Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Punching The Air By: Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam

Punching The Air
Author: Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam
Publisher: Harper Collins/ Balzar + Bray
Published: September 2020
Format: ARC Paperback/ Hardcover
Pages: 400
Rating: 4.5/5
Summary:

The story that I thought

was my life

didn’t start on the day

I was born 

Amal Shahid has always been an artist and a poet. But even in a diverse art school, he’s seen as disruptive and unmotivated by a biased system. Then one fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighborhood escalates into tragedy. “Boys just being boys” turns out to be true only when those boys are white. 

The story that I think

will be my life 

starts today

Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal’s bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art. This never should have been his story. But can he change it? 

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Holding You Close By: Kennedy Fox

Holding You Close (Lawton Ridge Duet Series #4)
Author: Kennedy Fox
Publisher: Kennedy Fox
Published: March 2021
Format: ARC E-Book
Pages: 251
Rating: 5/5
Summary:
After serving a decade long prison sentence for an accident that resulted in my husband’s death, Noah Reid returns. Even if he was my childhood best friend and the first man I secretly loved, I refuse to make it easy for him. But the heart never forgets and those old repressed feelings quickly bubble to the surface.

Loving him is a dangerous game but one I’m willing to play.

Flirting leads to falling between the sheets, and I’m forced to deal with the guilt of what we’re doing. Viciousness towards Noah runs rampant and while revenge trickles through the streets of Lawton Ridge, I realize there’s more on the line than just my heart. While I’m afraid that my son and I will be caught in the crossfire of those who want to hurt Noah, I can’t walk away. 

Secrets are revealed and revelations are made, but losing him again isn’t an option—especially since I’m pregnant. 

Thursday, February 18, 2021

Jingle Wars By: R. Holmes & Veronica Eden

Jingle Wars
Author: R. Holmes & Veronica Eden
Publisher: R. Holmes & Veronica Eden
Published: November 2020
Format: ARC E-Book
Pages: 276
Rating: 5/5
Summary:

Two inns, one town, and there’s not enough room for the both of them.

Add in a reindeer-ish donkey, a Christmas competition, and a rivalry to end all rivalries and you’re bound to end up in disaster, right?

Finn Mayberry has enough on his plate trying to keep his Grandparents inn afloat. The last thing he needed was some California state of mind starlet bulldozing into his town and throwing up a five-star resort right next to his family’s inn.

But, now she’s here and he can’t get her out of his town or his head.

Freya Anderson took one look at the snowcapped mountains of Hollyridge and fell in love. She’s finally here and ready to take on the task of proving to her father that she can handle running Alpine.

She never expected to make enemies with the sinfully delicious lumberjack of a man who runs the inn next door. He’s moody, impossible and completely off limits.

There can only be one winner, but you know what they say. All is fair in love and… Jingle Wars?

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Pushing You Away By: Kennedy Fox

Pushing You Away (Lawton Ridge Duet Series #3)
Author: Kennedy Fox
Publisher: Kennedy Fox
Published: February 2021
Format: ARC E-Book
Pages: 225
Rating: 5/5
Summary:
I’ve been in love with my best friend Katie Walker for as long as I can remember. We may have shared our deepest, darkest secrets but that one I’ve kept to myself. Before I got the courage to confess my true feelings, my cousin Gabe moved to town and swept Katie off her feet. 

I should’ve admitted how I felt but I couldn’t—especially once they got married.

When I caught Gabe cheating on his pregnant wife, I snapped. A deadly fight erupted and before I could comprehend what happened, I was charged with his murder and sent to prison.

The day I’m released, I go straight to Katie’s house. But after pushing her away for a decade while I was behind bars—she slams the door in my face—wanting nothing to do with me. 

While she’s determined to pretend I don’t exist, this time I’m not going anywhere. 

Thursday, January 14, 2021

You Don't Want A Dragon By: Ame Dyckman

You Don't Want A Dragon
Author: Ame Dyckman
Publisher: Little Brown
Published: June 2020
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 40
Rating: 5/5
Summary:
Our protagonist wishes (much to the narrator's continued chagrin) for a pet dragon. Though initially thrilled, the kid quickly discovers that dragons aren't quite as awesome as they originally thought. From the scooting to the digging to the fire-breathing, our Kid is dismayed that they still haven't found their perfect pet. Little do they know, that pet might just be right around the corner... 






Monday, January 11, 2021

Sun Kissed By: Jenny McLachlan

Sun Kissed (The Ladybirds #3)
Author: Jenny McLachlan
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Published: April 2017 (First Published August 2015)
Format: ARC Paperback
Pages: 224
Rating: 3/5
Summary:
Kat can't believe her family is sending her to Sweden for the summer. But without her friends Bea and Betty, or even a phone signal, can Kat make it on her own?

In a land of saunas and summer sun, Kat soon realizes she has nowhere to hide. It's time to let go of what she thinks people want her to be, so she can embrace who she really is. Especially if she's going to win the heart of the cute Swede Leo.



Kat soon finds that when you're surrounded by phosphorescence and wonder it's easy to sparkle. Or maybe you only shine when you're true to yourself.

Saturday, January 9, 2021

The Sun Is Also A Star By: Nicola Yoon

The Sun Is Also A Star
Author: Nicola Yoon
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Published: November 2016
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 384
Rating: 4/5
Summary:
Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.


The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?


Thursday, January 7, 2021

After By: Anna Todd

After (After #1)
Author: Anna Todd
Publisher: Gallery Books (Originally Published on Wattpad)
Published: October 2014
Format: Paperback
Pages: 582
Rating: 3/5
Summary:
Tessa is a good girl with a sweet, reliable boyfriend back home. She’s got direction, ambition, and a mother who’s intent on keeping her that way. 

But she’s barely moved into her freshman dorm when she runs into Hardin. With his tousled brown hair, cocky British accent, tattoos, and lip ring, Hardin is cute and different from what she’s used to. 

But he’s also rude—to the point of cruelty, even. For all his attitude, Tessa should hate Hardin. And she does—until she finds herself alone with him in his room. Something about his dark mood grabs her, and when they kiss it ignites within her a passion she’s never known before. 

He’ll call her beautiful, then insist he isn't the one for her and disappear again and again. Despite the reckless way he treats her, Tessa is compelled to dig deeper and find the real Hardin beneath all his lies. He pushes her away again and again, yet every time she pushes back, he only pulls her in deeper. 

Tessa already has the perfect boyfriend. So why is she trying so hard to overcome her own hurt pride and Hardin’s prejudice about nice girls like her? 

Unless…could this be love?


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