Holy. Guacamole. I knew this was going to be a heartwrencher, but I‘m pretty sure the audio made it that much more intense. My emotions were all over the place as I listened, and I mean *all* over the place. It was devastating, but uplifting. I can‘t say much else without spoiling the whole thing for you, but I walked away from this story with a little bird of hope in my chest, despite also feeling sadness. It was the ending I needed.

I received a free copy of The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin from Putnam Books, and I‘ve been reading it in anticipation of its release on Tuesday the 9th. Have you read this book yet?? It is absolutely crushing my emotions. I was expecting it to be good, but I didn‘t expect it to be *this* good. 😳

This book was intense & pretty difficult to read. Patel didn‘t sugarcoat the struggles of her characters, which, unfortunately, are the struggles of many teens around the world. Yet I saw it as a tribute to them and their perseverance and strength. It‘s an intensely emotional read that is going to make plenty of people uncomfortable, but I think that‘s an important part of the reading experience. And I think everyone should read it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

How awesome is my #allhallowsreadbookexchange package from @That-Bookish-Hiker ?! I need to point out that the orange bag was filled with candy that was devoured almost completely before the books were even opened (#noselfcontrol) and there are 2 pairs of socks that went straight into the wash so I can wear a pair tomorrow (#habit) (#imherefortheboos). Also? Loving the European covers!! Thanks Cristal!! 🎃 👻

Woot! Thanks to @That-Bookish-Hiker I can‘t wait for 10/31! 👏🏻👏🏻 Yours will be heading out this week. 😁 #allhallowsreadbookexchange

@SilversReviews this is my favorite idea of the day. 😁 I am kind of obsessed with my #bitmoji and jump at the chance to throw her in any digital conversation I can. (No, really. Just ask my sister or husband.) And yes, mine looks a *lot* like me, RBF and all. Ha!

Finally opened my exciting #theretellingbookswap package from @bookish_wookish and it‘s awesome! I‘ve never heard of either title, so I‘m excited to give them a read. Sisters Red is a Little Red Riding Hood retelling and Sweetly is Hansel and Gretel. And socks, a bookmark, and page tabs, all of which are some of my favorite things! Thanks for the thoughtfulness Amy! ❤️

Got this exciting package today from @bookish_wookish 🎉 Yours will be delivered Sunday in an Amazon box. . . I may or may not have written my dates wrong thinking I was mailing it Monday. Long story short: free express shipping is a lifesaver. 😂😂 #theretellingbookswap

I was way too giddy when I opened my #letsgetcozy package. @Sydsavvy you knocked this one out of the park! I‘m super excited to read all 3 of these books, especially Jane Steele - I let out a bit of a scream when I saw it appear from beneath the wrapping - it‘s been on my TBR pile since it first came out. 🎉 Thank you so much!! This totally made my Friday! ❤️📚🙏🏼

My #letsgetcozy package arrived and now I'm impatiently counting down the days until Friday. 😊⏳

Has anyone else joined the #diversebooksclub on GR (they're also on IG)? I'm really looking forward to #reading all of this month's selections and joining into the discussion. #diversebooks #weneeddiversebooks

I'm so excited! I just signed up for #theretellingbookswap hosted by @Mommamanzi - swapping fairytale retellings! Sign ups go through September 9, and you can find the link in Mommamanzi's feed! 👏🏻👏🏻

Joan was socially awkward and completely happy to be locked within her own literary worlds. Her story was like peeking behind the facade of “every woman"; she said the things we often find ourselves thinking, but not saying out loud, about being a woman and motherhood. It was an ode to us – the lives we live, the sacrifices we make, our successes. There was an honesty and a beauty in her story that was undeniable. Highly recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hello, Monday. And so we meet again.

#booksandcoffee #mondaymorningvibes

I loved that these characters were all so completely untrustworthy and full of themselves. The narrator, Cass, was phenomenally unreliable. Everything about this kept me on my toes until the end. Highly recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#booksparksbookclub

I will buy every set of these that they make. The "cute" factor is more than I can handle! ?

I had an absolute blast reading this book. It was fun, had a lot of heart, & a great family dynamic. Between the sharks and the family and personal relationships, Maeve had a lot of vulnerabilities in this book, and it was really fun to see how she reacted to them. And oh my gosh, the literary references and quotes! Her grandmother‘s love of all things bookish made my little booknerd ❤️ go pitter-patter. Highly recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Received via #kidlitexchange network for an honest review. This is one of those books that just grabs your heart and never really let‘s go; there‘s a lot of emotion in the story. I absolutely loved that this book took place around the town‘s love of the home team. It was such a great summertime story. Reading it at any time throughout the year will instantly transport the reader to the middle of June and summer vacation. Highly recommend. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The main character (the girl) drew me in from the start. She had an innocence about her, a precociousness that comes with childhood, but also an underlying sense of understanding and that innate self-preservation mode that comes with a difficult life. Told from the girl‘s perspective, details are shared in a way that only a child can get away with (adds a great emotional dimension). Highly recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I appreciated that this book really took a deeper look into female friendships. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a new voice in women‘s fiction. The characters are really fleshed out well, and regardless of your current lot in life, I think you‘ll be able to find something relatable in Nancy‘s search to find herself again. And did I mention it‘s set in Hawaii? *swoon* ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a really exciting #ya read. The characters were unique and engaging, and the storyline and the use of supernatural powers kept it from feeling like anything I've read before.

I had a blast reading this book: sass, snark, & smart, witty & funny characters with very distinct & entertaining personalities; I was never bored reading about them. I also loved that it felt like a sarcastic ode to our society‘s obsession with health and fitness, taking a crack at the insane extremes some people will go to to fit the mold. There was an honesty to these characters that felt authentic. Highly recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The kitties and I are back at it this morning! Working my way through Allie and Bea for a bit before work to get another hour in towards my #24in48 #readathon goal of 12 hours. I'll be cutting it close, but we'll see how it goes.

#24in48 is not going as smoothly as planned. I made it through 40 pages of This History of Bees in an hour, and woke with my face planted between the pages 3 times. That super cute, super cuddly, super sleepy kitty isn't helping matters. 😆 I did some laps around the house, so we'll see what the next hour holds. #readathon #24in48readathon

By midnight tomorrow I'm hoping to have read 12 hours toward the #readathon. I have a lot of adulting I can't get out of, so 12 may be a stretch. But I'm going for it! So far, I've gotten in a solid 1 hour's worth of #reading and was able to finish the final 100 pages of TPIOSS. Now it's time for a snack, then either The History of Bees or Allie and Bea. Choices, choices. #24in48 #24in48readathon

This was such a delightfully creepy #domesticthriller, and I loved that it wasn't typical. You definitely want to add this one to your #tbrpile and snag it when it releases in September. Highly recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#tallpoppyauthor #tallpoppyambassador

Just signed up for the #letsgetcozy Cozy Mystery Book Swap, which is being organized by @cobwebmoth and I'm *super* excited! I'm fairly new to the genre, so this is going to be fun. 😁

Interesting characters and really beautiful writing, but I just couldn't stay focused on the story.

Kubica constantly guessing and second-guessing in an attempt to solve the mystery, but she proved me wrong every time. She kept me on my toes and my heart rate and emotions in constant flux; there was never a dull moment reading this book. The characters were also great. I had a love/hate relationship with them, which always makes for an interesting reading experience. Easily my favorite Kubica book to-date. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved the premise of this book, but it played out too slowly for my tastes. It's definitely a slow burn, but I needed a fast blaze.

The story revolves around a sense of home: what that means for everyone and how different it can be yet how strongly it can pull them together in times of struggle or need. It was really interesting, and sometimes emotional, to see the different situations that kept bringing the Hallorans back to Arboria Park. It made me think of all the reasons I go “back home”.
Touches on a lot of topics great for discussion. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Easily in my top 5 books of 2017. The greatest love story, incredibly selfish people, characters that are amazingly realistic. . . I'm recommending it to everyone. Everyone! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Not gonna lie: made my day. 👊🏻

Fans of domestic thrillers, twisted plot lines, and unreliable characters need to add this one to their summer reading list ASAP! It kept me guessing from the very beginning, and just when I was convinced I'd ruined the whole thing by guessing the ending, Lis & Lisa showed me just how wrong I was. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is a perfect summer read and I can‘t recommend it enough. If you love genuine characters, read this book. if you enjoy being able to relate to the characters‘ situations, read this book. If you like following characters on their journey to becoming stronger better people, read this book. If you love smart, sassy, and truly witty women‘s fiction, you need to read this book. I can‘t say it enough: read it. You won‘t be sorry. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I don't know why it's taken me so long to read a book by Karma Brown. This book was really amazing.

Karma likes to present her characters with unexpected pivotal moments, moments that will change their lives forever, and explore their reactions and how they forge through and survive. She did a stellar job with this book and this exploration. I felt the whole thing down to my core. Highly recommend! ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was fantastic! It kept me guessing from the very beginning. In fact, I was completely certain that I'd figured it all out by the time I got to page 214. I was way off and was so happy because that's always a disappointment for me-being able to guess the ending. I want to be surprised, and Liz & Lisa delivered! Fans of domestic thrillers, twisted plot lines, and unreliable characters need to add this one to their summer reading list ASAP!

My favorite part of commuting is the opportunity to listen to so many good #audiobooks. I had never read Tyler before and chose this one simply because it was available for immediate download through my library. I loved it. I loved the dysfunction and the unconditional love that ran side-by-side in this family. I loved that they felt like home, like people I could understand and relate to. Definitely one to add to your list. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The characters were smart and witty, and the plot threw some twists and turns in my path that I hadn't anticipated. And I greatly appreciated that Lorie, the main female character, was strong and resourceful. I'll definitely be borrowing this one out to friends. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 #litsyAtoZ #letterQ #popsugarreadingchallenge

Holy crap, you guys! This book ripped my heart out, threw it on the floor, stomped on it about 100x, then kindly picked it back up & placed it back in my chest. I mean, there's no other way to explain my reaction to reading this book. Lilia and Héctor's journey was absolutely heart-wrenching, yet completely reaffirming of the strength of the bonds of love. What would you do to guarantee happiness for the ones you love? Highly recommend! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Holy crap, what did I just read? I think everyone needs to read this. Picoult's message is incredibly important. I appreciated her author's note at the end, where she indicated that she wrote this for the white people like her, the ones who don't think they are racist but don't realize that their privilege is all around them. Highly recommend. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#litsypartyofone checkin: I'm working this weekend, so I'm not getting oodles of reading time in, but I'm doing what I can. I've gotten in an hour or two of this memoir, which has been a very interesting story of the author's family in and around Germany during WWII and her life in Germany in the 80s when she met and fell in love with a Jewish man. #booksparks #memoir

So far today, my #litsypartyofone has consisted of 3 hours worth of #audiobook while adulting. Everything about this book is just a straight gut punch. It is so intense and impossible to walk away from. Wowza!

I got to meet Laini Taylor on Monday. She's awesome! #fangirl #authorsaremyrockstars

Couldn't do it. I stuck it out to the 25% mark and then gave up. It felt too disjointed and I found myself repeatedly struggling to pay attention.

#bookmailisthebestmail! Thanks to @AlgonquinBooks for my @24in48 door prize copy of Our Short History by Lauren Grodstein, and @DoubledayBooks for Border Child by Michel Stone - a #Goodreads win!

•strong female protagonist who takes no crap, is smart & resourceful • historical fiction based on an actual person and events • learned something new and liked it • enjoyed the second half more than the first • ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #popsugarreadingchallenge

Monday morning/I'm on vacation vibes: book, coffee, and donut. ✔️✔️✔️

I decided to start this one today when I found myself growing bored with every other title I picked up (it's been one of *those* weeks), and blew through 100+ pages like it was nothing. Granted I still have nearly 400 more to go, but so far I'm completely intrigued. I've read a decent number of reviews from disappointed readers, and I'm really hoping I won't be one of them. 🤞🏻 #currentlyreading #breakingoutofthereadingslump

I really enjoyed this memoir/graphic novel. Not only is it fantastic to look at, but the story was engaging and enlightening. And emotional. I'll admit that I'm not very knowledgeable about Vietnam, especially during the 70s, so Bui's story opened me eyes. And I appreciate hearing it from the perspective of someone who was native to the area who experienced it firsthand. Definitely go read it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #popsugarreadingchallenge