Thank you so much to Brian D. Kennedy, Book Forward & Harper Collins for an advance copy of this book!

This will be published on May 31st.

I had first heard about this book last year and had been anticipation its release.

What more could you ask for, a gay romance while taking place at an amusement park that is the equivalent to DollyWood?!

Emmett is from Chicago who has one goal: to be the first gay country superstar. He hopes getting a job at Wanda World’s Good Time Jamboree in Jackson Hollow, Tennessee will be the foot in the door he needs.

Luke lives in Jackson Hollow and his time is spent working and taking care of his family. His mom has Multiple Sclerosis and has been in and out of work while his stepdad works nights. His dream is to be a chef. He was offered an opportunity to work in the kitchen at Granny’s Cupboard in Wanda World.

The two meet and it was instant attraction. Luke has not had much experience with men as he is closeted, scared of what his family will think of him. Whereas Emmett is loud and proud and is very open. This causes conflict between the couple. In addition to the budding romance, we also have a little mystery involving Wanda World’s very own Wanda Jean Stubbs.

“You can be any color you want and still be in my rainbow”

This hit all the right marks for me and was such a joy to read. I thought the writing was fast pace and kept moving along. Having the dual point of views of each men was an added bonus. I also liked that it wasn’t always the same pattern in sequence (ex: Luke, Emmett, Emmett, Luke, Luke). I also was not expecting a little bit of steam for a YA novel.

I love how Kennedy described Wanda World because I could picture everything in my head. I felt like I could have been there.

One of my favorite quotes from the book is: “A song doesn’t always have to be true. But there should be truth in it. An emotion you can connect with. Lyrics that articulate something you believe.”

Audiobook -  I feel like this should be required reading for all parents and teenagers. This was such an amazing book. The only part that threw me was when the mom and Poppy went to Korea. I didn’t think that brought much to the storyline besides growing the bond between mother and daughter. Either way I was fully invested and just loved it so much. 

Audiobook - Great listen! Makes me think of all the things I am into that would be considered a cult (pretty much everything). Also I’ve been apart of an author’s Q&A with Amanda Montell and she is excellent. So well spoken and educated. 

I will not be rating Non Fiction books as it is based on real events and real experiences.

This novella was super cute and steamy by the end. The whole idea of sharing a house with a stranger only works in film/tv and books. I do not see this happening in real life which is what makes it fun. 

Despite all the drama that Will Smith has ensued in recent months, I thought his memoir was phenomenal. I highly recommend doing the audio as Smith narrates it himself. There is so much that goes along with Will Smith the person vs Will Smith the celebrity and I loved seeing his growth. 

I will not be rating Non Fiction books as it is based on real events and real experiences. 

 Thank you so much to Sana Khatri for an advance copy of your book! 

 

This is my first book from Sana Khatri and I’m looking forward to going back and reading her other books. Especially know that she has plus size female main characters. 

 

When Words Waver is about two opposites attracts with a protective grandfather standing in the way. Myles co owns a construction company in Chicago and was contracted to do work at Miguel Ribeiro’s home. When Myles laid eyes on Miguel’s granddaughter, Carina it was game over for the both of them. It was instant love. 

 Carina on Myles: “He was made of dreams and made of meadows. He looked so sweet and yet he hurt so deep.” 

 

Myles on Carina: “God, the things Carina Ribeiro made me feel were massively compulsive.” 

 

I love that the book was told from two POVs. Those are always my favorite to get the perspectives from the characters. I also loved that Carina was a selective mute. This was my first book that had sign language as a language. 

 

I am starting to get used to the whole instant love trope. It is not my favorite but it worked well in this story. There were some parts that seem rushed to get the storyline moving along. Maybe I lack adventurous friends but the Truth or Dare type game was extreme!! 

 

One thing Khatri did not lack in is the steam. Her choices of where the couple had sex made me nervous each and every time! Kudos to her though, she was the first author I have read that talked about giving the man oral pleasure and *graphic* swallowing. Definitely had me blushing while reading. 

 

My favorite quote from the book was “Trauma infests deeper than we can comprehend. It takes away the good and leaves you with nothing.”  It’s so so true and I relate so much to this. 

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Susie Dumond & Dial Press Trade Paperback for an advance copy of this!

This will be published on May 3rd, 2022.

Taken place in the mid 2010s in Tulsa, OK where being part of the LGBTQIA+ is frown upon and Amy a baker has to remain closeted at her employer. She works at the local bakery called the Daily Bread where she goes by Amelia. While working one day a new customer comes in and turns her world upside down. She meets Charley and they hit it off immediately.  After getting fired from her baking job due to the homophobic owners finding out her secret, Amy is left in a tailspin trying to figure out her next move. During her cousin's wedding, one of the guests asked Amy to be a fill in bridesmaid at her wedding. The light bulb went off on what her next job should be. Amy became a bridesmaid superwoman catering to the needs of brides on their day. 

It felt that things were being thrown in for the sake of throwing in. 
Examples: 
Underage teen sneaking into a bar? check 
Equality rally? check
Sex toys? check

Amy Amy Amy, I am also conflicted in how I feel about her. I absolutely loved her heart & loved how she gave 10000% into everything she does. I loved her hustle and she never gave up. I also was surprised at how fast Amy fell for Charley. They did not spend that much time together before she was head over heels.   I think I am so used to main characters being more perfect & Amy was far from perfect. 

I am not sure how I am supposed to feel about Charley. I'll be honest throughout most of this book, I did not like Charley. I understood where she was coming from at the end but being mysterious and wishy washy just wasn't my jam. 

I did love the other relationships throughout this book. I love how close to her friends and how they have become her chosen family. I love how close to her mom she was. I also resonated with her fight with her friend. That felt the most realy in this book. I felt their pain. 

I would still recommend this book as I enjoyed the different representation. Plus it really made me hungry for cupcakes and pretty much any baked goods. 
For those wondering the steam is level is almost at a closed door level. 

One of my favorite quotes from the book is: "Good intentions don't excuse bad behavior. But letting that anger fester doesn't fix anything; it just poisons you."

Also just out of pure irony that I had two books in a row that referenced "My Best Friend's Wedding." No complaints from me as its one of the greatest rom coms. 

Audiobook: 
This one did not hit me in the feels as much as "The Roommate" did but was still enjoyable. This one definitely had more of a religious undertone to it which is great to have a Jewish rep romance. How often do you have a rabbi dating a former porn star? What could go wrong or right? 

It definitely was a quick listen & the narrators were great. 

I am hoping there will be a 3rd installment. 

Thank you NetGalley, Katy Birchall & St Martin Press for an advance copy of this book.

The Wedding Season will be published on May 3rd. 

This is my first book from Katy Birchall. I had remember seeing her most recent book "The Secret Bridesmaid" and  had heard positive reviews about it. 

"How can someone be the most important person in the world to you and then just like that, they're gone from your life? Vanished?"

Quick Take: Freya is about to marry her long time boyfriend Matthew of 12 years but the night before her wedding he decides that he couldn't do it anymore. Heartbroken Freya is left to clean up everything. Luckily she has a supportive brother, father and best friends to help her get through it. If that wasn't bad enough she is also at the age where she has not one, not two but seven weddings to attend including some where her ex was going to be at.  Her two best friends Ruby & Leo came up with a plan to help her get through the Wedding Season. Each wedding she is set with a task to complete to help her focus on the task and not everything else surrounding the wedding. 

This book made me smile from front to back. The way Birchall wrote each character and the dialogue was so well written and funny. It felt like reading real conversations. I mean how often do you get the term "slut drop" written in the book. On a personal note I loved the reference to "My Best Friend's Wedding" which is one of my favorite rom com and also there was a reference to Busted which took me back to senior year of HS when my love of them was on high. 

I believe this book is listed as a romance book which in some parts there is a little bit of romance but was more about a woman trying to find her way back to herself and more chick lit. I really think this would be a great movie. I know I definitely would enjoy watching it. 

Audiobook: This book will likely be on my top 10 if not top 5 book of the year. I absolutely love the plot & I am pretty sure it’s the spiciest book I read so far this year. I went into this blind & I highly recommend doing it that way. 

Hot take plot: Clara moves to Cali and thinks she is going to be roommates with a childhood friend that she has a crush on but instead she is greeted by a stranger. 

The audio was absolutely wonderful & the male narrator (Teddy Hamilton) had a swooooon worthy voice.  I laughed, I gasped, I blushed. It was just fantastic!