Thanks so much to the author, Penguin Random House Audio, and Libro.fm for the gifted advanced audio copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } My reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.
Publication Date: June 13, 2023
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Adult, Fiction
Audiobook Length: 12 hours 33 minutes
TW: description of sexual harassment, controlling behaviors and gaslighting
Alright, full disclosure – The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain are both sitting and smiling at me from my bookshelf as I write this, but I have yet to read either one. So while they are all very much different sides of the same thought and spiritual successors of the ones before, I will be talking about Love, Theoretically purely as a stand alone story. That being said, I have also seen a bit of talk online about how these three books are very similar, and some readers are taking issue with that, or enjoying the book less for it. Since this is the first of them that I’m reading, I won’t be including any of that either.
Now that all of that is out of the way, I really enjoyed it!
While I have not ever considered a career in STEM (my brain just does NOT work that way, and I tend to think that most folks in STEM are actually wizards of some sort), I could really find myself relating a lot to Elsie in a lot of ways. Throughout the story she tends to change seemingly small things about herself or shifting her personality in order to fit into groups or situations – I used to do a lot of that when I was younger, and still feel myself doing it subconsciously every once in a while, so I found it a really fun aspect of her character to read about.
I also can’t review this book without mentioning that I listened to it on audio, and the audiobook was wonderful! The narrator’s voice is so lovely, and I thought that she did a really wonderful job with separating the different characters in any given scene. You aren’t going to be fooled into thinking that it’s a full movie cast or anything like that, but I didn’t have any problems with knowing which character was talking which can sometimes be an issue. Definitely recommend it in an audio format!
Overall I thought that this book was a really fun, fairly light and quick listen, and I would definitely recommend it to friends and fellow readers. I think that the best way to read this book would be sitting in a park or a cafe with plenty of opportunities to people-watch – I’m not sure why, but that’s what Elsie’s personality matching made me want to do. Or you could do what I did and just listen to it during a slow day and a half of desk work!
Hello, friends – and happy Tuesday! Welcome to another round of new releases that I was lucky enough to get an early copy of, and have either already read or are upcoming on my #TBR.
These books could be gifted from the publisher through sites like NetGalley or Edelweiss+, they could be electronic copies gifted directly to me from the publisher or the author, an early audiobook copy through the publisher or Libro.fm, or even a physical copy that has been sent to me from the author or publisher. I am so thankful for all of the reading opportunities that I am given through these various sources, and I am excited to share these new releases!
In these weekly posts I will include a 20% review if I am currently reading the book, as well as a link to my full review if I have already finished the book. And if I have not yet started the book by the time this is posted, I will leave those spots blank and edit the post to add them in later!
Thanks so much to the author, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Netgalley for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
Love breaks all the rules.
Margo Anderson is sworn off commitment. Alongside her best friend, Jo, she runs a viral podcast featuring rules for hooking up without catching feelings. So when Jo surprises her by deciding to get married and taking up a sponsor’s offer to host an all-expenses-paid wedding trip on Catalina Island, they have the whole internet to answer to.
In a scramble for content to appease their disappointed listeners, Margo cooks up a social experiment: Break all her own dating rules, just to prove that it’s a bad idea. And she’s found the best man for the job in the groom’s best friend and her old high school nemesis, Declan Walsh. He may be easier on the eyes than Margo remembered, but he’s sure to be as smug and annoying as he was before—there is no chance Margo will ever catch feelings for him . . . until she does.
The more time they spend together through cake tastings and wedding party activities, the more Margo can’t ignore their obvious spark, and she may actually be enjoying getting to know Declan. But can she let go of the rules to let him in?
20% Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I start reading this book!)
Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)
Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success
Author: Jessica Parra
Narrated by: Karla Serrato
Publication Date: May 16, 2023
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Fiction
Page Count: 320 pages
Audiobook Length: 8 hours 41 minutes
Thanks so much to the author, St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book, as well as Dreamscape Media and Libro.fm for the gifted advanced audio copy!
Description from Goodreads:
Graduation is only a few months away, and so far Rubi Ramos’s recipe for success is on track.
*Step 1: Get into the prestigious Alma University. *Step 2: Become incredibly successful lawyer.
But when Alma waitlists Rubi’s application, her plan is in jeopardy. Her parents–especially her mom, AKA the boss–have wanted this for her for years. In order to get off the waitlist without her parents knowing, she needs math tutoring from surfer-hottie math genius Ryan, lead the debate team to a championship–and remember the final step of the recipe.
*Step 3: Never break the ban on baking.
Rubi has always been obsessed with baking, daydreaming up new concoctions and taking shifts at her parents’ celebrated bakery. But her mother dismisses baking as a distraction–her parents didn’t leave Cuba so she could bake just like them.
But some recipes are begging to be tampered with…
When the First Annual Bake Off comes to town, Rubi’s passion for baking goes from subtle simmer to full boil. She’s not sure if she has what it takes to become OC’s best amateur baker, and there’s only one way to find out–even though it means rejecting the ban on baking, and by extension, her parents. But life is what you bake it, and now Rubi must differentiate between the responsibility of unfulfilled dreams she holds, and finding the path she’s meant for.
20% Review:
I’m about halfway through this audiobook as I write this, and it is so cute so far! The characters are enjoyable, the romance is sweet, and the stakes are relatively low – overall so far it is just a solid YA listen.
Thanks so much to HarperAudio and Libro.fm for the gifted advanced audio copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
This entertaining, transportive, and luminous debut novel follows a young Trinidadian woman finding her voice and a new kind of happy ending.
Bianca Bridge has always dreamt of becoming a writer. But Trinidadian society can be unforgiving, and having an affair with a married government official is a sure-fire way to ruin your prospects. So when Obadiah Cortland, a notoriously tyrannical entrepreneur in the island’s beauty scene, offers her a job, Bianca accepts, realizing that working on his magazine is the closest to her dreams she’ll get.
As Bianca begins to embrace her power and creative voice, she starts to suspect Obadiah is not the elite tyrant he seems. She’s right. Born in one of the poorest parts of Trinidad, Obadiah has clawed partway up society’s ladder and built his company around his meticulously crafted persona. Now, he’s not about to let anyone, especially Bianca, see past his façade.
When Bianca’s ex-lover threatens everything she’s rebuilt, jeopardizing all she’s come to love about her new life, she’s surprised to find support from the most unlikely ally and, finally, draws the strength to fight back like her mother taught her.
Sharp-witted and fiercely fun, The God of Good Looks alternates between Bianca’s diary entries and Obadiah’s first-person narrative to portray modern Trinidad’s rigid class barriers and the fraught impact of beauty commodification in a patriarchal society. Boisterous, moving, and full of meaty, universally relatable questions, Mc Ivor’s sparkling debut is an open-hearted, awakening tale about prejudice and pride, the masks we wear, and what we can become if we dare to take them off.
20% Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I start reading this book!)
Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)
The Rachel Experiment
Author: Lisa Lin
Narrated by: Kat Riley
Publication Date: May 16, 2023
Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance
Audiobook Length: 7 hours 50 minutes
Thanks so much to Dreamscape Media and Libro.fm for the gifted advanced audio copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
Who knew that one night out would change everything?
As a financial analyst, Rachel Bai is more comfortable with numbers than people. When her boss promotes her to head a team in San Francisco, his message is clear—she has one year to build a successful team and become an effective leader. Rachel sets out to discover how to be more comfortable interacting with people, but a drunken night meant for research results in a mechanical bull ride and a one-night stand with a sexy stranger—definitely not part of her plan.
Attorney Luke Trudeau is intrigued by the mysterious woman who’s determined to put their night together firmly in her rearview mirror. So when Luke sees Rachel again, he proposes a deal: he’ll smooth out her rough social edges and teach her to charm clients if she’ll help him devise a financial plan to open his own practice.
It seems like a win-win, but Luke breaks the rules by falling in love. Can he convince Rachel that what they have is real and, when it comes to love, there are no set rules?
20% Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I start reading this book!)
Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)
Thanks so much to Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group and Libro.fm for the gifted advanced audio copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
A much-anticipated, hilarious new essay collection from #1 New York Times bestselling unabashed fan-favorite Samantha Irby invites us to share in the gory particulars of her real life, all that festers behind the glitter and glam.
Beloved writer Samantha Irby has returned to the printed page for her much-anticipated, sidesplitting fourth book following her 2020 breakout, Wow, No Thank You, a Vintage Books Original.
The success of Irby’s career has taken her to new heights. She fields calls with job offers from Hollywood and walks the red carpet with the iconic ladies of Sex and the City. Finally, she has made it. But, behind all that new-found glam, Irby is just trying to keep her life together as she always had.
Her teeth are poisoning her from inside her mouth, and her diarrhea is back. She gets turned away from a restaurant for wearing ugly clothes, she goes to therapy and tries out Lexapro, gets healed with RReiki, explores the power of crystals, and becomes addicted to QVC. Making light of herself as she takes us on an outrageously funny tour of all the details that make up a true portrait of her life, Irby is once again the relatable, uproarious tonic we all need.
A VINTAGE ORIGINAL.
20% Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I start reading this book!)
Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)
Love Betrayal Murder
Author: Adam Mitzner
Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot, Elizabeth Evans & Brian Hutchison
Publication Date: May 16, 2023
Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Legal Thriller
Audiobook Length: 7 hours 56 minutes
Thanks so much to Blackstone Publishing and Libro.fm for the gifted advanced audio copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
Love: Matthew Brooks and Vanessa Lyons are a perfect match, both attorneys at a powerful New York City law firm. But there’s a small hitch: Matt just made partner, and Vanessa is coming up for partner next year. Two hitches, actually, because Vanessa is married.
Betrayal: Vanessa is assigned to the biggest case at the firm, the one that will determine her own partnership chances. Unfortunately, Matt has been working on the case for years, leaving him no choice but to supervise his lover in violation of firm policies. After the case is over, Vanessa’s ascendance is assured. But when Vanessa is denied her partnership, she can only assume that her affair with Matt was the reason.
Murder: in broad daylight, on a crowded Manhattan street corner. But with so many having been betrayed, will the true murderer be brought to justice? A gripping criminal trial will leave readers unsure of who, if anyone, is telling the truth. All culminating in the shocking final reveal.
20% Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I start reading this book!)
Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)
Thanks so much to Thomas Nelson and Libro.fm for the gifted advanced audio copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
From Park Avenue to the Parks Department—the world’s most beloved social media star is about to get a rude awakening.
With her millions of followers, Cat Cranwell is adored around the world. But when an app partnership goes very, very wrong, Cat suddenly finds herself shunned from the community that not only fed her soul all these years but paid her bills. When Cat’s closest living relative, Uncle Terry, offers her a position on his staff at a small national park in Montana to get away from the city, Cat hesitantly accepts the opportunity.
What she doesn’t realize is that as the new social media strategist her goal is to save Kannery National Park from being absorbed into Glacier National Park by boosting the number of visitors. And at least one of her new colleagues—namely, handsome and rugged ranger Zaiah Hudson—thinks social media is the root of everything that’s wrong with the world. Written with bestselling author Melissa Ferguson’s signature wit and charm, this romantic comedy of opposites attract is full of hilarious romp and a romance that will melt readers’ hearts.
20% Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I start reading this book!)
Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)
Thanks so much to the author and Wednesday Books (St. Martin’s Press) for the gifted physical ARC of this book, as well as to Netgalley for the gifted e-copy, in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } My reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.
Publication Date: March 28, 2023
Genre: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction
Page Count: 368 pages
TW: major injury to a minor, infidelity, discussion of death, underage drinking
When I first learned about this book I heard it being described as “Gilmore Girls-like,” so I will say that I had pretty high expectations going in to it – but I’m happy to say that it didn’t disappoint!
First let’s look at the characters – and I’ll just do a brief overview because there were so many fun characters at the core of this story! Junie, our female lead, is far from a perfect character, but I think that’s a big part of her charm. She is sassy and yes, very melodramatic – but she’s a teenager in a theatre department, so what else would you expect? As a former theatre kid myself, I found her dramatics and drama club related goals to be almost too familiar to me.
And her two primary relationships being built in this story – her romance with Graham, and her friendship/sisterhood with Tallulah. She and Graham had such a lovely relationship – I think it was a great balance between the history that they had and the chemistry in their interactions with the inherent fears and risks with a friends to lovers relationship. I was absolutely rooting for them throughout the story, and I loved watching their romance really rekindle. But I will say that I think Junie and Tallulah’s relationship was the one that made me feel the biggest feelings while reading this book. It’s easy to understand how these two characters got off on the wrong foot and had a hard time getting going from there, and getting to see them slowly thaw towards each other and really get to a solid point of caring about each other and looking after one another by the end of the book was really lovely to see.
And I can’t talk about this book without mentioning the setting, because much like Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls, this small beach town really was a character all it’s own! To say that I wanted to move in and work at a cute little bookshop in this town and hide away from my other responsibilities for the rest of my life would be a gross understatement. This was a perfect summer read, and I only wish I had a more beachy location to enjoy it in.
Overall I would recommend this book to my friends and fellow readers who are looking for something fun and easy to get them into a summery mood. While there are some tougher topics and a few tense scenes (take a look at the trigger warnings above before jumping in), I think that the perfect way to read this book would be on the beach or somewhere else warm and sunny with some sort of tasty treat – maybe a cocktail, or a lemonade, or an ice cream cone. Doesn’t matter, just settle in and get comfy! If you enjoy it like I did, then you’ll probably be there for a while.
Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio – Review: 5 Stars
Thanks so much to the author, Celadon Books, and Netgalley for the gifted e-copy of this book, as well as to Macmillan Audio for the gifted audio copy, in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } My reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my blog at tacklingtbr.home.blog
TW: death/murder, stalking, violence, death/injury to children
Oh my gosh, I listened to this book on audio and it was slightly terrifying! I couldn’t stop listening to it and almost listened to it all in one go, just because I needed to know how it ended and what happened next.
There are multiple stories and timelines going on in this book – there is the past with two young siblings being raised by a religious serial killer who believes everything is fated and pre-written in a diary for him; there is the more recent past with two young siblings that experience a great trauma in the form of an attack on the brother; and then there is the present, where the police are investigating a strange death that may link the two other storylines together.
This book was really well written and had me invested basically from the first page, and the narration on the audiobook was amazing! The narrator really captured every emotion, and absolutely added to the horror and terrifying atmosphere of the book. I think that it is absolutely worthwhile to read the book in this format.
Overall I would absolutely recommend this book to my friends and fellow readers – but I would definitely recommend looking at the trigger warnings before reading this book, as it is pretty intense at times. I think that the perfect way to read this book would be inside on a grey and stormy day, under a blanket, and with a very large glass of red wine. Maybe even next to a roaring fire, to add to the ambiance and make it feel like a real ghost story!
Hello, friends – and happy Tuesday! Welcome to another round of new releases that I was lucky enough to get an early copy of, and have either already read or are upcoming on my #TBR.
These books could be gifted from the publisher through sites like NetGalley or Edelweiss+, they could be electronic copies gifted directly to me from the publisher or the author, an early audiobook copy through the publisher or Libro.fm, or even a physical copy that has been sent to me from the author or publisher. I am so thankful for all of the reading opportunities that I am given through these various sources, and I am excited to share these new releases!
In these weekly posts I will include a 20% review if I am currently reading the book, as well as a link to my full review if I have already finished the book. And if I have not yet started the book by the time this is posted, I will leave those spots blank and edit the post to add them in later!
Immortality: A Love Story
Author: Dana Schwartz
Narrated by: Mhairi Morrison & Tim Campbell
Publication Date: February 28, 2023
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Fantasy, Gothic, Fiction
Audiobook Length: 12 hours 2 minutes
Thanks so much to Macmillan Audio for the gifted advanced audio copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
Hazel Sinnett is alone and half-convinced the events of the year before—the immortality, Beecham’s vial—were a figment of her imagination. She doesn’t even know whether Jack is alive or dead. All she can really do now is treat patients and maintain Hawthornden Castle as it starts to decay around her.
When saving a life leads to her arrest, Hazel seems doomed to rot in prison until a message intervenes: She has been specifically requested to be the personal physician of Princess Charlotte, the sickly daughter of King George IV. Soon Hazel is dragged into the glamor and romance of a court where everyone has something to hide, especially the enigmatic, brilliant members of a social club known as the Companions to the Death.
As Hazel’s work entangles her more and more with the British court, she realizes that her own future as a surgeon isn’t the only thing at stake. Malicious forces are at work in the monarchy, and Hazel may be the only one capable of setting things right.
Immortality: A Love Story is the eagerly anticipated sequel to Dana Schwartz’s bestselling gothic romance, Anatomy: A Love Story.
20% Review:
I am FLYING through this audiobook! As I’m writing this I just finished Anatomy yesterday, and I haven’t been so glad to already have access to a sequel in a while because I knew I needed to start Immortality immediately. And, without giving any spoilers, some craziness just happened at 20% – so I’m betting this break I’m taking to write this won’t last long! I’ll be surprised if I don’t listen to the whole book all the way through today.
Thanks so much to the author, Celadon Books, and Netgalley for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book, as well as Macmillan Audio for the gifted advanced audio!
Description from Goodreads:
A dark, suspenseful new thriller about the mysteries of fate, the unbreakable bond of siblings, and a notorious serial killer who was said to know the future.
Growing up in a beautiful house in the English countryside, Katie Shaw lived a charmed life. At the cusp of graduation, she had big dreams, a devoted boyfriend, and a little brother she protected fiercely. Until the day a violent stranger changed the fate of her family forever.
Years later, still unable to live down the guilt surrounding what happened to her brother, Chris, and now with a child of her own to protect, Katie struggles to separate the real threats from the imagined. Then she gets the phone call: Chris has gone missing and needs his big sister once more.
Meanwhile, Detective Laurence Page is facing a particularly gruesome crime. A distinguished professor of fate and free will has been brutally murdered just hours after firing his staff. All the leads point back to two old cases: the gruesome attack on teenager Christopher Shaw, and the despicable crimes of a notorious serial killer who, legend had it, could see the future.
20% Review:
I’ve just started listening to this book on audio, and it’s interesting so far but I’m having some trouble keeping characters, timelines, and storylines straight. I will keep listening for now, but will switch to a print format later if I’m still having issues, to see if that makes it easier. So far it feels like there is a whole lot going on and, while I’m sure they will all tie together at some point, it is feeling a bit like I’m jumping back and forth between a few different books.
Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)
Thanks so much to Simon & Schuster Audio Originals and Libro.fm for the gifted advanced audio copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
An audio original novella from the bestselling author of Ordinary Grace and This Tender Land, The Levee is a powerful, captivating story of a family, a storm, a complicated rescue, and the true cost of survival.
It’s 1927, and the most devastating flood in American history has swelled the Mississippi River to a width of eighty miles. In an attempt to save a family trapped by the rising water, four men in a tiny rowboat battle the treacherous flow: three are convicts, on loan from the local prison and pressed into service; the fourth, the leader of the team, is driven by his own hidden motives. But to their surprise upon arrival at Ballymore, an ancestral home protected by a high, circular levee, not everyone in the family feels the need to be saved. Pride, greed, loyalty, and even love create their own complex currents behind the massive wall. As the threat from the flood increases and time ticks away, the crew and the family must decide on a course of action, and a desperate plan is hatched to save the weakening levee and all it was built to protect.
The Levee is a propulsive, heartfelt tale of courage, cowardice, and sacrifice in a historic moment when the indomitable human spirit is pitted against the awesome and destructive power of nature.
20% Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I start reading this book!)
Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)
I am so excited to have received another box from one of my favorite bookish subscription services, Once Upon a Book Club! This time I received the Adult box for the month of December, with the clue “Melody of Madness!”
Take a look below for information on the book and gifts that I received in this box and more – but keep in mind that there will be spoilers on the gifts!
Thanks so much to the folks over at Once Upon a Book Club for gifting me with this box! Check them out for yourself, and use my code TACKLINGTBR at check out for a discount!
About the Box
The Melody of Madness box was Once Upon a Book Club’s adult box for December 2022! Each box contained a custom edition of the book designed specifically by Once Upon a Book Club, as well as three wrapped gifts to tie into the book – bringing the book and reading experience to life!
Page 62
“I said, don’t drink the tea.”
A set of two 10oz. Glass Mugs
Page 205
“The blanket edged down, and I felt her racing heart against my shoulder, a wild tempo of fear, and closed my eyes.”
A 51″ X 71″ Polyester & Flannel Moonlight Sonata Blanket
Page 302
“‘So you never have to face the darkness.’ He took my right hand and wrapped my fingers around what felt like matches.”
A set of two Taper Candles
About the Book
Published By: Fleming H. Revell Company
Publication Date: October 4, 2022
Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Romance, Mystery
Page Count: 378 pages
Description from Goodreads:
“Darkly premised and brilliantly presented. The Lost Melodyserves a pitch-perfect blend of history, romance, mystery, and faith.”–Bookliststarred review
***
When concert pianist Vivienne Mourdant’s father dies, he leaves to her the care of an adult ward she knew nothing about. The woman is supposedly a patient at Hurstwell Asylum. The woman’s portrait is shockingly familiar to Vivienne, so when the asylum claims she was never a patient there, Vivienne is compelled to discover what happened to the figure she remembers from childhood dreams.
The longer she lingers in the deep shadows and forgotten towers at Hurstwell, the fuzzier the line between sanity and madness becomes. She hears music no one else does, receives strange missives with rose petals between the pages, and untangles far more than is safe for her to know. But can she uncover the truth about the mysterious woman she seeks? And is there anyone at Hurstwell she can trust with her suspicions?
Fan-favorite Joanna Davidson Politano casts a delightful spell with this lyrical look into the nature of women’s independence and artistic expression during the Victorian era–and now.
Review:
Unfortunately, I ended up DNF-ing this book at about the halfway point. I was having a really hard time feeling invested in the story or the characters, and I wasn’t feeling like I was looking forward to getting home from work and picking this book up to learn more.
I have no specific complaints about this book, besides to say that at this time it wasn’t the right read for me.
I am definitely keeping an open mind to the possibility of picking it back up in the future, either with this gorgeous physical copy or jumping into it in an audio format!
About the Author
Joanna Davidson Politano freelances for a small nonfiction publisher but spends much of her time spinning tales that capture the colorful, exquisite details in ordinary lives. Her manuscript for Lady Jayne Disappears was a finalist for several contests, including the 2016 Genesis Award from ACFW, and won the OCW Cascade Award and the Maggie Award for Excellence.
She is always on the hunt for random acts of kindness, people willing to share their deepest secrets with a stranger, and hidden stashes of sweets. She lives with her husband and their two babies in a house in the woods near Lake Michigan and shares stories that move her at www.jdpstories.com.
Link to Purchase the Book
Learn more about Once Upon A Book Club, or order your next read, here!
Hello, friends – and happy Tuesday! Welcome to another round of new releases that I was lucky enough to get an early copy of, and have either already read or are upcoming on my #TBR.
These books could be gifted from the publisher through sites like NetGalley or Edelweiss+, they could be electronic copies gifted directly to me from the publisher or the author, an early audiobook copy through the publisher or Libro.fm, or even a physical copy that has been sent to me from the author or publisher. I am so thankful for all of the reading opportunities that I am given through these various sources, and I am excited to share these new releases!
In these weekly posts I will include a 20% review if I am currently reading the book, as well as a link to my full review if I have already finished the book. And if I have not yet started the book by the time this is posted, I will leave those spots blank and edit the post to add them in later!
The Case for Cancel Culture
Author: Ernest Owens
Publication Date: February 21, 2023
Genre: Nonfiction, Politics
Page Count: 256 pages
Thanks so much to the author and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted advanced copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
Refinery 29‘s Most Anticipated Books By Black & Latine Authors in 2023!
Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Best New Books for February!
“A necessary discourse about power and control, and who ultimately has a voice versus whose is often stifled.” —Preston D. Mitchum, LGBTQIA attorney, activist, and adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University The first major case for cancel culture as a fundamental means of democratic expression throughout history, and timely necessity aimed at combating systems of oppression.
“___ is canceled.”
Chances are, you’ve heard this a lot lately. What might’ve once been a niche digital term has been legitimized in the discourse of presidents, politicians, and lawmakers.
But what really is cancel culture? Blacklisting celebrities? Censorship? Until now, this has been the general consensus in the media. But it’s time to raise the bar on our definition— to think of cancel culture less as scandal or suppression, and more as an essential means of democratic expression and accountability.
The Case for Cancel Culture does just that. This cultural critique from 2023 Philly News Award-Winning journalist Ernest Owens offers a fresh progressive lens in favor of cancel culture as a tool for activism and change. Using examples from politics, pop culture, and his own personal experience, Owens helps readers reflect on and learn the long history of canceling (spoiler: the Boston Tea Party was cancel culture); how the left and right uniquely equip it as part of their political toolkits; how intersections of society wield it for justice; and ultimately how it levels the playing field for the everyday person’s voice to matter.
Why should we care? Because in a world where protest and free speech are being challenged by the most powerful institutions, those without power deserve to understand the nuance and importance of this democratic tool available to them. Readers will walk away from this first-of-its-kind exploration not despising cancel culture but embracing it as a form of democratic expression that’s always been leading the charge in liberating us all.
“Journalist Owens debuts with an incisive defense of cancel culture… his arguments are thought-provoking and well supported. The result is an invigorating survey of a hot-button political issue.” —Publishers Weekly “An important tool for all times, and for anyone looking to learn how to have the difficult but necessary conversations about race, injustice, inequality, and oppression.” —Dawn Ennis, award-winning journalist, advocate, and university professor
20% Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I start reading this book!)
Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)
Thanks so much to the author, Atria Books, and Edelweiss+ for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
The Plot meets Please Join Us in this psychological suspense debut about a young author at an exclusive writer’s retreat that descends into a nightmare.
Alex has all but given up on her dreams of becoming a published author when she receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: attend an exclusive, month-long writing retreat at the estate of feminist horror writer Roza Vallo. Even the knowledge that Wren, her former best friend and current rival, is attending doesn’t dampen her excitement.
But when the attendees arrive, Roza drops a bombshell—they must all complete an entire novel from scratch during the next month, and the author of the best one will receive a life-changing seven-figure publishing deal. Determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, Alex buckles down and tries to ignore the strange happenings at the estate, including Roza’s erratic behavior, Wren’s cruel mind games, and the alleged haunting of the mansion itself. But when one of the writers vanishes during a snowstorm, Alex realizes that something very sinister is afoot. With the clock running out, she’s desperate to discover the truth and save herself.
A claustrophobic and propulsive thriller exploring the dark side of friendships and fame, The Writing Retreat is the unputdownable debut novel from a compelling new talent.
20% Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I start reading this book!)
Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)
Primer and Punishment
Author: Diane Kelly
Publication Date: February 21, 2023
Genre: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction
Page Count: 304 pages
Thanks so much to the author, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
Primer and Punishment marks the fifth in the delightful cozy mystery series from Diane Kelly set in Nashville, Tennessee. Whitney Whitaker has a knack for nailing down murderers . . . but this time she might just come unmoored.
Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck are looking once again to rehab and resell a house, only this particular house is made of fiberglass, floats, and has been dubbed the Skinny Dipper. The old houseboat sure could use some work, but the unusual project has Whitney bubbling with excitement.
The charming and handsome Grant Hardisty lives on the cabin cruiser in the adjacent slip, but the cousins soon learn he’s left a half dozen angry ex-wives in his wake and made enemies of all sorts of unsavory folks. The man is clearly caught in an increasingly dangerous current with no life preserver in sight.
Whitney and Buck are spraying primer on their houseboat when—KABOOM!—Grant’s boat blows sky high with the man himself inside. Detective Collin Flynn has no shortage of suspects, but the waters become muddied when several of them confess to the crime. Is one of those who confessed truly guilty, or are they taking a dive for someone else? When anonymous threats are made against the cousins, Whitney must quickly determine who killed their neighbor at the lake, or she and Buck might also be sunk.
20% Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I start reading this book!)
Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)
Thanks so much to Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group and Libro.fm for the gifted advanced audio copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2023 by TIME, NPR, The Seattle Times, Good Housekeeping, Today, Southern Living, and CrimeReads
The riveting new novel from the author of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist The Great Believers
A successful film professor and podcaster, Bodie Kane is content to forget her past—the family tragedy that marred her adolescence, her four largely miserable years at a New Hampshire boarding school, and the murder of her former roommate, Thalia Keith, in the spring of their senior year. Though the circumstances surrounding Thalia’s death and the conviction of the school’s athletic trainer, Omar Evans, are hotly debated online, Bodie prefers—needs—to let sleeping dogs lie.
But when the Granby School invites her back to teach a course, Bodie is inexorably drawn to the case and its increasingly apparent flaws. In their rush to convict Omar, did the school and the police overlook other suspects? Is the real killer still out there? As she falls down the very rabbit hole she was so determined to avoid, Bodie begins to wonder if she wasn’t as much of an outsider at Granby as she’d thought—if, perhaps, back in 1995, she knew something that might have held the key to solving the case.
In I Have Some Questions for You, award-winning author Rebecca Makkai has crafted her most irresistible novel yet: a stirring investigation into collective memory and a deeply felt examination of one woman’s reckoning with her past, with a transfixing mystery at its heart. Timely, hypnotic, and populated with a cast of unforgettable characters, I Have Some Questions for You is at once a compulsive page-turner and a literary triumph.
20% Review:
I am flying through this audiobook! I turned it on the other day while I was working on something, and I looked down and realized I was about 50% of the way through it. So far I think that the story and the way it is being told are both really interesting, and I’m enjoying Bodie as a lead character. Now I’m just counting down until I have time to sit down and finish it!
Thanks so much to the author, Graydon House publishing, Netgalley, and Valentine PR for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts and participation in this blog tour. { partner }
New York Times bestselling sensation Kylie Scott’s sexy, smart and unconventional opposites-attract love story looks at what happens when fate refuses to give up on what’s meant to be…
When Susie Bowen inherits a charming fixer-upper from her aunt, she’s excited to start living her best HGTV life. But when she opens the door to find that her contractor is none other than her ex’s best friend, Lars—the same man who witnessed their humiliating public breakup six months ago—she isn’t exactly eager to have anyone around whose alliance is with the enemy. But beggars can’t be choosers, and the sooner the repairs are done, the sooner she can get back to embracing singledom.
Things go from awkward to unbelievable when Lars discovers a divorce certificate hidden in a wall and dated ten years in the future—with both their names on it. It couldn’t possibly be real…could it? As Susie and Lars work to unravel the document’s origins, the impossibility of a spark between them suddenly doesn’t seem so far-fetched. But would a relationship between them be doomed before it’s even begun?
“Sweet and spicy—the unique setup, top-notch banter and charming enigma had me hooked.” —Anna E. Collins, author of Love at First Spite
Review (4 stars):
TW: toxic relationships (romantic and familial), loss of a family member, injury from a car accident
I was excited to read this book when I initially read the description, but this Seattle-based girl really fell in love once I started reading it and realized that it was set right here in my own back yard! Is there anything more fun for a reader than reading books set in your hometown?
Let’s talk about the characters. I really enjoyed Susie and Lars as our main character and love interest! I thought that they were both fun characters to read, and that they played off of each other nicely. I can totally see how these two characters would fall for each other. I wish we had gotten a dual POV so that we could see a bit of the process of him falling in love with her – especially since Susie was so reluctant to love all the way until the end of the book, I think it would have been nice to get a bit of his side of the love story too and maybe get a bit more of the he-fell-first side of the story.
I thought that the story itself was a really interesting idea, with a mystical and mysterious divorce certificate appearing out of nowhere, but obviously you do lose a bit of the realism in the story that way – so if you are someone that prefers to read stories that could really happen to anyone, keep in mind that you’ll want to go into this one with an open mind for the unexplainable.
I will say that one bit of the writing style took me a little bit to warm up to – and that is the way Susie’s inner monologue played out in the book. There were lots of sarcasm and slightly silly asides to herself that I wasn’t expecting, and like I said they took me a little bit of time to warm up to. I think partially because this book jumps right into the story (I think they find the divorce certificate on page 8 or 9), so there wasn’t really a ton of time to acclimate to the story or writing style.
I will also say that at times during conversations between characters it was a little bit tricky to determine which character was talking, but I’m not sure if that was the way it was written or if it was the fact that the galley I read had not yet been properly formatted, so take that bit with a grain of salt – entirely possible it is fixed in the finished copies!
Over all I would absolutely recommend this book to my friends and my fellow readers, especially my friends who live nearby – I mean really, reading a book set in your city is so much fun! I think that the perfect way to read this book would be curled up with a cat and a pint of ice cream. Molly Moon’s would be preferable, but if you’re not local, then anything delicious and sugary will do in a pinch!
About the Author:
(Taken from the author’s website, listed below)
Kylie is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today best-selling, Audie Award winning author. She has sold over 2,000,000 books and was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year four times by the Australian Romance Reader’s Association. Her books have been translated into fifteen different languages and she is based in Queensland, Australia.
Hello, friends – and happy Tuesday! Welcome to another round of new releases that I was lucky enough to get an early copy of, and have either already read or are upcoming on my #TBR.
These books could be gifted from the publisher through sites like NetGalley or Edelweiss+, they could be electronic copies gifted directly to me from the publisher or the author, an early audiobook copy through the publisher or Libro.fm, or even a physical copy that has been sent to me from the author or publisher. I am so thankful for all of the reading opportunities that I am given through these various sources, and I am excited to share these new releases!
In these weekly posts I will include a 20% review if I am currently reading the book, as well as a link to my full review if I have already finished the book. And if I have not yet started the book by the time this is posted, I will leave those spots blank and edit the post to add them in later!
Thanks so much to the author, Minotaur Books, and Netgalley for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
Author and single mom Finlay Donovan has been in messes before―after all, she’s a pro at removing bloodstains for various unexpected reasons―but none quite like this. When Finlay and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero accidentally destroyed a luxury car that they had “borrowed” in the process of saving the life of Finlay’s ex-husband, the Russian mob did her a favor and bought the car for her. And now Finlay owes them.
Mob boss Feliks is still running the show from behind bars, and he has a task for Finlay: find and identify a contract killer before the cops do. The problem is, the killer might be an officer themself.
Luckily, hot cop Nick has just been tasked with starting up a citizen’s police academy, and combined pressure from Finlay’s looming book deadline and Feliks is enough to convince Finlay and Vero to get involved. Through firearm training and forensic classes (and some hands-on research with a tempting detective), Finlay and Vero use their time in police academy to sleuth out the real contract killer to free themselves from the mob’s clutches―all the while dodging spies, confronting Vero’s past, and juggling the daily trials of parenthood.
From USA Today bestseller and Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun—the highly anticipated, hilarious, and heart-pounding next installment in the beloved Finlay Donovan series…
20% Review:
As usual for this series, this book jumps right into it! I couldn’t wait to dive into this book, since it feels like I’ve been waiting for this next chapter in the story for a very long time, so it’s been very hard every time I need to put it down. Darn work and grown up responsibilities, right? So far we’ve already gotten a bit of action in the story, and a bit of romance (I had definitely missed hot-cop-Nick), and I can’t wait to see where the rest of the book goes!
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Adult, Literary Fiction, Coming of Age
Page Count: 320 pages
Audiobook Length: 10 hours 10 minutes
Thanks so much to the author and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted advanced copy of this book, as well as Macmillan Audio and Libro.fm for the gifted audio copy!
Description from Goodreads:
Maame (ma-meh) has many meanings in Twi but in my case, it means woman.
It’s fair to say that Maddie’s life in London is far from rewarding. With a mother who spends most of her time in Ghana (yet still somehow manages to be overbearing), Maddie is the primary caretaker for her father, who suffers from advanced stage Parkinson’s. At work, her boss is a nightmare and Maddie is tired of always being the only Black person in every meeting.
When her mum returns from her latest trip to Ghana, Maddie leaps at the chance to get out of the family home and finally start living. A self-acknowledged late bloomer, she’s ready to experience some important “firsts”: She finds a flat share, says yes to after-work drinks, pushes for more recognition in her career, and throws herself into the bewildering world of internet dating. But it’s not long before tragedy strikes, forcing Maddie to face the true nature of her unconventional family, and the perils––and rewards––of putting her heart on the line.
Smart, funny, and deeply affecting, Maame deals with the themes of our time with humor and poignancy: from familial duty and racism, to female pleasure, the complexity of love, and the life-saving power of friendship. Most important, it explores what it feels like to be torn between two homes and cultures―and it celebrates finally being able to find where you belong.
20% Review:
I’ve just started listening to this book on audio, and so far I am really enjoying it! It isn’t all that fast paced or quick-moving, but I’m still finding that I’m feeling invested and wanting to keep listening to it to see what is happening next, so I’m not minding the slower pace. It just makes it feel more slice-of-life, which is a nice change of pace from some of my other recent reads. I’m really enjoying Maddie as a main character, and I’m looking forward to hearing more about the characters of her new flat mates, since they’ve just been introduced but seem like really fun characters. So far I’m not in love with the book, but I am definitely enjoying it, so the potential is still there!
Thanks so much to the author, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Netgalley for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
Cheerfully irreverent, bitingly funny, and filled with romantic charm, The Second You’re Single is all about navigating the most romantic month of the year, and how love always seems to arrive when you least expect it.
Freelance writer Sora Reid believes in inertia. She’s the odd one out in a close-knit family of go-getters, including her Japanese-American mom, who hints about her need to lose weight, and her soon-to-be married, overachieving younger sister, who needs her to have a date for the wedding, since a wedding party couples’ dance with their Scottish great uncle Bob simply won’t do. For Sora, minimal input, minimal expectations is the way to go. She’d rather stay at home with her insufferable neighbor and her adorable pitbull.
The one thing that disrupts her inertia: an intense dislike for Valentine’s Day. What is it with the commercial love machine? Why do we pin our hopes on one romantic day, when staying home with a package of bacon and a bottle of tequila would be way better? Sora’s been betrayed and disappointed more than once and her heart is starting to feel like her Grandma Mitsuye’s antique Japanese ceramic bowl, with its many gold-filled cracks.
When her pledge to stay single in February inspires readers to #gosolo, Sora has a responsibility to empower her readers. But relationships aren’t built to last, so it shouldn’t be that hard. Right?
Enter Jack Mann. A muscle-bound baker who looks like he lifts logs on the weekends, Sora hasn’t thought of Jack since they were in elementary school together. When they see each other at the local grocery store and the attraction hits hard, Sora knows she has to shut it down, quick. She can’t #gosolo AND get the guy. She can’t let down her readers. And relationships always end, so why should Jack be any different–even though he’s confounding all her long-held expectations of love?
20% Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I start reading this book!)
Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)
Cobalt Red
Author: Siddharth Kara
Publication Date: January 31, 2023
Genre: Nonfiction, Cultural – Africa, History
Page Count: 288 pages
Thanks so much to the author, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
An unflinching investigation reveals the human rights abuses behind the Congo’s cobalt mining operation—and the moral implications that affect us all.
Cobalt Red is the searing, first-ever exposé of the immense toll taken on the people and environment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by cobalt mining, as told through the testimonies of the Congolese people themselves. Activist and researcher Siddharth Kara has traveled deep into cobalt territory to document the testimonies of the people living, working, and dying for cobalt. To uncover the truth about brutal mining practices, Kara investigated militia-controlled mining areas, traced the supply chain of child-mined cobalt from toxic pit to consumer-facing tech giants, and gathered shocking testimonies of people who endure immense suffering and even die mining cobalt.
Cobalt is an essential component to every lithium-ion rechargeable battery made today, the batteries that power our smartphones, tablets, laptops, and electric vehicles. Roughly 75 percent of the world’s supply of cobalt is mined in the Congo, often by peasants and children in sub-human conditions. Billions of people in the world cannot conduct their daily lives without participating in a human rights and environmental catastrophe in the Congo. In this stark and crucial book, Kara argues that we must all care about what is happening in the Congo—because we are all implicated.
20% Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I start reading this book!)
Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)
Hex You
Author: P. C. Cast; Kristin Cast
Publication Date: January 31, 2023
Genre: Fantasy, YA, Paranormal, Witches, Fiction, LGBTQIA+
Page Count: 304 pages
Thanks so much to the author, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book!
Description from Goodreads:
Twin sisters, Mercy and Hunter are witches, direct descendants of the Goode family, the founders of their town. After the murder of their mother at the hands of a foul demon, they have become the protectors of the Gates to different underworlds–ancient portals between their world and realms where mythology rules and the darkest of creatures exist.
Mercy and Khenti are trapped in the Ancient Egyptian Underworld and need Hunter’s help to escape. But while Hunter searches for a way to save them, other evil threatens Goodeville. Amphitrite is still looming–and she wants vengeance against Hunter. With the gates rapidly weakening, Amphitrite lures out a deadly creature and sets it free on the residents of Goodeville. It will take everything in Mercy and Hunter’s power to stop the goddess and seal the gates once and for all.
20% Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I start reading this book!)
Review:
(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)
Thanks so much to the author, Minotaur Books, and Netgalley for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book, as well as Macmillan Audio for the gifted advanced audio copy, in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my blog at tacklingtbr.home.blog
The Finlay Donovan books have become one of my absolute favorite series, so it’s no surprise that I loved this book! It was a perfect way to start off my year of reading.
As always, Finlay and Vero have gotten themselves into a sticky situation. Nobody is shocked here. So what better place to hide out and do some snooping for a week than a live-in civilians police training camp, right? Right!
I already love this series, so of course I loved the characters. We get to see a bit more of Javi this time around, and we get some more background on him and other secondary characters from the previous books – including teen hacker Cam, and Nick’s grumpy partner, Joey. I always really enjoy more character driven stories, so one of my favorite things about reading a series is learning more and more about characters as you go along, so this book really delivered for me in that respect.
Of course some of the situations that Finlay and Vero find themselves in in this book are a bit silly and unbelievable, but that’s definitely nothing new to this series. Besides, if I wanted 100% believability I’d read true crime instead of romantic thrillers. I’m here because I want to see the characters outsmart the people around them, and see how they get out of the ridiculous corners they’ve been backed into, and hopefully seal it all up with a kiss.
Overall I would (and already have been) highly recommend this book to my friends and fellow readers. These books are a bit some high-stake, but at the same time they feel light and fun and like I can read them when I’m tired after a long day at work. Which is a perfect middle ground, if you ask me! I think that the perfect way to read this book would be buddy-reading it with one or two of your closest girl friends, sitting together and passing a bottle of wine (or whisky) between you, in true Fin and Vero style.
My Reviews for the rest of the Finlay Donovan series:
Tackling TBR 