Good storytelling. Moreno-Garcia is good in every genre.

3.5 ⭐️
Good, touching, and funny in spots. I liked the first in the series better, but this one is worth a read/listen. I liked seeing the progression of the characters and loved the Sound of Music callouts (it‘s one of my favorite movies 🎥).

I really liked this book! I‘ve been hard a the last few Hazelwood books, but this one hit all the right spots for me. 😊Not large man/small woman trope - main characters with complicated baggage and hang ups who have to find their way to each other, to their happy.

I cannot say enough about this book. It should be required reading, it‘s about agency and liberation and Blackness (and tangentially , whiteness) in America. Percival Everett has written a masterpiece. My recommendation: read this book (then, maybe read it again… it‘s that good).⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cute, cozy romance. Fun characters, kinda silly, but overall good!

“What we needed to raise in others was this instinct. The ability to recognize, in an instant, right from wrong. The clarity of mind to face it rather than ignore it. I learned that before they had chased Brock, they had checked on me. Masculinity is often defined by physicality, but that initial kneeling is as powerful as the leg sweep, the tackling. Masculinity is found in the vulnerability, the crying.”
Powerful memoir, must read!

Really insightful story. This book made me laugh and feel outraged on behalf of Margo but also inspired by her growth and confidence. Enjoyed it start to finish.

Good palette cleanser before diving into more serious reading 🤷🏽‍♀️ The narrator is really good!🎧

Really enjoyed this book. Emily Henry is one of my favorite authors (with the exception of Happy Place), and Miles + Daphne are characters who don‘t disappoint. I loved their story, could not put the book down once I started reading.
“I think you‘re the first person who‘s really seen me. Past what I want people to see. You make the people you care about feel like… Like you want all of them. Not just the good parts.”

“Forgiveness, which takes you back to the person you were and lets you reset them. Hope, which exists in a future in which you are new. Forgiveness and hope are miracles. They let you change your life. They are time-travel.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Enjoyed this book, not my typical genre of choice, but very thought provoking and interesting.

I had to finish the series (glutton for punishment, I guess). More big man engineer (make him a ginger this time) + small woman engineer = more meh STEM romance

More meh 😑 This time big man engineer + tiny woman engineer stuck in an elevator for a bit. More miscommunication trope. Very formulaic. 🤷🏽‍♀️🎧

🎧 I like the narrator more than the story. This novella is another woman in STEM + large hot man offering. There‘s some forced proximity, social awkwardness, and some miscommunication (very annoying). Was the story kind of meh for me? Yes. Will I listen to the others in the series? Probably 🤷🏽‍♀️

Cute story. Nice palette cleanser book between more serious material. I liked the fish (in this case vampire 🧛‍♀️) out of water element. Overall, good, not great, but kinda fun.

“You‘re not asking too much,” he said. “You were just asking the wrong person. Ask me instead.”
Such a simple sentiment, but also sort of beautiful. The thought that you can not be so independent and ask someone for help and actually get it is really everything! This story is so good, like all the Abby Jimenez I‘ve read so far.

Such a cute romance. This is not a spicy book (unless you count witty repartee), but the romance is cute and endearing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ i absolutely love this book and give it all the stars!
“Did it matter who held the power? Whether it was Perez or the king or Victor de Paredes or a man with a funnel in your mouth? What difference did it make if the person with the power wasn‘t you?”

Just okay for me. It was somewhat predictable, I figured out the “twist” fairly early and found it a bit formulaic. I will probably continue the series, but this was not the best thing I‘ve read in the genre. 🤷🏽‍♀️

I only like the idea of horses in real life, but this Horse and the other characters, particularly Theo and Jarret, tugged at my heartstrings and brought tears to my eyes. Who knew the story of a horse (Lexington) would have such an impact on me? This is a story about horse racing and race in America, and it is extremely well done. The book is both sad and triumphant in turns, and I thoroughly enjoyed the tale. 🐎🎧

Good, not great. I feel like this book lacked some editing that could have made the pacing stronger, more tight. There were times when it was just too wordy and what was being said would have been more effective with less exposition. Anyway, overall good story.

Very interesting take on an age-old question: can love exist between owner and owned? Or does ownership remove all vestiges of choice/consent/freedom that in my opinion are necessary for love to exist? I found this book compelling and worth reading.

Slow in places, but overall a good story. The cliffhanger ending ensures that I‘ll be back for the sequel.

I wasn‘t sure what to expect when I started reading this Austen retelling, but it‘s so good. I enjoyed the modern spin with an interesting cast of diverse characters. Really good debut from Nikki Payne.

An interesting romp through the mind of a madman, with a murder plot (or two) gone awry, and malice aplenty. Michaelides keeps the reader engaged and guessing always.

This book was challenging and timely (though I think this subject matter is always timely/relevant). It wasn‘t easy to listen to, but it was certainly worth it. Thought provoking and important. The narrators were very good.🎧

“The word you said earlier, what did it mean?” she asked.
The way he went quiet said he knew at once what she meant.
“Ta‘abrinee,” he said.
“Yes.”
“It means, bury me.”
“Isn‘t that a bit morbid?”
He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. “We say it to someone we don‘t want to live without. Hence, we must go first.”
Sorta sappy, but if the love isn‘t like this, I don‘t want it!

Typical Hazelwood just with a vampire bride and a werewolf groom. Forced marriage, fated mates, miscommunication (which I found mildly annoying). Good, not great. #audiobook 🎧

Bardugo is easily one of my favorite authors! Good follow up to Ninth House. Narrators were very good. 🎧

The Houses of the Veil had too much power, and the rules they put in place were really about controlling access to that power, not limiting the damage it could do.

“Evidence,” he said, “outweighs testimony.”
“But you‘re God.” And God said, “And I am not enough.”
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was an exciting journey to and ending that I did not anticipate (although maybe I should have). Will definitely keep reading the series.

Just meh for me. It had potential but didn‘t really do it for me. The narrators were good, but the story was just alright.🎧

This book is lovely. It‘s such a tender tale of two people learning how to love, and, maybe more importantly, how to be loved. It‘s like if Tyler Childers video for In Your Love was a novel, it would be this book, and Nick and Andy would be the stars (at least in my mind). 😊 🎧side note: the narrator is not my favorite, but the story is worth it

Fun first read of 2024!

Excellent book, very timely. The narrators were very good. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Made me feel so seen - representation matters. 🤷🏽‍♀️ Reminder of my college besties and lifelong friendships.

A beautiful book of poems about joy and grief, hope and despair. Clint Smith‘s poetry gives voice to the beauty and challenge of raising children in a perfectly imperfect world, and does an excellent job of describing how our memories, experiences, and expectations get us through.

DNF - I could not finish this one. This book is a tale with too much and not enough simultaneously. I did not enjoy it, wasn‘t really invested in the characters or the story, and abandoned it about half way through. Just not my cup of tea.

“Seeing the world differently helps you see things not just that other people can‘t—but that you yourself never could if you weren‘t so lucky. It lets you make your own rules. Color outside your own lines. Allow yourself another way of seeing.”
Enjoyable rom-com, with a happy ending. The miscommunication trope was a bit much, but overall a good story.

Very powerful book. Watching Yara‘s journey of self-discovery and growth is inspiring and worth the journey. Life should not be a constant battle; it should have joy and peace and love.
“I‘ve been enduring all along, Baba,” she finally said. “And so have you. But now I want to live.”

Rom-com cute. Another good one from Ali Hazelwood.

“Never in my adult life had I had someone looking out for me. Everything that I have wanted or needed doing, I have done myself.
And why not? I have never needed rescuing before. I suppose I always assumed that if I ever did, I would have two options: rescue myself or perish.
The whole village, working for weeks. Setting aside their own lives and interests to help me. At first I was horribly embarrassed. But underneath was something…”

The dogs‘ bark spike like the teeth of a saw. There is no mercy here. If these spirits fail me, I will bare my throat. I will throw myself at those dogs, I will fight them and lose, and I will go anyway—-to the Water, to the singing place beyond the Water, to Mama Aza, to Safi, to my mama. I will be free this night, by doorway or window, by keyhole or dormer. I will be free. The truth bursts in me.

Educational and accessible. Journalism in graphic novel format, innovative and informative. Sacco relates his experiences and provides an informative perspective allowing the reader insight but not dictating what the reader should believe/think/feel.

Loved it! Started a little slow, but ended up really good. A haunting, a bad hacendado/husband, a crazy sister, and a (hot) priest/witch! This book has it all, and it‘s a really good debut by the author. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Extremely timely. I feel like I should have read this before now, but better late… informative and accessible 🎧

He was like a living lullaby. A softly spoken word. The smell of coffee and toast in the morning or a cozy fleece blanket. The rain pattering on the roof on a day where you don‘t have to go anywhere or do anything.
This book is not perfect - sometimes Briana‘s insecurities, while relatable, are also exhausting (I‘m sure that was kind of the point). Anyway, I enjoyed reading this love story.

“Human history is proof of one thing: violence builds empires. Violence is worshipped, respected, heeded. Why are we monsters for embracing this truth? Why am I a villain? Every great people has done it!”
Another excellent installment in the series. So much betrayal… in the next book I want to see vengeance for some of the traitorous activities I just read!

This book is like a warm hug even for someone like me who doesn‘t like hugs. When language and culture and generational differences seem insurmountable, it‘s blood ties that matter. The connection with food that bridged any gaps between this mother and daughter really spoke to me. This is a beautiful story about grieving and living simultaneously, because life goes on even when the grief seems too much.

“Women‘s intelligence, the dread of the patriarchy and the scourge of the aristocracy, provocative at best, and deadly at worst.”
Although this quote may not imply it, this book is a fun grumpy/sunshine romance. I really like the narrator and enjoyed listening.

Really good addition to the series. After so many books, I still love these characters and Gabaldon‘s ability to tell a good story. The narrator is also really great! 🎧