Fools In Love: Fresh Twists on Romantic Tales - Edited by Rebecca Podos

4 stars

Book Blurb:

"Join fifteen bestselling, award-winning, and up-and-coming authors as they reimagine some of the most popular tropes in the romance genre.  

Fake relationships. Enemies to lovers. Love triangles and best friends, mistaken identities and missed connections. This collection of genre-bending and original stories celebrates how love always finds a way, featuring powerful flora, a superhero and his nemesis, a fantastical sled race through snow-capped mountains, a golf tournament, the wrong ride-share, and even the end of the world. With stories written by Rebecca Barrow, Ashley Herring Blake, Gloria Chao, Mason Deaver, Sara Farizan, Claire Kann, Malinda Lo, Hannah Moskowitz, Natasha Ngan, Rebecca Podos, Lilliam Rivera, Laura Silverman, Amy Spalding, Rebecca Kim Wells, and Julian Winters this collection is sure to sweep you off your feet."

Review:

There is something for everyone to enjoy in this collection of LGBTQIA+ inclusive Young Adult short stories, which re-imagine popular tropes in Contemporary, Sci-fi, and Fantasy books.

My Favorites:

What Makes Us Heroes by Julian Winters 

And by Hannah Moskowitz 

My Best Friend's Girl by Sara Farizan 

The Passover Date by Laura Silverman 

Boys Noise by Mason Deaver

'Fools In Love' will be available on December 7, 2021

#FoolsInLove #NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

'Out of Character' (True Colors #2) by Annabeth Albert

4 stars

Book Blurb:

"It's friends-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers in this LGBTQIA+ Romance for fans of Red, White & Royal Blue and The Pros of Cons who enjoy:

• Ex-best-friends falling in love 

• Gaming, conventions, fandom & cosplay 

• Nerd culture at its finest 

• Learning how to be true to yourself

Jasper Quigley is tired of being everyone's favorite sidekick. He wants to become the hero of his own life, but that's not going to happen if he agrees to help out his former best friend turned king of the jocks, Milo Lionetti. High school was miserable enough, thanks, and Jasper has no interest in dredging up painful memories of his old secret crush.

But Milo's got nowhere else to go. His life is spiraling out of control and he's looking to turn things back around. Step one? Replace the rare Odyssey cards he lost in an idiotic bet. Step two? Tell his ex-best-friend exactly how he feels—how he's always felt.

Jasper may be reluctant to reopen old wounds, but he never could resist Milo. There's a catch, though: if Milo wants his help, he's going to have to pitch in to make the upcoming children's hospital charity ball the best ever. But as the two don cosplay for the kids and hunt for rare cards, nostalgia for their lost friendship may turn into something even more lasting..."

Review:

Great second entry in the True Colors series.  

Set in a fictional college town in New Jersey, our two main characters were best friends in childhood, then turned enemies when Milo's friends and family couldn't accept Jasper even hinting at being gay. Rather than defend Jasper, Milo remained silent and Jasper had the good sense to end their friendship. Years later, Milo needs the type of help only Jasper can provide; he gambled away expensive, rare Odyssey cards that didn't even belong to him. Not only is Jasper a whiz at internet research, but he also works at the local comic-book shop which hosts table top gaming.

My favorite thing about 'Out of Character' is the familiarity between Jasper and Milo. They grew up in each other's houses, with each other's sibling madness, and it shows. They take turns narrating the chapters and their memories of time previously spent together clearly affects their present-day interactions. Watching Milo's hard outward persona soften up and treating Jasper right was very satisfying, and I found Jasper to be incredibly sweet and easy to root for.

This is a slow-burn, former best friends-to-lovers tale with minimal, PG-13 heat. It’s technically classified as New Adult due to the main characters being in their early 20’s but I am comfortable recommending this to mature YA readers (and gaming fans) who have seen the trigger warning and want to read former best friends get together.  

'Out of Character' is available on July 6, 2021.  Please note: Trigger warnings for homophobia and bullying.

#NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

'If This Gets Out' by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich

5 stars!

Book Blurb:

"Eighteen-year-olds Ruben Montez and Zach Knight are two members of the boy-band Saturday, one of the biggest acts in America. Along with their bandmates, Angel Phan and Jon Braxton, the four are teen heartbreakers in front of the cameras and best friends backstage. But privately, cracks are starting to form: their once-easy rapport is straining under the pressures of fame, and Ruben confides in Zach that he’s feeling smothered by management’s pressure to stay in the closet.

On a whirlwind tour through Europe, with both an unrelenting schedule and minimal supervision, Ruben and Zach come to rely on each other more and more, and their already close friendship evolves into a romance. But when they decide they’re ready to tell their fans and live freely, Zach and Ruben start to truly realize that they will never have the support of their management. How can they hold tight to each other when the whole world seems to want to come between them?"

Review:

As usual, both Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich have done a wonderful job of bringing their characters to life. Our two main characters, Zack and Ruben, alternate narrating each chapter, and it's clear to see how much fun the authors had while writing their story. Fans of writing by Sophie and/or Cale may be able to identify which perspective was written by whom.

This story is so many things, a coming out story, a coming of age story, as well as a light cast on boybands and the music industry, highlighting the lack of control performers have over their public persona, their wardrobe, and their time. 'ITGO' does not contain any forced outings, but does contain forced-closeting.

As usual with a Sophie or Cale book, I could not put it down, and wanted to re-read it the moment I finished. This book is perfect for fans of YA contemporary, and LGBTQIA+ contemporary. 'ITGO' is for all fans of any young musical act which goes on tour; could be any boyband or any musical dance group; this is not specifically tied to any single group out there, nor is it an attempt to mirror any real-life performers.

Cover art by the amazing Sophie Gonzales!

Grab 'If This Gets Out' on December 7th.

#Zuben #IfThisGetsOut #NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

'The Grimrose Girls' (Grimrose Girls #1) by Laura Pohl

 4.5 stars

Book Blurb:

"The Descendants meets Pretty Little Liars.  

Four troubled friends, One murdered girl... and a dark fate that may leave them all doomed.

After the mysterious death of their best friend, Ella, Yuki, and Rory are the talk of their elite school, Grimrose Académie. The police ruled it a suicide, but the trio are determined to find out what really happened.

When Nani Eszes arrives as their newest roommate, it sets into motion a series of events they couldn't have imagined. As the girls retrace their friend's last steps, they uncover dark secrets about themselves and their destinies, discovering they're all cursed to repeat the brutal and gruesome endings to their stories until they can break the cycle.

This contemporary take on classic fairytales reimagines heroines as friends attending the same school. While investigating the murder of their best friend, they uncover connections to their ancient fairytale curses and attempt to forge their own fate before it's too late."


Review:

Really enjoyed this well written thriller/mystery spin of a fairy tale re-telling with a full LGBTQIA+ cast.  The 4 leading ladies alternate narrating the chapters, so we see 4 unique perspectives, including how each girl's fairy tale affects their feelings and actions.  It was fun to guess which fairy tale was associated with each character, including beyond the 4 narrators.  It was also great to see so much representation: F/F pairing, characters who are pan, on the ace and aro spectrums, and also chronic illness, mental health, and neurodiversity.  A boarding school was the perfect setting for a thriller/mystery and though part of the mystery is resolved in a satisfying way, there is still a larger mystery at play.  Looking forward to the next book in this series.

Grab a copy of  'The Grimrose Girls' on August 1st.

#NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. 

'The Pick-Up' by Miranda Kenneally

 

4 stars

Book Blurb:

"When Mari hails a rideshare to a music festival, the last thing she expects is for the car to pick up a gorgeous guy along the way. Mari doesn't believe in dating--it can only end with a broken heart. Besides, she's only staying at her dad's house in Chicago for the weekend. How close can you get to a guy in three days?

TJ wants to study art in college, but his family's expectations cast a long shadow over his dreams. When he meets Mari in the back of a rideshare, he feels alive for the first time in a long time.

Mari and TJ enter the festival together and share an electric moment but get separated in a crowd with seemingly no way to find each other. When fate reunites them (with a little help from a viral hashtag), they'll have to decide: was it love at first sight, or the start of nothing more than a weekend fling?"

Review:

At first glance, 'The Pick-Up' is a quick and fluffy read, where two teens meet and get separated at a huge music festival. But there is more substance to Mari and TJ's story. In the alternating chapters narrated by each of them, readers gain insight to their home lives, their families, and how they've come to think the way they do about relationships and the future. Author Miranda Kenneally highlights consent and compassion, as Mari and TJ support each other through some family stuff, all while figuring out how they feel about each other, and if this new-found attraction can last longer than one weekend.  

Pick up 'The Pick-Up' on September 1st.

#NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

'Never Saw You Coming' by Erin Hahn

5 stars!

Book Blurb:

"Raised by conservative parents, 18-year-old Meg Hennessey just found out her entire childhood was a lie. Instead of taking a gap year before college to find herself, she ends up traveling north to meet what’s left of the family she never knew existed.

While there, she meets Micah Allen, a former pastor’s kid whose dad ended up in prison, leaving Micah with his own complicated relationship about the church. The clock is ticking on Pastor Allen’s probation hearing and Micah, now 19, feels the pressure to forgive - even when he can’t possibly forget.

As Meg and Micah grow closer, they are confronted with the heavy flutterings of first love and all the complications it brings. Together, they must navigate the sometimes-painful process of cutting ties with childhood beliefs as they build toward something truer and straight from the heart.

In Erin Hahn’s Never Saw You Coming, sometimes it takes a leap of faith to find yourself. "

Review:

Wonderful YA/NA contemporary about self-discovery. Readers follow Vada’s bestie, Meg, from ‘More Than Maybe’ and newcomer Micah on their paths to self-discovery and finding happiness with each other. Both have had their worlds forever shifted by their parents’ actions and are figuring out how to balance expectations put on them by their families, their church communities, and society at large.

‘Never Saw You Coming’ can stand on it’s own, even if you haven’t read Erin Hahn’s excellent ‘More Than Maybe.’ You also don’t need to be part of a church community to enjoy this book.

Grab a copy on September 7, 2021. 

#NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

'The Love Song of Ivy K. Harlowe' by Hannah Moskowitz

4 stars

Book Blurb:

"Ivy K. Harlowe is a lot of things.

She’s my best friend.

She’s the center of attention.

She is, without fail, the hottest girl in the room. Anytime. Anyplace.

She has freckles and dimples and bright green eyes, and with someone else’s energy she’d be adorable. But there is nothing cute about Ivy. She is ice and hot metal and electricity.

She is the girl who every lesbian wants, but she has never been with the same person twice. She’s one-of-a-kind but also predictable, so I will always be Andie, her best friend, never Andie, her girlfriend.

Then she meets Dot, and Ivy does something even I would have never guessed—she sees Dot another day. And another. And another.

Now my world is slowly going up in smoke, and no matter what I do, the flames grow higher. She lit that match without knowing who or what it would burn.

Ivy K. Harlowe is a lot of things.

But falling in love wasn’t supposed to be one of them…unless it was with me.”

Review:

 'The Love Song of Ivy K. Harlowe' features an all-queer cast and incredibly tasteful disability and mental illness rep, and is the perfect New Adult read for every introvert (or somewhat quiet extrovert) with a loud and flashy extrovert best friend.  This story is all about Ivy, beautiful and desirable Ivy, with her one-night stands and her new maybe-relationship with Dot, and the family issues she hides from almost everyone - narrated by Andie.  

Best friends since childhood, Andie loves that she is the only person allowed to see the real Ivy, to know the family drama and all the complicated things that make up Ivy, rather than the fake show Ivy puts on for everyone else.  She's even in love with Ivy and firmly believes that once Ivy gets certain things out of her system and is ready to settle down, it'll be Ivy + Andie forever.  Reader, if you've had a loud and flashy extrovert best friend, you may see where this is headed.  You may very well know how Andie feels at certain parts throughout this book.  This is well-written, relatable content (even if you did not have a crush on that extravert bestie.)

'The Love Song of Ivy K. Harlowe' will be available on June 1, 2021

#TheLoveSongofIvyKHarlowe #NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

'Temper the Flame' by Jade Church

 

Book Blurb:

"A curse. A betrayal. A love that could break her.  

When Ivy is taken to a compound outside of London to meet with a group of angels, she thinks she's going mad. Faced with the truth of powers she never knew she had and a world much bigger than she realised, her life couldn't be more complicated. Or so she thought. When Devlin crashes into her life, Ivy must decide what is more important: finding the love, passion and adventure she'd never allowed herself to dream about, or protecting her heart. She could have everything she never knew she wanted... if she only dared to let someone in. Caring makes us vulnerable, but when everything Ivy believes is pushed to the limit, who will be by her side to see her through the dark?"

Review:

A solid entry in the New Adult Paranormal Romance genre, 'Temper the Flame' sets a fast pace as a feisty psychic gets wrapped up in the hidden world of fallen angels and their goal to prevent Earth from being destroyed by the same angel-gone-bad who cast them out of Heaven. Buckle up for this one!  

'Temper the Flame' will be available on June 20, 2021.

#NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. 

‘Shattered Souls’ (Flames of Time #3) by Erica Lucke Dean

5 stars!

Book Blurb:

 “Don’t miss the explosive conclusion to the Flames of Time trilogy.

Ava Flynn walked through flames to erase the past and bring her little brother, Josh, back from the dead. But the reboot doesn’t come without strings. While navigating her new reality, Ava must avoid Maddox... without fracturing the timeline. If she fails, she may never find Laith again.

With her own heart at stake, Ava scours time for the key to unraveling the curse binding her soul to both Laith’s and Maddox’s. One brother is the love of her life. And the other... Not even death will stop him from keeping them apart.

As Ava’s present collides with the brothers’ pasts, she discovers that breaking the curse might have unintended consequences. And this time, her soul isn’t the only one on the line.”

Review:

Such an amazing conclusion to this trilogy!  ‘Shattered Souls’ will shatter your heart and then put it back together again, in the best way.

I loved being back in Ava’s world, following as her story re-set to the beginning, to when readers first met her.  She retains the memories of what happened before she walked through flames to re-set her timeline but no other characters do, not even her time-traveling soul mates.  Having knowledge of the future could be an advantage, but it only gets her so far, since she makes different choices and has a different goal than before.  Watching these differences play out is one of the things I enjoyed most about this trilogy’s conclusion.

My absolute favorite thing about this book is that it is partially narrated by Laith.  Author Erica Lucke Dean chose perfectly which scenes to share Laith’s thoughts and feelings with readers.

The careful planning and attention to detail that went into crafting the story of these soul mates is clear for readers to see.  I love how creative Dean got with the curse, the timelines, and the characters, throughout the entire series, and how beautifully everything comes together in its conclusion.  At long last, the details of the curse are all laid out and explained to Ava, and it is worth the wait.

I enjoyed ‘Shattered Souls’ so much that I read it through once, then re-read certain key scenes and character interactions.  After re-reading ‘Splintered Souls’ and ‘Shattered Souls’ to refresh my memory before diving into the trilogy’s conclusion, I am happy to say that everything checks out; the time-travel math adds up perfectly, and Ava got the perfect ending she deserved after all she’s been through.

As usual, Erica Lucke Dean’s writing flows wonderfully.  In the days since I finished this book, I’ve missed both her writing style and these characters.  I can’t believe the Flames of Time series is over and I will definitely be re-reading this trilogy in the future.

‘Shattered Souls’ will be available on May 18, 2021.

I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

‘The Summer of Broken Rules’ by K. L. Walther

5 killer stars!

Book Blurb:

“Meredith Fox has been going to Martha's Vineyard for the summer as long as she can remember. But this summer is the first one back since the death of Meredith's sister. It will all be overwhelming, but even more since the entire extended family will be together for her cousin's big wedding.

Unfortunately, Meredith's longtime boyfriend unexpectedly dumped her two weeks before the wedding, leaving her dateless. Luckily, she has the perfect distraction. Her family has a tradition of playing the ultimate game of Assassin every summer, and this year it will take place during the week of wedding festivities.

But her target just happens to be a very cute groomsman. She's determined to not let herself get distracted, not let herself be lost in another doomed relationship. But as the week progresses, she can't help falling for him, which may cost her not only the game, but also her heart.

Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Katie Cotugno, this is a story of loss, romance, and the time it takes to become who you really want to be.”

Review:

‘The Summer of Broken Rules’ has so much to offer, I hope this review can do it justice.  It is brilliantly written with witty banter, clever dialog, a fully fleshed-out whirlwind new romance, and so much more.  Author K. L. Walther creates the perfect storm in which Meredith and Wit become tangled up in each other’s lives and it’s so easy to root for them as they fall for each other.  Walther expertly entwines the detailed threads of young love, self-discovery, large family gatherings, and a wide-spread game of Assassin, with all the best parts of a summer vacation.

I love being inside Meredith’s head – love her narrating through memories of prior summers, the loving moments between sisters including snarky moments, her feelings towards her family, friends, and her crush on Wit.

This book is also a wonderful illustration of how loved ones who’ve passed away too soon are “always with us.”  There are numerous ways in which Meredith feels her sister Claire’s presence, both on her own and with the help of family and friends pointing it out to her.  This is a truly lovely way to share the story of a main character who is still reeling from losing her sister, but is starting to find her way back to joy – with the memory of her sister by her side helping her find happiness, rather than despite her recent loss.

This book handles grief over a loved one spectacularly well without taking anything away from the light-hearted, comedic, or romantic aspects of this book.  Meredith’s older sister, Claire, had passed away approximately a year and a half before this story begins, and so while we don’t see Meredith and her family process fresh, brand-new grief, we do follow how they’re doing after some aspects of life have gone “back to normal.”  Grief does not go away overnight, and this book handles that beautifully.

Claire is in Meredith’s every memory of the island they’ve spent all their summer vacations on.  Claire is in her thoughts in every chapter of this book, and is discussed between characters many times throughout.  Meredith discovers that Claire is, indeed, still with her in most things she does on the island.

Claire was the reigning champion of the family’s massive summer game of Assassin played each year.  This year’s game is dedicated to Claire and will be played to honor her memory during a busy week of festivities leading up to a cousin’s wedding.  By strategizing and taking a more active role than usual, Meredith finds greater enjoyment in the game and feels closer to her sister.

‘The Summer of Broken Rules’ brought back wonderful memories of summer moments, and can do the same for you!  We follow Meredith through many scenes on hikes, at the beach, a pond, a nearby town, driving over sand in Jeep-type vehicles – there’s a scene for every reader to connect with and fondly remember our own joys under the sun.

While the scenery is a wonderful jog down memory lane, the fully fleshed-out characters and plotline are even more amazing.  The attention paid to the little details, such as side characters with their own goals and relationships, help bring the summer atmosphere to life.

‘The Summer of Broken Rules’ will be available on May 4, 2021.

#NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.