Category: two star book

adult, ARC, blog tour, contemporary, fantasy, Four Star Book, middle grade, three star book, two star book, ya

📓 March Wrap Up 📓

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What an odd month. Life as we know it has changed for now, and I think we’re all still trying to adjust to the new normal. I know it took a toll on my mental health, so it definitely affected my reading.

I don’t know if that affected my ratings or not, but I read a lot of meh books this month. They weren’t great but weren’t bad either. Here’s what I read:

  1. Lovestruck by Kate Watson ⭐⭐.5
  2. Don’t Check Out This Book! by Kate Klise ⭐⭐⭐
  3. Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak by Adi Alsaid ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  4. The Queen’s Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  5. All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  6. We Are the Wildcats by Siobhan Vivian ⭐⭐.5
  7. Music From Another World by Robin Talley ⭐⭐⭐
  8. Hungry for Your love by Lori Perkins ⭐⭐⭐
  9. All the Pretty Things by Emily Arsenault ⭐⭐⭐

I didn’t really have a favorite this month. The middle of the month was best reading wise. I liked Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak, The Queen’s Assassin and All the Stars and Teeth. I liked that I read more fantasy this month. I may try to read more next month. It’s a great way to forget about the real world and get lost in a made up one.

My least favorite was We are the Wildcats. I was just so disappointed. It was my most anticipated this month and it was just a total let down.

✔️ Stats✔️

  • Goodreads Goal: 30/120. I lowered my goal this month. I’m not really reading a ton of audios, and my eyeball reading just isn’t cutting it. I read 9 ebooks this month, which is more than last month, so at least I’m improving!
  • I read 3134 pages, which is a little less than last month. But I did read one more ebook than last month! I didn’t do any audios this month. My average rating was 3.22⭐.
  • I consumed 1 romance, mystery, and horror, 2 fantasies, and 4 contemporaries.
  • For audiences, I read 1 middle grade, 1 adult and 7 YA.
  • I read seven ARCs, which is one more than last month! I am trying super hard to get through those and get caught up.

✔️ Yearly Goals Check In ✔️

  • Monthly Goal of 15 a Month: I read 9 this month. I think I will lower this goal to 10. Ten books a month is definitely doable, and I think I would have hit that had this month not been so weird.
  • TBR Goal: I kept doing the posts every Sunday, along with a bonus post. As far as reading 20 this year – well, I am at 4. But there is still time! And I’m only 28 away from getting it below 1800! I’m excited to see where we are at the end of the year.
  • Words & Whimsy: I did a chat with Eric Smith this month which was so much fun! Don’t Read the Comments is still my favorite book of the year! We also did an overhaul, added more mods, and started our own reading game! I’m excited to see what Words & Whimsy Reading Challenge looks like in April! It’s going to be a blast!
  • Book Battle: Words & Whimsy and Book Battle have parted ways. As I mentioned, we have our own reading game now!
  • Mithah Reads: I didn’t post as much as I wanted to this month, but I am determined to get back on track with April! I am going to do a couple blog tours next month that I’m really excited about!
  • I am still keeping up with my three reading spreadsheets, so I’m pretty proud of myself! I do love finishing a book and adding it to the sheet. It’s so satisfying!

What did you read this month? What were your favorite and least favorite reads? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

ARC, contemporary, fantasy, review, two star book, ya

Lovestruck ARC Review

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

🏹 Title: Lovestruck
🏹 Author: Kate Watson
🏹 Publisher: Flux
🏹 Publish Date: April 2, 2019
🏹 Book Form: E-ARC
🏹 Pages: 350
🏹 Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Mythology
🏹 Dates Read: Feb 28 – Mar 3
🏹 Rating: 🏹🏹

Sixteen-year-old cupid-in-training Kali is in an Olympus-sized mountain of trouble. Rule number one in arrow-toting matchmaking: don’t stick yourself. But accidents happen, and Kali instantly falls hard for her indie rock, bass-playing target, Benicio.
The God of Love is going to kill her. Even if he is her dad.
Being the daughter of Eros isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. For one thing, a girl can get jaded when her parents have the most beautiful and fatalistic love story in history. For another, immortality royally sucks when the Oracle condemns you to eternity in the wrong profession. Do the Gods care that Kali wants to ditch the love stuff and be a muse?
Nope.
To reclaim her heart and her destiny, Kali is left with no choice but to defy the Gods, tempt the Fates, date the mortal love-of-her-life, and hope she doesn’t lose her best friend, Hector, in the process.

– Goodreads

So many conflicting emotions about Lovestruck. I wanted to like this book. I loved the premise. It just fell really flat for me.

Kali is basically Cupid. She is tasked with making love matches. She has been studying her mark for weeks. The time has come. She about to shoot him, when suddenly she sticks herself with her arrow. Now she is matched with Ben. Since Kali is immortal, it cannot be reversed. Kali must now go on a quest with the help of her god and goddess friends to find a way to reverse what has happened.

Everyone in this novel was SO DANG DRAMATIC. Like, think of the most dramatic individual you know. Times it by 10 (yes, I promise) and those are the characters. Hector accidentally stuck himself while looking at Kali. Now he is matched with her. She dated him for a while, loved it, but then broke up with him. Yet, when she sees him with another girl, she flips out! You’re the one that left him, honey. You’re to blame.

Ben, Kali’s mark-turned-boyfriend, is emo. But not in the cute, early 2000s emo way. No. If she even mentions Hector, he starts brooding and turning super angsty. I couldn’t with him. He would be so mean to Kali, and she’d just write it off like it was nothing. She just loved that he called her his muse and she inspired his music. I wanted them both to jump off a cliff.

The only characters I liked were Tony and Artmetis. They actually seemed like the genuinely liked each other. I was rooting for them through the whole book.

I know, I’ve been ranting. So why did I give Lovestruck two stars (or arrows)? I love the premise. This story could have been wonderful had it been executed better. I would even be ok with the weird love triangle between Kali, Hec, and Ben had they not been so damn dramatic.

I don’t know that i can recommend this book. Maybe if you like mythology – there were TONS of gods and goddesses in this. But just be prepared for the worst teenage dramatics.

Have you read Lovestruck? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

contemporary, fantasy, Five Star Book, Romance, two star book, ya

The Prediction Book Tag

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Thank you so much to Love for Words for tagging me in this one! This is the first tag I’m participating in, but I hope to do more! Here’s how this one works –

💖 Ping back to the creator of the tag, @bookprincessreviews
💖 Tag the person who tagged you, @LoveForWords
💖 Find an answer to match each prompt.
💖 Have fun!

💖 All these prompts are predictions for your… 💖

💖 Next read💖

This has been on my ARC backlong for too long. I’m trying to catch up as quick as I can! I’m hoping to finish my current read and start this one today!

💖 Next 5 Star Read 💖

I received a beautiful ARC of this and I can’t wait to dive in! I think I may read it after A Brief Chronicle.

💖 Next 1 Star Read 💖

My current read. I don’t normally rate one stars, and this will probably get a two. It’s an ARC, so I will finish and review it, but I’m just not loving it.

💖 Next Love Interest (Or Character Who Seems Really Cool) 💖

A bastard aching to belong…

Reviled son of a dead king, Rafe would do anything for his beloved half-brother, Prince Lysander Taetanus, including posing as him in the upcoming courtship trials. When a dragon interrupts their secret exchange, he orders his studious sibling to run. After suffering a fatal blow, Rafe is saved by a beautiful dove who possesses forbidden magic, just like him.

– Goodreads

I mean, just look at that pic and read that synopsis of him. I’m already swooning.

💖 Next Book You’ll Be Buying 💖

This is one of the books that has been on my TBR the longest! I’ll have to buy it but I’m determined to work more of these books in!

💖 Next Book That Will Leave You With a Hangover 💖

I’m so into the girl power in this book! It’s one of my most anticipated this month!

💖 And now for tags! 💖

💖 Sarah at Bookish Bug Blog
💖 Destiny at Howling Libraries
💖 Lauren at Lala’s Book Reviews
💖 Kristin at Kristin Kraves Books
💖 Leslie at Books Are The New Black

I hope you all enjoyed this tag as much as I did! What is your next read? What are your thoughts on these? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

ARC, fantasy, Sci-Fi, two star book, ya

Second Star ARC Review!

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Title: Second Star
Author: JM Sullivan
Publisher: Bleeding Ink Publishing
Publish Date: March 5, 2019
Book Form: E-ARC
Pages: 352
Genre: Sci-Fi, Retelling
Dates Read: Jan 12 – Feb 9
Rating: ★★.75

Thank you to Netgalley and Bleeding Ink Publishing for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

Wendy Darling worked her entire life to rise through the ranks of the prestigious Londonierre Brigade. Now as a Captain, she has everything she’s always wanted, including a ship and crew of her own. But when the Brigade receives a strange transmission from the legendary James Hooke, lost a hundred years earlier in uncharted space and presumed dead, Wendy is willing to risk it all to rescue her hero. She races to the planet known only as Neverland; her mission to find the long-lost crew and bring them home.

But there is more to Neverland than meets the eye, and more to Hooke than what was written in history books. When Wendy crash lands on the ominous planet, she quickly discovers Neverland’s dark secret; a malevolent being known as The Shadow that’s looking for a host body to escape its eternal prison. To fulfill her mission, Wendy must decide whether to trust the dashing Hooke or the mysterious Fleet mechanic who goes by the name of Pan–and she has to decide quickly…

Before the darkness consumes them all.

– Goodreads

I wanted to love Second Star. I really did. It came highly recommended from my friend Sarah. We have pretty much the same taste in books so I figured I would love it, too. I finally decided on a 2.75 star rating. I kept going back and forth between a 2.5-3 star rating. I’ll tell you why.

I spent a lot of the book confused. There were SO MANY characters. I couldn’t keep up with who was with what crew, what they did, let alone their names. And it was all important! But I guess I just didn’t care enough to go back and look?

I actually liked Wendy. I found her pov to be pretty interesting. She was strong and commanding and I loved that strong female presence! On the other hand, I hated Peter’s pov. I just couldn’t connect with him. I felt his parts just drug on forever.

The villain wasn’t a strong presence to me either. I felt it was just kind of thrown in. It was meant to be a big climax at the ending of the book, but I just didn’t feel the fear or worry for the characters I was supposed to.

There was some good in the book! I liked the little romance we got between Wendy and Peter. I thought it was sweet and it was a nice slow burn. The ending was also pretty interesting. It’s what really saved the book for me.

Now let’s talk about those read dates. I picked up and put down this book from Jan 12 till Feb 9. It took me forever. I just couldn’t get into it. I think it’s part of why I slumped so hard last month. It was an arc, so I didn’t want to dnf. But now I’m done, proud of myself for finishing and I’m moving on to the next!

Like I said, I gave it a 2.75 star review. The ending saved it from being a 2.5 star, but I didn’t like it enough to be a 3 star. I give a lot of books 3 stars, and it wasn’t on the same calibur as those books.

Have you read Second Star? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

adult, contemporary, two star book

An Irish Christmas Review!

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  • Title: An Irish Christmas
  • Author: Melody Carlson
  • Publisher: Revell
  • Publish Date: September 1, 2007
  • Pages: 192
  • Book Form: E-book
  • Genre: Christmas, Christian Fiction
  • Dates Read: Dec 22, 2019
  • Rating: ★★.5

For Colleen, life is spinning out of control. She just lost her husband, and her relationship with her young adult son Jamie is crumbling. Should she confess to him the secret that has been haunting her for twenty years? Jamie has a few secrets of his own. When he announces his plans to join the military, Colleen decides it’s time for the two of them to take a trip together–to Ireland. The truth they discover there could fulfill both their dreams in a way neither ever thought possible. An Irish Christmas is a captivating story of love, deception, and secret passions, from popular and prolific author Melody Carlson.

– Goodreads

So this was the first book I read off my Down the TBR lists! I kept it because it was around Christmas time and the synopsis said there was deception and secret passion. That sounds amazing. Unfortunately, this book was a flop for me.

First, I didn’t realize it was Christian fiction. If I had realized that, I probably would have deleted. It’s just not my jam.

The story started off kind of slow. It didn’t really pick up until the last 20% or so, when you started figuring out all the deceptions. I can’t remember anything about any of the characters. They were just sort of flat with no emotion. The author would say they were crying, or happy, and I just didn’t feel anything.

There were some positives about this book. It was short – only 192 pages, and I read it in a day. I love a book I can just sit and finish! Once you started seeing the deceptions, it got really interesting. I just wish there was a lot more build up. I wasn’t interested in reading about the characters just randomly traveling all over Ireland.

If you’re a fan of Christmas novels and Christian Fiction, you’d probably like this book. I just felt bored during certain parts. Just not my cup of tea.

Until next time…

ARC, Horror, middle grade, mystery, two star book

Monster on the Moors ARC Review

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  • Title: Monster on the Moors
  • Author: J.M. Kelly
  • Publisher: Top Publications, Ltd.
  • Publish Date: October 31, 2019
  • Book Form: E-ARC
  • Pages: 280
  • Genre: Mystery, Horror, MG
  • Dates Read: Sept 27 – Oct 29
  • Rating: ★★

Monster On The Moors is an MG-YA horror thriller that takes place in the eerie North York Moors of England. Clairvoyant Bobby Holmes, his American cousin Brenda Watson, and their friends, wise guy Stevie and Michael (who is challenged by Asperger Syndrome), are drawn into a deadly mystery. They are hunted by an ancient wolf creature controlled by evil witches of British lore. When one of their friends is captured, they must rely on the investigations of a librarian who is more than he seems, the mystical gifts of a gypsy king, a mysterious stranger at the center of it all, and their own wits in a desperate race to save their friend and come out alive.

– Goodreads

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sheesh. Okay. So, I got this book because I thought it would be a good Halloween read. I was mistaken.

Okay, and I know it took me almost a month to read. I started it, then had to put it down because it was taking so long to finish. 280 pages felt like forever. So I started, put it down, picked it back up. Again. And again.

When I got Monster on the Moor, I thought it was YA. I was so confused because the writing and dialogue was just… childish. I then did some research and discovered it was MG. Okay, that makes more sense. But Bobby and his band of friends go off investigating and in the woods on their own. I know I wouldn’t let my MG-aged child do half of what these guys did in the book. The character’s actions and thoughts were very YA-aged, but the dialogue was MG-aged, so I was just confused. I really spent most of the book trying to figure out their ages.

Another thing that made this book hard for me were the descriptions. They were very wordy, and I lost track of what we were describing. It ultimately made the book very hard for me to get into.

Now for some positives. There was autism rep in this book, which is always nice to see. This is also part of a series, but JM Kelly did a great job of giving enough backstory where you didn’t have to read the first book.

Would I recommend this book? I hate to say, I would not. The actions/voices of the characters didn’t match and it was just too hard to get into.

Until next time…

adult, two star book

More Bedtime Stories for Cynics Review

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  • Title: More Bedtime Stories for Cynics
  • Author: Multiple
  • Book Form: Audio
  • Publisher: Audible Originals, LLC
  • Pages: 250
  • Genre: Humor, Fiction, Short Stories
  • Rating: ★★

Nick Offerman and his posse of high-profile guests present this series of 12 short stories written in the style of classic kid’s tales, but with a decidedly adult approach.

If children’s literature is any guide, we should all be able to magically fall asleep simply by saying goodnight to the things we can see from our beds. But any adult knows that our work anxieties and shameful memories would rather stay up all night and chat. That’s where Offerman and Co. come in—with clever and occasionally downright dark parodies of the classic kids genre. What really happened after Snow White died, from the perspective of the one medically trained dwarf? A naive wizard professor reports back from the trenches of an underprivileged school of magic. A middle-aged man is haunted by the voices of his own aging body. The stories will make you laugh, cry and probably squirm a little.

Performers include: Patrick Stewart, Alia Shawkat, Jane Lynch, Aparna Nancherla, Harry Goaz, Mike Birbiglia, Ellen Page, Rachel Dratch, Gary Anthony Williams, Nicole Byer, and Matt Walsh.

Please note that this audiobook contains explicit content.

– Goodreads
I hated to give this book such a low review.  I saw it as an audible member freebie in May and was like, oh I have to get that! I listened to Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally’s audio a couple months ago and LOVED it. I thought this would be the same. Not so much.

This was a collection of short stories, narrated by various famous humans. The stories just didn’t hold my attention. None of the grabbed me, which I was sad about. I listened while driving to work, and while at work. Sometimes work can command my attention so it takes away from the audio, but that wasn’t the case here. Even when driving I found my mind wandering because I just couldn’t stay focused.

The best part was at the very end when Nick Offerman called himself my lumberjack daddy and sang me a lullaby.

Unfortunately, I can’t recommend this audio to anyone. Even my love of Nick Offerman isn’t enough.

Until Next time…

adult, ARC, contemporary, Erotica, fantasy, Five Star Book, Four Star Book, graphic novel, Memoir, Nursing, three star book, two star book, ya

May Wrapup AND June TBR. What?!

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

Yall. This month has been CRAZY. I’ve been getting back to the gym. My husband had his wisdom teeth taken out. I have a two year old so that’s crazy.

I’ve gotta carve out more me time somewhere! I also need to read. Its June 9 and I have read a whopping ZERO books this month! Omg.

I am almost done with an ARC from Netgalley that I’m so excited to share with you guys! Its serving YA, contemporary, medical realness and I am in LOVE!
Okay, so maybe I have been watching A LOT of Queer Eye this month and I am OBSESSED. Especially with Jonathan. Be my bff? Please?

Jonathan if he ever sees this post.

ANYWAYS. So May reads.

The Beautiful Brain.
Audible Original.
Four stars for a medical book about CTE and brain injuries. I loved it. Most people probably won’t though, I wouldn’t think. I just look a good medical book.

The Shift.
Four Stars.
I read this in honor of Nurse’s Week that was May 6-12. Its a memoir about a day in the life of a nurse. I loved it. It brought back the feels of being a nurse on the floor I used to have.

Nimona.
3.5 Stars. This is a graphic novel, but I listened to the audio. The audio was good, the actors were good. But I think I would have liked the graphic novel better.

Collective 3 stars for this sci-fi romance series. Each book follows a different alien and his mate. They were good. The romance scenes were spicy. It just didn’t jump out as being over a 3 star.

Aurora Rising.
Oh my.
Definitely my most favorite read of the month and will probably be top 5 for the year.
I am LIVING for Kal. I mean. I want that body. haha!
Plus, I got to talk DnD with Jay Kristoff after our author chat. He is the sweetest, most genuine guy. I love him and want to play DnD with him. Love him. Love this book. Full review to come but just go read it right now.

Caraval.
Four star book.
This was a great book about magic and carnivals and deception. I can’t wait to read the next two installments!

Illuminae.
Five stars.
This was a reread. I read the physical version last year and LOVED the format. It was so interesting and original.
I listened to the audio this month and it may have been better! It was full cast. All the voice actors were amazing. Its a book that I would love to listen as I read along.

Whatever Normal Is.
Two stars.
This was the very first ARC I received.
I loved the cover, but the story was just… not good.

12 Days of Forever.
Three stars.
Typical audio romance. Wasn’t great, but wasn’t bad.

Gemina.
Five Stars.
Book two of the Illuminae files.
AMAZING. Again, I read the physical. The format was amazing. It follows different characters, so I was scared I wouldn’t like them as much. This was not the case.
New book boyfriend in the bad-boy main character.

Standing Sideways.
Four Star.
Full review posted. This was an arc I received and I really loved the way it looked at loss and redemption.

June plan? WHAT June plan?

I’m just trying to read a book, guys. But really, my plan is to read as many ARCs as possible and get caught up. Fingers crossed!

Until next time…

two star book

The Manic Pixie Dream Boy Improvement Project Review

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You
  • Title: The Manic Pixie Dream Boy Improvement Project
  • Author: Lenore Appelhans
  • Book Form: Egalley ARC
  • Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab
  • Genre: YA, Contemporary
  • Rating: ★★


Riley lives in TropeTown, where everyone plays stock roles in novels. Riley, a Manic Pixie Dream Boy, is sent to group therapy after going off-script. Riley knows that breaking the rules again could get him terminated, yet he feels there must be more to life than recycling the same clichés for readers’ entertainment. Then he meets Zelda, a Manic Pixie Dream Girl (Geek Chic subtype), and falls head over heels in love. Zelda’s in therapy too, along with several other Manic Pixies. But TropeTown has a dark secret, and if Riley and his fellow Manic Pixies don’t get to the bottom of it, they may all be terminated.

– Goodreads

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. These thoughts and feelings are my own.

So. I’ve put off writing this review for two days. I just don’t really know what to say. I was not a fan of this book.

This is about Riley, the manic pixie dream boy, who lives in TropeTown – where all the bookish tropes live and get called into jobs aka books.

The idea is catchy. I was like, oh this sounds cool! It seemed fun and campy. And I love campy. I just….. could not get into this book.

Riley has to go to therapy daily because he went ‘off script’ from what the author was writing. There he meets Zelda, another manic pixie in therapy, and he falls for her. But in his current job, he finds himself actually falling for Ava. So there’s this love triangle, which I felt like had so much potential, but it didn’t really go anywhere for me.

I felt like there was just no progression in the story. I kept waiting for something to happen. Or for the book to end. And I hate feeling that way about a book.

All in all, I just didn’t enjoy the book. I was just counting down the minutes until it ended. I wish I would have liked it more because it was such a fun idea!

Until next time…