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AlizaApp

AlizaApp

Joined September 2016

The books are great and so are my nails 💅🏼
review
AlizaApp
A Very Merry Bromance | Lyssa Kay Adams
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I love this series! I read this one slightly out of season (😆) but found it just as delightful. Colton, the famous country singer, is trying to convince immigration attorney Gretchen to give him another chance.

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AlizaApp
Scattered Showers | Rainbow Rowell
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A sweet and lovely collection of romantic short stories. It was lovely to get more Simon and Baz and to see Regan from Fangirl get her moment. But my favorite one was about two college students falling love over mix CDs ❤️

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AlizaApp
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Interesting short story collection from the same author as Severance. Most stories have an element of magical realism or fantasy/sci-fi, though some stories felt more fully realized than others.

Reggie Loved Peking Duck. Whose story is whose? Who gets to tell it. And how she expected the other Asian guy to be her ally and he just crapped all over it. I love that story. 2w
22 likes1 stack add1 comment
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AlizaApp
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I could see the build-up to Charlie‘s eating disorder and I think the writer did a great job showing them dealing with his mental health. Another sweet addition to this series, and looking forward to volume 5.

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AlizaApp
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In an Indiana affordable housing building, the lives of several tenants intersect. There is some violence but also some lovely moments of connection.

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AlizaApp
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So glad to be back in the world of Elfhame for this spinoff series starring Oak and his childhood friend Suren. They are on a quest and don‘t quite trust each other - as is typical for faerie. I enjoyed both points of view and can‘t wait for the sequel!

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AlizaApp
All This Could Be Different: A Novel | Sarah Thankam Mathews
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A young college graduate takes an ethically questionable consulting job in Wisconsin to avoid having to move back home India. She starts dating women and enjoying her financial independence, but soon everything threatens to unravel. I really loved this bittersweet coming of age novel!

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AlizaApp
Saga vol. 10 | Brian K. Vaughan
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Ok it‘s been a while since volume 9, but it was so nice to be back with the Saga crew. Excited to keep reading!

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AlizaApp
Spare | Prince Harry the Duke of Sussex
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Yes, Harry had a rough go of it - a cold family who didn‘t even give him a hug when his mother died - but I think the biggest reveal here was that he has never gotten along with Will, completely counter to the prevailing press narrative for like three decades. Anyway, I wish him and Meghan happiness and hope this memoir gave him some closure.

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AlizaApp
Trust | Hernan Diaz
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Absolutely phenomenal novel consisting of four interlocked novellas, each one from a new perspective and relieving new elements of the story and the characters. Highly recommend!

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AlizaApp
Liberation Day: Stories | George Saunders
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Another excellent short story collection from Saunders. All slightly absurd and satirical, and with the writer‘s trademark wit. “Ghoul” was a standout for me but they were all great.

23 likes1 stack add
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AlizaApp
Heartstopper: Volume 3 | Alice Oseman
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The adventures of Charlie and Nick continue, as the boys go on a class trip to Paris and Nick contemplates coming out. Tao and Elle have a cute side romance as well! You also start to see Nick noticing Charlie‘s eating, setting the stage for them to deal more with mental health in volume 4. I love this graphic novel series and can‘t wait for the next season of the show!

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AlizaApp
The Kiss Curse: A Novel | Erin Sterling
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Second in the series was equally delightful. Gwyn (Viv‘s cousin from book 1) is happy running Something Wicked and living her best witchy life when Wells Penhallow shows up in Graves Glen to reestablish his family‘s connection to the town - and opens a rival shop across from hers. Romance and witchcraft ensue!

26 likes1 stack add
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AlizaApp
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Witty and funny - and sometimes sad - story of a 60s female chemist and her untraditional path to TV stardom as the host of a cooking show. Also: chosen family, an intelligent dog, lots of feminism.

24 likes1 stack add
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AlizaApp
Either/Or | Elif Batuman
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I absolutely loved this sequel to The Idiot, this one covering Selin‘s second year of college. As the year draws to a close, she lands a summer job writing for a travel guide in Turkey, and spends the first half of the summer in sketchy hostels and sleeping with pretty much any random Turkish man who offers. Some scary things happen to her but she remains unbothered. I love the writing and story and eagerly await the next book in the series.

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AlizaApp
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An unconventional but enjoyable romance. Feyi, a young widow, agrees to spend some time in the Caribbean with a new man, one of the first she has dated since her husband passed, only to arrive on the island and fall for…his father, a celebrity chef. I liked the way Emezi writes about both love and grief.

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AlizaApp
Black Cake | Charmaine Wilkerson
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Two estranged siblings reunite after their mother has died, where they are faced with her final bequest: a tape she has left them explaining a painful family secret. The story moves quickly, on multiple timelines, and I enjoyed the different points of view.

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AlizaApp
Manhunt | Gretchen Felker-Martin
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Mehso-so

An interesting concept but did not love it. A plague had turned anyone with too much testosterone into a rapist monster zombie, and two trans women are trying to hunt down enough estrogen to stay alive. The other enemy is a TERF army. Look, I get it, but pretty much every cis person turns out to be like cartoonishly evil. This was maybe more horror than dystopia.

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AlizaApp
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This Cold War espionage novel is a classic for a reason - every scheme and double-cross has a reason and a plan behind it. Every action has consequences and everyone is playing the long game. Absolutely loved this one.

29 likes1 stack add
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AlizaApp
Station Eternity | Mur Lafferty
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In this sci-fi mystery, Mallory has gone to live on a sentient space station after murders keep happening in her presence on earth. She solves them, too, but everyone is always suspicious of her. Anyway she has picked this station because there are no other humans there - but then humans arrive, and an alien is murdered. I enjoyed the story and the world building. I want to know what happens next!

27 likes2 stack adds
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AlizaApp
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The second book in this cozy mystery series about the Mitford sisters was delightful. This one centered on Pamela, who is not my fave of the sisters, but it was still a good mystery. Looking forward to what they‘ll do with Diana in the next book…👀

MaleficentBookDragon Ohhh, looks lovely. Where are you? 3mo
AlizaApp Bali! 😎🌴 @MaleficentBookDragon (edited) 3mo
29 likes2 comments
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AlizaApp
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Wow wow wow. What an amazing end to this trilogy. I loved the resolution and also the ending that left space for more stories in this universe. Highly highly recommend!

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AlizaApp
Concrete Rose | Angie Thomas
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This prequel to The Hate U Give follow‘s Starr‘s dad, Maverick, as he becomes a teenage father and tries to plan for his future. I was skeptical about liking it as much, but I really enjoyed Maverick‘s voice and journey.

32 likes1 stack add
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AlizaApp
Trouble Follows Me | Ross Macdonald
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A noir classic that starts in Honolulu in 1945 and continues on to Detroit and eventually California via elaborate train ride, with several suspicious deaths along the way.

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AlizaApp
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Second in this series, in this one Sebastian, the psychic cousin, works with a tough private eye to save a kidnapped young boy - and then go after the crime ring that snatched him. The romance was nice but I actually enjoyed the undercover part more.

annahenke Great nails! 3mo
AlizaApp @annahenke thanks! 💅 3mo
33 likes2 comments
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AlizaApp
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Mehso-so

A romance between a witch and a Hollywood screenwriter who doesn‘t believe that witches are real. This book is from the 90s and some things did feel outdated, but overall I enjoyed.

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AlizaApp
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Second in this series about vampires who knit and the woman - granddaughter of one of said vampires - who runs the yarn store and solves crimes. In this one, Lucy is on the case when an older man collapses and dies in the tea shop next door.

28 likes1 stack add
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AlizaApp
Carrie Soto Is Back | Taylor Jenkins Reid
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Another winner from Taylor Jenkins Reid! Carrie Soto is one of most famous tennis players in the world who comes out of retirement in her mid-30s to defend her record against a younger - and maybe better - competitor. I am not a huge sports fan and yet I really loved this novel about aging, legacy, and family.

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AlizaApp
Drunk on Love | Jasmine Guillory
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A sweet romance between an executive at a winery and a man she sleeps with before realizing he is her newest employee. Jasmine Guillory fans will enjoy some past fave characters showing up as surprise guests at the winery!

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AlizaApp
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A dystopian future in which the surveillance state separates parents from their children at the slightest perceived infraction. Mothers are judged more harshly than fathers, people of color more than White people, etc. An intriguing premise and very well-written!

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AlizaApp
Flying Solo: A Novel | Linda Holmes
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Laurie has returned home to Maine for a few weeks to pack up her late great-aunt‘s home. In the process, she reconnects with her first love (now the town‘s hot librarian) and finds a mysterious duck carving that leads to new understandings about her aunt‘s life.

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AlizaApp
The Bodyguard: A Novel | Katherine Center
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Hannah is a bodyguard who must pretend to be the girlfriend of the famous actor she is protecting, so his family won‘t know he is in danger. I enjoyed the slow burn romance!

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AlizaApp
Something Wilder | Christina Lauren
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A fun romance and adventure story! A second chance romance with a side of buried treasure.

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AlizaApp
The No-Show | Beth O'Leary
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I absolutely loved this non-traditional romance novel. Three very different women are stood up on Valentine‘s Day, all by the same man. Despite this behavior he is not what he seems, and I was really rooting for all three of the women to get their happily ever after.

BennettBookworm Loved this!! 4mo
BennettBookworm Loved this!! 4mo
LiteraryinLawrence Me too! 4mo
35 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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AlizaApp
Verity | Colleen Hoover
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This was my first Colleen Hoover! A fun and twisty thriller with lots of unreliable characters. Lowen is a struggling writer when she is tapped to ghost-write the end of a popular series by a famous writer named Verity, who has been in an accident. When she meets Verify‘s family and learns about their tragic past, she can‘t help feeling like something sinister is going on. Everyone has secrets and is unsettling.

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AlizaApp
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Liked but did not love this story about Hollywood in the 40s. Told from multiple viewpoints and spanning continents, with beautiful writing. But even though it seemed epic, I did not feel attached by the end.

Cinfhen Great review!!! 5mo
AlizaApp @Cinfhen thanks! ❤️ 5mo
Cinfhen Your nails are awesome!!!! 5mo
26 likes3 comments
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AlizaApp
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An excellent graphic novel memoir about the writer‘s time spent working in the male-dominated oil fields of Canada in order to pay off her student loans. Frank honestly of the challenges of sexism (and sexual assault) and how getting an education gave her alternatives - none of which paid a living wage.

Branwen Just finished reading this recently as well, and loved it! 5mo
24 likes1 stack add1 comment
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AlizaApp
Vladimir | Julia May Jonas
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An English professor whose husband - also a professor - is being investigated for alleged sexual abuses finds herself attracted to a hotshot new writing professor at her small upstate New York college. The way she writes about aging and desire was brilliant. I couldn‘t put this one down.

23 likes1 stack add
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AlizaApp
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This novel was as excellent as everyone said. Sam and Sadie meet as kids and discover a mutual love of video games; their friendship has its ups and downs but through it all, they keep creating new games and challenging each other.

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AlizaApp
Mooncakes | Suzanne Walker
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A sweet graphic novel! Nova works at her grandmother‘s bookstore - which often involves lots of spell books - and soon reconnects with her best friend Tam, who is a werewolf. Together they must battle a horse demon, while trying to figure out their feelings for each other.

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AlizaApp
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A Grishaverse prequel graphic novel about the Darkling when he was young. Really gorgeous illustration. I guess this will have to hold me over until the next book comes out!

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AlizaApp
Fangs | Sarah Andersen
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Very sweet graphic novel about a relationship between a vampire (her) and a werewolf (him).

25 likes1 stack add
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AlizaApp
The Paris Apartment | Lucy Foley
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Jess arrives in Paris from London to stay with her half-brother Ben, but when she arrives he is missing and his (unexpectedly fancy) apartment building is filled with mysterious strangers who all seem to be hiding something. A fast-paced thriller and mystery that keeps you guessing.

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AlizaApp
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An insightful but snarky (the Tina Brown brand!) look at the Royal family in the years after Diana‘s death leading up to the present. This includes a lot about Camilla, Will and Kate, Harry and Meghan, and the Prince Andrew scandal. As an American I think I like Meghan a lot more than Tina does, but overall a fascinating insider-y look at a normally very closed institution.

23 likes1 stack add
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AlizaApp
Book Lovers | Emily Henry
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I really enjoyed this romance novel, in which a big-city girl goes to a small town in North Carolina with her sister for a month…but recognizes that she still loves the city better. Also one of her professional rivals is there but sniping turns to flirting pretty quickly. Anyway this was a fun one!

29 likes1 stack add
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AlizaApp
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I absolutely loved this novel about loss and love and aging and life. Alice, who is about to turn 40, accidentally time travels back to her 16th birthday and is taken aback by how young her (now dying) father is, how many choices still are ahead of her, the closeness with her best friend who now lives in the suburbs with a family. She must figure out if she can change her present - or if she even wants to.

BarbaraBB Loved this too! 6mo
Chelsea.Poole Me too! 6mo
BittersweetBooks One of my favorite reads from this year! 6mo
37 likes3 comments
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AlizaApp
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Another weird one from Moshfegh - this is not a complaint. In a small village, the bastard son of the local shepherd becomes wrapped up in a wealthy landowner‘s scheme.

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AlizaApp
Mooncakes | Suzanne Walker
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Ahhhh thank you so much @erank58 for this amazing #BasicWitchSwap package! So excited to read these books, and the tarot deck is absolutely gorgeous. I have a very artsy family so I always love handmade - the wreath is so lovely! Happy Halloween and Samhain!

Thanks to @sprainedbrain for organizing! 🖤🎃👻

CBee Mooncakes and The Mercies ♥️♥️♥️ 7mo
sprainedbrain Love this! ❤️ 7mo
erank58 Yay!!! So glad you love your box ❤️ 7mo
24 likes3 comments
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AlizaApp
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What an amazing package of goodies!! Thank you so much @Laughterhp - I am so excited to read these books, and absolutely in love with the Beetlejuice socks, the pins, and all the other treats. I may already have lit the candle as well. Happy Halloween!

Thanks also to @wanderinglynn for organizing! #hhs22 #HauntedHollowSwap 🎃🖤🍂📚

Laughterhp Yay! Glad you like everything! Happy Halloween! 7mo
wanderinglynn Great haul! 🎃 7mo
AlizaApp @wanderinglynn agreed!! 🖤 7mo
30 likes3 comments
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AlizaApp
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A retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Isabella works for a literary agency and her career has stalled when she gets sent to visit Beau, a reclusive author, to get his latest book ready. Very sweet and also more PG than Jasmine‘s other books. But just as many snacks!