sarahsbookstack's Reviews (2.55k)

Fast paced domestic drama about 2 families.
Julie has left with her daughter Jess from their husbands/dad Roger. 

They move into the home that once belonged to Sandi, her husband Doug, and get two boys. Her stepson, Tom, lives in a carriage house and he's being evicted..... But he doesn't want to leave.

The whole book takes place over 3 days but you get a whole lot of background on all these characters. A lot of them make bad choices but a few of them are trying to better their lives. 

Two of these people will have a media frenzy come down upon them for very bad choices. But this affects them all. 

I didn't feel I got a whole lot of satisfaction out of this as I would have liked to. I wish m wanted more suspense and more mystery as to certain characters motives. I would have liked them come out more slowly, not just sudden.

This was super fun 😉 

Meg put together some great characters. Add in the rip to another world in which our main character Jess finds in her backyard and gives her some powers and her life feels a bit more satisfying.

I really loved Jess's internal thoughts. She had me laughing so many times.  Her friends are amazing and so is this other world that they don't get to actually see but reap benefits from. I love that they get these powers to help take down the nafarious characters that come from the other side to try and destroy this small town where they live.

Very fun and a book you never want to put down!

This book has insta-love which I'm usually not a fan of, but in reality... It's only insta-love on the part of one of the MCs, Annie. Brendon on the other hand had been in love with Annie for 8 years. This book just gives him the change to try being with her.

Brendon is so sweet in his pursuit of Annie. He quickly learns her love language and acts accordingly to it in his wooing of her. Annie has every right to be hesitant to fully pursue Brendon. She has more than just her heart to think about. She has a job that's she just accepted in London. She'd have to find a new job in Seattle, find a place to live, and is worried about it not actually working out if they live in the same city.

This book has a lot of laugh out loud moments (the ferris wheel scene and the Risk Astley paradox- cheesy part this but I giggled). It's very sweet and I love all the activities Brendon takes Annie on. We get to see a lot of Darcy and Elle from the first book which is awesome because I love that two.

I like the way I saw another review say that this is more contemporary romance than romcom. 

Ari is a meteorologist and Russell is a sports reporter. They've been friendly to reach other but haven't really talked beyond small break room chatter. At the annual Christmas party, their bosses, Seth and Torrence fight and bring the party atmosphere down. So Ari and Russell hatch a plan to get them back together because Ari swears there's still something there.

Ari and Russell grow closer and eventually let each other in on secrets they've both held. When they get together, their romance just explodes and they are so good for each other.

I really enjoyed this book. I learned a little more about meteorology, there is great Jewish representation and amazing discussions of mental health and therapy. 

So cute, I love a fake dating/engaged book.

Lottie is head over heels in like with her coworker Matt who won't give her the time of day. She's also being bugged by her mother always over her lack of relationships.

James is a Deputy Mayor who is seen as a playboy but feels it hurts his image for his wanting to be Mayor one day.

They meet in unusual circumstances and enter into an agreement to be fake engaged for 6 months. He feels he can help her get the guy she wants.

I love these two. Although Lottie is a bit short sighted when it comes to Matt (I was so happy and shouted for joy when she realizes what a douchebag he is) she is fun. James is such a gentleman! My favorite part was when their mums meet... They are instantly friends and take to embarrassing the two "lovebirds".

Of course in the end, you know where it goes if you read these types of books often, but it didn't make me smile and sigh any less!

A very informative look into ways we can change the world for the betterment of the Black community.

"This is the moment when we need most the voices who understand what the stakes are in Black lives... This book is the first step towards defining Black expertise, assigning value to the work that we do, and taking up space in the public on our own terms." -Dr. Tressie McMillian Cotton

It's split up into sections like Health Care, Education, Criminal Justice, etc. So many things need to change for the Black community and this gives in-depth looks and ideas of how that change can come about.

Sci-fi is not my go to, but occasionally I find something that just captivates me.

This book is set in a future where all (well most) people have an implant in them. They are unhackable. There's focus on Sergei who wants to be a professor but is pulled into a program with his research going into implants.
There's also Sunny Kim. She runs a dance cult and is kind of terrifying.

The world is well built even when I was a bit confused at times (totally on me as I said I don't read much sci-fi). It's a long book and I thought maybe i would DNF but around 115 pages, I just found myself FLYING through the rest!

I liked that this book was written based on the real life love story of the author's great-great-grandparents.

That being said, this book is full of heart rending realities. It's deeply rooted in slavery in the South.

We get the POVs of Sarah, Henry, and another slave Maple.

Sarah is a slave. Her master may seem more gentle than most slave owners I've read about, but he's still a shave owner.

Henry is an Irish immigrant. He has his own troubles when he sets foot in NY and changed his last name and tries to flatten his accent because he can't get work if he's known to be Irish.

These two meet and fall in love but it's a hard journey for them to try and be together. 

Be sure to read the author's note! 

These two are just the best! I can always finish their books in a day and this was no exception!

I really liked this concept of therapy that Avery comes up with as it's not traditional. You know going in that Matthew and Marissa (our "Golden Couple") are probably not all they seem to be. But I love that most of the book, you root for them. Marissa seems to be genuine in wanting to fix their marriage. Though Matthew is reluctant at first, he comes around.

This book just utterly captivated my attention! I really liked getting to hear from both the POV of both Avery and Marissa without the interference of other POVs. I liked most of the people in the story until a few clues started poking in and changing my mind on some. One big thing in the end surprised me and I love that 

Ophelia has my heart!
She is a Cuban-American, seen as a botany-loving rose gardener and "boy-crazy" girl going through her senior year of high school. But this year will show her that she is not only what people (and herself) see on the outside. She will have a year of discovery of her sexuality and what she really wants people to see from her 

There are so many representations of different races and genders in her group of friends. There is a love triangle and blending of friend groups all surrounded by the anticipated air of the upcoming prom. I thought this was so realistic of what many high schoolers go through. I loved all the people in this book and even Ophelia's parents who are pretty prominent in the story. I loved that Ophelia (when she realizes she likes both boys and girls) didn't feel the need to put a "label" on herself immediately.