stephsbooktalk's Reviews (915)

Mini Audiobook Review:
**I will not be rating Non Fiction books as it is based on real events and real experiences.**

"Fat hasn't become a bad word because fatness is somehow inherently undesirable but because of what we attach to it. We take "fat" to mean unlovable, unwanted, unattractive, unintelligent, unhealthy. But fatness iself is simply one aspect of our bodies - and a very small part of who each of us is."

As someone who has always had a larger body and has had a rollercoaster ride of how I feel about my body, this book was a hard book for me to listen/read to.

I ended up feeling even worse about myself & just was a reminder of the discrimination that those of a larger body go through.

I do not think Gordon had that intention while writing as I think it just hit me differently because I understood all the points she was making and at one point in my life felt what she was describing.

I am glad that I read this & want to go back and eventually read What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat. I just don't think I am in the right mind space to consume the information presented. Perhaps when I am in a good spot with my relationship to my body I will. 

I have a book club discussion coming up in June on this and I'm very anxious to hear what is discussed during the meeting. 

The myths that stood out for me the most & that I feel everyone should read were towards the end:
Myth 14 - "I don't like gaining weight but I don't treat fat people differently." 
Myth 15 - "Fat people shouldn't call themselves fat"
Myth 16 - "People who have never been fat have internalized fatphobia"
Myth 17 - "No one is attracted to fat people. Anyone who is has a 'Fat Fetish'"

Mini Audiobook Review: Thank you so Libro FM for the complimentary audio! 

This is my first thriller from Jeneva Rose even though I own her other two thrillers. I really enjoyed the audio of this! I mean you can't go wrong having Andrew Eiden (or you may know him as Teddy Hamilton) as a narrator. He immediate sucks you in and brings any male character to life. I also enjoyed Andi Arndt as the narrator for Grace.

This wasn't the best thriller I ever read/listened to BUT I enjoyed it enough to be engaged and want to keep listening. What I thought was going to be the twist did not end up happening so once again my tally of correct endings of a thriller was wrong.  Also I was not expecting this to have so much of a romance aspect to it but it make sense because of choice of narrator (see above). 

I felt like this was a quick listen & the pacing of the book also was fast. I like when there are two point of views and this does have a unreliable narrator. And just like with any thriller, you never know who you are going to trust and what the reality really is. 

I did like how Rose took two things that is prevalent in today's culture and put them in a book - Air B&Bs and Wyoming Ranch life (the Yellowstone phenomenon). 

Read this if you are looking for a quick read, dual POVs and setting is a secluded location.

Thank you so much to Random House for an advance copy of this!
Thank you so much to PRH Audio for a complimentary copy of the audio!

This book will be published on May 30, 2023.

Elissa Sussman became an auto buy author after I devoured & loved Funny You Should Ask. So when she announced that her next book was going to be another Hollywood/celebrity romance, I was THRILLED!

"You belong up there. You belong where everyone can see you. And hear you."

This book takes place in present time with glimpses of two past timelines - one as teengers at camp, one during the peak of fame. The timelines were not confusing and I was able to following along pretty seamlessly. Had I only done the audio, I think it could have been a little confusing until you got use to the format.

Going into this after reading the very first mixed media blurb, I definitely thought the romance was going to be between Katee Rose (pop stage name) & Ryan her ex boyband boyfriend and not Cal (who she cheated on her boyfriend with). It was pretty clear while reading that Katee Rose and Ryan were not meant to be together and it may have started as a real relationship but turned into more of a PR relationship. Ryan was meant to be a celebrity and craved the attention and in the end it worked for him. Katee didn't need all that and didn't want that.

I love that we got to see the very beginning of the friendship between Cal & Kathleen when they met as teens at camp.  What also worked for me is that both Cal and Kathleen knew what each other went through being in their own respected spotlight. Cal knew the pain that Kathleen went through with her fall from the spotlight. Cal was Kathleen's cheerleader then as well as now and knew how to push her. He knows what she is capable of even when she felt like she couldn't do it.

I do not condone cheating on a partner regardless of the situation so that was a bummer BUT this is a fictional world and it went with the storyline so I am going to let it slide. Because guess what, in real life cheating does happen and does happen in the celeb world.

"The show is going to make you a star. If you let it."

I flew through this book because I was just so invested in Kathleen & Cal's relationship. I wanted to see them figured things out as adults as opposed to when they were teenagers and young adults in the spotlight. I also was really invested in Kathleen's "comeback" as a Broadway performer and wanted her to win. To show that she always has been talented & that no time away from the spotlight could change that.

I thought Kathleen's relationship with her best friend Harriet was also interesting. There is a conflict at towards the end where points were made and I was proud of both of them for sticking up for themselves and work things out. I am going to try to be as vague as I can about something that does happen at the end and once you read, it may make more sense. I do wish that Harriet reached out to Cal and apologize for meddling. One thing that Sussman  wrote into the story is something that I have heard time and time again from solo pop acts vs those in a group, Katee didn't have someone to go through the fame where as the boy band members had each other. Katee had Harriet to be there with her.

"People really don't forgive, do they?"
"When you cheat on your beloved boy band boyfriend? No, they really don't."

Kathleen Rose is the future I wished for Britney Spears compared to the reality. The media continues to treat female performers horribly and unfortunately Britney took a lot of the brunt of it and continues to take the hits. I love pop culture and love the celebrity world but I would never want to be in the spotlight. It takes a very strong individual to have your life under a microscope & to have everything about you picked apart. No, thank you. 

I did primarily of the reading on my ebook but I did also have access to the audio and listen to sections of it. I thought narrator Jaime Lamchick did a wonderful job with Kathleen and all the other characters in the book. 

You'll love this book if you were a fan of the Britney/Justin drama of the early aughts, second chance romance, musical theater, past & present timeline. 

PS - The happiness I felt inside me when Grease 2 was mention! 

PSS - I apologize if this review is disjointed & rambly. I just have so many thoughts and very passionate about the pop star world especially being a tween during the peak time of boy bands & female pop stars where they were my life. 

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for an advance copy of this book!

This book will be published on May 30, 2023.

This is my first Rebekah Weatherspoon book & won't be my last! She has been an author I have been wanting to explore but just haven't gotten around to it until now.

"..but he picks that exact moment to do this entirely erotic hair flip. He usually keeps it up, but maybe he lost his hair tie during the day.

"Okay, that was hot," Tatum says.
"Yeah, I'm in trouble.""

I absolutely adored this book!! It is labeled as a swoony YA which is an accurate description. This gave me all the feels I needed between Bethany and her crushes. It definitely felt like an accurate portrayal of high school. The only thing that was a little weird (but perhaps in the high school sphere of current culture this is okay?) was that it is okay for a girl to start dating her friend's (recent) ex boyfriend? I am not sure if that is appropriate in any context or age.

Despite the fact that Jacob briefly dated Bethany's friend, I really liked them as a couple! I thought they complimented well together. I like how their friendship was gradual & that they shared similar experiences/reputation among their peers.  I love that each have their passions - Jacob with filming & Bethany with her love of cooking. I love that he was there to help Bethany to stand up to her moms about her dislike of basketball & how Jacob always manage to take photos of Bethany "of her good side" and she could see what he saw. They were just so cute together & love all their moments.

I did think the end kind of was rushed & wrapped up a little too nice. I don't want to divulge more into that without giving away the conflict & resolution. But it just happened quick & suddenly things were okay.

"I like food 'cause good food taste delicious. Did that cause me to gain weight? Sure did, but I'm pretty sure it didn't turn me into a bad person."

This quote above gave me such life that I want it pinned to everything I do. As a larger body person, this hit me in so many ways. Even as a reminder to myself that I am still a good person despite what my size is. I am in my mid 30s and still deal with self consciousness and being comfortable with myself. Reading about these characters who their size doesn't bother them gives me such hope and it's always rewarding to have their weight not be the main focus of the book. There was also a moment where Beth she talks about how people don't want to touch you while you are fat and my goodness I felt that to my core!!!! While in high school and in my early 20s while dating, that was such a fear of mine. 

Also just want to point out that this book has a bunch of different rep which was amazing to read. 

Mini Audiobook Review: 3.5 - This book kept coming up on my Booktok and thought let's check it out!

I am not sure what is going on that I keep picking the same kind of book or if there are just a lot of books about teens in the summertime. Oh and brothers also seem to always be involved in someway. 

Anyhow, this was just an okay YA Book. It wasn't my favorite that I have read recently but it wasn't that terrible. I definitely was kept interested and wanted to see how the relationships all played out. It was really weird that the main character had to keep an affair secret and then who the man is that her friend was seeing, then not only that there's a baby involved - even more awkward!!! 

I was really rooting for her and Graham and liked them together!!! I wasn't put off by her relationships with the others in this book with the exception of the above paragraph. They felt very high schooly to me so the author did a great job with that. Juniper definitely doesn't like change and there was a lot of changes happening in her life and she didn't respond as well she could've but that is the age.  I saw a review where they mentioned that the teenagers were drinking and smoking and that seemed pretty normal I thought? LOL 

If you enjoy YA books that take place over the summer with some family drama and always a boy involved.

Mini Audiobook: Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary audio! 

I am a buzzy book reader and this one had all the buzz. I wanted to make sure that I carved out the time to give it a listen and I'm glad I did. 

Was there really a big storyline with some kind of twist? Nope but I still enjoyed the listen!  

I typically enjoy stories about rich people and this one was no exception. 
This was told from the point of view 3 women - Darley, Sasha, Georgina.  

Each women brought a different dynamic to the family and had their own "drama".  Georgina was the most interesting one that I kept wanting to hear more about. There was a tragic thing that happened that was making her rethinking her trust fund which was a lot and by a lot I mean $37 million!!! 

The narrator was the talented Marin Ireland who always does such a wonderful job! I have listened to a few books with her narrating and its enjoyable each time. 

Mini Book Review: 4.5 -  My first exposure was recently when I got to see Victoria speak at a local book fest and I saw all the beautiful covers features some happy dogs. Her book <i>Dog Friendly</i> was chosen as June's Romance book pick which was the perfect time for me to read my first one by her!

Content Warnings from my memory:

Mental Health, Suicide (off page), Bullying (off page)

Quick Recap: Burned out veterinarian Morgan Pearce takes some time off to be incognito as a dog sitter for a client in Nantucket. While there she forms relationships with the local townspeople including soda pop entrepreneur Nathan. 

I loved it!!! There was such a blend of romance, mental health and learning all about dogs! I did not find the "veterinarian" talk to be too much but enough to give context and actually I never considered some of the conflicts that were discussed in the book. You can definitely tell that Victoria used her own experience with dogs. 

One note that I had is when the conflict came in the 4th quarter, it felt really believable and thinking back the seed had kind of been planted earlier in the book.

I paired this with the audio courtesy of PRH Audio and I thought the narrator Patti Murin was fantastic! 

This book would be perfect for the spring/summer season & can't wait to check out her other books especially while lounging by the water. And made me want to visit Nantucket and experience that small town life. 

I am looking forward to the book club meeting & the discussion with Victoria herself! 

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books & St Martin Press for an advance copy of this book!

This book will be published on May 30, 2023. 

There has been such early buzz for this book and I was very excited to be able to get an early copy of this book.

I had seen early mixed reviews on it so going in I was a little nervous but I thought this book was very enjoyable and such an easy read. It is also at the perfect length for a book coming in at 320 pages.

Coley is a 17 year old girl whose mother passed away and she has to leave her life in California and move to Oregon with her father whom she hasn't seen since she was 3. He encouraged her to go out and try to make friends. After almost getting hit by a car by driver Trenton, she meets Sonya who turned her world upside down.

"That's the thing about falling. Sometimes you crash."

I am not of the queer community but I thought the apprehension and the confusion in your teenage years came across believable. Because while I might not know what it is like to have a crush on the same sex, I do know what it's like to have that first big crush and all the feelings that come with it.

While a big portion of this book was the potential romance between Coley and Sonya, it also deals with Coley's grief and starting a relationship with her dad as well as the complicated teenage years and making friends. I was really more interested in seeing Coley's growth with her estranged father and knowing more about his history and we definitely got a piece of that towards the end.

One thing that I loved was that this took place in the early aughts so the main technology was AIM which took me back to my high school and college days. Also love that LiveJournal got to be spotlighted as that was something I definitely used and wish I still had access to my account.

I have heard that the audiobook is a cast of full characters which Hayley had handpicked in doing the narration. I am excited to check that out to see how it translates. I think I know how it worked as this is only told primarily from Coley's POV but we get teases in those LiveJournal entries of other voices.

"I could spend my life chasing her."

I had not previously watched the music video where the origin of this story came from until today and I'm glad that I waited because I could definitely see storylines from the video that were also in the book. I also like how Hayley was able to use the font from her single cover to be on this cover and that there is a moment where the two girls are sitting by the pool that mimics the cover. Just a nice full circle moment. 

I think this book is a great book for teenagers and those coming of age! But could also be meaningful for those who are still trying to figure themselves out at any age. 

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

This book will be published on May 23, 2023.

I AM IN A BOOK HANGOVER STILL OVER THIS BOOK!

I had heard about this book from another author on a podcast and immediately was on my radar.
When the opportunity came to read and review, I had to take it immediately. This is likely going to be one of my top books of the year. That is how much I adored this book!

"You look like you want to punch me."
"Well, you'd probably deserve it."

Going into this story I knew that it was about a woman name Mrs. Rose Nash and her ashes but didn't know the full extent of what I was getting into. Millie had been in a relationship that ran its course but ended sour so she moved in with her elderly neighbor and to help limit her cost to rent, she agreed to be the caretaker for Mrs. Nash. During their time together, Mrs. Nash told Millie about the love of her life - a woman name Elsie whom she met while they both were nurses in the war. Mrs. Nash was under the impression that she had died after a letter was returned marking deceased but Millie found out after Mrs. Nash passed that Elsie was in fact alive. Millie then made it a quest to reunite the two loves.

Throughout the chapters was a separate story happening telling the love story between Rose & Elsie. What I appreciated about it was that it wasn't dragged out but kept short and sweet each time we went back but it was enough to still tell the story between them.

"Being with you isn't about adding some shiny trophy to my collection. It means a lot more than that to me."

I love the banter between Millie & Hollis and love that their relationship wasn't an instant one.
I am not a fan of slow burns but I did not mind it as much in this. Their relationship was gradual and I love the banter between the two. I like that they had met previously as they ran similar circles - he was friends with Millie's ex boyfriend. Hollis was such a fun character because you could tell that Millie's quirkiness and charm was really wearing on him. You knew he was eventually going to break but as any slow burn it is always just a matter of when.   I was addicted to their relationship even when it was still friendly and made me want to keep reading. 

My only qualm because I am a selfish reader was that I needed an epilogue to find out what happened when Millie and Hollis went back home. Bonus chapter maybe?! 

I haven't had a hard time writing how I feel about a book in awhile but trust me when I say you want this on your radar for the spring and summer! I keep telling my reader friends to keep this on their radar when it comes out. 

I am so excited to see what Sarah Adler writes in the future because I am an immediate fan! 

Thank you so much to the author for a gifted copy of your book! 

This is the exact book I have been missing from my life!!!  This book had a mix of heart, laugh out loud moments, SPICE and of course sprinkles of pop culture references (um hello Danity Kane?!). 

I love the way Wardell was able to blend the awkwardness that can be at the start of a relationship and those early butterfly feelings. I thought he did a wonderful job at crafting Marvin’s apprehension of starting this relationship, not only because of him being a parent of a student but for another reason that is disclosed. 

Don't let the cover fool you, this book deals with heavy topics so proceed with caution. Marvin has such a strong front that he puts on for everyone and learns throughout the book that its okay to not always be okay.  

I love his friendship with Jill!!! We all need those friends in our life where they drop everything for you & will tell you what you don't always want to hear. Their banter back and forth was fun to read! 

There were often times that I related to Marvin with the anxiety & the feeling of not being what someone wanted. And also for the funny moments such as when he tells Olan, “Please, don’t ever ask me to run with you.” OH and it was so nice to finally meet a character who also shares a disdain for the smell of bananas *gags* LOL 

I just loved everything about this book & I am looking forward to Wardell’s next one which will have a plus size male character *internally screams* and is a holiday book! Plus we get to see Marvin & Plan in a future series book which is VERY exciting!

If you are looking for your next romance, look no further than this!