Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray

 

Borrowed from the library but ebook previously provided by NetGalley for review.

4/5 stars

Koffi lives at the Night Zoo with her mother, working off a debt that her late father created. Ekon dreams of becoming a Son of Six like his older brother.

Their paths end up colliding in the hunt for a mysterious wild beast that is allegedly slaughtering everyone but along the way feelings grow, they learn that magic is real and not everything is what it seems...

I loved the way this entwined together and the way things progressed and the religion and magic system but I did find the ending a little abrupt. I will seek out the sequels some time though.

Steff Out x 

When Shadows Fall by Sita Brahmachari

Borrowed from the library but ebook previously provided by NetGalley (and possibly not downloaded as I can't find it on my Kindle but it is on my feedback list).

3/5 stars

Kai, Orla and Zak have been best friends for years, centred around their little undergrowth hideout. Always in the background though is Kai's father and his shadows. But then his mum becomes pregnant and the shadows fade.

Things are good for a while but then tragedy strikes and the shadows return with a vengeance. Spreading to Kai as well his friendships break down. Newcomer Om is the only one with a chance of getting through to him before it's too late.

This book annoyed me. It was all too vague and meandering and trying to be poetic and I'm just there thinking "get to the point already" which is sad because I could tell what it was saying was important but it was kind of lost on me

Steff Out x 

All the Worlds Between Us by Morgan Lee Miller

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

4/5 stars

Quinn is an out lesbian and a star swimmer who only narrowly missed out on trialling for the Olympics - a fact the school mean girl won't let her forget. Her life is swimming and swimming alone, along with occasional arguments with her twin brother over their car.

She has an on-off relationship with swim teammate Riley, currently more off than on but Quinn is debating starting things up again. That is until she has a weird moment at a party she's forced to attend as her brother's ride with Kennedy, her former best friend who kissed her then moved away...

This was super cute and I loved how confident Quinn was about her identity and how she didn't want to compromise herself for the sake of someone else. I found the relationship really realistic and well-written, though there are a couple of scenes not suitable for younger readers 👀

My only criticism was that we didn't get a happily ever after but it did feel like there was hope for the future.

Steff Out x

How To Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie

 

3/5 stars

Grace is on a mission. To kill the family of her millionaire father one by one leaving him for last. When he got her mother pregnant he refused to acknowledge what he'd done and the later existence of his daughter. Grace wants revenge and her rightful inheritance.

I thought this book was rather slow-paced and sluggish with overlong chapters. I kept reading out of curiosity for how things played out, not because of any sort of anticipation. Grace didn't have enough personality to be likable or not and her plans were all rather vague.

I did have hope it could redeem itself (although I was seriously questioning her lifelong best friend's personality transplant and total lack of trust) but then we had a suprise narrator which was just absurd and then the ending was ridiculous and incomplete at the same time.

Steff Out x 

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

 

4/5 stars

Yadriel is a brujo. Or at least he should be. His failure at the feminine bruja healing and his trans status mean his father refuses to let him go through the ritual so he goes and does it alone.

Shortly after the family senses that cousin Miguel has been killed but no-one can find his body so Yadriel gets the idea to summon his spirit and hopefully find out what happened.

Well, Yadriel does summon a ghost but it's not Miguel. It's Julian, a boy from school. He also died in a mysterious manner and Yadriel wants to find the truth.

I loved the characters and culture and I find Aiden's writing engaging and easy to follow. My only tiny criticisms were that I wish we'd seen more of Julian's friends and Yadriel's mum. Also the pacing could have been a little better. The middle section was full of character development but then the last quarter or so felt very rushed and I'm not sure I totally understood everything that happened.

Steff Out x

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

 

5/5 stars

Beautiful, perfection. This series now ranks in my favourite favourites.

We have the same cast of characters but in a more sort of way because they have grown so much, especially Sal! The one who has been through the most trauma and was the most timid but he's now taking charge, having big ideas and challenging the adults on his own terms, my heart 🥹

And little Lucy, it's so much harder for him to make the right choices but he does and he's lovely and I want to give him a hug! I LOVED Talia's comments about her beard and I love her confidence in herself and her appearance!

This book went more in depth about trauma and how it can influence a person and how the government is still totally shit and ignorant and unwilling to accept when they've done wrong.

The ending was perfection and I want an infinite number of these books.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

 

5/5 stars

So this was a re-read before reading the sequel. I first read it back in 2022 and it was a 5 then and it's still a 5 now.

Linus works for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth and he's been sent to investigate a rather unorthodox orphanage based on Marsyas Island. Unorthodox in the sense that it houses several children considered especially dangerous including Lucy, son of the antichrist, and Sal, a dog shifter who can pass his condition on with a bite, plus Chauncey so rare his species is completely unknown, there are also concerns about the master himself one Arthur Parnassus.

Overall I love this book, the characters are so well-written and the way the relationships develop and they grow into a family are so heart-warming. Found family at it's best 💕

Steff Out x

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

2/5 stars

This book felt confused as to what it wanted to be. It read a lot like a crime thriller, especially in the sections from the cop's point of view (also either refer to her as Jo/Joanna or pick a surname that isn't a common first name, I would get confused whenever her first name was mentioned because Harper so often is a first name) but then there's all this stuff about changelings at the beginning of most chapters.

As for Lauren I really wanted her to officially ditch her useless, unsupportive husband. He was definitely having an affair even if he didn't admit it.

The changeling stuff would have been better if they'd gone into more detail about it and done more research, it was just there and barely. It all felt very vague and incomplete and even the ending wasn't really an ending, it just stopped and it didn't feel like much had changed.

Steff Out x

A Pirate's Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you!

4/5 stars

This was super cute and fun and I still really enjoyed it but slightly less than book one.

For a start I missed their friends back at the tea shop. For another although I was glad the thing with the dragons was solved, at the same time it kind of wasn't. I also thought that the "dethroning" of a certain ruler was a little abrupt in the end. And I wasn't entirely sold on the "meet your heroes" part of the storyline. I don't know if they added enough value as a character.

All that being said, I loved Bobbie and Serina's relationship and their growth as characters. I eagerly await the next book. Also 5/5 for the anniversary short! IYKYK 👀🫦🥵

The book comes out next month! October 3rd to be specific. Go buy it!

Steff Out x 

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you!

5/5 stars

This is super cute and I loved it! The acknowledgements state that she was inspired by "Legends and Lattes" and I can see it and I am here for it!

Reyna is sick of her Queensguard life so decides to follow her secret Mage girlfriend's wishes to abscond to the middle of nowhere and set up a combined tea room and bookshop.

Life isn't simple though. Kianth is basically the boss of the Mages, the most powerful one, and some feel that she's shirking her responsibilities. Their new town also has problems: bandits,dragons and town leaders at loggerheads.

I loved the characters in this and the way everything developed, the pacing was perfect as well.

Steff Out x 

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

3/5 stars

Like the title this book was very slow paced and at one point I did debate whether to continue. I was really not a fan of Shiloh initially, her attitude in the younger sections annoyed me and I hated the way she kept messing with Cary and that part didn't quit.

Cary himself was bland. He had a fairly well-developed family. I really wanted a big blow-out fight between him and his "sister" about all the lies, and a proper conversation with his "mum" about it all. Otherwise his personality was the Navy, he had no interests.

Despite all that something drew me in to their story and I was rooting for them as a couple. I liked the flashbacks but it was a little annoying the way they jumped around time so much. It also felt like not enough time was dedicated to certain parts like Shiloh's first marriage. On the whole I felt that the ending was very rushed. There was no mention of navigating the new relationship within the context of Shiloh's ex and the book just stopped. It felt very anti-climactic.

Steff Out x 

Sing Like No-One's Listening by Vanessa Jones

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

4/5 stars 

Nettie Delaney is the daughter of a star ballerina, however her mum has recently died and she's due to audition at Duke's Performing Arts school, the same one her mum attended. But then a bizarre technical glitch on the day throws her off and she flunks her audition.

Miraculously she manages to get in but Nettie has lost her voice and must rediscover it before she's kicked out of school. All under the watchful eye of headmistress Mrs Duke herself who was a friend of her mother, and whilst trying to avoid her cruel ballet teacher who was apparently an enemy, creating a new mystery for Nettie about her mother's past, something she never spoke about.

This was an easy super cute read. I can't say personally how accurate it was to the real life performing arts school experience but it read well although content warning for disordered eating which is depressingly predictable for this sort of setting.

I loved the characters but I was disappointed that we didn't get the story about Nettie's mum although apparently there is a sequel so hopefully that covers it.

Steff Out x 

The Wilderness Retreat by Jennifer Moore

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

2/5 stars

Bella's only son Asher has just started university so her sister has treated her to a holiday in Sweden at a Wilderness Retreat to help with the "empty nest".

Being so far from her son Bella is on edge from the start, especially when the retreat is declared phone free. Things aren't helped by a note pushed under her door shortly after her arrival: "I know what you did." Tension grows with the arrival of someone from Bella's past...

Honestly this book was 70% of Bella's apparently baseless paranoia and nothing to move the story along. There wasn't enough tension and I can't say I learned enough about Bella as a character (beyond her almost obsessive mother side) to really care about her.

The "payoff" if you can call it that was disappointing and you put if the blue. Also the initial setup of getting Bella there seemed highly implausible and ridiculous.

Overall a disappointing read with bland characters and not enough use of the setting. A change of location would not have affected the story one bit.

Steff Out x 

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

3/5 stars

This was a strange book. April May is a graphic designer working in New York, living with by not "living with" her girlfriend Maya when she suddenly comes across something late at night. A giant robot that she dubs Carl. April calls her best mate Andy out to film a YouTube video about the discovery.

The video goes viral and now April is the unofficial spokesperson for the Carls - one in every major city - and fame and notoriety come flooding in. Then there are the clues, and later the dreams. What does it mean and what is the origin of the Carls?

I loved that at it's heart this is a study on humanity and the power of working together. The story didn't necessarily go where I was expecting but I did enjoy that.

It was let down by a lack of characterisation, due to April's selfish nature we didn't learn a lot about the other characters. I also thought that the middle section was a little slow and repetitive and the ending was a little abrupt and unclear but apparently there is a sequel so I don't know if that would bring more clarity?

Stef Out x 

Fat Witch Summer by Lizzy Ives

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you!

4/5 stars 

Thrash lives in a world where witches are given one of three main Gifts when they show their Knack/magical potential. Glamour, Sight or Growth. Her mom is a top ranked Glamour witch, her late mum had Sight. Osmarra wants Thrash to have Glamour like her even if it's just so she can "fix" her imperfections aka her fatness. Thrash however is drawn to Sight.

An opportunity arises when Cresca, one of the cool girls at school, witnesses the manifestation on Thrash's Knack and invites her on a road trip with her and her friends Saki and Em to get Gifts of their own.

Thrash is understandably worried, she doesn't know these girls, how are they going to get along? There are a few false starts but eventually everything comes together.

I loved the story but I would have liked a little more world-building in story although there is a handy brief history at the end of the book. I also would have liked a bit more character development, it felt like we didn't really get to know Em and Saki as much.

Also petty thing but I loved that Thrash was a fat character and she was OK with that up until the same old anti-swimwear vibe that just feels old.

Stef Out x 

An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Paperback read but ebook previously provided for review from NetGalley. Thank you.

3/5 stars 

An intriguing premise.

Make-up artist Jessica manages to sneak her way on to a paid social experiment about morality after overhearing a client's phonecall. The money is appealing to her, her dad has been made redundant and she has a disabled sister who requires expensive therapies.

However it soon transpires that the experiment is a cover for therapist Dr Lydia Shields' personal experiment about infidelity.

This started out so well but then as the book went on it felt more ridiculous but I was still expecting some kind of big climax but it just fizzled out.

Stef Out x 

Hiding Him by Adam Hattan

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

4/5 stars

This was super cute!

Cam is the only out gay guy at his school and he spends his time hanging out with best mates Geri and Robyn, ogling his teacher and avoiding school bully West. That is until new student Finn arrives...

I found the story super cute and super relatable (even though I am well past school age 😂) but there was a slight case of instalove. Also the plotline about the school show just disappeared.

The characters could probably have used a little more development, I didn't really know them and Geri and Robyn blended together a little at times. I also wanted a proper resolution for West.

Overall though fantastic vibes and I loved the writing style!

Stef Out x 

Taking Chances by Erin McKenzie

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

3/5 stars

This was a super cute story. Val is an ex-foster kid who, after seeing a sign one day, decides to undergo a training course to become a foster parent. Co-running the course are her old caseworker Connie and Paige. Paige is cute but appears stuck-up in Val's mind.

Paige's stuck-up appearance is just nerves and the fact that even on first sight she is crushing hard on Val but then she becomes the caseworker in Val's first foster kid case and now there's a conflict of interest...

I loved the build up of the romance in this, it was slow-burn with lots of bond building. I also loved Val's interactions with the foster kids.

I did feel like overall the book could have been a little bit longer. There was a time jump that didn't feel very necessary and then the ending was very abrupt and rushed and I wanted more detail of them building their life together.

CW: drug use, suicide, child abuse, death of parent.

Stef Out x 

Brothersong by TJ Klune

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

5/5 stars

The fourth and final Book of the Green Creek series follows Carter, the oldest Bennett brother and picks up after Book 3's finish with him following Gavin into the wilderness.

We get flashbacks of Carter's childhood as the eldest and his role as protector towards Kelly and Joe, and every extra little bit we're shown about this family just makes me love them more.

I love how Klune writes about love. The love between brothers, the love between parent and child, the love for your friends, and of course romantic love and how it's not always what you expect. I read falling in love being described once as "happening slowly, then all at once" and I think that describes Carter perfectly.

All in all if there were 100 of these books I'd happily read them all.

Stef Out x

The Family Experiment by John Marrs

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

4/5 stars

In the not so distant future tech and AI have taken over, cost of living is horrendous, the NHS barely exists (context indicates that it mainly only helps kids under a certain age), and having a child via IVF is prohibitively expensive. Enter the Metaverse and their groundbreaking new endeavour: a virtual child. Due to be rolled out nationally it opens with a televised competition where the public vote for the best family. The family that wins gets to either keep their virtual child or £250,000 to have a real child of their own.

This was a fascinating concept and while it took a while to get to know the families I loved the progression and how little tidbits of information were slowly revealed throughout the book. All the families had secrets and finding those out was so satisfying. I also really liked the mixed media format with advertisements and social media threads dotted through the book.

The only thing is I wish that the ending was a little more rounded out, it felt a little incomplete. I also would have liked more detail about the world they're living in. What year is it, what has changed, what caused these changes?

Stef Out x

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston

Ebook provided by Pan MacMillan via NetGalley for review. Thank you.

4/5 stars

Theo and Kit are exes who split in a blaze prior to a food tour of Europe. Now Theo (Theodora) is finally using her rescheduled ticket to get away from things and take a break before her sommelier exam. But who should she meet but Kit, also redeeming his ticket. Things start off tense but friendship regrows out of a hook-up competition and Theo realises she's falling back in love with Kit.

The book is split into two halves, the first half narrated by Theo and the second half by Kit. I loved reading both their perspectives on both current and past events.

The characterisation of our two mains was beautiful and Theo and Kit were so well-rounded but a lot of the side characters felt flat and under-used, the rest of the people on the food tour for example.

Also as someone who is not a foodie and not a drinker the constant food and drink descriptions got a little boring. I preferred reading about the scenery and the local people more. Also excellent queer rep throughout, Theo and Kit are both bi/pan and there were multiple displays of this, plus side characters - those of which I'd have liked to have known more of their story.

Stef Out x

Jemima Small versus the Universe by Tamsin Winter

 

4/5 stars

Jemima Small is 12 going on 13. She is super smart, science and maths are her specialities but she knows a lot about a lot. Her body image is however not great. She's fat and the kids at school and even members of the public will not let her forget about it.

Then comes a weigh-in in science class, a remarkably cruel thing for a school to sanction, especially in front of peers, the results of which lead Jemima to be invited to fat club. Jemima dreads it but it turns out that Gina who runs it is actually kind of nice and not at all weight loss obsessed but more concerned with overall wellbeing, including mental wellbeing.

Alongside this Jemima has a chance to star on her favourite smart kids TV quiz show but will she let her body worries get in the way?

This was a super cute, quick read. It was let down slightly by the mum thing being brushed over so quickly, the ending felt a little abrupt and there were also a few Harry Potter references which dated things slightly, especially as there were no other pop culture references.

Stef Out x

The Dragons Are In by Briany Barnes

 

2/5 stars

A story with no build-up.

The fairies are just living their lives, one of our main characters, Azula, visits her dragon foster parents, and then travelling fairy Garnet visits and tells them all about the towns plan to chop down part of the forest to build a new road.

The fairies then decide to crash the town meeting and find out more and maybe influence some good humans into stopping it. Those good humans are some travellers living nearby. They fail on this instance and the trees are gone. The fairies continue communicating with one traveller girl, Melanie, who runs a local gift shop. Their presence improves the shop's prospects.

On the other side the developer in charge of chopping the trees down has his three kids staying with him for the summer holidays, he and his daughter Lucy don't see eye to eye. An argument pushes her away and she makes friends with Melanie and her friends.

The story was pleasant enough but didn't connect very well, and things seemed too easily resolved. There's no stakes. On the technical side speech was very formal, even amongst children and in relationships. There wasn't always a lot of distinction between scenes and characters would be introduced out of nowhere. Definitely could have done with at least another round of beta readers and editing.

Stef Out x

According to Yes by Dawn French

 

5/5 stars

Rosie Kitto has run away from her life as a primary school teacher in Cornwall to nanny for a fancy family in New York. Glenn and Thomas, their son Kemble and his sons, 28 year old Tommy and twins Red and Three. Kemble is going through a slightly bitter divorce and the whole family under Glenn's influence are stiff and unhappy.

Rosie's presence gradually warms things up, doors open, curtains open, light floods in both literally and figuratively. But along the way things occur which turn everything on its head.

I did want more from the ending, maybe some clarity, but maybe they're leaving it as a Mamma Mia situation, without too much in the way of spoilers that gives a big hint as to the events of the novel. It is a trope I'm not a massive fan of (initials A.P.) but it did work well in this situation.

Overall I did really enjoy this though, I loved how everything progressed and everyone grew.

Stef Out x

The Colour Purple by Alice Walker

 

2/5 stars

According to the amount of 5 star reviews on Goodreads this is a really popular book and to be honest I'm not totally sure why.

I hated the writing style. The way it was written was very tell rather than show. You can show that someone is poor and ill-educated in ways other than near illiterate writing. It made it hard for me to follow what was going on. Especially with all the references of Mr. — rather than using his actual surname.

The book seemed violent just for the sake of it. That opening chapter felt like trauma porn. You can indicate that she is a young person going through rape a lot less graphically. It wasn't necessary and it didn't add anything to the story. Then there were the beatings. We know that in those days men often hit their wives but did we need so many references to it? Also Sofia's excessive violence didn't make any sense.

I also didn't particularly care much about Nettie's letters, other than the fact that they were easier to read. She was an absent character for half the book and now we're supposed to care about all her ins and outs and missionary work. Sorry but not me.

I did like that Celie grew throughout the book and eventually started her own business and had her happy ending.

Stef Out x

Heartsong by TJ Klune

 

Ebook previously provided by NetGalley for review and hardback copy bought by myself.

5/5 stars

I think I'm gonna go ahead and call this my favourite book series. I love the characters and the way the stories are all interwoven and seeing the different characters points of view.

Heartsong is Robbie's story. When it opens he's living at the complex with Michelle Hughes and my assumption was that this had gone back in time to before he came to Green Creek. It soon transpires that this is not the case... He had been kidnapped and had his memory wiped. Having to fit back into the place where he clearly belongs but has no clue about was hard on him but he tried, bless him!

I just want to give everyone massive hugs, they go through so much trauma but they just keep going! Thanks to the extra twist near the end I'm extra eager for Brothersong to get released and read Carter's story, one of the characters that seems most together in the surface but the reality is otherwise.

Stef Out x

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

 

5/5 stars

Well this was fantastic!

Based on South American mythology were the Gods or Dioses are separated into three groups: the Gold "superstars", the Jade important but lowly, and Obsidian, only three named Gods but bad news and were shut away.

Teo is 17 and the trans son of Quetzal, the Jade bird Goddess/Diosa. I loved how casually his transness is talked about, a binder was mentioned but actually he's had top surgery and the binder is for his wings - the downside to being a bird demigod, or semidios, is birds are sexually dimorphic and there are plumahe differences - their colour is the last big dysphoric thing about him.

Coming up are the Sunbearer Trials, a competition where the winner out of 10 is chosen to sacrifice the loser to refuel the sunstone that protects the kingdoms. The last Jade chosen for the competition 130 years ago lost and was sacrificed. This year Teo and fellow Jade Xio are both chosen.

This was so fast paced but also emotional and I loved the world-building and the characters and the ups and downs and that twist ending and I can't wait for the sequel now!

Stef Out x

The First Move by Jenny Ireland

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

4/5 stars

This was super cute. Kind of enemies to lovers but the high school version 😂

Juliet is worried about school. She's just had to start using crutches full time for her arthritis and she's worried about people's reactions. Thankfully there's a new guy at school, Ronan, transferred for one year only. Juliet thinks he's arrogant and has attitude, her childhood best friend Tara is obsessed with him.

Ronan has changed schools to avoid some classmates he associates with bad times. Ronan has a secret obsession with chess so joins a site where you can play virtual matches and chat. He gets matched with a user name PRETTYBASIC and the pair bond.

As I'm sure you've worked out PRETTYBASIC is Juliet, and when they eventually realise they go to the same school she is naturally worried that whoever he is will be put off by her disability.

There are certainly some ups and downs along the way but this is a super cute story with some great characters.

Stef Out x

Ravensong by TJ Klune

 

Ebook previously provided by NetGalley for review and hardback since purchased by myself.

5/5 stars

Book one, Wolfsong, introduced to the Bennett wolf pack via Ox, book two, Ravensong, follows Gordo. Ox's best friend/boss/mentor/surrogate father figure, and the witch to the pack.

We get details about Gordo's childhood, his witch father and his untrusting mother and the way they affected his own ability to trust and lead him to ignore life-changing bonds.

Through Gordo's point of view we also get more details about what happened in the background of book one when Gordo, Joe, Carter and Kelly go off hunting Richard Collins. I really appreciated this extra context and it shows just how intricately that these books have been woven together. So much thought has gone into the planning of the series and it's just beautiful.

The characters are all amazingly written and I love the banter! It can be a life or death scene and someone will say something that will still make me laugh and I love it!

There is a rather spicy scene so these books are definitely not for younger readers. For people who don't wish to read it the run-up is clear enough that it can be easily skipped.

All in all these books have my heart!

Stef Out x

Avocado Bliss by Candace Robinson and Gerardo Delgadillo

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

4/5 

Dacre and his younger brothers are staying with their mum in Mexico. Since his parents split she lives in Mexico and their dad in Texas which involves frequent travelling. This trip is going to be different. First there's Francisco, their mum's new boyfriend who is 20 years her junior. Then there's Sal.

Sal and her dad own and run an avocado farm. They used to have help in Sal's aunt Matilda but she's recently passed away and they're struggling. Dacre comes by to buy some avocados and Sal offers him a job on the spot, without even knowing his name.

Sal thinks Dacre is a good worker but she's annoyed by his frequent bathroom breaks, down to his diabetes which he hasn't told her about to avoid the inevitable sympathy issues. All that changes when they go on what's supposed to be a 2 day delivery trip together...

I thought this was really cute and I loved how Dacre and Sal's friendship evolved.

Stef Out x