I just finished The Bones beneath my Skin by TJ Klune and here are my thoughts. When Nate Cartwright goes to his dead parents cabin after being fired from his job as a journalist… He didn’t expect to find it inhabited with a man and a little girl and they are running from something that even Nate can’t wrap his head around… I finished this book weeks ago.. Have you ever had a book just sit right on your chest and you need to just let it rest before you think about how it made you feel? This book did that to me. It’s rare I even get a book hangover and this was no book hangover I ever had. I felt lost when it was done. I felt like I was saying goodbye and it didn’t sit right with me (I am crossing my toes for more with these characters). I loved Nate and Alex. So different but the same. They have the kind of protective instincts some parents don’t have with their own children and they protected Art with their lives. There is so much to unpack here. Art was spectacular. I don’t want to spoil it for you but her journey and the love she has for the two men made me tear up. She is so special and even after everything she went through, she still chose loving people. UGH I’m tearing up again. I thoroughly enjoy that love is love no matter how it comes to you. It was really well paced and I loved all the banter. I am already a superfan of TJ Klune and this should tell you that my expectations are already in the stars and I hold the books they write to very high standards. The characters are so real and that’s one of the things I’ve come to expect from the author and the storytelling is like a whisper in the wind. It’s gentle in its beauty and powerful without shouting. It’s graceful… impactful… it will charm the pants off you. 5 stars If you haven’t gone down the Klune rabbit hole yet, this would be a great one to start with. Thank you to @netgalley and @torpublishing for bringing this book into my life.

I just finished When the Earth was Green by Riley Black and here are my thoughts. If you don’t know much about prehistoric plants then this is the book for you! I don’t know much about plants period so this was a really interesting dive into a world I know zero about. It was amazing to read about plants and animals and how they interacted with each other. The evolution of plant life isn’t something I was interested in before but Riley Black made it interesting in a way that didn’t overload me with things I couldn’t understand but I did learn something! It was like taking a trip back in time and I was like David Attenborough.. except with dinosaurs! Highly recommend this book for anyone who likes history told with some passion! 4 stars Thank you @stmartinspress for my gifted copy #rileyblack #whentheearthwasgreen #nonfiction #booklover #bookreview #booksbooksbooks #reading #bookalorian #lifescience #smpinfluencer #bookinfluencer #booknerdigans

I just finished Saved by a Song by Mary Gauthier and here are my thoughts. The art and healing power healing power of songwriting… what an amazing book. This book isn’t just a memoir, it’s a little bit of artistic philosophy and some insight into writing songs! I love it!! I can appreciate what it took to write. The writing was amazing! I feel like I went on a beautiful journey with a trusted friend and it was a true delight. What I really loved about the book is Mary proves that just because you have gone down a dark path of addiction, doesn’t mean there isn’t a path forward. I felt connected, I felt the passion rolling off the page. It was a wonderful book. 4 stars One of the best memoirs I’ve read in ages.. I wish the book had been bigger. Thank you @stmartinspress for my gifted copy. #marygauthier #savedbyasong #memoir #songwriting #bookreview #smpinfluencer #booklover #magicinmusic #bookalorian #bookinfluencer #booksbooksbooks #readersofig #bookloversunite #readercommunity

🎧🎧Mini Audiobook reviews!🎧🎧 Definitely Better now by Ava Robinson It’s been a year since Emma has been in AA and she hasn’t told her work that she is a recovering alcoholic. Trouble is she is ready to start dating but she’s never had to do any of these things sober.. How is she going to navigate the delicate world of staying sober and finding a man when all the problems she had before haven’t magically disappeared? The narration was great. It was a pretty dark humor book and I was here for it all. Emma is so relatable and she owns the fact she’s still an asshole. She was like a brand new foal trying to stand and she was shaky and nervous. The plot was great, it was done with real class and I enjoyed the heck out of it. 4 stars . Watch your Back by Terri Parlato Eve and Nathan have a beautiful life and a daughter. Trouble starts when their daughter is kidnapped from the babysitters house.. her husband Nathan had been having an affair and it’s up to Rita to find out just what is going on in their home. The narration was pretty decent with this one. The book was really good most of the way through and then the ending… was weird. It was a bit overdone. The rest of it was epic. So many possibilities. So many threads to tug at and I loved it. I wish the ending hadn’t ended like that. The plot was solid though and if you like twisty thrillers with many POV this one’s for you. 3.75 stars rounded to 4 The Losting Fountain by Laura Senf The narration was just ok. I kinda felt like it wasn’t quite right… she didn’t change up her voice and that was a real bummer. All these kids are being called to this fountain and are being led there… There were 6 POV and it was too many to keep track of. I didn’t feel like the story building was particularly good and none of the characters were very interesting. I did finish but I wasn’t wowed by the book and I really wanted to love it. It was kinda lacklustre and I didn’t feel like it was as good as I had built it up in my mind to be. I might try the hardcover though. Sometimes I need to read to get the story 2.5 stars rounded to 3 (I’m sorry!) #audiobooks #audiobooklover #audioreader #bookreviews #watchyourback #thriller #thrillerreader .#definitelybetternow #darkhumor #romancereader #booktok #booktube #bookish #bookalorian #readingallday

I just finished The Rivals by Emma Lord and this is my review. Sadie sighs a huge breath of relief when she gets to the school of her choice because her long time rival is going somewhere else for school until he is moved from the waitlist and ends up on campus. Her blood boils instantly when Seb is there to continue their rivalry. Trouble is the more time they have to spend together, the more they can see past their rivalry but something more is going on at the school and it's going to take more than the pair of them to bring it to attention. I didn’t think I was going to like this one. I got the audio and the e-book from @netgalley and honestly the narration was utter perfection and I had a hard time switching to reading. I loved the rivalry. I thought it was done really well. They weren’t enemies, not really, they were childhood friends who’s friendship turned to a rivalry they never really came back from and it was fun. So much fun to watch them one up each other. The fact they were neighbors growing up too added to the complexity. It was really entertaining. I really enjoyed the setting. Being on a college campus really made it feel more exciting. Watching them work together when they are competing for the same opportunity made for some compelling banter and they had undeniable chemistry! I thought it all worked really well together and I enjoyed both Sadie and Seb, even though his name started to feel made up the more I heard it haha. All round solid YA read. Read if you like - Slow-burn romance - Rivals/enemies to lovers - Childhood best friends to academic rivals - University life - Coming-of-age 4 stars Thank you to @macmillanaudio and @stmartinspress for my gifted copies #enemiestolovers #therivals #emmalord #ya #yaromance #slowburn #bookishreview #bookblog #bookishvlog #smpinfluencer #booksbooksbooks #booktube #booktok #bookstababe #bookalorian #booktalk #bookishchat #bookbanter

I just finished Wedding Dashers by Heather McBreen and here are my thoughts!! Ada’s life has fallen apart but she has been tasked with bringing the veil for her little sister's wedding.. A sister she is drifting apart from. When her flight is cancelled she has no idea how she will get to the wedding… A man offers to buy her dinner and everything is fine but he thinks it's leading to sex… She is just about to leave his hotel room when both their phones blow up… With stark clarity they realize they are both going to the same wedding, what could go wrong? They team up to get to the wedding but things go from bad to worse in no time flat! I enjoyed this book. One of the things I didn’t like was how Ada’s sister portrayed Jack and it led to Ada having a bad impression of a man that didn’t deserve it. It really really aggravated me and I never warmed to her sister at all. Jack and Ava are both broken in different ways and have different ways of coping with it. I thought the way they learned to become friends after their animosity was really sweet. I don’t know if I would have continued trying to get to the wedding with all the obstacles in the way but they clearly both have more resilience than me. The book started out really slow. I wish it had picked up a bit sooner than it did but once it got going I really enjoyed this book. Tropes - Read if you enjoy: ▪️Enemies to lovers ▪️Forced proximity ▪️Meet Cute ▪️Slow Burn ▪️One bed ▪️Road trip romance I enjoyed their adventure and how they opened up to each other during their time getting to a wedding that neither of them wanted to go to. This is a debut and honestly, it is quite excellent and I will definitely be looking for this author again! 4 stars Thank you to @netgalley and @berkleypublishing for my gifted copy - out now #weddingdashers #heathermcbreen #debutnovel #booktube #booktok #booksofbookstagram #berkelybooks #bookreview #netgalley #bookishinfluencer #booktalk #bookalorian #readersoftiktok #kindlereader

I just finished The Last Bookshop on Earth by Lily Braun-Arnold and here are my thoughts.. Can the world really end… twice? The first storm was devastating but to know its coming back for another turn? It changes things for Liz. 17 years old and she has made a life in an abandoned bookstore. She’s been alone for a while but her whole world is flipped on its head when Maeve tries to rob the place. They couldn’t be more different but they start an unlikely friendship and while Maeve is running from her secrets and Liz from her demons, doesn’t stop them from fighting to survive what's coming.. I don’t read a lot of YA novels. I actually don’t know why I don’t if this is the kind of book I am missing out on. I love dystopian novels but after 2020 I got off the train and this was a nice introduction back into the end of the world reads. Liz and Maeve were really different characters and they really complimented each other in a classic way. I enjoyed watching them both find the better versions of themselves with each other. They were both fiercely protective. So the world has almost ended after the acid rain and Liz has managed to survive in the bookstore. Maeve did things she isn’t proud of to survive. It was awesome seeing how someone's nature changes when they have to fight to survive and it often isn’t a good change. I loved the ending. The banter wasn’t the best but it did get better as it went on. We see two timelines, Liz in the past before the storm and present day. It was tragic for Liz and my heart hurt for her. I loved the plot and I really enjoyed the book! 4 stars Thank you @netgalley @randomhousekids for my gifted copy! #thelastbookshoponearth #lilybraunarnold #lgbtq #lgbtqbook #bookreview #bookishreview #booklover #booknerd #booksta ##YAbooks #readersofig #igbooks #igbookreviews #readingallday #bookinfluencer

I just finished The Mafia Nanny by SHOO and here are my thoughts. OK to start with reading graphic novels is reading so when I add this phenomenal book to my goodreads… Know I do it gleefully!! The artwork in this book is off the hook amazing! The attention to detail was really something else. This might just be my favorite graphic novel to date it was so entertaining. I had a ton of fun reading it. Davina’s very first client as an elite nanny is underboss Gabriel and let me tell you.. If he wanted me like he wanted Davina… This novel would be x-rated haha. That is one HAWT DADDY. The premise is excellent with Davina feeling the slip back into the criminal underworld she already escaped and Mikey, her charge, is too cute. He has the moody kid thing going for him, you can’t help finding him endearing. Daniva is a great MC and I cannot wait to see what happens next! I am hooked!! The banter is great, the chemistry is there and I am fully invested. 4.5 stars Thank you to @webtoonofficial and @wattpadbooks for my gifted copy #gabrielangelini #webtoon #themafiananny #wattpadbooks #webtoonrecommendation #webtoonofficial #webtoonedit #edit #themafianannywebtoon #mafiananny #mafianannywebtoon #davina #davinadiavolo ##mikeyangelini #bookreview #graphicnovel #booklover #booktok #fyp

I just finished Prophecy by M L Fergus and here are my thoughts. Persephone has never known much of anything except being a slave and when a cheeky thief frees her she cannot help wondering why… Azriel has his reasons and he has reason to believe she is the key to the prophecy his people have been waiting for. I have a mixed bag of complex feelings about this book. I loved the parts with Persephone but there were parts that felt a little fragmented with the way it was written… I had to go back and reread a couple of times to make sure I was understanding where I was. The writing was great> I really enjoyed the tone and the pace but just the transition between the POV was messy for me. I went to libby and they don’t have the audio which is a real bummer because I get the feeling this would make a wonderful audiobook but for me, reading it didn’t pack the punch I knew it should. I felt like it didn’t hold me sometimes and other times I was in its clutches so hard I couldn’t breathe. I know, I am a drama queen but that's how it was while reading. It did find its feet better in the last third of the book and even though I am not sure how much I liked the book, I am intrigued enough to grab 2. I need to know more so the author did a really solid job of hooking me enough that it gets a 3.75 stars but I dunno, there was just something that waned for me especially in the beginning chapters of the book. Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouseca for my gifted copy #fantasybook #fantasybookseries #fantasyreader #prophecy #MLfergus #fracturedkingdom #bookreview #booklover #penguinbooks #penguinreader #YAbooks #bookalorian #booksbooksbooks #readercommunity #readingallday #booktalk