🏳️‍🌈✊🏾♿Rep: some POC rep, some trans/queer rep, one with disability rep 

📝Tropes/Themes: short story anthology, girls in sports, young adult

This anthology was not quite what I was expecting. There were a number of stories that I enjoyed, some I thought were okay and a couple that I just didn’t care for much. I think I was hoping more for stories of empowerment and encouragement. But some of the stories focused so much more on all the negative things like eating disorders, misogyny, racism, ableism, etc. And some of the stories ended in a way where I was left wondering what message I was supposed to glean from that story.

I did really enjoy a few of the stories. Volley Girl by Dahlia Adler, Anchor Points by Marieke Nijkamp, Three Minutes by Aminah Mae Safi, and One on One by Juliana Goodman were probably my favorites. 

I did not at all care for the wheelchair tennis story which was unfortunate. It wasn’t the story, it was just the format of the story - written more like the transcript of a documentary - and I found it hard to get into/follow. I wasn’t a huge fan of the ice hockey one either - I really didn’t like the whole premise of that one. 

Sports included in the anthology: Softball, Cross Country, Powerlifting, Soccer, Football, Cheerleading, Wrestling, Crew, Golf, Boxing, Wheelchair Tennis, Ice Hockey, Basketball, Sport Climbing, Volleyball and Archery.

All in all, I thought it was a good anthology, and I found some enjoyment in most of the stories. It was just a lot different than what I was expecting. If you like stories about girls in sports, then I recommend picking it up. Not every story was for me, but that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy them! Please note the trigger/content warnings below. 

I received an ARC through NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. 

🏳️‍🌈Rep: Queer FMC, Bi-curious FMC

📝Tropes/Themes: Gay for you/toaster oven, BDSM, erotica, sex club, insta lust/love, age gap (41-25), student/professor

This was a sinfully delicious novelette with a toaster oven, age gap erotic romance. Emily is a grad student, writing a thesis on human sexuality and decides to take her research out of the library and inside a BDSM sex club. She only came to observe, but when captured by the gaze of Hera, one of the club’s Dommes, she finds herself more than intellectually curious about what happens inside. Emily’s never been attracted to a woman before, but suddenly feels drawn to the bold and mysterious woman behind the mask. But once the mask falls, Emily has to not only process her new sexual awakening, but what to do now that she knows her seductress’s true identity.

I’m still not much of an insta love fan, but I enjoyed this story a lot. It was a quick and steamy read about hidden desires and what happens when our curiosity takes us to unexpected places.

I received an ARC from the author. This is my honest and voluntary review.

⚠️TW/CW: Sexual content

I loved this book so much I nearly finished in one day! I had to force myself to go to sleep at 2 AM and finish the last couple chapters the next day, but it was a fight I almost didn’t win. It’s been awhile since a book had me so hooked that I could stay up late reading. I was beyond invested in these characters and seeing how this story played out. Alaina Erdell has been on my TBR since her debut. This is her third book and I now need to go read her first two ASAP! 🤩

All Things Beautiful was filled with a lot of tropes I love like age gap, forbidden romance, and found family. But these tropes are all encapsulated in a unique and extraordinary story that doesn’t feel in the least bit “tropey.” The chemistry between Leighton and Casey is both unexpected and instantaneous. They have the most adorkable, and also very sexually charged, meet-cute on Casey’s first day as a student at Leighton’s atelier. It’s in many ways a kind of “love at first sight” story, but it’s not done in the cheesy way it can be sometimes which can quickly turn me off from a story. And given that they were both pretty much already infatuated with the other as an artist, the physical attraction just magnifies the intellectual attraction already there.

The tension between them could be cut with a knife anytime they were in the same room together. It’s amazing they had the willpower they did to fight their attraction for as long as they managed to. I think I was getting as worked up from all the tension as they were 🥵 (which is partly why I couldn’t put it down and wasn’t even a little tired at 2 am)! I kept pleading for them to just kiss already! 

And oh! The art! 😍 I know nothing about art, but the way Erdell described the artistic process made the paintings come to life and make me wish I could walk through the gallery to witness their beauty. If I closed my eyes for a moment I felt as if I could see each stroke being added to the canvas. Erdell has a way of truly pulling you into all elements of the story with her descriptive writing. 

Then add into all that two completely adorable little kids basically becoming best friends as their moms develop a bond of their own. Kalyssa and Andy literally could not have been any cuter. 🥹 And all of the other side characters were wonderful and added so much to the story. Like Casey’s roommate and best friend Mark, and the other students, and Leighton’s quirky best friend and co-teacher Stefan, and the seemingly straight-laced Maxine. And Andy’s grandma. Ugh! I just love them all.  I absolutely cannot wait to read more of Erdell’s books!

I received an advance copy of this book through Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.