May 2025 Reads

June 08, 2025 by Haley Burrill in Books

Okay, I know I say this every month (and yes, I am working on freshening up my round-up intros), but this time I truly mean it: May was an absolute whirlwind.

If you read last month’s blog, you might remember I teased some exciting news… and now I can officially share:

I bought a condo!

I'm holding a key over my head in front of a door. I'm wearing jeans and a white tee shirt.

This level of adulting definitely wasn’t on my 2025 bingo card, but thanks to a surprising turn of events, it just made sense to take the leap into my first-time homebuying era. It’s equal parts thrilling and terrifying, but the thought of my houseplants thriving in all the glorious, south-facing natural light AND having central A/C AND no bats? Worth it.

I just got the keys last week, so I’m still in the thick of moving everything over from my apartment. Fingers crossed I’ll be fully settled by next weekend, and in the meantime, I’m planning to power through some audiobooks while schlepping boxes like it's my latest cardio routine. (Because it is lol)

Anyway, let’s get into everything I read in May!

*All summaries are taken or paraphrased from Goodreads.

My hand holds a Kindle with the cover of Tale of the Heart Queen by Nisha J. Tuli on the screen. The cover is mostly black and white with red accents. — Tale of the Heart Queen by Nisha J. Tuli

TALE OF THE HEART QUEEN by Nisha J. Tuli (Artefacts of Ouranos, #4)

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: After Lor makes the biggest mistake of her life, she finds herself on the run from the Aurora King and decides it's time to end this, once and for all. But when a new enemy emerges to claim her freedom, the entire fate of Ouranos comes to rest on her shoulders. As the land continues to rebel, Lor must admit she is the key to saving the continent, whether she likes it or not. To fight for Nadir, she must lie, steal, and do whatever it takes to hunt down the remaining arks. Growing more and more desperate, she worries her actions are turning her into something she doesn't recognize, dooming her to repeat her grandmother's mistakes. When the Aurora King finally comes for her, Lor ventures into the Underworld's shadowy depths, where, once again, she finds herself at the heart of another deadly test. Only this time, she’s competing for everyone's future, not just a crown. The only thing Lor ever wanted was to be free, but she may soon find she was always destined for a cage.

My Thoughts: YUUUS. A badass ending to an addictive fantasy series? Hell yes! I loved how every character arc and storyline felt satisfyingly wrapped up by the time I turned the last page. The previous book left us on quite the cliffhanger, which thankfully, the author addressed almost immediately in this one. At the start, Nadir is being held hostage in Ouranos’ heaven by the very Goddess everyone worships. To get him back, Lor has to collect the artefacts of all the world’s leaders and return them to the Goddess unharmed. Along the way, she uncovers more about the relics’ history and their deep connection to the Goddess’s own existence. Meanwhile, Gabriel is on a mission to expose the imposter king of Aphelion, and that’s when we start to learn what really happened to the true king - where he’s been all these years and why everyone thought he was dead. There’s action, romance, messy politics, scheming, and just the right amount of humor woven throughout this final installment of the Artefacts of Ouranos series, and honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better ending!

BABEL by R.F. Kuang

Rating: 3.25/5 stars

Summary: 1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. The tower and its students are the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver-working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as the arcane craft serves the Empire's quest for colonization. For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide . . . Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?

My Thoughts: Yeesh. Okay, so I had high hopes for this one. I’ve heard nothing but great things about Babel for years, and I know R.F. Kuang is an incredibly talented author. TBH tho, this just didn’t quite live up to the hype for me. First off, this is a DENSE fantasy read. You really have to pay attention to keep up with all the characters, politics, and world-building. The magic system - based on alchemy and silver bars powered by the meaning and translation of language - is a cool concept, but I felt like it wasn’t as fleshed out as I wanted. It leans heavily into linguistics and etymology, which is interesting, but it also made parts of the book feel more like reading a textbook than a novel. There are even footnotes throughout, which added context but also slowed things down a bit. Where the book really shines is in how it tackles tough themes like racism, classism, misogyny, and the horrors of colonization. Robin and his group of friends each bring a unique perspective to those issues, and their experiences are definitely meaningful. That said, I wish we got more time to really connect with those side characters on a deeper level. Especially when big things start happening later in the story, I didn’t feel as emotionally impacted as I wanted to. Overall, I can see why this book is so highly praised. It’s smart, ambitious, and it has a lot to say. But for me, it just felt like a bit of a slog to get through and didn’t quite hit emotionally the way I hoped. If you’re into dark academia, alchemy-based fantasy, and books that dig deep into language and colonial history, it might be exactly your thing. Otherwise, this one might fall a little short like it did for me.

I THINK WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE by Suzy Krause

Rating: 3.25/5 stars

Summary: In the same week, Marlen and Hilda’s family receives two significant pieces of news: One, Marlen has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Two, a cosmic blast is set to render humanity extinct within a matter of months. It seems the coming Christmas on their Saskatchewan farm could be everyone’s last. Preparing for the inevitable, they navigate the time they have left together. Marlen and Hilda channel their energy into improbably prophetic works of art. Hilda’s elderly father receives a longed-for visitor from his past. Hilda’s preteen nephew goes missing, and his mother refuses to believe the world is ending. All the while, Hilda’s daughter struggles to find her way home from Berlin with the help of an oddly familiar stranger. For everyone, there’s an unsettling feeling that this unprecedented reality is somehow something they all remember. As the planet holds its collective breath to see what happens next, the family—amid chaos, denial, acceptance, and hope—determines to live every moment as if it is their last. Because, well, it just might be.

My Thoughts: This was my book club’s latest pick, and the vibe was kind of like if The Measure by Nikki Erlick and The Midnight Library by Matt Haig had a baby lol. After the world learns that an unpreventable cosmic blast is about to end life as we know it, everyone is left trying to figure out how to spend their final days. The story follows seven different characters - mostly from the same family - each offering their own perspective on how to cope. Whether it’s through morbid humor, denial, avoidance, or quiet reflection, the book really makes you think about how you might respond to that kind of news. There’s also a bit of a Groundhog Day element, where characters experience intense déjà vu with certain situations or feel like they’ve met before. That said, I felt like the book was trying to juggle a lot of different themes and ideas, and because of that, none of them landed as powerfully as they could have. If you're into speculative fiction and end-of-the-world vibes, this might be up your alley. I just wasn’t totally blown away by it (pun not intended).

GIRL SERPENT THORN by Melissa Bashardoust

Rating: 2/5 stars

Summary: There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it’s not just a story. As the day of her twin brother’s wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she’s willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn’t afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison. Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming...human or demon. Princess or monster.

My Thoughts: It’s a no from me, unfortunately. Objectively, this author has real talent - the writing itself is solid, and the premise had so much potential. But subjectively? It just didn’t meet my expectations. The story is inspired by Persian lore and centers around Soraya, a girl cursed with poison in her veins and any living thing that touches her bare skin dies. Despite being part of the royal family, Soraya is hidden away to protect others and herself. When she discovers there might be a way to break the curse that’s kept her isolated her whole life, she faces an impossible choice: betray her family and her realm, or stay imprisoned by fear and her own nature. At first, the book was just fine. Not bad, but not blowing me away either. But the deeper I got, the more the cracks started to show. One of my biggest issues was the lack of consistency in Soraya’s character arc. The author couldn’t seem to decide whether she should lean into her darker, braver side post-curse or remain the timid, haunted girl she’s always been. That lack of direction made it hard to connect with her. And to be honest, I didn’t love Soraya as a protagonist, but we also didn’t get to know the supporting characters well enough to really care about them either. A lot of the conflict felt like it could’ve been avoided if the royal family had just communicated better (shocker, right?). The bones of the story were strong, but it needed more depth and refinement to really land for me.

I CAPTURE THE CASTLE by Dodie Smith

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Summary: I Capture the Castle tells the story of seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain and her family, who live in not-so-genteel poverty in a ramshackle old English castle. Here she strives, over six turbulent months, to hone her writing skills. She fills three notebooks with sharply funny yet poignant entries. Her journals candidly chronicle the great changes that take place within the castle's walls and her own first descent into love. By the time she pens her final entry, she has "captured the castle"-- and the heart of the reader-- in one of literature's most enchanting entertainments.

My Thoughts: BRO, LOL. I cannot with this story. Cassandra and her sister Rose are truly the worst. Their family is completely broke, yet somehow they’re still living in this crumbling old castle like it's no big deal. Then these rich, charming brothers show up, and Cassandra and Rose are immediately like, “Oh bet, let’s court them and solve all our financial problems.” Naturally, Rose goes after the brother Cassandra likes, which sends her spiraling. EVEN THOUGH the family’s stable/errand boy, Stephen, has been nothing but sweet, loyal, and clearly head-over-heels for Cassandra from the start. He is literally right there, heart eyes and all, and she barely notices. The whole book is basically Cassandra wallowing over her sister stealing her man. Then, plot twist, Rose is actually in love with the other brother, cue an enemies-to-lovers situation. Meanwhile, poor Stephen is out here basically on his knees for Cassandra, who continues to give absolutely nothing back. Honestly, if the writing itself wasn’t so charming, I would’ve given this one star. The fact that this book is considered a classic? Wild. I repeat for emphasis though, JUSTICE FOR STEPHEN. OMG.

KING OF ENVY by Ana Huang (Kings of Sin, #5)

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary: Dangerous. Powerful. Reclusive. Vuk Markovic is notorious for shunning human interactions. The scarred billionaire rarely talks, and he has no interest in relationships outside his small but trusted circle. His only exception? Her. The beauty to his beast, the object of his obsession. He saw her first. He wanted her first. But now, she’s engaged to his oldest friend—and the closer the wedding looms, the more he’s torn between loyalty and desire. She should be his…and he might just risk it all to have her. | Beautiful. Successful. Glamorous. To the world, supermodel Ayana Kidane leads the perfect life. Her career has skyrocketed, and she’s engaged to one of New York’s most eligible bachelors. What people don't know is that the engagement is only a business arrangement. He gets his inheritance when they marry; she gets the money she needs to leave her abusive agency. Pretending to be in love should be easy—until she finds herself increasingly drawn to her fiancé’s enigmatic best man. Vuk thrills and terrifies her in equal measure. She knows she should stay away, but when her wedding is thrown into chaos, he’s the only person she finds comfort in… Until his past catches up with them and threatens everything they love.

My Thoughts: Ana Huang has a way of taking dark, mafia-esque romances and making them feel unexpectedly swoony - with just the right amount of fuzzy feels. Vuk is easily one of the scariest motherfuckers in this series (lol), and also one of the biggest enigmas. We’ve seen glimpses of him throughout a few of the Kings of Sin books, but up until now, all we really knew was that he’s filthy rich and barely speaks. So going into this, I was ready for his backstory. Ayana, who was introduced as a side character earlier in the series, finally gets her time to shine, and I’m so glad she did. Both she and Vuk are incredibly dynamic, each wrestling with current dilemmas that stem from past choices. Vuk is now the target of a fractured assassination ring, where whoever kills him first will be named king. On top of that, his best friend is marrying the woman he’s in love with, leaving him torn between loyalty and unresolved passion. Ayana, meanwhile, is trying to escape a toxic modeling contract by entering a marriage of convenience with her friend. But lately, she’s developed unexpected feelings for his best man, Vuk, and everything starts to get very complicated, very fast. After an unfortunate event forces their hands, the story leans into some typical tropes: forbidden romance, he-falls-first, and forced proximity. I absolutely love Ana Huang’s writing and have been hooked on this series from the start. While this wasn’t my favorite book in the lineup, it still totally hit the spot and satisfied my sweet smut tooth.

FIRST-TIME CALLER by B.K. Borison

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: Aiden Valentine has a secret: he's fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore's romance hotline, that's a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight. Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life-or lack thereof—she begins to question if she's as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn't be such a bad thing. Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending... even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.

My Thoughts: THIS SHIT WAS CUTE. I listened to it on audiobook, which honestly felt like the perfect format for a story centered around a late-night romance radio show. The premise alone had me HOOKED, but the banter between Aiden and Lucie? Absolute perfection. Their quick, clever back-and-forths had me cracking up and blushing with secondhand swoony sweats. Their chemistry alone was off the charts, and I couldn't get enough of their dynamic. What really made this story special, though, was how relatable it felt. Lucie’s experience of just wanting to find genuine love in a world of endless dating apps and exhausting options was so honest and heartfelt. And Aiden?? The way he quietly showed up for her WRECKED me. (UM HELLO? He keeps a list of her favorite things in his glove compartment?? Sir. Melt my heart, why don’t you?) Also, I usually don’t gravitate toward single-parent tropes, but this one made me question if I’ve just been reading the wrong ones. Maybe I just needed a single mom representation to change my mind. If you’re in the mood for a romance that’ll have you cheesing and kicking your feet like a love-struck idiot, this is a 10/10 must-read.

A screenshot of the audiobook Isola in the Libby app. The cover shows a woman standing on a cliff overlooking the ocean. — Isola by Allegra Goodman

ISOLA by Allegra Goodman

Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Summary: Heir to a fortune, Marguerite is destined for a life of prosperity and gentility. Then she is orphaned, and her guardian—an enigmatic and volatile man—spends her inheritance and insists she accompany him on an expedition to New France. Isolated and afraid, Marguerite befriends her guardian’s servant and the two develop an intense attraction. But when their relationship is discovered, they are brutally punished and abandoned on a small island with no hope for rescue. Once a child of privilege who dressed in gowns and laced pearls in her hair, Marguerite finds herself at the mercy of nature. As the weather turns, blanketing the island in ice, she discovers a faith she’d never before needed.

My Thoughts: The fact that this is based on a true story is wild to me. This book is definitely a slow burn, and honestly, I’m not sure I would’ve made it through without the audiobook. That said, I do think it lives up to the hype. Set in the 16th century, the story follows Marguerite, an orphan whose guardian, Roberval, spends her inheritance on his expeditions for the French crown. During a forced voyage to New France, Roberval discovers Marguerite’s romance with his secretary, and as punishment, abandons her, her lover, and her loyal nursemaid on a remote island. What follows is a harrowing survival story as the three struggle to endure the brutal conditions and isolation of this unknown world. The arc of Marguerite’s character is what really pulled me in. Watching her grow from a naive, privileged girl into a resilient, resourceful woman was so satisfying. I do wish the romance had been given a little more time to build - it kind of appeared out of nowhere - but the emotional payoff still worked for me by the end. If you’re in the mood for an atmospheric, brooding survival story with historical roots, this is absolutely worth a read.

A screenshot of Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry in the Libby app. The cover is mostly red, orange, and pink and shows a woman lounging reading a book and a man looking at her. — Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL LIE by Emily Henry

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary: Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years--or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century. When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game. One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over. Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication. Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition. But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room. And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad…depending on who’s telling it.

My Thoughts: Okay, so this is the first Emily Henry book I’ve seen get more criticism than usual—but personally, I devoured it. A well-written romance with undertones of historical fiction and Julia Whelan narrating? Say less. What I really appreciated about this one is that Henry finally broke away from her usual formula. Don’t get me wrong, I love her signature approach to a love story, but this one meandered in a way that felt fresh and unexpected. The story centers around the famously reclusive heiress Margaret Ives, who is finally ready to share her life story. Alice, our main character, is one of two writers vying for the job of co-authoring Margaret’s biography. Her competition? Hayden Anderson, whose last co-authored book won a Pulitzer. No pressure though lol. They’re each given private interview time with Margaret, have to sign NDAs, and are forbidden from collaborating or sharing notes. But since they’re both stuck in the same tiny Georgia town for a month, their paths keep crossing. Their repeated run-ins are equal parts comical and brimming with sexual tension, and while both are hesitant to get involved due to the job at stake, the pull between them is undeniable. I was swooning over these two. And while we never fully know what Margaret is revealing to Hayden, it’s clear Alice is uncovering a lot about her past. I loved that this romance had extra layers to it - blending in mystery and historical fiction in a way that felt intentional and engaging. If you’re looking for a great summer read that’s full of heart and heat, this one’s a perfect pick.

SUNRISE ON THE REAPING by Suzanne Collins

Rating: 4.75/5 stars

Summary: When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for? As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes. Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves. When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.

My Thoughts: This book is what I wished the last prequel had been. It dives into the origin story of Haymitch - Katniss and Peeta’s mentor from the original series - and finally gives him the depth and backstory he deserves. He grows up in a poor family in District 12 and is completely in love with a girl from the Covey. On Reaping Day (which also happens to be his birthday), chaos breaks out when the boy selected for the Quarter Quell is killed trying to escape. Haymitch’s girlfriend gets caught in the crossfire, and as he tries to save her, he ends up being punished by becoming the replacement tribute. Cue the usual Hunger Games horrors: Capitol parades, training, and then being thrown into an arena to fight to the death. What I appreciated about this installment was how the tributes approached the Games differently. There was a fresh strategy to it that stood out from other books in the series. It also beautifully foreshadowed the events of the Quarter Quell in Catching Fire and gave us more insight into characters like Wiress, Beadie, Mags, and others we’ve met before. There are a lot of heartbreaking moments that really help you understand why Haymitch ends up the way he does by the time we meet him in the original trilogy. Still, it was powerful to see him in his prime when he was innocent, smart, strategic, and deeply empathetic. I highly recommend reading this one, but make sure you read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes first (or just watch the movie. The adaptation is true to the storyline enough that you can skip the book if you’d rather not read it). Either way, this is a must for Hunger Games fans.

THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MIRA by Sonali Dev

Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary: Mira Salvi has the perfect life—a job she loves, a fiancé everyone adores, and the secure future she’s always imagined for herself. Really, she hasn’t a thing to complain about, not even when she has to go on her engagement trip to New York alone. While playing tourist in the city, Mira chances upon a lost ring, and her social media post to locate its owner goes viral. With everyone trying to claim the ring, only one person seems to want to find its owner as badly as Mira: journalist Krish Hale. Brooding and arrogant, he will do anything to get to write this story. As Krish and Mira reluctantly join forces and jump into the adventure of tracing the ring back to where it belongs, Mira begins to wonder if she is in the right place in her own life. She had to have found this ring for a reason…right? Maybe, like the owner of the lost ring, her happy ending hasn’t been written yet either.

My Thoughts: Ugh. Okay. Even though this book is rated pretty highly on Goodreads, it was honestly just fine for me. I think the biggest disconnect was that it’s marketed as a rom-com which felt misleading. Yes, there’s romance, but the story also tackles a lot of heavy themes like sexual assault, parental abuse, and homophobia. The writing itself is objectively strong, but at times I found myself stumbling through it. There were moments that just didn’t quite land for me, which made it harder to stay fully immersed in the story. I did like the premise of Mira finding a ring on a NYC sidewalk and setting off to track down its owner while also, in a deeper sense, trying to find herself. Her journey to discover her own voice, especially in the context of her complicated family dynamic, was fulfilling. That said, I didn’t love how she seemed to jump from one relationship to another. It made some of her personal growth feel a little inconsequential or inconsistent. Overall, it’s a well-written book and I can understand why others have connected with it, which is why I gave it 3 stars. But I’m not sure it left enough of an impact for me to read it again or recommend it right away.

AGAINST THE LOVELESS WORLD by Susan Abulhawa

Rating: 4.75/5 stars

Summary: As Nahr sits, locked away in solitary confinement, she spends her days reflecting on the dramatic events that landed her in prison in a country she barely knows. Born in Kuwait in the 70s to Palestinian refugees, she dreamed of falling in love with the perfect man, raising children, and possibly opening her own beauty salon. Instead, the man she thinks she loves jilts her after a brief marriage, her family teeters on the brink of poverty, she’s forced to prostitute herself, and the US invasion of Iraq makes her a refugee, as her parents had been. After trekking through another temporary home in Jordan, she lands in Palestine, where she finally makes a home, falls in love, and her destiny unfolds under Israeli occupation.

My Thoughts: This book had been sitting on my shelf for at least two years, and honestly, I’m glad I went with the audiobook. I'm not sure I would’ve made it through a physical read. It’s powerful, raw, unfiltered, and haunting in a way that makes it hard to look away. The story shifts between the present, with Nahr imprisoned in a cell, and the past, as she reflects on the winding path that led her there. She recounts her early life in Kuwait, her time as a refugee in Jordan, and her return to her homeland of Palestine. Her story is both heartbreaking and deeply moving. Nahr endures intense physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, yet along the way, she also finds moments of strength, love, and a powerful sense of self. I learned so much about the aftermath of Kuwait’s liberation from Iraq and the long-standing, deeply rooted conflict between Israel and Palestine. The writing reads almost like a memoir wrapped in historical fiction - it’s intimate, reflective, and unapologetically honest. I highly recommend checking the trigger warnings before diving in. It’s intense, but it’s the kind of literary experience that stays with you long after it ends.

That’s it for May!

As I mentioned earlier, I’m in the midst of moving right now, so I’m not sure how much I’ll be reading until I’m fully settled at my new place, but I’m hoping to still crank through some audiobooks during this process.

2025 Book Count: 71

Add me on Goodreads if you haven’t already.

YOUR TURN! What is one of your favorite books to read during Pride Month?

December 2024 Reads

December 30, 2024 by Haley Burrill in Books

As I write this intro, we are officially in that week between Christmas and New Year’s where you’re not really sure what day it is, let alone the date. We’re all basically mowing down on holiday treats, counting down the days until we have to go back to work. (booooo lol)

What I do know is that December absolutely FLEW by, as did 2024. Am I right?

This year felt like it was a growing year for me. I turned 30 in February, went through a rough breakup shortly after, spent most of this summer focusing on myself and being outside with my people, took a 950 mile road trip through California in the fall, started making moves in my career, and finally decided to get bangs for the winter lol.

Throughout all of that, I had books to keep me company, and December was no exception. I read some absolute BANGERS this month and just hope that momentum carries into 2025. Specifically in the fantasy category, but we’ll get into that later.

For now, let’s get into everything I read at the end of 2024.

*All summaries are taken or paraphrased from Goodreads.

HEIR by Sabaa Tahir (Heir Duology #1)

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: An orphan. An outcast. A prince. And a killer who will bring an empire to its knees. Growing up in the Kegari slums, AIZ has seen her share of suffering. An old tragedy fuels her need for vengeance, but it is love of her people that propels her. Until one hotheaded mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite. Banished from her people for an unforgivable crime, SIRSHA is a down-on-her-luck tracker who uses magic to trace her marks. Destitute, she agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the Martial Empire. All she has to do is carry out the job and get paid. But when a chance encounter leads to an unexpected attraction, Sirsha learns her mission might cost her far more than she's willing to give up. QUIL is the crown prince of the Empire and nephew of a venerated empress, but he’s loath to take the throne when his aunt steps down. As the son of a reviled emperor, he, better than anyone, understands that power corrupts. When a vicious new enemy threatens the survival of the Empire, Quil must ask himself if he can rise above his tragic lineage and be the heir his people need.

My Thoughts: BLEEDING SKIES! I do not know what rock I crawled under to not realize this book is a spin-off from Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes series!! Needless to say, I was fucking STOKED to be back in this world with the next generation of characters. The start was a little bit of a slow burn, but once I got my footing with who each character was, I was absolutely ENTRANCED. We follow Aiz, a super pious orphan from a country that is cut off from most of the world and under control of a tyrant. She sets off on a pilgrimage to find her people’s deity that will free them from poverty, starvation, and a controlling government. There’s Sirsha who was banished from her people and now uses her magic to make a living as a tracker for people. Her latest job is to hunt down a killer who has been murdering children across the Martial Empire. Last, we follow Quil who is the crown prince of the Empire, A.K.A MY GIRL HELENE’S NEPHEW (*cue fangirl screaming omgggg*). He doesn’t really want to take the throne but when a ruthless new enemy threatens the Empire, Quil has to flee to find the one thing that can save his people and reflect on whether he can be the future ruler they need. Listen, Linda. SO MUCH HAPPENS in this book and I was absolutely SQUEALING any time a character from the OG series makes an appearance (i.e. Helene, Elias, Laia, Tas, and more.) I loved how each character’s journey started to intersect one another and once that plot twist hits… oooo-wee. You’re not even ready for it. I just BARELY figured out what the twist was right before it was revealed. Not to mention the ABSOLUTELY RUDE cliffhanger this book leaves you on at the end. I need the next book in this duology like yesterday lol. If it’s unclear, I was obviously in love with this book and highly recommend reading it if you’ve read An Ember in the Ashes. If you haven’t read that series, I recommend reading that FIRST then reading Heir.

FUNNY STORY by Emily Henry

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: Daphne always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it... right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra. Which is how Daphne begins her new story: stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak. Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned-up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them? But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex... right?

My Thoughts: I know some people are over Emily Henry because her writing tends to feel like it’s all following the same formula. Which it is. However, what I appreciate about her as an author is that she makes every character and their story feel so incredibly unique. So even if all of her books share a similar rom-com DNA, I don’t think they feel the same at all. This gem was one of my favorites. Daphne and Miles are such fun, messy characters and the fact that they have to move in together after their exes break up with them to date each other is literally a chef’s kiss premise. You’ve already got a forced proximity trope mixed with friends-to-lovers, opposites attract, AND fake dating? Say less. I was obsessed with this audiobook. It was so much fun. The banter was top notch, and don’t get me started on all the comedic relief that the side characters provided. I loved the dynamics between Daphne and Miller as they completed each adventure they planned that summer before Daphne’s deadline. Their relationship felt so genuine and grew so organically, you couldn’t help but root for them. If you’re looking for a rom-com that won’t disappoint, you should definitely give this one a try! BONUS: this story takes place in a fictional town in Michigan and all of the Mitten State references are incredible lol.

FINLAY DONOVAN ROLLS THE DICE by Elle Cosimano (Finlay Donovan #4)

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary: Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero are in sore need of a girls’ weekend away. They plan a trip to Atlantic City, but odds are―seeing as it’s actually a cover story to negotiate a deal with a dangerous loan shark, save Vero’s childhood crush Javi, and hunt down a stolen car―it won’t be all fun and games. When Finlay’s ex-husband Steven and her mother insist on tagging along too, Finlay and Vero suddenly have a few too many meddlesome passengers along for the ride. Within hours of arriving in their seedy casino hotel, it becomes clear their rescue mission is going to be a bust. Javi’s kidnapper, Marco, refuses to negotiate, demanding payment in full in exchange for Javi’s life. But that’s not all―he insists on knowing the whereabouts of his missing nephew, Ike, who mysteriously disappeared. Unable to confess what really happened to Ike, Finlay and Vero are forced to come up with a new plan: sleuth out the location of Javi and the Aston Martin, then steal them both back. But when they sneak into the loan shark’s suite to search for clues, they find more than they bargained for―Marco's already dead. They don’t have a clue who murdered him, only that they themselves have a very convincing motive. Then four members of the police department unexpectedly show up in town, also looking for Ike―and after Finlay's night with hot cop Nick at the police academy, he’s a little too eager to keep her close to his side. If Finlay can juggle a jealous ex-husband, two precocious kids, her mother’s marital issues, a decomposing loan shark, and find Vero’s missing boyfriend, she might get out of Atlantic City in one piece. But will she fold under the pressure and come clean about the things she’s done, or be forced to double down?

My Thoughts: Okay as I mentioned in recent reviews of books in this series, the shit Finlay and Vero keep accidentally getting involved with has become progressively unhinged and this book is no exception lol. Basically, they’re in Atlantic City trying to settle some debts for Vero while also looking for her childhood crush, Javi, who was “allegedly” kidnapped by the Russian mob. Per usual, throw any and every wrench into their plans for making a “girls’ weekend away” cover harder to maintain. Including adding Finlay’s ex-husband into the mix, two dead guys, police stakeout on their hotel floor, Finlay’s new police boyfriend, her kids, and more. It’s a weekend full of chaos and sticky situations these women just BARELY eke their way out of. Although some of their shenanigans felt pretty unrealistic (i.e. keeping two dead guys on ice in a hotel room until they were ready to move them??) I still appreciated that there were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and that everything happening is a continuation of the previous books in this series. It was also fun getting to see the storylines of side characters progress a little further as well since they’ve been on this journey with us since the beginning. I wouldn’t say the formula of this book was very different from the previous books; however, I still thoroughly enjoyed it and plan to continue this series once the next book comes out.

ONE LAST GIFT by Emily Stone

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary: Sometimes the best gifts in life are the ones you don't expect. Cassie and Tom lost their parents at a young age and relied on each other--as well as a community of friends--to get through it. Especially Tom's best friend, Sam, who always made sure Tom and Cassie were surrounded with love. But now, twenty years later, Cassie has lost Tom as well. And in a way, she's also lost Sam; over the years they've drifted apart, and now the man she always had a crush on is someone she doesn't even recognize anymore. She's never felt more alone. Then she finds an envelope with her name on it, written in Tom's terrible handwriting, and she knows immediately what it is. It's the first clue in the Christmas scavenger hunt Tom made for her every year; he'd promised her for months that this year's would be the grandest one yet. At first, she's too scared to open it--what if she can't figure out the clues without his help? Or what if she does figure them all out, and her last connection to Tom is gone? Tom's clues set Cassie on a heart-wrenching and beautiful journey that will change her life--if she lets them. And as she travels from London to the Welsh mountains to the French countryside, she reconnects with old friends, rekindles a lost love, and most importantly, rediscovers herself. But once she's solved the final clue, will she be brave enough to accept the gift her brother has given her--and the love it's led her to?

My Thoughts: Listen, I have never been so in touch with the angsty side of the romance reader that I am until I started reading Emily Stone. She truly has a gift of taking your heart, ripping it into teeny tiny pieces, and then ever so slowly, sewing it back together. It’s like getting punched in the gut and saying “thank you” afterwards. I had a consistent lump in my throat this entire audiobook. The main characters, Cassie and Sam, are just STEEPED in grief after they lose her brother and his best friend, Tom. Both handle the blow of his death in different ways, but neither wants to lean on the other after a riff in their early twenties left them somewhat estranged. Growing up, Tom always made Cassie’s Christmas gift into a scavenger hunt and this year was going to be the hunt of all hunts. And, it just so happens, Tom was able to put it together prior to his death. I loved watching Cassie dig her way out of grief and truly step outside of her comfort zone as she completed each task in Tom’s last scavenger hunt. It allowed her to learn not only more about Tom, but also about herself and how complacent she had become in life. Inevitably, Tom’s death and dealing with his grief led Sam down a path he didn’t expect: running out on his wedding, quitting his high-paying job to do something he was more passionate about even though it made next to nothing, and realizing his feelings for Cassie. I think the format truly allowed me to make deeper connections with Cassie and Sam as individuals, which was so important since there’s so much animosity between their characters for a majority of the book. I wasn’t inclined to pick one person’s side because I could see how they each were hurting and why they couldn’t give into the feelings that had been brewing between them for years. Needless to say, Emily Stone did me dirty again and had me crying on multiple occasions lol. Then she kindly turned it around and handed me metaphorical tissues for an ending I could be happy about. If you’ve read/enjoyed her book Always, In December then I highly recommend giving this one a try.

THE MOST WONDERFUL CRIME OF THE YEAR by Ally Carter

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Summary: The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room three days before Christmas. Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt: She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery. He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy. She hates his guts. He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.) But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself. That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone. She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust? As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor. Assuming they don’t kill each other first.

My Thoughts: This book was so entertaining. It’s very fast paced and makes you hit the ground running right from the start. Also, as a side note, I highly recommend the audiobook because it switches POVs between Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt, as well as mixing in recordings from their interview with the police. The plot was “And Then There Were None” adjacent in that someone goes missing, someone is unexpectedly poisoned, and there’s clearly a killer amongst those stuck at the snowed-in mansion of famed author Eleanor Ashley. As mystery/thriller writers themselves, Maggie and Ethan feel like it’s up to them to figure out where elderly Eleanor Ashley disappeared to during a snowstorm on Christmas Eve. I liked that there was an unreliable narrator element to this story because it really kept me guessing as to whose perspective I could trust and made it hard to keep facts straight. There’s also a very sweet, light romance subplot in this book that did an amazing job of getting you more invested in the characters, but didn’t overshadow the bigger picture mystery. Honestly, this book is Christmas-themed, but I think it’s a fun book to pick up at any time of the year - and I recommend you do! :)

MY DECEMBER DARLING by Lauren Asher

Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary: Catalina: Playing the part of my sister’s maid of honor is easy even if she’s marrying my ex. But playing nice with the best man? An impossible task given our history. Sure, Luke Darling may be suspiciously kind, incredibly handsome, and stubborn to a fault, but regardless of how hard he tries to make me see otherwise, I’m not interested. It’s on me to remind him that he’s my ex-boyfriend’s best friend. And the one I’m secretly starting to wish I met first. Luke: My job as the best man is a simple one, except for one minor issue. I’ve spent so much time avoiding my best friend’s ex that I didn’t consider what could happen if I started craving Catalina Martinez’s company instead. She is only in Lake Wisteria for the winter wedding, but her January departure date won’t stop me from pursuing her. Getting her to date me would be nothing short of a Christmas miracle, but I’m determined to make her mine. ‘Tis the season to fall in love…even if I’m the only one taking the risk.

My Thoughts: This was cute. Simply that. It didn’t give me the usual swoony, romance tingles that I’ve experienced with other Lauren Asher books, but it was still a cute story. To be fair, I think this was supposed to be an abbreviated story for the holiday season because it’s less than 300 pages. So we didn’t get to go as deep as usual with the characters. We got a high level view of their backgrounds, traumas, feelings, etc. but I wasn’t able to develop a strong connection with them. Don’t get me wrong. Luke is a doctor with the body of an underwear model who also happens to be the friendliest person you will ever cross paths with. So OBVI, it was easy to have a crush on him while he slowly built trust with Catalina until he could convince her to move home. The basic facets behind Catalina’s character is that she’s a traveling NICU nurse home for the holidays because her sister gets married the night before NYE. Her sister’s husband is technically her ex (which, debatable in my opinion. They never slept together and apparently went on like four dates, but whatever), so Catalina is feeling a little awkward around the happy couple. She’s also super lonely and feels like her mom judges her. That’s basically it lol. That’s Catalina’s character. I liked her enough but didn’t fall in love with her by any means. As I said, this story was cute, but I doubt I’d ever go back to it. If you’re looking for a quick holiday read that keeps it pretty light and has just a dash of spice (like cinnamon, not pepper), this could be for you!

REALM BREAKER by Victoria Aveyard

Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary: A strange darkness is growing in the Ward. Even Corayne an-Amarat can feel it, tucked away in her small town at the edge of the sea. Fate knocks on her door, in the form of a mythical immortal and a lethal assassin, who tell Corayne that she is the last of an ancient lineage—with the power to save the world from destruction. Because a man who would burn kingdoms to the ground is raising an army unlike any seen before, bent on uprooting the foundations of the world. With poison in his heart and a stolen sword in his hand, he'll break the realm itself to claim it. And only Corayne can stop him. Alongside an unlikely group of reluctant allies, Corayne finds herself on a desperate journey to complete an impossible task, with untold magic singing in her blood and the fate of the world on her shoulders.

My Thoughts: Okay to be fair, this is your quintessential first book in a YA fantasy series. There’s a TON of world building, character introductions including their backgrounds, magic systems to establish, politics to untangle, etc. So I don’t feel like we had the time to truly develop quality relationships with the characters because all of that other subject matter needed to be squeezed into this book to set us up for the rest of the series. Plus, each chapter switched to a different character’s POV, so you really had to pay attention to keep up with who you’re now hearing the internal dialogue for. The plot is quite the adventure and I think it would’ve been helpful to have a map, but alas, I listened to it on audiobook and couldn’t refer to anything. I was engaged with this book enough to want to read the next book in the series. However, I think what was missing in this one were stronger relationships between this hodge podge of characters - especially romantic ones. Like there was a crush brewing between Coryane and the squire, but I just need more from it. Similarly, the assassin and the elder kept sniping at each other with snarky remarks, which to me would be the PERFECT opportunity for an enemies-to-lovers moment, but we’ll see if that actually comes to fruition. Not that every book I read needs romantic relationships, but even platonic connections weren’t all that strong by the time I finished this book. So yeah. I liked it enough to keep going, but if the next book is kind of mid, I probably won’t continue this series.

EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE by Benjamin Stevenson

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary: Everyone in my family has killed someone. Some of us, the high achievers, have killed more than once. I'm not trying to be dramatic, but it is the truth. Some of us are good, others are bad, and some just unfortunate. I'm Ernest Cunningham. Call me Ern or Ernie. I wish I'd killed whoever decided our family reunion should be at a ski resort, but it's a little more complicated than that. Have I killed someone? Yes. I have. Who was it? Let's get started. EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE. My brother. My stepsister. My wife. My father. My mother. My sister-in-law. My uncle. My stepfather. My aunt. Me.

My Thoughts: If you’re a fan of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, I think this book could be up your alley. I went the audiobook route and to my delight, the narrator has an Australian accent, so that was a huge bonus lol. This book is from the perspective of a guy named Ernie. His family is a little more than dysfunctional after his brother committed murder a few years ago and Ernie is the one who testified in court to put him in prison. Fast forward to when the brother is getting out, and the family is celebrating with a little reunion at a remote ski resort up in the mountains. After a man is found dead near the resort, and in a very mysterious manner, everyone is on high alert as to who the killer could be. Ernie walks us through everyone’s relationships, their secrets, backgrounds, and more as we piece together who the killer might be. There are HELLA twists in this story that I did not expect. The most unique part of this book, though, was the format. It was told as though Ernie is writing a letter or in his journal. So he tells you right off the bat which chapters have a murder in them and what to expect, but it doesn’t make seeing the plot twists any easier. The only reason I docked it a star is because the big reveal at the end where Ernie explains how he figured everything out felt like it was a little abrupt for how in-depth the connections are. Overall though, I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook and highly recommend it if you’re looking for a cozy murder mystery perfect for the winter season.

THIS COULD BE US by Kennedy Ryan (Skyland #2)

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: Soledad Barnes has her life all planned out. Because, of course, she does. She plans everything. She designs everything. She fixes everything. She’s a domestic goddess who's never met a party she couldn't host or a charge she couldn't lead. The one with all the answers and the perfect vinaigrette for that summer salad. But none of her varied talents can save her when catastrophe strikes, and the life she built with the man who was supposed to be her forever, goes poof in a cloud of betrayal and disillusion. But there is no time to pout or sulk, or even grieve the life she lost. She's too busy keeping a roof over her daughters' heads and food on the table. And in the process of saving them all, Soledad rediscovers herself. From the ashes of a life burned to the ground, something bold and new can rise. But then an unlikely man enters the picture—the forbidden one, the one she shouldn't want but can't seem to resist. She's lost it all before and refuses to repeat her mistakes. Can she trust him? Can she trust herself? After all she's lost . . . and found . . .can she be brave enough to make room for what could be?

My Thoughts: I just read the first book in this series, Before I Let Go, in October and loved it. When I saw This Could Be Us was a nominee for the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards, I knew I wanted to read it before the year was out. Kennedy Ryan really does have a way of writing characters at their rawest level of vulnerability and making it so beautiful. Soledad is going THROUGH it. She’s in an incredibly toxic marriage where her asshole husband gaslights her constantly and then it turns out he’s going to prison for embezzlement at work. As a stay-at-home mom, she has to quickly pivot to figure out how to keep a roof over her three daughters’ heads and maintain their lifestyle without their main breadmaker in the picture anymore. The man who put Soledad’s husband in prison? Judah Cross. He’s the walking definition of SWOON and is nothing but green flags. Although there’s instant chemistry between him and Soledad, he respects that she’s taking the time to date herself and nourish her self love journey before she’s ready to commit to a new relationship. This whole story was so much more than your typical romance and I cannot recommend it enough. Side note: you don’t HAVE to read Before I Let Go first before reading this book. However, I recommend reading them in order because you have better insight into all characters involved.

THE MEASURE by Nikki Erlick

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice. It seems like any other day. You wake up, pour a cup of coffee, and head out. But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. This box holds your fate inside: the answer to the exact number of years you will live. From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise? As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge?

My Thoughts: Okay this is hands down one of the most thought provoking books I’ve read this year. It follows eight different people as the world navigates a new normal where anyone 22 or older receives a mysterious box one night on their doorstep. Inside the box is a string whose length indicates the lifetime of that person. Cue absolute chaos as the world is divided into long stringers and short stringers. People can decide if they want to open their box or if they’d rather leave knowing how long they’ll live to fate. There were SO many commonalities between this book and our society in reality. It was a very “them vs. us” narrative. Especially when it comes to who deserves health care, how people treat each other, what is seen as acceptable to talk about in school, etc. Not to mention, although this book was published in 2022, the similarities between the presidential election in this book and the election season we just had was absolutely CHILLING. There’s one scene that literally made me stop to check if she had based some of the events in this book off of what happened this year or if it was published prior. Anyway, needless to say, I HIGHLY recommend picking up this book as soon as you can. It is one of those stories that is going to stick with me for years to come.

THIS WOVEN KINGDOM by Tahereh Mafi (This Woven Kingdom #1)

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Summary: To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight. The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes, the girl he can’t put out of his mind, would one day soon uproot his kingdom—and the world.

My Thoughts: The last series I read by Tahereh Mafi was her Shattered series, and when I tell you I was absolutely OBSESSED, I am not exaggerating. I think I finished the entire series, plus the novellas in between each novel, in the matter of a month or something like that. Her writing has a way of sucking you in unexpectedly and this book is no exception. Although it has a little bit of a slow burn, I appreciated that the pacing provided enough time for me to develop individual relationships with Alizeh and Kamran before their paths truly crossed. Alizeh is a djinn woman who has finally scored a job as a servant in a noble house. The key to survival and to maintaining her incredibly low paying job is to keep her head down and off everyone’s radars. She manages to do this successfully until the crown prince, Kamran, returns to the capitol after spending a year away and witnesses her disarm a street rat who’s holding her at knife point. Kamran immediately reports what he suspects to the king which sparks a manhunt for this supposed djinn spy infiltrating the human kingdom. I loved that the format of this book switched between Alizeh’s and Kamran’s POVs, so that you can not only see what each character is up to, but also get their internal dialogue as the story progresses. The end of this book leaves you on QUITE the cliffhanger, so needless to say I will be continuing onto the next book in this series because I need MORE.

HOW MY NEIGHBOR STOLE CHRISTMAS by Meghan Quinn

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Summary: Every Kringle in Kringletown celebrated Christmas a lot. But Cole Black on Whistler Lane, unfortunately, did not. As his fellow citizens decorate their quaint town, brimming with carols and glad tidings, Cole wants nothing more than to hibernate the winter away. But his dreary plans are thwarted when his Christmas nemesis, Storee Taylor, moves in next door to care for her Aunt Cindy. Immediately, the new neighbor turns his life into a real nightmare before Christmas, especially when she decides to enter the town Christmas Kringle contest in honor of Cindy. And better yet, Storee is determined to win. Over Cole's dead body, she will. With help from his friend Max, Cole decides to enter the competition as well, to beat Storee at her own game by pretending that this hometown grump's heart has grown three sizes this season and he's fallen for the girl next door. And unfortunately for Storee, she has to follow his lead to have a chance at the Christmas Kringle title. But the competition isn't the only thing that heats up. Cole and Storee's fake relationship becomes very real, and before they know it, they're attempting to hide it from Aunt Cindy. Things get complicated, the competition gets tough, and all it takes is one single night for someone to steal it all…

My Thoughts: It’s been a minute since I read a Meghan Quinn novel, but I do appreciate that her writing is easily distinguishable and consistent across all of her books. This was a quirky, holiday romance set in a small town that basically celebrates Christmas year-round. It was giving Frankenmuth meets Christmas, MI (in the UP, IYKYK) but with a little Hallmark charm. Basically, Storee’s great Aunt Cindy convinces her to enter the town’s Christmas Kringle contest in her stead since Aunt Cindy just broke a hip. Cole, Aunt Cindy’s nextdoor neighbor and the town’s Grinch, basically says “the audacity,” and ends up entering the contest just to spite Storee. This is a pretty long holiday romance (I think about 450 pages), and it took me a minute to get into because although I love a grumpy/sunshine trope, I didn’t love Storee’s or Cole’s characters right away. So I wasn’t rooting for either of them to win the Christmas Kringle. As the holiday shenanigans commenced and the story deepened, it was easier to get invested in the multiple plotlines happening here. There’s plenty of banter, cheesy Christmas-related jokes, and some quality spice to balance out all of the sweet. If ya know what I mean. ;) Of recent holiday books I’ve read, this one was definitely enjoyable, but didn’t knock my stockings off lol.

BLADE BREAKER by Victoria Aveyard (Realm Breaker #2)

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Summary: The fate of the world rests on a blade's edge. Fighting beside her band of unlikely companions, Corayne is learning to embrace her ancient lineage and wield her father's powerful sword. But while she successfully closed one of the Spindles, her journey is far from over. Queen Erida's army marches across Allward with her consort, Taristan, right beside them, opening more portals into nightmarish worlds, razing kingdoms to the ground. Corayne has no choice but to assemble an army of her own if she's to save the realm as she knows it. But perilous lands await her and the companions, and they face assassins, otherworldly beasts, and tempestuous seas all as they rally a divided Ward to fight behind them. But Taristan has unleashed an evil far more wicked than his corpse armies. Something deadly waits in the shadows; something that might consume the world before there's any hope for victory.

My Thoughts: Okay, I will say. I was lukewarm on the first book of this series (see Realm Breaker above), but wanted to give the second book a chance to see if the author dug a little deeper now that she’s established the world building, character stories, and magic system. This was definitely a little bit of a slow burn to start. I was honestly torn between pausing this audiobook and trying it again later or powering through. Since the characters and plot were fresh in my brain though, I decided to stick with it and I’m pleased to say it was better than I expected! We’re still following this hodge podge group of unlikely companions as they try finding all of the open spindles that are allowing dark magic into their realm. Although I still wish we got a TOUCH deeper with the character relationships, they were definitely taken to the next level. Even the elder and assassin who usually cannot stand each other had some emotionally vulnerable moments that strengthened their bond. I gotta say, the evil queen Erida CLEARLY was not hugged enough as a child lol. However, I was oddly rooting for her and Taristan as much as I was rooting for the group of protagonists because this couple is so unhinged but also work really well as a team. This book was still an enjoyable adventure and it left us on quite the cliffhanger, but I probably won’t continue with the series if I’m being honest. So take that as you will.

FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: Evie Porter has everything a nice, Southern girl could want: a perfect, doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence and a garden, a fancy group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist. The identity comes first: Evie Porter. Once she’s given a name and location by her mysterious boss Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the mark: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job. Evie isn’t privy to Mr. Smith’s real identity, but she knows this job will be different. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she’s starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie can’t make any mistakes—especially after what happened last time. Because the one thing she’s worked her entire life to keep clean, the one identity she could always go back to—her real identity—just walked right into this town. Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there’s still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn't be higher—but then, Evie has always liked a challenge…

My Thoughts: Hands down this is one of my favorite books that I read in 2024. It gives the vibes of a spy movie like Kingsman or Salt, and took so many turns, I couldn’t tell which way was up. Considering I went into this book without reading the synopsis, I thought it was going to be your typical mystery thriller and assumed she was some type of stalker. However, I was quickly put to shame and instead sucked into one of the most fast-paced stories I’ve experienced in a while. I could not stop listening to it. I loved that the format switched between present day, on Evie Porter’s current job, and the last few jobs she’s had spanning back eight years. It provided insight not only into her personal past, but also her line of work and how she landed such a dangerous job. As I said before, this book had SO MANY TWISTS and had my heart beating double time as Evie worked her way out of some sticky situations. There is a light romance storyline in this book that I thoroughly appreciated because the love interest is just as morally gray as Evie, and we love when two mildly questionable characters find each other. I feel like my review doesn’t give this book the justice it deserves, but holy hell. If you’re looking for an ADDICTING mystery thriller, you MUST pick this one up.

THE MISTLETOE BET by Maren Moore

Rating: 1.5/5 stars

Summary: Everyone says “there’s no place like home”… well not for me. When I’m forced to spend the holidays at home with my family in Strawberry Hollow, I have no idea how I’m even going to survive the week, let alone make it through my least favorite holiday… Christmas. That is until I run into my childhood crush, and my brother’s best friend, Parker Grant. Now, he’s the sexy, off-limits doctor in our small town, and nothing like the man I left behind six years ago. While I hate the holidays, there is nothing that he loves more. Well, other than a good bet. Which is exactly what happens when we end up together under the mistletoe. A bet that changes everything. He asks for the next seven days to change my mind about Christmas. But seven days alone with Parker is more than either of us bargained for. Now, there’s much more at stake than a silly mistletoe bet.

My Thoughts: Ugh okay. As I was reading this book, I literally told myself “you gotta stop reading Christmas-themed novellas” because I’ve been mildly disappointed with them in the past. This book is no exception. Although most of the writing was fine, there were some parts of it that felt tone deaf or just took me out of the story. It almost felt like a man was behind some of the writing, if that makes sense lol. Especially from a female perspective. For example, this girl says she shaved her entire body before a date one night and then shaved her entire body AGAIN the next night. First off, if the guy can’t handle your body hair, he ain’t it. Secondly, THE RAZOR BURN?? There’s no way you can do an “everything” shower two days in a row and not irritate your skin. Holy hell. I also didn’t love the main guy in this. There wasn’t anything super unique about him to make me swoon or buy into this romance. He’s a hot doctor and that’s basically it. I don’t know. If this book was any longer, I probably would’ve DNF’ed it, but since it was only about 120 pages, I powered through. However, I do not recommend it lol.

THE CHRISTMAS ORPHAN’S CLUB by Becca Freeman

Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary: Hannah and Finn have spent every Christmas together since college. Neither has anywhere else to go—Hannah’s parents died, and Finn’s disowned him when he came out. Their tradition of offbeat holiday adventures only grows more outrageous with time. When the pair starts their adult lives in New York City, they add stylish Priya and mysterious Theo to the group, solidifying a found family and sense of belonging they’ve always craved. But now, when Finn announces a move to L.A., this Christmas may be their last. Hannah is terrified of losing the family she’s built for herself, even as her boyfriend nudges her toward commitment. Meanwhile, Finn struggles with the things he’s about to leave behind—namely, his unexpressed feelings for Theo. Does growing up mean growing apart? This Christmas the changes these friends fear may be exactly what they need. . . .

My Thoughts: I’ve been listening to the “Bad on Paper” podcast since 2018, and last year one of the hosts (Becca Freeman) published her own Christmas-themed novel, but I was waiting for this holiday season to roll around before diving into it. I knew from her talking about it on the podcast that this isn’t necessarily a rom-com, but has those same vibes. This book is definitely more about found family and friendships even though there are some light romance subplots mixed into it. Basically, Hannah and Finn started a Christmas tradition in college where they spend the holiday together every year. After eventually adding two friends, Priya and Theo to the mix, this group of hodge podge friends become a family of sorts. However, Finn just announced he’s moving to L.A., so this could be the last year they celebrate Christmas together. Which throws Hannah, specifically, into a tizzy about making this year the best Christmas they’ve ever had. The book oscillates between past Christmases and the present December. What I quickly picked up on is that clearly Hannah sees her friends as the family she never really had since her parents died when she was so young. However, it also felt extremely codependent. It was almost like she expected her friends to be all or nothing without having to make any compromises herself. I also didn’t love Finn. He was giving a little bit of “manic pixie dream boy” and was way too in his head about things. Priya and Theo were fine as side characters, but I don’t think they added a ton to the dynamics of the group. I don’t know. It was a solid debut novel and if you’re looking for a holiday-themed book that centers more on friendship than romance, this is a great option for that. However, I don’t think I’ll ever pick this one up again.

MANACLED by SenYinLu

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: Harry Potter is dead. In the aftermath of the war, in order to strengthen the might of the magical world, Voldemort enacts a repopulation effort. Hermione Granger has an Order secret, lost but hidden in her mind, so she is sent as an enslaved surrogate to the High Reeve until her mind can be cracked.

My Thoughts: Y’all. Okay. This is ~technically~ a Harry Potter fanfiction but it’s 925 pages lol and so many people have read it that it has more than 100K ratings on Goodreads. A 4.6 rating, if you must know. This is definitely a darker book and intended for 18+ readers. There are scenes that depict sexual assault, rape, self-harm, torture, character death, and more. So please be vigilant about the content and trigger warnings before diving in. This story takes place after the second Wizarding War from Hermoine Granger’s perspective, but it’s as if Voldemort and the Death Eaters won instead of Harry Potter and Dumbledore’s Army. When I say I could not put this book down, I am not exaggerating. I kept thwarting minor responsibilities just so I could keep reading. Manacled is a beautifully written reimagined story that explores the complex relationship that Hermoine and Draco Malfoy develop during the war and in its aftermath. To put it plainly, this was incredibly immersive and, I think, nailed who these characters would be in their mid-20s after experiencing such deep, haunting trauma. It was an emotional rollercoaster as the book transitioned from present day in the Malfoy Manor to flashbacks from two years ago during the war where we learn how Hermoine and Draco became connected. Despite such a haunting journey, I was glad the ending provided an a-typical happy ending. Honestly, this book will be living rent free in my brain for years to come.

That’s it for December!

The third book in the Fourth Wing series comes out in January, so I’m planning to reread the second book again (Iron Flame) before my copy of Onyx Storm comes on the 21st. HOPEFULLY, my luck with good fantasy books bleeds into next month, but in terms of Iron Flame specifically, I was a little disappointed. So cheers to manifesting a kick ass Onyx Storm (and 2025)!

2024 Final Book Count: 153

Add me on Goodreads if you haven’t already.

YOUR TURN! What book are you looking forward to most in 2025?

July 2024 Reads

August 07, 2024 by Haley Burrill in Books

July both flew by and felt like it lasted 5ever.

It was just a jam-packed month. Not that I’m not complaining since we’re in the final stretch of summer now. :’(

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m quite the mood reader and, going into July, I felt like I just needed some easy, low-stakes reads. Throughout the first half of the year, I read a few heavier books and although I loved and learned a lot from them, I just wanted a little mental breather. So, I switched gears back to my guilty pleasure genre and read a lot of smutty romance with some fantasy, a thriller, and a contemporary fiction mixed in.

One good thing to come out of this transition is that I was able to get back into eyeball reading some physical books. Don’t get me wrong, audiobooks were/are still my main and preferred format, but bringing a book with me to the beach was definitely a game changer. Peep me reading in the middle of a birthday beach party lol:

Outside of reading, I’ve been binge watching the latest season of Love Island, the Olympics have been a regular fixture on my TV as of late, and... BIG BROTHER IS BACK. :D IYKYK that I’m a huge fan of Big Brother. To those who think it’s a dating show, it’s not. It’s like Survivor but in a house instead of on a deserted island somewhere. There’s a lot of social game and physical game involved and you have to balance both. It’s amazing and I highly recommend.

Okie I think that’s it for my intro. Let’s get into everything I read in July.

**All summaries are taken or paraphrased from Goodreads.

LOVE REDESIGNED by Lauren Asher (Lakefront Billionaires #1)

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary: Julian - If I ever caught on fire, Dahlia Muñoz would fan the flames with a smile. So, when she returns to Lake Wisteria, I fully intend to avoid the interior designer. At least until my meddling mother exploits my savior complex. The faster I help Dahlia find her creative spark, the sooner she will leave town. But while I was busy getting rid of Dahlia, I overlooked one potential issue. What happens if I want her to stay? | Dahlia - People say the devil has many faces, but I know only one. Julian Lopez—my childhood rival and family frenemy. I vow to steer clear of him while recovering from my broken engagement, but then the billionaire makes an irresistible offer. Renovate a historic house together and triple our profits. Our temporary truce becomes compromised as we face years’ worth of denied attraction and mixed emotions. Giving into our desire is inevitable…but falling in love? That isn’t part of the plan.

My Thoughts: It’s been a while since I’ve read a Lauren Asher romance, but I was excited to learn she has a newer series out. This book takes place in a fictional lakeside town in Michigan where Julian Lopez has become a billionaire real estate construction mogul. He built his business from the ground up which means his love life hasn’t been a priority for a long time. His last romantic tangle was when he kissed his childhood rival, Dahlia, during their freshman year in college. Fast forward a decade and Dahlia hasn’t heard from Julian since he unexpectedly dropped out after his dad’s death to take over the family business. After graduating, Dahlia ended up staying out west with her wealthy college boyfriend (Julian’s old college roommate) to pursue interior design. However, after ending her flashy romance and losing her home design tv show, the only place she wants to be is home and out of the media spotlight. Although these two still have an enemies-to-lovers vibe to their relationship, they decide to partner up on a renovation project for one of the town’s historic homes. One thing leads to another and a deal is struck to be friends-with-benefits. As we can all guess, these characters start to develop some very real feelings for one another, but they also have to face all of the insecurities they haven’t dealt with before moving forward. This book was super cute. I thought the characters were really well developed and extremely relatable, even if their lifestyles are not lol. This story also examines grief and anxiety in a way that shows it’s possible to move forward when you’re supported by those who you love and trust. There’s plenty of comedic relief throughout as well, so it’s not all serious. I definitely think this book is worth the read if you’re a Lauren Asher fan. If you haven’t read her yet, I recommend starting with either her F1 series OR her Dreamland Billionaire series. There are characters from both of those that make an appearance in this book.

HAPPY PLACE by Emily Henry

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Summary: Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t. They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends. Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives, have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood, and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most. Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week… in front of those who know you best?

My Thoughts: This book has been on my radar since it came out last year, but as I’ve mentioned over the last few months, it’s been difficult for me to read physical books lately. However, thanks to a couple of beach days planned at the beginning of July, I was forced to put down my kindle and pick up this beauty. Per usual with Emily Henry’s writing, these characters instantly had a chokehold on my feelings lol. Harriet and Wyn broke up six months ago, and for various reasons, haven’t told their friends yet. However, that secret gets harder to keep when they’re invited to one final hoo-rah at a cottage in Maine that has served as this friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Cue the tropes of forced proximity and fake dating with an overall theme of second chance romance. I was obsessed with the dynamics between Harriet and Wyn, and the TENSION? Thicc, my friends. It was impossible not to root for this couple, especially as the book dove deeper into their origin story and how they came to be. The various personalities of the other two couples in the friend group added so much depth to the experience and I loved how everything played out. Honestly? This was the perfect summer read and exactly what I needed to break my physical book dry spell lol.

ONE TRUE LOVES by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Summary: In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure. On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever. Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness. That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants, while trying to protect the ones she loves. Who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly?

My Thoughts: Listen, the first line of this book was a ZINGER. “I’m finishing up dinner with my family and my fiancé when my husband calls.” Like WHAT? Our MFC, Emma, marries her high school sweetheart and love of her life, Jesse. However, when he disappears in a helicopter accident on their first wedding anniversary, she’s left reeling with the grief of losing her person. True to TJR’s poetic writing style, this portion of the book had me in an absolute CHOKEHOLD. I don’t cry much in general (we’re working on that in therapy lol), but even I couldn’t fight the giant lump in my throat while watching Emma pick up the pieces of her sanity after losing Jesse. Although the healing process takes time, Emma does find love again in a guy from her past named Sam whom she never really gave a chance to when they were younger. Fast forward when they are now engaged and the miracle phone call comes through announcing that Jesse is alive. Emma is left to decide if she wants to continue in this new life she’s built with Sam or if she wants to pick up where she and Jesse left off four years ago before the crash. Although the writing in this book is fantastic, I wasn’t AS SOLD on the second half of it which is where I docked 1.5 stars. I can’t imagine being put through a situation like this, but it felt safely fictional and that kind of took me out of the story a little bit. That said though, I definitely recommend picking up this book if you’re looking for the sensation of pushing on an emotional bruise for a bit.

THEN SHE WAS GONE by Lisa Jewell

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: THEN She was fifteen, her mother's golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone. NOW It’s been ten years since Ellie disappeared, but Laurel has never given up hope of finding her daughter. And then one day a charming and charismatic stranger called Floyd walks into a café and sweeps Laurel off her feet. Before too long she’s staying the night at this house and being introduced to his nine year old daughter. Poppy is precocious and pretty - and meeting her completely takes Laurel's breath away. Because Poppy is the spitting image of Ellie when she was that age. And now all those unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel come flooding back. What happened to Ellie? Where did she go? Who still has secrets to hide?

My Thoughts: Okay this book was TWISTED. It started a little slow, but as soon as it started gaining momentum, we were full steam ahead. Although the main story is told from the POV of Laurel whose daughter Ellie went missing ten years ago, you eventually get the POVs from other characters involved in the bigger mystery of Ellie’s disappearance. I never knew who to trust and did not see the various connections between characters coming. I was even highly sus of the young girl Poppy, whose character was supposedly sweet and innocent. There are so many facets to this psychological thriller and I was INVESTED in every moment of it. Especially as Laurel starts doing her own digging into the past of her new boyfriend Floyd and some WILD realizations start to surface. I did appreciate how the story ended because it took a character who had been villainized the entire book and shed a not-so terrible light on them. If you’re looking for a quick, creepy read, I highly recommend trying this audiobook!

LOVE UNWRITTEN by Lauren Asher (Lakefront Billionaires #2)

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Summary: Rafael - Ellie Sinclair is a hopeless romantic who writes love songs. I’m a struggling workaholic who could inspire a hundred breakup albums. On paper, we have nothing in common except for my son. For eight months, I avoid her until our summer trip. Fourteen days. Two islands. And one nanny I shouldn’t be attracted to. Spending time with Ellie is expected, but enjoying her company? That isn’t part of our travel plans. After my divorce, I swore to protect my heart at all costs. Even if it means breaking hers in the process. | Ellie - What’s worse than working for a grumpy single dad? Admitting that I once had a secret crush on him in high school. Thankfully, Rafael Lopez and I have changed since we graduated from Wisteria High. He is a billionaire with a company to run and a child to take care of. I’m an unemployed songwriter he hired to watch his son and teach music. We coexist without any issues until a vacation changes everything. Lines blur and old feelings for Rafael return with vengeance as I face a new dilemma. Being his son’s nanny is one thing, but wishing for more? Sounds like a heartbreak song waiting to be written.

My Thoughts: Ugh okay. So I very recently have gotten on board with the single father/nanny trope in romances, but they have to be done SO RIGHT for me to fully buy in. Unfortunately, I think this one missed the mark a little bit. However, I really appreciated the amount of care that the author showed these characters’ previous traumas. This book was mildly disappointing for a couple of reasons. For starters, this book was fucking LONG. It had no business being longer than 400 pages and I think it was almost 600 pages. So the end of it started to DRAG. Another factor is that I have loved Lauren Asher’s other books and this one felt like she was rushing while trying to write a slow burn - which was just a contradictory experience in itself. Ellie was a solid MFC for this story and I really enjoyed the depth of her character arc. In contrast, Rafael was a little bit harder to like. It seemed like he tended to react rather than respond to any perceived adversities, and it didn’t make me swoon for him - especially with my red flag radar beeping in the background. The timeline of this story also felt a little bit unrealistic. They supposedly fell in love over a two-week vacation that had literally like three cute moments and the rest of the time they were fighting. So like? ALSO, you know I am a SIMP for some well-written salacious scenes and this book was just not it. As I said, it felt like a slow burn because they didn’t do anything until more than halfway through the book, and even then, they just jumped right into it. There was no heady lead-up to get the blood flowing. It was just like BOOM. DONE. And, if that doesn’t feel unrealistic, idk what does. Anywho, although this book was not my cup of tea, I’m sure anyone who loves a single dad/nanny trope would appreciate it. I still love Lauren Asher and will probably continue with this series after she publishes the next book.

THE QUEEN’S ASSASSIN by Melissa de la Cruz

Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary: Caledon Holt is the Kingdom of Renovia's deadliest weapon. No one alive can best him in brawn or brains, which is why he's the Guild's most dangerous member and the Queen's one and only assassin. He's also bound to the Queen by an impossible vow--to find the missing Deian Scrolls, the fount of all magical history and knowledge, stolen years ago by a nefarious sect called the Aphrasians. Shadow has been training all her life to follow in the footsteps of her mother and aunts--to become skilled enough to join the ranks of the Guild. Though magic has been forbidden since the Aphrasian uprising, Shadow has been learning to control her powers in secret, hoping that one day she'll become an assassin as feared and revered as Caledon Holt. When a surprise attack brings Shadow and Cal together, they're forced to team up as assassin and apprentice to hunt down a new sinister threat to Renovia. But as Cal and Shadow grow closer, they'll uncover a shocking web of lies and secrets that may destroy everything they hold dear. With war on the horizon and true love at risk, they'll stop at nothing to protect each other and their kingdom in this stunning first novel in the Queen's Secret series.

My Thoughts: I actually won this book in a giveaway the publisher was doing on Instagram a few years ago, but I still opted for the audiobook when it came down to it. Although I was pretty lukewarm overall about this book, it was still a decent YA fantasy! I can’t say I understand why it’s titled “The Queen’s Assassin.” One of the main characters, Caledon, is the head assassin for the queen, yes. However, he didn’t do much assassinating in the actual story. I was hoping to see a little more action or, at the very least, get more insight into Caledon’s life as the assassin. However, it was basically just his occupational title and that’s really the only impact it had on this experience lol. Shadow’s character was a bit more complex. She’s the Queen’s daughter who hasn’t been seen by the public in years as she’s raised by her aunts in the countryside. Magic has been outlawed in their world since the last war, but Shadow has been working on powers in private. There is a romance aspect to this story that I didn’t TOTALLY buy into, but it does add an entertaining element nonetheless. The plot was decent and well thought out, but it wasn’t anything groundbreaking tbh. I own the second book in this duology and will probably continue onto it at some point this year, but it definitely won't be right away.

THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP by Ashley Poston

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it. So Clementine forms a plan to keep her heart safe: work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. The last one is silly and obviously metaphorical, but her aunt always told her that you needed at least one big dream to keep going. And for the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. Mostly. The love part is hard because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone—she isn’t sure her heart can take it. And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment. A man with kind eyes and a Southern drawl and a taste for lemon pies. The kind of man that, before it all, she would’ve fallen head-over-heels for. And she might again. Except, he exists in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. And she, quite literally, lives seven years in his future. Her aunt always said the apartment was a pinch in time, a place where moments blended together like watercolors. And Clementine knows that if she lets her heart fall, she’ll be doomed. After all, love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing.

My Thoughts: Okay, this book? FREAKING CUTE. I can’t believe it took me this long to pick up an Ashley Poston book, but I’m so glad this was my first taste of her writing. I was INVESTED. Starting with how unique the premise is. Basically, Clementine had kind of an eccentric aunt growing up who said her apartment was magic, and would sometimes take you back in time. Because she absolutely adored her aunt and loved her stories, Clementine assumed she was just exaggerating or being facetious. However, after Clementine moves into her late aunt’s apartment and finds a strange man there, she starts to consider that maybe her aunt wasn’t just telling stories. Inside her apartment, Clementine is seven years in the past getting to know this aspiring chef and the sweetest man ever, Iwan. He’s currently subleasing the apartment for the summer while Clementine’s aunt is on a trip to Europe. When Clementine walks out of her front door though, she’s back in the present. She has no idea where the current-day Iwan is or if he would even remember her, but as she starts falling for the Iwan of seven years ago, she realizes she wants to know where he is now. This book had me giggling, blushing, and kicking my feet like a giddy idiot. The plot had so many complex layers to it and the characters each had so much depth, it was impossible not to buy into their connection. It was so freaking heartwarming. Grief is a large topic in this book, but it was handled with the utmost care. I honestly couldn’t put this book down and highly recommend it!

THE CITY OF BRASS by S.A. Chakraborty

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary: Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles. But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound. In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences. After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for...

My Thoughts: Okay this book has been on my radar for a MINUTE and I’m so lucky Hoopla had the audiobook because I don’t think the experience would’ve been as immersive had I eyeball read it. Let me start by saying, this book is your quintessential “world building, scene setting, background providing” first book in a trilogy. The author really makes a point to walk you through the different types of magic beings, the politics of their world, and more. Although this book is a large information dump, it was still easy to follow and enjoy the story. It starts by mainly following Nahri who is a young con woman in Cairo. She uses tactics she’s learned throughout the years surviving alone in the streets of the city to trick tourists out of money, pick pocket unsuspecting bystanders, and more. Until one of her cons takes a turn when she accidentally summons a dark and powerful djinn. She’s forced to face the fact that maybe the magical world people talk about in kids’ stories might actually exist, and it just so happens she’s the descendant of a powerful healing family that was believed to be extinct. Cue a long journey to the capital of this magical world (The City of Brass) with her djinn travel partner. The politics they walk into are much trickier to navigate than she could’ve ever expected. The story is eventually told in a dual POV format that switches between Nahri and Ali, the second prince in line to the throne. Although I didn’t fully buy into the romance storyline in this book, I was invested in the complexities surrounding the politics and how those influence so many characters’ actions. I’ve never read a book where the main characters are djinn, efrit, etc., only books where they interact with those creatures. So that alone was a refreshing take on this type of folklore. I don’t plan to start the second book right away, but I do plan to continue on with this trilogy overall.

RED QUEEN by Victoria Aveyard

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Summary: This is a world divided by blood—red or silver. The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change. That is until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power. Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime. But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance—Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.

My Thoughts: Okay, for starters, I want to say I didn’t LOVE the narrator of this audiobook, but that factor didn’t bother me the entire book. So, I wouldn’t say the audiobook isn’t the way to go, but if you’re picky about narrators, that might impact your opinion if you decide to listen to it. I would say this book is as if Shatter Me and The Selection had a love child and then that kid hung out around the kids of Hunger Games, Red Rising, etc. pretty regularly lol. There’s a dystopian element to it and people’s hierarchy is dependent on the color of their blood - silver or red. Most people who have silver blood also have a hidden magical ability. Whether that’s wielding fire, manipulating metal, reading/controlling minds, etc. Reds are normal humans and because they have no special abilities, they’re at the bottom of the totem pole - often in occupations that involve serving the Silvers. However, once our main red blooded character, Mare, unexpectedly shows the ability to control electricity, all hell breaks loose. The royals quickly sweep her powers under the rug by creating a fake background story for her, and she is absorbed into their world. Cue Mare scheming with a rebel Red group by giving inside information to take down the silvers and get justice for her dead brother. All the while, she is dealing with a love triangle between her betrothed, the young prince Maven, and his older brother/future king, Prince Cal. I think this book had great legs to it and it ended on a cliffhanger that was interesting enough for me to keep going in the series. I might not jump into it right away, but I think I’ll be continuing on regardless. I just need to decide if that will be via audiobook still since I don’t love the narrator, or if I will be eyeball reading it. If you’re looking for a YA fantasy with a little bit of everything, I highly recommend giving this one a try.

JUST FOR THE SUMMER by Abby Jimenez (Part of Your World #3)

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soulmate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They'll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work. Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka. It's supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected–including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?

My Thoughts: To roughly quote Maddy (the FMC’s best friend), Justin is the epitome of “if he wanted to, he would.” Like holy hell this man… we must protect sweet Justin at all costs. After posting to Reddit about his “Good Luck Chuck” type of curse, a woman named Emma slides into his DMs saying she has the same problem. Clearly, the only way to break this curse is for them to cancel it out by dating each other and breaking up afterwards. As a travel nurse, Emma is able to move to Minnesota where Justin lives so they can see this thing through. Once they start getting to know each other though, it’s clear this fake dating thing feels very real and definitely shouldn’t end. I was obsessed with how easy and natural their relationship felt. They were so silly with each other while still being able to develop a deeper connection. Both are dealing with some family issues and I appreciated how those played into where this story went. It isn’t your typical path for a romance novel, but I absolutely loved it. This is a bold claim, but I’m pretty sure this was my favorite book of the Part of Your World series.

A kindle rests on a table. The screen has a purple ebook cover of Play Along by Liz Tomforde on its screen. — Play Along by Liz Tomforde

PLAY ALONG by Liz Tomforde (WINDY CITY, #4)

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Summary: Kennedy- I’m the only woman on staff for the Windy City Warriors, and after years of putting up with a sexist lead doctor, I’m desperate to land my dream job with a new team next year. All I have to do is maintain my professional reputation for my final season in Chicago. But a Las Vegas run-in with the team’s shortstop threatens it all, leaving me with a fuzzy memory and a ring on my left hand. Now, not only am I legally bound to the most persistent man I’ve ever met, but thanks to Isaiah’s scheme to save my job, I have to pretend the whole thing was a planned elopement and not a drunken mistake. Isaiah Rhodes is reckless, impulsive, and frustratingly charming. He’s also my brand-new husband. They got the saying wrong. What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas… sometimes it follows you right back home. Isaiah - As the shortstop for Chicago’s professional baseball team, I’ve had my fair share of fun. But that all ended the day Kennedy Kay became a single woman. I’ve crushed on the team’s athletic trainer for years. I’ve flirted to no avail, so imagine my surprise when I woke up in Sin City with a ring on my finger and my favorite redhead in my bed. We agree to stay married for one baseball season, just long enough to keep her job safe, but in my mind, I’m using our time together to prove to her I’m husband material. Kennedy might be reluctant to join in on our game, but it’s one I refuse to lose. So come on, wife… play along.

My Thoughts: I’ve been WAITING for Isaiah’s story in this series and was so excited when this book finally made it to my Kindle. I think this may be my favorite book of the Windy City series tbh. Isaiah and Kennedy were such different people, and although on paper they’d never work, they took the time to peel back each other’s layers and get to know their depths. It was so heartwarming to watch them be truly vulnerable and love one another so uniquely. There are plenty of comedic moments to balance the serious ones and, not to mention, high quality steamy salacious scenes lol. I can’t say I recommend reading this as a standalone because you really do feel a kinship with the other characters in this series that continue to make an appearance throughout this book. Plus you also get more background on Isaiah and Kennedy’s characters. So in conclusion lol, I definitely recommend this book, but also advise reading the rest of the series first.

DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities. Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens' anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can't imagine leaving behind.

My Thoughts: Y’ALL. I had only heard good things about this book before going into it and let me say, every single bit of praise this story receives is ridiculously well-earned. I was ENTHRALLED in this audiobook. Hats off to the narrator because his voice put me into a trance every time I popped my AirPods in to keep listening. Demon is one of the most dynamic characters I’ve come across in a very long time. Life has dealt him a rough hand and after he ends up in the foster care system, the curveballs just keep coming. Despite all of the adversity Demon faces throughout this story, there is still just enough hope and optimism that keeps you cheering for him to make it out of the circumstances he was born into. Although they weren’t all your traditional forms of support, the people who Demon had on his side making sure he could have a better life was so incredibly heartwarming. There are also HELLA comedic relief moments throughout this book that make swallowing the hard parts a little easier to wash down. I am THOROUGHLY impressed by the way Barbara Kingsolver’s mind works because the number of layers to this complex story was incredible and the execution of her writing is honestly inspiring. If you haven’t read Demon Copperhead yet, I highly recommend it, but definitely go for the audiobook if that’s a format you jive with.

Okieee. That’s it for July!

I have two trips coming up in August - one to Bellaire and one to the UP - so although I’m going to bring a book, I’m sure those might slow down my reading a touch this month.

I promise to switch up my genres a little bit next month as well lol.

2024 Book Count: 79

Add me on Goodreads if you haven’t already.

YOUR TURN! What was the last book you took on a long trip or vacation with you?