Okay. Trying this again!! So this month, Words & Whimsy Reading Challenge has added in reviews for points! During our chat with Amie Kaufman and Meghan Spooner, they said the best way to support authors (for free!) is to write reviews – especially on merchant sites! I’m very excited about this edition and can’t wait to write some reviews!
I’m about 50% into my first book of the month, The Haunting of Beatrix Greene. I am loving it so far and can’t wait to see what happens the last half! Here’s the rest of the books I plan to read:
So as you can see, a lot of witchy and murder books! Our theme at Words & Whimsy Reading Challenge this month is Something Wicked! Plus, witchy, spooky books are one of my favorite ways to celebrate fall!
What’s on your fall TBR? Any spooky books I should add? Let me know in the comments below!
I could not bring myself to set up a tbr this month. I mean, I kind of have one? I have 21 books I want to read. I mean, I know I’ve been reading 12 a month, so that’s a little over half, but dang. I just can’t decide! Too many good things!
I am so excited to be on the Autumn Court! We had a twist this month – it’s actually Seelie vs Unseelie! Unseelie FTW! Now, let’s get into these books I can’t wait to read.
There you have it. My super huge tbr. What do you think? Do we share any of the same books? What is your first book for June? Let me know in the comments below! I’m starting with Seven Endless Forests!
Sheeeeeesh have I been in a funk this week! Zero motivation to do anything blog related. However, I have finished 5 books this week! You’ve seen reviews for We Didn’t Ask For This, Girls with Razor Hearts, and Ghosted in LA. This week be on the look out for reviews for Crave and Open Fire!
This will probably be a short one. Like I said, just in a blah mood. I also just started Red Hood by Elana K Arnold and Deny Me by Karen Cole and I can’t wait to dive further into them! I’m reading Red Hood for a book discussion over at Words & Whimsy!
We are starting the TBR at 1811. Let’s see where we end!
Picture Perfect by Fern Michaels This was listed as romantic suspense, so I thought I’d be here for it. However, the reviews were awful so I think I’ll pass.
Vendetta by Fern Michaels Number 2 in a series about a group of women who get revenge on those who have wronged them. I mean, normally I’d be up for trying, but something about it is just off-putting to me.
Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer I know I’ve read this. And I’m not deleting it because it’s Twilight. I’m removing it because I have fond memories of this series and want them to stay that way. I’m afraid of a reread.
Wow, this one ended up being pretty good! I deleted 9/10, bringing my TBR to 1802! So close!
What do you think of my selections? Did I make a mistake? Let me know in the comments below!
Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The summer after senior year is not going as eighteen-year-old Lu Charles expected: after her longtime boyfriend unexpectedly breaks up with her, Lu can’t write a single word, despite the fact that her college scholarship is tied to her columnist job at hip online magazine Misnomer. Then, she meets Cal.
Cal’s ever-practical girlfriend Iris is looking ahead to her first year of college, and her plans do not include a long-distance boyfriend. When Lu learns that Cal and Iris have planned to end their relationship at the end of the summer, she becomes fascinated and decides to chronicle the last months the couple will spend together.
The closer she gets to the couple, the more she likes them, and the more she wants to write about them. The summer unfurls, and Lu discovers what it really means to be in love. On the page, or off it. The book is touching exploration of love and how it shapes us both during a relationship and after it has ended.
– Goodreads
This is the first book by Adi Alsaid, but I know it will not be my last. I was instantly pulled into Lu’s story and couldn’t wait to see what happened.
In the beginning, and throughout the whole book, really, I wanted this weird relationship with Lu and the couple she eavesdropped on – Cal and Iris. I wanted Lu and Iris to become bffs. They seemed to instantly click and they jsut had a nice flow to their friendship. However, Lu met Cal before she met Iris. He sat beside her on a bench where they talked in fake French accents and helped French tourists find their way. They seemed to have instant chemistry and I really wanted Cal to be the one to mend Lu’s heart.
For a while, this weird situation seemed to work. Lu started hanging out with Cal and Iris together, then separate. When she and Cal were together, it seemed like a romantic connection. When Lu and Iris were together, they seemed like they had been friends forever. Lu had a best friend before all this went down – Pete. He might have been my favorite. He was asexual and Lu described him as her wise old uncle, which he thought was pretty fitting. He was funny and smart and gave the best advice.
Lu was eavesdropping on Cal and Iris because she writes a love column. Since her boyfriend broke up with her, she had writer’s block. She was listening to what she thought was their breakup for inspiration. This is really the central plot of the book – Lu working through her heartbreak so she can write again. Besides, her whole future lies in this column. She has to keep it to get her scholarship to go to NYU for journalism.
Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak was such a quick, fun read. It made me laugh out loud at times. It also took me back to my past days of high school romance when a break up was totally the end of the world.
I would recommend this book if you like YA romance contemporaries – but the ending will surprise you! I want to say more thoughts about the ending, but I’m scared it’s spoilery so I will refrain.
Have you read Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!
Another week of trimming the TBR! This meme is hosted by Zezee with Books. Here’s the rules:
The rules for Down the TBR Hole:
Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
Order on ascending date added.
Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
Read the synopses of the books
Decide: keep it or should it go?
So, today we are starting at 1940. I just added the 7 arcs I got approved for this week. Oops. On first glance, there are definitely some I might consider keeping. There’s actually some fantasy and maybe some YA in here!
Thoughts: I mean, this sounds good. High fantasy kind of scares me – it’s usually too involved and too many people to keep up with. But I’ll give this one a try.
Thoughts: The MC takes a slave to sacrifice to the fire god to then get inhuman powers. I am going to pass.
Keep or Delete: Delete
We are ending at 1935. I kept 5 and deleted 5, so not too terribly bad. I actually deleted the YA, which surprised me. I also kept more of the high fantasy than I thought I would. They just sound SO GOOD.
What do you think? Did I make any wrong decisions? Let me know in the comments below!
Last week we made it through 100 books! I’m so excited to start the next 100 and dwindle down my TBR as much as possible. Lord knows I have a ton of current books to add!
First thoughts. Uhm. There are 7 Christmas books. What the hell?! Like, why? And the other three are Nora Roberts. So there’s not going to be a lot of diversity, unfortunately. This may be my second week in a row of deleting all 10! We’re staring at 1942. Let’s see where we end.
Another week and another first impression. This week I am tacking a thriller arc:
“June Moody, a thirty-something English professor, just wants to get away from her recent breakup and reunite with girlfriends over summer break. Her old friend and longtime nemesis, Sadie MacTavish, a mega-successful author, invites June and her college friends to a baby shower at her sprawling estate in the San Juan Islands. June is less than thrilled to spend time with Sadie–and her husband, June’s former crush–but agrees to go.
The party gets off to a shaky start when old grudges resurface, but when they wake the next morning, they find something worse: Sadie is missing, the house is in shambles, and bloodstains mar the staircase. None of them has any memory of the night before; they wonder if they were drugged. Everyone’s a suspect. Since June had a secret rendezvous with Sadie’s husband, she has plenty of reason to suspect herself. Apparently, so do the cops.
A Celtic knot of suspense and surprise, this brooding, atmospheric novel will keep you guessing as each twist reveals a new possibility. It will remind you of friendships hidden in the depths of your own past, and make you wonder how well you really know the people you’ve loved the longest.”
So I read the first chapter of this book. Again, it had a great first line. I’m hitting the jackpot with these lately!
“Like most clusterfucks these days, it starts with a group text.”
I mean, I laughed out loud. It was great. You then see June talking to her best friend about this girl’s weekend with her old college friends. You can tell she doesn’t want to go, but won’t really get into why. I am already intrigued about what happened and why she has distanced herself from three of her four closest friends. There’s not really much in the first chapter except the text and phone call.
I feel like this will be maybe a three star book? I think it will be good, but as you can see, the first chapter is really just a phone call and didn’t give me a lot to go on. I think the ending will probably surprise me, I won’t figure out the bad guy. But I hope I like it!
Thank you to Netgalley and Feiwel and Friends for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power:
1) Woo the Shadow King. 2) Marry him. 3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.
No one knows the extent of the freshly crowned Shadow King’s power. Some say he can command the shadows that swirl around him to do his bidding. Others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regardless, Alessandra knows what she deserves, and she’s going to do everything within her power to get it.
But Alessandra’s not the only one trying to kill the king. As attempts on his life are made, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen—all while struggling not to lose her heart. After all, who better for a Shadow King than a cunning, villainous queen?
– Goodreads
Tricia hinted at this novel back in 2019 when Words & Whimsy had the pleasure of chatting with her. I knew then and there I needed it. I was so excited to get this ARC. I was even more excited when I read the first line:
“They’ve never found the body of the first and only boy who broke my heart. And they never will.”
Omg, guys. That first line, for me, ranks up there with the first line for Nevernight. I was instantly pulled in and wanted to put everything on hold to read this book, Work, sleep, cleaning. I didn’t want any of it. I just had to know about Alessandra’s journey. I read every moment I could. In the elevator, walking to my office, while on hold making appointments. I could not put this novel down.
Alessandra’s goal in simple. Make the king fall in love with her, like so many men have done. Marry the king. Kill the king and take the country as her own. Simple, right? It was, at first. Until these nasty things called feelings got involved.
I loved seeing how Alessandra and Kallias’ story and relationship progressed. I love an enemies to lovers story and this delivered! There were even sexy bits! There was also a tiny bit of a love triange.
Alessandra is not a character you root for. Quite honestly, she’s pretty evil. But you are shown enough vulnerability and kindness to make you fall for her. She even comments on her kindness and how it is out of character. She really reminds me of my dnd character which is part of the reason I think I love her so much. She firmly believes she is the best, smartest person in the room and no one can make her think differently. She’ll also kill you without a second thought.
“I try for a humble tone, but since I’ve no idea what that sounds like, I’m not so sure I manage it.”
Kallias is not so nice, himself. He sees women paraded in front of him day in and day out so he can choose one he likes to marry and have an heir. The only girl he is interested in is the one who will pay him no mind. Make fun of him, even! Who does that to a king?
Their relationship progressed in the best way. First Kallias sees her only as a friend, a confidant. But slowly he sees how cunning and ruthless Alessandra is. He then realizes she is meant to be his queen and he will do anything to have her.
There were small issues throughout the book that Kallias and Alessandra solved together. The ending was so surprising to me! I didn’t see the twist coming and I loved it!
I am so glad I was fortunate enough to be able to read an ARC of this book. I loved it so much. If you want in on the fun you can preorder here:
Happy Thursday guys! This year I started using a couple reading tracker spreadsheets to track my books read. I also started using a Book Blogging spreadsheet. It has a tab dedicated to book hauls. I made a point to log every book I bought, and whew. I did not realize what a habit I had!
So in January alone, I bought 27 books for a total of $134.74. I did not realize I spent that much! And those are just books for ME! We also bought our DM the Critical Role graphic novel and I bought my kid some books.
I mostly bought ebooks. I only bought two physical and 6 audios. So lets jump in to what I bought!
So for ebooks – three were preorders, and I got preorder incentives for Don’t Read the Comments and The Shadows Between Us! Thirteen were on sale for $2.99 or less. I bought 5 full price. I’ve also already read three of the ones I bought – Center of the Universe, Don’t Read the Comments, and The Wives.
Three of these I got with audible credits and the other three I got from the past daily deals sale! I’ve already finished Chase Darkness With Me and Evil has a name. I’m currently listening to Human Errors. I have found this month that I really love non-fic audios – especially true crime!
These two I bought last weekend at Books-A-Million. I don’t really read physicals, but I want to get back into them! I have already read Language of Thorns, but I’ve been wanting my own copy! The artwork on the sides of the stories is amazing. I got Grave Mercy because I’ve been into female assassins lately and I’m always looking for inspo for my dnd character!
Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts? What are your January hauls looking like? Let me know in the comments below!
I was supposed to manage them. I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with them.
Six months ago, I discovered I was the illegitimate heir to one of the K-Pop industry’s biggest entertainment companies. I didn’t want anything to do with the empire I had the chance to inherit.
Then I discovered how my jerk of a half-brother was currently running things. I might not want the job, but I damn well deserve it just as much as him. All I need to do is prove my worth by managing a failing boy band, H3RO, back to stardom.
Easy, right?
Tae, Dante, Minhyuk, Nate, Kyun, and Jun are as talented as they are good looking. Abandoned by their company, they’ve lost faith in everything and themselves. It’s down to me to save their careers – and their dreams – by delivering a number one single.
And yet, somehow, the bigger miracle will be not falling in love with all of them…
– Goodreads
Idol Thoughts was originally recommended to my friend, Hannah. She is a huge K-Pop fan. However, when I saw this book in Words & Whimsy, I knew I had to give it a try. I’ve been in about a two week slump. Nothing was grabbing my attention. My usual slump busters are smutty books, and this is a reverse harem, so I was like, ok let’s try. I’m so glad I did.
Now, a K-Pop fan I am not. Not that I dislike it, I just don’t listen to it. I know one song by BTS. There were a lot of words used in the book that I wasn’t sure of the meaning, but I felt there was enough context that it didn’t take anything away.
Holly, the MC, finds out that her dad is a manager of a huge K-Pop empire. He wants her to come to Korea and join the family business. Her half-brother is none to thrilled and gives her a task to save a group’s career. She thinks it will be impossible, but she pulls out all the stops once she meets the band. And fools around. With all of them.
I’m all for the reverse harem. It’s one of my favorite smut genres. But I was never sure if all the guys knew what was going on or if she was sneaking around. I just wanted everyone to know and be ok with it, honestly. The sex scenes were nicely written, as well as the growth of feelings between Holly and all the members of H3R0.
Idol Thoughts was the first of a trilogy, and I will for sure be reading the next two. I have to see how things turn out with the members of H3R0 and Holly’s brother!
Do you have any other reverse harem recs? Let me know in the comments below!
Mithah Reads 