This wasn‘t as captivating as There There, but it was still a really solid follow up and I love the way Tommy Orange says things! He really makes you think and I enjoy his play on words and ability to connect us to history. 3.75/5

This was just okay. Fast paced thriller with an anticlimactic ending. 2.5/5

This was unique and fun! I really enjoyed the world and characters! BONUS— it‘s a standalone! My first, but not the last book by Candace Robinson.

If you haven‘t gotten a chance to check out this masterpiece, please do yourself the favor. It‘s bloody brilliant!! I‘ve binged seasons 1 & 2 and now I‘m running to finish Lestat‘s books before season 3. Can‘t wait! 🤩🤩 Anne would have loved this. 🥹

This was really good, I was into it. Steampunk Red Riding Hood where “Little Red” fights werewolves, vampires, and monsters alike. Super fast paced and action packed. My only complaint was that it wasn‘t longer! Will definitely keep reading the series and check out of some Melanie‘s other work. 4.25/5

An ode to rom-coms— adorable, cheesy, and cute. Made me think of watching rom-coms with my own mother growing up. I get the hype. 4/5

September‘s forecast. Gonna be another great month!

An entertaining and atmospheric summer thriller. The perfect addition to your beach bag! ☀️🏝️👙 3/5

The best historical fiction books are the ones that teach you about a seemingly forgotten time in our history. Between 1854 and 1929, these Orphan Trains transported more than 200,000 orphaned, abandoned, and homeless children – many of them first-generation Irish Catholic immigrants – from the coastal cities of the eastern United States to the Midwest for “adoption” (often, in fact, indentured servitude).

I waited until discussion day to post my review, but this book blew me away! I wasn‘t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. I loved Ying, our FMC and also enjoyed all the side characters she befriends along the way. Solid start to a potentially awesome series! If a steampunk Mulan retelling with a murder mystery and trials sounds interesting to you— pick this one up. Loved it 4.5/5 #whimsicalreadsbookclub

These books don‘t get old. One of my comfort series, for sure. A lot happens in Carpe Corpus, but I thought the ending was the most satisfying of them all because it didn‘t end on a massive cliffhanger. Everyone got a HEA for once, well almost everyone lol.

Soft pick. The writing and atmosphere were good; I liked Corey, our main character. The themes of friendship, betrayal, anger, and grief were relatable. But the world-building was underdeveloped. The romance was secondary I felt to the plot, so I wasn‘t that attached to the romance aspect really. 3.25/5

I found this story lacks originality and some good witty banter that could have made the main character‘s romance more intriguing. It was just meh. 2/5

I was pretty satisfied with the ending to this trilogy. I wasn‘t sure I was going to get into this one as much since it happens outside the school, but it felt like everything came together from the first two books, the world is continuing to be revealed to us as a reader and Naomi Novik really thought out every single detail into this magic system. The pacing continues to be a little slower in the beginning but I think it pays off in the end.

August is here! Fall is in sight! 🎉🎉The kids are back in school, which means more reading time for this mom. 😉I‘m keeping my kindle pick from last month since I never got around to it. My TBR spinner chose Orphan Train and the Morganville Vampires series (rereads). And of course, the whimsical reads bookclub choice OJAD.

Sweet and wholesome short stories about two sisters, their journey back to each other and how they find love along the way. Perfect palette cleansers 4/5

Maisie‘s story continues and the stakes get even higher as the mysteries from book 1 get revealed. This time we get to explore the wonders of the Seelie Court and expand on this world even more, which I really enjoyed! I‘m so glad I came across these, definitely continuing on. 4/5

A light hearted, unconventional approach to a vampire novel. Lots of juicy family drama. This would be a fun movie. 3.5/5

Morally grey MC ✅
Indian mythology ✅
High stakes fantasy ✅
Plot twists and turns ✅
Tender romance ✅
Sisterly love ✅
Undead dog ✅
4.25/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Need I say more??? This was awesome! Saving my thoughts for #whimsicalreadsbookclub discussion post! 🤩🤩

A unique Beauty and the Beast retelling: Maisie is determined to find a cure for her sister‘s aging sickness, even if it means venturing into the forbidden Doove forest controlled by the dark Fairy Queen and squaring up to darklings and fae alike to obtain a rose that blooms only once in a blue moon, which promises unmatched beauty to any who claim its power. Definitely continuing the series, loved it! 4.5/5

Starting the #WhimsicalReads book tonight and planning my forecast for the next month. I‘m trying a new game to get through my TBR.. hopefully my mood reading will allow for me to have fun with this! What are some fun and creative ways that you get through your TBR? I‘d love some ideas. I‘ve given up on bingo 😅

Clementine is forced out of her shop of oddities and life of comfort and into an unwanted adventure when an elven royal guard shows up looking for a rarity for the crown. I am so happy I discovered this delightful little novella during Stuff Your Kindle Day! Whimsical, cozy, a sweet romance, with great banter! Loved everything about it. 5/5

I honestly don‘t know if I love or hate this book. I‘m left feeling indifferent, like I get what the author was trying to do, and the writing was beautiful. I loved the short prosy little chapters. It‘s hard to review this book without spoiling it. I recommend going into it totally blind like I did. 3/5

IT‘S STUFF YOUR KINDLE DAY!!! Don‘t miss out! Here‘s a link for your convenience: https://www.romancebookworms.com/kindle ✨💖🌷

The votes are in for #WhimsicalReadBookClub July pick!! We Shall Be Monsters by Tara Sim! So excited! If you‘d like to join us in reading, follow @KateReadsYA and look out in the last week of July for discussion posts to participate!! 🤩

#WhimsicalReadsBookclub is back for the month of July! If you love whimsical fantasies, this is the book club for you! ✨Just be sure to follow @KateReadsYA page for updates! Voting will begin tomorrow. We can‘t wait for you to join us! Let‘s have fun! 🪷🌿🌸

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world. 5 stars! (Peep this awesome special edition!)

So I kind of hated Archer‘s Voice, but I wanted to give Mia another chance and I‘m glad I did! First of all, maybe my heart is made of stone because this book isn‘t nearly as bad as everyone says it is, the situation these characters are in are horrific, but it didn‘t go into too much detail on the violent parts (IMO) maybe I read some effed up stuff and am desensitized to it all lol. That being said, I really enjoyed this book. I thought the ⬇️

Katherine Center does it again with this raw and emotional story about picking up the pieces in the aftermath of unspeakable tragedy. I found myself trying to put myself in the MC shoes, and quite literally couldn‘t imagine it. Loved the ending! 5/5

This small town romance was so sweet and so wholesome! Virgin River mixed with Grey‘s Anatomy, honestly it was right up my alley! I cared so much about each and every character, I felt they were so relatable. I loved the little bits of magic realism to make this feel like a real life fairytale. Abby Jimenez is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance authors! 4.5/5

A short, emotional read about the roller coaster that is grief and how one handles loss in their own ways. The fact that this author was only 17 years old and had the depth of knowledge about life and loss capable to write this novel is just incredible. 5/5

SJM does it again. I know I‘m late, but I hate waiting for a series to be finished 😅 My complaints: this book is unnecessarily long, the first 30-40% is heavy world building, and there were more than a few cheesy lines.. What I liked: the characters, idk how SJM writes such amazing characters every time, (I think I like Bryce better than Feyre honestly) and a theme that seems to overflow from every page- the power of love and friendship. ❤️ 4.5/5

Creepy, disturbing, and unhinged with imagery that will stay with me for a while.. bleh 4/5 I‘ll be binging the rest of show today. Highly recommend check TW before reading if triggered, otherwise go in blind!

April is Autism Acceptance Month! 1 in 36 children will be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. They are only different, not less! I love someone with autism and chances are, so do you!! 💙🌈

Yellowface addresses many controversial topics of the publishing industry. Who has the right to tell minority stories? How thin is the line between inspired story telling and intellectual theft? Is cancel culture harmful and abusive or effective and just? It certainly made me question my own thoughts and opinions on the subjects! 4/5

In Tara Westover‘s memoir she reveals what it was like to grow up in a Morman-survivalist family in rural Idaho. Isolated from outsiders, Tara first stepped into the classroom at age 17. Beautiful & tragic, raw & powerful- speaks to the incredible importance of education & social life experiences. I was amazed at the author‘s ability to teach herself so many subjects on her own. I‘m not sure I‘d be able to do that. 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I had to spend a few days thinking about how I wanted to review this book. There were things I loved and didn‘t like. I had really high hopes when I began. I enjoyed the premise, the descriptive details, and beautiful writing and wording. But as the story developed I felt a little let down! I really wanted a bang of an ending or something and it just didn‘t give that, went with a more predictable plotline. Another 3.5 stars from me.

A YA, slow burn, coming of age romance that spans ages and lifetimes. The main characters, Evan and Shosh both have a fair bit of trauma we see them overcoming throughout the book which made them extremely relatable. As the story unfolds and we learn just how these two are connected through their past lives. I thought this was a beautiful poetic story, but I just didn‘t love the ending. I give it 3.5/5 stars.

This was quirky, fun, yet odd and smutty. As far as the scenarios go they aren‘t totally believable, but if you throw all that out the window you can really appreciate the creativity and uniqueness of this dark romance. I also liked the playlist that was included and found some great songs on there. Last third of the book is pretty much completely smut and a bizarre and unnecessary 3rd act conflict lol 3/5 stars

Happy Valentine‘s Day to everyone! I hope your day was filled with love! ❤️❤️

I appreciate Taylor‘s ability to take big risks with her plot lines and the way she chooses to tell her stories. I also appreciate her ability to write flawed, multidimensional characters. This book had some AMAZING females- Karen, Camila, DAISY. ❤️ I enjoyed the tv adaption also, though I didn‘t approve of some of the changes they decided to make. It was still a beautiful story and I cried on the last episode. 4/5

I‘ve read the bad reviews, and I have to disagree completely! I loved this Regency-era, feminist novel where we meet Petra, a Lady of the ton who has no care of the conventions of women of her time and a penchant for discovering the wiles of her fellow society members. There‘s mystery, intrigue, wit, and an excellent cliffhanger that‘s got me crossing my fingers for a sequel! For fans of Bridgerton with a Sherlock twist! 4.25/5

More than late to the party, but this was so, so good. I‘m incredibly proud of her vulnerability in writing something so personal and even embarrassing at times, while still managing to stay funny throughout it all. You never know what someone might be going through so please stay kind. 5/5

Lucy makes a wish and ends up 16 years in the future, her life drastically changed. Freaky Friday meets 13 Going on 30 in this heartwarming novel about finding the good part of life. Well fleshed out and relatable characters and a satisfying HEA. Loved it! 4.25/5

I am so excited to keep going with the #GOTchapteraday group! We finished a few days ago and I am in awe at the scope of plot and characters GRRM has created. I am looking forward to continuing the series and how these plot points will come together. 4/5

A deeply emotional relationship study on what it‘s like to love with mental illness. 4/5

It was a great reading year! My goals for 2024 are to attack my physical TBR and my NetGalley arcs. I‘m also on a book buying ban until further notice!

A nutcracker retelling filled with delicious descriptions and a magical atmosphere! Loved it 4.5/5

This was your typical holiday romance, set in an adorable Christmas-themed small town where two friends find love and community. Kinda predictable, kinda corny, but very cute and perfect for getting into the Christmas spirit. 3.5/5 🎄❤️

I was gifted this audiobook from NetGalley and it was so cute and charming! Highly recommend if you love a Scottish accent/Outlander inspired Christmas romance!! Short & sweet! One of my favorite tropes: snowed in to a cozy cabin 🥰 4.5/5