Hadn't heard of this series until I saw the author on one of those morning shows talking about the release of the 3rd book of the series. I liked the 1st one (4 stars) and although the build up in this 2nd book was a little slow, the ending was SO so good. Such an exquisite cliffhanger!! It all had to be written the way it was for the readers to be extremely invested in the outcome of these characters. Looking forward to reading the last book. 5⭐

A fun chaotic story! There's a lot of characters to keep straight, but it wasn't a huge issue. I liked it. It mostly centers around one brownstone home in New York that is packed with stuff, family, life and one problem after another. Somehow it all works out. People step up to help each other out. Really enjoyed these eccentric characters. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ It's perfect for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Puts you in the right frame of mind.

Very interesting and different sort of book than what I normally choose. That's what I like. Mixing things up a little. Body horror and the obsession with beauty. Very similar underlying themes to the movie that came out recently with Demi Moore 'The Substance' -yet very very different vibes. Fascinating, sad, and SO hard to put down. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

So freaking good! You ever need a good romantic comedy that reminds you of watching movies like When Harry Met Sally and its a dreary rainy weekend and all you want to do is lose yourself in the problems of characters that are so loveable and sweet and funny and you're just rooting for them to get their shit together and live happily ever after? Yes, total run on sentence with zero correct punctuation..I know. Don't care. (I adore Shep) 5 stars!!

I cannot even begin to describe the experience of reading this book. It's literally like falling into the pages headfirst and living within the words. I'm not the least bit interested in hurrying through this series. I've reached my yearly book goal. I'm going to thoroughly enjoy this trilogy and I don't care to rush through even one page. 5 stars and above. Am I into pirates and ships normally? No. But I love this. What great writing.

"Refuse the anxiety. When you borrow trouble against what might be, you neglect the moment you have now to enjoy. The man who worries about what will next be happening to him loses this moment in the dread of the next, and poisons the next with pre-judgement."

I think this is going to be a great book! Sitting in a tractor this time of year during harvest gives me extra time to read between running the auger for grain carts. ???

A really good October read! Fits well with the spooky season. Enjoyed the consistent humor throughout, it kinda helped offset the terrifying parts. Just kind of sucked me in. I really didn't know where this was taking me. There's a lot of interesting things happening throughout to one of the "nice" guys. It's not usually the nice ones that get targeted.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

You have to be in the right frame of mind to delve into this chunky book. It was one of those that requires dedication and perseverance. It was rewarding, but not something I would recommend to just anyone. Ultimately I decided to give it 4 stars. The characters, their growth, the relationships..so good, but a lot of philosophy, religion, and history. *It did win the National Jewish Book Award.
I'm glad I read this, I learned so much.

I love the cover of this book. It's gorgeous. I also loved the book. The cozy magical fantasy genre is a favorite of mine. Reading books like these makes me happy. Yes, I bought this one. Just looking at the cover brings me joy!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This audiobook is stellar. I'm going to have to look up the woman who narrated this because she was perfection. Such a gift to read this story the way she did.
This was a heartbreaking and complex book. To hear such ugly racist things was hard. But this was life in 1974 in Boston. The racial divide was extreme. Mary Pat was a ballsy brave woman. The lengths she went to find out what happened to her 17 year old daughter.. wow.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I wish I knew someone else who has read this so we could talk about it! I figured this would be right up my alley being the same age as the main character. Trying to figure out peri menopause/menopause and how it will impact life. But I couldn't really relate to her mid-life sexual awakening and/or crisis. Her personality is def different from mine. I had a hard time with some of the scenarios she gets herself into. I'll give it a light pick -⭐⭐⭐

This is so fun! I know, I know...you look at the title and this cover and immediately think "nope, not for me" but read a few reviews! Just two or three. Then try it. This is getting me out of a slump. Everything I'm reading seems so similar to each other and kind of depressing. This (so far, because I just started it) is so entertaining! I'm hooked and looking forward to the ride. It's giving Hunger Games/Ready Player One vibes- in a good way.

How do you even describe the experience of reading this book? It's completely unique. Like an adult children's fantasy book all about books and authors. If you haven't heard of it, check out the book summary and read some of the reviews. This is very beloved by a lot of people. The writing style is so creative and imaginative. The creatures, book titles, and made up words are fun. It seemed a bit long, so 4 stars from me. Definitely worth reading!

Now this is how an ending should be! I'm so excited to read the next book. Wowsers. Just so dang GOOD. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Not what I was expecting, but so much more. This one has a little bit of everything. Historical fiction, bit of romance, a magical bookshop...I really can't think of another book that incorporates all that in one story. I loved the growth that Martha went through. I've heard great things about the audio version, so you might want to give that a try. Although I did enjoy the reading experience very much.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

So good. 🤩 The epitome of a great summer read! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The ending! I went through all that for that ending?!? 😨😩🤯

Wow this was bad! Don't try the audio version of this. The narrator for the guy has the most douche bag voice of all time. It made the atrociously unrealistic dialogue even worse. Noone would talk to each other like the characters in this book talked to each other. So dumb. Did I finish this? Yes. Once I thought of it more like a comedy than a thriller.?‍♀️I'm pretty sure we all know the color of Grace's eyes by the end. Not blue, but "blue blue"

I liked this, but it lacks...something. Something doesn't quite work. Too slow in spots. Kind of cringe-y that two brothers liked the same girl yet seemed mostly unbothered by this fact. I want to keep reading the series to see what happens.
Also, has anyone tried tearing a piece of their clothing off to bind a wound? Does it really only take a minute? Because everyone in this book seems to be able to do it way too easily and quickly. Lol
3 1/2⭐

Freida McFadden is a safe go-to for a psychological thriller type book that will almost never end how you think. Her books are so so easy to read. Too easy. Once I start, I have to keep going. I think this one is one of my favorites so far because I did find it interesting how the MC was healing after her injury. Plus, there were some pretty funny moments between brain injury patients in the rehab hospital. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This needs to be rated higher on Goodreads! Excellent book, great storyline, great strong female characters. 5 star read all around, I'm immediately invested and diving into the next book. The one great thing about not finding this earlier is that the next in the series was just released this year!

I need to get honest about what makes a book 5 star worthy for it's genre. For rom coms? Witty bantering, chemistry between characters. Who cares if it follows the same formula? So what if the characters in the story just need to tell each other the thing that's keeping them apart? You know if she explained what's on her mind he would 100% tell her if doesn't fn matter and they would live happily ever after. But that's what makes the story.

Yes! This is one of my top books of the year. All the feels of Fourth Wing, with a definite likeness to The Hunger Games. You just need to sprinkle in vampires and some crazy magic skills and you get this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I'm not even taking a break, I'm starting second in the series as soon as I can! I'm crossing my fingers that the series doesn't lead me towards a downward spiral of disinterest as some tend to do. I'm optimistic though. 🤞

This was an incredible book! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ What I got out of this was what I was hoping for in The Priory of the Orange Tree. I was totally engrossed in the story. Such a great reading experience. There is a lot of world building but I didn't find it overwhelming or confusing. It was interesting to see it all come together. It's not a light read, there's some really tragic moments. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next book has in store.

I'm currently switching back and forth from the ebook to the audiobook of this.. and the voice the narrator uses for the 3 year old is hilarious. Over the top childish lisp. I just wish I could share a clip of it to everyone to "enjoy" ?
Eta: surprisingly good summer read, def prefer reading it over listening! It had a murder mystery vibe which I wasn't expecting..I was initially drawn to the title and cover and didn't read what it was about. 4⭐

I really enjoyed this! Great characters.❤
Reminds me of a few truths I've come to believe. 1-everyone has a story, all we see when we meet people is the tip of an iceberg
2-some people come into our lives when we need them most
3-life contains magic, mysteries that we can't explain
4-living has it's ups and downs, the bravest thing to to persevere through the dark times to get to the light

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is not my usual 5 star read. I always try to mix up my reading with some mystery/psychological thrillers so I don't get burned out with the rom coms and fantasy/magic reads. This was so hard to put down. It hooked me from the beginning with the stories behind 3 young girls under the care of their deranged foster mother. The ending, more specifically, the last chapter - was absolutely great. Recommend! Bonus is that it's in Kindle Unlimited.

This was trippy. I didn't even know how to rate it! It is a fast read, and started to feel like a weird freaky horror movie. Towards the end, I was super confused as to who was narrating. The pronouns were changing and then..well, I had to turn to Google to have the book explained to me. Decided on 4 stars. It did suck me in and did not turn out how I thought it would.

Since I've had such great luck with Christina Lauren, I'm going to try out this series! Let me know if you've read them and what you thought! Looks like the perfect easy summer read. 🌞🏖📚

This was too ick for me. I'm a substitute teacher for high school/jr high and this made me feel physically sick. A grown ass man who works with teenaged children needs to control himself or work in a different environment. Or both. Just no. I should never of even started reading this. ?? I suggest skipping this "psychological thriller" if you have any triggers around married adults in a position of power/trust going after teen girls.

I went into this blind. All I knew was that a lot of people have read this and a lot of people were recommending it. I naively assumed from the title, that this was a generational story about women. Nope. This was a intense, heavy, scary at times, sad story about a woman who was a nurse in the Vietnam War. Her experience there and her experience afterwards trying to survive after arriving home. I'm so glad I read this. Such an important story.⭐⭐⭐⭐

Really enjoyed this! Abby Jimenez falls into the same category (for me) as Ali Hazelwood, Christina Lauren, Colleen Hoover, and Emily Henry. When I'm looking for a romance...these authors don't disappoint. I would say this probably is my favorite of Abby Jimenez's books that I've read. Has all the right elements and I really enjoyed the characters and their journey. Wasn't sure how it was going to end, kept my fingers crossed the whole time. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was so bad it was good. It's exactly like those Lifetime movies where everyone is crazy and there's a lot of screaming and accusations getting thrown around. Just look at the cover. Maybe it actually is a Lifetime movie.
If you need a very easy book to read at the end of those days that your brain is fried, this fits the bill. Entertaining and not very long. Not my fav of Frieda McFadden's but I'll give it 4 stars.

A really entertaining book centered around the idea that if Lauren can get her husband to climb up into the attic, a new husband climbs back down. Her world instantly shifts with each new husband. Her job changes, the decor in her house changes, her bank account changes. Her relationships with family and friends changes. Sometimes she lives with the husband for a few days, a few weeks, or sometimes it's minutes. A good 3.5 star read.

Whoa. This was so good!!! Disturbing at the end for sure, but such a great read. A dystopian, post-apocalyptic world terrorized by angels. I should not of put off reading this. It's been one of my kindle unlimited books that that I've marked to read for a long time and kept passing over. I don't recommend the audio version. I switched over to try it out, and immediately switched back to reading.
A quick one day fast-paced read! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Loved this one! Another cozy fantasy read full of magic and that witty bantering between characters that I enjoy. Imagine putting Emily Wilde in the Bridgerton world.
I'm looking forward to reading more of this series!

So many pages in which nothing actually is happening. That's my major angst with this book. There lot of interesting character developments throughout. A few are HIGHLY interesting. I see what is coming and can't wait until it happens. By the end, it gets so good and then it stops. 😐 Like, why?! I obviously know why..it's a rhetorical question. You have to wait until the next book. 😩
4.5 stars
A few hundred more pages would of bumped it to 5!

Excellent. Highly recommend. Beautifully written, unforgettable characters. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ All the stars

This was unlike any book I've read in a while. I didn't really know where it was going and was constantly guessing at the outcome. 5 of the 6 child stars of a wildly popular children's program 'Mister Magic' reunite to do a reunion podcast 30 years later. There's no record of the show or evidence of it even airing although there is speculation of it and what happened the 6th member of the cast deep in the depths of internet chat groups.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'm thinking the audiobook version was def not the way to go for me. The constant angst - the yelling, cursing, anger. Ugh. It was too much. I experienced ptsd. Aunt Nadine was pretty hilarious. I had to laugh at some of the insults she was throwing around. It was much needed comedic relief in this ocean of negativity and anger. What menopausal women has Nat Cassidy been around to write these characters? Who hurt him? 😅
This wasn't for me. ⭐⭐

I feel like I've been reading this book for months. It's never going to end.

ETA: Okay, you're right! The last part was very good. It was enough to make me happy I stuck with this. But it was a JOURNEY. ⭐⭐⭐

A nice easy book to get sucked into! The idea of two baby girls born on the same day going home from the hospital with the wrong family is definitely not a new one. But I needed an audiobook and it sounded interesting. Luckily, this was on Kindle Unlimited and after starting it, I immediately switched to reading it. Much faster. I really enjoyed it and the ending was not what I expected but exactly right for these eclectic characters! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I love the Emily Wilde world filled with fantastical creatures, magical charm, and new adventures! The first book hooked me immediately and this second book did not disappoint. I always fall the hardest for the first book in the series, but this was one of the better 2nd books. I'm 100% reading the next because I'm invested in Emily and Wendell. Such a unique relationship and I'm here to see how it ends! ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

These books are addictive. I feel like I'm one of the last to the Zodiac Academy party. Unless they start getting bad, I'm going to do nothing but go from book to book. These books get enormous. 😳 Actually it's the 8th book that has me shook at how big it is.
Book 1-436 pgs||Book 2-475pgs||Book 3-561pgs||Book 4-724pgs||Book 5-886pgs||Book 6-823pgs||Book 7-716pgs||Book 8-1242pgs||Book 9-to be released in April
Currently on Book 3. Wish me well..

So much better than I expected! I read much of the Shatter Me series and knew the author was excellent. I've had this book for a while and kept putting off reading it because I wasn't in the right mood to tackle such a large book. I started it yesterday, and finished today. Couldn't put it down! I neeed the next one. I wish I could go right into it. Ugh. So sad. Now I have to do things I put off yesterday when all I wanted to do was to read. 5⭐

If you loved the vibes of Legends & Lattes and/or The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches you will love this as well. It's a cozy fantasy with whimsy, magic, and comedy. All the good things! It's a bit long (658 pgs), and that is why I was fluctuating between a 4-5 star read. But I went with 5 stars because of how delightful of an escape I felt it gave me. I will definitely be reading the next one. Def noticing a theme of my 2024 fav reads!

Breen is a middle school teacher not loving her dull boring life and very controlling mother. She discovers her mother has been keeping a lot of secrets from her. She finds out the truth about her father and herself after going to Ireland for the summer.
Very unusual for me to rate TWO books five stars only 7 days into the year. Maybe my goal this year should be to read more slowly and to choose even more books about magic? Such a fun world here!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I really really liked this! 🤗
I just love books with magic in them. Finding out that there is another book in the series coming out in a week or two is so exciting. I may have to buy that one.

#bestof2023 📚
9 books out 268 got a five star rating this year!

The ending was excellent! Really looking forward to the next book. I couldn't give it 5 stars because it was difficult to get into this one. Maybe it was the timing of trying to read it during a busy holiday season? Not sure. However the ending was very good and made up for the sluggish first portion. ⭐⭐⭐⭐