. It did pick up in the last 25-30% but really you shouldn’t have to wait that long for good content. 
One thing that did keep me going here was the fact that Karissa Vacker was the narrator. I adore her and would honestly listen to her read anything but she did add something to this one, even the draggy parts. 

THE GARDEN OF SECOND CHANCES
𝙼𝚘𝚗𝚊 𝙰𝚕𝚟𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚘 𝙵𝚛𝚊𝚣𝚒𝚎𝚛
Out now!

🌻𝚂𝚢𝚗𝚘𝚙𝚜𝚒𝚜 & 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
Juana Flores Ivanov is 17 years old and she’s on her way to prison. She’s been convicted in the death of her husband. No one believes her when she says she didn’t kill him, but instead she ran to protect herself and her baby girl. Instead now she’s in prison where she battles both the  staff and gang members. Not only does she have these problems, but she’s also undocumented and her mother-in-law is fighting for custody of her daughter. In an attempt to avoid conflict and to stay calm she starts a garden in the prison yard. With this garden she reminds herself and helps her new friends to remember what is important and how to care for themselves. 

This was sometimes a difficult read. It is harsh, but the reality of life for these girls. Mona Alvarado Frazier worked with incarcerated youth and took that knowledge to create this story. It is labeled YA but it definitely reads as adult. Check CW. I found some of it to be repetitive and perhaps could have benefited from a map or illustrations to get a better understanding of the inner workings of the prison. There was also a good bit of Spanish/Mexican slang and while the glossary in the front of the book was very helpful, maybe I’m spoiled by kindle and being able to just tap on the word to see its meaning but with a heavy use of the language perhaps definitions at the bottom of the page would’ve been better served. Overall I enjoyed reading this book and thank Indie Spines for opening this new perspective up to me.

💜𝚁𝙸𝚈𝙻:
Prison stories
Youth in crisis 
Redemption arcs 
Multicultural stories


Thank you @indiespinesbookclub for my gifted copy and for including me in this month’s book club discussion. 
These thoughts are my own.