Divine Royals by Rebecca Ross
goodreads blurb: When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever.After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette. To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish—into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love. Shadow and Bone meets Lore in Rebecca Ross’s Divine Rivals, an epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.
My take: 4.5 out of 5. Based on this book I need to put Shadow and Bone and Lore into my TBR pile because I really enjoyed this book, and I am very much looking forward to the second book that comes out at the end of the year. A beautiful entanglement of words, fantasy and romance, of prose and war. Characters that will make you attached and very committed in their well being (which given the ending of the first book, will generate a lot of stress.) This is the type of fantasy I love, one that is whimsical and rooted in reality and makes it all so quite believable. I also love the mythology aspect of the book. I am very much looking forward to the new book coming out next month!
Starling House by Alix Harrow
Goodreads blurb: A grim and gothic new tale from author Alix E. Harrow about a small town haunted by secrets that can’t stay buried and the sinister house that sits at the crossroads of it all. Eden, Kentucky, is just another dying, bad-luck town, known only for the legend of E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth-century author and illustrator who wrote The Underland–and disappeared. Before she vanished, Starling House appeared. But everyone agrees that it’s best to let the uncanny house―and its last lonely heir, Arthur Starling―go to rot. Opal knows better than to mess with haunted houses or brooding men, but an unexpected job offer might be a chance to get her brother out of Eden. Too quickly, though, Starling House starts to feel dangerously like something she’s never had: a home. As sinister forces converge on Starling House, Opal and Arthur are going to have to make a dire choice to dig up the buried secrets of the past and confront their own fears, or let Eden be taken over by literal nightmares. If Opal wants a home, she’ll have to fight for it.
My take: 3.5 out of 5. I did not love the ending of this book, we could have had so much more. This was one for me where 75% of the buildup was super satisfying and quite addicting but the ending left me wanting more, and it deflates the initial excitement and it wasn’t worth the hangover. Like really we went through all that for this lukewarm conclusion? It does have some very interesting character development going for it, and my favorite character for sure was the house itself. It also manages to weave a lot of intrigue as to what is going on at the beginning which is quite engaging and addicting. Its a quick addicting read and i would love to heard whether I’m alone in hating the ending or if there’s more people here with me.
The Burnout by Sophie Kinsella
Goodreads blurb: Sasha has had it. She cannot bring herself to respond to another inane, “urgent” (but obviously not at all urgent) email or participate in the corporate employee joyfulness program. She hasn’t seen her friends in months. Sex? Seems like a lot of effort. Even cooking dinner takes far too much planning. Sasha has hit a wall. Armed with good intentions to drink kale smoothies, try yoga, and find peace, she heads to the seaside resort she loved as a child. But it’s the off season, the hotel is in a dilapidated shambles, and she has to share the beach with the only other a grumpy guy named Finn, who seems as stressed as Sasha. How can she commune with nature when he’s sitting on her favorite rock, watching her? Nor can they agree on how best to alleviate their burnout ( manifesting, wild swimming; drinking whisky, getting pizza delivered to the beach). When curious messages, seemingly addressed to Sasha and Finn, begin to appear on the beach, the two are forced to talk—about everything. How did they get so burned out? Can either of them remember something they used to love? (Answer: surfing!) And the question they try and fail to ignore: what does the energy between them—flaring even in the face of their bone-deep exhaustion—signify?
My take: 4.25 out of 5. This is Sophie Kinsella back in full force. I have to say at the beginning of this book I was a bit hesitant, it might have even hinted at going a tad cliché. But oh how i was wrong. It was lovely and heartfelt and even funny in its absurdity of it all. I fell in love with both characters and how they help each other in their journeys. I was laughing out loud at their tries to do “Wellness” the magazine way. Their relationship was a very satisfying slow burn and this book is a great getaway about a getaway.
Wildfire by Hannah Grace
Goodreads blurb: The latest in the Maple Hills series follows two summer camp counselors who reconnect after a sizzling one-night stand. Maple Hills students Russ Callaghan and Aurora Roberts cross paths at a party celebrating the end of the academic year, where a drinking game results in them having a passionate one-night stand. Never one to overstay her welcome (or expect much from a man), Aurora slips away before Russ even has the chance to ask for her full name. Imagine their surprise when they bump into each other on the first day of the summer camp where they are both counselors, hoping to escape their complicated home lives by spending the summer working. Russ hopes if he gets far enough away from Maple Hills, he can avoid dealing with the repercussions of his father’s gambling addiction, while Aurora is tired of craving attention from everyone around her, and wants to go back to the last place she truly felt at home. Russ knows breaking the camp’s strict “no staff fraternizing” rule will have him heading back to Maple Hills before the summer is over, but unfortunately for him, Aurora has never been very good at caring about the rules. Will the two learn to peacefully coexist? Or did their one night together start a fire they can’t put out?
My take: 3.75 out of 5. As with its predecessor, Icebreaker, it has some of the same things going for them and missing from it. As annoying and juvenile as they might be at times, you fall attached to them and i was very happy to revisit the characters, and Russ was a great one to dig deeper. Also there are a bunch of cameos from the rest of the icebreakers characters. It is a bit crazy how many issues both Russ and Aurora can have, and how dysfunctional both their families can be, so its a nice couple to root for. I really enjoyed the setting here even more than with Icebreaker, the camp setting was lovely and a little bit less crazy than college campus and ice rink. As with Icebreaker, the epilogue many years into the future is a delight.
The Getaway List by Emma Lord
Goodreads blurb: The day of her high school graduation, Riley realizes two things: One, that she has spent the last four years trying so hard to be a Good Kid for her mom that she has no idea who she really is anymore, and two, she has no idea what she wants because of it. The solution? Pack her bags and move to New York for the summer, where her childhood best friend Tom and co-creator of The Getaway List ― a list of all the adventures they’ve wanted to do together since he moved away ― will hopefully help her get in touch with her old adventurous self, and pave the road to a new future. Riley isn’t sure what to expect from Tom, who has been distant since his famous mom’s scriptwriting career pulled him away. But when Riley arrives in the city, their reconnection is as effortless as it was when they were young―except with one, unexpected complication that will pull Riley’s feelings in a direction she didn’t know they could take. As she, Tom, and their newfound friends work their way through the delightfully chaotic items on The Getaway List, Riley learns that sometimes the biggest adventure is not one you take, but one you feel in your heart. Inescapably romantic and brimming with Emma Lord’s signature cheer, The Getaway List is an uplifting and romantic read that will settle into your heart and never leave.
My take: 4.25 out of 5. This was adorable. I love lists and I love travelling so I’m going to need this getaway list app ASAP in my life. I love the sweet and wholesome development of Riley’s and Tom’s friendship. And their new found rag tag of friends are so precious. I think, even though it is a very YA book, and a lovely what should i do with my life questions at 18 feel, there are also very a many grown up topics in it. You have love, friendship, family drama, trauma, and self discovery in the (insert Hamilton music) Greatest city in the World! I did shed one or two tears, and my heart felt happy reading this which is always a good idea.
Tati's Tidbits 