Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases of the Second Half of 2021

 Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl blog.

Hi, everyone! Today I'm sharing a list of the ten books releasing the second half of this year, that I'm anticipating the most!

Listed in no particular order.

Killer Research (Library Lover's Mystery #12) by Jenn McKinlay

The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox

What Lives in the Woods by Lindsay Currie

Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach 

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood 

Thanks for Nothing (A Little Bruce Book) by Ryan T. Higgins

Dear Santa: A Novel by Debbie Macomber 

Captain Bun Super Bonbon (Bunbun Bonbon #3) by Jess Keating 

12 Days of Princess by Holly P Rice, illustrated by John John Bajet

Once Upon a Tide: A Mermaid's Tale by Stephanie Kate Strohm

What books are you looking forward to reading? :)

Review: Never Mix Sin with Pleasure (Infamous Lords #5)

Review: Never Mix Sin with Pleasure (Infamous Lords #5) by Renee Ann Miller

With the proper calculations, even a reckless rake and a secretly infamous woman can find a love they can count on...

No one would ever guess that Olivia Michaels, companion to an elderly dowager, is really the thief the London newspapers have nicknamed the Phantom. Working in a nobleman’s home is the perfect guise to gather information, allowing her to exact her own justice on several wicked noblemen. But when the dowager’s grandson, notorious ne’er-do-well Lord Anthony Trent, requires her assistance with some tasks of his own, Olivia discovers that the charming rogue may be capable of stealing something himself—her heart...

Anthony has his own secret: Numbers get jumbled in his head. He’s cultivated his reckless reputation as a way to avoid dealing with his family’s businesses. Yet, as obligations fall on him, he’s determined to prove his worth, and Olivia’s genius for numbers is a boon he hadn’t expected. But as the pair pore over ledgers together each evening, their connection blooms into a heated flirtation that threatens to expose the secrets each of them has been hiding...

Can desire and deception ever add up to true love?

-summary and cover via Goodreads

Plot: I really enjoyed the plot! Having Olivia be the Phantom was a nice twist to the book, and those parts of the book were quite suspenseful. And I loved the romance between Olivia and Anthony!

Characters: I liked all the characters in the book, and I found the Grandmother entertaining in her grouchy ways!

The Cover: I like it! The dress is really pretty!

Overall: I really enjoyed reading this book, and I would definitely recommend it to any historical romance readers!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Mini Review Round Up!

 In an effort to catch to up on some of the e-ARCs I need to review, I decided to write mini reviews of a bunch of them and include them here in one post. And a mini review does not mean I didn't like the book! I'm just behind and am trying to catch up. (My review ratio on Netgalley right now is... not great. But it will get better! Life just got me behind, and I'm doing my best to catch up and review.)

The Ivies by Alexa Donne

This was a twisty YA mystery that I did not guess the ending of at all! Overall, if this book sounds interesting to you, I would definitely recommend trying it!

Thornwood by Leah Cypess

I love fairy tale retellings, and Sleeping Beauty is one of my favorites, so I knew I had to read this MG book! I'm happy I did! This was a really unique take on the original tale, with twists (including the ending) that I did not see coming at all! Overall, I would definitely recommend reading it! And I'm looking forward to reading more retellings by this author!

War and Millie McGonigle by Karen Cushman

This was a good Middle Grade novel about a very sad time in history, that ends with a bit of hope. Overall, I would recommend trying it!

Breathing Underwater by Sarah Allen

This was a quiet Middle Grade book, that I think would be good for anyone who has a family member with depression to read. I related to Ruth and her struggles with depression, and Olivia being there for her, while also learning to thrive herself was really nice to read. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book!

This Is Not the Jess Show by Anna Carey

This was a really unique YA book! I don't want to write too much here, for fear of spoiling people, but I will write that it was well written, with a nice twist. Overall, if you think it sounds interesting, I would recommend trying it!

My Epic Spring Break (Up) by Kristin Rockaway

This was a fun YA romance! I enjoyed reading it as an adult, and I know when I was a teen I would have read this in one sitting and loved it! (And I loved the Taylor Swift references!) Overall, I would definitely recommend reading it!

I received e-ARCs of all of these books from the respective publishers

Bookish Vol. 1!

Hi, everyone! Today I am thrilled to present a project that I have been thinking about for awhile now, and finally decided to dive into! I thought it would be fun to make a little magazine/newsletter type thing, and post it once a week on the blog. I finally decided on the name Bookish, and every Friday I will be posting this on here, with book lists, cover reveals, book deals, and whatever else I think of including. This first issue is only three pages, because I'm still figuring out how I want it to look/what I want to include, but I had so much fun putting it together, and I hope you enjoy reading it! To make the images bigger, click on them to load them in a new tab, where you should (Hopefully if I did it properly!) be able to zoom in to make it easier to read. I've included links at the bottom of the post to books/things mentioned in the article. If you have any questions/comments, please let me know! I want to know how to make this better for all of you!

Five July Books to Have on Your Radar Goodreads Links:

How Sweet It Is by Dylan Newton 

Not the Kind of Earl You Marry by Kate Pembrooke 

The Duke Goes Down by Sophie Jordan

When a Duke Loves a Governess by Olivia Drake 

Much Ado about Nauticaling by Gabby Allan

Cover Reveals:

My Fine Fellow Cover Reveal

(Add it on Goodreads!)

Isla to Island Cover Reveal (Alexis Castellanos's Twitter Account)

(Add it on Goodreads!)

That's it! What do you think? :)

Information For Email Subscribers!

Hi, everyone! I just wanted to let you know, I have switched all email subscriptions to follow.it! You may or may not have read that feedburner is getting rid of its email feed next month, so I wanted to find a way to let anyone subscribed that way still follow me. I decided on follow.it, and exported all the email subscribers to it, so you should be getting them now! (If you're an email subscriber, you're probably going to get 2 emails with this post, because I haven't deleted the old feed yet. I wanted to make sure everyone got this post in case something went wrong, but I think everything is working properly!) There is also a shiny new subscribe button on the side, for anyone new who wants to follow via email! After this post goes up, I will be deleting the old feed, so you should only be getting one post a day! If you have any questions, feel free to ask me!

Review: Jukebox

 Review: Jukebox by Nidhi Chanani

A mysterious Jukebox, old vinyl records, and cryptic notes on music history, are Shaheen's only clues to her father's abrupt disappearance. She looks to her cousin, Tannaz, who seems just as perplexed, before they both look at the Jukebox which starts…glowing?

Suddenly, the girls are pulled from their era and transported to another time! Keyed to the music on the record, the Jukebox sends them to decade after decade of music history, from political marches, to landmark concerts. But can they find Shaheen’s dad before the music stops? This time-bending magical mystery tour invites readers to take the ride of their lives for a coming-of-age adventure.

-summary and cover via Goodreads

Mini Review: This was a fantastic Graphic Novel! The art was great, and expressed everything going on really well. I loved the pages at the beginning of some of the chapters, with the records. If you're a music fan, or just a fan of excellent Graphic Novels, I would definitely recommend reading this book!

I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher.

Top Ten Books On My Summer 2021 TBR

 Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl blog.

Hi, everyone! This is the first time I've participated in a TTT in awhile, but I want to get back into writing these more. So, I thought this week would be perfect to begin! For the sake of keeping this post to ten, I'm only including new books that release in June, July, and August. I'll be reading more than just these (backlist, ARCs, etc.), but these are ten new releases that I'm really looking forward to reading!

Listed on no particular order.

The Rocky Road to Ruin (Ice Cream Shop Mysteries #1) by Meri Allen

Witches of Brooklyn: What the Hex?! by Sophie Escabasse

It Takes Two to Mango (Trouble in Paradise! #1) by Carrie Doyle 

Up All Night: 13 Stories between Sunset and Sunrise edited by Laura Silverman 

XOXO by Axie Oh

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: The Death of Nancy Drew by multiple authors

Plot Twist by Bethany Turner 

The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow by Emma Steinkellner

The Royals Next Door by Karina Halle

Your Life Has Been Delayed by Michelle I. Mason 

Are you looking forward to reading any of these books? What books are on your summer TBR list? :)

Review: Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous

Review: Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous by Suzanne Park

A social media influencer is shipped off to a digital detox summer camp in this funny coming-of-age story, perfect for fans of Jenny Han's The Summer I Turned Pretty and Love and Gelato .

Sunny Song's Big Summer Goals:

1) Make Rafael Kim my boyfriend (finally!)

2) Hit 100K followers (almost there…)

3) Have the best last summer of high school ever

Not on Sunny's list: accidentally filming a PG-13 cooking video that goes viral (#browniegate). Extremely not on her list: being shipped off to a digital detox farm camp in Iowa (IOWA??) for a whole month. She's traded in her WiFi connection for a butter churn, and if she wants any shot at growing her social media platform this summer, she'll need to find a way back online.

But between some unexpected friendships and an alarmingly cute farm boy, Sunny might be surprised by the connections she makes when she's forced to disconnect.

-summary and cover via Goodreads

Plot: Reading about Sunny learning to unplug, and enjoy life was a great message. Social media can be great (There are a lot of advantages to it! And I honestly think with moderation it can be a great thing.), but if you become obsessed with it, it's more harmful than not. The romance was cute. And her friendships were great! Plus, Suzanne Park really knows how to write humor into her books, which I always appreciate!

Characters: Sunny was a great main character! I liked her friends and family!

The Cover: I really like it! When I was a teen I would have definitely grabbed this book off the shelf after seeing the cover of it!

Overall: This was another excellent book by Suzanne Park, which I would definitely recommend reading!

I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher.

Review: We Can't Keep Meeting Like This

Review: We Can't Keep Meeting Like This by Rachel Lynn Solomon

A wedding harpist disillusioned with love and a hopeless romantic cater-waiter flirt and fight their way through a summer of weddings in this effervescent romantic comedy from the acclaimed author of Today Tonight Tomorrow.

Quinn Berkowitz and Tarek Mansour’s families have been in business together for years: Quinn’s parents are wedding planners, and Tarek’s own a catering company. At the end of last summer, Quinn confessed her crush on him in the form of a rambling email—and then he left for college without a response.

Quinn has been dreading seeing him again almost as much as she dreads another summer playing the harp for her parents’ weddings. When he shows up at the first wedding of the summer, looking cuter than ever after a year apart, they clash immediately. Tarek’s always loved the grand gestures in weddings—the flashier, the better—while Quinn can’t see them as anything but fake. Even as they can’t seem to have one civil conversation, Quinn’s thrown together with Tarek wedding after wedding, from performing a daring cake rescue to filling in for a missing bridesmaid and groomsman.

Quinn can’t deny her feelings for him are still there, especially after she learns the truth about his silence, opens up about her own fears, and begins learning the art of harp-making from an enigmatic teacher.

Maybe love isn’t the enemy after all—and maybe allowing herself to fall is the most honest thing Quinn’s ever done. 

-summary and cover via Goodreads

Plot: I love summer books and I love wedding themed books, so the moment I read the summary for this book I knew I had to read it! And I really enjoyed it! I felt happy for Quinn, when she began opening up, and being honest about her emotions. And I loved the discussions of mental health in this book!

Characters: All of the characters were excellent, and I love how Quinn's family played such a big role. I liked her harp lessons with Maxine. (I didn't know much about harps before this book, so that was fun to learn more about them!) Tarek and Quinn's relationship was sweet.

The Cover: I really like it!

Overall: This was the first Rachel Lynn Solomon book I've read, and I know it won't be my last! I can definitely see why so many people love her books, and I know I'm going to read more of them.

I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher.

2022 Books!

Hi, everyone! It's that time of year again, where I post what books I'm looking forward to next year! 2022 is looking to be another fantastic year for reading, based on all the books I went through while putting together this post. I hope you'll find some new books to add to your TBR list, and please let me know what books you're looking forward to in 2022!

These are not the only books I'm looking forward to reading next year! There are more books I'm interested in, but I only included books that have Goodreads pages here. And I know I'll learn about more books before 2022. (Trust me, when I put up the 2022 list on January 1st, there will be a lot more books on it.) Also, I tried my best to make sure all release dates, titles, covers, etc. are correct. If I got something wrong, I apologize, and please tell me! I'll fix it if I'm able.

Listed by category in Middle Grade, YA, Adult, and Graphic Novels, then in alphabetical order of the authors last name.

Middle Grade:

Just Right Jillian by Nicole D. Collier

The Mythics by Lauren Magaziner, illustrated by Mirelle Ortega 

The Ministry of Unladylike Activity (The Ministry of Unladylike Activity #1) by Robin Stevens

Lia Park and the Missing Jewel by Jenna Yoon 

YA:

A Show for Two by Tashie Bhuiyan

One True Loves (Happily Ever Afters #2) by Elise Bryant 

When You Wish Upon a Lantern by Gloria Chao 

Three Kisses, One Midnight by Roshani Chokshi, Sandhya Menon, and Evelyn Skye 

My Fine Fellow by Jennieke Cohen 

The Edge of Summer by Erica George 

Love from Scratch by Kaitlyn Hill

Everyone Hates Kelsie Miller by Meredith Ireland

One for All by Lillie Lainoff 

Seoulmates by Susan Lee

This Might Get Awkward by Kara McDowell

Untitled (St. Rosetta's Academy #3) by Sandhya Menon

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

Yule Be Sorry by Suzanne Park 

My Sister's Big Fat Indian Wedding by Sajni Patel

See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon 

Well, That Was Unexpected by Jesse Q. Sutanto

The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim

Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor

Game On by Various Authors

Eternally Yours by Various Authors

Adult:

Earl on the Run (The Duke's Estates #2) by Jane Ashford 

By Any Other Name by Lauren Kate 

The Good Girl's Guide to Rakes (Last Chance Scoundrels #1) by Eva Leigh 

Last Bachelor Standing (A Royal Match #1) by Julia London

The Runaway Duchess by Joanna Lowell

The Siren of Sussex (Belles of London #1) by Mimi Matthews 

Something Blue by Heather McGovern 

Sadie On A Plate by Amanda Panitch

How to Deceive a Duke (Rebels with a Cause #2) by Samara Parish

Untitled (Palace Insiders #2) by Lucy Parker 

Sing Up the River (A River Enchanted #1) by Rebecca Ross

As Seen On TV by Meredith Schorr

Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon 

The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa 

How to Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan

Lucky Leap Day by Ann Marie Walker

Graphic Novels:

Batter Royale by Leisl Adams

Twelfth Grade Night (Arden High #1) by Molly Horton Booth and Stephanie Kate Strohm, illustrated by Jamie Green

Isla to Island by Alexis Castellanos

Ride On by Faith Erin Hicks

Saving Chupie by Amparo Ortiz, illustrated by Ronnie Garcia 

Grace Needs Space! by Alison Wilgus and Rii Abrego

What 2022 books are you looking forward to reading? :)

Review: Curse of the Specter Queen

 Review: Curse of the Specter Queen by Jenny Elder Moke

MAY THE HAZEL BRING YOU WISDOM AND THE ASPEN GUIDE AND PROTECT YOU...

Samantha Knox put away her childish fantasies of archaeological adventure the day her father didn't return home from the Great War, retreating to the safety of the antique bookshop where she works. But when a mysterious package arrives with a damaged diary inside, Sam's peaceful life is obliterated. Ruthless men intent on reclaiming the diary are after Sam, setting her and her best friend, along with her childhood crush, on a high-stakes adventure that lands them in the green hills outside Dublin, Ireland. Here they discover an ancient order with a dark purpose - to perform an occult ritual that will raise the Specter Queen, the Celtic goddess of vengeance and death, to bring about a war unlike any the world has ever seen. To stop them, Sam must solve a deviously complex cipher - one that will lead her on a treasure hunt to discover the ancient relic at the heart of the ritual: a bowl carved from the tree of life. Will she find the bowl and stop the curse of the Specter Queen, or will the ancient order bring about the end of the world?

Indiana Jones gets a refresh with this female-driven mystery adventure, set in the 1920s, full of ciphers, ancient relics, and heart-stopping action - the first in a brand-new series!

-summary and cover via Goodreads

Plot: It was so good! This reminded me of a YA version of so many of the adventure books I read when I was younger (The 39 Clues came to mind!), and I mean that as a big compliment! I loved the twists and turns this book took, and while I guessed a couple of things, others were a surprise to me!

Characters: They were great! Samantha was a fantastic main character, and I loved seeing her confidence grow as the book went on. Joanna and Bennett were great supporting characters, too!

The Cover: It's fine!

Overall: I loved this book! It grabbed my attention right away, and every time I had to stop reading, I eagerly anticipated getting back to finishing it! I highly recommend this YA novel! 

I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher.