⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really liked this book! It came in a subscription box my husband bought me last year.
Based on Bulgarian folktales, Dimova does a great job weaving monsters, witches, action, mystery, and even fits in some humor & the barest hints of romance. I also really enjoyed Zura Johnson‘s reading of the audiobook.
Dark fairy tales often catch my interest, and I‘ll definitely read book 2 to see how it all wraps up!

“It was nearly midnight on New Year‘s Eve, but the city inside the Wall didn‘t celebrate.”

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The first book in this series took me a little while to get into, I actually thought about quitting it multiple times, but then by the end, really enjoyed it.
This one, however, I was in it and loving it from the very first page.
It did get a little bit repetitive, but I was always happy to pick it back up and really enjoyed every minute of reading it.
Definitely looking forward to book 3 this fall!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Definitely my favorite from Christina Lauren that I‘ve read. It was fake dating without the drawn out “but is it real?!” And it gave such a fun wealthy island fantasy, while reminding you what is so icky about extreme wealth.
I thought both characters were well realized & while the beginning of the romance is so (so) quick, it turns out I really love a lengthy epilogue.
So well done. I‘m sure I‘ll read it again.

The premise of this book is so intriguing, just the introduction had enough “wait really?” moments that I wondered how the whole book would go, but I think Woodard laid out his argument well, and the experience I have in the different “nations” in this country all track with what he was saying.
It also helps just to understand people‘s politics & ideals.The end is an interesting hypothesis and would have felt far-fetched 3 months ago, but now? 😬

This is a tricky book to rate. The characters, as always for Jimenez, are instantly & impeccably realized. There was banter, cute animals, and the beginning was fun.But in the middle & the end, the plot was harder to get lost in because it was so.much.difficulty.I did like that it made me look at the little things in life, the small moments in relationships & with family, and appreciate them more. And I‘d still say it‘s worth it‘s worth the read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Really strong way to wrap up this duology. I think it's so impressive to add a new POV in the second book in a way that didn't feel confusing or disappointing. There was one point I had to put it down because I was so furious with the twist, even though I knew something like it had to be coming! And immersive storytelling like that is just so fun to get lost in.
I think these characters & this story will stick with me for a while.

April #BookSpin list!

@TheAromaofBooks

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Who wouldn‘t travel over 500 miles to propose to a penpal they‘ve never met?
The two main characters here are in turn so open and so lovely and so dense it gets a little bogged down - both in plot and in the continual am-I-good-enoughs, but they kept winning me over regardless.
Not as good as the first in this series, but that being said, I still really enjoyed this fun, spicy Regency romance/spy caper, and would recommend it!

I found this to be a well crafted argument by a preacher trying to pastor people - to work through scripture using intellect & reason to seek truth.
I already lean towards his way of thinking, but Kubilus took it a bit further than I had thought before and because of that approachable style, he is able to present a hope-filled look at eternal life that left me with much to continue processing.
Really good book club read & great for discussion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
There was so much in this story that felt totally brand new. The nightmare wardens and the wraiths from the mountain kingdom, especially.
Though, for all the ground it had to cover, I do feel like it dragged in the middle and then raced to the end.
It wasn‘t as good as Divine Rivals, but I will gladly read all of Ross‘ work.

😍😍

That‘s it. That‘s the review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jewish fantasy set during the Spanish Inquisition - Beautiful magic systems and so much depth for all the characters, especially the women.
I listened to the audiobook & read it hard copy and equally enjoyed both. (Tho the audiobook was helpful for pronunciation.)
Romantic, magical, fantastical - maybe a bit of a slow start but once I was in it, I didn‘t want to put it down.
If Bardugo writes it, I will read it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫Thomas was hilarious, moving, &, even though demographically we are very different, incredibly relatable. The first half of the book was definitely lighter with many true laugh-out-loud moments, and so I did enjoy that a bit more, but even the heavier portions were handled with humor and care. I exclusively listened to the audiobook which the author reads, and I highly recommend experiencing this book that way. He is a joy to listen to.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
I really liked this one!
After a slow start, I think made worse by an audio narrator that I did not love, I switched to reading the hard copy and instantly enjoyed it more. So I would recommend reading over listening for this one.
The characters were all excellent, I thought the lore and the magic was really unique and well developed, and I cannot wait to read the second one!

DNF at 50%

It‘s a quick read but I don‘t care about either main characters & the spicy scenes are so uncomfortable.
On to the next!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️It has been a hot minute (i.e. 20 years) since I was an old teen/very young adult, but those stories that Rowell features here is where she really shines. She writes regular Midwestern girl so well that I found myself just warming from the inside out as I relived some of these same kind of moments through her writing.I think the first half of the book had stronger stories.I also am a very big fan of Rebecca Lowman, the audiobook narrator.

March #BookSpin list!

@TheAromaofBooks

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I didn‘t remember much about Anna & Ben‘s story, so that made this a fun reread.
It felt a little long in the middle - the suitcase caper was funny but went on waaay too long - but overall I enjoyed it and I think will always enjoy Guillory‘s work.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My favorite from this series & such a fun reread!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It‘s been a few years since I read this one, and it is just as fun as I remember!
Alexa & Drew are pretty realistic - and because of that, pretty annoying - characters, but I love them & their story anyway.
And I always love a Janina Edwards audiobook.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I realize I‘m getting to this book so much later than most people, but I absolutely adored it! It was much more emotional than I was anticipating, & Rowell always excels at writing these very realistic characters who I am so invested in.
I know that Rowell also wrote Cath‘s fanfic, but even more than that, I wish there was just more of these characters. Five biggest stars.The audiobook was wonderful, too. I didn‘t want this story to end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dreadful was delightful!
Really funny, witty, cozy fantasy - I enjoyed this so much. This is Rosakis‘ first novel, and I will definitely read more of her in the future, especially if she writes in this world again.
Excellent audio narrator as well!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Here‘s Abby Jimenez doing what she does best - writing sweet, swoony romcoms & including serious, real-life issues. And somehow in this one doing it in only 80 pages.
This felt like a complete story with characters I knew & understood. Very impressed.
This Amazon original isn‘t in the database yet.

⭐️⭐️💫 I don‘t even know how to talk about what I just read 😅
If it hadn‘t been a book club book, I definitely would not have finished it, but once I just embraced the soap opera that it was, I guess it was fun? I didn‘t like the tone or the writing style of the book, and the audio narrator didn‘t help that.
I enjoyed the characters and seeing the Chinese-Indonesian culture, I just wish that had been placed within a storyline that wasn‘t insane.

For the last 7 years I‘ve read a biography based off a list The Washington Post published of the best bios for each president. I was eager to read about Jackson who is almost mythic in American history, &I was interested to see the presumed strengths of his presidency weighed against the weaknesses of his character.This book, unfortunately, didn‘t deliver that.Really disappointed in this rose-colored-glasses view of a man who didn‘t deserve them.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Really all you need to say is a reluctant Duke & a strong-willed Regency era woman and I am already a fan.
Add in some excellent side characters, beautiful writing, and it‘s a contender for favorite romance of the year 😻

I liked this book more than the 2nd, though I still wish for a stronger editing hand from Yarros‘ publisher, because the middle got real bogged down again.
However, the ending has left me feeling real strung out and emotional about characters that I didn‘t think I cared that much about, so there is definitely some strength in writing there.
I‘m sure they are going to be 1000 theories about what‘s coming next, so feel free to share them with me!

February #BookSpin!
@TheAromaofBooks

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Phew! 1200+ pages later - this third book in the series, where all the books are long, is the first that has *felt* long.
Overall, I still loved it, cannot wait to continue, and I am unendingly impressed with Brandon Sanderson and the work he does.
My husband is also reading through this series right now, too, so that has made it even more enjoyable.
Highly recommend the audio version, too.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I enjoyed this character-driven book club pick! It follows a mother and her 3 adult daughters-all in their early 20s and living in those moments of relationship change, while also living through gentrification and other societal changes of the early 1950s. I was impressed with how realistic the characters felt and the way that the author wove their stories together-you understand everyone‘s motivations, whether you agree with them or not.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Finally finished my first book of 2025!
This was a really good showing for Agatha Christie - definitely more on me than on her that it took me almost two weeks to read.
I ask for a Christie book every year from our work Secret Santa, and it‘s always fun to see what my colleagues pick for me 🤗
And, as ever, I didn‘t come close to guessing the true culprit.

January #BookSpin list!

@TheAromaofBooks

I made it through 89 books this year, and these were my top 6!
My main genres were fantasy & romance, and I especially enjoy when the two are combined.
These top 6 show how much I like genre jumping.
My goals for next year are to continue in my book clubs, not overwhelm myself with reading, and to keep seeking out many different types of stories & experiences.
Let me know some of your best books of 2024 so I can add them to my list!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a fun reread, especially to discuss with friends this time! And I definitely caught a lot that I missed on my first read.
But I read this in almost every spare minute of Christmas week, and it felt like it took forever. It‘s a fun story, great twists, etc. etc. but it is just. too. long.
I am looking forward to book 3 next month but hopefully with some stronger editing!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Really beautiful Advent devotional.
I especially liked the first week of readings, and I think it‘s one I‘d come back to in future years.

This was the first book I read by Brandon Sanderson over four years ago, and I loved it then, but I think I love it even more now reading it as part of the larger Cosmere. I really enjoy the characters, the world is big but easily and quickly built, and the magic system is so interesting. Sanderson said he plans to write an Elantris 2, and I am definitely interested! Jack Garrett did a good job with the audiobook, too. Continuing through Cosmere!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
After hearing about this series for years from friends, I‘m so glad to have finally read this first book! I liked the story, the novella format, and the characters that felt so quickly filled out.
Murderbot is funny & relatable, and I will definitely be reading more in this series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
I think my interest in/enjoyment of this second book was colored by both how demanding real life is right now & how much I absolutely loved the first one.
Seeing Lord Blackthorn again was fun as he was such a memorable side character from the first book, and I liked the upstairs/downstairs aspects and learning about more details of faerie.
So I liked it, just not as much as book 1.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This book has been on my shelf since basically the minute I finished Williams‘ Seven Days in June, so I hadn‘t read a summary of it in a long time, and that was actually a really fun way to go into it.
There‘s romance, Black history, Harlem Renaissance, and some magical realism thrown in to make it extra special. I listened to this one except the very end and I thought the two readers did a great job.
Tia Williams is a must read for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It took me a little to get used to Lift‘s narration in this in this shorter novel - which is the length of some normal novels - but once I was into it, I loved it. I‘m so interested to see how everything I‘ve learned in this book fits in with the series as a whole.
There was also a great Cosmere surprise in this one that made me literally gasp. I am having such a good time traveling through Brandon Sanderson‘s universe.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved this! Regency fantasy romance? Just stop right there.
It had some of the swooniest romance scenes while also letting the fantastical & historical elements shine, too.
Dora was such a lovable character, and I am looking forward to more from Atwater 😍

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book delivered exactly what I was hoping for based on the cover, title, & summary. It was such a good time & a very fun different kind of Christmas book.
I exclusively listened to the audiobook and really liked both narrators.
I will definitely be reading more from Carter in the future! Highly recommend this one for a fun holiday read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
There were some things I really loved about this book & others that drove me crazy, but overall it was charming & it set up the series well to continue with romances for the other sisters.
I especially loved the ending which just kept growing & compounding on itself, which really reminded me of The Importance of Being Ernest, a favorite play of mine, so that was excellent 🤩

December #bookspin list!
@TheAromaofBooks

The trouble with lies is they have a tendency, if not well managed, to catch a man out.

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

FYI!
Just saw Brandon Sanderson posted this on his Instagram!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Since this is a collection of all three Binti stories, it feels harder to “rate.” All three go together so well that reading them individually would leave so much missing. There is also so much room at the end for Okorafor to come back to Binti 🤞🏻
Robin Miles is an expert audiobook narrator, so I was very excited that she read these.
I rarely read pure sci-fi, but I loved this, so I need to branch out this way more often.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A fun reread of a favorite Christmas novella. Hibbert is the best at making you laugh, swoon, blush, and tear up all in the same quick book.
This is an expertly done novella - nothing felt rushed & everything wrapped up nicely.

I read through all five of the short stories in this new collection from Amazon. A couple I loved; a couple I hated 😂

Here are my ratings for the five stories:
Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood - ⭐️⭐️
Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey - ⭐️⭐️
All by My Elf by Olivia Dade - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️