Book Reviews, Fiction, Romance, YA | 01.14.2020

Birthday by Meredith Russo (Book Review)

Blurb: Boyhood meets The Sun Is Also a Star in this unconventional love story by award-winning author Meredith Russo! Two kids, Morgan and...

Do you have a favourite Reality Show?

The Soulmate Equation is an out-of-the-box romance that would make an exceptionally fun Netflix reality!

Jess Davis is a single mom that is jaded about love. She got pregnant young and her boyfriend at the time never wanted to be a dad. Back then, she thought he was the one, but it became clear they really weren't meant to happen. A few years later, she has an awesome daughter, is a kickass freelance statistician, and has the most awesome BFF ever, but, her love life is pretty lacking.

Jess and Fizzy (the super cool best friend) use a local coffee shop as their office on a daily basis (always supporting local businesses of course) and observe the mysterious 'Americano', a tall and handsome specimen that is as surly as he is hot.

One day, they manage to hear through the grapevine that his name is actually Dr. River Pena, and he is the lead scientist in a project/company called GeneticAlly, a new matchmaking dating service that predicts the possibility of love based on DNA.

They can pair users from base matches (low percentages) to extremely rare diamond matches (over 90%).

Although they are initially skeptical, both ladies (at different times) decide to participate. But, it's a shock for everyone involved that Jess and River are matched at a whopping 98%. That high of a match for one of the owners is something that can impact the whole launch campaign and ultimately decide if GeneticAlly will sink or swim.

I love the wild Sci-Fi concept. It's crazy, but also something that you can imagine in a not-so-distant future. The chemistry between Jess and River is crackling, and it's more enjoyable as it starts as a type of enemies to lovers.

Overall, this was sweet, fun, cute, and every bit of a good time that you come to expect from Christina Lauren.

It's just missing that extra something to make it THE romance book of the year. So, maybe The Soulmate Equation wasn't my diamond match, but we certainly had very high compatibility.

Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Read with @thechicklitbookclub Buddy Read!

💭 What's s funny thing you believed was real when you were a kid?

💬 I remember, that after watching Jumanji, I thought going into (and being trapped) in games was a real possibility 😂

“Frightened means you've the sense to be afraid, and it's cowards who get things done, more often than not.”

Expanding from the Middlegame world, Seanan McGuire (writing under the pseudonym A. Deborah Baker) brings us to the Impossible Road to the Improbable City.

Hepzibah 'Zib' Jones and Avery Alexander Grey are two kids who live on the same street. However, despite their proximity, they never cross paths. They each go to schools on opposite sides and never walk in the direction towards each other.

That is until one very ordinary day (that happened to be not ordinary at all) their paths were blocked, and on the way, there was a giant wall.

Both kids were determined to make it to school on time and decided to go over it. Alas, the wall did not make it easier for them to find their paths, and instead sent them to the hauntingly magical land of The Up and Under.

In order to make it back, both kids must journey together and travel the Improbable Road to the Improbable City. This can be tricky as Zib is a spirited child with wild hair and Avery is a logical boy with pressed-down clothes.

In their adventure, they will meet incredibly large owls, a mysterious but helpful Crow Girl, the menacing Page of Frozen Waters, and many other magical beings.

Heavily inspired by The Wizard of Oz with sprinkles of The Labyrinth and The Neverending Story, Over the Woodward Wall is a children's book for adults. Seanan McGuire is so clever in her writing, making this book (although short) dense with meaning and metaphors.

Thank you so much Macmillan US and Tor.com for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For full reviews click the link in bio 👩‍💻📲💜🥳

Happy Sunday! What's your favourite music genre?

What a fun reading experience. I'm posting this very late, but I had the pleasure of reading The Final Revival of Opal and Nev as the May Book Pick for the #diversebuddyreads hosted by @bernluvsbooks

Written in the same interview style as Daisy Jones & The Six, the book is a deep dive into the fictional iconic duo of the late 60s and early 70s, composed by the fearless Opal and the red-haired and British Nev.

It's definitely a book about music, but its main themes are around racism, sexism and the music industry as whole. It's been a few weeks since I finished it and I'm still thinking about it.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

For full reviews click the link in bio 👩‍💻📲💙

Using predictive text fill out the blanks: I'm the Empress of ___ and ___

Mine is: I'm the Empress of the day and time 😂 I like it. Anyway, here's my review:

“You will never remember the great if you do not remember the small.'

What a magical adventure. I didn't know what to expect of this book - I've never read anything like it. And, although I was skeptical this would work for me in the beginning, the mystical narrative won me over and I was completely enthralled by the tale of The Empress of Salt and Fortune.

Cleric Chih (they/them) accompanied by their assistant, a talking hoopoe called 'Always Brilliant', is responsible for writing down history. They are on their way to see the new Empress undergo her first Dragon Court when they learn that the seal on the records of the last reign is finally broken.

Empress In-Yo was exiled to Lake Scarlet for many years and the site has its share of hidden secrets. Chih is able to be the first one to arrive at the area and is surprised that there's an old peasant woman living in the locale.

Rabbit was the handmaiden to In-Yo and she will tell Chih the real story of what happened with them so many years ago, and how her role was pivotal in defining history. “Do you understand?” she pleads, as she tries to convey the importance of each account.

This is a book with fantastic representation and is a powerhouse feminist novella. With only a few pages it manages to create such a beautiful and complex world. It reads almost like a script, luxuriously describing objects and textures, making it easy to envision the Lake, also known as 'Thriving Fortune', and the other locations mentioned.

Overall, this was simply beautiful.

“Save that anger,” Mai said with a sigh. “Angry mothers raise daughters fierce enough to fight wolves.”

For more cool reviews click the link in bio 😌

💭 Do you like graphic novels?

Heartstopper Volume 4 is out and available on the UK and I couldn't be happier. I discovered Heartstopper a few years ago because of #bookstagram and started following Charlie, Nick, & the gang on @tapas_app. But, I still love to collect each volume that comes out. And now, Heartstopper will become a Netflix show and that's so exciting.

If you haven't heard about it before Heartstopper is a super soft comic about love, acceptance, and identity. It's about a group of friends navigating highschool and trying to make sense of themselves and the world around them. A beautiful and mellow coming-of-age story that also brings up very important topics about sexuality, belonging, and mental health issues.

💭 If you could go back in time for a day, what decade would you like to visit?

Malibu Rising by @tjenkinsreid is coming out on the 25th of May! In order to celebrate I decided to re-read my favourite TJR books, starting with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I love this book!

If you haven't read this yet, I strongly encourage you to do so. Here's the synopsis: Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life.

When she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn’s life unfolds—revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love—Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

Also, if you want to see my review for the upcoming Malibu Rising, please check out the link in bio 👩‍💻📲💜🥳

@lazybookconqueror

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