POWERFUL! And timely. At this point, I believe Percival Everett should be considered a must-read author. This book will stay with me for quite some time, it‘s that strong a work. A quote (one of many that stuck with me) that seems relevant:
“If you want to know a place, you talk to its history.”
Also, the narrator was excellent.🎧

Typical Jimenez, so if you enjoy her storytelling, you‘ll probably like this one. The dementia storyline was kinda difficult as it hits a little close to my reality, but overall I liked this story. The narrators did an excellent job with the audiobook.

Such a fun & cozy book. Really enjoyed this one!

“…. a really good summer vacation should only really have two days: the first, and the last. All the ones in between should be nameless, it shouldn‘t matter if it‘s Tuesday or Sunday. In a good summer, everything is all just bicycles and comic books and salt water, time being wasted with the sun on your face.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A cute love story with good lessons about self-love and living life out loud!

SA Cosby has done it again. His books are full of morally grey characters who you know you shouldn‘t want to succeed but find yourself rooting for anyway. Although, I‘m not sure this outcome should be considered a success. This is a must-read author for me, and I‘ll be thinking about this latest one for quite some time.

Such a cozy, fun addition to the series.

May has not been a good reading month for me. I have admittedly had a lot going on which may be part of it, but this is another DNF for me. The story just didn‘t grab me really at all…

DNF for me. I just could not get into this one - didn‘t particularly enjoy the writing or the story itself. Just wasn‘t my cup of tea.

I definitely have a type, and it‘s the men in Emily Henry books. Apparently I like secretly sensitive, outwardly gruff, sorta awkward men like Hayden Anderson. Alice & Hayden are the latest lovely couple she‘s written, and this is officially an Emily Henry fan account.

Interesting. Not exactly what I expected, but overall a good story.

I understand why this book is so well received. It deserves all the hype. Well written and totally engaging.

#audiobook 🎧 just ok for me, I think I keep going with the series because I‘ve come so far already. No the most original concepts, in my opinion, it was alright. Also, a few of the accents choices by the narrator were interesting (and not in a good way)

“I‘ll be happy if running and I can grow old together.”
“My time, the rank I attain, my outward appearance—all of these are secondary. For a runner like me, what‘s really important is reaching the goal I set myself, under my own power. I give it everything I h, endure what needed enduring, and am able, in my own way, to be satisfied.”
Couldn‘t have expressed this better myself. Enjoyed his perspective about running & writing.

An excellent, timely read about individual and generational trauma which is often inseparable. Also, it‘s a story of hope. Wilkerson is very good at storytelling.

I didn‘t particularly enjoy this one. Lots of people love it, but it was just okay for me.

This is a must read! It‘s very timely and filled with echoes of the world we‘re living in today.

Good storytelling

Wow! Beautifully written and extremely timely. This is a love song to earth with well executed verse and subtle warnings about climate change and the hubris of mankind. Admittedly, it took me a few pages to get into the style of the writing, but in the end I was won over by the gorgeous delivery. Must-read brilliance by Samantha Harvey.

This book was visceral - it made me think and feel so much about being a woman. The expectations that others have for women and how those expectations shape our desires. Maybe it‘s true that women cannot have it all, but we should at least get to choose for ourselves what we do get to have. Piglet definitely took the long way around to that conclusion, but I‘d like to think she‘s going to create a beautiful life for herself on her own terms now.

Even better than the first installment in this series. More action, the addition of of a faerie cat 🐈‍⬛ (Orga), and romance. Very enjoyable and I am excited to read whatever comes next.

This book is a warm hug from a prickly person who has said repeatedly that they don‘t like hugs (but they really do). No spice to be found, but a good dose of romance and feelings. Gotta love a happy ending like this one.

Absolutely beautiful collection of poems and the accompanying artwork is stunning. I felt so connected to many of the poems especially How Sisters Love, Love Shows Up, When I Say I Love Us, and Phenomenon. Got this as a Christmas gift and so happy to have gotten it!

So much fun! Chosen family is certainly better than blood relations in this duology. Inez & Whit have an exciting story and I enjoyed reading this series.

So cute and cozy. Maggie & Ethan are the cutest enemies-to-lovers, and this is a wonderful Christmas caper. Easy to read and just a fun story!

Quick read, but a powerful story about dealing with a devastating diagnosis and learning to live with the new reality.

If I could give this book 10 ⭐️, I would! Exceptional end of the trilogy - while some sadness befalls this group of heroic characters, the story was fitting for the epic saga that this series has been. I enjoyed every word of this book, really of the entire series. 10/10, no notes!

Erik Larson is must-read! This book presents history in an extremely accessible and compelling way. The details are important and timely often drawing parallels to current events.

Good third installment in this trilogy. The narration is very well done. I have enjoyed this series immensely.

Very good. An interesting look at princesses and whether they need saving. Something both classic and new/fresh. Very entertaining storytelling.

Good addition to the series. Who doesn‘t love a happy ending?

Interesting listening 🎧

Good storytelling. Moreno-Garcia is good in every genre.

3.5 ⭐️
Good, touching, and funny in spots. I liked the first in the series better, but this one is worth a read/listen. I liked seeing the progression of the characters and loved the Sound of Music callouts (it‘s one of my favorite movies 🎥).

I really liked this book! I‘ve been hard a the last few Hazelwood books, but this one hit all the right spots for me. 😊Not large man/small woman trope - main characters with complicated baggage and hang ups who have to find their way to each other, to their happy.

I cannot say enough about this book. It should be required reading, it‘s about agency and liberation and Blackness (and tangentially , whiteness) in America. Percival Everett has written a masterpiece. My recommendation: read this book (then, maybe read it again… it‘s that good).⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cute, cozy romance. Fun characters, kinda silly, but overall good!

“What we needed to raise in others was this instinct. The ability to recognize, in an instant, right from wrong. The clarity of mind to face it rather than ignore it. I learned that before they had chased Brock, they had checked on me. Masculinity is often defined by physicality, but that initial kneeling is as powerful as the leg sweep, the tackling. Masculinity is found in the vulnerability, the crying.”
Powerful memoir, must read!

Really insightful story. This book made me laugh and feel outraged on behalf of Margo but also inspired by her growth and confidence. Enjoyed it start to finish.

Good palette cleanser before diving into more serious reading 🤷🏽‍♀️ The narrator is really good!🎧

Really enjoyed this book. Emily Henry is one of my favorite authors (with the exception of Happy Place), and Miles + Daphne are characters who don‘t disappoint. I loved their story, could not put the book down once I started reading.
“I think you‘re the first person who‘s really seen me. Past what I want people to see. You make the people you care about feel like… Like you want all of them. Not just the good parts.”

“Forgiveness, which takes you back to the person you were and lets you reset them. Hope, which exists in a future in which you are new. Forgiveness and hope are miracles. They let you change your life. They are time-travel.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Enjoyed this book, not my typical genre of choice, but very thought provoking and interesting.

I had to finish the series (glutton for punishment, I guess). More big man engineer (make him a ginger this time) + small woman engineer = more meh STEM romance

More meh 😑 This time big man engineer + tiny woman engineer stuck in an elevator for a bit. More miscommunication trope. Very formulaic. 🤷🏽‍♀️🎧

🎧 I like the narrator more than the story. This novella is another woman in STEM + large hot man offering. There‘s some forced proximity, social awkwardness, and some miscommunication (very annoying). Was the story kind of meh for me? Yes. Will I listen to the others in the series? Probably 🤷🏽‍♀️

Cute story. Nice palette cleanser book between more serious material. I liked the fish (in this case vampire 🧛‍♀️) out of water element. Overall, good, not great, but kinda fun.

“You‘re not asking too much,” he said. “You were just asking the wrong person. Ask me instead.”
Such a simple sentiment, but also sort of beautiful. The thought that you can not be so independent and ask someone for help and actually get it is really everything! This story is so good, like all the Abby Jimenez I‘ve read so far.

Such a cute romance. This is not a spicy book (unless you count witty repartee), but the romance is cute and endearing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ i absolutely love this book and give it all the stars!
“Did it matter who held the power? Whether it was Perez or the king or Victor de Paredes or a man with a funnel in your mouth? What difference did it make if the person with the power wasn‘t you?”

Just okay for me. It was somewhat predictable, I figured out the “twist” fairly early and found it a bit formulaic. I will probably continue the series, but this was not the best thing I‘ve read in the genre. 🤷🏽‍♀️