theartsybookwitch's Reviews (393)

"Jason wasn't even a romantic option, and in the first week of knowing each other as adults, he'd selflessly offered help at every turn, even taking care of me when he noticed I wasn't doing it myself. And he'd asked for nothing in return."

When Rose Guidry, a wedding dress designer, ends up back at her mother's house after failing in New York. And when one night, she gets a frantic call from her sister to dig up an old time capsule box. The time capsule? It's still buried in the back of their old church. The catch? After Rose goes and digs up the box, who turns up and bought the church? Jason, an old friend from childhood, and the brother of the woman who's shes making a wedding dress for.

I'm torn with how I feel about this. There was so many positives, but so many negatives as well. The premise and cover was what drew me in, and in the end, just not what I expected. 

Sex positivity is always a good thing, and something that is mostly becoming more socially accepting. But Rose's inner monologue, and the amount of sex jokes became too much.  The pacing was off as well. Some chapters reeling you in and others dragging out one moment.

I enjoyed the dual POV and seeing how both Rose and Jason react to each other. It was a fun slowburn and steamy, but just didn't hit the mark. 

Tropes:
💖 only one bed
⚙️ Dual POV
💖 Anxiety rep
⚙️ open door spice
💖 friends to lovers
⚙️ dirty talk & toys
💖 wedding dress designer FMC
⚙️ golden retriever MMC
💖 sex positivity

TW // hurricane evacuation, sexual content & language

Thank you to NetGalley, Holly Rose and Star Siren Press for the chance to review an ARC copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

<img src="http://i68.tinypic.com/2rpr7nl.jpg" alt="NetGalley Review" width="150">

This was my first foray into Rebecca's writing and I cannot wait to read more. I really enjoyed the sex positivity, and seeing the characters bring out the best in each other. And in what they each needed. The mix between spicy romcom to the emotional backstory was so well done, and gave the characters just that much more life to them. Highly recommend for any reader looking for a spicy cam model romance.

"Because I am dying to see what it looks like when a girl whose head is literally a ball of sunshine goes rogue."

The newest Dahlia Adler novel comes Come As You Are. Think of the beginning episodes of Suite Life on Deck. Bailey comes and ends up rooming with Zach in a "mistake" with her name, after she applies. However, after everyone finds out, she ends up rooming with London, right? Think of that scenario, except the FMC here stays in the boys' dorm, and has a solo room.

That plot point aside, I really enjoyed Adler's newest. There's so many different messages that is sewn within. I feel the most important? Some friends aren't meant to last forever, but the ones that do? Will sprout from the most unexpected circumstances.

Everett "Evie" Riley is desperate for a life rebrand after everything in her life gets turned upside down. She's a total powerhouse and is like every other teenage girl. After a betrayal in her life, she wants a change. She feels overlooked, invisible; all she wants is to break rules, take a chance and risks. And she gets more than she bargained for. In the best way. She's a total badass, and I love her.

Salem Grayson is the school mystery. Also a sophomore transfer, he was kicked out of his last school for smoking in the principals office. After agreeing one night to help Evie become a new person, he gets thrown into the chaos of her "Reign of Terror". The more you learn about him, the sweeter he becomes. 

Their deal, and in turn, their relationship is probably one of the sweetest I've ever said. Their nicknames for each other; the way they protect her; the way Salem is always there for her, in more ways than one. Through their deal, they become the best versions of themselves. 

And all of their friends? I love them all so much. And their book club.

Also… if there's a sequel, there's perfect setup. 

Tropes:

OUT NOW.

A huge thank you to Wednesday Books, Dahlia Adler and NetGalley for the eARC! All thoughts and opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

"I knew two things right in that moment: Ruby Tate was so much sexier than she realized. And I was completely fucked."

As a librarian and a sport girlie, I RAN to get this, and it quickly became one of my favorites of the year! 

From their first introduction back as adults to the very last moments shown, I fell in love with them both. Ruby's a powerhouse; a bookworm in need of romance. She's insecure in herself, with everything going on in her life. And when Griffin comes back into her life, she gets the opportunity to turn it around. 

And can we talk about Griffin? The way he instantly starts watching Jane Austen and regency films solely because Ruby loves them? Automatic green flag. The way they reconnect over an initial misunderstanding and it solely becomes the love they always needed. 

I felt so seen with Ruby. Not just being in the same kind of profession (though I'm in marketing), but having a chronic illness. In very different aspects yes, but it's something every spoonie can relate to. 

This book healed me in so many ways. Mended my heart, made me laugh, made me cry. 

I cannot wait for more in the Kings series, and I really hope we get Barrett's story. 

Tropes:

OUT NOW.

A huge thank you to Montlake, Karla Sorensen and NetGalley for the eARC! All thoughts and opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

"There were monsters following Devin before she ever got to these woods. She doesn’t need conspiracy theories. She needs to get out of here."

Devin Green, a teenager in foster care, end up in the Pattons home. This was supposed to be her last way-station. Or so she thought. When she gets taken away in the middle of the night, her and four others find out that they're now in wilderness therapy, hosted by REVIVE Teen Rehabilitation Journey. A few nights in, their mentors go missing, and their journey takes a dark turn for survival.

I LOVE Yellowjackets, so seeing that in the tagline, I knew I had to pick this up. I haven't read Gould's other books, but I absolutely will be picking up more. Her storytelling is so beautiful and terrifying. The mixture of angst, emotion, horror and

romance

was something I've never seen in horror, and one I love to see.

One thing I didn't expect was the emotional and found family aspects. For a horror novel, Gould knocks it out of the park (or woods). Every single person there has troubled pasts, and seeing them all work together was so nice to read, especially when their personalities clash.

While I enjoyed all the characters, my favorite is Sheridan. From the initial "mean-girl" of the group to the girl who was just trying to survive. And her relationship with Devin? *chefs kiss*

"Even if you aren’t sorry for what you did, you can be sorry for how it made someone feel."

What The Woods Took was a truly horrifying novel and one well worth the read. And just proves I will never go camping again. (I blame Girl Scouts for camping everytime in my childhood). 

Trigger warnings below.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books and Courtney Gould for the opportunity to read What The Woods Took! All thoughts and opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

Whether or not you're a librarian, publisher, or just an informal book reviewer, the newly updated NetGalley's Social Media Handbook by We Are Bookish has everything you're looking for. A helpful guide for those starting in the book realm, or those long been here. 
 
One thing I really liked is how informative the guide got. Not only does it do a deep dive into the basic social media platforms, i.g. Instagram and Facebook, but goes into how to personalize and tailor your content into different platforms. How to take a basic book review or just an introductory post on yourself, but tailor it to work with BookTok, BookTube, Facebook, etc.
 
I love that there was a strong focus on accessibility as well, creating content and working on making everything accessible to all in today's age, where digital accessibility is a huge topic. 
 
A great social media guide that can be picked up, not just by those in the book community, but those looking to grow in the digital world.

A helpful guide to NetGalley readers, and the process of reviewing books. From changes to make to spruce up your bio, to even enabling dark mode on the browser, this toolkit has everything for newbies and veterans alike!

“Wishing for something you can never have is a waste of time.”

A magickal academy and a set of dangerous trials. I went into this duology with high hopes, as I loved the House of Night series. I found the aspect interesting as it's based on astrology and powers based on the moon. Give me mystery, give me fantasy, give me magic, I was drawn from the getgo. I fell in love with the cover alone. However, I felt like it leaned more toward middle grade, and read like they weren't the equivalent of seniors in high school.

Tropes:
♉️ Magical Academy
🔮 Astrology driven
♉️ Trials
🔮 LGBTQ+ Rep
♉️ Contemporary Fantasy
🔮 Friends to Lovers

A huge thank you to Wednesday Books, P.C. Cast and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Draw Down The Moon! All thoughts and opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.