I adore You've Got Mail and find myself craving books that have similar tropes. Alex, Approximately has been on my radar for a while now since I liked other Jenn Bennett books. The more I read YA, the more I realize that maybe I've *gasp* outgrown the audience? Being in my thirties, I realize that it's about time... but it still stings.

While the writing style was very young adult, I did find myself enjoying the beachy California atmosphere (lazy days on the boardwalk, surfing, churros, and many stray cats). The only real issue I had with this book was the intimacy. The writing style screamed younger YA, but the characters were older and had some open and closed door sex scenes scattered throughout.

I also didn't love the ending and how the reveal was handled. I feel like this was such a great set up and she plotted this trope decently... but that ending felt half-assed. Maybe I'm being too critical, but I desperately needed a book like this. I've been dealing with some stuff on the personal side of things and I was craving a book that will take me out of my head and that required as little attention as possible. It suited the purpose! 

This book was a wild ride. I adored her other duology, so I preordered both the audio and hardcover in hopes of finding another five star read. This story was beautiful, weird, and hard hitting with a dark atmosphere. I loved the writing and the world building, the plot twists and the foes. I loved our main character so much and her fierce personality.

What makes this a four star instead of a five star was the romance and the linear nature of the plot. The enemy phase was fun, but it fell into love too quickly. There wasn’t much of a gray area before they were all over each other. I wanted more tension. The other gripe I had was that the pacing felt a bit off because we’re going and

killing these omens in a linear way. We got one stone object, onto the next! I did like how they were all different in the way of defeat though.

 

That ending also hit me upside the head. I can see how others would be able to see it coming, but now I need to read the second one to see how it turns out. One thing I love about Gillig’s writing is that she knows how to set up a sequel. 

As a huge Gilmore Girls fan, this memoir has been on my radar since its release. I love Kelly Bishop and first saw her when watching Dirty Dancing was a child. I later loved her as Emily Gilmore and would love the chance to meet her some day. I learned so much about her these past few days and found many similarities between us. I also love to dance, but haven’t in a long time. She got me thinking about signing up for a barre class. Memoirs always make me think, but hers made me feel. I was with her every step of the way and listening to her narration felt like having a long coffee date with a friend. 

What an adorable library find!! A huge thank you to the person who shelved this manga facing out because it was an amazing escape that I desperately needed. It’s an adorable story about a woman in her thirties who is sucked into another world as a savior, someone who can practice magic to save this new world. The issues I had with it were small: there was a bit of info dumping at the start and the storyline feels a little jittery. I’m all here for it though. I’m leaning into the suspension of disbelief and enjoying the ride. My favorite aspect of this manga is the setting. The place she chose to land is always winter and she opens a book cafe, which is cozy and full of food. She’s a great character too. I will be reading the second book and need it now. 

While being very different than her other romance novels, this one still had me from page one. In Emily Henry fashion, we’re following two writers as they compete for the opportunity to write a coveted celebrity biography. What’s different is that we get to know this celebrity and her story very well. There are secrets, scandals, and an epic love story weaved into the backstory of this woman and it’s reminiscent of Evelyn Hugo. 

In fact, reading this made me want to go on a Taylor Jenkins Reid binge because the audiobook is narrated by the same narrator. (Julia Whelan did an incredible job, by the way.)

I adored getting to know Margaret and her family, spending time in Little Crescent, and watching our love interests fall for each other.

Now, the reason this isn’t a five star read for me is the romance. Emily Henry is my favorite romance author, so while I loved the mystery aspect this book offered, I didn’t like the lack of romantic development. I felt as if they fell for each other too quickly and too easily. The source of tension wasn’t enough for me and it felt flimsy since they weren’t trying so hard to keep their paws off of each other.

I did love the ending. With every fiber of my being!!! I loved

how Alice ended up at her mom’s and finds some common ground, how she’s working on a memoir of her own, talking about (and learning more about) her father while keeping her mother close. I loved those scenes! Then when Hayden shows up at the end clutching the letter. Just incredible writing.

Overall, I would definitely recommend giving this one a read, but keep in mind that it’s different. It still has those summer vibes and would make a great beach read. ♥️

It has been such a long time since a book has brought me to my knees. While I haven't been spoiled for this book, it's difficult to avoid its reputation as a brutal book that makes people cry. I did not shed a single tear until the last 90% of this book, even though I knew it was going to happen. Just, be prepared to be angry, upset, and tear-stained.

Haymitch's story did not disappoint. Even though his games were sort of spoiled in Catching Fire, it didn't stop any of the emotional turmoil from happening. If anything, Collins used that against us. She knew that we knew and she took that challenge literally.

<b> Do you need to read The Hunger Games / Ballad first? </b> I would. There are so many easter eggs and nods to the series, as well as for Ballad specifically. You won't understand some of the impact unless you've read Ballad and you won't understand the depth of Haymitch's character unless you've read the original trilogy.

Overall, I loved this book (even though it did destroy me). Definitely a five star read, although I will admit that it is a bit repetitive. If you binged the original trilogy and Ballad, I would wait a second before diving into this one. The games themselves are brutal, the arena is creative (props to Collins, not the Gamemakers), the commentary is deep as shit, and I truly loved getting to know Haymitch better and seeing his "villain origin story." I really can't blame him anymore.

I really tried to push through but I am so incredibly bored. There’s no tension between the two love interests and I didn't love the time jumps. The only problem that they're overcoming is distance and, I'm sorry, but that's boring as hell to read about. I was the swoony, giddy, kicking my feet tension and this did not deliver any of that. It's actually kind of sad how flat the romance is. The most interesting thing about this book was the dementia her mom goes through and I’m not reading a romance book for that. Don't get me wrong. I love a romance that involves heavy topics, but when said heavy topic is more interesting than the romance... that's not a good sign. After "Just for the Summer" I was so excited to dive into more of her work and now I'm second guessing if this author is for me.

If you would've told me that a young adult book would give me nightmares, I wouldn't believe you. Probably the easiest five star rating I've given out this year, Don't Let the Forest In hits all the right buttons for me.

It's as if it were crafted specifically for people with anxiety, depression, and eating disorders (hi). I'm also asexual and could deeply relate to Andrew on most levels, which is mildly terrifying. Because of all of these, this was the absolute perfect horror for me. It scared the living shit out of me, keeping me up at night, plaguing my dreams, and actively having to take breaks. Despite having the makings and length of a one-session read, it took me about a week to fully read this.

Now, I don't like body horror. I'm a supernatural horror girlie, so when I heard that the main characters are battling monsters in the woods to have their boarding school... I was hooked. I was also warned that this book is gory as all hell. I didn't take that warning seriously because it's YA... I really should've. You've been warned.

My favorite thing about Don't Let the Forest In is the writing. I don't know how else to describe it, but it's simply gorgeous. If you're a fan of atmospheric stories with dark boarding schools and looming forests set in fall, I highly recommend this one just for the writing alone. This author knows how to paint pictures in your mind while making your heart melt. I will be devouring her backlist.

Alongside the writing, the romance was top-tier, chef's kiss. The writing made the romance this incredible. “He needed Thomas, needed their lungs sewn inside each other so he could remember how to breathe. He needed to take words from Thomas's mouth and put them in his own so he had something to say.” GAAAH.

I also really loved the metaphors for anxiety here. Having severe anxiety myself, I can relate to the monsters and the feeling of dread when you're doing mundane tasks. I'm going to be thinking about this book for a really long time and it will probably make an appearance on my favorites of the year list. 

This may be a little harsh. I rated Lovelight Farms 3 stars because of the third act breakup and now I’m rating In the Weeds 2 stars… but I’m still going to continue with the series because BK Borison has such promise as a writer!! 

Like Sarah Adams blurbed on the cover, Lovelight is my happy place. I love the town, the characters, the quirks. It’s Gilmore Girls coded and I love reading about this place.

However, I really didn’t love this book. Mind you, Lovelight is made up of “interconnected standalones,” but I don’t recommend reading this book if you haven’t read the first. The first two chapters will be very lack luster if you jump in here. You miss the first part of their story if you skip Lovelight Farms, which is mildly annoying.

One of the most prominent lessons I’ve learned in writing classes is that being happy is not good enough when it comes to character wants / needs / motivation. Yet, that’s exactly what this book is. Evelyn is a burnt out social media star and she’s trying to “find her happy.” Those are the stakes and they’re very low. There’s no external conflict and the third act breakup is steeped in miscommunication.

It’s so disappointing because Beckett is one of my favorite characters in this series and… in my harsh opinion, he deserves more than Evie. 🤷‍♀️ His flaws were not well flushed out and hers were full of excuses. I don’t know. Not a strong book at all.

I can see why so many people have issues with this book. After adoring The Hunger Games trilogy, I decided to jump into this one unsure of what to expect. I knew it was about Snow and his backstory, which frankly I don’t care about. He’s an awful person, but I did like the way we see that awfulness in him from page one. I appreciated the way Collins didn’t give him some large tragic backstory to make us feel sad for him. I hate him even more after reading this.

This is not a fun book to read, though it does shed light on how the games started and the inner workings of The Capitol. I also liked the nods and connections to the main trilogy we got,

especially the mockingjays, the katniss plant, the shack by the lake, and the hanging tree song

. We know now that Snow knew a lot about District 12 and the life that Katniss lived before her fated reaping.

I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I’m looking forward to seeing how this adapts.