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Spectacular

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Author: Stephanie Garber

Genre: YA Fantasy

Page Amount: 219

Series: Caraval, Book 3.5

Rating: 4 Stars

Review: Oh how I loved being back in the Caraval world. The Caraval series and the Once Upon a Broken Heart Series are some of my favorite books and worlds. Stephanie Garber has become one of my favorite authors and I couldn't wait to read this!

This is a Caraval Holiday Novella and it gave us some insight into what life is like for our four main characters.

Now this novella is so special and has such amazing artwork by Rosie Fowinkle. I loved getting to see her adoption of Scarlett, Donatella, Julian, and Legend. Everything about the illustrations were so beautiful and it really helped bring the Caraval world to life.

I thought this novella was so cute and fun, as Tella is trying hard to figure out the perfect gift for Legend, who doesn't like holidays. It was such a fun story and really got me ready for the holidays! I really enjoyed the ending as it brought in the magic of Legend and wrapped up the novella nicely.

I can not wait to see what else Stephanie Garber is working on and what else she has for this universe of characters!

The Naturals

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Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Genre: YA Mystery

Page Amount: 308

Series: The Naturals, Book 1

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Review: I loved this book so much! I read it in two sittings and couldn't get enough of it. As a lot of people say, this is reminds me a lot of criminal minds as it deals with the FBI and profiling. I really enjoy crime related TV shows and this is just that, but in book form.

I thought Cassie was a great main character and loved getting to see her learn, but also try to heal from her past traumas. I thought the other characters within "The Naturals" were also great. Even though some of them could be annoying at times, I felt like it was all very human and reasonable for young highly gifted individuals.

Now I am very conflicted on our love triangle here. I see benefits to both guys, but I also see flaws in both of them. I am interested to see as the story goes on what happens and how these characters develop personally and with each other.

I was not able to guess the twist at the end about who the serial killer was and why Cassie was the new target. I enjoyed this novel, so much and I can't wait to start reading the next book in the series!

A Very Woodsy Murder

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Author: Ellen Byron

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Page Amount: 274

Rating: 3 Stars

Review: I'm going to be very honest here...I definitely picked up this book for how cute the cover was. I mean look at that little bear!

Anyways, this book is about Dee, who used to be a sitcom writer. She is now ready for something new. She has decided to purchase a motel out in a little town with her best friend/ex-husband, Jeff. As Dee and Jeff are trying to renovate their motel, terrible things start happening around them and they have to figure out who did it and why is all of it happening around their motel!

I went into this book with no expectations, as it was something different and nothing I had heard of before. It was cute and I found the characters to be enjoyable and fun to get to learn about. Our main character, Dee meets many new characters along the way and it was great to see so many different personalities even in a small town.

I gave this book a 3 star because to me it was a good book and I enjoyed it, but it also didn't feel like anything crazy. It was cute and I had fun trying to figure out who did it.

The Only One Left

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Author: Riley Sager

Genre: Thriller

Page Amount: 383

Rating: 4 Stars

Review: This was my first Riley Sager book and as you can tell by my 4 star reading, I enjoyed this! I have seen this book a lot all over social media and wanted to give it a try.

I thought the overall concept was something great and not something I had seen a lot of. Now old and unable to do much for herself, Lenora Hope is assumed to have killed her family back when she was a teenager. Flashforward and Kit is coming to be her caregiver. Although what she doesn't know is that Lenora is ready to talk and share what really happened that night, when she was the only one to survive.

I enjoyed getting to know our main character, Kit and her story. I enjoyed how the author didn't give us her story right away, but explained it over time. For me that helped stay interested in her character and helped understand how hard her past was.

This book kept me guessing! I love when a book can do that and I definitely did not guess the twist ending!

Now I will say this book was not a 5 stars because I thought that the end had too many different twists and things going on for my personal liking. It felt like a lot happened at the end and personally for me, I didn't need all of those twists.

But overall, this book was really great and I will definitely be looking into more Riley Sager books soon!

Summers End

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Author: Juneau Black

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Page Amount: 288

Series: Shady Hollow Mystery, Book 5

Rating: 4 Stars

Review: This is the most recent Shady Hollow book from Juneau Black and I loved it, just like how I loved the other ones previously.

This book followed the cozy mystery genre, but also seemed to add in academia. I loved how it was a little different than the previous books, but was still a murder mystery.

This book is about Vera and Lenore volunteering to be chaperones for the school's annual field trip to Summers End, but trouble seems to follow Vera, as a dead body is found at Summers End.

I loved that we got a lot more of Lenore in this book and even got to meet one of Lenore's family members. I was sad that we didn't get much of Orville in this book, but I'm happy we got such a sweet epilogue with him and Vera at the end.

The ending was a twist that I did not expect and I loved it. It was such a fun and thrilling way for this book to come to an end.

I am sad that I am all caught up with this series and nothing new to read, but I can't wait to see what will happen next for our characters!

Phantom Pond

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Author: Juneau Black

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Page Amount: 32

Series: Shady Hollow Mystery, Book 4.5

Rating: 4 Stars

Review: This is the next story in our Shady Hollow series, if we go based on publication date. I read this after I finished up Twilight Falls. I loved this one. I will say that I wasn't entirely sure when this story was supposed to take place. I say that because in our previous short story, Evergreen Chase, the storyline took place before the first book, Shady Hollow, occurred.

Anyways, I really enjoy these short stories because they are just fun little stories that give us another chance to experience our wonderful Shady Hollow characters. This story was perfect for me, as I read this in October and it gave the perfect cozy spooky vibes that I was looking for.

I really loved this ending and how the story all came about. It seemed so wholesome and cute. I really enjoyed this short story. Once again, I am jumping into the next book, as I am loving the world of Shady Hollow and these loveable characters.

Twilight Falls

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Author: Juneau Black

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Page Amount: 259

Series: Shady Hollow Mystery, Book 4

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Review: This is the fourth installment in the Shady Hollow Mystery series. First off, I absolutely love the cover art of these books (if you haven't seen the other books, go check them out!)

Anyways, this book was not my favorite in the series, although I still loved it and getting to work besides our favorite reporter/investigator, Vera Vixen. I will say I wasn't the biggest fan of the way the story turned out and what the result was in the ending. That is not to say that I would change it or have it a different way. I just think, for me, that the way the book ended, just usually is not my favorite.

Although, that does not change the fact that I just love this world and these characters so much. Vera and Lenore are the ultimate friendship and I love to see how they are both always there for each other, but also know that each other has their own careers that they need to focus on at times.

Once again, I jumped right into the next book and finished the short story in one sitting!

Evergreen Chase

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Author: Juneau Black

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Page Amount: 32

Series: Shady Hollow Mystery, Book 3.5

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Review: Now this is a short story in the Shady Hollow Mystery series. This was published after the third book, "Mirror Lake," but within the timeline of the world comes before the first book, "Shady Hollow." I believe it is Vera's first winter solstice since moving to Shady Hollow from the big city.

I will say I was very confused when I first started reading because I was not aware that this short story came before the first book. I could have done better research before hand, so that I knew right away when this story took place. Although I was able to quickly figure out the timeline of this book, so I didn't sit there confused for too long.

This was nice to read a short story because it made me feel like I was making serious progress in the series, without having to read a full length book.

I enjoyed the story and how it was different compared to the other crimes we have experienced in the Shady Hollow series so far, but it just wasn't my favorite story in this series. That's why I gave it 3.5 stars, a good story, but not my favorite. I'm still rushing off to read the next book, as I am loving ever second of this.

Mirror Lake

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Author: Juneau Black

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Page Amount: 240

Series: Shady Hollow Mystery, Book 3

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Review: I am LOVING this Shady Hollow world! Mirror Lake is the third installment in the Shady Hollow Mystery series. This book I enjoyed more than "Cold Clay," but not as much as "Shady Hollow." The reason I say this is because I didn't find myself unable to put this book down. It did take me a few more days than the others to finish, but it still was a great book! I was not able to guess who did it in this book until the end when the authors had put all the clues together for me.

We really started to see Vera and Orville's relationship develop and I really loved that. I love how Vera always stands up for others and does everything she can to find the truth. I really do love all of the characters that live within Shady Hollow and outside of it.

Now something that I have been loving with each book in this series is that we start to learn more about Shady Hollow and all the towns next to it. The authors are slowly expanding this world one book at a time and it has been so fun to see where it goes.

Cold Clay

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Author: Juneau Black

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Page Amount: 240

Series: Shady Hollow Mystery, Book 2

Rating: 4 Stars

Review: This is the second book in the Shady Hollow Mystery series. Although I did not rate it as high as I did "Shady Hollow," I still loved this book. This book took one of our characters that we fell in love with in the first book, Joe, and made him the center of the next crime. The plot continued to be engaging as I knew Joe hadn't done anything wrong, but wanted to know who was letting him take the blame for it.

I was able to guess who did it, but I believe that with this series, it's okay if you guess who did it. I'm not mad that I was able to guess who it was because I'm more here for the characters and the world that the authors have built.

I rated it 4 stars instead of 5 because there was some miscommunication between Vera and Orville that was frustrating, but was a necessary part of the story. Once again I am rushing to read the next book as I am loving this world.

Divine Rivals

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Author: Rebecca Ross

Genre: YA Fantasy, Romance

Page Amount: 368

Series: Letters of Enchantment, Book 1

Rating: 4 Stars

Review: I was a little nervous going into this book. I had seen so much praise about it and was worried about having too high of expectations...but I loved it. There was so much to this story! Between Iris' personal journey, Iris and Roman, Forest's fate, and the war happening among them! There was never a dull point in this story and I loved watching these characters grow in so many ways.

I really loved the amount of strong females in this book. It was great to see characters like Attie and Marisol and making them a big part of this story. I was also great to see Iris grow throughout this book as she dealt with so many changes to her life.

And of course, I really loved the romance and the build up of it between Iris and Roman. It was nice to see that Roman never seemed to be just a jerk to her, but was always jealous of her and her talent. I love their relationship and am excited to see where it goes in "Ruthless Vows."

Better Than The Movies

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Author: Lynn Painter

Genre: YA Romance

Page Amount: 284

Series: Better Than The Movies, Book 1

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Review: This was a cute little romance book. I decided to buy it based on the fact that I'm a big movie lover and the first movie quote in the book is from Notting Hill, which is one of my favorites.

This book is about Liz and Wes. They have been next door neighbors their whole lives. Liz has a big crush on Michael, who happens to be friends with Wes. Liz and Wes create a plan for Liz to get her "dream man." But as one would suspect, Liz and Wes starting falling for each other instead.

This book was such a cute rom com type book. It took me a little bit to get into the book, but once I hit about the halfway mark, I cruised through it. I thought this book was very cute, but I did have my issues with it at times. It's the same issue that happens in a lot of rom coms. Just as the main character realizes she really does love the boy next door, it might be too late. Then there was just points of frustration because Liz and Wes will have a cute moment, but then she'll just disregard it and keep thinking about Michael. It might have been predictable, but it was a fun romance read and it was easy to read.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

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Author: Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows

Genre: Historical Fiction

Page Amount: 290

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Review: To be honest, I only picked up this book because I love the movie version of it. The movie is so amazing and I assumed I would love the book as well.

I did enjoy the book; however, I definitely feel that I preferred the movie to it. This was due to the fact that it's in letter format and we really only get Juliet's point of view and I would have loved to see more things from Dawsey's side of things. I have never read a book in letter format and it was something that made this book fun and unique. I think the letter format is really important to this story and shows a lot.

Although like I mentioned earlier I just really preferred the movie. As a big fan of the story and Juliet's story, I still really enjoyed this book.

I also don't typically gravitate towards historical fiction, but like I mentioned, I loved this story and all the characters within it from the movie, so I was more than willing to give the book a go.

Coraline

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Author: Neil Gaiman

Genre: YA Dark Fantasy

Page Amount: 208

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Review: I absolutely love the Coraline movie, so I knew that at some point I had to read the book by Neil Gaiman.

I adored this book as much as the movie! I will say that I think the book was more unsettling than the movie, as we got more details through Neil Gaiman's eyes. We were able to see his ideas and descriptions of Coraline, the other world, the other mother, and all the other characters in this story.

I loved this book and will probably re read it, as it is a short book and a story that I just love so much. I can't get enough of Coraline!

The Silent Patient

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Author: Alex Michaelides

Genre: Thriller

Page Amount: 368

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Review: This was a book that was on my TBR for a while, as it was one of the first books I was seeing a lot of on social media in the book community. This book is about a psychotherapist who is trying to help a patient that is silent (hence the title).

This book had lots of twists and turns and it was very well written. Although I was able to guess the ending. I am someone who watches a lot of mystery and crime shows/movies. So with that in mind, I think that's why I was able to guess the ending. I had my suspicions about half way through the book, but really came to my conclusion a little bit after that. Now I did not guess all the details involved in the twist, but just what the main twist was.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and would recommend it, as it was a fun ride and it was a fun twist that I don't feel like you see too often in books. Like mentioned earlier, I thought it was well written. I also did read the book in one sitting. Overall, it was a good book, just not one of my favorites.

Five Survive

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Author: Holly Jackson

Genre: YA Mystery, Thriller

Page Amount: 416

Rating: 2 Stars

Review: Oh boy. I did not love this book. As you can see above I rated this book 2 out of 5 stars.

I chose to read a different Holly Jackson book after I read "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder" series. I was curious to see what other work the author had done, as I did enjoy that series quite a bit. Although this was not my favorite book.

This book is about six friends who go on a road trip in an RV together and their RV breaks down and they are stuck. Then from the title, we know that only five of the six friends will survive, but who is it and why are the quesitons.

I had a hard time with this book, as I felt like our main character Red had to mention to us quite often how her mom had passed away. Now I can understand that is a crucial part to her character and a hard thing to go through. I also know that it is an important part of the story, but I just felt like it got mentioned a lot throughout the book, more than it needed to be.

Another thing I had a hard time with is once it comes to the end of the book, it was hard to find a character that I really liked and was rooting for. We learn many secrets about our 6 friends and it was hard for me to really like any of them. Now I know everyone makes mistakes and has their own secrets, but in a book setting sometimes I don't want a super realistic feeling and I just want a good person I feel like I can root for, which I had a hard time in this book doing.

Overall, I did end up finishing this book, but it was not a book that I loved. I definitely preferred "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder" series. Since I have read most of Holly Jackson's books, I do plan on reading her other one, "The Reappearance of Rachel Price". Although I am hesitant to do so, as I had a difficult time with this book, so we will see when I get around to that.

Kill Joy

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Author: Holly Jackson

Genre: YA Mystery, Thriller

Page Amount: 208

Series: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, 0.5

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Shady Hollow

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Author: Juneau Black

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Page Amount: 240

Series: Shady Hollow Mystery, Book 1

Rating: 5 Stars

Review: This book was such a fun cozy mystery. I found myself comparing this world to movies like "Zootopia" and "Hoodwinked!" I really enjoyed these characters and getting to learn more about them. I seemed to be less worried about who committed the crime and more about Vera's journey throughout the book. I felt like I was just along for the ride, rather than racing to the end. Vera reminded me a lot of Judy Hopps from Zootopia. She is so focused and independent, but can sometimes make mistakes because of how driven she is to finding who did it. I really enjoyed how light hearted and fun it was, without feeling childish. I am immediately reading the next book as I am just loving the writing, Shady Hollow, and of course, Ms. Vera Vixen!