The books on this series just keep getting better! Honestly, I recommend going in blindly on this one. It was a lot!

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Taking a break before starting Air! 😅

1. I was a great student in elementary and middle school. OK in HS, with the added bonus that I moved from DR to RI on my senior year and was so far advanced in the curriculum that I took mostly electives 🙌🏽 Did well in college

2. This has been one of my fave reads this year, and the MCs meet in college.

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

Reading update: This one is proving to be a difficult read for me.

Freya‘s cruelty is a hard pill to swallow. Which made me ask: Would you be acting this way if it were a man committing such acts? The answer was no.

This book is making me examine my biases!

In this installment a pair of famous footballers are on trial for rape. We follow our MC, Evan, as he takes stock of his life and how he ended up in this situation.

As always, Boyne makes us take a hard look at the consequences of life‘s choices, be it those that we make or those that have been made for us.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

On to Fire! 🔥

Oh, how I‘ve missed Boyne‘s writing!

A woman arrives on an island trying to escape from her past and lead a solitary life. She changes her name and cuts off her hair, but scandals have a way to seep back into life.

This was such great storytelling, as I‘ve always come to expect from Boyne. Can‘t wait to read the rest of the series!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Just finished chapter 3, where the MC‘s daughter gets kidnapped from school (not a spoiler), and I‘m so annoyed b/c the school‘s explanation is that Mom called to say the child‘s “aunt” was picking her up…And I‘m here yelling: WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE AUNT?

I know this is fiction, but make it make sense…Details like this annoy me, because I feel insulted as a reader🙄

Ok, rant over! 😅

Current audiobook… I‘m a sucker for a celebrity memoir!

THIS! I have been obsessing over this book for the last 24 hours (my poor friends! 🤣).

These short stories are devastating, but are told with such heart and in such a relatable, (but simultaneously so unrelatable) way, that you just want to call everyone up so that they can start reading, too!

LOVED! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I felt like reading something in Spanish and this looked like a great choice!

I had no idea what the book was about but I‘ve heard great things about this writer.

What an unconventional life (not in the best way!). Moon‘s audiobook narration really made me fly through this.

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I‘n doing a bit of cleaning up on my “Currently Reading” shelf. This has been on it for too long and I find myself not reaching for it anymore.

Current audiobook… I remember when I first saw Moon on MTV and thinking she had the coolest name!

Already loving this audiobook.

You know how sometimes you‘re reading a book and thinking: Is this a waste of my time? Well, this felt like it. I just couldn‘t get where this story was going…And don‘t get me wrong, I don‘t mind reading about a character‘s day to day, but this just felt like it was leading nowhere.

Bailed at 25%

This book is no literary masterpiece, but I could not walk away from it! It made me appreciate Britney so much more after listening to the words of everything that she went through.

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Well, daaamn!!! I did not expect all the twists this book had in store for me. Probably the most fun read I‘ve encountered this year, so far!

I really think it is best to go into this book as blind as you can and just enjoy the ride!

If you love family dramas with murder and lots of secrets thrown in the mix, PICK THIS ONE UP!

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Out today! #arc #NetGalley

1️⃣ Listen to music, walks by the sea around my house

2️⃣ I loved the audiobook for this one. Meryl Streep‘s narration just made me happy.

Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView

#Two4Tuesday

Current audiobook…Late to the party, but I don‘t know why I just kept avoiding this one before.

I felt so seen in a lot of this book and even though some of the chapters were uncomfortable to read, I could not put this book down because it felt so realistic.

The reason why I gave it a lower rating is due to it sometimes becoming too preachy and I felt that the characters dwelled too much on the same thing.

Overall, a good read!

3.5 ⭐️

I requested this yesterday and was approved! I love Bryan Washington ❤️🤗 #arc #NetGalley

Currently reading…

It‘s going well. This is promising to be hilarious, and I‘ve chuckled a few times already. #arc

I felt that the book delivered what it was meaning to, which was shed light on privilege and racism in the theather world.

I sometimes felt annoyed by the attitudes displayed by Hugo and Eddie, but it was overall a great read that gave you something to think about.

This being the author's debut novel already has me looking forward to what she will come up with in the future.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #arc

Current audiobook…I‘m really diggin‘ through my never-ending old ARCs 😅

This one has mixed reviews, also, so of course I had to read it!

This was one of the most beautifully written books I've come across lately. I loved the family and all the nostalgia that the book delivered.

This felt like a warm hug. From the family dynamics, the history, the music references. This being the author's first book makes me so hopeful for all the future work we have yet to discover from her.

Highly recommend the audiobook.

LOVED! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Such a great idea to listen to the audiobook for this one. The narration is great and it makes the story so much better!

Having such a great time with it.

Great Black Hope introduces us to Smith, a Black queer man living a great life in NYC until he is arrested for possession in the Hamptons.

This book explores how similar situations can take different turns depending on your class and race. The author does a great job in keeping you interested in the story even though there‘s not much plot.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #arc

Pub Date: 6/10/25

1. Sunflower! 🌻🌻🌻

2. Loved the tagged book!

#Two4Tuesday

Current audiobook…This one has mixed reviews, which has me very curious!

I love starting a new book before bed! #arc

This memoir felt very honest to me. Yes, the author had a privilege life, and I‘ve read some reviews that she just comes off as entitled, but that did not take away from the fact that being an alcoholic was ruining her life and her self-esteem.

I applaud her vulnerability and honesty for writing this book during her road to recovery.

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Unofficial translated title: The Blind Lover

It took me so long to finish this one due to its slow pace, but I‘m so glad I took my time with it because it ended up being a good read.

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Current audiobook…I‘ve had this #arc on my Kindle forever and I‘m trying to be more proactive about reading my backlist TBR.

I remember that the previous book I‘ve tried by Levy was a DNF, so I‘m hoping to have better luck this time. (Update: Not the author I was thinking of😅)

This was a fantastic memoir! Dr. Glass‘ fight to make sure her and her children had a better chance at life made me tear up a few times.

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Currently reading…Started this yesterday and I‘m loving it!

Current audiobook…Found this one browsing my library‘s selection, I‘d never heard of this one before.

This very personal collection of essays was a great read! Koul‘s talks about her divorce, sexual assault, how it feels to think you are letting down your parents, among other things.

I loved her writing and how it sometimes felt like I was reading a novel and not someone‘s real life experiences.

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It‘s a wrap! 🎉🎉 I‘ve officially read all of Benavent‘s backlist and even though this one wasn‘t a favorite, I still enjoyed my time with it.

3.5⭐️

I loved this book due to its uniqueness (even though a "Debt Police" sounds terrifying). I liked the pace of it and read about 30% in almost one sitting. It does turn a little bit slow after that, but then it starts to pick up again at around 70%.

I felt the story was well constructed, I loved the author's writing and the final outcome of the story.

Loved!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #arc Pub Date: 7/15/25

I finally got approved for this ARC and realized that this author wrote Nightcrawling, which I loved last year!

Can‘t wait to read this one 😊 #arc

This story takes place during the four days after a family receives an eviction notice.

Jude is currently unemployed due to the pandemic and trying to figure out what to do when the world is closing in on her. The way that the author was able to convey the restlessness of all the members of the family in such beautiful language made me not want to put this one down.

Loved!

4⭐️ Pub Date: 6/17/25 #arc

This started so well for me, but I find myself struggling with the current (very long) section that I‘m on. Not enjoying myself anymore, so I‘m bailing on this one 😩

New ARC! I can‘t get over how gorgeous this cover is 🤩

Currently reading… I‘m loving the writing on this!

I started this one a few weeks ago and read about 30% and put it down, because I was distracted with other books. Decided to pick it up again last night and I‘m 50% in now and it‘s getting so interesting.

With the political climate the way it is in the US at the moment, a “Debt Police,” does not read so fictional. 😐

#arc

This was beautifully written and told in different POVs across many years.

Twins Drita and Fred were adopted by their mother, Jackie, when they were babies. We follow this family as secrets begin to unfold. The author did an excellent job portraying how identity or the search of it can shape who we become.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #arc Pub Date: 3/18/25

The power of the re-read! When I first read this book 6 years ago, I was going through a major life shift, and it was a very confusing time. But losing myself in this story, helped.

Picked this up again recently on a whim, at a time when I am again going through a major shift in my life. I already loved this story, but it took on a whole different meaning this time.

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Picked this up again today for a little change of pace from another current read…AAAND this book is getting intense!

This story focuses on Jessica and Linda who have a very unbalanced friendship. Jessica is used to Linda living in her shadow and when she starts to distance herself from her (heavily influenced by her new boyfriend, Mark), Jessica starts to unravel.

I could not put down this book for 2 days and just when I thought that the events were leading me to a disappointing end, the author surprised me.

4⭐️ #arc Pub Date: 4/15/25

I love a food industry memoir. And this was a great one! Hannah‘s writing is engaging from the first paragraph and the only thing I found myself skimming were the recipes (some of which I want to make…someday).

In this memoir, Hannah recounts how she fell in love with restaurants, rose through the ranks to become a sommelier, but the industry continuously broke her heart.

Read it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #arc Pub Date: 3/25/25

Current audiobook! This is a re-read for me because I never read book 2.

It‘s been nice revisiting this story and these characters ❤️

Currently reading…Started this today and it‘s started out strong!

#arc