This was a dark and twisted romance!

The story is basically an erotic dark romance retelling of Beauty and the Beast. As a retelling, it worked well. It followed the storyline and a lot of elements were present, including a protagonist who loves to read and a stunning library. The library was massive.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/09/01/review-a-bedtime-story-fairy-tale...

What a charming story!

This is exactly the kind of story I would have devoured as a kid. Growing up, I loved historical fiction, especially niche stories of children evacuating WWII London. I also enjoyed stories set in quaint country houses. This book had both!

I loved how the book incorporated Native American culture.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/08/25/review-the-blossoming-summer/

This was a cute rom-com set in Ireland!

The best part of the book was definitely the setting. Ireland makes for an incredible backdrop to the story. I enjoyed how the book gave you a little tour through Ireland and explored some Irish culture like fairy stories.

The book is fairly short (around 300 pages) which was the perfect length. It was short and sweet.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/08/23/review-an-irish-summer/

What a wonderful coming of age story!

The book is set in a hotel in Seattle during the 1990s and I loved how authentically Seattle it felt. There were numerous references to Seattle pop culture (and 90s pop culture in general) throughout, including a chapter cleverly named, “Pleatless in Seattle” (pg. 114).

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/08/19/review-the-sylvan-hotel/

This was a moving family drama!

The book starts off strong. The story is about 3 sisters who reunite at their home on the Japanese coast. Immediately, I was invested in the story and the scandal involving the youngest sister. The ending was also very strong. It was touching and packed an emotional punch. However, the middle of the book was slow and dragged on.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/08/09/review-kakigori-summer/

This was a powerful YA fantasy!

First off, I loved that the story was inspired by the authors‘ grandparents and their romance during the Japanese occupation of Korea. Drawing on real life experiences gave the story a ton of emotional depth.

I also enjoyed the dual POVs. The story is told in alternating points of view of the two leads, Seung and Eunji.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/08/07/review-the-last-tiger/

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book!

Going into the book, I wasn‘t quite sure how I would like it. I love graphic novels but sci-fi is often a hit or a miss for me. This one was a hit!

I don‘t want to give away too much of the plot, since it‘s more fun if you go into it blind.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/07/27/review-essentials-vol-1/

What a beautiful novel in verse!

This book tells the story of two young women in two different timelines. The first is Lula, a present day young vocal prodigy studying at a music conservatory. The other is Barbara Strozzi, a 17th century Italian servant turned composer who was a real person. Both storylines were compelling and I loved how they merged!

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/07/25/review-the-siren-and-the-star/

This was a sweet romance with a lot of heart.

The story is about Abbey, a plus sized architect turned baker, and her journey towards love and self acceptance. I loved that the book explored deeper topics like fat shaming and aging parents. Caring for an ailing parent is a very common thing these days, but I rarely see it depicted in books.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/07/20/review-eat-dessert-first/

This was such a cute fall romance set in Scotland!

First off, the vibes are immaculate. It took place during autumn, so it gave off super cozy fall vibes. It was also set in a small town in the Scottish Highlands, which added to the dreamy coziness.

The romance was adorable. I loved Harper and Fraser, both separately and as a couple. I found them both endearing.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/07/19/review-kindling/

This book was just as cute as the first one!

I read the first Winnie the Pooh book 2 years ago and was obsessed. I am so glad I got around to reading the sequel. It had all the charm of its predecessor. Pooh and all his friends were (still) so adorable. In this story, we are finally introduced to Tigger. Tigger was an absolute delight.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/07/09/review-the-house-at-pooh-corner-w...

This was by far the best book in the trilogy!

Having read this before season 3 came out, I had limited knowledge on the plot line and went into this with few expectations.

Everything worked so well in this one. The book had the perfect amount of drama and suspense that the conclusion to the series needed.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/07/05/review-well-always-have-summer-th...

This was a super cute romance with some spice!

First off, I loved that it was dual POVs. I will never not be a fan of them in romance novels. I always love seeing how and when the characters start to fall for one another through their POVs.

I loved all the characters. The leads, Piper and James, were both so likable and sweet. They made a great couple.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/07/01/review-somewhere-along-the-line/

This was an insightful self help book on love! As someone who is perpetually single, I need all the help I can get.

It is very easy to feel powerless when it comes to love, but this book tells you what you can do to improve your love life and relationships.

The book is very accessible and is written in an easy to understand manner.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/06/25/review-it-begins-with-you/

What an amazing novel in verse!

First off, I love novels in verse. I always find them to be so creative and moving and this book was no exception.

This is the debut book from the author and I was very impressed. The poems were all well crafted and really hit the mark, which is a tough thing to accomplish.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/06/21/review-top-heavy/

This book is technically the last book in a trilogy but can be read as a standalone. I have not read the previous two books and was able to follow the story. Reading the other books would have been helpful, but it was not necessary.

I enjoyed the writing style the most. It was elegant and felt like a throwback to classic literature.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/06/19/review-the-forgers-requiem-forger...

This one was so much better than the first book!

First off, I have to preface this review by saying I have seen the second season of the show, so I did know a lot of the plot points going into the book and obviously wasn‘t surprised by some of the things that happened.

This book was much more emotional than the first.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/06/15/review-its-not-summer-without-you...

Honestly, I don‘t quite know how to feel about this book which is why I gave it 3 stars.

This book started off so slow. It took me a while to get into it. It just felt like the story was meandering and that made it boring.

By the second half it got more exciting and it low key got a little horny, which I typically don‘t mind but in this case it felt random.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/06/13/review-how-to-read-a-book/

This was such a fun YA fantasy!

First off, the world building was fantastic. It was simple to understand their world and how it related to our world. Everything was explained gradually which made grasping the world easy to digest. Sometimes fantasy novels can do a lot of info-dumping, but this book did not.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/06/09/review-guardians-of-glyndor/

This book was a ton of fun!

Many years ago (like when I was 12 or 13) I read one of the author‘s other books, Bergdorf Blondes, and remember enjoying it. It‘s no surprise that I loved this one!

This book is like Crazy Rich Asians but with rich Brits in the English countryside. I am a sucker for books about rich people.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/06/04/review-wives-like-us/

I am a huge fan of the show and of her other series, To All the Boys I‘ve Loved Before, so I figured it was finally time to read this series. This book wasn‘t as exciting as the show, but it was still an enjoyable read.

The first half of the book was a little slow and heavy on flashbacks.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/06/02/review-the-summer-i-turned-pretty...

What a cute story told from the perspective of a dog! I love dogs so it was no surprise that I loved this book.

The story follows Teddy and his quest to find out what happened to his owner, Maggie. The book is told entirely through Teddy‘s perspective with some emails and texts messages between the humans interspersed throughout.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/06/01/review-unnatural-selection/

This was an adorable middle grade romance!

I loved the premise. It‘s the classic “popular guy helping the nerdy girl with a makeover and they up falling for each other” trope. Not a novel premise, but one that I do adore. I thought the execution of it was well done, especially for a middle grade audience.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/05/30/review-what-if-you-fall-for-me-fi...

What a powerful read!

This memoir is about experiencing trauma, unlearning it, and breaking cycles. It is extremely personal and heartfelt. I loved how the author portrayed trauma as complex, which it is.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/05/20/review-girl-unlearned/

This was a cute rom-com!

The premise is so fun. Two authors facing immense writers block decide to “switch” plot ideas for their next books.

The star of the book was the two authors, Allie and Martin, and their writing relationship and friendship. I love that an old male crime author can become friends with a young female romance author.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/05/17/review-the-plot-twist/

This is the second book in the Miner & Mulville series, but can be read as a standalone. I have not read the first book and was able to follow this book just fine.

My first impression was that it was very evident the author is a doctor. The medical parts were incredibly detailed.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/05/09/review-change-of-heart-miner-mulv...

This was a super cute middle grade romance!

First off, I loved the amusement park setting. The majority of the story took place there and it worked so well. It was fun and added to the playfulness of the romance. The park reminded me a lot of the fictional Walley World from the movie, “National Lampoon‘s Vacation” (which is a movie I love).

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/05/06/review-meet-me-at-wonderland/

What a gorgeous Hawaiian mystery drama!

I‘ve been to Hawai‘i many times, but surprisingly I have never been to Kaua‘i. I was very eager to get a glimpse of the island through this book and it did not disappoint.

This book may be classified as a mystery, but it is so much more than that. It explores Hawaiian life, especially the family dynamics.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/05/03/review-kauai-storm/

This was an incredible look into the Italian resistance and the women involved!

Going into this book, I didn‘t know a whole lot about what went on in Italy during WWII. That being said, I learned so much from this book, not just about these 4 courageous women, but also about the war in general.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/04/28/review-women-of-war/

What an adorable manga! A vampire being obsessed with a vampire anime was a fun premise. It was so meta!

The main character, Hina, was extremely lovable. She‘s a reclusive vampire who travels to Japan because of an anime. She‘s an otaku (which means she‘s a huge fangirl of anime) and her personality was so cute.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/04/27/review-otaku-vampires-love-bite-v...

This was such a cute middle grade romance!

The book is about tween girls and their crushes which reminded me of when I was that age. I always had crushes and would obsess over them just like the main character, Julie. Having crushes at that age is so fun and the book encompasses that.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/04/24/review-meet-me-at-sunset-spotligh...

This was a fun rom-com with a lot of depth!

First off, the title is perfect because it sums up the book so well. Two friends, Theo and Evie, get married so Evie (who has a chronic illness) can get good health benefits and together they qualify for Theo‘s rent controlled apartment.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/04/23/review-friends-with-benefits/

This was a star crossed lovers fantasy romance and it was so beautifully executed. I loved Clarion and Milori together. They had such a strong emotional bond and I loved how they helped each other grow. Milori has my heart. I can see why Clarion fell in love with him. I also thought the supporting characters, particularly Petra and Artemis, were well crafted.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/04/20/review-wings-of-starlight/

This was such a fun coffee table book!

This book is just like the title suggests, good movies as old books. Essentially, movies turned into vintage book covers. The term “good movies” is subjective. The author states in his introduction, “These are films that made me laugh, cry, think, question, and celebrate” (pg. 7).

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/04/19/review-good-movies-as-old-books/

What a funny and fabulous little book!

This book is filled with art featuring dogs alongside a short blurb offering commentary on the piece. The commentary was hilarious. I laughed out loud so many times.

Additionally, I loved the random fun facts that were incorporated into the blurbs. For example, I learned that the Olympics used to have art competitions.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/04/15/review-museum-of-dogs/

This was such a fun fantasy tale!

The strongest part of the book were the two lead characters, Cinna and Hokuren. I absolutely loved their friendship and the found family nature of it. They have both been through a lot and it was so heartwarming to see them act and care for each other like family.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/04/14/review-cinnamon-soul-cinna-and-ho...

What a fun (and informative) little astrology book!

I am a huge astrology nerd, so naturally I was very excited for this one.

I loved that the book opened up with a short introduction into astrology and briefly explained birth charts and houses (although the graphic for the houses has an error on the numbering).

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/04/09/review-astrolographs/

This was a fascinating look into the lives of fictional child stars!

The story follows three child stars as they navigate fame and all that comes with it. The book is broken up into 3 parts, with each part taking place during a different decade (2006-2008, 2018, and 2028), so we got to see the characters age and grow.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/04/07/review-when-stars-align/

I was debating whether or not to give this 3.5 or 4 stars. I finally decided on 4 because the story was so clever!

This was my third Jane Austen novel. Previously, I had read Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility and enjoyed both of them.

My immediate impression of this book was that it was hilarious.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/04/05/review-northanger-abbey/

What a beautiful collection of poems!

Going into this, I was only vaguely familiar with Rumi and his poetry. I was always curious about his work and I‘m happy I finally read it.

I love that the translator gave a ton of context to the poems. The book opens with notes on the transliteration, Rumi‘s life, and on the poems.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/04/02/review-the-flame-of-love/

This was such a cute and sweet manga!

The story is very interesting to say the least. Essentially, the main character, Nasa, gets saved by a mysterious girl named Tsukasa. He immediately asks her out and she says yes on the condition that he marries her. This volume primarily explores the very early days of their marriage.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/03/31/review-fly-me-to-the-moon-vol-1-f...

This was such a fun and sweet romantic comedy!

This is my first book by the author, Amy Lea, so going in I didn‘t have any expectations. After reading this, I can tell why so many people love her books. Her writing style is so engaging that it made the book go by so quickly!

I loved the premise and it was executed so well.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/03/30/review-something-like-fate/

This was such a fun romance set in NYC!

This was my first book by Alex Aster, so going into it I had no set expectations. I was pleasantly impressed!

Immediately, I was drawn in by the author‘s writing style. It was easy, effortless, and genuinely funny.

As for the two main characters, Elle and Parker, I liked Parker way more than I liked Elle.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/03/26/review-summer-in-the-city/

This was a fun heist story!

The premise is basically Crazy Rich Asians meets Ocean‘s Eight, which I loved. The plot is essentially a mashup of the two. I thought the story was super entertaining and amusing. I wasn‘t shocked at any of the twists and turns at the end because it was slightly reminiscent of Ocean‘s Eight‘s heist.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/03/20/review-women-of-good-fortune/

When I first started reading, I did not know if I would like this book. I was a little confused on the world and magic system. However, once I got about 80 pages in, things started making more sense and the story picked up. After that I was hooked.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/03/17/review-the-elf-witch-plot-of-the-...

This was an odd read to say the least. I was very confused when I finished it.

The story was very superficial. It never dove deep into any of the characters. I never felt like I knew any of them beyond the surface level.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/02/23/review-empire-of-billions/

First off, trigger warning for diet culture and eating disorders, particularly anorexia. This book deals heavily with anorexia and the toxic diet industry, so please be aware of that. I thought the book did a good job exploring these two topics. I found all the discussion on the diet industry and how it is designed to fail to be so fascinating.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/02/19/review-what-we-give-away-bold-jou...

This was an enchanting and unique fantasy read!

The story is described by many as Beauty and the Beast meets Howl‘s Moving Castle. I haven‘t seen Howl‘s Moving Castle so I can't comment on that. However, it does have major Beauty and the Beast vibes. As a Beauty and the Beast retelling, the story felt so refreshing because of the Polish folklore.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/02/10/review-where-the-dark-stands-stil...

I had previously read the author‘s graphic novel, The Boy and the Man, which detailed the author‘s life and struggles recovering from his stroke. I enjoyed the graphic novel so I was excited to read his poetry collection.

This poetry collection is a poetry interpretation of the same events. I found this interpretation to be even better than the graphic novel.

Full Review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/01/27/review-thunderstroke/

This book reminded me a lot of the Magnus Chase series by Rick Riordan (I‘ve never read the Percy Jackson series but I assume it‘s similar to Magnus Chase). It had that same adventurous spirit.

The world building was well done. It was easy to understand and follow. The book included a map, which also aided in comprehension.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/01/26/review-georgie-summers-and-the-sc...