A smart, techy sci-fi adventure with big Star Trek & Battlestar Galactica vibes & side of slowburn romance. Skyla was definitely my favorite POV, and I loved the idea of the connection with the ships. (Also, I loved that she had Fenrir – think big, epic doggo!) Definitely recommend for sci-fi fans looking for a space opera with big military & science elements.
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Thanks for reading!
What I liked about this book:
– Great narration
– A bubbly, engaging YA voice.
– A sweet childhood friends-to-lovers mixed with a touch of rivals-to-lovers. (It’s very clear from the beginning that Sebastian is head over heels for Sadie and waiting for her to catch up. But it’s very sweet to watch them overcome past misunderstandings for their relationship to evolve into love)
– A quirky college campus that we’d all definitely want to live in
– The first 25-30% drew me right in
– Sebastian was super sweet and popped off the page.
What I didn’t like:
– This one felt about 3 hours (~30%) too long for me for a single-POV, light romcom, and I felt like the second half dragged.
– The many side characters, while fun, all kind of blended together for me
– While I started off liking Sadie, she grated on me in the second half – especially in some of the high-tension moments with Sebastian.
– Overall, the main plot felt a little lower stakes than my usual preference
Overall, if you’re looking for a light, sweet college romance with a YA flavor and great narration, you might want to check this one out! Thanks NetGalley for the audiobook!
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This was a sweet college romance with strong mental health representation and a dash of the fantastical. Both Elle and Christopher were easy to root for as they navigated the very beginnings of adulthood and navigated both family complications and their own challenges. I especially enjoyed the speculative concept of “Readers” and the extra dimension it brought to their story. Recommended for readers looking for a sweet romance with an almost cozy feel and a uniquely paranormal world element!
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So I picked this at random from Audible as a complete series before a marathon of roadtrips. If they hadn’t been linked together, I don’t think I would’ve gone beyond book one, but I will say I was entertained on the drive. But please keep in mind, I’d never actually read a reverse harem before this, but I can now say that it’s not really for me. And honestly, I think I realized I’m not a shifter person either, so very obviously, I probably shouldn’t have picked this one up. That said! I liked all the characters individually, and I found the writing, narration, and plot super easy to follow. And though I found the spicy scenes somewhat repetitive, if you love shifter romances and reverse harem, I think you’ll enjoy this series.
Thanks for reading!
Another complete surprise! I stumbled on this book when I was on a road trip searching Libby for an audiobook to read and picked this one up at random without knowing anything about it. Based on the cover (not the one featured here… but the others), I honestly thought it would be too spicy for me, but it was so fun! It basically felt like Dexter except with more romance and if Dexter was a girl out for vengeance and also falling for the FBI agent that’s on her case.
Super fast paced with spice and some darkness, I’ll totally be looking for book 2!
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This was another audiobook I picked up from Libby on a road trip. And I actually thought I was going to DNF it at 40% (I legit returned it.) but then I ended up checking it out again because I didn’t feel like looking for another book to read. Buttttt I probably should’ve. Though the world was interesting, I found Persephone’s character grating. And while I enjoyed her character growth, I wasn’t super into the relationship between she and Hades.
Thanks for reading!
This book was such a fun surprise!
What I liked:
– Cozy Romantasy Vibes
– Likable protagonists
– Fabulous Audiobook Narration
– Magical forest hijinks
– In general, just a sweet fun story
– Nice tension throughout. I honestly found myself worrying (in a good way) if it would have a satisfying ending or if I’d have to wait for the sequel.
What I didn’t like
– The pacing of the last 25% or so didn’t quite fit for me. In some ways, it feels like they’re having the same communication for a little too long.
Recommended for those looking for a fun romantasy with likable protagonists and a pinch of spice. And I’m totally game for book 2!
⭐⭐⭐⭐½
Thanks for reading!
Okay, so this is the post I needed in my life as a budding author in 2019. I have always loved art since I was a kid, and now, as an author, I adore seeing books brought to life through character art, and use character art heavily when promoting my books. But when I first started out, I had no idea who to message about character art.
Over the years, as I admired other authors’ commissioned pieces, got recommendations from authors, and commissioned different artists myself, I began to gather quite a few art pieces of my books that I adored as well as a list of artists I enjoyed working with. I’m always on the look out for new artists and fresh styles, because I love to see how different people with different perspectives can bring to life characters in different ways.
And yes, I only work with human artists and likewise, human authors. In case you haven’t seen my thoughts on generative AI, you can find them in the graphic below.
So in part, this is an artist appreciation post for the artists who I’ve worked with over the years, and it’s also a resource for those other authors out there looking for (human) artists to commission. Without further ado, the guide is below! All handles are from Instagram unless otherwise noted.
So far in 2024, I read (and by read, I mean, mostly listened to, as I’m primarily an audiobook listener) 82 books! Like last year, I scrolled through my Goodreads reviews and tried to pick out the reads that were a cut above the rest, and tried to bin them in a genre.
For the record, I usually love fast-paced books with likable characters and satisfying endings. Throw a slowburn romance in there, and you’ve got me completely hooked. That said, sometimes the books I like the most are those I had no idea I was looking for. This year, I feel like my 8 favorites were all over the map.
Without further ado (and in no particular order):
So I read a lot of good middle grade this year, but this one was truly just a magical, cozy adventure. This book started me on T. Kingfisher reading binge, and I absolutely just adore the way her characters pop and her unique stories unfold. Can’t recommend this one enough. Full review here!
The show was amazing, and yet the graphic novel was somehow better. This series sucked me in so much I basically put everything else on hold so I could devour them. The characters are lovely, the art is fantastic, and the story just feels so poignantly YA, it’s really just jaw-droppingly good. I blew through the first five books, and you can find the full review here!
This one was so completely atmospheric and transportive. The writing was fantastic, the characters were delightful, and months later, I’m still thinking about this book. Quite frankly, this may have been one of the best fairy tale retellings I think I’ve ever read. And this was her debut!?! Seriously, I can’t wait for more from Poranek. Full review here.
I’d file this under: books I didn’t know I needed in my life. Apparently this a LitRPG, and six audiobooks later (each of which are about 20 hours long), I still can’t get enough. Action-packed, hilarious, and with incredible world-building, if this series could actually never end, that would be awesome. Impatiently waiting for the seventh audiobook in 2025. Full review of books 1-6 here!
I have a 6-year-old and an 8-year-old, so I have read *a lot* of picture books in the last five years, and it’s very rare that one sticks out. Really have to give it this one for being the full package with lovely illustrations, writing, and message. Full review here.
This was my first read of 2024, and I knew pretty much immediately that it would make this list. Hilarious, disturbing, and deep all at once, with turns that keep you guessing, I basically ran to recommend this to my friends. I definitely need more smart horror like this. Full review here.
This one legit jumped out of nowhere at me. Like seriously, I think I was aimlessly scrolling through the Libby app when I stumbled upon it. But it was just a such a sweet romance (with a little spice), I can’t even. I get a warm fuzzy feeling just thinking about it! Full review here!
I read a *lot* of books that didn’t live up to the hype this year. This was not one of them. Ali Hazelwood books have been hit or miss for me, but this was a big hit. A vampire, werewolf world with the feel of a romcom? Um, yes please. Fingers seriously crossed for a sequel. Full review here.
2024 was another fantastic year of reading! I’m still catching my blog up on my Goodreads reviews, but if I missed some of your favorites from this year, definitely drop them in the comments and I’ll check them out on Goodreads! Please remember to support your favorite authors with ratings and reviews to spread the word about their amazing books, and as always, thanks for reading! 😊
Duuuuddddeeee. This one is intense. Exactly what enemies to lovers fantasy is meant to be. I have been in a *serious* reading slump, and DNF’ed my last like 4 reads, but this one kept my attention from start to finish.
What I liked:
– The darkness and intensity of this book are pitch-perfect
– All the main characters are complex and interesting
– The set-up for book 2
– An ACTUAL enemies to lovers (I feel like so many books these days are like dislike or annoyance-to-love, this one is no-kidding justified hatred.
What I am still mulling over:
– So, I like Gideon and Rune as people, but for some reason their chemistry as a pair wasn’t quite right for me. Like, I don’t think I’m really rooting for them or against them, but I am *extremely* curious to see how it turns out. This could be the reading slump talking, or it could be that maybe, at the heart of it, I haven’t been converted yet from the “enemies” to “lovers” camp… Emphasis on the “yet.” Which also has me googling when book 2 is getting here, because I need it yesterday.
Also, a side note on the audiobook. This story has dual POVs (which I ADORE), but only one narrator. While the narration was amazing, I’m still hoping book 2 might have two narrators for the two POVs? Pretty please?
Which is all to say, you should definitely check out this read and then lemme know what you think, because it’s definitely one of my top reads this year so far.
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Thanks for reading!
Hayley Reese Chow 