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Mayhem by Estelle Laure

Blog Tour: Courtesy of St. Martin’s Press

Thanks so much to the author, Netgalley, and St. Martin’s Press for the complimentary advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, and blog tour participation. All opinions are entirely my own. { Partner } All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.

Book Description:

The Lost Boys meets Wilder Girls in this supernatural feminist YA novel.

It’s 1987 and unfortunately it’s not all Madonna and cherry lip balm. Mayhem Brayburn has always known there was something off about her and her mother, Roxy. Maybe it has to do with Roxy’s constant physical pain, or maybe with Mayhem’s own irresistible pull to water. Either way, she knows they aren’t like everyone else. 

But when May’s stepfather finally goes too far, Roxy and Mayhem flee to Santa Maria, California, the coastal beach town that holds the answers to all of Mayhem’s questions about who her mother is, her estranged family, and the mysteries of her own self. There she meets the kids who live with her aunt, and it opens the door to the magic that runs through the female lineage in her family, the very magic Mayhem is next in line to inherit and which will change her life for good. 

But when she gets wrapped up in the search for the man who has been kidnapping girls from the beach, her life takes another dangerous turn and she is forced to face the price of vigilante justice and to ask herself whether revenge is worth the cost. 

From the acclaimed author of This Raging Light and But Then I Came Back, Estelle Laure offers a riveting and complex story with magical elements about a family of women contending with what appears to be an irreversible destiny, taking control and saying when enough is enough.

Author’s Letter to the Reader:

Dear Reader,

Like Mayhem, I experienced a period of time when my life was extremely unstable. I can still remember what it was like to be shaken so hard I thought my head would come off, to watch the room vibrate, to feel unsafe in my own home, to never know what was coming around the next corner. I wanted to run. I always wanted to run.

I ran to friends, but also movies and books, and although girls were more passively portrayed in movies like The Lost Boys back then, that feeling of teenagers prowling the night, taking out bad people, being unbeatable . . . that got me through it.

I guess that’s what I tried to do here. I wanted girls who feel powerless to be able to imagine themselves invincible. And yes, I used a rape as the seed for that fierce lineage, not without thought. For me, there is nothing worse, and I like to think great power can rise up as a result of a devastating trespass.

Please know I took none of this lightly. Writing this now, my heart is beating hard and my throat is dry. This is the first time I not only really looked at my own past, the pain of loss, the pain of the loss of trust that comes when someone puts hands on you without permission, the pain of people dying, the shock of suicide, and put all of it to paper in a way that made me feel victorious, strong, and warrior-like. It is also terrifying. I know I’m not the only one who had a scary childhood, and

I know I’m not the only one who clings to stories as salve to smooth over burnt skin. I am so sick of girls and women being hurt. This was my way of taking my own vengeance and trying to access forgiveness.

Thank you for reading and for those of you who can relate, I see you and you are not alone.

Estelle Laure

Q&A with the Author:

Why did you choose Santa Maria as the setting? What drew you/your story to that location?

When I was young growing up in the Bay Area, we used to go to Santa Cruz sometimes on weekends, go to the boardwalk, go on rides, so I was familiar with it. It’s also the place where The Lost Boys was filmed and it’s the thing I most directly took from that movie. I didn’t want to have to be true to Santa Cruz though, so I created Santa Maria so I could take more liberties in terms of the layout and businesses, etc.

Is there a plan for this to be released on audio? If so, were you a part of the casting process for the narrator?

Yes!, I believe it’s released the same day as Mayhem comes out in hardcover. I love listening to books, so I’m delighted that’s an option. As far as casting, I was sent a sample of the person who was eventually cast and absolutely loved her. She’s perfect so there was no question they picked the right person. I’m not sure what would have happened if I hadn’t had that reaction, but I’m glad I didn’t have to find out. I haven’t heard it yet but I feel sure she’s done an incredible job.

According to your author profile you have a Theatre Arts degree – how do you think that influences your writing? And any influences to this story in particular?

Wow, I’ve never had this question before and I think it’s a great one! I was trained to understand the psychology of a character fully in order to embody it, so I think that plays a part in every keystroke for me. I want everyone to feel fully realized and I reach into my actor toolbox a lot in order to get to the bottom of the emotional story. One thing I learned in theatre is that no one is ever saying what they’re saying, so when I write dialogue I try to always have an unspoken element and a subtext happening. I also think in terms of tone, silhouette, movement, blocking…it’s all there all the time. I’m so glad I have that training to lean on because I use it in every story, not just this one.

What drew you to the 1980s as the setting for this story?

I was twelve in 1987 which was the year The Lost Boys came out. That summer felt a little spooky and too hot and since I was actually in California where the story happens, it’s a time and place I remember very well. I wanted to explore it for my own nostalgic purposes but also because it was RAD! Also, this story couldn’t work with technology as it is today, so it had to be sometime pre-cell. Why not the age of rampant serial killers and total chaos, as well a big hair?

The description of this book talks about exploring “the price of vigilante justice.” How do you explore the idea of what justice means to each of your characters, and the topic of possible consequences while trying to seek it?

I’m really in conversation with myself in this respect. The truth is I think if someone hurt one of my kids I would want them hurt in equal measure and would have a very hard time being patient with the judicial process. BUT I also realize we can’t have a justice system that metes out physical punishment because it’s a fallible system. The question here is what if your own internal system was capable of accurately determining someone’s potential for violence or history with it? Should you then be the deliverer of vengeance? Should you be an angel of death? That’s really what Mayhem and all the characters who share this potential power are grappling with. They all fall somewhere along the spectrum of what they’re willing to pay in exchange for that power and where they fall in terms of its ethics. One thing is sure: nothing comes for free, especially not the taking of a life.

Review:

[ Due to unforeseen difficulties in my life, I have not yet finished this book. Unfortunately, life happens! My full review will be added here as soon as I have finished reading the book. Thank you so much for your patience! ]

About the Author:

Estelle Laure, the author of This Raging Light and But Then I Came Back believes in love, magic, and the power of facing hard truths. She has a BA in Theatre Arts and an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults, and she lives in Taos, New Mexico, with her family. Her work is translated widely around the world.

Link to Buy on Amazon:

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Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey

Berkley Publishing – Review: 5 Stars

Thanks so much to the author, Edelweiss+, and Berkley for the complimentary advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my full reviews can be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my blog at tacklingtbr.home.blog.

TW: Alzheimers in a parent, dysfunctional family, caretaking of a parent.

Most people who follow me on Instagram or are aware of my blog could tell you that I absolutely LOVED Waiting for Tom Hanks! I am a huge sucker for all things romantic comedy (I start watching Hallmark Christmas movies earlier and earlier every year, my poor husband). And just like I love reading books about people who love reading books, I loved getting to read a story about someone as rom-com obsessed as I am! And so I was already sure I was going to love this book – I am very pleased to announce that I was not at all disappointed. While I loved reading Annie’s story last year, and relating to how much she loved being in her own romantic comedy, it was almost even more fun to get to read Chloe’s story – watching her the whole time trying to deny that she was in one too!

As far as the characters go, all of the key players in this story that I had already had a chance to fall in love with in the first book, so it was nice that this story just jumped right in and gave further information and back story – without feeling like it was trying to give a full introduction all over again, you know? One of my favorite things in rom-coms (both on the page and on the screen) is the sassy and witty banter that can exist between characters, especially when it is present before any sort of relationship is being explored. And that is definitely what you get with Nick and Chloe in this story! It made the dialogue so quick and enjoyable to read, as well. Their chemistry wasn’t entirely un-predictable, but the banter was so quick and the feelings so sweet and relatable that I didn’t really mind that I saw where it was going.

I also really loved the side plot love/hate triangle between Chloe, Annie, and Annie’s movie based off of Chloe. While that obviously isn’t exactly the most relatable situation to be in (sadly not all of us have best friends who get famous and write movies about our lives), all of the emotions driving their discussions and interactions in those scenes felt like they could have been my own best friend and I. One of my favorite parts of this book was those conversations, because in a way you got to see both sides and see why both women were right and wrong at the same time. I found myself really connecting with the emotions driving this bit of the plot, and I would have read an entire book just about the two of them going through these friendship speed bumps, even without all of the other parts where I got to swoon over Nick.

But believe me, there was plenty of swooning. There were definitely a few scenes that were a bit steamier than others, but if you are someone that doesn’t love a typically steamy romance novel, I don’t think those scenes in this book would be too much for you. I would say it was a nice, middle-ground steam level. Maybe even a gateway to something steamier!

Overall I would highly recommend this book to my friends! In fact, I already have once or twice. Maybe three times. I would say that I think you will get more out of this book if you have read Waiting for Tom Hanks first, but that you don’t necessarily have to have read the first one if you only want to dip your toes in to Chloe’s story. While these are characters from the first one, there weren’t too many references to the first book, and the times that there were there was generally enough information given about it to give the reader enough context on it’s own. That being said, again, just read them both. They’re so fun, I don’t think you’ll regret it. In fact, binge both of them over a weekend and maybe throw in a quick viewing of You’ve Got Mail! Make it a full rom-com marathon. But make sure to let me know when, and I’ll bring the popcorn and a bottle of wine!

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The Player Next Door by K. A. Tucker

Blog Tour: Courtesy of Valentine PR

Thanks so much to the author and Valentine PR for the complimentary advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, and blog tour participation. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads

Book Description from Goodreads:

Scarlet Reed has returned to Polson Falls, convinced that twelve years away is long enough to shed her humiliating childhood identity as the town harlot’s daughter. With a teaching job secured and an adorable fixer-upper to call home, things in her life are finally looking up.

That is, until she finds out that Shane Beckett lives next door.

Shane Beckett, the handsome and charismatic high school star quarterback who smashed her heart. The lying, cheating player who was supposed to be long gone, living the pro football dream and fooling women into thinking he’s Prince Charming. Shane Beckett, who is as attractive as ever and flashing his dimples at her as if he has done no wrong.

Scarlet makes it abundantly clear that old wounds have not been forgotten. Neighbors they may be, but friends they most certainly are not. She won’t allow herself to fall for the single father and firefighter again, no matter how many apologies he offers, how many times he rushes to her aid, or how hard he makes her heart pound.

But as she spends more time with him, she begins to fear that maybe she’s wrong. Maybe Shane has changed.

And maybe this time she’s the one playing herself—out of a chance at true happiness.

Review: (4 Stars)

TW : childhood trauma, mention of infidelity, mention of bullying, injury to a minor

Despite what my “Dates Read” will say (I started this book and then put it down to finish another current read), I DEVOURED this book! The Player Next Door is a brand new second-chance romance from author K. A. Tucker. It was fairly lighthearted compared to some of her other work (though there were definitely some more intense scenes), a good middle-of-the-road steamy, and overall a delicious binge read during this continued quarantine.

Much like many others, I am a huge sucker for second-chance romances. Doesn’t everyone have that fantasy at least once or twice that their big ex, possibly love of their life, turns around and realizes that you’re the best thing that ever happened to a fool like them? Or maybe that they come back into your life just to see how you’re #thriving? I definitely have been known to. So what better type of story to throw yourself into and read over the course of about 48 hours! I loved getting to dive into all of the backstory of Scarlet and Shane’s past, and sort of getting to see both timelines (through Scarlet’s memories). It really helped me to feel invested in their story right from the word go.

As far as characters go, I thought both of our leads were extremely likable, while not immune from annoying characteristics or dumb decisions. But again, I think that getting to hear so much of their backstory really helped with falling in love with not only the characters, but also their love story in general. I found myself really aching for them when things weren’t going their way. I wanted them to succeed, and to be happy. Which I always think goes a long way! Although I will say that a few of the other characters, while more minor players in the story, really shone through for me in a way that almost stole the show for a few of the scenes! Characters like Justine specifically had me laughing right out loud at how ridiculous she could be, but how I could see myself being friends with her too. And if down the line a sequel were to come out putting my girl Justine in the spotlight, I would definitely not turn it away!

One of my favorite parts of this story was the setting – at the beginning of the book Scarlet is moving back to her small town that she grew up in. That’s another thing that always seemed so idyllic and charming to me – small town living, where you have fun town events and everyone knows everyone else. (Or maybe I just watched too much Gilmore Girls growing up?) But my favorite thing about it as a setting for this type of story that while it is a charming town, and she is getting all of that “new beginning” excitement by moving into her childhood dream house, the small town is also the catalyst for a good number of the mix-ups and challenges as well. Yes, everyone knows everyone, but that means that they also know everyone’s private business, and that is always an angle that I find really fun to read about.

Overall, I really, thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have already recommended it to more than one friend who I know will tear through it as quickly as I did, and I’m sure it will continue to come up for me in those conversations with girlfriends. As I said in the beginning, I think it is close to the perfect story to lose yourself in during what is still a fairly uncertain time. Because, much like those pesky neighbors in the book – it’s much better to get to focus on other people’s drama than on your own, right? At least, it’s certainly more fun!

About the Author:

K.A. Tucker writes captivating stories with an edge. She is the USA Today bestselling author of 17 books, including the Causal Enchantment, Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water series, He Will Be My Ruin, Until It Fades, Keep Her Safe, and The Simple Wild. Her books have been featured in national publications including USA Today, Globe & Mail, Suspense Magazine, First for Women, and Publisher’s Weekly. She has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance 2013 for TEN TINY BREATHS and Best Romance 2018 for THE SIMPLE WILD. Her novels have been translated into 16 languages.K.A. Tucker currently resides in a quaint town outside of Toronto with her family.

Connect with K.A. Tucker:

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2MYEDhK
Instagram: http://bit.ly/2MZEk6A
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2FqzR8K
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2QPwJZs
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/36Ga0W8
Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2MXBLSf
Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2rZkYXP
Website: https://www.katuckerbooks.com/

Link to buy on Amazon:

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The New Guy by Kathryn Freeman

One More Chapter – Review: 3 Stars

Thanks so much to the author, NetGalley, and One More Chapter for the complimentary advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my full reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my blog at tacklingtbr.home.blog

TW : loss of a family member

This story was a very fun and saucy! It had a ton of the romance stereotypes that draws people in – workplace romance, broody bad boy and glass-half-full optimist, love triangles, opposites attract – it’s got it all! I love the story of the sexy one night stand turned office fling, and I really enjoyed seeing how Sam, the female lead, balanced that with what she saw as her responsibilities as the CEO.

That being said, I didn’t find that this book was perfect for me. There were just some parts that I didn’t feel as invested or drawn in as I did in the beginning.

Let’s start with the characters. I really loved the character of Sam. I also really loved that the author decided to turn the office romance on it’s head a bit and have the female lead be the bad ass CEO, and the male lead be the one working with and for her. I found Sam pretty realistically written and fairly likable from the very beginning, and I had no trouble feeling myself stay invested in her and her story. She was just a character that I wanted to succeed, you know? I wanted to watch her app turn out incredibly successful, and I wanted to watch her give her jerk ex a piece of her mind, and I wanted to see her be able to Ryan and start to really feel all of that love. She just turned out to be the very type of character that I found I was wanting to read about, just so that I could root for her.

Now to Ryan, our troubled and brooding introvert of a male lead. I really did like his character – I love a flawed character that has plenty of space to grow and change throughout the course of the story. That’s what makes characters fun! When you get to see someone become a better or more rounded person, it just really makes the reading experience for me. And Ryan definitely had all of that in spades. One thing that I will say is, while I loved his backstory and still wanted to be able to watch him succeed, there were just a few times that his gruff exterior towards Sam was just a bit harsher than I would have loved to see. It was definitely a part of who he was as a character, and like I said, that gave him the opportunity to really show some great character development by the end. But there were just a couple of times when, in my opinion, it crossed the line from “brooding bad boy employee/fling being protective of her and being a strong alpha” to “jerk that she has feelings for belittling her and basically telling her to f*** off on multiple occassions.” And those were the moments that made it just a bit more difficult for me to keep myself fully invested in the story, particularly the romance. There were just one or two times when if I was her best friend I maybe would have told her that this guy may not be the best news for her right now. Although overall he did follow through on that previously mentioned character development, and by the time I got to the last page I was back on his side. Mostly.

Over all I definitely enjoyed this read, and would recommend it to friends who are looking for a sassy and slightly steamy workplace romance or opposites attract story. It has a few pretty steamy moments, but most only go so far as a movie scene fading to black, and it never got too much worse than PG-13. And from my experience, it is definitely best enjoyed with a glass of wine and a bubble bath!

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Hadley Beckett’s Next Dish by Bethany Turner

Revell Books – Review: 4 Stars

Thanks so much to the author and Revell Books for the complimentary advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my full reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my blog tacklingtbr.home.blog

TW : mention of addiction, mention of loss of a parent

They say that the quickest way to your love’s heart is through their stomach, right? Along with that, my mom always said that feeding people was one of her easiest ways of showing love for people. So I’ve always loved stories of food and cooking as a part of a love story. And this cute rom-com did not disappoint on that front!

I really enjoyed that this story centered around two chefs who are equally passionate and qualified, rather than the “small town baker falls in love with inn owner during Christmas” that I tend to see in books and other media fairly frequently. Not that I have any issues with those stories – if you’ve read some of my other reviews then you know I’m a girl who loves a Hallmark Christmas movie – but I enjoyed reading this other story as well. I did really enjoy both of our main characters, titular Hadley Beckett and rival chef Max Cavanagh, although I don’t think it was quite exactly right for me.
While Max was written as a realistically flawed character that had plenty of room for growth throughout the course of the story, Hadley seemed just the tiniest bit too perfect for me. I LOVE a flawed character that can show a full character arc by the end of that last page. And while she did have a few moments of showing a temper, or speaking without listening, there were just moments that felt like the girl that goes into a job interview and says her greatest challenge is that she’s “too trusting” or works “too hard.” You know what I mean?
That being said, I did really enjoy that they were both characters where you could see exactly how hard they both have worked (and continued to work) for all of their success. Again, it felt like a really nice change of pace compared to the more hard working underdog vs. the successful professional that somehow got there the easy way. These were just two dedicated and passionate people who seemingly deserve all of the success and praise that they have received, and I definitely appreciated that.

For the romance itself, as I said in the beginning, I love reading about folks who fall in love through food. And not only is it cooking based, but it is very much an enemies to lovers type of story as well. So from the get go, this love story is already right up my alley. I will say that there were one or two moments earlier on (like, early-middle of the book) where the story started feeling a tiny bit slow and a little moment of the romance may have felt a bit out of nowhere. But for the most part I really enjoyed making my way through the love story with these characters.

Overall I would definitely recommend this book to my friends that enjoy rom-coms or are needing a light, fun read. I can see myself rereading this at a time that I want to get out of a reading slump, or if I want to curl up with a warm, fresh baked good and read something along these lines. It felt about as easy, sweet, and comforting as a dish that Hadley herself would come up with, and I loved getting to taste it.

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Salvation Station by Kathryn Schleich

She Writes Press – Review: 4 Stars

Thanks so much to the author and She Writes Press for the complimentary advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my full reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.

TW : murder, murder of children, religion, mention of addiction, mention of thoughts of suicide, deceit

I want to start off by saying that I was reading this at a time that I’m not sure my heart was wanting a thriller – with all of the stress and uncertainty in the world right now with people being in isolation, I had a little bit of a hard time first getting into this book, and it did take me a little while to read it. But all of that being said, I really enjoyed it! And I do see myself returning to this book and rereading it at a later time, when thrillers are more fun again.

Let’s start with the story itself. In this book, the intense story starts right away from the very first page. You don’t have to get through chapters and chapters of exposition and set up before you get to the main mystery. I will say that the main crime that is being solved in this story does involve the murder of very young children – this does happen before the beginning of the book, so you don’t have to read the act itself, but you do get the aftermath from it. Any of these types of stories involving children can be really difficult for a lot of people to read, so I do think it is important to know before you start reading.

The story over all is really interesting, and once I got drawn in I really didn’t want to put it down. It was fast paced, and you get a ton of different perspectives while following the two different story lines. The book follows detective Linda Turner while she works to solve the case, as well as following the story of the prime suspect while she is on to her next victim. I will say that at times there were a few points of view that only had one or two chapters from their perspectives, and I could have done with a few less points of view. It is written more like a movie in that sense, where the scenes go wherever they need to, even if it’s a character that you haven’t really met yet, in order to see what the author/director wants you to see. I didn’t mind that at all, but as I said I could have done with getting a few less people’s points of view, and maybe getting the important parts of those chapters from someone that we were already familiar with.

Quickly touching on the characters, I loved our two female leads – Detective Linda Turner and our prime suspect Susannah Baker/Pamela Jane Watts. They are both such strong female characters, and very fun to read about in their ways. Linda is the type of character that you want to root for and see succeed from the very first time that you meet her. She was so smart and determined, you knew she was going to solve it and get her guy in the end, so it was really fun getting to watch her get to that point. As for Susannah, she is the type of villain that you love to hate. She is the person who is used to always being the smartest person in the room and using her charm to really get her way. She is a master manipulator, and I really enjoyed getting to read about her, while still knowing that she would be caught in the end.

Over all, I really did enjoy this book. I will say again that I don’t think this was the perfect time for me to be reading this particular story, but I definitely see myself rereading it at some time in the future when I am more in the mood for a thrilling adventure. I will definitely be recommending this one to my friends and family!

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Four Faces of Femininity: Heroic Women Throughout History by Barbara McNally

Spring Pop-Up Tour: Booksparks courtesy of She Writes Press

Thanks so much to the author, Booksparks, and She Writes Press for the gifted advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts, and participation in this pop-up blog tour. { partner } All of my posts and reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.

Book Description from Goodreads:

Four Faces of Femininity tells the story of remarkable women who, through their creativity, passion, intelligence, and sheer determination, have left an indelible mark on the history of mankind. The book is divided into four sections, with figures placed in Mother, Lover, Warrior, or Sage. Accessible, informative, and uplifting, Four Faces of Femininity explores the many ways in which women have changed the course of history – and demonstrates how crucial it is that women from every background be provided with role models that inspire. The book includes questions for exploration to help modern multifaceted women see these qualities in themselves and balance them to lead a fuller life.

Mt Thoughts/Mini Review (5 Stars):

You guys, I am so excited to be a small part of the #SpringPopUp with Booksparks, but I’m even more excited that this was the book that I was chosen for! First of all, the illustrations are GORGEOUS! And I love getting to read about all different types of women and their contributions – I think that is one of my favorite parts of this book, getting to see all of the different sides of strong women. Not every women is going to be a warrior in the traditional sense, but being a motherly soul is just as important, and strong, and empowering!

My fiancé and I have loved going through this book, and I think it will probably be one of our go to coffee table books, so that we can share it with everybody else!

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The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

Flatiron Books – Review: 5 Stars

TW: Emotional abuse, stalking, abusive relationships, hospice, end of life hospice treatment, imprisonment of an innocent.

This book was on my TBR list for a long time, ever since it was published last year. I thought it would be a light, sweet read, and it absolutely still was that. But it was also so much more than that, and I loved it all the more for that. It was still the sweet read that I was looking for, but at the same time it had so much heart and showed so much growth in its characters.

So let’s start there, with the characters. The secondary characters (I’m including Richie, Mo, and Gerty in this category) were all so great in the context of their characters and the overall story. They were developed just enough to not feel like you were greatly missing parts of their characters and personalities that you would have liked to have, and to perfectly fit them into the different roles in the lives of the leads, but not so much that they took over the main plot line of the story. I thoroughly enjoyed each of them, and if there was a spin off on any of them (though specifically the brother, Richie) then I would read them in a heartbeat. I will make one quick note here, to say that I won’t be touching on Justin as a character. He is also one of the secondary leads, but I’m not going to discuss him in depth, outside of talking about his relationship with Tiffy.

Now on to our two leads, Leon and Tiffy. We get chapters from each of their perspectives, and they have very different writing styles, and it was really interesting getting to go back and forth. If you know me then you already know that I love multiple points of view in a story. I’m going to start with Leon – I loved his character, and I felt like I know a lot of people that if they read this story would really relate to Leon. He is a very caring and empathetic person, who may be a little bit lost at the beginning of the story, and who has become so comfortable in his life the way that it is that he doesn’t notice when maybe it isn’t working for him anymore. And as I said, I know a lot of people that would relate to that, either in part or in full. I will say that in the beginning I wasn’t sold on the writing style of his chapters – he is a very analytical type, and he doesn’t use unnecessary words. Things like pronouns get completely left out. As I said, I didn’t love these chapters immediately upon starting, but they definitely grew on me as the book went on. It really added to, and supported, his character, in my opinion, and it really drew on the differences in character between he and Tiffy.

Now to my favorite character, Tiffy. (Note that this paragraph is where I will be talking about the emotional abuse TW, so if you don’t want to read a discussion on that topic, skip to the next paragraph!) Tiffy is a slightly wacky and larger-than-life character, who mixes bright colors and drinks tea on a bean bag chair and fast talks/fan girls about crochet. I adore her. And in this book, for those reasons and others, she is a character that I really relate to on multiple levels. Tiffy is also the character that shows the most growth from the beginning to the end of the story. At the beginning of the story she is recently out of a fairly long term on-again-off-again relationship with someone that she was always trying to impress, and her friends never liked.
As the story goes on she starts having flash back style memories about this man and about their relationship, and she starts coming to terms with the emotional abuse that she had been living through at that time. I have seen people and reviews who wished that this had been more transparent from the beginning, but I personally really loved how this part of her story developed. As someone who has been through that type of relationship as well, I can say that I had no idea that that is what I was experiencing until long after I was out of the relationship. And as her chapters are through her eyes and point of view, we didn’t know any of that about her relationship until she knew it. And I personally loved watching it unfold and seeing it become clear with her, and then watching her not only come to terms with it but find the strength to escape and move past it.

Alright. Even if you’ve never read one of my reviews before, now you know that the characters are the main thing that will make or kill a book for me. So that got a bit ramble-y. But now that we are finished with that, I will just say that the setting of the flat was almost a character in itself. When Tiffy moves in and she and Leon are just starting to get used to sharing a space we get to hear about how she changes the flat as well to make it more homey for herself, and then throughout the story we see the flat coming to a happy medium between their two styles at the same time that the two characters are getting used to each other and finding a way to coexist with each other as well. I just found the blending of their styles to be really charming.

Over all, I really loved this book, even more than I expected to. I am so glad that I finally got the chance to read it (and as a virtual book club pick, so that I could discuss it with lovely friends!) and am sad that I waited so long to read it. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys romances, although I would make sure everyone is aware of the trigger warnings before beginning. I will also say that the steam level of this book is really relatively low – there are implied acts, and a few things are lightly touched on, but it is very low-key and the language is very non-graphic. So this is an easy read, even for those that don’t enjoy the super steamy reads. This will definitely be on my list of books to reread in the future, maybe as a nice summer read!

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Break Your Glass Slippers by Amanda Lovelace

Andrews McMeel Publishing – Review: 5 Stars

Thanks so much to the author, NetGalley, and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads { #partner }

TW : child abuse, toxic friendships, toxic romantic relationships, sexual harassment, eating disorders, fatphobia, suicide, trauma

I love all of Amanda Lovelace’s work that I have read, which is most of it. Particularly her Women Are Some Kind of Magic series is very dear to my heart. I read the first in that series, The Princess Saves Herself In This One, when I was recently out of (and recovering from) a very toxic situation, and after entering into a relationship with the amazing man that I would marry. It was a perfect time to read it, and it taught me so much about myself, and helped me work through things emotionally that even then I was ignoring.

So when I heard that she was coming out with another collection of her feminist, therapeutic poetry, and this time themed around a classic fairy tale like Cinderella, I knew that I was going to read it the second that I got my hands on it. And I did, and I loved it just as much as I was sure that I would. She turns the fairy tale details on their head – my favorite being that the Fairy Godmother is a personification of the voice we all hope for in our lives that counteracts the harmful voice in our heads, with positive, healthy, and affirming self talk.

All of this being said, and as much as I love Lovelace’s work, you definitely need to know exactly what you are getting into when you pick up one of these collections. As I noted earlier, these poetry collections deal with matters related to some very serious trigger warnings. So if this is something that would be harmful to you after reading, then please make note of that. And as she states at the beginning of each of her collections – “Remember to practice self care before, during, & after reading.”

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Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

Gallery Books – Review: 5 Stars

I knew before I even started this book that I was going to love it. I mean, it’s Christina Lauren. What’s not to love, right? Well little did I know that it would still exceed the already high expectations that I had for it! I have read a good number of Christina Lauren’s books, but this ended up being one of their tops for me! I only wish I hadn’t let it sit on my backlist-TBR for as long as I did.

Lets talk about the characters. Josh is cool, calm, and collected, and a perfect straight-man in this romantic comedy. He has this delightfully sarcastic and sometimes dry humor that just really tickled me while I was reading it. I mean it, this book had me in giggle fits almost the entire time reading through it! And now let’s talk about Hazel. Oh, Hazel. Hazel is now absolutely, 200% a favorite female lead in a book for me! She is so silly, and sassy, and wild, and I just want to be more like Hazel Bradford in my day to day life! She is a character that really knows how to have fun and get the most out of life, and I just really admired that in her as a character, and it made everything about this duo and their story just so enjoyable to read!

I love a friends-to-lovers romance as much as the next guy, but every once in a while it can feel like the stories can tend to blend together. There’s only so many versions of the same type of story, right? Well, sometimes that is true. And don’t get me wrong, that will not even remotely stop me from reading them! But this story went above and beyond the trope and added in some really fun details and twists that I hadn’t seen in the books that I’ve read before.
Josh and Hazel are friends that start living together while Hazel’s apartment is being fixed and updated, and soon after they start setting each other up and going on these (sometimes hilariously terrible) double dates. And that, to me, was just a really fun way to set up their story and transition into the next chapter in their relationship!

I don’t want to get into too many details on the plot, because I really don’t want to spoil any bit of this delight for anyone else who hasn’t read it yet. But let me say this – I finished this book in only a couple of days because I absolutely did not want to put it down. Hazel is forever my #WCW. This is one of the very top Christina Lauren books, in my opinion. And I would very highly recommend it to anybody who enjoys friends-to-lovers with a little bit of steam, and a whole lot of joy.