This has been a true five star series! In terms of ranking, I think the second book is my favorite, but the ending was well done. I usually have issues with how series end, especially if I'm head over heels for the majority of it. However, I did like the way this series wrapped up (and I totally predicted the ending!).

In terms of brutality, I feel like this one wasn't as intense. Maybe it's because I was used to the darkness of the series by now that the horrible things that did take place weren't as bad or as dark? I don't know, but there were some slower parts and feel-good parts as Jude settles into her own and Cardan fulfils his prophecy.

It’s been a long time since a romance book made me cry.

♥️ Justin is cursed. Whomever he dates ends up finding their soulmate after they break up. He posts an AITA on Reddit and Emma’s best friend/foster sister pushes her to respond. Turns out, Emma has the same curse. After talking, they make a plan to date each other, breakup, and then find the love of their lives. The goal is to cancel out their curses… right? ♥️

I’ve cried several times in the last third of this book, but it’s not because someone died or something crazy tragic happens. It’s just so damn good.

Now, if you’re looking for a fluffy romance to read at the beach… this isn’t it. This is a romance that’s sweet and summery, but it will kick you in the chest.

Emma has a lot of childhood trauma and it’s done so fucking well (as someone with loads of childhood trauma can point out). Justin has a ton going on in his life, too. There’s a lot of deep shit happening in this book, but it’s amazing.

If you’re looking for a summer romance with romantic comedy vibes, but with serious depth… Just for the Summer will give that to you.

This is my first Abby Jimenez and it will not be my last. ♥️

Rich people problems set on a summery island.
Dual POV with dual narration {audiobook}.

Anna has pink hair (I love that for some reason) and loves pajama bottoms. She's very down to earth and relatable, but is challenged with fitting into a rich and fancy world when her fake-husband reveals they aren't actually divorced and he needs her help to gain access to his trust fund.

Watching her flounder in this world was entertaining as hell.

I do wish that there was more tension between Anna and Liam. They seemed to transition from fake married to real attraction without notice. It was too fluid, I guess?

And the epilogue was full of info-dumping, which I usually find long and boring. However, I found myself fist pumping, tearing up, and laughing within that twenty minute epilogue.

The spice was also a bit excessive for me, but that's just a personal preference of an asexual person. I mean... there's spice in the epilogue and that's how the book ends. If you like spice, you probably won't be disappointed.

I recommend reading this one if you're looking for a beach read. It's light, spicy, and fun to read. It didn't change my life, make me think, or make me cry (a determining factor of a five star read, I've noticed), but it was an enjoyable experience.

{I'M WORKING ON A BLOG POST ABOUT THE HUNGER GAMES SERIES & HOW IT COMPARES TO THE MOVIES ~ VISIT https://shamelesslyintroverted.wordpress.com/}

I cannot explain to you the amount of love I have for The Hunger Games series. It was one of my favorite series as a young adult and helped shape my taste in books. I was sixteen when the first book came out and I devoured it. I remember seeing it at Barnes & Noble and fell in love with the premise, which can tell you how demented I was a kid.

A dystopian world that forces children to fight to the death and have it broadcast as a reality TV show each year? Wild! I was constantly in shock with how dark the themes got, which is why I love a young adult series that can embrace the darkness. I also loved the world building in general with the different districts and their cultures, the Capitol and its weirdness, and the teams that the tributes got to work with. Just brilliant writing and crafting.

Altogether, I really loved this re-read and it still holds up. There’s a reason why it’s considered a modern classic. Onto Catching Fire, which is my favorite in the series.

I wrote up a halfway update that I didn’t end up posting, but I’m kind of glad I didn’t since my opinions have changed. While, I’m not a fan of domestic thrillers and need a dash of fantasy/supernatural in my spooky stories, I really loved this one.

This is a whodunnit where you’re trying to figure out who took Billy, with a paranormal twist since Ethan returns to his hometown thirty years later and is convinced he’s being haunted.

I’m going to get into spoilers in a second, but for now know that if you’re going into this with yearnings for the supernatural (like me), you’re going to be a little disappointed. The vibes are subtle at best. Speaking of vibes, I didn’t love the setting and atmosphere. There’s only so much you can do when the book is set in suburbia, but I loved his other settings much better.

All in all, I enjoyed the hell out of this book even if it was a bit slow. The ending was truly shocking to me and I didn’t see the twist coming. I also loved how this one made me all emotional. I really connected with the characters and I found myself crying a few times toward the end.

I will be purchasing a physical copy for my shelves.

There’s just something about TJR’s stories that break through reading slumps. She’s quickly becoming one of my favorite authors of all time. I adore her writing style and Julia Whelan’s narration is just *chef’s kiss.*

To be honest, I was terrified to read this book since it hits really close to home, but it’ll be seven years this year and I no longer identify as a widow. I identify as a wife. I figured it was safe.

If you want to know what it’s like to be a young widow who finds love again, read One True Loves. I’ve never felt so seen. The grief, how it felt to go on a first date… all of it was more accurate than I was expecting.

The story is split into before and after and it’s clear what the fault line is: before Jesse died/came back and after Jesse came back. You’re given all of this information up front and then pulled back to the past to meet Jesse and discover how they fell in love. And then how she lost him.

We also get to see her grief, growth, and how she fell in love with Sam.

I took some time before going into the after because I didn’t want to see Emma’s world implode.

Once I finally turned the page, I had some… conflicting emotions.

Spoiler

There was this one quote on pages 268-269 that I think summed up the entire book and served as the crux of the theme: “I nod but what I want to do is tell him about what Marie said, that she told me this isn’t about who I love but rather who I am. I want to tell him that I’ve been asking myself that question over and over and it’s starting to seem glaringly obvious that I am different from the person Jesse loves. I am not her. Not anymore.”

Emma realizes that she belongs with Sam because grief shaped her into a different person. I can relate to this because I am not the same puppet that John was used to puppeteering. He wouldn’t like who I’ve become because he wouldn’t be able to control me or make me feel inferior enough to manipulate me.

And then the very next page solidified why I'm not a huge Jesse fan. They have a huge argument because Jesse can’t see Emma’s side of things at all. I get that he’s been through a trauma, but so has she. They’ve both changed and he expects her to drop everything, all the progress she’s made and changes she’s gone through, to be with him.

He’s so stubborn and stuck in his own head that he’s angry with her for moving on because she should’ve waited. WTF?! Meanwhile, Sam over here is taking a huge hit, but cares enough about her to let her process. He’s putting her needs over his own and Jesse is being a selfish child. He’s immature (driving without a license and banging on the kitchen counter). It seems like her attraction to him is grounded in nostalgia and lust, but she's much more attracted to Sam because he’s willing to meet her where she’s at.

She even outlines what she wants from him after she says that she plays the piano, and it’s so simple that it’s sad that he doesn’t say these things. She simply wants him to show an interest, to get to know the woman she’s become… but instead he takes it defensively and asked what playing the piano proves. Like. After all of that, if she chooses Jesse… I’m going to scream.

Thankfully they both came to that conclusion. They’re not the same people and he desperately needs therapy. I don’t mean that in a bad way! He’s been through some SHIT and would benefit from processing it with a professional.

That being said, I am thankful that he came around and that they had this very adult conversation about their future and what it would look like. I also loved that she emphasized the reasoning here. It’s not Sam versus Jesse, but rather would her and Jesse even still work? Does she want it to?

When she realized that she loves both men and that it's okay, she allowed herself to fully fall for Sam and accept that the life she had with Jesse was in the past. She doesn’t want the life that Jesse wants and she misses Sam desperately.

They say goodbye to each other (in an unhealthy way in my opinion—they shouldn’t have had goodbye sex, but whatever) and they head home.

Sam shows up in the parking lot of her store as she was about to go chase him down and he wants to fight for her. He’s not in high school anymore and he’s ready. Luckily, it’s not necessary and they get married.

Jump to 8 months later and Jesse calls. He’s met someone and he gets it now. How she could love him, but still love Sam. Loving someone doesn’t erase the loves you’ve had in the past. A true love doesn’t have to be forever.

Want a drinking game while you read? Take a shot every time the word “minty” shows up. Just kidding… don’t because you’ll get alcohol poisoning.

I want to know what Ren DeStefano’s research process was like. Her search history for this book must be wild!

I absolutely loved this book. Honestly, it's probably my biggest surprise of the year! While the premise interested me, I didn't expect much. The cover is gorgeous, and I thought the vibes would be perfect for a warm-weather thriller.

I was right.

I love how we don’t know the main character’s name. We know her as Sissy, which is the name she goes by with her sisters (to murder people), and the fake name she donned for this specific mark.

As mentioned in my reading update, I love the writing. It makes murder seem romantic and poetic. Sissy really believes that she must kill this man, even though she’s falling in love with him.

Super quick and... I thought it would be easy to read. Grab the popcorn, but... would a popcorn thriller bring you to tears multiple times? I don't know. It gets a bit heavy when the twists start happening and it becomes more of a self-discovery journey.

The only reason I'm knocking a star off is because of the ending. I feel like the ending kind of went against her inner dialogue. I go into spoilers below, but I do recommend this book with my whole chest. You should read it.

Spoiler

She waxed poetic about killing this guy and sincerely liked the idea of it. I found it hard to believe that in the end she didn't want anything to do with murdering the marks. I know that this was going to be her first one and her main job was cleaning up to protect her sisters, but at the beginning she was into it. I also get that feelings change as you get to know someone, especially if your initial plan was to kill them. So, why couldn't we make it a complete growth in that area? We don't have to disregard all her initial thoughts and claim that she's NEVER ever ever showed any interest in doing the killing, because I feel like that isn't true.

Since we're also talking about spoilers, I'll sneak this in here too. I loved Iris. She was my favorite sister and when her twist was revealed, that just deepened the feeling for me. I knew she wasn't as hard as she was leading since she took forever to recover from a kill. But the way that she died was poetic and I sobbed.

I also loved Moody and how she killed Dara. It's twisted as fuck and I loved it, specifically the way it was written. It was gentle and slow, comfortable almost... feeding her meds to cause Dara to OD in the bathtub.

I also loved Colin and how Sissy/Emily felt like she had to hide her relationship with him. Omg and how her name wasn't revealed until the very end. This book was just so well written. I was fish on a hook the entire time.

I was beginning to think that I didn’t like horror as a genre.

Most horror books that I’ve read didn’t work for me because of the writing or misogynistic characters. Turned out, all I needed to do was pick up an Alexis Henderson book.

In this fantasy horror debut, we’re following Immanuelle as she discovers the darkness within herself while warring with a puritanical society.

Her writing is gorgeous and atmospheric, laced with tension and a beautiful cast of people. I devoured this book in three days and loved the nods to the supernatural, witchy vibes, and forest lore. The setting was so rich that it was jarring coming back to my bedroom after a reading session.

In terms of the scare factor, I would say this is like a 3 out of 5 ghost rating. I wasn’t too scared, but there’s a lot of blood and tension. The descriptions of the witches are also pretty gnarly.

I wish I had more to say, but I just really enjoyed this and am flabbergasted that it’s her debut. I will be picking up her other book and waiting for her latest release to hit the shelves later this year.