4 ⭐️ Clever, soft, and deeply human, Loved One tells a story of love and loss through a beautiful exploration of relationships. I would absolutely recommend this to the right reader!

There are lots of things I enjoyed about this book. To start, the premise is smart and interesting. We see the story through Julia’s eyes: a woman who tragically looses her best friend, Gabe, with the question of “what if?” lingering beyond the grave. We get to explore their relationship throughout the years, as well as their final interactions.

Julia travels abroad to connect with Gabe’s most recent girlfriend in an attempt to return home with some of his belongings. I love this direction of the plot, and the relationship it explores. Elizabeth, the girlfriend, is cunning, blunt, has a great eye and soft heart beneath it all. I loved watching this relationship unravel!

Muharrar’s writing is quick, smart, and laced with humor and heart. I felt like sometimes details fell through the cracks and there were a couple moments I was confused, but nothing I couldn’t look past or connect the dots. A lovely debut novel!

I had a hard time connecting with Julia’s character and had a hard time with picking up the book in between reads, so a couple qualms, but subjective.

5 ⭐️ Abby Jimenez you genius you!!!

A fantastic and impactful story, Just for the Summer is so much more than a beach read romance. Of course, the chemistry, growth, and tension between Emma and Justin is gripping and exciting, but this book contains so many multitudes. Jimenez tackles themes such as toxic and abusive parenting, female friendship, and the difficulty and freedom that comes with self growth.

Emma is an excellent character. She’s incredibly nuanced and has complicated behaviors. Yet, it’s so easy to root for her, because even though she rejects love, her empathy is a depiction of the love she shows others. Her character is deeply human and written with grace — brava, Jimenez! Her dynamic with Justin made me giddy, and there were many moments their witty dialogue made me laugh. He and Maddy, her best friend, beautifully portray unconditional love. These core characters, as well as Justin’s family, are SO lovable and well-written.

It’s no secret why or how Abby Jimenez’s novels continue to create buzz. Her eloquent and emotion-filled words, intriguing plots, and incredible characters will keep me coming back every time!!

4.5 ⭐️ Ahhhh the story I/we have been waiting for!!!! This book was so great because if you’ve read the previous Windy City books, you already know and love Rio! It’s also fun to see the whole gang together in group scenes.

And isn’t Rio just the sweetest, most thoughtful man…I loved learning more about him! Hallie is also incredible; I loved her creative nature, sass, golden heart…And their story is that of the most romantic tales you could imagine!!!

Now, I am a sucker for chance romance and childhood/first love stories, sooooo I was sold from jump hehe but this one was swoooonyyyy! There’s a lot of history and nuance to their story, which I enjoyed, though found it a little predictable. Whatever though who cares lol

Windy City a whole!!: a super fun, swoony romance series that is well-plotted and has high-enough stakes, serious steam and lovable characters. They are an easy read and available on Kindle Unlimited, so big win!! I’d recommend to any romance reader ❤️‍ 

4 ⭐️ The Housemaid is a gripping page turner with absolute chaos at every turn! Thrillers aren’t usually my genre of choice, but since this ultra-viral sensation is turning into what I’m sure will be a blockbuster hit, I had to see what the hype was about. 

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When I had this book in my hands, I couldn’t stop myself from reading every next page. The story is clever and twisted, keeping the reader on their toes. Honestly, I kinda saw some things coming, while others were a complete surprise 🤷🏻‍♀️ 

Everyone I know and their mother has read this book, but I’ll certainly recommend it to anyone interested in either 1. the genre or 2. pop culture (my own personal reasonings - hah). I’m definitely impressed and look forward to seeing this story portrayed on the big screen!

I ate this up!!!! 5 ⭐️ because I simply could not put it down.

There is so much to love about this story - the excitement, heart, raw emotion, human-ness, sparkle…it’s jam packed yet approachable, relatable and easy to digest.

Nora and her incredible children…I am obsessed. You can’t help but to get so emotionally invested and root SO hard for this dream team of a family! I find myself proud of Nora, her awareness, and the way she navigates and evolves through life.

The romance is just swoony!!! Leo…what a man. The conflict made me want to hit my head against a wall, while the twist was unexpected, made sense, and resolved nicely in the end.

This is bigger than your average romance, and I look forward to reading more of Monaghan’s books!

Teetering on 4.5 ⭐️ - I really enjoyed this one!

Carley Fortune sure knows how to paint a picture, and I felt like I was airlifted and dropped onto Prince Edward Island. The imagery is absolutely gorgeous.

I really love Lucy, the protagonist. I sometimes have a hard time relating to main characters, and I felt more connected to Lucy than others. The burn out and overwhelm? I felt it in my core. Her desire to live a full, happy life, but no ideas on where to start? Been there, sister. Flowers, sundresses, great food, and deep, meaningful connections — all of these things make up Lucy, and I loved connecting with her.

Lucy and Felix’s story is just lovely — full of nuance, humanhood, and raw connection. Of course, so much of their story was frustrating as the reader, which is clearly intentional, and it pays off big time.

I have a few small gripes over some details, but these are spoilers, and honestly not super worth noting. I would absolutely recommend this book to any romance reader, and I will continue to just *nom nom nom* gobble up Fortune’s novels!

4 ⭐️ A wildly intriguing plot with twists and heart, The Ministry of Time tells a very human story with a poetic voice and time travel chaos.

The premise is so interesting, and hits the ground running, which captured my attention from the jump! This gave me time to really learn and care about the characters. The narrator was a bit elusive to me; I relate to her in many ways, and was bothered by her in others. The expats are brilliantly written, and Gore is an incredible well developed character — Bradley captures his nuances beautifully!

Sometimes, the writing borders on too-poetic, leaving me confused to re-read over paragraphs. I got used to Bradley’s writing style by the end of the book, however, I still think it was a bit distracting. Additionally, there are some scenes that felt unnecessary, others that dragged, and moments that I wish were elaborated on more. Though, in the end, I’m mostly satisfied with how the plot wraps up.

Overall, I’d recommend this to the right reader! The story and theme is so unique, and I think this one will sit with me.

4 ⭐️ The last 100 pages are magic!! Although, it took me a while to feel get there; something was off for me for the first 75% of the book.

The Margaret plot is (I think) objectively interesting, so I’m not quite sure why I felt confused, even dazed by it? I enjoyed Margaret as a character, her story, and the twist at the end. So, why do I feel like something was missing?

Other than whatever-I-can’t-pinpoint-makes-this-book-4-stars…

I think this a great story with lovable characters. I really related to Alice, her personality, curiosity, and zest for life. Hayden grew on me, and I feel like I understood him, and why Alice falls for him. I enjoyed their dynamic a lot, and their scenes made me feel fuzzy hehe

Emily Henry’s books are poetry, and I’ll stand by that!!! I’m such a huge fan of hers, and I just can’t get enough of her beautiful words and brain.

4 ⭐️ I’m not sure I’ve ever read poetry outside of an educational setting, and I really enjoyed this (rightfully) popular collection of poems! I wasn’t sure what to expect, yet Rupi quickly took me on an emotional journey, empathizing with her every word. When I came back to finish the book, I had to go back to the first half to make notes of favorites; kaur’s poems are intentionally written, and honestly human.

A handful of poems were just too simple or meh for me, hence the 4 stars. I understand she was super young at the time; an incredibly strong debut, especially for having released 10 years ago.

I’d recommend this to anyone interested in trying out poetry, and I personally look forward to reading more of her work!

3 ⭐️ Listen, it’s cute!!! It has a beautiful message, high stakes, and wit. I guess it’s just too cheesy for my liking? The writing style just isn’t for me. And, honestly, I thought the story was kinda predictable. Unfortunately, I didn’t care for Delphie much, either, but, I came around in the end. It’s fun, and I felt more connected near the end, so there are plenty of people who will love this.

5 ⭐️ My first re-read of The Outsiders as an adult, and man, this story is magic. I ate it up in a matter of hours while traveling, and it’s so obvious why this book maintains its legendary status throughout the decades.

I really appreciated the characters more than ever this time around. Each one is unique in their own way, yet with so many similarities. It’s incredible how SE Hinton captured such humanity as a teenage author.

The plot, as us fans know, is go-go-go. Crazy shit is happening at every turn. However, reading it this time, it’s less invigorating, and more heartbreaking, knowing how these events pile on top of each other, and the butterfly effect of each scene.

I’m in awe of the complexities of life that are written in such simple, yet dynamic terms. This book captures so much of the bad in the world, but the “bad” is packed with nuance, letting the reader in on some life secrets- there’s a balance of strength and fragility in life, and neither are to be taken for granted. The Outsiders is a must-read for anyone and everyone, guaranteeing a story of community, perseverance, love, and the human experience.

4 ⭐️

Holy F ….

I need a moment before I can properly rate/review bc what on EARTH did I just read ?? Rebecca Yarros you will pay for this!!!!!

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I’ve gathered my thoughts (mostly)

The more I sit with it, the more I really love and appreciate Onyx Storm, and the direction the story is going in is excellent.

I cannot, however, disregard how gd CONFUSING it is sometimes 😩 I can’t tell you how often I read a page and thought “huh?????” And honestly there were some details that I just had to look past lol. Although, I think Rebecca purposefully makes some elements confusing, to keep readers on their toes and theorizing, as we all are. (Fine, whatever)

I can’t get past how some chapters felt like they could’ve been combined into one…But, at the same time, there’s ALWAYS something going down, so idk why the pacing feels weird to me? I had this same gripe with Iron Flame sooo maybe I just have to get used to it 🤷🏻‍♀️

HOWEVER, while I have many questions for Ms Yarros…this series fckin ROCKS (mild spoilers ahead)

First of all, the romance is swoooony in this one. Now that Violet and Xaden are solid and committed, it’s so cute to see them so in love. Plus the whole duke thing really does it for me 🤤 I love these two forever!!!!!

Obviously the gang of characters continues to shine - Ridoc is a clear favorite, but I’m loving on Dain a bit! 🙈 The redemption arc and the change you see in him is really great.

It’s interesting to learn new discoveries and knowledge alongside the characters - we got a lot of questions answered but now I have a million more 😭

The ending…….I’m pissed hahahahahha like come on at least make the readers happy and give it to us and leave the rest a mystery….whatEVER REBECCA!!!

Soooooo all in all I’m wildly pissed off yet in complete awe 🫨😵‍💫😅❤️‍🔥🙃🤩

4 .5 ⭐️ Normal People is not your normal story, which I think I have to sit with a bit. It dives deeply into the nuances of being human, and Sally Rooney does a beautiful job depicting this. It’s truly a beautiful piece of art that examines what it means to live a human experience and have human connections. This is not a happy story, as much as I want to force it to be. I honestly wanted to give this five stars, but the ending was too disappointing. Would recommend to the right reader!

3.5 ⭐️ The ending is the sole reason for rounding up.

First book of 2025!!! A random one, yet overall, a good story. Many parts lulled on for too long with lots of predictability. Characters were meh, but had their moments. However, the last 150 pages are a rollercoaster with great twists and conclusions. I’m closing this book feeling satisfied, and I’ll keep an eye out for the sequel!