This Is Not The Jess Show by Anna

4 stars

The plot wasn’t anything I didn’t expect, but it surprised me in how much I enjoyed this book anyway.
The second half was especially exciting and kept me interested. I liked Jess and our other main love interest that was funny, brave and kind of cheesy.
It was a quick, easy and entertaining read.

The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl by Melissa Keil

4 stars

Funny, quirky and loaded with comic references.
Coming of age, childhood friends to lovers and end of the world are all tropes we got. It was funny, and Aussie relatable.
I didn’t like the consistent references of these teenagers to p**n – over the top for a YA about teenagers for me.
I enjoyed it though

The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni

4.5 stars

I was surprised at how much I actually loved this book. The entire plot centres around the elemental trials and life in this crazy dangerous prison.
Our main characters are engaging, interesting and encircled by such an interesting world.
The ending……. I went out and got the next two books on almost that alone. I GOTSTA know what happens next!
Careful of content/trigger warnings (I will list below) but the author didn’t go tooooo far with those so just be aware.

Content warnings: violence (graphic), gore (moderate), self harm (moderate), sexual assault/harassment (moderate), Child abuse (moderate), torture (graphic), confinement (graphic)

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

3 stars

I kept going back and forth on liking, hating, and tolerating this book.

The writing, I found to be sometimes nice, and other times more like drivel (eg talking about dying 5 times in one second… ugh). Often, it across as a too flowery, but I did enjoy The cross out of a “real” or raw thought followed by the one that the character thinks should be.

The story was very slow to start, and I wished it would have jumped in a few chapters earlier. Then, the story took a very different “beauty and the beast” vibe, before finally doing a sharp turn to superheroes. It was disorienting to say the least.

I know some spoilers and just CANNOT understand how we get from this book, to the final one….. I almost don’t want to know, and I’m hoping if I read any more, it won’t be a toxic relationship that we are supposed to somehow root for. I never do.

Content: violence, imprisonment, child abuse

Before The Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

2.5 stars
DNF after first story
Sad, annoying and too “mystical” for me (without giving away too much that’s the best I can say)

The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams

5 stars

One of the easiest 5 stars I have ever given a book.
It was cute, funny, swoon worthy, emotional in all the best places, and just plain fun to read.
I loved Bree and Nathan. The fake dating was perfect with the friends to lovers trope. It was just everything I want in a romance book.

Renegades by Marissa Meyers

4 stars

Good superhero story.
Liked the moral questions raised, the power dynamic exploration of super powered people, and how the world is set up.
Nicely written and easy to get through.
Characters were great, and lots of interesting questions to keep you coming back for the next book.

Super Fake Love Song by David Yoon

2.5 stars dnf (skipped to end) at 1/3 mark

Funny writing, likeable and Interesting characters and story idea. What killed it for me, were the too many satanic/demonic references.

well, that was an interesting experiment. bit of a mixed bag but have you read any of those? let me know your thoughts on those books.

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace