I can’t believe this is the last Wednesday of June 2022. This month has passed so fastI have to remember to get my June wrap up together very soon.
This week I finished 1 book on audio and that was The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. This book has been very hyped on TikTok lately and I am here for it. It was a very deep read. However I think the ending fell threw for me. The bulk of the book was so good and toward the end I felt like the author gave up and just ended the story. There was so many different ways this book could have ended and explored and yet it was just…over done. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.
I am currently reading Take me With You When You go by David Levithan and Jennifer Niven. I am about a third in. I am listing to this on audiobook as well.
I ALSO need to finish the Sunbearer Trails by Aiden Thomas like I said I would finish last week and have not. My eArc on net-galley is expiring very soon. This is one of my most anticipated read for this year so I have to get this done.
This was my favorite read so far for 2022. I read this book back in February and have not stopped thinking about it. I need another book in this world. I NEED to know what happens next. This book came to me at the start of a reading slump. I did not expect it to become one of my favorite books of all time. It is different, fast paced, and thrilling.
I will say this; this book has a lot of trigger warnings. I know there is a big debate on if books should list their trigger warnings. This one does not. I saw the trigger warnings on TikTok. It did not impact the way I read this book. There is sexual assault, assault, harassment, arranged fate/marriage and many more that I cannot think of to add. I personally went into this book blind, like I normally do when reading books. I like the surprise that books bring when you read them without knowing what they are about.
When I was a wee child there was this thing on cartoon network called Toonami. Toonami aired all different types of anime’s and shows. One show that they used to play was Mobile Suit Gundam. I personally never watched this show a lot but I always seemed to catch parts of it. For some reason when I pictured the robotic animals in this book I would think about this anime show. I never thought this book would unlock a core memory like this for me.
If you are looking for a dark read that is unique and different, this is your book.
I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.
“The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn’t matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.
When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it’s to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.
To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.”
A.J. Sass is one of my instant-buy authors. I loved Ana on The Edge last year and could not wait to dive into A.J. Sass’s newest release, Ellen Outside the Lines.
I absolutely loved this middle-grade story that follows Ellen and her school summer trip to Barcelona. Ellen is excited to go with her friend Laurel because Laurel has been making more plans on the weekends without Ellen and this will give them a chance to hang out. When they get to Barcelona, Ellen is paired in a group without Laurel. Ellen has to navigate how to make new friend, in a new city. And on top of that, they have to do a scavenger hunt.
I love how diverse this book is. Ellen is autistic, discovering her sexuality, and practices a religion. A.J. Sass really captured Ellen’s emotions and process and that was an awesome point of view from someone who is not autistic. Ellen has a lot of tough decisions she has to make in this book as she tries to explore a different country.
This book was fast-paced and easy to read. I gave it 5 out of 5 stars
These two books are extremely hyped. It took me a long time to finally pick them up. It wasn’t until the second book was released this year that I decided to rapid fire read these.
Jumping into it: What if it’s Us is a cute rom-com that is purposely easily predictable. It starts out when Arthur bumps into Ben at the post office. Ben is struggling to get is an ex-s box of stuff sent when a flash mob comes into the post office. Arthur thinks that this is it, it happens this way in the movie where he meets his perfect soulmate during a flash mob at a post office. But when he turns around Ben is gone. At the start of this book is Arthur trying to find Ben from this point. I struggled with this book because I personally did not like Arthur. He is overly dramatic and comes off as annoying. But this is truly who Arthur is, a broadway fanatic who loves all things drama. I could not relate to Arthur and I think that was why this book was hard for me to like it. It was a fast-paced fluffy read that would be a great book to add to a read-a-thon pile.
Here’s to Us is what happens to Ben and Arthur a few years later. I did like this one a lot more. Usually these types of “extra books” are added to a stand-alone flop because they feel forced. And maybe because I did not like What if it’s Us that well, I found Here’s to Us a better book out of the two. I am curious to know what others thought of the second book.
I personally hate it when a stand alone book get’s a second novel. I think What if it’s us did not need a second book. I gave both these books 4 out of 5 stars.
This past week I finally went on my 2020 vacation. After 3 years of waiting I went to Buffalo New York, Niagara falls, and Toronto Canada. I was expecting to read a lot more on this trip than I did. But I did finish Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and Out of the Blue by Jason June.
Harry Potter is my go to audiobook on planes. There is two reasons for this. 1 I have it on audible so its already downloaded and will play on airplane mode. And 2, the biggest reason, if I fall asleep and lose my spot I do not need to go back since I have read this book so many times. I do like Harry Potter a lot, I grew up with it. However I do not agree with the authors personal views. So this will be the only post I will be making about this book.
I did finish Out of the Blue by Jason June. Overall I gave this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I had some issues with the story and how it was written. Some spots where confusing. I also did not like that there was so much sex mentioned in the book when the characters are barley 16 years old. There is more to a story than YA sex scenes…and before you say it no, this was not s smut book. I did however love the ideas of this books. How mer-people are thought of. It was a nice story overall.
This week I am kicking my butt into high gear to finish Aiden Thomas new book The Sunbearer Trials. I received this book as a e-ARC in return for a honest review. I really really want to read this one. My problem is lately I have not been reading ebooks or physical books so it has been challenging to get back into a book not as a audiobook.
This week is also Pride week in my State so happy Pride! I hope you have a great day.
I decided to subscribe to rainbow Crate each month. Icebreaker was the first book from Rainbow Crate that I have decided to read. This follows Mickey James who is a college freshman, and a hockey player who is promised to become a NHL legend like his father and grandfather before him. The only problem is Jaysen Caulfield, one of Mickey’s reveals now turned team mate.
I enjoyed this read. I thought it brought forth a lot of issues that we don’t usually see in books such as mental health. The author really based this book around Mickey’s mental health and his battle with depression. This is a enemy to lovers romance based around hockey. I loved the writing style and the story.
The only issue I had with this book was I felt like it was missing something. I am a drama seeker. I need a book to have a big drama spot. And yes there is drama in this but not as much as I personally liked. I just needed something big to happen and felt like I was waiting for something that never happened.
I gave this book 4 out of 5 star.
“Seventeen-year-old Mickey James III is a college freshman, a brother to five sisters, and a hockey legacy. With a father and a grandfather who have gone down in NHL history, Mickey is almost guaranteed the league’s top draft spot.
The only person standing in his way is Jaysen Caulfield, a contender for the #1 spot and Mickey’s infuriating (and infuriatingly attractive) teammate. When rivalry turns to something more, Mickey will have to decide what he really wants, and what he’s willing to risk for it.
This is a story about falling in love, finding your team (on and off the ice), and choosing your own path.”
I re-read this book in preparation for a book signing with Casey McQuiston at a local indie store last month. However, I was unable to attend the signing last minute. I still really enjoyed this book. For me it is a nice comfort read. It is funny, light and addicting. I believe the hype is real on this book. I still gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.
“First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep’s genius granddaughter, they’re the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations. The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince.
As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?”
I saw this book floating around TikTok and knew I needed to read it. I really enjoy books about bands and that is what Kiss and Tell is about. We follow the boy band Kiss and Tell as they travel on their first major tour. Hunter, the frontman is the only boy in the group who is openly gay and going through a messy breakup. As they travel Hunter starts to catch feelings for their opening bands lead singer. On top of that Hunter has preasure from his label to dress and act a certain way so they can publicizes that hunter is gay.
I really enjoyed this read. Growing up as a 90’s baby I lived off of Brittany Spears and boy bands. I really loved the journey Hunter went through. I also loved that this book is more than a novel. You get interviews, magazine write ups, twitter feeds and conversations from fans. It made the book feel even more real.
I listened to this as a audiobook and highlight recommend it as a audiobook. The audiobook has a full cast which I think makes it so much better because you get the personality’s coming through even more of these characters.
I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.
“Kiss & Tell is a total rush! Perfectly sweet and swoon worthy. I loved every page! – Julie Murphy, New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin’
A smart, sexy YA novel about a boy band star, his first breakup, his first rebound, and what it means to be queer in the public eye, from award-winning author Adib Khorram
Hunter never expected to be a boy band star, but, well, here he is. He and his band Kiss & Tell are on their first major tour of North America, playing arenas all over the United States and Canada (and getting covered by the gossipy press all over North America as well). Hunter is the only gay member of the band, and he just had a very painful breakup with his first boyfriend–leaked sexts, public heartbreak, and all–and now everyone expects him to play the perfect queer role model for teens.
But Hunter isn’t really sure what being the perfect queer kid even means. Does it mean dressing up in whatever The Label tells him to wear for photo shoots and pretending never to have sex? (Unfortunately, yes.) Does it mean finding community among the queer kids at the meet-and-greets after K&T’s shows? (Fortunately, yes.) Does it include a new relationship with Kaivan, the drummer for the band opening for K&T on tour? (He hopes so.) But when The Label finds out about Hunter and Kaivan, it spells trouble–for their relationship, for the perfect gay boy Hunter plays for the cameras, and, most importantly, for Hunter himself”
I read 11 books in May. I didn’t realize how much I had read. I was sick for a week so that gave me a good chance to read. I usually do not read this month. But here are all the books I read and what I rated them.
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman Volume 1-3, each one I gave 5 out of 5 stars.
The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King and The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black. I gave all 3 books 4 out of 5 stars.
Ellen Outside the Lines by A.J. Sass I gave 5 out of 5 stars.
I Kissed shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston, I gave 4 out of 5 stars.
Witching’s by Claribel A. Ortega, I gave this one 5 out of 5 stars.
Anxious People by Fedrik Backman, I gave this 5 out of 5 stars.
I did DNF one book this month and that was A Veil of Gods and Kings by Nicole Bailey.
If you love poetry this is a must read. This collection of poems that tell the story of Will. The book takes place in a elevator ride that in real time only lasts less than a minutes. But as Will is faced with a huge choice it feels like a life time has gone by, by the end of the book. I was hooked onto this book. It is a book I could have read in one sitting if I hadn’t started it at work and had to hide in the bathroom to read it.
Will’s brother is murdered and Will decided he is going to revenge his brother. Will knows exactly who could have murdered his brother so he is going to take matters into his own hands.
I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.
“A cannon. A strap. A piece. A biscuit. A burner. A heater. A chopper. A gat. A hammer A tool for RULE
Or, you can call it a gun. That’s what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans. See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. And Will knows the rules. No crying. No snitching. Revenge. That’s where Will’s now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brother’s gun. He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked. He knows who he’s after. Or does he? As the elevator stops on the sixth floor, on comes Buck. Buck, Will finds out, is who gave Shawn the gun before Will took the gun. Buck tells Will to check that the gun is even loaded. And that’s when Will sees that one bullet is missing. And the only one who could have fired Shawn’s gun was Shawn. Huh. Will didn’t know that Shawn had ever actually USED his gun. Bigger huh. BUCK IS DEAD. But Buck’s in the elevator? Just as Will’s trying to think this through, the door to the next floor opens. A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Buck’s cigarette. Will doesn’t know her, but she knew him. Knew. When they were eight. And stray bullets had cut through the playground, and Will had tried to cover her, but she was hit anyway, and so what she wants to know, on that fifth floor elevator stop, is, what if Will, Will with the gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, MISSES.
And so it goes, the whole long way down, as the elevator stops on each floor, and at each stop someone connected to his brother gets on to give Will a piece to a bigger story than the one he thinks he knows. A story that might never know an END…if WILL gets off that elevator”
5280 BOOKS 