Hey, bookworms--it's review time! Today I have for you my review of What's Not to Love by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka! I'm so excited that I got a chance to review this book before it releases on April 20, 2021 (mark your calendars!). Huge thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. Now let's start talking about this book! Synopsis
My ReviewFirstly, let's take a moment to admire how simply beautiful this book's cover is. I feel like I've been weirdly obsessed with ranting about book covers lately, but seriously: I fell in love with this book from the moment I saw those bookshelves with that stunning aesthetic in the background. Just amazing. Plus, did anybody notice that you can see the spines of Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka's books on the shelves?? It's just so cool! And even though I don't tend to like when books have actual, real-life people on the cover, these people who are apparently supposed to be Alison and Ethan are pretty cute how they're just smirking and looking all competitive and flirty.
Okay, so now that we've discussed the amazingness which is the cover of What's Not to Love, let's dive into the content. When I first started this book, I took one look at Alison and Ethan's relationship and thought, Okay, how is this going to turn into a realistic romantic development? I honestly didn't expect it to be great; I figured it would be some unrealistic "the first day we hate each other, the next day we're suddenly madly in love" sort of thing. You know what I'm talking about. We've all read them, we all know how annoying they are. But! This book completely defied my expectations by executing this rivals-to-lovers romance better than I could have ever dreamed for! It was such a subtle development that I hadn't even fully comprehended all the romantic tension that was building up until that life-changing kiss in the hallway (and then those other dazzling make-out scenes, too...). The authors did an excellent job at making Alison and Ethan grow closer without making it painfully obvious to the reader--something I haven't come across in a rivals-to-lovers book for a while. This was such a delight and relief to read. I give this superb romantic development five stars! One thing I can't say I was a huge fan of was Alison's own character development. I was expecting her to realize at some point in the book that she was messing up her life by being a perfectionistic, competitive, school-obsessed individual. And she did realize this...but she didn't really make any efforts to change it. At the end of the book, I felt like she was just about as perfectionistic, competitive, and school-obsessed as she was at the beginning of the book. She didn't have much of a character arc; the only huge revelation she had in this book was that *gasp* she has feelings for her fiercest competitor! Which was fine and cute and all, but I was hoping for a bit more character development in Alison herself, not just in her relationships and dating. (If anyone has read You Asked For Perfect by Laura Silverman, then you'll understand what I mean when I say that I wanted Alison to have character arc similar to Ariel's in that book in regards to the perfectionism and school-obsession. And if you haven't read You Asked For Perfect, go pick it up because it's really good!) I also loved reading Alison's friend, Dylan. She had some great self-growth in this book, and it was interesting to see her interactions with Alison. I also liked Alison's family, especially her sister, Jamie. I felt like Jamie and Alison were such a contrast to each other, and I wish that Alison had spent more time trying to see her sister's perspective on things. I felt bad that Jamie wanted to spend time with her sister but Alison was always saying she was too busy. I'm glad that they grew closer at the end of the book. I also thought that Jamie's band was very amusing; all of the scenes involving them were always hilarious. That moment with Alison, Ted (one of the band members), and the Teddy Roosevelt comment was one of my favorites and actually made me laugh out loud because Alison's reaction was just too funny. That's a wrap on my review of What's Not to Love! I recommend this book especially if you're looking for a cute and well-written rivals-to-lovers romance. I gave this book 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll give this book a read when it releases on April 20!
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Greetings, bookworms! Welcome to my review of The Castle School (For Troubled Girls) by Alyssa B. Sheinmel! Firstly, I'd like to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. This book releases on March 2, 2021, so make sure to grab yourself a copy then! Now let's start talking about this book! SynopsisWhen Moira Dreyfuss's parents announce that they're sending her to an all-girls boarding school deep in the Maine woods, Moira isn't fooled. She knows her parents are punishing her; she's been too much trouble since her best friend, Nathan, died―and for a while before that. At the Castle School, isolated from the rest of the world, Moira will be expected to pour her heart out to the odd headmaster, Dr. Prince. But she isn't interested in getting over Nathan's death or befriending her fellow students. On her first night there, Moira hears distant music. On her second, she discovers the lock on her window is broken. On her third, she and her roommate venture outside...and learn that they're not so isolated after all. There's another, very different, Castle School nearby―this one filled with boys whose parents sent them away, too. Moira is convinced that the Castle Schools and the doctors who run them are hiding something. But exploring the schools will force Moira to confront her overwhelming grief―and the real reasons her parents sent her away. (from Goodreads) My ReviewOkay, so let me preface this review by saying: This book is not what I expected it to be. I looked at the cover, saw the blood-splotch-like design and crooked lettering and thought, Ooh, a mystery! Can't wait to dive into this one! Spoiler warning, people: This book isn't much of a mystery. It's maybe 11% mystery. I read through the entire book expecting some grand reveal, an evil plot thwarted, the mad scientists caught in the act of conducting crazy experiments, something. But we didn't get that. There wasn't really much of a mystery, and most of the "suspicious" things were just figments of Moira's imagination due to her grief. There were also some mysteries related to Moira's past experiences and choices, but none of them were particularly shocking. So I'll admit that I was a little disappointed that there wasn't much mystery in this book since that's what I was expecting. And okay, okay, I probably shouldn't have gone ahead and assumed it was a mystery just based on the cover (don't judge a book by its cover, I know), but I mean, look at the cover:
This book surprised me by how much it centered around mental health and mental illnesses. I hadn't realized that this was the main subject of this novel when I picked it up, but I found that I really enjoyed it. After losing her best friend to cancer, protagonist Moira struggles with grief, so much so that her parents decide to send her away to The Castle School, which is supposed to help girls who deal with mental health issues. One thing that I found very interesting in this book were Moira's sessions with Dr. Prince, the school's peculiar but kind headmaster. Their discussions were very engaging and made me think about and reconsider some of my own behaviors and thoughts. I also felt that these sessions were portrayed realistically and honestly.
While this book focused on Moira and her struggle with grief, it also touched on the experiences and mental illnesses of the other girls whom Moira meets and lives with at The Castle School. Between every few chapters from Moira's perspective, there would be a chapter from the third-person perspective of one of the other girls. These chapters were actually some of my favorites because they allowed a brief look into the other girls' lives and their experiences with their mental illnesses. The author discussed mental illnesses in an honest manner without turning any of the characters into stereotypes. I appreciated how each character had their own unique story for how her mental illness developed and what experiences she endured because of it. Also, I'd lastly like to note that I found the ending immensely satisfying. That heart-to-heart between Moira and her mom was so touching, it almost brought me to tears (and that's saying something because it takes a lot for a book to make me cry). It was inspiring to to see Moira's character grow and change throughout the book; she had a beautiful character arc. I also liked how there was just a little bit of romance in this book, but nothing distracting or overpowering, just enough to be sweet. I enjoyed reading about the friendships in this book, too; it was heartwarming to see Moira and the other girls grow close and form friendships. Even though this book wasn't what I expected it to be, I still enjoyed it a lot! I highly recommend this to anyone looking for an interesting contemporary that centers around mental health with a teeny tiny touch of mystery (like that little glob of wasabi on the edge of an hors d'oeuvre platter). I gave this book 4.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨. Thank you for reading my review of The Castle School (For Troubled Girls)! Hey there, bookworms! It's baking time! Er, wait, no--I meant review time. BUT it's about a book that involves baking, so that counts, right? If you're anything like you me, you love a book that centers around food (although they do always have the annoying tendency to make me hungry...). So I jumped at the chance to review A Taste For Love by Jennifer Yen! I knew right from the adorable cover and food-infused synopsis that I was going to love it, and I wasn't disappointed! Before I dive into this review, I'd like to first thank Penguin Teen for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is out now, so go grab yourself a copy after you read my review! SynopsisTo her friends, high school senior Liza Yang is nearly perfect. Smart, kind, and pretty, she dreams big and never shies away from a challenge. But to her mom, Liza is anything but. Compared to her older sister Jeannie, Liza is stubborn, rebellious, and worst of all, determined to push back against all of Mrs. Yang's traditional values, especially when it comes to dating. The one thing mother and daughter do agree on is their love of baking. Mrs. Yang is the owner of Houston's popular Yin & Yang Bakery. With college just around the corner, Liza agrees to help out at the bakery's annual junior competition to prove to her mom that she's more than her rebellious tendencies once and for all. But when Liza arrives on the first day of the bake-off, she realizes there's a catch: all of the contestants are young Asian American men her mother has handpicked for Liza to date. The bachelorette situation Liza has found herself in is made even worse when she happens to be grudgingly attracted to one of the contestants; the stoic, impenetrable, annoyingly hot James Wong. As she battles against her feelings for James, and for her mother's approval, Liza begins to realize there's no tried and true recipe for love. (from Goodreads) My ReviewFirstly, let's talk about the food in this book (I'm hungry right now, okay?). The food descriptions in this book were excellent, mouthwatering, and made me crave some cake. The baking contest was so much fun to read about. I enjoyed reading the judges' thoughts and comments on the taste and texture of each contestant's baked good. It was entertaining to read about the contestants baking, and it was always amusing to see whose creation would be absolutely mind-blowing perfect and whose would be the sad, under-baked glob of grossness. Needless to say, if I had a James Wong to bake for me, I would be ecstatically happy. The romance. At first, I wasn't very into it. Like, it was okay, but as we all know okay isn't anywhere close to a glowing review. But then it started getting cuter...and cuter...and soon enough, I was hardcore shipping the romantic interests. And then that park scene happened, with the hand-holding, and ugh. Too cute. And things only got better from there. That scene at the end had me alternately laughing and swooning because it was just that good. As for the characters, I really liked all of them. Liza was sweet and really passionate about baking, and it was inspirational to see her learn to stand up for her opinions and choices. At first, I wasn't a fan of James; he seemed like a bit of a jerk to me at first, but he definitely grew on me over time. I eventually figured out that he's just super-duper protective of the people he loves, which can make him seem a bit rude sometimes. Still, James, you need to stop shutting people out when you think they're doing something fishy, especially if they're your friends! There is such a thing as communication and asking someone why they acted a certain way. I also loved Liza's friend, Grace. She was really supportive and kind, and I really enjoyed reading all the scenes she was in. She and Liza had such a wonderful friendship! It was interesting to read about Liza's relationship with her mom and watch it evolve throughout the book. It was also fun getting to know the baking contestants; they all had unique personalities and were very entertaining to read about. Some were certainly quite...interesting. Who knew a baking contest would have so much drama... That's all for my review of A Taste For Love! I'd recommend this book for fans of To All the Boys I've Loved Before, American Panda, and A Pho Love Story. I really enjoyed this book and gave it Five Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Thanks for reading and have a great day, bookworms!
Greetings, bookworms! Today I have for you my review of Secret Mage by Rebecca Jaycox. I'd like to thank Aelurus Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. Now let's dive into this review!
Reggie Lang has a tough life, but things get worse when she begins making strange things happen by accident. It's bad enough when Reggie discovers she can bring dead creatures back to life, but then a strange man begins invading her dreams, claiming he's her guardian from another world. He warns her that she is in danger: the evil mage who killed her father is now out to get her. As Reggie is thrown into a new world of magic and danger, she must learn how to wield her powers and fight to stay alive. Firstly, I'd like to say that I loved all the world-building that went into this book, with our world, the Other, and the mirror realm. It was certainly a wild ride reading about Reggie and her companion Asher traveling across the Other with people trying to either kill or kidnap them at every turn! There were some rather unbelievable, cheesy moments that left me shaking my head in astonishment, but those were few and far between. There was a lot of deception in this book, but I loved how it increased the suspense. My favorite character hands-down was Brwyn the Changeling. I liked his witty humor and flirtatious personality. I also liked Reggie; she was a strong female lead and was interesting to read about. I enjoyed how complex Asher's character was, and he had an interesting backstory. The romance in this book did feel a bit rushed to me, but it was cute nonetheless. Also, one funny thing I'd like to share about this book is that near the beginning, Reggie described Asher's eyes as being the same shade of green as cat eyes, so now whenever I look at my cats' green eyes I always think that must be what Asher's eyes looked like! 😂 Overall, this book was a pretty typical fantasy novel, but it did have several unique aspects to it that I liked. Although it wasn't expectation-defying, it was still an enjoyable read. I gave it 3.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨. Thank you for reading my review of Secret Mage! |
Hey there, bookworms!My name is Rose (she/her) and I'm the creator of Books of Magic and Mystery. I love reading YA books, especially fantasy and mystery. When I'm not reading, you can find me baking, studying, or cuddling with my super-furry pets. Visit me on Instagram @booksofmagicandmystery! Archives
November 2021
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