Bold and evocative. Pushkin immerses the reader in Russian life and a Russian winter with his lively words and biting wit. His hero left much to be desired but Russia was the heroine of the story.

What would you give to be able to sit across the table from a dead loved one? To hear their voice? To tell them the things you had always wanted to say? In this melancholy little novel, the characters do just that at the Chibineko Kitchen and are able to move past the worst of their grief with feelings of acceptance and love. There are no deep character studies or major plot points. Thanks to Edelweiss and the Publisher for an advance review copy.

While Diet Soda Club dealt with serious issues such as abandonment and chronic illness, it also had great friendships, sibling relationship, and first love. This is a keeper. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for a review copy.

Melanie Benjamin can write. Her characters come alive and her atmosphere is superb. Unfortunately, I found her main characters to be wretched people and resented spending time with them.

If a reader is going to go weird, going weird, hilarious, and emotional with TJ Klune is the best option for a great time. While the story meandered a bot towards the end, the characters were fresh and lovable and the romantic relationship a steamy slow burn. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance copy.

A great fire, a man who wandered for years haunted by the fire and his lost loves, and a photographer trying to find s ghost but, instead, finding society‘s refugees. This was a plotless novel with a great deal of philosophizing on aging and death.

Puberty is a miserable stage. For “Quagmire”, it is even worse as he needs to deal with a tumultuous mother and a morass of friendships and a first crush. The mother‘s mental state is described well and the characters are great.

Sweet and spicy with emotional depth. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance reading copy.

This was a nice blend of the dark and emotional time of WWII on a German, Jewish child and the hilarious input of the two fantastical beings who travel with him to England. I appreciate the acknowledgement of the antisemitism found in the western nations. The spy training was interesting. The ending was incredibly rushed. I hope this is the beginning installation of a series.

Who doesn‘t love a good heist novel? A rebellion against authoritarian overloads? This book was a fast-paced glory stocked with so many memorable characters. Oceans Eleven has nothing on this team. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for a review copy.

What should have been a tense adventure, is instead, a slow slog at times. There is great character growth and an interesting historical element.

He was very wise. He also comes across as a self-righteous prig.

While the first section of the story felt slow and often times disjointed due to the multiple points of view, after 50% it was nail-biting intensity. It brought much needed attention to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement. I think the podcast bit could have been removed easily as well as the anonymous viewpoint.

This was an emotional rollercoaster. At times the age of Jupiter and her verbal abilities were incongruent. I loved Orbiting Jupiter and it was great to revisit the characters.

This was crazy. It has no plot. This felt more like long poems about cats with each chapter being a new lightly linked poem.

What is more horrible than to exploit the grief and fear of another person? Harry Houdini and crack private investigator, Rose Mackenberg, exposed the many ways psychics and mediums tricked their patrons. This was quite informative.

Finally, an enemies to lovers story where the characters are funny, not cruel and the supporting characters are more than just cardboard cutouts to hold a space. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance copy.

The kids love these books so I thought I should try one. This one was quite funny and relatable.

This young adult romance puts paid to the idea of the “light, fluffy, brainless” romance. It has emotional heft and character development which any lit fic would envy. And yet…it is a great romance.

A river of lies is what this detective duo were trying to unravel as bodies piled up and the web of conspiracy grew more complicated. Sometimes characters were used more for a rant then to advance the plot. It was interesting and engaging when it wasn‘t frustrating. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance copy.

This modern-day mystery with a detective bearing many similarities to the Sherlock of old was, in many ways, predictable. There was never a "clutch your pearls" moment. The meta-fiction bit felt more strained in this book.

One might think a short history is the way to go; however, this felt like a giant salad of names. There was little context to help place people and situations in a narrative. In this case, it would be wiser to read a more complete version.

An over the top premise with over the top characters. There were good bits but it was all just a bit too much. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an ARC. The characters acted in such thoughtless, rude, disrespectful, and downright mean ways at times that I just had a hard time cheering for them.

The parts about his cat were engaging. The digressions into the history of cats and the names given to them were rather boring.

At times the couple sounded and acted rather like teens. That said, it was still fun. Thanks to the publisher and edelweiss for a review copy.

Snarky and silly slow burn rom com.

A haunted house, a group of kids, and a game of survival. This was pretty creepy! The empathy and growing friendships were great.

A cute graphic with differing interests portrayed. Themes such as the importance of communication and acceptance between friends and family members.

“Midnights with you". The title conjures romantic walks under the stars. The reality of this book is messy people trying to survive messy relationships. It is full of angst and angry and tense. It is sad and sweet and hopeful. While I felt the late version of the teens was a bit too emotionally aware for what they had gone through and the support systems they had, it was still a great story. Trigger warnings: verbal and emotional abuse

The characters and atmosphere were fantastic but the pacing was erratic.

This little novel in verse tells a big story. What a love story to communication, caring adults, friends, nature, and poetry.

This was a good old-fashioned type of children's story. As a read aloud it would be fantastic! The pace was a bit slow and the stories felt a bit disjointed for the independent reader.

Americans love their heroes to be perfect and their villains to be the worst humanity has to offer. Those who smuggle their fellow man over borders illegally seem to be the worst of villains. I had doubts as to whether the author could make good his promise of portraying complex, often violent, individuals as those who have often been under threat of death, live close to the bone themselves, and at best are survivors of dire circumstance. He did.

To die beautiful, Hannie, a member of the Resistance, did just that. This fictionalized version of Hannie‘s life was at times a bit slow but still interesting. A brave soul. She came so close to making it to the end of the war.

McBride‘s writing, characters, and atmosphere are second to none. This was packed with symbolism which went right over my head and if there was a plot, I don‘t have even a nodding acquaintance with it.

A beautiful heartbreak. The characters are complex. Even the villains are beloved. The atmosphere is so well portrayed that it isn‘t an exaggeration to say the reader may very well awake from the pages of the novel expecting to hear gunfire and see enemy soldiers creating the mountainous ridge.

Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this sweet and fun teen manga.

Darkly engrossing and imaginative. These are no sweet magical beings but selfish, manipulative, and dangerous creatures. Incredibly enough, there is at least a bit of an ending to this story before it reaches it hints tentatively at a future story. Thanks to Edelweiss and the Publisher for an advance copy.

Nature is scary enough but being abandoned in a forest when there is something or someone stalking you....hard pass. High stakes adventure and teen bonding. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance copy.

We always want out heroes to be saints. Tuvia Bielski was the right man at the right time in the right place with the right supporters. This was an inspiring accomplishment even with the brutality and misogyny.

For those lucky enough to have had that one special teacher, this book hits all the right spots with fantastic characters and a heartwarming plot.

In just a few words, Fipps makes abundantly clear how it feels to worry about bills, have no where to shower, and no food for money. She also paints a pretty rosy picture of friendship and the generosity of others.

When their family moves from Ohio to Colorado, Thea and her little sister Amelia lose their home and friends. The author does almost too good of a job portraying the stifling,dry, dusty atmosphere of their isolated farm house. The many descriptions of the devastated land bereft of water became a bit repetitive. Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss.

This was a riveting story of codebreaking, spies, and a country under pressure from its enemies. There was a fantastic blending of historical information with fascinating characters and a well-paced plot. I do wish the ending had been tied up a bit better.

While I am glad they were able to spend more time together, I can‘t imagine the risks they ran or how much pain her husband was in at the beginning of each walk. Sometimes the tone felt very incongruous to the situation. I completely understood why people backed off in many cases when they learned the couple were homeless. No one likes to be reminded of how close we are to being homeless ourselves or of our mortality.

The Arlee Warriors won state twice, once while the starters were battling the flu. These kids are the light and life of their communities but that type of responsibility comes with a toll but it does not always come with the same amount of acknowledgement. Many of the Warriors were not signed to college basketball teams even though their talent was obvious. these teammates helped shine a light on the need for support and suicide prevention.

Doris Kearns Goodwin brings the Presidents and journalists of the Progressive era alive in all of their strengths and foibles. Theodore Roosevelt comes across as a thoroughbred…always antsy for more, in love with physical stamina and hardship, reckless, and looking for a fight. Taft appears more of the loyal, plodding, draft horse who accomplishes perhaps more but with less showmanship. The advances of the era were many and profound.

Imaginative, adventurous, and thoughtful. This children‘s book has prose any literary fiction book would be proud to claim. Bullying, mental illness, and feelings of isolation are all dealt with in a sensitive manner. Thanks to Edelweiss and the Publisher for an advance digital copy.

A new addition to the “how to” type of children‘s books. The language is simple, the pictures, uninspired. Thanks to Edelweiss and the Publisher for an advance review copy.

Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for an advance digital copy. This is a slight children‘s book about food, culture, and friendship. While that is a lot to cover in 32 pages, the story had a plot, character growth, and delicious food.