Tag: ya

ARC, Four Star Book, LGBT, retelling, thriller, ya

She’s Too Pretty to Burn ARC Review

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An electric romance set against a rebel art scene sparks lethal danger for two girls in this expertly plotted YA thriller. For fans of E. Lockhart, Lauren Oliver and Kara Thomas.

The summer is winding down in San Diego. Veronica is bored, caustically charismatic, and uninspired in her photography. Nico is insatiable, subversive, and obsessed with chaotic performance art. They’re artists first, best friends second. But that was before Mick. Delicate, lonely, magnetic Mick: the perfect subject, and Veronica’s dream girl. The days are long and hot―full of adventure―and soon they are falling in love. Falling so hard, they never imagine what comes next. One fire. Two murders. Three drowning bodies. One suspect . . . one stalker. This is a summer they won’t survive.

Inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray, this sexy psychological thriller explores the intersections of love, art, danger, and power.

– Goodreads

4.5 stars for this twisty thriller! Unreliable narrators abound, you never know who you can trust. Mick, Veronica, and Nico are all messed up. You could see any and all of them being the killer at some point.

I read Wendy’s Kill Club and loved it, so I was super excited to delve into her YA work! This is an amazing YA thriller. The character read at a teenage level. There’s problems with parents, friends, sports teams. All this on top of installation art – which happens to be illegal, and oh yeah, murder. Multiple murders.

I read this in less than a day, which is a feat for me. I could not put it down. I couldn’t figure out who to trust, and that just made me want to read it more and more.

The ending was great. It wrapped up nicely, but still left you wondering. I don’t know if that makes sense, but I felt it was the perfect ending.

Definitely recommend if you love unreliable narrators or ya thrillers!

Will you be checking out She’s Too Pretty to Burn on March 30, 2021? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time..

ARC, Four Star Book, Historical Fiction, Horror, ya

The Haunting of Beatrix Greene Review

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

Thank you to Netgalley and Serial Box for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Beatrix Greene has made a name for herself in Victorian England as a reputable spiritual medium, but she’s a fraud: even she knows ghosts aren’t real. But when she’s offered a lucrative job by James Walker—a scientist notorious for discrediting pretenders like her—Beatrix takes the risk of a lifetime. If her séance at the infamously haunted Ashbury Manor fools him, she will finally have true financial freedom. If she fails, her secret will become her public shame.

But James has his own dark secrets, and he believes only a true medium can put them to rest. When Beatrix’s séance awakens her real gift—and with it, a vengeful spirit—James finds that the answers he seeks are more dangerous than he could have imagined. Together, with a group of supernatural sleuths, Beatrix and James race to settle the ghost’s unrest before it strikes— or else they might not make it out of the haunted manor alive.

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins, along with Ash Parsons and Vicky Alvear Shecter, weaves darkness, death, and a hint of desire into this suspenseful mystery for fans of Sherlock Holmes and Crimson Peak.

– Goodreads

The Haunting of Beatrix Greene was a perfect book to start off the spooky season!

Beatrix is a fake. She pretends she can see and talk to spirits. People pay her to talk to spirits for them, but she rationalizes it by saying she’s giving them comfort.
So what happens when Beatrix is hired for a job at a haunted house – and realizes her powers are real?

This horror story was so well balanced. There was character developments, friendships, and even a romance.

The first 30% is definitely slower paced, but didn’t read slower. Once they got to Ashbury Manor the action really picked up and it was so hard to put down. Three people wrote this novel, but it was so seamlessly done you couldn’t tell.

Definitely recommend for horror lovers or those who want something spooky this fall!

Preorder link here!

Are you planning on reading The Haunting of Beatrix Greene? What’s your favorite spooky read? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

fantasy, Four Star Book, ya

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin Review

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For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts Malik’s younger sister, Nadia, as payment into the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.

But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic . . . requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.

When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death?

The first in an fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction.

– Goodreads

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin was one of my most anticipated books of 2020! The cover is GORGEOUS. I was intrigued by the West African folklore – I’ve never read a book with that folklore before!

The story was so interesting. I loved the premise of Malik trying to kill Karina to save his sister. But Karina might also kill Malik if he wins Solstasia! It was a story of who will kill who first so that made it very tense at times. And of course they fall in love, so will either actually kill the other?! It kept me on the edge of my seat.

The characters were all likable. They were well written. I love books that switch POV’s. I loved seeing the same struggle from both Malik and Karina’s point of view. All the side characters were interesting as well. My favorite was Tunde. He was so charming.

The only reason this wasn’t a 5 star for me, was that I felt the ending kind of dragged. There was twist after twist after twist. It just seemed to keep going and going. If it was a little more concise it would have been a 5 star for sure!

Have you read A Song of Wraiths and Ruin? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

fantasy, One Star Book, Romance, ya

🦖 Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend Review 🦖

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🦖 Title : Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend
🦖 Author : Alan Cumyn
🦖 Publisher : Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
🦖 Publish Date : March 22, 2016
🦖 Genre : Ya, Fantasy, Romance
🦖 Book Form : Ebook
🦖 Pages : 416
🦖 Dates Read : Apr 23 – Apr 25
🦖 Rating : 🦖

Prepare to be blown away—or rather, carried away on huge muscular wings—by this blissfully outlandish, bracingly-smart, tour de force about a teen who has to come to terms with relinquishing control for the first time as she falls for the hot new…pterodactyl…at school. After all, everybody wants him!

Shiels is very pleased with her perfectly controlled life (controlling others while she’s at it). She’s smart, powerful, the Student Body Chair, and she even has a loving boyfriend. What more could a girl ask for?

But everything changes when the first-ever interspecies transfer student, a pterodactyl named Pyke, enrolls at her school. There’s something about him—something primal—that causes the students to lose control whenever he’s around. Even Shiels, the seemingly perfect self-confident girl that she is, can’t keep her mind off of him, despite her doting boyfriend and despite the fact that Pyke immediately starts dating Jocelyn, the school’s fastest runner who Shiels has always discounted as a nobody.

Pyke, hugely popular in a school whose motto is to embrace differences, is asked to join a band, and when his band plays at the Autumn Whirl dance, his preternatural shrieking music sends everyone into a literal frenzy. No one can remember what happened the next day, but Shiels learns that she danced far too long with Pyke, her nose has turned purple, and she may have done something with her boyfriend that she shouldn’t have. Who’s in control now?

– Goodreads

Okay. So. This is one of those books everyone talks about how bad it is. They tell you not to read it, but you do to see how bad it is. This was also (jokingly) a group read last month in Words & Whimsy Reading Challenge. Perfect time to read it and see what the big deal was.

The deal was – it was bad. Shelis is a highschooler. She’s very into student council, so when a pterodactyl joins the school, she decides she is going to make sure he fits in. All the while, she falls in love with him, is jealous he likes her AND another high school girl, AND Shelis’ MOM FALLS FOR HIM. WHAT? They also all have purple noses after they wrangle dance with him. Aka sex. They have sex with a pterodactyl. And get purple noses. I just… what?

That was my thought throughout the whole book. Just what? I was confused. So much happened, but it also seemed like nothing happened? It was weird. And bad. Please don’t read it.

I’m going to link my friend Jordan’s review here. She says it much better than me. Her review is honestly way better than the whole book – and takes a lot less time to read!

Dear friends, please tell me you have not read this book. But if you have, I want to know your thoughts in the comments below!

Until next time…

ARC, contemporary, Four Star Book, Romance, ya

💕 What I Like About You ARC Review 💕

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💕 Title : What I Like About You
💕 Author : Marisa Kanter
💕 Publisher : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
💕 Publish Date : April 7, 2020
💕 Genre : Contemporary, Romance, YA
💕 Book Form : E-ARC
💕 Pages : 416
💕 Dates Read : Apr 26 – Apr 27
💕 Rating : 💕💕💕💕

💕 Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 💕

Can a love triangle have only two people in it? Online, it can… but in the real world, it’s more complicated. In this debut novel Marisa Kanter explores what happens when internet friends turn into IRL crushes.

There are a million things that Halle Levitt likes about her online best friend, Nash.

He’s an incredibly talented graphic novelist. He loves books almost as much as she does. And she never has to deal with the awkwardness of seeing him in real life. They can talk about anything…

Except who she really is.

Because online, Halle isn’t Halle—she’s Kels, the enigmatically cool creator of One True Pastry, a YA book blog that pairs epic custom cupcakes with covers and reviews. Kels has everything Halle doesn’t: friends, a growing platform, tons of confidence, and Nash.

That is, until Halle arrives to spend senior year in Gramps’s small town and finds herself face-to-face with real, human, not-behind-a-screen Nash. Nash, who is somehow everywhere she goes—in her classes, at the bakery, even at synagogue.

Nash who has no idea she’s actually Kels.

If Halle tells him who she is, it will ruin the non-awkward magic of their digital friendship. Not telling him though, means it can never be anything more. Because while she starts to fall for Nash as Halle…he’s in love with Kels.

– Goodreads

Oh, I love books that mesh online worlds and the real world. Halle has an altar ego – Kels. Kels is super cool on twitter and the blogging world. She has a great YA blog that pairs books with cupcakes. She’s quick, witty, and sure of herself.

Her best friend online is Nash. He is an artist. They share each other’s stuff, comment on everything, and talk in DMs. So what happens when Kels moves to middle of nowhere Connecticut and meets Nash? Please read the book and find out!

This was such a cute ya contemporary. I loved the fact that it was about a YA blogger. I also used to bake cupcakes obsessively and it really made me want to start back.

I had such a love/hate relationship with Halle. At times I just wanted to scream at her but at times I related to her so much.

The love between Halle and Nash was PERFECT. It reminded me of being young and in love. They had great times, and they fought. It seemed so real!

Another positive aspect of this book is Jewish rep! I have never read another YA with Jewish rep. I loved learning about Jewish church services and other holidays they celebrate!

The only issue I had with this book is that Halle made some comments about adults reading YA novels that were not positive. I am an adult – I’m 30. There’s no more denying. The majority of what I read is ya, so the comments honestly made me very sad.

Even with those comments, I would still recommend this book! It was so cute and fun and the romance was great!

Have you read What I Like About You? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

ARC, blog tour, book meme, book tag, contemporary, LGBT, ya

#5OnMyTBR

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

So excited to take part in another week of #5OnMyTBR! Here’s how it works:

#5OnMyTBR is a bookish meme hosted by E. @Local Bee Hunter’s Nook  and you can learn more about it here or in the post announcing it. It occurs every Monday when we post about 5 books on our TBR.

This week is one of my favorite genres – contemporary!

Four Days of You and Me by Miranda Kenneally
Release Date: May 5, 2020

This is on my TBR this month and I’m so excited to get to it! This follows a couple on the same day over 4 years time. I can’t wait to see how they grow together during their highschool years!

Breath Like Water by Anna Jarzab
Release Date: May 19, 2020

This is another on my TBR this month. I was fortunate to be invited to this novel’s blog tour!

The Mall by Megan McCafferty
Release Date: July 28, 2020

When I saw the cover, I knew I had to have this book! Plus it’s set in the 1990’s, which honestly, was an amazing time.

Yes No Maybe So by Becy Albertalli and Aisha Saeed
Release Date: February 4, 2020

Ugh, I really need to fit this book in my TBR! It’s so timely with election year this year.

Meet Cute Club by Jack Harbon
Release Date: May 5, 2020

This sounds adorable and I need it now!

What contemporaries are on your TBR? Do we have any of the same ones? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

ARC, blog tour, contemporary, Four Star Book, LGBT, ya

We Didn’t Ask for This BLOG TOUR

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You
HUGE THANKS to Harlequin for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour!

🗝️ Title: We Didn’t Ask for This
🗝️ Author: Adi Alsaid
🗝️ Publisher: Inkyard Press
🗝️ Publish Date: April 7, 2020
🗝️ Book Form: E-ARC
🗝️ Pages: 352
🗝️ Genre: YA, Contemporary, LGBT
🗝️ Dates Read: Mar 30 – Apr 4
🗝️ Rating: 🗝️🗝️🗝️🗝️

Thank you to Inkyard Press for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

From Adi Alsaid, the acclaimed author of Let’s Get Lost, Never Sometimes Always, and North of Happy

Every year, lock-in night changes lives. This year, it might just change the world.

Central International School’s annual lock-in is legendary — and for six students, this year’s lock-in is the answer to their dreams. The chance to finally win the contest. Kiss the guy. Make a friend. Become the star of a story that will be passed down from student to student for years to come.

But then a group of students, led by Marisa Cuevas, stage an eco-protest and chain themselves to the doors, vowing to keep everyone trapped inside until their list of demands is met. While some students rally to the cause, others are devastated as they watch their plans fall apart. And Marisa, once so certain of her goals, must now decide just how far she’ll go to attain them.

– Inkyard Press

FIRST OFF! I want to share this awesome preorder incentive that goes along with the book’s theme of being environmentally friendly!

Preorder ends tonight at 11:59pm so be sure to preorder now!! Here are the links:

| Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound |

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into We Didn’t Ask for This. I was very pleasantly surprised. I read my first Adi book last month. After reading this, I know I need to read all of his works!

This story is told from one all-knowing POV, but has a huge cast of characters. Thankfully, they are all introduced slowly and with a great background, so I had no trouble keeping up with who was who. I loved the one POV. It gave you little hints or glimpses of what was to come after all of this was over. That really elevated the story for me.

These students go to a private school who has a lock in for high schoolers once a year. This year, Marisa decides to stage a protest during the lock in. She is an avid snorkler and diver, and hates seeing the coral reefs slowly dying off. The kids are stuck in the school for a whole week. Four of them are chained to doors.

Marisa has a list of 30 demands she wants met before she lets everyone out. All the kids have connections – parents are celebrities or ambassadors or huge sports stars. She is banking on one of them being linked to the Lokoloko resort – the main place she wants shut down.

We Didn’t Ask for This isn’t just about Marisa though. Like I said, there is a huge cast of characters – 10 or more. You see them form bonds, friendships, and relationships during tough times. That gives you hope these relationships will last well beyond when this is over. All of the characters had very distinctive voices and actions. This helped to tell them apart. I want to applaud Adi because I think it’s very hard to one, have that many characters in a novel, and two, have them all have distinct voices! He did it so well!

This was a quick read. I know my dates read doesn’t reflect that, but yall, my kid refused to let me read this week. The 30 mintues to an hour a day I got to read I read about 10%-20%. The pace was great and it kept me hooked! I had to see how they were going to get out and what demands ended up being met!

I highly recommend if you are a fan of YA contemporary or Adi. I’m definitely going back to read the rest of his works!

Adi Alsaid was born and raised in Mexico City. He attended college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He’s now back in Mexico City, where he writes, coaches basketball, and makes every dish he eats as spicy as possible. In addition to Mexico, he’s lived in Tel Aviv, Las Vegas and Monterey, California. His books include Let’s Get Lost, Never Always Sometimes, and North of Happy. Visit Adi online at http://www.SomewhereOverTheSun.com, or on Twitter: @AdiAlsaid.

Is We Didn’t Ask for This on your tbr? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

adult, contemporary, mystery, Romance, ya

📚 Down the TBR Part 18 📚

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

Another week! I haven’t gotten near as much reading done as I wanted to, but as I settle into a new routine I’m hoping that I can! Mostly it’s if I can stay off Animal Crossing and my kid lets me…

Let’s get to clearing this tbr! We are starting at 1825. I may do a few extra books today to try to get under 1800! Let’s do this!

✔ What I Kept ✔

Matters of the Heart by Danielle Steel
I am here for obsessive love and sociopaths.

Emergency Doctor by Edward Ziegler and Lewis R Goldfrank
I think I’ve read this one before. But I love true medical stories. Helps to remember why I chose this profession because some days, especially lately, I really wonder.

Breathe My Name by RA Nelson
I’ve been super into YA thrillers lately, and this one sounds amazing!

Two Little Girls in Blue by Mary Higgins Clark
I love MHC. I read my first book of hers in ninth grade. I want to read all of her works.

Silent Night by Mary Higgins Clark
I’ll save this one for this year’s holiday season!

The Second Time Around by Mary Higgins Clark
Again, MHC!

Ford County by John Grisham
This is a series of short stories all set in Ford County, Mississippi! I’m kind of a sucker for books set in MS.

On the Street Where You Live by Mary Higgins Clark
Can’t turn away MHC.

Before I Say Goodbye by Mary Higgins Clark
Maybe I should buddy read some of these with my mom. I bet she’s read them all though.

Kitchen Privileges by Mary Higgins Clark
I love memoirs so of course I’d like to read about Mary!

When Chicken Soup Isn’t Enough by Suzanne Gordon
This is another book I think I have read but could stand a reread.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Isiguro
The synopsis of this kind of reminds me of Girls With Sharp Sticks. I loved that story so I definitely want to give this one a try!

Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler
I think Chelsea is so funny, and I love books like this!

5th Horseman by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro
This sounds great. Mystery involving a hospital and angel of death. But does this series need to be read in order?

6th Target by James Patterson, Mazine Paetro
This one also sounds good. I may as well add the whole series…

✘ What I Deleted ✘

Til Death Do Us Part by Kate White
Good premise, but it’s a cozy and I have to really be in the mood for those. Plus it is #3 in a series.

A Place Called Home by Lori Wick
Girl gets death threats and moves to little no where town. But it’s not a mystery or thriller! It’s a chick fic.

A Song for Silas by Lori Wick
Book two from the series.

Sundays at Tiffany’s by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet
Eh, just seems very chick lit romance.

Bungalow 2 by Danielle Steel
A typical Steel novel, chick lit fiction.

Late Bloomer by Fern Michaels
I thought about keeping this one, but reviews were meh, so I decided to delete it.

The Rainmaker by John Grisham
I have to really be in the mood for a legal drama. They’re just not my jam.

The Brethren by John Grisham
Another legal drama.

Celebration by Fern Michaels
Very chick lit.

Crown Jewel by Fern Michaels
Another chick lit that just doesn’t sound like it’s for me.

The Revelation by Beverly Lewis
We all know how I feel about Amish stories…

Cat and Mouse by James Patterson
I love FBI, but I’m not a huge fan of books like these. Plus it’s #4 in the series.

Roses are Red by James Patterson
Same as above, but this is #6.

London Bridges by James Patterson
Number 10 in the series.

Mary Mary by James Patterson
Number 11 in the series.

Whelp. That didn’t end how I thought it would. I kept way more than I thought. The most surprising were the James Patterson and John Grisham.

I’m ending my tbr at 1811. I was really hoping to make it under 1800. I may have to do a bonus post later this week!

What did you think of my choices? Have you read any of these books? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

contemporary, fantasy, LGBT, mystery, Romance, ya

🤩 April’s Most Anticipated Reads 🤩

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

Wow. April is kind of slim for me! I usually have to narrow down the list, but this month there’s not a ton I just can’t wait to read. I have three this month!

First off is Crave by Tracy Wolff! I got the arc box for this which I was super excited about. I am also excited about the return of vampy romances!

Release Date: April 7, 2020

Next is Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson. I fell in love with A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and I have forced many of my friends to read it. They all enjoyed it too! I cannot wait for the sequel!

Release Date: April 30, 2020

Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran. This YA fantasy has a spymaster, plotting, hidden enemies, and of course a love story! Everything I want in a YA fantasy!

Release Date: April 23, 2020

What are your most anticipated releases for April? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

ARC, mystery, three star book, thriller, ya

🎠 All The Pretty Things ARC Review 🎠

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

🎠 Title: All the Pretty Things
🎠 Author: Emily Arsenault
🎠 Publisher: Delacorte Press
🎠 Publish Date: March 17, 2020
🎠 Book Form: E-ARC
🎠 Pages: 352
🎠 Genre: YA, Mystery, Thriller
🎠 Dates Read: Mar 29 – Mar 30
🎠 Rating: 🎠🎠🎠.5

For fans of Sadie and The Cheerleaders comes an all new thriller about a boy who turns up dead under suspicious circumstances and the one girl who may be the key to solving the mystery of his untimely death.

For Ivy, summer means roller-coaster season, spinning cotton candy at the Fabuland amusement park, and hanging out with her best friend, Morgan. But this summer is different.

One morning, Morgan finds a dead body. It’s their former classmate and coworker Ethan. To make matters worse, Morgan is taken to a hospital psych ward only days later, and she’s not saying much–not even to Ivy.

The police claim that Ethan simply took a bad fall, but Ivy isn’t convinced and realizes it’s up to her to get answers. What she finds is unsettling–it’s clear that some people aren’t being honest about Ethan’s last night at Fabuland. Including Morgan. And the more secrets Ivy uncovers, the closer she gets to unraveling dark truths that will change her life forever.

– Goodreads

So, I’m one of those people who reads reviews before I start a book. I don’t know why, it’s just a craving I have. I have to know what others think and if I think the same. I don’t really think it messes with my interpretation of the book. Especially not in this case. The reviews I read said it was predictable and they knew the bad guy from chapter 3. I did not.

Ivy was a likable main character. She seemed genuinely concerned about her best friend, Morgan and solving Ethan’s cause of death. They said he fell, but not everything adds up. She had feelings that I think I would have at 17. She was my favorite character.

The side characters were all interesting and likable too. She had a unique relationship with each of them that seemed well thought out. She seemed like a real girl, which I really liked. Ivy was someone you’d meet in highschool any day.

Ivy’s dad was the worst. He was misogynist, creepy, and said the worst things. I hated seeing him on the page. I cringed every time and just could not fathom having any family member like that. Like, he was the literal worst. He was gross. I just can’t say enough about how much I hated him.

There ended up being two mysteries, neither of which I really figured out. I kind of had an idea about Morgan’s mystery, but not Ethan’s. It was a fast, easy read. It just didn’t quite stand up to other YA mysteries I have read recently.

Have you read All The Pretty Things? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…