Take a photo of a barcode or cover
stephsbooktalk's Reviews (915)
Thank you so much to Avon for the complimentary book & ebook!
This book is out now!
Okay I'll be honest, I had been putting this book off because someone who I follow talked about her dislike of the book numerous times and made me nervous. But I am happy to report that this is why you shouldn't always listen to your friends because I really enjoyed it!!
This book is told in two different timelines - the present and the past. Piper is on her way to her best friend's wedding when delays has her stranded. And as luck would have it, she runs into her ex/first love who is her best friend's cousin and is also stranded at the airport. A friend of his allowed him to borrow a plane (he is a pilot) so they could make it to her friend's wedding on time. Well the plane ends up crashing and they are stranded somewhere in the Caribbean for quite some time.
I love the relationship between Piper and Wyatt in both timelines! The past we got to see how their relationship started, how it was during and then how it ended. Piper had tried to avoid Wyatt as much as she could and was upset when her friend didn't warn her that he was going to be there (and yes she acknowledge that she should've figured since as mentioned its her cousin). He was the last person she wanted to be stuck with. Wyatt on the other hand was so calm and so warm to Piper. He knew survival skills from his time in the military that truly helped saved them in those first 24 hrs of crashing.
I am such a fan of forced proximity because guess what they are forced to talk and work together - shocking I know. And with that builds tension and banter. Once Piper started to let her guard down, they were able to connect and they talked about the day they broke up. And it all comes first circle towards the end after she is confronted by her parents who is trying to control her life. I was proud of her for sticking up for herself even if it happened a little later than it should have (I hated her parents). Wyatt was still so smitten with her. I love hearing them talk about times together when they were younger and just seeing how they reconnect.
I saw some reviews about having to suspend reality and yeah I figured I would have to just based off the premise alone. So that didn't bother me.
I read this one via audio and I thought it was really great via audio! Emma Love is a new to me narrator and I thought she did a great job with Piper. Especially in beginning during her time of distress and just the frustration of being in a plane crash and having to survive on the island, Emma was able to convey that in her voice.
If you are looking for a fun, forced proximity, second chance romance - give this one a read!
This book is out now!
Okay I'll be honest, I had been putting this book off because someone who I follow talked about her dislike of the book numerous times and made me nervous. But I am happy to report that this is why you shouldn't always listen to your friends because I really enjoyed it!!
This book is told in two different timelines - the present and the past. Piper is on her way to her best friend's wedding when delays has her stranded. And as luck would have it, she runs into her ex/first love who is her best friend's cousin and is also stranded at the airport. A friend of his allowed him to borrow a plane (he is a pilot) so they could make it to her friend's wedding on time. Well the plane ends up crashing and they are stranded somewhere in the Caribbean for quite some time.
I love the relationship between Piper and Wyatt in both timelines! The past we got to see how their relationship started, how it was during and then how it ended. Piper had tried to avoid Wyatt as much as she could and was upset when her friend didn't warn her that he was going to be there (and yes she acknowledge that she should've figured since as mentioned its her cousin). He was the last person she wanted to be stuck with. Wyatt on the other hand was so calm and so warm to Piper. He knew survival skills from his time in the military that truly helped saved them in those first 24 hrs of crashing.
I am such a fan of forced proximity because guess what they are forced to talk and work together - shocking I know. And with that builds tension and banter. Once Piper started to let her guard down, they were able to connect and they talked about the day they broke up. And it all comes first circle towards the end after she is confronted by her parents who is trying to control her life. I was proud of her for sticking up for herself even if it happened a little later than it should have (I hated her parents). Wyatt was still so smitten with her. I love hearing them talk about times together when they were younger and just seeing how they reconnect.
I saw some reviews about having to suspend reality and yeah I figured I would have to just based off the premise alone. So that didn't bother me.
I read this one via audio and I thought it was really great via audio! Emma Love is a new to me narrator and I thought she did a great job with Piper. Especially in beginning during her time of distress and just the frustration of being in a plane crash and having to survive on the island, Emma was able to convey that in her voice.
If you are looking for a fun, forced proximity, second chance romance - give this one a read!
Thank you so much to MacMillan Audio for the complimentary ALC!
This book is out now!
I knew I had wanted to read this since it is the 2nd book in the Spunes series and I really enjoyed Savor It last year. This book has been all over my bookstagram leading up to the publication date (today) and I finally told myself over the weekend that it was time to listen.
The book did not disappoint! I honestly had no clue what it was going to be about. And I certainly was not excepting the book to be SO emotional! The topics in this book hit me hard as someone who could not carry a child and had miscarriages. I definitely know the toll that it took on me emotionally and the struggles I felt within my marriage. So be prepared for discussions around that when you read.
I love a road trip romance! The forced proximity of it all brings so much tension and in this one the tension was high from the start! Since we got to read both of the perspective, we know that both parties were still interested in one another - Ellis more so. Ellis was still SO head over heels for his ex wife. He knew he had to try to woo her back. And it wasn't that Wren was not interested she just never thought that it was something he was interested in. But very early on, she learned that was not the case. I just love seeing them reconnect and there was just so much love there. Even when they were not together those 5 years, they raised their son and had a cordial relationship.
I did think the end wrapped up a little too quickly for me but other than that I thought this book was really good! I knocked out half of it in one afternoon because it just read so quick and was hard to stop listening to.
This book is told from dual POV and with the audio narration it is told in dual narration as well. There wasn't much where that was done but in the beginning there are letters that were written and each were narrated by the respected person. Connor Crais and Megan Wicks took on the roles as Wren and Ellis and I thought they both were fantastic. Connor has been growing on me as a male narrator and Megan is a new narrator to me and I would certainly listen to her again. Both brought the vulnerability and warmth to the characters.
Even though this is a 2nd book in a series, I felt that it was not necessary to read Savor It to enjoy this one. There are callbacks to the characters in Savor It but there is enough context within this one that you would be able to piece together things. I feel like I know who the third one could focus on and should there be a 3rd I will definitely be reading it!!!
Consider reading this one if you are looking for a spicy second chance road trip romance!
This book is out now!
I knew I had wanted to read this since it is the 2nd book in the Spunes series and I really enjoyed Savor It last year. This book has been all over my bookstagram leading up to the publication date (today) and I finally told myself over the weekend that it was time to listen.
The book did not disappoint! I honestly had no clue what it was going to be about. And I certainly was not excepting the book to be SO emotional! The topics in this book hit me hard as someone who could not carry a child and had miscarriages. I definitely know the toll that it took on me emotionally and the struggles I felt within my marriage. So be prepared for discussions around that when you read.
I love a road trip romance! The forced proximity of it all brings so much tension and in this one the tension was high from the start! Since we got to read both of the perspective, we know that both parties were still interested in one another - Ellis more so. Ellis was still SO head over heels for his ex wife. He knew he had to try to woo her back. And it wasn't that Wren was not interested she just never thought that it was something he was interested in. But very early on, she learned that was not the case. I just love seeing them reconnect and there was just so much love there. Even when they were not together those 5 years, they raised their son and had a cordial relationship.
I did think the end wrapped up a little too quickly for me but other than that I thought this book was really good! I knocked out half of it in one afternoon because it just read so quick and was hard to stop listening to.
This book is told from dual POV and with the audio narration it is told in dual narration as well. There wasn't much where that was done but in the beginning there are letters that were written and each were narrated by the respected person. Connor Crais and Megan Wicks took on the roles as Wren and Ellis and I thought they both were fantastic. Connor has been growing on me as a male narrator and Megan is a new narrator to me and I would certainly listen to her again. Both brought the vulnerability and warmth to the characters.
Even though this is a 2nd book in a series, I felt that it was not necessary to read Savor It to enjoy this one. There are callbacks to the characters in Savor It but there is enough context within this one that you would be able to piece together things. I feel like I know who the third one could focus on and should there be a 3rd I will definitely be reading it!!!
Consider reading this one if you are looking for a spicy second chance road trip romance!
Mini Audiobook Review: When this book came out, I saw such fabulous reviews for it and knew it was one that I had to read. I wanted it to WOW me like it had WOW all the reviews I had read but it was just okay. Now this is totally a Stephanie thing but perhaps if I had read this before Yellow Wife, I would have felt differently. I had recently read Yellow Wife that also was about being enslaved and so I had all the traumatic events from that in my head. Let me make it clear that these books were totally different and told very vastly different stories but I just had it in my head that I was expecting it to be more along the lines of Yellow Wife.
What I found so different in this story is how close Junie's family was with the family they were working for. Junie especially worked along side their daughter Violet and they for the most part had a pretty good relationship. Violet even considered Junie her best friend. What I was not expecting was the paranormal aspect to it. Junie sees the ghost of her sister and talks to her.
Please check out other reviews if you are considering reading this!!! I know there are SO many more positive ones and I can only share my experience while listening.
I am glad I read it and thought Angel Pean did a great job with narration. I always love listening to her!
What I found so different in this story is how close Junie's family was with the family they were working for. Junie especially worked along side their daughter Violet and they for the most part had a pretty good relationship. Violet even considered Junie her best friend. What I was not expecting was the paranormal aspect to it. Junie sees the ghost of her sister and talks to her.
Please check out other reviews if you are considering reading this!!! I know there are SO many more positive ones and I can only share my experience while listening.
I am glad I read it and thought Angel Pean did a great job with narration. I always love listening to her!
Thank you so much to Libro.FM & Harper Audio for the complimentary ALC!
This book will be out May 20th.
I have been a fan of Neely's work since her debut Love Buzz and I feel like she continues to get better with each book. I thought the concept of this book was right up my alley as being a fan of the movie Legally Blonde, a fan of the tv show Jury Duty as well as a former watcher of the Housewives. And truly this book is a combo of all 3!
I have never *knock on wood* been called for jury duty. So I have no idea what the process would be like but I know myself and I probably would be scared out of my mind especially if I were to get picked. But not Sydney. Sydney was born ready for this role and even more excited because if selected she would be apart of this high profile case focused on her favorite Authentic Moms of Malibu cast member Margot Kitsch. What Sydney was not prepared for was to be working along side her former childhood friend and crush Damon.
I love how we have two storylines happening in this - the court case and then after hours with Sydney and Damon. Neely provides us enough detail to make you feel like you are following along with the proceedings and that alone made me want to keep on listening because I wanted to know what the verdict would be.
Sydney did not want to have any sort of relationship with Damon. She tried so hard to not talk to him because she just didn't want to go down that rabbit hole and potentially be heartbroken by him. But as the case went on, they would start to spend more time together after hours and spent the time catching up on the years that they had been out of contact. I love that they had this history and how easy it is to lean on nostalgia when seeing someone from your past.
The audiobook was narrated by Cindy Kay who narrated another book that I read recently. I thought Cindy did such a great job with all the characters in the book! I felt like she nailed down Sydney little quirks and her inflection worked really well.
Overall I just really enjoyed this one! So if you are looking for a book that has a mix of legal court drama (wink) and romance - give this one a read!
This book will be out May 20th.
I have been a fan of Neely's work since her debut Love Buzz and I feel like she continues to get better with each book. I thought the concept of this book was right up my alley as being a fan of the movie Legally Blonde, a fan of the tv show Jury Duty as well as a former watcher of the Housewives. And truly this book is a combo of all 3!
I have never *knock on wood* been called for jury duty. So I have no idea what the process would be like but I know myself and I probably would be scared out of my mind especially if I were to get picked. But not Sydney. Sydney was born ready for this role and even more excited because if selected she would be apart of this high profile case focused on her favorite Authentic Moms of Malibu cast member Margot Kitsch. What Sydney was not prepared for was to be working along side her former childhood friend and crush Damon.
I love how we have two storylines happening in this - the court case and then after hours with Sydney and Damon. Neely provides us enough detail to make you feel like you are following along with the proceedings and that alone made me want to keep on listening because I wanted to know what the verdict would be.
Sydney did not want to have any sort of relationship with Damon. She tried so hard to not talk to him because she just didn't want to go down that rabbit hole and potentially be heartbroken by him. But as the case went on, they would start to spend more time together after hours and spent the time catching up on the years that they had been out of contact. I love that they had this history and how easy it is to lean on nostalgia when seeing someone from your past.
The audiobook was narrated by Cindy Kay who narrated another book that I read recently. I thought Cindy did such a great job with all the characters in the book! I felt like she nailed down Sydney little quirks and her inflection worked really well.
Overall I just really enjoyed this one! So if you are looking for a book that has a mix of legal court drama (wink) and romance - give this one a read!
Thank you so much to Valentine PR & author Rebecca Jenshak for the complimentary copy of this book!
This book is out now!
This is my first Rebecca Janshak book and I don't think it will be my last. I was looking for a baseball romance to get me into summer baseball season and boy this was perfectttttt.
This is the 4th book in her Holland Brothers series. I had not read the other books in the series but this could be read as a complete stand alone. Rebecca made sure to give enough context for the background on each of the brothers. I am just sad that it took me until now to have read about them!
"If you had lost today, would you want to celebrate it."
"With you? Probably."
I was hooked from this book right from the start. Olivia did not make things easy for Flynn but Flynn was a patient man. Olivia has been burned before and she just didn't want to be in a relationship. She is a single mother and her focus had been running her family's bookstore and taking care of her daughter Greer. But slowly Flynn wiggled his way into her life and it wasn't long until Olivia gave in to him.
Their relationship just felt so natural and the banter was *chef's kiss*. Flynn was so confident in how he felt about Olivia and knew that he was going to win her over. And man oh man the way he was with her daughter - SWOOOON. The way he didn't try to overstep Olivia or try to take the place as her dad but yet was still a parental figure that she looked up to. It was just so sweet to see them interact. I am not a big fan of slow burn but this gave me the tension and build up. Olivia kept Flynn on his toes and he just kept falling harder and harder. The spicy moments were so good and gave me all those ooey gooey feelings.
"It's been a long time since I was at a guy's apartment. I feel a little out of my depth."
"I just introduced you to my plant, Dick. I think you can safely relax."
I love each of our main characters relationship with their sibling. Olivia had a great relationship with her sister Ruby. They truly seemed like they were each other best friends and always are there for one another. They are supportive in their business and Ruby helps with Greer (it takes a village). Flynn has such a great relationship with his brother and I am not sure if this was brought up in the other books but the book divulges into their strained relationship with their dad. Poor Flynn was such an advocate for their father until he no longer could put that stress on himself.
The audiobook narrators have not been announced yet but if it's like the other books. You all in for a treat! And I can't wait to see who Rebecca gets to take on Olivia and Flynn.
If you are looking for a baseball romance starring a hotshot (wink) pitcher and a single mom - give this one a read!!
This book is out now!
This is my first Rebecca Janshak book and I don't think it will be my last. I was looking for a baseball romance to get me into summer baseball season and boy this was perfectttttt.
This is the 4th book in her Holland Brothers series. I had not read the other books in the series but this could be read as a complete stand alone. Rebecca made sure to give enough context for the background on each of the brothers. I am just sad that it took me until now to have read about them!
"If you had lost today, would you want to celebrate it."
"With you? Probably."
I was hooked from this book right from the start. Olivia did not make things easy for Flynn but Flynn was a patient man. Olivia has been burned before and she just didn't want to be in a relationship. She is a single mother and her focus had been running her family's bookstore and taking care of her daughter Greer. But slowly Flynn wiggled his way into her life and it wasn't long until Olivia gave in to him.
Their relationship just felt so natural and the banter was *chef's kiss*. Flynn was so confident in how he felt about Olivia and knew that he was going to win her over. And man oh man the way he was with her daughter - SWOOOON. The way he didn't try to overstep Olivia or try to take the place as her dad but yet was still a parental figure that she looked up to. It was just so sweet to see them interact. I am not a big fan of slow burn but this gave me the tension and build up. Olivia kept Flynn on his toes and he just kept falling harder and harder. The spicy moments were so good and gave me all those ooey gooey feelings.
"It's been a long time since I was at a guy's apartment. I feel a little out of my depth."
"I just introduced you to my plant, Dick. I think you can safely relax."
I love each of our main characters relationship with their sibling. Olivia had a great relationship with her sister Ruby. They truly seemed like they were each other best friends and always are there for one another. They are supportive in their business and Ruby helps with Greer (it takes a village). Flynn has such a great relationship with his brother and I am not sure if this was brought up in the other books but the book divulges into their strained relationship with their dad. Poor Flynn was such an advocate for their father until he no longer could put that stress on himself.
The audiobook narrators have not been announced yet but if it's like the other books. You all in for a treat! And I can't wait to see who Rebecca gets to take on Olivia and Flynn.
If you are looking for a baseball romance starring a hotshot (wink) pitcher and a single mom - give this one a read!!
Thank you so much to the author for the advance copy!
This book will be out on May 20th.
If you are looking for a baseball romance, I highly suggest giving Kelly's Rose City books a read! And to my delight she wrote this novella to hold us over until book 3 comes out later this summer.
This book is short, sweet and very spicy! Going into a novella, you know that the story will move pretty quick. Selfishly I hope Kelly does a full length MM romance BUT until then we have this gem.
"You could be writing box scores or hard-hitting political exposes or gay alien romances - I'd still think you're the best part of my day."
This book centers around second baseman Johnathan Tucker and sports journalist & podcaster Brock Heller. Brock is not well liked amongst the baseball team but for some reason Tucker and him clicked. Even though this was not an official date but being at a fair is so romantic! What they thought was going to be a one night stand turned into so much more!
Even though this is just over 100 pages, you really get to see Tucker and Brock connect. Of course their sexual chemistry was amazing and I love how Kelly writes intimates moments. But the way they supported each other was just so sweet. There was a moment when they were visiting Brock's family and you really got to see the love between them. This book is filled with laughs and fun banter that has you zooming through the pages.
I wouldn't say you necessarily need to read the other two in order to enjoy this one, but I highly recommend checking them out!
This book will be out on May 20th.
If you are looking for a baseball romance, I highly suggest giving Kelly's Rose City books a read! And to my delight she wrote this novella to hold us over until book 3 comes out later this summer.
This book is short, sweet and very spicy! Going into a novella, you know that the story will move pretty quick. Selfishly I hope Kelly does a full length MM romance BUT until then we have this gem.
"You could be writing box scores or hard-hitting political exposes or gay alien romances - I'd still think you're the best part of my day."
This book centers around second baseman Johnathan Tucker and sports journalist & podcaster Brock Heller. Brock is not well liked amongst the baseball team but for some reason Tucker and him clicked. Even though this was not an official date but being at a fair is so romantic! What they thought was going to be a one night stand turned into so much more!
Even though this is just over 100 pages, you really get to see Tucker and Brock connect. Of course their sexual chemistry was amazing and I love how Kelly writes intimates moments. But the way they supported each other was just so sweet. There was a moment when they were visiting Brock's family and you really got to see the love between them. This book is filled with laughs and fun banter that has you zooming through the pages.
I wouldn't say you necessarily need to read the other two in order to enjoy this one, but I highly recommend checking them out!
3.5 - Thank you so much to TBR and Beyond Tours, Elias Cold & Page Street Publishing for the complimentary copy of the book!
Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary ALC!
This book is out now!
I was drawn to this book from the title and this cover! This book was so different compared to other YA books I have read. I am not sure what genre to classify it as but I guess YA historical fiction - horror. I was nervous going into it as I thought it was going to be British historical but it turns out it was not.
There was a lot of things that happened in this book and occasionally I had to pause what I was doing and revert to the text to make sure I heard correctly. And yet all the pieces came together!
This was told from 3 point of views - Phyllis/Phillip, Wycliff and Lucent. Phillip our fearless lead whom got this magical ability to steal body parts from people. Which leads us to Wycliff who Phillip stole his nose but after learning his sister went missing something change for Phillip. How does Lucent tie into this? Lucent is his partner in crime. My heart was sad for Phillip as he loved Lucent and considered him family but he was just a business arrangement. I appreciated that the author gave us the perspective of Wycliff and Lucent.
I just love how Phyllis turning into Phillips. I love how the other characters question it but then just kind of go with it without any sort of ramifications. I was just so happy that could be who they wanted to be pretty much just start over in this new body. They truly felt so much happier when they were wearing men’s clothing.
The audiobook was narrated by Em Grosland who is a new narrator to me. I thought they did a great job! Even though they didn’t change their voice when the POV changed, I was able to follow pretty well. Their voice had a nice tone that made listening a breeze.
This book had a bit of romance, a bit of adventure and overall a fun time! Looking forward to see what the other does in the future!
Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary ALC!
This book is out now!
I was drawn to this book from the title and this cover! This book was so different compared to other YA books I have read. I am not sure what genre to classify it as but I guess YA historical fiction - horror. I was nervous going into it as I thought it was going to be British historical but it turns out it was not.
There was a lot of things that happened in this book and occasionally I had to pause what I was doing and revert to the text to make sure I heard correctly. And yet all the pieces came together!
This was told from 3 point of views - Phyllis/Phillip, Wycliff and Lucent. Phillip our fearless lead whom got this magical ability to steal body parts from people. Which leads us to Wycliff who Phillip stole his nose but after learning his sister went missing something change for Phillip. How does Lucent tie into this? Lucent is his partner in crime. My heart was sad for Phillip as he loved Lucent and considered him family but he was just a business arrangement. I appreciated that the author gave us the perspective of Wycliff and Lucent.
I just love how Phyllis turning into Phillips. I love how the other characters question it but then just kind of go with it without any sort of ramifications. I was just so happy that could be who they wanted to be pretty much just start over in this new body. They truly felt so much happier when they were wearing men’s clothing.
The audiobook was narrated by Em Grosland who is a new narrator to me. I thought they did a great job! Even though they didn’t change their voice when the POV changed, I was able to follow pretty well. Their voice had a nice tone that made listening a breeze.
This book had a bit of romance, a bit of adventure and overall a fun time! Looking forward to see what the other does in the future!
Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for the complimentary copy of this book!
Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary ALC!
This book is out now!
Holy moly! I don't know what Carley does when she writes her books but I think she sprinkles something extra in it!! I was immediately pulled into this story when it started. My memory of Every Summer After was foggy and I knew that this book was connected but I hadn't looked too much into the description as I wanted to be surprised.
"I don't want to mislead you. This is lal I can give you. I don't want you to regret me."
I absolutely love our FMC Alice. I thought she was such a fun FMC and seeing her grow during this summer in Barry's Bay was so lovely. In another life I would love to be a photographer so having that be profession was a win for me. And I love how she is always thinking as a photographer and there would be these moments that she would wish to capture and the text would read "Click." You know I love a female character who is trying to figure out who they are and in this case she knows she wants to be a photographer but wants to start doing shoots that feel right for her and not just to do it for the financial aspect.
Charlie Charlie Charlie. SWOOOOOOOON. I was smitty from the start. He was a smart ass, kind, handyman and based off Alice's description so hot. The banter between him and Alice was *chef's kiss*. As I mentioned earlier my memory of Every Summer After is foggy so I cannot remember what Charlie was like in that but in this he really shined. Even if he didn't think it, he was such a good man. And even when he was being cocky or smart, Alice always came first. As the reader, from his actions he was just so smitten with her.
Alice recounts the last time she was at Barry's Bay with her grandmother and how she was 17 and wanted to be apart of Charlie, Percy and Sam's group. She creates a bucket list of things she wished she had done when she was 17 and I love how Charlie decides to tag along and help her knock off the items on her list. I love how bold the list made Alice and made her go outside her comfort zone. Perhaps it was being around Charlie that brought that side out of her. They just complimented each other so well and even with them saying they were "just friends" as the reader you couldn't help but yell at them (just like all the side characters did - okay maybe not yell yell).
"Even though I can't stop thinking about all the ways I could make you scream my name."
This book just made me happy on every page. I was fist pumping and felt so many swoons while reading which every romance reader should have that while reading. Even with all the swoon and the moments between Alice and Charlie, there was some serious stuff that happens that I don't want to give away.
I paired my reading with the audio and once again AJ Bridel knocked it out of the park! I thought she did a great job as Alice and I loved her voice for Charlie (swooon) and Nan (so sweet sounding)! Even though I was following along with the text, I felt that the audio would have been easy to follow.
If you are a fan of Every Summer After, you do get to see Sam and Percy and where they are today. I thought the amount of time they were in the book was just the right amount.
Carley was already an autobuy/autoread author and with every book it just keeps solidifying it. And one day I am going to get to visit Canada and see how beautiful it really is!
Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary ALC!
This book is out now!
Holy moly! I don't know what Carley does when she writes her books but I think she sprinkles something extra in it!! I was immediately pulled into this story when it started. My memory of Every Summer After was foggy and I knew that this book was connected but I hadn't looked too much into the description as I wanted to be surprised.
"I don't want to mislead you. This is lal I can give you. I don't want you to regret me."
I absolutely love our FMC Alice. I thought she was such a fun FMC and seeing her grow during this summer in Barry's Bay was so lovely. In another life I would love to be a photographer so having that be profession was a win for me. And I love how she is always thinking as a photographer and there would be these moments that she would wish to capture and the text would read "Click." You know I love a female character who is trying to figure out who they are and in this case she knows she wants to be a photographer but wants to start doing shoots that feel right for her and not just to do it for the financial aspect.
Charlie Charlie Charlie. SWOOOOOOOON. I was smitty from the start. He was a smart ass, kind, handyman and based off Alice's description so hot. The banter between him and Alice was *chef's kiss*. As I mentioned earlier my memory of Every Summer After is foggy so I cannot remember what Charlie was like in that but in this he really shined. Even if he didn't think it, he was such a good man. And even when he was being cocky or smart, Alice always came first. As the reader, from his actions he was just so smitten with her.
Alice recounts the last time she was at Barry's Bay with her grandmother and how she was 17 and wanted to be apart of Charlie, Percy and Sam's group. She creates a bucket list of things she wished she had done when she was 17 and I love how Charlie decides to tag along and help her knock off the items on her list. I love how bold the list made Alice and made her go outside her comfort zone. Perhaps it was being around Charlie that brought that side out of her. They just complimented each other so well and even with them saying they were "just friends" as the reader you couldn't help but yell at them (just like all the side characters did - okay maybe not yell yell).
"Even though I can't stop thinking about all the ways I could make you scream my name."
This book just made me happy on every page. I was fist pumping and felt so many swoons while reading which every romance reader should have that while reading. Even with all the swoon and the moments between Alice and Charlie, there was some serious stuff that happens that I don't want to give away.
I paired my reading with the audio and once again AJ Bridel knocked it out of the park! I thought she did a great job as Alice and I loved her voice for Charlie (swooon) and Nan (so sweet sounding)! Even though I was following along with the text, I felt that the audio would have been easy to follow.
If you are a fan of Every Summer After, you do get to see Sam and Percy and where they are today. I thought the amount of time they were in the book was just the right amount.
Carley was already an autobuy/autoread author and with every book it just keeps solidifying it. And one day I am going to get to visit Canada and see how beautiful it really is!
Thank you so much to Saga Press for the complimentary copy of the ebook & ALC!
Thank you so much to S&S Audio & Libro.FM for the ALC!
This book is out now.
This is my first Stephen Graham Jones book and I fear that I think I may have been too dumb for it. I struggled with majority of the book. I don't think that it was anything that author had done. I am not sure what didn't work for me but I just was so confused majority of the time with what was happening. I was in a buddy read and they warned me that it would take a while before things start to click. So I stuck with it and stuck with it and stuck with it and yet I still remained confused. I thought I knew what was happening but ultimately I really didn't. And I wanted to so bad. The Indigenous history that Jones had put in the book is so important, I just wasn't able to comprehend it. Very much could be a Stephanie brain issue as so many people loved the book.
I will say the shining light and what I wish we could have seen more of was the current timeline with Etsy. The publisher provided the audiobook and I loved Marin Ireland's narration! There was extra sound effects that really made her parts come alive at the end. I wish we could've seen more of Etsy throughout the book to break up Good Stab and Arthur Beaucrane parts.
I think if I had a reader's guide as I was reading or was being taught this book as I was reading, I would have been able to enjoy it more.
I recommend checking out other reviews because I know they will talk about how stellar of a book this is and better reasons why you should read this.
Thank you so much to S&S Audio & Libro.FM for the ALC!
This book is out now.
This is my first Stephen Graham Jones book and I fear that I think I may have been too dumb for it. I struggled with majority of the book. I don't think that it was anything that author had done. I am not sure what didn't work for me but I just was so confused majority of the time with what was happening. I was in a buddy read and they warned me that it would take a while before things start to click. So I stuck with it and stuck with it and stuck with it and yet I still remained confused. I thought I knew what was happening but ultimately I really didn't. And I wanted to so bad. The Indigenous history that Jones had put in the book is so important, I just wasn't able to comprehend it. Very much could be a Stephanie brain issue as so many people loved the book.
I will say the shining light and what I wish we could have seen more of was the current timeline with Etsy. The publisher provided the audiobook and I loved Marin Ireland's narration! There was extra sound effects that really made her parts come alive at the end. I wish we could've seen more of Etsy throughout the book to break up Good Stab and Arthur Beaucrane parts.
I think if I had a reader's guide as I was reading or was being taught this book as I was reading, I would have been able to enjoy it more.
I recommend checking out other reviews because I know they will talk about how stellar of a book this is and better reasons why you should read this.
Thank you so much to MacMillan Audio for the complimentary ALC!
Thank you to Dennis @scaredstraightreads for the giveaway win of the physical copy!
This book is out now!
This book was alllll over my bookstagram page leading up and after it came out and I made myself prioritize reading it. I just had to see what all this hype was about. I have been trying to explore the horror genre more to find out what I enjoy and between the hype and expanding my reading, I was excited!
This book is such a wild ride from start to finish! Just like with any suspense book, you think it's going to go one way but then the author goes and surprises you! I am not going to get into detail about all the specifics of the book because where is the fun in that. As the description says, the FMC Jess befriends this little boy (we are not provided a name) who is scared of his father. Though some of the moments as a reader you have to suspend reality but the way Cassidy wrote made it all seem SO real since it was real in the reality of the book. Cassidy does provide a list of content warnings in the beginning of the book and to me I did not think it was bad at all. Perhaps my tolerance is high but it felt like just the right amount of gore.
The main point of view is Jess but throughout the book you get to meet different characters and we get their point of view through what is happening. There was a twist that happened that I didn't see coming but I need to read some other spoiler reviews and maybe some podcasts because I have some logistical questions that my brain just can't comprehend.
Helen Laser did such a great job with the narration! She did such a great job with altering her voice to the different characters but especially between our FMC Jess and the little boy. She made the listening experience fun and easy to follow along.
This was my first Nat Cassidy and I definitely would read him again! Plus I think he is local to PA which I love supporting local authors.
I would definitely recommend if you love a fast past thriller that keeps you on your toes with a little gore.
Thank you to Dennis @scaredstraightreads for the giveaway win of the physical copy!
This book is out now!
This book was alllll over my bookstagram page leading up and after it came out and I made myself prioritize reading it. I just had to see what all this hype was about. I have been trying to explore the horror genre more to find out what I enjoy and between the hype and expanding my reading, I was excited!
This book is such a wild ride from start to finish! Just like with any suspense book, you think it's going to go one way but then the author goes and surprises you! I am not going to get into detail about all the specifics of the book because where is the fun in that. As the description says, the FMC Jess befriends this little boy (we are not provided a name) who is scared of his father. Though some of the moments as a reader you have to suspend reality but the way Cassidy wrote made it all seem SO real since it was real in the reality of the book. Cassidy does provide a list of content warnings in the beginning of the book and to me I did not think it was bad at all. Perhaps my tolerance is high but it felt like just the right amount of gore.
The main point of view is Jess but throughout the book you get to meet different characters and we get their point of view through what is happening. There was a twist that happened that I didn't see coming but I need to read some other spoiler reviews and maybe some podcasts because I have some logistical questions that my brain just can't comprehend.
Helen Laser did such a great job with the narration! She did such a great job with altering her voice to the different characters but especially between our FMC Jess and the little boy. She made the listening experience fun and easy to follow along.
This was my first Nat Cassidy and I definitely would read him again! Plus I think he is local to PA which I love supporting local authors.
I would definitely recommend if you love a fast past thriller that keeps you on your toes with a little gore.