This was a really great book. The stories of individual Native people from Oakland and their stories intertwining in small ways until they all come together at a pow wow. I read the audiobook and the performances of the narrators were absolutely incredible. I had characters I was able to root for and characters I couldn’t stand, but was still able to see and understand their perspectives in a lot of ways.

There were a couple of things that I think were well done, but still threw me off:
- The author shifted points of view when he shifted characters. Some stories were told in first person, most in third person, and one character’s story was written in second person? I ended up getting distracted trying to figure out the purpose of the POV shifts, especially when it came to the character that was told from 2nd person.
- There were a lot of different characters and storylines to keep up with. I found myself going back to previous chapters because once everyone came together, it was hard to remember who was who.

All that said, the story was still incredibly well-crafted, and I really enjoyed it overall.

I really enjoyed this series! I've been looking forward to Matt's story since I met him in book one, and the romance between him and Lottie did not disappoint. The main reason I rated this as low as I did is just because

the whole thing with Leo really fell short. I really wish there'd been more of an explanation or something regarding the magic behind everything??? And while the author definitely brought it all full circle in the epilogue, I think it deserved a little more time within the pages of the book.

That said, the romance itself was absolutely lovely and both of these characters are stubborn as hell, which is like my favorite thing.

This book was absolutely stunning! I was a huge fan of Something To Talk About and was excited when I heard an announcement for Wilsner’s next book. That said, most of the conversations were definitely around how hot it was going to be (which, I mean, it was) and I was really curious about how the romance itself would unfold. Romances with an age gap always make me a little nervous because of the power imbalance that tends to come with an age difference, but holy smokes that was not a concern with this book at ALL once I started reading it. 

Some Highlights: 

Some Weirdness:
So, all of that said, there were a couple of moments that were dropped in that just felt unnecessary and had me scratching my head. Making references to antebellum construction in almost a fond way seemed weird. Also, there’s an interracial couple that Erin acknowledges as making their neighborhood better, and doesn’t explain...why? So it very much feels like “you make the neighborhood better because you bring diversity” which just felt odd. Neither of these moments NEEDED to be in the book, they had no impact on the rest of the story. I really think they could be pulled.
 
I cannot wait to actually own this book once it’s released so I can bug all my friends to read it.

First of all, this book is so heartwarming, such a treat! I loved both characters (even though Thomas drove me a little bonkers) and I think that the romance was super cute. The different islands and the reality TV setting were a really fun touch, and as a fan of Olivia Dade’s other books, the Tess cameo and Renaissance Island made me super happy!

Most of my issues of this book come from the fact that it’s a novella, which doesn’t feel fair. I usually love a novella, but in this particular case it just felt like something was missing? Things moved just a little more quickly than I would’ve liked? I really liked the set up that the author provided for conflict between Callie and Thomas, but because it all had to be handled within nine chapters, it just didn’t feel like enough of a resolution to be as believable as her usual books.

This book seems really interesting. However, the fact that it's being narrated in first person present (instead of it feeling like an adult looking back on a situation, it feels more like a child narrating what's happening in her life), it makes the CSA even harder to swallow and ended up being more triggering than I expected it to be.

Viola Carroll has returned to the Duke of Gracewood’s life after over two years of him believing her to be dead. Now that she is there and able to be fully herself, she is afraid to tell Gracewood the truth — and once she does, she has no idea what that will lead to? And of course, all of this is happening while the rest of their lives are nothing but chaotic, helping Gracewood’s younger sister debut in the ton in London and interacting with folks for the first time in years. 

Some Highlights: 

This book was absolutely stunning. I’ve only recently started to get into queer historical romance novels, and I will always love a book that involves queerness in some way (in this case, a transgender main character and side characters that are not heterosexual) that doesn’t involve constant pain of the characters as a result of their sexuality/gender identities. Alexis Hall has written an absolutely beautiful love story for Viola and Gracewood.

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever books for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Delilah Green doesn’t like going back to her hometown. After her father’s death, she never got along with her stepmother or Astrid (her stepsister), but now she’s in town to work as the photographer for her Astrid’s wedding. Claire, a single mom and one of Astrid’s best friends, seems interested in Delilah, but these two have never gotten along. Now, Delilah has decided that she likes the idea of annoying Astrid by flirting with her best friend. But maybe the interest she’s showing is more genuine than she wants to admit?

Some Highlights: 

I really loved this book. Delilah as a character felt like she could connect with so many different people — even though I would say I have nothing in common with her, I still related to her in so many smaller ways. I’m really looking forward to the next book of the Bright Falls series!