I read this for the first time as an ARC when it came out a few years ago and was swept away. The atmosphere is perfect for fall, even if it's not explicitly set in it. We have a nineteen year old who can interact with the dead and cannot die herself. When her parents died horrifically when Signa was only a baby, she was bounced from one family member to another. Unfortunately, most of these people only wanted the fortune that they'd have access to, so she wasn't well cared for.

This is where Death comes in. Signa learns that if she takes a handful of belladonna berries, she dies.

She's transported to this in-between, where she interacts with Death before coming back to her body. In other words, Signa hates Death and blames him for her misfortune. Everyone around her dies.

Not only is Belladonna perfect for spooky season because we have death personified, haunted manors, a murder mystery, a sweeping romance, and a great cast of side characters... but there's a dog. Who doesn't love a man with a dog?

Onto book two!

I know I’ve talked about #heartstopper on #bookstagram before, but I can’t help it! I’m doing a reread of the series because the fourth volume will be here today! I’m so excited to read it!

This first volume is a classic. If you’re new to graphic novels and enjoy romance, please pick this up! It’s free on Webtoon and the first volume correlates with the first two chapters online.

This is one of the most wholesome and adorable budding romances I’ve ever read.

We have Charlie, an introverted shy teenager who is publicly gay at his all-boys school in England. Then we have Nick, an extroverted straight rugby player who starts to catch feelings for a guy for the first time.

Watching their friendship grow and then turn into something more through gentle gestures was my favorite part. I’ve read this first volume probably four times and it never gets old.

There are a few trigger warnings that you should be aware of. Even though it’s adorable, Oseman talks about sexual assault and social implications of being gay (think forcibly coming out and homophobic remarks).

I love this series. Did I mention that already? Alice Oseman created a masterpiece with Heartstopper. Nick and Charlie are the cutest couple and I adore the other representation that’s sprinkled in.

This volume is more about Nick’s journey with discovering his identity and the crisis that comes with it. I adored this volume because it’s so real. We see him interacting with his “asshole” friends and coming to terms with who he is versus who he was.

My favorite part about this volume was actually the mini comic in the back, which focuses on Tara and Darcy (a couple we met briefly in volume one and continue to get to know in volume two). This mini comic explores how they get together and it’s just the cutest thing.

Alice Oseman has a way of creating butterflies in stomachs.

Volume three down! One to go! In this chunker of a volume, we see Nick and Charlie on a class trip to Paris!

As Alice Oseman said in the author’s note, there’s more to relationship building than the get-together stage, even though those are my favorite parts of a romance.

Nick and Charlie get to know each other on deeper levels and we get to know some of the side characters better, too! One thing that I love about Oseman’s writing is the mental health integration.

There’s talk of eating disorders and self harm, so this is more than just a fluffy male-male romance.

I’m so excited to be finished with the re-reads and to jump into volume four, which just released this month!

I’m all caught up, until Volume 5 gets released! Apparently, that’s going to be the last volume in the series and that makes me so sad! At least we’re getting a Netflix adaptation! {Sarah from the future: it's incredible.}

Anyway, in this volume, we follow Charlie’s mental health journey. I really love how it’s depicted and represented because it shows that love doesn’t cure mental illness. Lots of people think that they can fix a loved one by smothering them with affection, but that’s not how it works.

It also shows that mental health doesn’t go away magically once you get help. After those first few steps toward recovery, it gets better… but healing takes a lot of time and there’s no miracle pill that can fix your mental health.

But being loved does help, and not just romantic love. You need other people to help you through the journey: friends, family, teachers, therapists. It takes a village.

Why is this series a pure delight, but also real as fuck? It'll give you butterflies and make you swoony, but there's also a lot of mental health and relationship talk. I love the way that Oseman balances all of it out.

Spoiler

Tori is asexual and I love this conversation. I'm ace and I related so much to her. Honestly, Tori has been a soul sister of mine for a while. Of all the people in this series, Tori is the one I relate with the most and now she's asexual, so it's just perfect. It's completely true that not many people know what asexuality is and conversations about being ace usually go the same way. I just felt very seen by her in that moment. (As a side note, I also love Isaac and the conversation we have about asexuality with him early in season three.)

This is the first time I read prose by Alice Oseman and I'm not sure if I'm going to like their writing style. Mind you, I fell head over heels for Heartstopper. The graphic novels are god tier and I'm lowkey wanting to read through Oseman's backlist, starting with their debut and working my way forward. Now I'm kind of nervous though because this novella wasn't stellar. I liked the plot and the idea behind it (and that it was folded into season three of the Netflix adaptation), but the writing itself wasn't great. It was a lot of telling rather than showing and if I hadn't had images of these characters in my brain with previous knowledge of their personalities, I don't think I would've connected with any of them. I'm still going to read Solitaire and we'll see. I know that Radio Silence also on a lot of readers' favorite lists. I'm sure this was just a novella-syndrome in terms of writing style.

If you’re in the mood for a graphic novel as a palette cleanser, I have a terrific recommendation for you, featuring the classic love story between Hades and Persephone of Greek mythology. If you’re not into mythology, you’ll still love this. I promise.

Why have I slept on this for so long? I remember ads popping up on Facebook for Lore Olympus a long time ago and I didn’t give it the time of day because of that. I assumed it was this spammy, click-bait story that ultimately would charge you a lot of money to finish it.

Boy was I wrong. Lore Olympus is so beautifully done! Granted, I’m not a fan of mythology so I have no idea if any of this is accurate, but I don’t care. It’s modernized with cell phones and cars, anyway.

The artwork is gorgeous and immersive, while the story is dynamic and sucks you in immediately. Each episode ends with a mini cliffhanger, propelling you into the next bit without you realizing it. Before long, you’re on the last chapter and downloading Webtoon because you can’t live without this world in your life.

Okay, that’s just me. Whatever.

If you do want to download Webtoon, this first volume encompasses episodes 1-25. You’re welcome.

I was lucky enough to read this through my library, so now I have to return this beautiful book and I truly don’t want to. I’m going to buy it and then pre-order volume two, which releases in July next year.

I should note that this is not a graphic novel for kids. There’s nudity, cursing, and suggestive artwork, so be careful when keeping it around children. It looks colorful, so they may want to read it.

If you’re a fan of Greek mythology, full color graphic novels, and love stories… I have the perfect book for your holiday wish list.

Lauren Graham was 32 when she started her iconic role as Lorelai on Gilmore Girls. I’m 31 and sometimes feel as though I’m stuck and I can’t try new things or dare to dream since I’m “too old.”

This tidbit of information, as pathetic as it sounds, makes me feel hopeful that something amazing will happen to me in my thirties.

I don’t know how to review nonfiction, but I had a wonderful time listening to Lauren Graham talk. The audiobook is short (think 4 hours) so it’s a great book to casually listen to while getting your chores done.

While I could’ve been doing laundry or cleaning, I was indeed waiting for a game to update on my PS5.