Hey, bookworms! How are you all doing today? My day has been busy with school (ugh essays), but I'm happy to be taking a short break to post my review of 10 Truths and a Dare by Ashley Elston! I enjoyed Ashley Elston's first book, 10 Blind Dates, so I jumped at the opportunity to review an ARC of her newest book. Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review! Synopsis
My ReviewWhen I found out that 10 Blind Dates' Fab Four were making an appearance in a new book--with Olivia as the protagonist, no less--I immediately smashed the "request" button for the ARC on NetGalley. Two days later, 10 Truths and a Dare was happily downloaded onto my Kindle and I was diving headfirst into it. I think I went into this book expecting a bit more than it delivered, but overall I still enjoyed it. It was lighthearted and funny, full of hilarious moments and cringe-worthy mistakes. The main thing I loved about this book was Olivia's family. Same as in 10 Blind Dates, they're quirky, rambunctious, and a whole lot of fun. Also, Olivia's mom's level of nosiness was truly legendary; her phone tracker stalking of her daughter was low-key creepy, and I seriously pity Olivia. Her mom really needs to learn to mind her own business and find something more exciting in life than literally watching her daughter's every move. I enjoyed reading about Olivia's relationship with the Fab Four: her cousins, Sophie and Charlie, and friend Wes. I loved how easy and casual they were around each other--it felt very authentic. They had a great dynamic and were fun to read about. I unfortunately can't say I was a huge fan of the romance in this book; I just wasn't very invested in it. It had the potential to be cute, but it fell flat for me. Some of Olivia's choices were simply awful and made me SO FRUSTRATED. Like...not telling your parents you might not graduate?? I get her point about not wanting the news to become family gossip--but come on, Olivia, you thought nobody was ever going to find out? Seriously? Also, the whole phone switcheroo was just it's own level of chaos and mayhem. How that whole shebang didn't epically crash and burn is beyond me. Also, the ending was a bit too perfect for me. Like, after all the drama and secrets and general chaos, it all wrapped up so nicely and easily? I think not. It was a tad too unrealistic for my liking. It was a very "happily ever after" ending, and it just didn't sit well with me. That's a wrap on my review of 10 Truths and a Dare by Ashley Elston! I enjoyed this book, but not quite as much as I'd hoped to. Even though it was cute and amusing, the plot and writing were a bit lacking. However, I still recommend this to anyone who liked 10 Blind Dates! I gave 10 Truths and a Dare 3 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️.
Thanks for reading, and have a great rest of your day!
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Hey, y'all! How's your weekend going? So far, mine has been relaxing, full of books and Fearless (Taylor's Version) blaring from my speaker. The springtime weather here is wonderful, and I'm loving all the blooming plants and beautiful flowers! My rose plants are growing like crazy and my strawberry plants are actually getting real, honest-to-goodness strawberries, so I declare my gardening escapades to be a success. Today I have for you my review of The Ivies by Alexa Donne! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. I can't wait to share my thoughts on this book with you, so let's dive right on in! Synopsis
Book title: The Ivies Author: Alexa Donne Release date: May 25, 2021 Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers Pages: 320 My ReviewI was hooked on this book from the first page. The Ivies was the cause of much sleep deprivation for me as I huddled in bed flipping ebook pages late into the night, my eyes glued to the screen like some sort of creepy possessed vampire. When I picked this book up, I knew it was a mystery, but a boarding school mystery? I had no clue, and I was delighted when I found out, because boarding school mysteries are most certainly my cup of tea. It was also interesting to read a book that touched heavily on college admissions and Ivy League schools; I hadn't read anything like that before, but it was perfect for a mystery novel. I really enjoyed the narrator, Olivia's, voice; it felt very authentic and realistic. It was interesting to read about her thought processes during the book, especially when discovering hidden secrets and lies. I have mixed feelings about the mystery itself. I suspected one part of it from the beginning, but I felt like another part came out of nowhere--and not necessarily in a good way, if you get what I mean? I don't want to say too much and give anything away, but the ending just felt unsatisfactory to me for some reason. I thought it was a bit unrealistic, plus the motive was super lacking. Olivia's friend group was interesting to read about. I honestly can't say I was a fan of any of them aside from Olivia and maybe Avery closer to the end. They were all very cutthroat and ruthless, and Avery was the only one of them who had even the slightest hint of a redemption arc. However, they were made for a mystery novel (literally): they were shady, twisted, and definitely the type of people who just might murder someone to get what they want. I do wish we had gotten to know some of them more; I feel like character development was mainly focused on Avery. However, the book still worked well having them just as side characters. That's a wrap on my review of The Ivies! I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a boarding school mystery with twisted characters, especially if you're a fan of One of Us is Lying or Truly Devious! I gave this book Four Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Have you read The Ivies? If so, what did you think of it? And what are some of your favorite boarding school mysteries? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading! Have a fabulous weekend! Hey, bookworms! How are y'all doing on this lovely Thursday? I've been stuck writing an essay (i.e. staring at my computer screen willing words to come) all morning, but I'm hoping to do some reading this afternoon. My copy of Perfect on Paper finally came into the library and I can't wait to start it; April from @bookedtillmidnight as been hyping up this book like crazy, so I'm eager to dive in! Now I would like to present to you my review of Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan! Huge thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. I adored Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan, so I jumped at the chance to review an ARC of Some Girls Do! Now let's dive right in! Synopsis
Book title: Some Girls Do Author: Jennifer Dugan Release date: May 18, 2021 Publisher: Putnam Children's Pages: 336 My ReviewFirstly, I am absolutely, 100% in love with this cover. It's stunning! The colors are gorgeous, especially those sunset shades of pink and orange. There's something so sweet and touching about it. I definitely need to get a physical copy of this book when it releases to display on my bookshelves! Now let's get talking about the book's actual content. I'm going to admit, at first, I wasn't a huge fan of either protagonist. Morgan was a bit annoying and overbearing, and Ruby seemed so unfriendly and rude. But as I read more about them, I began to realize how complex their characters were and appreciated their faults. Ruby struggled to express her true self; the life she wants for herself doesn't line up with her mother's beauty pageant dreams for her. I felt bad for her being in such a tough position, but I also desperately wanted to reach through the pages and give her a pep talk about following her dreams and doing what makes her happy, even if it doesn't align with her mother's wishes. Morgan, on the other hand, had no problem expressing herself, but I could tell that she had a hard time seeing things from other people's perspectives. She's open and proud about her sexuality and is determined to change the world for the better, but she had trouble understand how some people aren't ready to come out quite yet. This led to some important conversations and realizations about respecting one's wishes and preferences and not pushing someone to do something they're uncomfortable with. It was interesting to see Morgan come to terms with that. Okay, so I know that for a veeeeeery long time, I've condemned enemies-to-lovers romances as being "unrealistic" or simply unenjoyable, but I'm beginning to think that may have been a mistaken youthful opinion, because this year I've read many fantastically-written enemies-to-lovers romances. Or maybe 2021 is just the year for five-star enemies-to-lovers. Who knows. But the enemies-to-lovers romance in this book was really well done! It didn't feel forced or cringey at all; in fact, it had the perfect level of uncomfortable awkwardness that's necessary for a realistic enemies-to-lovers romance. I did feel like the romance went from a chill 35 mph for most of the book to an oddly fast full-speed-ahead! 90 mph in the last chapter. I wish it had been drawn out a bit more at the end, but otherwise I found it well-written, realistic, and enjoyable! Overall, I found this book quite enjoyable. Aside from a few moments where I either wanted to scream at the characters or throw the book across the room (which I didn't do only because I was worried about damaging my precious Kindle), I appreciated the characters and romance, along with the important messages this book presented. I recommend this to anyone looking for another cute, touching read from Jennifer Dugan! I gave this book Four Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Thanks for reading! Have a great day, everyone!
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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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