Audiobook: This was an absolute wonderful audiobook!! I loved everything about this especially since I am a huge fan of Now & Then which is what it reminded me of. I never seen Almost Famous but other reviews mentioned this movie. Even though the story was through a teen's pov, I think this is more of an adult book? Maybe older young adult? Also what was so cool with the audio is that you actual got to hear the song at the end! It just was a great coming of age story. Highly recommend the audio.

Audiobook: 4.5 - I thought this was a great audio! The narrator’s voice did a good job with distinguishing between the last and present. I will say now that I have read both “Final Girl” books & I like this one way more. I don’t really like the concept of Final Girl(s), I guess because in real life we use it more in movies. I did not expect the story to end the way it ended & of course my suspicions were not correct.

Audiobook: 4.5 - this was such a cute book!! I felt that it teetered the line between YA and adult so if you are thinking it’s strictly YA, I’d give it a chance. I kept wanting to shake Quinn out of her stubbornness and as she put it “self sabotaging” herself. Very enjoyable and a quick listen.

Audiobook: Please look at trigger warnings prior to reading. I wasn't sure what to expect from this other than that it was not going to be like his other book. And boy it was not. This book was very deep but also just so lovely. I have not ever read a book that talked about the afterlife and majority of this book was taken place there. I wish the end would have been different and I do not want to say much more than that due to spoilers.

Audiobook: 3.5 - I really wanted to like this more. There were parts that really soared and other parts that just was meh. I think I would’ve liked it more if it wasn’t a thriller but just a book about a teen starting at a new school and the whole coming of age. I loved that aspect of it! I did love the narrator of the audiobook & thought it read fast.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Jenny Colgan and William Morrow for an early copy of this book!

What a fun treat this one was! This was such a cozy read to jump start the holiday season because let's be honest, we all know it starts as soon as the clock strikes midnight on Nov 1st.

This book is about two polar opposite sisters: one has her life together and the other does not. Carmen was let go from her job and her (very pregnant) sister (with the suggestion of their mother) took her in and provided her a job for the holiday season. Not only is Carmen living us book lovers dream and working at a bookshop, she is somehow involved in a love triangle.

This story was heart warming and I love seeing how Carmen's relationship grew with her nieces and nephew. The complexity between Carmen and Sofia is relatable to me even though I have a younger brother. I feel like I am Carmen and my brother would be Sofia. It was nice to see how their relationship changed & we see how they worked things out.

I won't spoil how Carmen works her way through the bookshop or how she manages her love triangle. I will say I was happy with the choice that she makes. If you are looking for a cozy, romantic book to read during the holiday season, Perfect for Hallmark Christmas movie lovers.

Rating: 3.75

Net Galley was kind enough to allow me to read an ARC of “Call Me Athena: Girl from Detroit” by Colby Cedar Smith. I was giving this ARC as a digital copy but for myself I cannot read on my phone. Luckily, there was an audiobook which was very enjoyable!

First off, this cover is absolutely gorgeous! And definitely catches your eye.

This story is told in verse form from three different perspectives - Mary, Gio and Jeanne. Gio and Jeanne are Mary’s parents.

Mary is young, dreamer, full of life and is looking for love. She does not want to be a typical good Greek girl as her parents aspire her to be.
She meets a young man while working at her parent’s store and she is immediately smitten. He is not what her parents would approve of and she often wonders what it would be like to have a “regular last name” like Smith. We see Mary grow up in the course of this book. She starts off timid and aspirational and in the end she is strong and bold.

Gio & Jeanne’s stories are of their upbringings and we learn how they eventually met while he was injured at war. Gio by the end has an accident at his employers were he lost his thumbs and now can no longer work. We learn that once Jeanne had Mary, she given up her job as a nurse to be a stay at home mother. Gio goes to return home for a bit and Mary knows she has to work.

I am not going to spoil the ending but Mary is introduced to a very powerful man and brought in how groundbreaking it was for a woman to do man’s job.

There was a lot going on and having pretty much 3 different stories happening at the same time was a little confusing for me. Overall though, there are so many stories similar to this family and should continue to be told.

Thank you Net Galley, Therese Beharrie & Kensington Books Zebra for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book will be published on November 30th.

Romance books are my go to and my absolute favorite. I just love reading about love. But this book - I struggled.

I am not sure if it was just there was so much going on between the love interests, her best friend, long lost family member, magic and then the book within. a book element. It just felt like it was a lot. Items kept dragging out when I think the author could have shorten it up.

I was so frustrated with Gaia and Jacob. I kept waiting for them to realize their feelings and sexual tensions and then things would start to happen but then fizzle. And by the end we never got to read about them having romantic relations after waiting for it all book.

Things that I did like was the trope of falling for her best friend's brother as well as the addition of mental health. It is important now more than ever to talk about the different types of mental health and what it may look like. Also I thought having Gaia be a virgin was a new concept for a romance for me (even though as stated above they teased about having sex all book but then nothing).

I did like the magic element but I wish that it was not incorporated with her writing/books because it made things confusing. I also liked that the end was left on a slight cliffhanger to lead into the 2nd book.

Also Levi?! I am so confused. But I think the 2nd book may answer the questions of who/what they are?!

It was enjoyable but most of it fell flat for me.

Audiobook: This was a bizarre listen but yet I couldn’t stay away. A woman thinks she is turning into a dog. Take it what you will by that.

Thank you to Net Galley, Elizabeth Bass and Kensington for the ARC of this!

This book will be published on January 25, 2022.

Coming back from Salem, I knew I needed to kick off the Fall season with a witch book. And this was a great choice!

A letter was sent from a cousin Tannith, to 2 cousins and 1 adoptive sister, stating she would be leaving for NYC with one of their significant others. Then the game of them figuring out where Tannith is and whose man she was stealing.

The story moved a long pretty well and kept me engaged. Towards the end my attention was slowly lessening but pulled my back the last few chapters where it wrapped it all up. Overall I really enjoyed reading and loved escaping to a modern world where witches existed.

3.5 stars