Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the digital review copy in advance. This book, now translated into English, hits shelves today, September 2nd.

As I did with my review for Save Me, let me preface this by saying, I have not watched the television series on Amazon Prime and went into this completely blind. It’s my understanding that the first season of the show roughly follows the first book. This is book two in the trilogy and after the cliffhanger of Save Me’s ending, I was ready for it!

I ate this up. It was most definitely a teen drama with all kinds of eye-rolling moments. It was angsty and a bit toxic. I hated the ending. The author even apologizes for it in her acknowledgements—not enough, Mona Kasten. These characters better get redemption! It’s a good thing I have book 2 on deck.

I finished this two weeks ago and keep thinking about it.

This took me back to my college English major days. Yes, these two are in an MFA program, but it still put me right back into those classrooms full of writing, creativity, awkwardness, and exposure. Leigh is one of the most relatable characters I’ve ever read. The way she adjusts herself to please the people around her. The way she holds back her comments in class (or isn’t sure she even has anything meaningful to say) were just like me as an undergrad.

There was so much about this I loved. The premise alone? I mean, what a heart-wrenching opening. I felt the grief in my bones and my family saw the evidence in the tears streaming down my face, especially in some of the closing chapters.

Boy, has this one had some buzz, at least in the circle of Bookstagrammers I follow online. I hadn’t run across any reviews under 5-stars when I started reading, but I don’t think I’ll be completely alone in having some mixed feelings on this one.

I think I liked this even more than the first one. If you haven’t read The Blonde Identity yet (review here), I’d recommend that one first. It had been on my TBR (to be read) list for a while, but the publisher offering me a digital review copy of this one is what final got me to pick it up. I’m so glad I did.

Pure fun, plain and simple.

A woman wakes up in Paris with armed thugs after her. She seems to be on the run? But she doesn’t really know because she can’t seem to recall anything about herself, not even her first name. When she sees a video clip of a “wanted” woman on TV she realizes she must be a spy.

My original star rating was a 4 because I felt so conflicted about this book. After letting it sit, I've landed on 4.5 because this definitely has some staying power.

The Favorites made a splash when it released at the beginning of the year, and I see why. It was propulsive and interesting. It was one of those books I couldn’t look away from, even when I wanted to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the digital review copy in advance. This one hits shelves on August 19th.

I remember picking up Would You Rather by Allison Ashley back in 2022 and laughing on page one. I also remember how refreshing it was to read a romance that was funny, emotional, and swoon-worthy that managed to keep all the bedroom scenes, well, behind the bedroom door. Falling Into Place is the same.

I read the first installment of this duology (A Letter to the Luminous Deep) last year, and while I enjoyed it, I wasn’t enthralled. I liked the worldbuilding and the letter-writing and journal style of it, but the pacing was slow and I had trouble with differentiating the numerous characters’ voices. The story was mysterious, a bit romantic, imaginative, and funny, but I had a few qualms.

It’s another Ali Hazelwood win in my book. Maybe even a new favorite!

When I picked up Ivy Fairbanks’s debut novel, Morbidly Yours, late last year, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It did not disappoint.

This book surprised the heck out of me.

After reading Love, Theoretically back in 2023 (and loving it, I should add), I thought Ali Hazelwood had crossed my threshold for steam in her books.

You’ve heard of the forbidden love trope. Sometimes it feels a bit tired and overdone, but I’m not sure I’ve ever quite read it like this.

Here’s the deal. I loved this book, but, and it’s a big one, I kind of had to tell myself that I was not reading an Emily Henry title.

Ellie Palmer is quickly becoming one of my favorite rom-com authors. Four Weekends and a Funeral was one of my favorite books last year, and I have a feeling Anywhere With You will be one this year.

As part of the “improbable meet cute” series of short stories, this one definitely met the description “improbable,” but I didn’t care one bit.

This is a short and sweet pick-me-up. I really enjoyed it. It was funny and cute.

Florence and Jude spend summers in Michigan at Harbor Arts Camp. Every year on the last night, the "HAC"ers find someone at the bonfire to hang out with until sunrise.

Eliza is a widow and she’s not even thirty yet. Her late husband has left her a fortune, but there’s a catch—a morality clause that means she can do nothing untoward. It’s a good thing that the new Earl of Somerset is her childhood love (is there any chance for them after how they left things a decade ago?) and he’s the one controlling those purse strings.