'When You Get the Chance' by Emma Lord

5 stars!

Book Blurb:

"An effervescent, endearing, joyful contemporary romance of one young woman searching for her birth mother one summer, by New York Times bestselling author Emma Lord.

Nothing will get in the way of Millie Price’s dream to become a Broadway star. Not her lovable but super-introverted dad, who after raising Millie alone, doesn’t want to watch her leave home to pursue her dream. Not her pesky and ongoing drama club rival, Oliver, who is the very definition of Simmering Romantic Tension. And not the “Millie Moods,” the feelings of intense emotion that threaten to overwhelm, always at maddeningly inconvenient times. Millie needs an ally. And when a left-open browser brings Millie to her dad’s embarrassingly moody LiveJournal from 2003, Millie knows just what to do. She’s going to find her mom.

There’s Steph, a still-aspiring stage actress and receptionist at a talent agency. There’s Farrah, ethereal dance teacher who clearly doesn’t have the two left feet Millie has. And Beth, the chipper and sweet stage enthusiast with an equally exuberant fifteen-year-old daughter (A possible sister?! This is getting out of hand). But how can you find a new part of your life and expect it to fit into your old one, without leaving any marks? And why is it that when you go looking for the past, it somehow keeps bringing you back to what you’ve had all along?

Joyous, heartfelt, and brimming with emotion, WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE is a novel about falling in love, making a mess, and learning to let go that will have you happy-sobbing and cheering all the way to the end."

Review: 

Author Emma Lord knocks it out of the park again with this fantastic YA Contemporary!  While there are gender-swapped 'Mamma Mia' aspects, YA readers who are unfamiliar with the musical will not be lost at all.  

'When You Get the Chance' is a highly entertaining enemies-to-lovers YA rom-com. Millie is wonderful narrator and lots of fun to follow.

'When You Get the Chance' releases on January 4, 2022.

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

'Awakened' by Ciara Duggan

 4 stars!

Book Blurb:

"After losing her parents in an accident only she survived, Hannah is desperate for answers. Haunted by the events of that tragic night, she struggles to move on, yearning for some deeper truth about her loss.  

But when it comes time to turn a new page and move cross country for college, she vows to leave the past behind. After all, Bellcliff University is a thousand miles away from the ghosts nipping at her heels.

Yet when Hannah accidentally awakens a handsome witch from a hidden cave near campus, she realizes he isn’t the only thing stirring out of slumber. Hannah has roused all magic…including the devil herself.  

As if spells, curses, and college jitters weren’t enough, this witch claims to know Hannah from four centuries prior—and their connection is more than casual.  

Thrust into a world of sorcery and monsters, Hannah must fight to keep the magic she’d unleashed from claiming a price far too steep for her to pay."

Review:

A solid entry in the Young Adult Paranormal genre, 'Awakened' has some 'The Vampire Diaries' vibes, which I enjoyed. We follow the main character, Hannah, as she tries to get a fresh start at a college across the country and move forward, away from grieving her parents' death. The combination of an Anthropology class project and her searching every religion for answers as part of her grief, brings her to a magical grimoire and she unknowingly awakens a witch who knew her in a past life. As they work together to stop the devil who was also accidently awakened, Hannah grows closer to this cute witch, Callan.

Highly recommended for Young Adult Paranormal fans!  Grab 'Awakened' on September 7, 2021.

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

'A Brush with Love' by Mazey Eddings

 5 stars!

Book Blurb:

"Harper is anxiously awaiting placement into a top oral surgery residency program when she crashes (literally) into Dan. Harper would rather endure a Novocaine-free root canal than face any distractions, even one this adorable.

A first-year dental student with a family legacy to contend with, Dan doesn’t have the same passion for pulling teeth that Harper does. Though he finds himself falling for her, he is willing to play by Harper’s rules.

So with the greatest of intentions and the poorest of follow-throughs, the two set out to be “just friends.” But as they get to know each other better, Harper fears that trading fillings for feelings may make her lose control and can't risk her carefully ordered life coming undone, no matter how drool-worthy Dan is.

Blood, gore, and extra-long roots? No problem. The idea of falling in love? Torture."

Review:

Really enjoyed being part of Harper and Dan's world as they got to know each other. Absolutely loved how much detail was shared about Harper's anxiety; her daily routines, sometimes all-consuming anxious thoughts, occasional panic attacks, and the ways in which anxiety impacts her life on a daily basis. It was all so realistic and relatable (to someone with an anxiety diagnosis) and though it affected all of Harper's interactions, her anxiety did not negatively impact the story at all. Dan has his own struggles, and it was wonderful to see Harper and Dan support each other.

This wonderful rom-com can be enjoyed by Adult Contemporary and Romance readers, and also upper Young Adult Contemporary readers. Though the characters are in their mid-twenties, this is set at a college (dental school), with family expectations and interference by hilariously nosey friends.  

'A Brush With Love' releases on March 1, 2022.

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

'Cursed Beauty' by Stacey O'Neale

 

4 stars!

Book Blurb:

"The day has come for sixteen-year-old Aurora to receive her witch mark. She should be thrilled. But unlike the rest of her coven, a centuries-old family curse has already decided her fate; the cost of her new power is her life.  

After the ceremony, her grandmother offers her hope: Aurora can save herself and prevent her coven from dying by awakening a sleeping prince with the power to break her curse. Unfortunately, she must travel through the forbidden Shadowlands to reach him.

The enchanted forest is filled with magical creatures—friends and foes—including the mysterious son of a powerful wolf pack leader. Can she find the prince in time, and if she succeeds, will he choose to help despite having been placed under the sleeping spell?"


Review:

Start with 'Sleeping Beauty'  

Swap genders, remove Maleficent 

Make Aurora a witch with magic

Send her to travel through an enchanted forest to break a curse 

Add shifters, magical creatures and a sleeping vampire prince  

Result = 'Cursed Beauty' is a well done fairy tale retelling making for an enjoyable quick read for fairy tale and fantasy fans.

'Cursed Beauty' will be available on August 30th as part of the Amazon Kindle program and wherever physical books are sold.

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

'This May End Badly' by Samantha Markum

 4.5 stars!

Book Blurb:

"Pranking mastermind Doe and her motley band of Weston girls are determined to win the century-long war against Winfield Academy before the clock ticks down on their senior year. But when their headmistress announces that The Weston School will merge with its rival the following year, their longtime feud spirals into chaos.

To protect the school that has been her safe haven since her parents’ divorce, Doe puts together a plan to prove once and for all that Winfield boys and Weston girls just don’t mix, starting with a direct hit at Three, Winfield’s boy king and her nemesis. In a desperate move to win, Doe strikes a bargain with Three’s cousin, Wells: If he fake dates her to get under Three’s skin, she’ll help him get back his rightful family heirloom from Three.

As the pranks escalate, so do her feelings for her fake boyfriend, and Doe spins lie after lie to keep up her end of the deal. But when a teacher long suspected of inappropriate behavior messes with a younger Weston girl, Doe has to decide what’s more important: winning a rivalry, or joining forces to protect something far more critical than a prank war legacy.

This May End Badly is a story about friendship, falling in love, and crossing pretty much every line presented to you—and how to atone when you do."

Review:

Really enjoyed the ride, following prank mastermind Doe and her clever friends in their feud against 'the boys' of the nearby rival elite boarding school. They've all set out to prove to both administrations that Weston girls and Winfield boys are seriously against their schools merging, with some rather creative methods. Elite boarding schools with rich histories and traditions was the perfect setting for unsupervised shenanigans.

I loved the slow burn, enemies-to-lovers after fake-dating between Doe and Wells, and all the ways this affected Doe's group of friends and Wells' complicated family life. These characters are all well-developed and have realistic and relatable reactions to things. I also really appreciated that both Doe and Wells' parents were loving and supportive, despite some dysfunction between cousins and other relatives.

'This May End Badly' is out on April 12, 2022

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

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.