stephsbooktalk's Reviews (915)

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for the advance copy of this!

This book will be out on June 24th!

I am such a big fan of Sarah Adler and she was an auto buy/read ever since her first novel Mrs. Nash's Ashes which if you didn't know, I am obsessed with even still years later. She is back with her friends to lover romance as they work together to find a treasure that they started when they were in high school.

"Did you know that every single version of you..Is the perfect one? Because they're all just you. My Nina."

I just am such a fan of the way Sarah writes - between her characters, the location and just everything overall. She is so good at incorporating humor and pop culture without it being too much (I giggled at the Pierre Escargot reference). I love the dialogue between Nina and Quentin and their banter often made me smile. I think them having so much history being childhood friends played in part as to why their dialogue/banter was so fun to read. I often wish in romances that we had dual POV because I love to know what goes on in the male brain but in this case I felt like he gave hints to how he was feeling throughout the book towards Nina. I was internally screaming and even ran to Sarah's DMs to scream about the chapter where they go visit a high school peer's bar. "And you look...You look so fucking beautiful, Nina." SWOOOOOON! Nina grapples with how she feels about Quentin as a misunderstanding from their youth caused them to be estranged for 18 years. And by the end of the book, you can't help but feel for Quentin as he is just so madly in love with Nina.

I will admit I am not always the biggest fan of treasure hunting books as I always seem to be confused as to what is happening. But in this one I felt like I was easy to follow along and could picture things as they were happening. The treasure hunt was a big part of Nina and Quentin's relationship which we learn more about the whys of that. I thought it was a great way for them to bond and to get to spend more time together.

Nina, Nina, Nina. I felt so much of her in me especially with her brain and how she felt like she needed to be. I always find it so relatable when authors incorporate when their character feels like they are behind in life. It truly makes me feel as if I am not alone in feeling like that. One analogy that Sarah used in describing how Nina was feeling which I thought was very clever, "Sabrina has been not only my closet friend but also a helpful yardstick by which I can measure my progress toward the life I want." Now in a way that Nina and I are different, I do not my personal feelings/"failures" take over my life and consume me. Don't get me wrong Nina had a lot of things happen in a short amount of time that anyone in her position would spiral but as the reader I just wanted to shake her and say girl take a deep breath! Look at what's in front of you. She has such a growth from the beginning of the book to the end with her personal journey.

I just really loved this one! It had me smiling and I was pulled into the story from the start. If you love banter, friends to lovers with some treasure hunting - give this one a read! 

Mini Audiobook Review: I was unsure when I first started to listen to this if I was going to like it. And honestly I couldn't get through the narration within the first chapter but then I looked at who the narrator was and I admittedly thought well I need to keep going now. This book is narrated by none other than actress Lauren Graham. I am not sure why her narration didn't grab me but then knowing it was her and how she speaks I was much better with the rest of the book. 

This book is set primarily in the present but you get small doses of the family in the past. The book is told from 4 different point of views of each of the siblings - Gemma, Connor, Roddy, and Jude. I thought the author did a great job with each of the characters giving us insights to what is happening in their life currently. The siblings are not as close as they once were but the youngest Jude is bringing them together to tell them a secret that has been weighing her down. But it all becomes so much more for each of them. 

I would love to see this be made into a movie! Especially in the last quarter of the book, I feel like it would be very dramatic to see it played out on screen and more emotional. 

If you are looking for a family drama that is a mix of love, humor and reconnection give this one a read! 

Thank you so much to 831 Stories for the complimentary copy of this book!

This book is out now!

Holy moly - I love this book! I say often how books are Stephanie books and this book is certainly a Stephanie book.
Pretty much any time a celebrity romance is a trope - it is for me!

This is my 4th book from this publication and I just love how they focus on romance novellas. They are super bingeable to read especially like this one that has tropes that are my favorite. I started this one on a whim while reading another and I just kept coming back to this and before I knew it, I was half way through the book.

The book starts off 5 years prior when newly famous actor Jack Felgate walks into a bar and has this immediate connection with the bartender Cara. After their one night stand, Jack goes off and continues to become a famous actor while Cara who also goes by CJ has a career in set design. They reconnect while both working on a new movie remake of The Great Gatsby. Neither have forgotten about their one night together but CJ did not want to get involved with someone she was working with especially the lead actor. I love watching them reconnect and have a friendship before they decided to get romantically involved again. Jack learns that CJ has a daughter whom is her primary focus and I love seeing them have a relationship.

My only small quip is that I do wish we got to see what happened between them the night they met and why they didn't proceed further.

This book just truly made me smile from start to finish. I just love Jack and CJ so much! I love their chemistry and their relationship from start to finish. I read this one with my eyes but I did see that the audio is being done by Andi Arndt and Shane East which honestly you can't get better than them two! They will be a fabulous CJ and Jack.

If you are looking for a quick celebrity romance that will give you all those swoony feelings - give this one a read!

 

Thank you so much to @coloredpagesbt @holidayhousebks @crystalwrote for the advance copy of the book!
Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary ALC!

This book is out on May 13th, 2025.

I am such a fan of Crystal Maldonado that when I saw she was writing about a plus size character who is going on a road trip to see her favorite BOY BAND - say less, I'm there! If you do not already know, I am a fan girl through and through and love my share of boy bands. But this book is SO much more than our FMC Chloe love for them.

Chloe is a newly graduate and embarking on her 18th birthday. Things in her life are changing and she is just not sure she is ready to grow up yet. She loves nostalgia and with her favorite band Intonation doing a charity gig in Vegas, she has been doing a lot of reflecting on the past. Her father and stepmom gift her on stage (you read that right) tickets to see the band in Vegas there are only 2 people she would want by her side. The relationship with Sienna and Ramona is estranged. We see Chloe's point of view of why she felt the relationships went astray and I was happy that she was able to have the conversations with both Sienna and especially Ramona on what went wrong all those years ago. Especially for a teenager, though reflecting back it may have seem like such a small thing but at the time felt like a huge deal.

I love Chloe's relationship with her cousin Diego who is more like her brother than anything. They are super close and share everything with one another. And guess what - he's a drag queen! Chloe's dad was very protective of her and for good reason. I didn't think he was super overbearing but just an average father looking out for his young daughter. He wanted to be cautious but at the same time knew that she needed to experience things on her own without him breathing down her neck. Overall the family was supportive of not only Diego but just in Chloe in general.

"Growing up seems to mean losing the parts of myself that have made me who I am. I don't want to get a job that keeps me so busy I only have four hours to myself at night - most of which I'll probably spend dreading the next day at work. It's inhumane and capitalistic and horrible and I hate it. But I know I won't have a choice."

I thought the characters felt very much their age a la I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet a Woman. There were times where they felt grown but also times when I felt like they were normal 18 year olds experimenting and embracing their "freedom" being away from their parents. I love the representation that Maldonado wrote in the book! I love the openness of the girls' sexualities and how it was never questioned or was some big revelation, it just was.

I paired my ebook with the audio and narrator Diana Bustelo was wonderful to listen to! She is a new to me narrator and I definitely would listen to her again. I felt like she was able to bring across the girls youthfulness and was able to alter her voice to make each character distinguished. And if you are interested in audio only, it is under 8 hrs which would make it a pretty quick listen!

This is not a long book and easily digestible in a setting or two. If you are looking for a book about friendship, reconnection, road trip, bucket list and of course boy bands - give this one a read!!

PS - As an adult reading this book, the quote that I highlighted above hits hard - oof!

PSS - HOW BEAUTIFUL IS THIS COVER! 

 Thank you so much to Gallery Books for the complimentary copy of the book!
Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster Audio & Libro.FM for the complimentary ALC!

This book is out now!

This book is the second book from Allison Larkin following up to the sensational The People We Keep. Once again Larkin knocks it out of the park! This book had so much heart, some humor and just a feeling of hope throughout the book.

Freya is pulled back into her hometown after having emergency surgery and really no where else to go. She knew she inherited her parents home and went back there where she found her teenage niece camping out. I absolutely loved Freya's relationship with Aubrey. Aubrey needed a parental figure in her life and she really trusted Freya. The story does have moments of flashbacks where we see them younger and how they bonded and how it was so difficult for Freya to leave Aubrey. Aubrey herself does not have a good relationship with her parents. She is more of a black sheep and doesn't want to conform to what her parents think is how you should be in society. She truly just wants to be herself but under their watch, has no way of making herself grow. They had a bit of a rocky start when Freya came back to town but she immediately went into rescue mode and took care of Aubrey. I was very happy for them by the end of the book.

The book itself is seeing how Freya reconnects with her former life and attempts to rebuild her life after leaving everything behind in Maine. We learn the frustrating reason why she left and how that shadow still haunts at her. I loved her friendship with Jam and was so glad that he had her in his life and vice versa. I had been rooting for them as a couple but when Freya started flirting with Eddie, I thought okay her and Jam have a platonic relationship but then series of events happen and I thought OKAY JAM!

There were brief vignettes about the circus in between chapters which I thought were fine to throw in but I was okay without them. I guess it had been necessary to tie in with the title of the book as well as some circus references that are mentioned throughout the book especially in a scene towards the end.

I had all intentions of reading in tandem with the audio but I just couldn't resist being fully immersed into the narration done by Queen Julie Whelan. Julie as always was fantastic and really brought the vulnerability needed for all the characters in the book. And for Freya with the combination of Larkin's writing, Julie made Freya sound confident and strong and that she could make it through any sort of adversity she may face.

Larkin has this way of making you root for all the characters in the book and there was one character in particular that I was holding my breath to see if they made it to the end. Her words pull you into the worlds of these fictional characters but in a way that makes them feel real off page. Like they could be someone you might have known. Larkin is able to write about the complexities of the relationships we have with family and that sometimes you just have to walk away. 

Thank you so much to @HambrightPR & author Venessa Vida Kelley for the complimentary copy of the book!!

This book is OUT NOW!

Wow!!! This is not my usual type of book but I am so glad I read it. This book was deemed The Shape of Water meets The Greatest Showman and that is entirely correct. Now granted my memory of The Shape of Water is a little foggy but I do remember the main themes of the book and well The Greatest Showman is one of my all time favorites so naturally I was sold on the book! The part that made me nervous was the historical aspect of it and if you know me, you know I am not usually picking up merman books. I was nervous that because of the merman that it was going to be too fantasy and maybe high magical realism. I trusted a book friend's review of this and she ensured me that this book is easy to follow. She was right.

"Rio, you make me feel like I'm kissing the tides."
"Benigno, you make me feel like I am holding the moon."

I was able to follow this book from start to end with no issue. I thought this story was so original! I was enthralled in Benny's story and loved his journey throughout the book. He was this scrappy kid from Puerto Rico who was giving a name and sent to New York to start a new life. But as you can imagine, it was not an easy go for him. By chance he meets Samuel Morgan who commissioned Benny's employer Structural Ironworks to build a tank. When things go bad with them, he seeks out Mr. Morgan and from there Benny learns more about his business and meets a family of entertainers. See Mr. Morgan runs a stage show in Luna Park called Morgan's Menagerie of Human Oddities. And the merman is going to be the exhibit that saves them all from financial ruins.

I absolutely loved all the side characters in this!!! I thought there was just enough of them and you got glimpses of each of their personalities throughout the book.

I love Benny's relationship with Sonia and Matthias the most. Sonia is young and stuck in this role as the face of the Oddities. Morgan uses her to get money from rich men who help fund the side show. She doesn't want this life but she feels like she has no other options. I did feel bad when she thought she found a good guy in Benny (which don't get me wrong he is a good one) but Benny is gay. Matthias was who he confided in the most. They had meaningful conversations and I love that the Matthias was working on his memoir throughout the book. It just was a fun side thing he would do. He felt like the "dad" of the group.
Between the two of them, they really took Benny into the family and taught him about their life in the show and guided him. Benny felt like he could trust them the most.

By the end of the book all the characters were there for Benny and Rio - keeping it vague so you can see why & how!

"Cause the prettiest girl in Brooklyn wants me, but my heart wants someone else. Someone who knows me better than any human alive - including me. And I don't even know his name. All I know is that he misses the moon. If I could, I'd ride a rollercoaster to the sky just to steal it for him."

The romance between Benny and Rio - gahhh my heart!!!! Benny just loved Rio for who he was - merman and all. I love their incaldenstine meet ups and how they bonded over music. It was so cute when Benny would play the guitar for him and they would trade off lyrics. Rio taught Benny how to swim and how to control his breathing (Benny has pretty bad asthma). Their relationship was just so sweet. You could tell they just needed one another. Benny had no family until he met those on the side show but Rio was taken away from his family (his mother was killed) and they just had this sense of loneliness until they met. And I thought the end was very beautiful.

My biggest issue is just a my own personal pet peeve (not reflective of the authors writing or the story itself) but I hate long chapters. The chapters on average were about 15-20 minutes on my kindle. As much as I loved the book, it took me a while to read because of the longer chapters.

As if this story wasn't original enough, because the author is a talented artist we got to see their work sprinkled throughout the book. The drawings are incredible and added that extra touch to really help set the book apart from other novels out there. Plus it's always nice to see the images that you are trying to imagine especially the one of all the performers.

I highly recommend this book!

Thank you so much to @Macmillanaudio for the advance ALC!
Thank you so much to @StMartinsPress & @WednesdayBooks for the advance copy!

This book will be out on May 6th.

First off, please make sure you check the trigger warnings for this.

Sigh. I am sorry Julie Soto and it pains me to say that this book didn't hit the way I wanted to. I have seen so many stellar reviews and I had such high hopes but it fell flat.

I am not even sure what didn't work for me. I think I was just waiting for more to happen. There were a lot of characters and I wished I had kept track of who was who. I kept getting people confused as I listened and had to rely on Google AI to help with the character names.

This book is essentially a ghost story. The ghost of Emily is surrounding these group of kids called The Thrashers. Emily wanted to be one so bad and over the course of the book we learn more about her and her desperation to join this clique. All the students who are in this group are unreliable and you don't know which one to point fingers at.

Jodi is our narrator and her background was interesting! I was fascinated by her character and how there were connections from her to things that were happening in things surrounding Emily (sorry I have to be vague for your own surprise). I felt bad for her! Her home life had not been a good and she has gone through things a young girl shouldn't have to have worried about.

Two of my favorite narrators are on this one - Eva Kaminsky and Jesse Vilinsky. Their voices are fairly similar so I'm not sure who took on Emily's journal and who did the rest. Honestly I think doing the audio was my saving grace while reading this. I feel like I would have struggled if I read with my eyes only (or perhaps reading with eyes would have been better for me?). Both of them have this natural voice that makes them sound young which fits the ages of the characters in the book.

I love that Julie is taking chances and doing things outside of romance (she has a romantasy coming out soon in addition to this YA thriller). Perhaps if I didn't have this preconceived notion going into it, it may have been different. Please review other reviews as I know they will be stellar!

I will say that I thought the end was pretty good. I know book friends in our buddy read are hoping with the way it end that we could potentially be getting a 2nd book. Will I read it? Probably!

3.5 - Thank you SO much to @MacMillanAudio for the complimentary ALC!
Thank you SO much to @Flatironbooks for an advance copy of the book!

This book will be out June 10th.

Whewww I should know what I am getting myself into when I read a Cosby book and yet I am always surprised. Just like with his prior books, Cosby has this way of writing that brings such rawness and a sense of reality. His books are written like movies. You can see everything played out. I could totally see this one be adapted for screen.

It's hard to describe all that happens without giving away too much of the book. Roman Carruthers comes back home after learning his father is in critical condition after a car accident. But after learning more about the accident, turns out it might not have been an accident after all. Roman was an essential eldest brother - he tries to always fix things and be the parent to his siblings. The youngest brother Dante is mixed up into some business and gangs he should not be apart of and Roman does what he can to fix it. Though he tried his best there were some things that became collateral damage because of it. There is also middle sister, Neveah, who is just trying to survive. She helps run the family's cremation business (hence the title for the book), had an affair with a cop and is trying to solve the mystery of their mother's disappearance (which you do find the outcome of by the end). 

Though there was a lot of action that happened in this book, there were times I was just uninterested in it. This very well could be a me thing and timing of when I was reading. I just was not compelled to pick up the book though when I did, I was interested in what was happening. 

I did read this one in tandem with the physical book and audio. I have done the audio for all the other Cosby books I read because Adam Lazarre-White's narration is just SO good! And once again he delivers. He deep voice just soothes the ears and you get fully immersed into the story while listening to him. 

This is listed as a Godfather inspired book so if that is something that interests you (I haven't seen the movie) or if you want to try something outside your comfort zone - definitely give this one a read! 

(rating note: I have tossed back and forth if I wanted to give this book a 3.5 or 4 but ultimately settled on 3.5). 

4.5- Thank you so much to @bookedwiththeemilys @baileyseabornauthor for the advance copy of the book!

This book will be out on May 15th.

I was drawn to this book by the fun title and the cover! Who doesn't love a bearded, man bun man on a cover? Plus he is playing a guitar - swoon! 

I will admit the beginning of this was a little hard for me to get through and that may have been for two reasons: learning the backstory of our FMC Victoria/Tori and getting used to a new author's writing style. There was a lot happening in the beginning but around 15% or so (could've been even sooner than that) things were ironed out and I was ready to go! I became so invested in Victoria and Cruz's story - individually and together. They were total opposites and yet somehow it worked! 

One of my favorite micro tropes is when a couple are dancing usually in a nightclub. And this book had that and it did not disappoint! Even though this happened pretty early on but it really set the stage for their relationship and attraction to one another. One thing I wish authors would do more that Bailey did is when we meet Cruz he is a non committal, one night stand type of man AND WE SAW IT. Instead of the author just telling us about his past or having the characters talk about his lack of commitment, we actually saw one of the hook ups happened on page.  

I love seeing Cruz's growth throughout the book. How he thought he could only be this one way when he could be so much more. He admitted to Tori that he has never been in a relationship but when the moment came when she asked him, he was all in. I love how they complimented one another and how he encouraged Tori that she could do anything and was strong enough. 

Tori also had a lot of growth throughout the book. In the beginning I found her very unlikeable mostly because I was screaming for her to get over her ex. I understand why she was attached to the idea of him due to her family and expectations but dude was engaged and living with someone else. I am glad though they were able to have meaningful conversations and were able to be best friends. I also was proud of her for standing up to her dad. I know it took a lot of her to do that and it took some struggling to realized she couldn't go back to living her old life again. 

There were just so many moments between the two that just had me giggling. I love seeing Tori with his family and then the moment when Cruz and Tori were with her grandfather at his party. I love the chemistry between the two of them. I wasn't sure how the spice level was going to be but I thought it was the perfect amount for the book. 

This book is a second in a series but you do not need to read the first one to understand this one. I had not read the first one and felt like I could piece together the events of the first book. As mentioned above, it took a little bit but I got it down. From what I heard from others, it is really good! 

If you are looking for a funny, swoony MMC with spice - give this one a read! 

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for the free book!
Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary ALC!

This book will be out May 6th.

Gah I don't really think that RLS can write a bad book. I am always just so happy whenever I read her work even the YA ones. She has such a way of writing her romance that makes it just feel good and you end up giggling, kicking your feet!

We head to Amsterdam in this book (where RLS currently lives) and the optimism that Dani has arriving in this new country is so charming. She had a series of bad luck - water issue in her apartment, job shutting down and then she accidently crashes into another bicyclist! But it turns out a blessing in disguise because it turns out to be her former high school boyfriend who was an exchange student that her parents hosted.

I just really love the relationship between Dani and Wouter. He was just so sweet and really took care of Dani when she needed a friend. I love that they had this relationship in the past that they would reminisce about their year together. I was happy that Dani got some resolution on why he broke up with her. I am a sucker for fake dating or in this case marriage of convenience and I love seeing them play into it! One of my favorite moments was when Dani has to sit on Wouter's lap while they are out with friends - "I love the way you fit right here." whewwwww!

His family was so great and welcoming her to their family. She created such a bond with his sister. But her family specifically her parents - man oh man. I felt so bad for her! She has health issues but has been able to manage herself and has not let it stop her from doing things. Her parents still treat her as this breakable object and did not appreciate that she went off and got married. I was very proud of her for standing up for herself. Dani's relationship with her sister was so sweet! I was happy that she had her to lean on and could tell her what all was happening in Amsterdam without having her parents breathing down her neck.

Elizabeth Lamont was the narrator on this and the rumor has it she also goes by Alex Finke which even under that name I still have not listened to anything else she has narratorated. But I certainly will! I thoroughly enjoyed her narration and thought she really embodied Dani. Now I do not know Dutch but I felt like she did a great job with the accent and really got Wouter's accent down.

If you want all the feels and make you want to run away to Amsterdam - check this one out!