I loved this book! I picked up A Heart Worth Healing by Cara Devlin for my Little Free Library Contest a while back, and I’m so glad I get to pass it on to another lucky reader.
A Heart Worth Healing follows Dr. Ellie Lennox as she goes out west looking for a fresh start after an incident in the East turns her life upside down.
Honestly, what’s NOT to like about this book? It’s loosely inspired by a frontier physician Dr. Susan Anderson, it has a clean, slowburn romance, the protagonists are completely lovable, the conflict feels real and well-paced, and it really gives you a feel for the frontier west. It also leaves plenty of room for the sequel, which I will totally be picking up.
Highly recommend for any fans of historical fiction and clean romance!
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It’s always exciting to put a great book in the little library!
This was *such* a cute rom com! The Fastest Way to Fall is about Britta, a journalist that’s reviewing a fitness app, and her fitness coach, Wes, as they do everything they can to resist crossing professional lines and falling for each other.
There’s so much to love here. The MCs are super likeable and were totally brought to life in the audiobook. Britta is funny and lovable, Wes is sweet and sincere, their predicament is traditional romcom goodness, and I was cheering for them the whole time. Their relationship growth and chemistry felt super natural and even the side characters felt real. I also loved the body positivity in this book as well as the growth of the female coworker relationship. Honestly Britta’s fictional journey had me alternatively smiling and wanting to hit the gym. (Although, full disclosure, I am a gym rat, so I may be biased.) Also, speaking of disclosure, there is one steamy scene, and also trigger warnings stated in the beginning for eating disorders, addiction, and fat phobia.
This book was heartfelt, sweet, fun, and it just felt super real. Honestly, now that I’ve read it, I’m surprised I hadn’t heard of it before I picked up the audiobook from the library. Since it’s near the end of the year, I can say with confidence that this is my favorite romance of 2021 (and… I have read quite a few), and I *highly* recommend it for anyone looking for feel-good fun.
Now, someone make the movie please!!!
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This one definitely left me with a big smile! Reading slump: Vanquished!
This is one of those middle grade novels that makes me want to read more middle grade. This Last Adventure follows Archie as he navigates eighth grade while his grandfather and role model is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. As his grandfather’s condition worsens, Archie grapples for ways to help him hold onto his memories, learning about his grandfather’s triumphs, tragedies, and regrets along the way.
Beautifully told, This Last Adventure is about family, bravery, and what it means to be a good person. Archie comes across as a very believable eighth grader—dealing with crushes, school projects, peer pressure, as well as the weight of his grandfather’s illness. But I love how the story never underestimates Archie, and his emotions and realizations come across as thoughtful and heartfelt.
Neither too heavy or too light, the poignancy of this coming-of-age tale leaves you with a feel-good ending and plenty to think about. I’d definitely recommend to upper MG readers and those looking for a reflective tale that fully captures the uncertainty of growing up.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC! This Last Adventure comes out 1 Feb 2022, and you can preorder here. (OMG – I actually read a book before it came out, I know we’re all shocked.)
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Excellent middle grade can be a tough balance – but this one’s definitely a winner!
What an astoundingly beautiful book. A coworker recommended this audiobook to me, and I picked it up from the library with no idea of what it was about. I loved A Man Called Ove, but didn’t really like Bear Town, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But, it tells you almost right away: “This story is about a lot of things, but mostly about idiots.”
The tale is told in third person omniscient, and the narrator has the perfect tone that is both humorous without being distracting. The story follows a group of people involved in a “hostage situation.” The characters are so humorously but fully painted, and I really couldn’t help but love each one. The story holds a seed of mystery that kept me guessing, and I just enjoyed drinking in every word of this book. So quoteable, so heartfelt, so incredibly lovely, with a sweet ending that left me remembering why I love books so much.
Best book I’ve read this year. Maybe in the last two years, and I will be recommending it to anyone that will listen to me. Especially the audiobook.
A Storm of Silver and Ash follows a young thief as she gets caught up in an assassination plot. Written in first person, Storm’s voice and personality pops off the page, and I really enjoyed the world building of the underworld guilds and the lore of the elves. I did think Storm’s light/young tone seemed a bit at odds with her image as an intimidating master thief and killer, but I’m not a huge fan of this style of first person that breaks the fourth wall, so this could just be me! Although there’s no romance in this story, I can see the outlines of the relationships that could be developed in the future sequels. Overall, a solid fantasy recommended for fans of voicey YA fantasy!
It’s a little difficult to describe this book without spoilers, so this will be a short review for a great sequel to finish this duology! Queen of Night by Katherine Macdonald veers from the sequel, and plunges into new territory with this sequel. I loved the raised stakes and the growth of the Persephone’s character as the strands of her life come together. I also really loved the peeks we got into Hades’ perspective, and the happily ever after was a perfect end to their sweet romance. On the whole, this book was more serious and heavier than book one. It starts off a littler slower than the first, but makes up for it with an intense, action-filled second half. If you enjoyed the first book, I absolutely think you will love this one! Highly recommend this duology and can’t wait to read more by Katherine Macdonald.
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Also, as a side note, the copy of Thief of Spring that I put in our local free library only lasted a week before getting snapped up. It makes me smile so big to think someone might be enjoying it right now! 😊
So Thief of Spring by Katherine Macdonald follows a mortal (contemporary) girl who comes across a fae (who are actually interwoven with the legends of the greek gods) Samhain revel, and is spirited down to live in the underworld for 7 months with (fae) Hades.
Where to even begin. WHAT DID I NOT LIKE?! The writing style is clean and fresh and beautiful. The dialogue is snappy and keeps the plot moving. The author wove this huge, dark, tantalizing world seamlessly around the tale of Hades and Persephone, and it just totally blew me away. Then there were the characters! I am seriously attached to both Hades and Persephone.
Seriously, they are so cute it almost physically pains me. They’re both so lovely and hurt in their own way, and the gentle way they put each other back together in a slow-burn that you can just drink in is absolutely fabulous.
And then the ending! Okay, I knew something was up and stuff was about to go down… but it just all happened in this intense climax, that honestly just left my jaw hanging in the best way.
I’m not huge into sequels, and I promised myself that I wouldn’t download anymore until I cleaned out current Kindle TBR. But apparently I lied, because I bought it and it’s on there now. So yeah. Basically, this book was a huge, wonderful surprise, and if you love YA fantasy or YA romance (or even better, both) you will totally fall in love with this book. The romance is standard YA heat (maybe a mild PG-13), the language is mildish, and there are some Harry Potter and other pop culture references in case you’re not into any of that.
But I loved it so five glittering stars to one of my favorite books of the year thus far, and I can’t wait to read the sequel!
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These are my excited “I can’t wait to read the sequel” eyes!
What a super cute steampunkish Rapunzel retelling! The Girl in the Clockwork Tower by Lou Wilham follows Persi, a seer forced to work for the evil and anti-magic MOTHER agency, and quirky goofball, Captain Manu, Persi’s assigned Uprising point of contact in a world filled with all manner of familiar magical people (Mermaids, Werewolves, Unicorns etc) and a few subtle pop culture references peppered in.
I absolutely loved the characters. Persi is super sweet, but shows a lot of courage as she tries to subvert MOTHER from the inside, and Manu is just this dramatic, pineapple-loving dandy airship Captain that you really can’t help but love. I absolutely loved the tongue-in-cheek banter between he and his grumpy goblin first mate, Benard. And Manu and Persi were super cute together—just a heroic pair of cinnamon rolls. And I also really liked that even though Manu and Persi are wholesome and have this innocence to them, the story really didn’t shy away from the horridness of MOTHER.
The only thing that was a little off for me was the pacing. I thought the middle dragged a bit, and then the ending felt rushed—without the full closure I was expecting. It sounds like this is going to be the first book in a series, but I still felt there were some threads of the story that seemed to be left hanging. I would totally recommend to fantasy fans looking for a unique retelling with loveable characters, fun banter, and a clean, sweet romance.
Thanks so much to Booksirens and the publisher for the free ARC!
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Fun world and loveable characters in a steampunk retelling. Thumbs up!
Let me start by saying, I’m not a mermaid person. When I originally saw this book described as a gender-swapped Little Mermaid retelling, I thought, “Eh, not for me.”
Then… when I saw it pitched as “Attack on Titan with mermaids,” I thought… Okay… well THAT I’ve got to see. And this book so totally pulled it off! The dual-POV plot follows a girl struggling with her deep-seated anger with the infestation of cannibalistic mermaids around her small island that threatens to cut them off from the rest of the world, and a merman struggling to escape slavery from the twisted, abusive mermaid queens.
Kenney does NOT hold back with the viciousness of the mermaids as she so vividly paints their world. Perfectly paced, I totally loved the brisk, rich writing style and the intricate and barbaric culture of the mermaids. I liked all the characters from the quietly raging Kestra, to intelligent Mai, and the charismatic ship captain, and the dialogue between them was sharp and fun.
The only thing that didn’t quite work for me was the glimpses of the love triangle that I feel would be further explored in future books. Without getting into spoilers, the chemistry between two points of the love triangle didn’t quite gel for me, and I was a little bit anxious about who the MC would end up.
I felt like the ending tied up the strands perfectly though, closing out the story while leaving room for future tales. As for a content warnings: there is definitely some intense, bloody violence, but language is mild, and romance scenes are fade-to-black, so I’d say PG-13. I would recommend this book to any fans of fantasy with an edge… and extra bonus points if you’re into mermaids!
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Beautiful writing, unique story, and it comps to Attack on Titan. What’s not to like!?!
I was browsing the library audiobooks and picked this one up on a whim, and I’m so glad I did. What a beautiful little middle grade story. The plot follows a 12yo girl with Tourette Syndrome who struggles to deal with a new school, her not-so-understanding and constantly moving mom, and the popular boy next door who seems to like her… except when he’s in front of his friends.
This book was told so cleanly and beautifully with so much feeling, and I felt like it really nailed that awkward, unsure feeling of being in middle school, without talking down to the reader in any way or underestimating the MCs. Both Calli and Jinsong’s perspectives ring true as they deal with the crush of peer pressure and difficulties of navigating friendships, bullies, and self-acceptance. I especially love how differently their narratives are delivered: verse for Calli and prose for Jinsong.
Honestly, this lovely book reminds me why I still like to read middle grade, and I whole-heartedly recommend to readers of all ages looking for a lyrical and moving story of two kids stumbling through the growing pains of finding and standing up for yourself.
Hayley Reese Chow 