It was Independent Bookstore Day! Of course I went to my local indie bookstore yesterday. 😍

Woah, buddy! This one was INTENSE and I loved it! Set in the aftermath of a huge earthquake, this is not for the faint of heart, but dang what a story?! My blood pressure was probably at a steady high while reading this book, but this writing is incredible. And to be a debut? Wowza. Top 10 books of the year, for sure! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I love this series. I will read anything Lyla Sage writes at this point, but two things really grated my nerves: he affectionately ‘flicks her nose‘ and I‘m telling ya, I‘ll come out swinging if my husband ever picks up that habit; secondly, the reason the FMC gets angry near the end of the book (the third act almost breakup) is RIDICULOUS 🙄🙄🙄. The book is still a pick, still a win, and I loved it. 🤷🏼‍♀️🫶

I think this is going to be in my top books of the year. So funny, so entertaining, and so relatable. I loved it!

I love this type of humor in books 😆

A little smidge disappointed, but I think it‘s because my expectations for an Abby J. book are so high. The focus seemed to be on the problems the characters were facing instead of them building a real relationship. For me, it misses the humor and banter that I think makes Abby J. such a strong author. Still a pick, definitely, but my least favorite from her by far.

Blackwell‘s book mail 🤩📦📪🥳

I didn‘t even mean to read this one. I very rarely read BOTM books month of, but I was stuck in the car for about 8 minutes with only my Blue Box from the PO. The first 15-ish pages had me questioning my choice, but before I knew it, I was invested. This was really good! A miscommunication trope I could‘ve done without, but otherwise, pure gold. No smut. No cheese. Just the way I like my romances. I‘ll definitely be reading Sperry‘s sophomore book

People love this book; I love that for them. What I don‘t love? This book. It induced quite the amount of eye rolls and I was so done with everything being perfect. The MC had 2 perfectly perfect men fawning over her, she could run a whole lamb farm by herself, and I think she could talk to small animals, a la various Disney Princesses. Not for me, but we all get to have opinions, right? If it‘s drama you need, The Favorites is so much better.

Unpopular opinion, so if you love this book, please look away. I‘m about 3/4 of the way through and am currently right below a ‘hate reading‘ level. This feels very Frozen River to me. Here‘s what‘s bothering me: two completely perfect men pining over the MC, two completely perfect, precocious sons, and a narrator that really grates my nerves because she, too, is just so perfect. I‘m going to finish it, but I‘m might not be happy about it 😏

When your student shows you the most perfect bookmark in their copy of Sunrise on the Reaping…😂

So, so good! I‘ve always had a special place in my heart for Haymitch, and I really enjoyed reading his story. I hope there‘s more Hunger Games novels to come.

This is the second Daisy Haites in the series. One thing that makes this series so interesting is the perspective. The Magnolia books (1, 3, and 5) in the series are from a couple of characters‘ POV, and the Daisy books (2, 4) are from two other characters‘ POV. The timing overlaps so the reader is getting 4 different perspectives of the same events within two books (1 and 2, 3 and 4). Sad that I only have one book in the series left to read…

It‘s hereeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!! 🤩🙌💃

It was fine, but I needed a little more. Two overachievers battling it out yet actually liking each other was an interesting take; however, the liking each other needed to be more prominent, maybe? Also, there was a weirdly large amount of references to death (she writes an entire email about strangling him bc he‘s “so frustrating” and then feels like she‘s about “to vomit up blood” during an tense moment with her peers). It was a bit strange…

This one was my least favorite of the three, but that‘s like your third favorite ice cream flavor. It‘s still really good and well-written and entertaining, but there were some real extra-dramatic things from the past brought up and one fight due to Magnolia being a complete nimwit that I didn‘t love. Other than that, this was another win for me, but I‘m really looking forward to getting back to Daisy Haites and seeing what she‘s been up to.

These UK covers might just be my favorite covers of all-time 🤩

This description of the “free-spirited hipster.” Lol, I love Magnolia! 😂🫶

I have a pretty clear memory of watching Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding duke it out, but I wouldn‘t consider myself an ice skating fan. Fortunately, you don‘t need to be a fan to enjoy this book, and I didn‘t just enjoy it, I loved it! Very Daisy Jones and Six with the oral history type interviews between chapters and thoroughly entertaining. Highly recommend. Five glowing stars for me! 🏆

Wow, getting this book was a hassle thanks to USPS. I ordered the last four books in the series. Two arrived in no time, but it would be the second in the series held up for 21 days after shipping, am I right?Blackwell‘s did their part to help; they‘re great! I went so far as to buy the other covers in a FB group… Anywho, this Daisy book is much more plot/action driven than Magnolia, and some of the plot is flat out outlandish, but I LOVED it!

“It‘s a hard thing about relationships, isn‘t it? Doesn‘t matter what type it is, if it‘s worth keeping, sometimes you have to say shit you don‘t want to, pry it out of your own mouth and toss it over a fence your mate‘s building now because that‘s what people do when you hurt them—build fences, raise walls, dig ditches, pitfalls, etc. If you‘re the one making the first move towards reconciliation, you sort of have to… (continued in comments)

I loved these characters. I especially loved gruff Alex, and Nate‘s backstory was a shocker. It‘s an interesting option for BOTM, but I hope a lot of people chose it. This copy is going to a friend because I need a copy that matches the one and only The House in the Cerulean Sea 🥰🤩

Please don‘t come at me. If you loved this, I am so glad for you! This DNF is of my own doing. I knew after Iron Flame that this series was headed in a direction that I didn‘t want to go. Nearly halfway through Onyx Storm, I‘m struggling to keep up with characters and places and the purpose of what is happening in the book. And to be honest, I‘m bored and there‘s too many books out there. I got caught up in the hype and it didn‘t work for me…again

A royal trying to be anonymous in Rome. Sweet story. I DNF-ed the other two stories in this collection (a Sally Thorne and a Jasmine Guillory) but thoroughly enjoyed the four I reviewed.

Good enough. Didn‘t enjoy it as much as the Abby J. or Christina Lauren, but still a pick.

“…looking like Gollum curled around her bottle of wine.” This line sent me! 😂🧙‍♀️🪄🧌

Cute!!!!!!!! I‘m loving this collection of short stories. Two for two so far ☑️

I really, really loved this little story. Abby Jimenez can do no wrong. 🤩🤓

I loved this group of spunky teens fighting the patriarchy and learning how the world works. These wayward girls were shunned and thrown away until there was no evidence of their pregnancy, and they only had each other to lean on. Grady Hendrix is masterful.

Thanks to @Read4life for putting this on the #auldlangspine list! I love a Golden Retriever boyfriend, and Shep did not disappoint. ❤️

It‘s arrived!!!!!!!!!!! 🤩🥳🤩🥳🤩🥳

Spent some time finishing the reading for this month‘s section of From the Front Porch‘s ‘Conquer a Classic‘ and loved every minute of it. So far, Don Quixote is cracking me up. Can‘t wait to hear the discussion at the end of the month 🤩

I loved it!!! These original covers are EVERYTHING, and I ordered the rest of the series from Blackwell‘s so I could have these super interesting, beautiful covers on my shelves. 🤩🤩. With that said, if you need to like the characters to enjoy a book, skip it. If you don‘t want to read about privileged millennials, skip it. If you can‘t handle the back and forth drama of 20-somethings‘ relationships, absolutely skip it. I think it‘s magic 🌃🪄🏆

Solid with enough depth to keep me engaged. Ex-high school rivals, Noelle and Theo, go on a road trip with the sweetest cardigan wearing grandpa. Love ensues.

Akbar‘s writing is really something special! 🌟🏅

Wowza, the writing. Some chapters were absolutely magical and others, I wasn‘t even sure they needed to be there (but they do, and people smarter than me will relish in them). What a way to end my 2024 reading! Glad I stuck with this one.

I loved this! A darkly humorous tale made up of bad decisions, snarky comments, and everything else I love in a book. This one got me out of my “rom com is the only thing that can hold my attention” phase, and that‘s saying a lot. It deserves all the hype!

It was very ‘meh‘ for me. I don‘t need quite so many issues going on in my rom coms: her law stuff, his possible failing career, crazy Yellowstone-esque brother that doesn‘t want her to have a stake in the billion dollar whiskey company, her running when things get tough, his billions of dollars and private jet, blah blah blah. I enjoyed the first in the series, but this one might be my last 🫠

Loved it 🥰 This little duo of books has me heading for the Lynn Painter section of the library, which is funny because I did not love one of her adult novels that I read prior to picking up Book 1 in this series.

So flippin‘ cute, not cheesy. Loved it! 🥰

I think Strout‘s writing is simply perfection, and I loved this account of Lucy, Bob, Olive and the Crosby, Maine gang. The interconnected-ness of their lives was fascinating, but it‘s as if nothing and everything happens simultaneously. Strout just can‘t be beat.

Pretty excited about my list from @Read4life The ones marked in green are ones I‘ve read, and the blue ones are sitting on my shelves ready to be picked up in January. Thanks so much, @monalyisha for putting this together! Looking forward to lots of reading fun! #auldlangspine 🎉🎉🎉

“Well, phooey. I feel connected to you too. So there.” She stuck out her tongue.

lol, I feel seen! 😅🙋‍♀️🦄🌵

Jimmy Fallon, anyone? “H‘s are ewwww!!” 🤣

Another good one! I still can‘t get over these covers🤩, and I‘m sad that I have to wait for the next one. Reading the first three back-to-back has been tons of fun! Giddy up! 🤠🐴❤️🌄⛰️

Thoroughly enjoying this series! I love the main characters, the sidekick Teddy, the Golden Retriever men, all of it. Fun, spicy, and easy to read at this moment where my brain needs an easy win 🫶

Bought this one for the cover 😍🤷🏼‍♀️ but ended up really liking it! Onto the next in the series.

It‘s a wrong book, wrong time situation. My ‘bail‘ is directly related to my current inability to focus on anything requiring any brainpower. I actually enjoyed the half of this book that I read, and maybe I‘ll pick it up again, but for now, back to the library.

👍👍👍

Creepy story, concise writing, PICTURES!!! Thoroughly entertaining!