Welcome back and happy PRIDE! It’s been so crazy with work and New York City opening up so I hope if you went to the parades in any of the big cities who are having them that you all were safe and had fun and celebrated! I hope I’m not too late to the party but of course I had to come on here to talk about books with you guys. Most specifically, LGBT+ books. So, we’ll start with the books I’ve read and recommend and then the books I’m hoping to read now and in the future. The one thing to remember about any and all months that call us to be ally’s if you are not a part of the community is that this is not the only time to wear your rainbow flags and then go silent on LGBT+ issues once the month of June is over. Educate yourselves in all the ways that you can and make an effort in your daily life to diversify your reading, your watching and your listening. Stay tuned and I might even give some song, movie and show recommendations for all your enjoyment. But until then, let’s get into the BOOKS!
Books I Read (And loved) So, many of these books you guys already know about because I’ve talked about them A LOT. Either on my Instagram or on the blog so I'll link all the appropriate articles discussing them down below but it’s always nice to have a reminder of good things. We start with Take a Hint Dani Brown because Dani is our bisexual queen and we stan her of course. The second book in Talia Hibbert’s Brown Sisters’ Trilogy follows Dani as a workaholic professor and her friend turned fake-dating lover and school bodyguard, Zafir as they navigate a relationship under the public eye. Zafi is an ex rugby player so the popularity would help the charity that he’s working for after he’s caught carrying Dani out of an elevator in a very romantic gesture. Dani has to learn how to be a better partner to someone she loves and Zafir is just amazing. There’s anxiety rep in here so trigger warning for that but I love this book, I read this book and I will always recommend it. So please go read it. I’ve also talked about Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon because it’s freaking phenomenal, that’s why, and deserves to have another moment to shine. Xeni and Mason are also both bisexual icons and it’s a story that follows a marriage of convenience. Since Xeni’s aunt dies, in order for Xeni to get her part of the will, she has to marry Mason, a man she’s never met before but thinks is gloriously hot and with the Scottish accent? Please. Sign me right up. While Xeni navigates the loss of her aunt, her tumultuous family and a sweet new husband, it takes them coming together to truly understand why her aunt set them up together. (Because she knew they’d be absolutely perfect together, duh.) And they are. Work for It by Talia Hibbert is a M/M romance I just recently read and loved and wrote about. (Sorry for the repeats ya’ll). BUT it’s still worth the mention and at least a reread if you’ve read it already. This story follows Griffin (who runs a freaking plant nursery! How cool is that?!) and Keynes who’s new to town and looking for a place to heal after his life in the city has become...overwhelming. Keynes takes solace in Griffin despite Griffin being the social pariah of the town. It’s a touching story that handles mental health so trigger warning for discussions of depression, suicide, and assault. But it’s a book about growth and healing and learning how to do that with someone you would have never expected. Spoiler alert: I had the biggest book hangover after reading this book so maybe you will too. 😜 The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune is a book I’ve never mentioned on here but everyone who knows me knows it’s all I’ve been talking about. Basically this book is pure gold. It’s sunshine and happiness and joy just wrapped all into one. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Linus Baker meets Arthur on the island of Marsays because Linus is a case worker for children with special powers (magical youth, they call them). Extremely Upper Management requested him for his thorough reports to document the state of affairs on the house that holds the most dangerous children–who is upkept by Arthur. Linus soon learns that children, for one, are not dangerous and the notions that we perceive people to be just because others tell us so, aren’t always true. And rules are made to be questioned if we come to find out that they don't always benefit those they were made to protect. It was a lovely story, and truly the children were the star of the show. So please give it a read because it might even be one of my favorite books of the year. 👀😗 Something Like Love by Chrisina C Jones is the perfect novella featuring two bisexual characters. It’s about Eddie and Astrid being on–seemingly–different planes of existence. He’s a cocky tattoo artist and she’s a fun, free spirited yoga instructor and artist and yet they~also seemingly~just work. In a moment of spontaneity, they decide to test out that chemistry and realize that they simply can’t stay away, so they don’t. Or they try at least. Tilting each other both on each other’s axis’, it’s not quite hate, it’s not quite love, it might even be fate but it’s a little something...like love. See how clever I am? Please. That was good, you can’t even lie. Lol. Okay, onto the final book. Treasure by Rebekah Weatherspoon is the sapphic romance we all need and love. Alexis meets Trischa at her sister’s bachelorette party except Alexis knew her name to be Treasure at the time. Trisha gave Alexis (and her sisters too of course) the dance of her life but when they find out they’re in the same computer science class, suddenly things begin to click. I loved how sex positive this story was and I love how Alexis was able to find ways to grow into herself through Trisha who was stripping in order to pay the bills. A short novella about two women falling in love, ya’ll have definitely seen this on my Instagram so you know the drill but I loved this book. And that’s it! I could go on and on and honestly, this list is longer than I thought but I wanted to end it here to give some space to the books that I'm hoping to read in the future. Let’s get into it! Books I Plan to Read Drag Me Up R. M Virtues was a book I saw on bisexual_booknerd’s Instagram and was soo intrigued. I love a good Hades and Persephone retelling as much as the next girl and the trans representation is mad luxurious. I‘ve never heard of this author but the cover is beautiful. If you don’t know the story of Hades and Persephone...well, she makes a deal with the devil and he intends to keep her. Of course the variations to the tale depend on who’s writing it but you get the gist. I hope this book lives up to the hype though because the girlies are eating this trope UP. Is it even a trope at this point? Probably. Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. The Tik Tok girlies have been blowing this shit up and so now I’m disinterested in reading it again but I’ve heard great things! Plus I’m trying to make an effort to read my YA books this summer since I’m teaching and want something to share some books with the students (although I’m not sure I should…) so this is on my list. If you don’t know about this book, you must have deleted Tik Tok like the rest of us should so, good for you. But basically, prince meets president’s son and they fall in love. Happily ever after, right? Well, first there’s a little bitterness between the two but I’d say that’s pretty on par with the story. Hate to love, America against Britain...Too soon? I thought it was funny. lmao She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen is another effort on my YA journey. Can we talk about how this genre is really coming through with their covers? Kids aged 12-17 are really thriving with the visual aesthetics right now lmao. Were they always this good? Anyways, this is another rivalry romance between a basketball player and a cheerleader. Scottie and Irene are forced to carpool together after a fender bender accident and honestly, I don’t know much else about it. But it’s sapphic, it’s high school, what’s not to love? Hold Me by Courtney Milan has been a book on my radar for soo long now. Maria is a trans woman and Jay na Thalang is bisexual and it’s another hate to love. (Are we seeing a trend here?) Apparently they work together and it’s hate on sight but online…“no one else is in the room when it happens”. And online is when the sparks begin to fly. Maria has a blog–I have a blog!–so basically I think that means we’re destined to be best friends. I’ve heard great things about Courtney Milan so I’m hoping I can get to one of her books this year and this one has always been at the top of my list. That and one of her historical romances but that’s neither here nor there. But this is the end of this list. I hope you guys all enjoyed! Let me know if you’ve read any of these books, what you liked or didn’t like about them, if you have any recommendations! My tbr is a mile long but I’m a mood reader and always looking for something new so anything that I can add to this list or another let me know. That’s all for now! Until Next Time! With love, Arianna
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Okay, so Happy Summer! And Happy Pride Month. The weather in Rochester is finally beautiful and I’m so excited to just relax and hopefully visit some friends, go to the beach, and do some things I’ve been waiting all winter for. But the first thing I can’t wait to do, of course, is read! So a few weeks ago (like two) I had an article out about upcoming Spring/Summer book releases that I was excited for. So please check that out. I just finished working for the magazine Study Breaks and it was so much fun so shoutout to Kris for the amazing opportunity. ANYWAYS. You can read that article, here. But those books are a mixture of genres. (So yay me for pushing my boundaries and if anyone is tired of me talking about romance, you’re welcome. *haha*). But THIS list is romance. So if you really are tired of me talking about romance...too bad. Let’s get into it!
One Last Stop-Casey McQuiston (june 1) Next up on the bucket list? Sunset Boulevard. So maybe I’m in the wrong state but did you know you could take the train there? I didn’t. (and sunsets are ~summer-y~) But this book revolves around the TRAIN! Ugh. The city girl in me is thriving already. August doesn’t believe in love and at 24 all she’s focused on doing is waiting on tables, navigating her interesting roommates and perhaps deterring her gaze towards the gorgeous girl on the train. Except Jane doesn’t look like she’s from this year. In fact, she’s stuck on this train in a time loop where she’s actually from the 70s. So of course it’s August’s job to help her get back home...and perhaps start to believe in love all the same. I still have “Red, White, and Royal Blue” on my TBR so I need to jump on this right away and you should too. Let me know how you like it! The Heart Principle-Helen Hoang (August 17) Summer ice cream flavors include: chocolate, vanilla, pineapple, raspberry and this book. (I’m so good with these puns, sign me up for dad of the year). But the third book in the Kiss Quotient series is the perfect story to add to this list of sweet & savory treats. Violin, youtube sensation Anna Sun finds a hard time with recapturing the moment that launched her career and after a surprising breakup, Anna decides the only way to get over her career burnout and boyfriend is through a series of one night stands. Enter Quan Diep {Hamilton’s voice}. Motorcyclist, tattoo ridden hottie is Anna’s three strikes you’re...in? He becomes something more than a one-night stand and when tragedy strikes Anna’s family, in order to fight for each other they have to first learn how to fight for themselves. I’m sooo excited for this book. In college, I’m apparently drawn to books with characters who overcome burnout struggles and a bad boy in theory is always going to be my favorite book boyfriend. Sign me up! The Road Trip-Beth O’leary (june 1) I’m not one for camping but you know road trips always require a good sleeping bag. Or a backseat. *winky face* And who’s better to share the back seat for a cramped period of time other than exes with a tragic breakup story? Addie and her sister are on their way to a friend’s wedding and after they crash into Addie’s ex, Dylan and his friend’s car they have no choice but to carpool–they are headed to the same wedding after all. So will the ride allow them to rekindle what they once lost or confront the past and allow them to move on for good? I’m not one to predict successful outcomes but it’s a romance! I can’t wait to see how they fall in love again. Better yet, spill the tea on their history and give me all the drama of four people on the road because that’s bound to have a good story. Lucky for you, we can all read it now. The Hellion’s Waltz-Olivia Waite (june 15) The perfect summer date will not be complete without a night under the stars. Ooh a Ferris wheel at night? What a vibe. To all the parents who tell their children not to read in the dark...you’re right but the ~romance~ of it all. Anyways, this book is the perfect book for a starry night. The third book in the Feminist Pursuits series, I’ve heard great things about this author and her first book “The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics”. But a piano teacher and a swindling silk-weaver? Sign me up. Sophie and her father want the chance to start over without anyone else disrupting their lives, since the last time someone conned her father out of his shop. And Maddie just wants the chance to fund her weavers’ union–and the best chance to do it is through the greedy man Sophie works for. It sounds like a good enemies to lovers and I can’t wait to see how Sophie and Maddie get together. Okay, so we already can tell that some of these dates are past. That’s why this title is “New Book Releases I’m Excited For” as in, just recently released, not yet released (left to creative interpretation), and not yet read by me. All the same feelings apply. So I hope you enjoy, happy reading, happy summer! I hope it’s nice weather wherever you guys are. I hope you can rest and relax even if you’re working or interning. And I’ll talk to you guys soon. Until Next Time! With love, Ariana Hey guys, it’s been awhile since I’ve done a book update. (Lies. have ya’ll checked out my Instagram lately? Find more bookish content on there if you dare 😜) Anyways, this year so many booktubers are making the wise decision of breaking up their monthly reading wrap ups. So I thought instead of waiting until the end of the year to accumulate at least 60 books and give you all of my favorites I’ll give you my top five of the year so far. Follow me on Goodreads to keep track of my reading journey. I’ve been trying to do more reviews to help me remember what the heck I thought about the content I’ve been reading and it’s been fun. So without further ado let’s get into it! Office Hours by Katrina JacksonDon’t you love when you start your year off right? This was the first book I read in 2021 and I do not regret it. This book is about Deja and Alejandro who are professors and once a month they have to attend the Senate Meeting. Deja has always had a crush on Alejandro but she’s overworked, exhausted and doesn’t think Alejandro could ever feel the same. But of course he does. One steamy interaction later and they’re set on a steady trajectory towards romantic success and the perfect HEA (happily ever after). The main thing that I loved about this book was the conversation surrounding academics for WOC professors and what that looks like when working at a PWI. It was so refreshing to read especially as a student myself to help understand the different pressures these professors are under. Aside from that, Alejandro was a total king. He was super fine and mad luxurious when it came to doting on Deja. I liked how he had to learn how to be patient with her since she is a career driven woman (despite him being in the same profession himself). None of her struggles or stresses (or successes) fell to the wayside just because they got together, instead it became something they both were able to work on together. Plus I’m a sucker for work/study dates so it was cute seeing their work and personal life blend together. The romance was wonderfully developed because of this. And when I tell you Katrina Jackson knows how to write a damn good sexy scene? Whew chile. 🥵 I hope we get to see more of the side characters from this book in other books but I’m not sure but i’m holding out for it! Fingers crossed. Take a Hint Dani Brown by Talia HibbertI know, I know, Talia Hibbert is simply DOMINATING this year. At least for me. It’s a goal of mine to complete her entire backlist but first I need to get my damn hands on Act Your Age Eve Brown. That’s the third and final installment to her Brown sister trilogy. Anyways, Dani Brown is the eldest sister, the second book in the trilogy and so far, my favorite one. It’s about Dani and Zafir who have been friends for a few months because Dani is also a professor. (Maybe I’m following a trend here 😅) And Zafir is the security guard at the front desk to her building. They have great chemistry but Dani insists that she isn’t good at relationships and Zafir doesn’t even think she’s into him because he’s only seen her date her fellow professor who was a woman. Eventually Zafir finds out that Dani’s bi, and Dani finds out that Zafir is actually an ex rugby player which leads to them having to fake date after a video goes viral of Zafir carrying Dani out of the building. She got stuck in an elevator during a drill. It was so great. I loved this book because of course, the mental health representation. Zafir has anxiety and it’s something that we definitely see being handled throughout the book but isn’t the main tone for the story. The ways it’s integrated into the story makes it such a wonderful read. And Dani is the one who has to learn how to adapt because she wants to be with Zafir but relationships take work so I love the constant self reflection and work that she puts into them being together. Dani is a really busy woman but Zafir is patient and understands that so it’s lovely when they finally get together. I highly recommend listening to this book on audio because the accent goes so crazy and it’s such a fun thing to listen to. (I know, 2021 and suddenly I listen to audiobooks. Who IS she?) One Hot Italian Summer by Karina Halle This was the perfect summer read for my winter season and now I want to go back to Italy. I fell in love with Karina Halle in a day and honestly I didn’t think I would since book covers can be so deceiving sometimes. I mean I love a good hot guy on the cover as much as the next person but I thought the book would read as young adult and boy was I wrong. Grace is grieving the death of her writing partner and so her agent sends her to her villa in Italy to hopefully clear her head and find some inspiration. Instead she finds a man and his cute ass kid and it all goes uphill from there. I love that Grace is a writer–being that I’m one myself–and I love that Claudio is a sculptor. Ugh, when two artists unite you know sparks are bound to fly. The writing in this book was so beautiful. The descriptions of the city were so well done you felt like you were there, and I loved the way we see Grace bloom into herself as a writer and as a woman. It was oddly something I could relate to very intimately so I thought it was amazing. Plus, we love a man who knows what he wants and Claudio wanted Grace. Eventually he turned her over to his side. 😉 The Naughty List by Ellie Mae McGregor Novella of the year anyone? I can’t say for sure quite yet but this one definitely took the cake so far. First of all, it feels like Christmas in April because I’d been hearing so much about this book and only took a chance on it now because I was curious. But I was worried because... santa? I wasn’t trying to ruin my childhood you know. But this was so fucking fun. What else can I say except sexy santa and a single mom have some wonderful times between the sheets for 56 epic pages. I definitely wanted more, I need more but this is a debut so all I can is, read it and hopefully McGregor will put out more books just like this. The Beast by Katee RobertOkay, soooo I've been reading erotica recently and honestly, I’ve been missing out. Katee Robert might be my favorite erotica novelist so far and her Wicked Villians series has been the most fun to read when following this genre. It’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling featuring Gaeton, Beast and of course Isabelle. It’s such a fun ride. I haven’t even finished it yet so depending on when I post this we’ll see if I would have by then (I have 4 chapters left!) but so far this is my favorite one from the series. Gaeton is the one who’s larger than life in actual size but Beast is the one in control in personality and Belle is already a princess (and knows how to act like one). It’s a polyamorous relationship and the dynamic between all three characters is so different–I’m excited to see Beast and Geaton grow out of their hate for each other and have it turn into love. And I’m excited to see the way the throuple grows from the past hurt they’ve caused each other in order to come back together. They also have to unite in order to stop a coup from happening since Belle’s father died and now her territory is being challenged for power. It’s alluding to a war with the villain in the next story so I’m excited for all of this to come to a crux in the end. And that’s a wrap! I hope you all enjoyed this list. I had fun making it especially because it was so much easier to pick from the books I’ve read in the past three months opposed to having to narrow it all down out of 12. And ya’ll know I like to ramble so this works out perfectly. I might have more of these lists coming soon, maybe every three months if my reading schedule goes well but I’ve honestly been reading “okay” books recently. Either way, don’t forget to follow me on all my social medias, stay safe and as always:
With love, Arianna Hi guys! I don’t want to make this intro too long but I hope your Holidays went well and I hope you can look forward to 2021 with as much hopefulness as you can muster. But I’m wishing you all good grades, good food and lots of rest. But if nothing else, I’m wishing you a great book year because despite everything else going on in 2020, this has been my best book year in a long time. If the trend hasn’t already exposed itself, quarantine was the time for new hobbies, YouTube channels, depression and a whole lot of boredom. So, with the help of a few friends I’m happy to say that I got back into reading. I used to read so much when I was younger, and my shelves are still filled to the brim with my YA and middle grade books. Every other thing I own that’s not clothes, are books and they sit in boxes. But I digress. Moral of the story, high school was where things started to taper off. Maybe I could read 5 books a year, but nothing I would say was conscious effort or had sustaining value (except for ACOTAR. ACOTAR forever). Though, as soon as I got to college, all reading stopped. So I created a book goal of 20 books by the end of 2020 and I am so happy to say that not only did I reach my goal but as of December 26, I have officially read 61 books this year…no rereads. And not to toot my own horn but I think that’s fucking amazing. However, I didn’t want to give you guys a top 20 list (because I’m not sure if I have enough for 20 or if I have too many) but I will give a shout out to the glorious Penny Reid because she really got this ball and chain reading train rolling. (That was a weird analogy but I am going with it). So, I’m here with my top 10 books from this year with possibly a few honorable mentions. I’m so excited to share them with you, so let’s get into it! [Insert meme here]. Book 1I’m not going to lie to you and perhaps this might be cheating but I’ve read two series this year. A part of me wants to just put PENNY REID and then list all the books within those two series that I loved and rated five stars but I’ll only list one and perhaps later on, you’ll find an honorable mention or two of hers. *hint hint* So this book award goes to…[drumroll please] LOVE HACKED (KNITTING IN THE CITY #3) BY PENNY REID Rating: 3.5 Blurb: This book is about Sandra and Alex and how Sandra has a hard time dating because she’s always trying to psychoanalyze her dates. Always. She is a psychologist after all but after a chance encounter with a slightly jaded and moody waitress she has to learn how to cope with falling for someone who isn’t interested in her “helpful” insight after all. Thoughts: Oh my gosh I LOVED this book. And even though the rating is a little low (I’m a picky reader lol) There were two things that allowed this book to make my ‘favorites list’ this year: 1. The breakdown of the female ’Savior’ trope and 2. Bitcoin. Now the trope name is definitely something I just made up but the way Penny Reid literally and realistically broke down the way romance novels have one of the main character’s saving the other was amazing. Usually when it involves a damaged hero, the woman comes along and in one way or another emotionally “saves” him so that he can be a better person for her and they live happily ever after. Which is fine but Alex is who he is: grumpy, moody, with a trauma ridden past and he’s functional that way. He handles his personal issues the way he handles them and he’s learned how to cope with them. He doesn’t need Sandra to save him (as much as she wants to) he just wants to love her and I thought that was amazing. And the fact that Sandra is a psychologist makes the breakdown of the trope all that more realistic which I thoroughly enjoyed. 2. They talk about bitcoin, I learned about bitcoin, bitcoin is VERY cool and I loved learning a little piece of real life knowledge so that was awesome. I guess you might be wondering why I didn’t rate the book higher and I don’t know. My initial argument is that I didn’t feel that connected to the characters but I think this is one of those books I have to reread again. I definitely loved the larger aspects of the story so maybe once I go through it for the second time I can rate it higher. Until then, don’t let my rating intimidate you from not reading this book. It can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend the entire series. It’s amazing. Book 2So I had an amazing Christmas, and this is not to brag but simply to state that all I got this Christmas were books. I swear my mother watched the smile split my face open and had to laugh. We even got it on video but that’s private sooo y’all can’t see that. Point is, when I talk about this book, remember that recently it was added to the stack I got for Christmas and picture an ear splitting smile that’s slightly creepy and delirious from lack of sleep and me in my polka dotted pajama bottoms. Thanks. KULTI BY MARIANA ZAPATA Rating: 5 Blurb: Twenty-seven year old Sal Casillas is a professional soccer player and when her once idol becomes her new soccer coach she has to deal with the fact that he’s not as perfect as she thought him to be…but that doesn’t stop her from falling in love. Thoughts: Oh my goodness, this woman (Zapata) destroyed my soul this year. If you’re looking for a slow burn, just read this book or any of her books really. 561 pages of pure genius and honestly, all I’m going to do is link my Goodreads review here and add onto the thoughts I didn’t think would make my Goodreads review shorter than it already should have been. Basically, Sal and Kulti’s story was such an appropriate relationship for the age gap they were sporting. Another book that didn’t have the heroine rushing in to save or change the hero from his poor temperament and bad manners, nor did she tolerate his shit. In the end it felt like an old married couple loving each other and it was so amazing. Zapata also does such an amazing job at describing and highlighting professional sports life which I loved. ‘From Lukov, With Love’ is next on my list and it’s an ice skating romance so I’m excited about that but back to Sal and Kulti. I loved the family dynamics in this book: the supportive father, the complicated sibling relationships, found family with friends. Everything was so beautifully developed and it never felt dragged or too overdone. Instead it added to the realness in the way love to hate relationships might develop in real time. And I appreciated these moments where we got to learn more about the characters as people: their quirks and day to day likes/dislikes. There was no need for some big backstory to give us a picture for “who the characters are” because we got to discover it for ourselves and I really appreciated that journey. So don’t let the page number intimidate you, it’s definitely a 10/10 read. Book 3I was gifted this by my best friend so this book will definitely hold special meaning for me when I finally put it on my shelf (once I finally rebuild my bookshelf). But in an effort to read more indie and diverse books I was so happy that I stumbled upon Weatherspoon’s Loose Ends series because I immediately fell in love. So this intro is basically to say read more diversely in all aspects: race, religion, gender, sex so that we can accept more widely. But also to support indie authors who are typically more diverse in these spaces. XENI BY REBEKAH WEATHERSPOON Rating: 5 Blurb: Xeni Everly-Wilkins just wants to claim her inheritance from her recently deceased aunt Sable, instead she’s caught in the middle of a feud war between her mother and her mother’s sisters, and a will specifically stating that in order to claim her inheritance she has to marry complete stranger, Mason McInroy. Xeni realizes she may have gotten more than she bargained for… and it might not turn out to be entirely a bad thing. Thoughts: First of all, what a fucking name. Xeni Everly-Wilkins? Freaking gorgeous. Second of all, he’s freaking SCOTTISH? You bet your ass I googled Scottish accents just so I could read Mason’s voice in one. Also my guy plays the bagpipes and wore a kilt. Like where can I find me one? I’ll place my eBay order tonight. Anyways, there were so many other aspects of this book that I loved so I’m going to try to keep this brief. The biggest thing for me again was the family aspect in this one: it was all the real, the raw and the witty aspects of dealing with the death of a close loved one as well as what it means to have people that support you and to lean on during this tough time. The sexual tension was also off the charts between these two which was fucking A. Basically it described how two lonely people who could have gone through this period of mourning feeling even more alone, learn how to turn to each other. And in light of that, a beautiful relationship developed. Xeni also comes from a musically famous family and so the music aspects were perfect: not too heavy that it overwhelmed the story but just enough to break up the narrative and provide characterization for Sable Everly who left her spirit lingering and her legacy to influence those she left behind. Quote from Goodreads: “This is a stand alone romance. It features a woman sick to death of her family shit and a plus-size Scotsman who just wants to make sweet, sweet music. And love.” It doesn’t get any better than that, now does it? Book 4I think this is the first novella that I’ve read as a standalone, and I loved it. It’s also the first book I read by Rebekah Weatherspoon. I read this on my floor and accidentally bought it on kindle (which if you guys know, I don’t reread books online if I can physically own them) soo I did a thing but I’m not mad at it. This was worth the back ache and five dollars. Even though this also made me realize that I like novels more. TREASURE BY REBEKAH WEATHERSPOON Rating: 4 Blurb: At her sister’s bachelorette party Alexis Chambers is the last person who wants to be there. Former popular athlete and violinist turned loner the last thing on her mind is love until she meets the beautiful stripper at the party who calls herself Treasure…who’s also in her computer science class. Trisha Hamilton doesn’t have time for love but she’s drawn to the girl from the club a few nights ago. What choice do they have to do except fall in love? Thoughts: I did a poll on Instagram asking between the two books which one did you guys think I liked best, and honestly I didn’t know for myself until after I had finished Xeni. Trisha and Alexis are really such an adorable couple but the one thing I loved was the sex work positivity representation in this book. Trisha and Alexis’ relationship developed quite beautifully despite the length of the book and overcame a few subplots that I thought were great such as mental health and complicated family relationships. I also liked that Trisha didn’t go out of her way to have to explain her job and anyone who tried to talk down to her was easily put in their place which I appreciated. It was an opposites attract romance and two black women in love is more than enough for me to say it was a great read. So the result of that poll was Xeni but for quality content, both are a gold star from me. Book 5Christina C. Jones just released a new book called ‘Me+Somebody’s Son: A Heights Story’ which is a novella (and totally contradictory to my dislike towards novellas) but I can’t not want to read this one. As you’ll see from this review, Christiana C Jones is fucking hilarious. I guess that’s why I love her so much, because great minds read alike. (Write alike?) I dunno. I tried. GETTING SCHOOLED BY CHRISTINA C. JONES Rating: 4.5 Blurb: Reece is a grad assistant and has no interest in dating one of her mother’s students. They’re way too young for her anyway except a rude chance encounter proves her wrong. At least on the age front, the guy still was very much rude and so she has no interest in dating him. But perhaps he has other ideas for how he wants the rest of this school year to go for the both of them. Thoughts: When I tell you I laughed out loud while reading this book, I’m pretty sure my suitemates did not enjoy hearing me through the walls, cackling to myself at two in the morning. But alas, Christiana C. Jones has a gift. For one, I love me a good war hero. They call to my long bloodline of those who served but aside from that, these two were just plain fun. The way they flirted and it’s the way she fell in love with his writing. Ugh, imagine? The plot line was followed through fairly easy so I loved that this was the book that got me into this author because even though I’m always one for a few good plot twists, I'm glad that the subplots didn’t derail too from the story. They definitely both had a heavy past and have to come to terms with that individually as well as for themselves and I think it was the lack of development in that backstory that allowed me to dock the .5 stars but honestly I just loved the story for the banter. Highly recommend. BOOK 6I finally got into historical romances! Ever since I started watching Jess from peacelovesbooksxo I’ve been dying to get into historical romances but I didn’t know where to start. Well Tessa Dare was clearly the most obvious choice and lucky for me, we found a winner. SAY YES TO THE MARQUESS BY TESSA DARE Rating: 4 (according to Goodreads) Blurb: Clio has been engaged to be married…for eight years. And now that her fiancé is about to come home, Clio wants to break it off. She’s tired of being the woman “to be wed” and not the one already married. But Rafe, Clio’s betrothed, is determined to keep Clio from breaking things off so he offers to plan her wedding. And of course they end up falling in love instead. Thoughts: As I was looking at my ratings for these books I was trying to decide why I chose this book over the other Tessa Dare book that I loved and rated higher but I remember it’s because Rafe is a freaking gem. His name also rhymes with his title: Rake. (Which means dangerous, single, bad boy in historical romance terms). And you know how much I’m a sucker for those. I’m also a sucker for great banter and the scenes between these two were iconic. There was a cake tasting scene and a stolen kiss that really was fantastique. Not to mention, I did not see that Happily Ever After (HEA) coming at all and I LOVED IT. I can usually predict the endings, I mean romance books typically have the same formula but it’s always the way things are executed that add to the momentum of the scene. And this one was creative so gold stars for that one. And as much as I love family dynamics and good side characters in my books, Clio has great friends though they are not the main stars of this book and somehow it still worked for me being that a lot of the story focused on just these two. Overall, It was so great and now I’m forever a changed woman. Send all the historical romances my way babyy. BOOK 7Honestly I had another book on this list that I really wanted to talk about but I already have a review of that entire trilogy so I’ll link that blog post here and just move on to talk about another Penny Reid book (from her second series!) instead. BEARD IN MIND (WINSTON BROTHERS #4) BY PENNY REID Rating: 5 Blurb: Shelly Sullivan has a chip on her shoulder. Like a mean, snarky, not even nice to customers kind of chip on her shoulder. And Beau is the nicest most charismatic guy in town. Except, when he talks to Shelly. How can this gorgeous mechanic who knows so much about cars (enough to tell him when he’s doing his job wrong) and owns a parrot that only speaks in cuss words draw him in? He wants Shelly gone except…not really. Not once he gets to know her, the real her, and she gets to know him. Thoughts: It’s the way I was screaming about this book on my Goodreads…and I only wrote five freaking lines as a review. Don’t I know I have to rely on my own trash memory for future blog posts? Smh. Anyways, I know why I loved this book more than anything in the series and it was because this book talked about OCD representation and depicted that relationship between mental illness and being involved with a partner so beautifully. This book talked about positive clients and therapist relationships so beautifully. And this book featured freaking Shelly who I can’t say much about in terms of her relations to other characters because it spoils some of the other books in the other series but it was also done, beautifully. So please read it. It was so amazing and the relationship was so real and the formula for what you would call a “romance” was somewhat unconventional and that’s what made it amazing as well. I also loved how Beau’s character was allowed to have so many layers of his personality be pulled back. For being such a ‘charmer’, Reid discussed how that takes a toll on him emotionally and explored something that’s not typically discussed when characters are being described as “charming”. It was absolutely perfect. I also think it’s an own voice story which is fire so I highly recommend. Beau was always my favorite twin anyway, if we’re comparing. Sorry Duane. [read the damn series’ guys. I can’t stop talking about Penny Reid]. BOOK 8Okay so if you were here last year and were able to see my 20 books for 2020 book goals list you might be expecting to see some of the books from that list on here. Or at least an update from it and honestly, it’s not that all of the books on that list were bad I just…didn’t get through the entire list. Covid hit and suddenly I wasn’t interested in all the titles anymore so here we are BUT I did read most of the books and one of them on that list was a success. BIRTHDAY GIRL BY PENELOPE DOUGLAS Rating: 4 Blurb: Jordan isn’t just unavailable, she’s off-limits. I mean, when the man she’s lusting after isn’t her boyfriend but rather her boyfriend’s father, I’d say that makes things more than a little complicated. But at the same time, he’s sweet, and generous, and likes the same music she does…Pike knows better than to fall for the young girl living under his roof but she stirs something within him he just can’t turn away. What happens when they both give in? Thoughts: I remember I was so hesitant to read this book! I’m always here for a little scandal but I thought the least of my worries would be the age gap. Well, Penelope Douglas has turned me taboo cuz I’m here for all the action. This was so good. I loved the way the couple fell in love with each other for the things that they liked about each other, the things that they shared in likes and interests with each other. I also loved the angst and tension between the two as Jordan was navigating her relationship and her new attraction. I think I loved the way Pike’s relationship with his son played out the most though. There was no loss of loyalty or love or concern for his son even as he was falling for Jordan. He always kept that relationship in mind even as he and Jordan started to become more involved. I don’t know if I can jump straight into Douglas’ bully romances just yet but this book is definitely my favorite of her’s so far. BOOK 9I haven’t been reading or writing as much poetry this year as I have before but I did find time to completely devour this book. And I must say, as soon as I can get to book two I’ll let you know what I think. I didn’t think I'd love it as much as I do, but I only read modern poetry and there’s a reason this book has high praise. MILK AND HONEY BY RUPI KAUR Rating: 5 Blurb: Split into four chapters, this compelling compilation of poems flows as a story of a lifetime. Depicting stories of violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity Rupi Kaur tells us a journey about life. Thoughts: I wish I could give you lines from all of my favorite poems but maybe I’ll only give you a few. It was raw and ironic and soulful. The drawings were so simplistic, and along with the writing it made you feel like you were following her train of thought as you were reading. ‘The idea of shrinking is hereditary’, ‘women of color’ and ‘to fathers with daughters’ were some of my favorite poems. Not all of the poems have names but I think the main thing that I loved about this book was that I didn’t feel like I needed to start and then stop the book to read. (Which is the main reason why I haven’t finished another poetry book that I own). I was able to read it in one sitting because they all just added to the narrative and it was amazing. loving you was breathing but the breath disappearing before it filled my lungs -when it goes too soon BOOK 10We shouldn't be surprised that Colleen Hoover is on this list. She’s literally my favorite author so when the third and final book to her duet (there’s also a novella) came out I nearly died. Basically, it’s fitting that she’s number ten on this list. MAYBE NOW BY COLLEEN HOOVER Rating: 4 Blurb: A continuation of the musical story with Sydney and Ridge, featuring Maggie and a superfly doctor, Warren and his crude remarks and Bridgette and her only occasionally bad attitude. Oh and a happily ever after, of course. Thoughts: Honestly, I loved this series and this book. I only rated it a four stars because I felt that the story wrapped up too quickly but it was soo beautiful to watch; Sydney and Ridge learn how to grow together in their relationship outside of the guilt and the deceit. How Ridge and Maggie found new ways to be friends and how everyone learned new dynamics of being a family after everything that had happened with them. We get to see more music writing and work with the band which I loved. But by far my favorite part would have to be Jake because man, if I’ve ever seen a mature and freeing relationship…. It’s the way Hoover knows how to write such beautiful characters. And to be able to feature two couples in a book and truly showcase their different dynamics and how that plays on the well roundedness of their personalities was amazing to read. Plus I loved having Maggie’s point of view for this book because I was really curious to see how she was going to move on after everything in the last book. Hoover didn’t end Maybe Someday on this epic cliffhanger either which is why I was surprised when this came out but after my glimpse at the Wattpad chapters I just knew I had to get this book. And here it is! Read Maybe Someday first, you won’t regret it. Now, this year’s honorable mentions are: Beard in Waiting (Winston Brothers #3.5) by Penny Reid 5 stars A novella Best 11 pages I’ve ever read. Rafe by Rebekah Weatherspoon 4 stars First book in the Loose Ends series. Can be read as a standalone before Xeni and it features a male nanny. *Heart eyes.* Wait for it by Mariana Zapata 4 stars Also features kids and a kid’s coach who’s a little hostile but we stan the relationship development and a single mom. Get a life Chloe brown by Talia Hibbert 4 stars Everyone and their momma has been raving about this damn book and I’m one of those people. She has a chronic illness and she wants to learn how to better live her life with the help of a sexy landlord who owns a motorcycle and has tattoos. I thought the climax was a little cliche but it was well written. And they’re in Britain! I loved the representation in this book. The last letter by Rebecca Yarros 4 stars I was surprised by how much I loved this book. It was hauntingly beautiful. About a mom who writes to her brother’s best friend during war. Then something happens and the best friend is the one taking care of her. We can pretty much garner what happens next but the evolution of the story and their relationship all the while dealing with grief and trauma…beautiful. New Camelot Trilogy by Sierra Simon Average rating: 4 stars I'm surprised by how much I loved this series. It had so many elements that I enjoyed. It’s scanty though but this book has some exciting sex scenes, heart aching romance, and a new modern tale that I didn’t even realize was based on King Author until I looked at the title two books in. Moral of the story, a pretty great read. (It’s a trilogy featuring American Queen, American Prince and American King). And that’s it for this section of (Books that I loved but…) Hope you all enjoyed! takeaway notesThe one thing I loved about my reading journey this year was, I was learning how to fall in love with stories again. There have been so many conversations surrounding the ratings on Goodreads but I loved the experience I got from completing a book and being able to document that feeling and rate that experience. But aside from that, I learned that a great or even favorite book doesn’t always have to be a five star. It might be books that you know one day you’ll reread again because you feel like you can learn more from it or maybe it’s a book that taught you a lesson that you couldn’t have learned somewhere else, even if you didn’t love all aspects of the story. And I think if we’re trying to be insightful on 2020 as a whole, it can help to look back on it as being a year that was a 3 or even a 3.5 rating. It wasn’t a great year, for some it may not have even been a good year, but did it teach you something? Did you come out of it as a different person? What can you still take away from this year that can possibly help you cling onto the things that helped you survive through it? I didn’t want to do a new year’s resolution of goals list this year because I feel like it can be a little daunting given the circumstances—it’s hard to plan for the unexpected—but maybe if we just start small, with new books goals, then it will help push us into our next chapters for 2021.
So, Happy New Year! With love, Arianna Taylor Also make sure to follow me on my Instagram! I’m trying to post more bookish and writing related content on there and it should be a fun time. And here’s a link to Jess’s video to help you keep a lookout for 2021’s Most Anticipated Indie Releases. So, enjoy! Hi guys! I hope things are going well (midterms really kicked my butt this year but we're surviving). But I'm back and just in time for spooky season! I don't think I've ever done a holiday based post on my blog before so I'm really excited to start now. Besides, we could use some fun in October so let's get into it! My favorite horror movie is SAW. If you didn't know, now you know. I never thought I'd have a favorite horror movie; when I was younger I thought I was scared of everything so shoutout to my dad because we bonded over my fear. Haha. No, not really, but now that I'm older I'm definitely on the lookout for my next 'favorite horror film' and frankly, I'm not holding my breath. In searching, I've noticed a trend in the newer horror movies. 1. They're not really scary. 2. They're lame. This judgment does not apply to Jordan Peele's films because that man is a freaking genius. Although, I'm not sure if it's because he emphasizes the more scary reality through his social commentary in Get Out or just the simple fact that I'm not really sure about that ending in Us. Either way, that man is a king. Everything else though? Eh. The newest horror movie is The Babysitter and YouTube has been flooding me with its trailer. And I like to watch trailers so I watched it and it seemed like a cheesy 2010 film. 'Oooh kids fighting for their lives in a comedic way' but what is it really saying? I don't know. Maybe It's just me because I'm not a big fan of jump scares. Conjuring 2 was eh. Halloween was amazing the first time. Omen and Excorcist were okay, but SAW? That was a psychological thriller I had to watch again on my own. But I know how older movies might not be seen as relevant or being as scary in today's world because of the newfound knowledge we've gained about the world. Certain things just don't make sense, but Saw is timeless so in rewatching it I wanted to share some of the key things I thought would be relevant in 2020. (Or maybe I just want to selfishly encourage you to watch the film. You can choose. Haha). Firstly, I have to admit, I am no longer scared of SAW, however it's really a freaking phenomenal movie. I genuinely don't think I've been really scared of a horror movie after i've watched it more than once, but if I watch it more than once then it's a good movie (which means something because I've definitely rewatched bad or cheesy romance movies but never horror. I go into horror with the purpose of being scared. I go into romcoms for the happily ever after.) However, I love the way this movie makes you think. Not necessarily because you have to but because you want to. What is SAW? SAW starts with two men waking up in a filthy bathroom chained and trapped with a bunch of clues as to how they got there and ways on how to get out. It flashes back to previous victims of the serial killer named Jigsaw, as detectives try to catch the killer. All the while the clock is ticking for these two men to escape and one of their family's is in danger. I think that's all I can give you without spoiling too much but a few fun facts about the film. All the scenes in the film were shot in one room. It was a low budget film and it started with two guys doing all the work themselves only for them to revolutionize horror and expand (their budget) and the series in only a few short years. I learned through my film class that it was also a social commentary on prisoner abuse in 2004 which I thought was really cool. Lessons It teaches: 1. Live your life valuably- I really love the way this movie made me rethink life decisions. Alcoholism, doing drugs, cheating, and abuse are extreme situations that each have extenuating and individual circumstances (meaning: not all all of these people are bad people, not all of these people are the extreme definitions that have been portrayed on tv and in the media, sometimes people just have issues that they need to work out but it doesn't excuse their tendencies, especially at the risk and harm of others and this excludes violence of all sorts) but the moral of the story (and movie) at least for me was that doing these things ruin your life for yourself and for those around you so why do them? (Not me literally) but in the hypothetical, would these people want to change or regret the way they acted in their life just because they were shown what it means to truly live their lives? Should they survive, would they actually be grateful for being able to survive something like that? To be honest, I'm not sure. For alcoholics and drug addicts I think there's a huge part of them that's also a victim to their addiction as much as they partake in it (but that's just me) and high stress situations might drive them over the edge. But someone who cheats on his wife, is he a shitty person? Sure, but does he deserve to die for it? Nah. Now I won't speak for someone who's a verbal or physical abuser though I'm not sure if this situation will curb the violent tendencies or simply add to the trauma that turned them into this person in the first place. However, the fact that these are existential questions to even ponder and for someone who was so young then (me), looking at the consequences for the way these people lived their lives definitely gave its valued effect. I wanted to make sure I made the right decisions in life for me and those around me by not drinking or doing drugs. (I was 12). But it also just makes you value the parts of the your life that are good because it could be worse. You could end up in one of those damn rooms and then what would you do? To be honest, I'm not sure I would even survive. 2. Sometimes people have the right to be angry at the world- Everyone has something shitty in their past or present. I mean look at us now. This pandemic? Our government affairs? The BLM movement? I'm pretty sure we can all relate to having something happen to us, even if it's still happening now. But the anger you feel for the misfortune in your life doesn't give you the right to take it out on others who you're angry at, jealous of, even if those people are the ones purposefully making your life a living hell. (Looking at you Trump). However, people have the right to be angry. For whatever reason, or whoever it is. But for me to sit back and realize that and identify with the villain in that aspect as the story began to unfold was baffling to me. And it made it even scarier because on some simplistic level, this anger, resentment and even sense of indignation and cause for vengeance can live inside of us. Maybe it does. And that doesn't make us bad people because we're obviously not acting on it and not trying to kill people but it makes you relate to the villain and to me that's what makes this movie scary, because it feels real. You realize you can also be the bad guy in real life or when watching this movie and in a weird way, it's kind of cool the way the movie does that. I mean, it's totally fucked up what happens in this film but you're never an outsider when watching this movie; you're always connected to it or someone in some way, to all aspects of this and it draws out these emotions of anger, panic, desperation, and true fear for your life and your loved ones. To then to sit with the thought that you could have done this to yourself? That you did this and caused this consequence? (Again, not literally.) That was crazy to me. I Loved it. 3. Would would you do in that situation?- This movie is known for its traps and my goodness are they good. They seem impossible and the puzzle on who it is and what's the motive behind them just keeps on building but when you really look at it--the traps and the reason for why this is happening--it's the startling reality that you could possibly get out of this extremely terrible situation. If you were able to stop and think clearly and maybe if you just had all the pieces to the puzzle or took a little more time to figure it out. But what this movie does again is make us realize our emotions. Because then when you put yourself in those situations (and you do. There's no way you don't sit there and think about whether or not you'd be able to survive those traps, realistically). It doesn't matter how logical we are, how we rationalize or reason and take our time to think, our heightened emotions of fear and panic and desperation will most likely always win out and SAW plays on that, jigsaw feeds on that and expects it and that's how he wins. And the ironic part of it is, he should be feeling the same thing for the realities of his own life and yet, all he feels is acceptance for his situation and redirects that fear into anger and hatred. How quickly our emotions can turn on us in the most crucial of situations. (The traps are a part of Jigsaw's previous victims and the realities of his life are explained at the end of the film.) How this relates to 2020 To be honest, this might all be a stretch but going off of the life lessons I just mentioned in SAW, I think we all value parts of our lives just a little bit more because of the pandemic. I'm not saying anything in the film directly relates to our lives today but I think the feelings and emotions attached to film definitely can apply to today. We will always value the time we had before quarantine where we could do things more "freely" without caution, we'll always value the time we were able to spend at home (if it was a good experience) during quarantine that we'll probably never have again, we've probably learned to value the way we care for ourselves and others in the way we react to wearing masks and keeping others safe. And we'll also learn how to value our independence and freedom when we see so many social justice issues coming to light and the fight for justice prevails just as the fight for our lives continues to proceed us. I think in this same way, we all have the right to be angry: at those who are in power, at those who choose not to care about others and put everyone at risk; at those who simply disregard human rights and justice for marginalized groups. But just like I explained in the context of the film, we also realize that it's not cause for irrationality, it's just a call to action and we'll always remember that, no matter who we are. And finally, instead of trying to figure out ways on how to get out of traps, asking ourselves the question of "what would I do in that situation" in real life allows us to empathize with those whose lives we typically don't know about, never understood before, never cared to educate ourselves on, and it allows us to grow into better people for the sake of humanity. So if the movie can't encourage you, I encourage you to ask yourself that question everyday the moment you're quick to judge someone for something they've done or the life decisions they've made because what are they up against? And how do you hold more privilege over them in order to say you don't understand and maybe never will? But what will you do to learn how to make this world a better place for everyone? Like I said, it might be a stretch and you may watch SAW and think everything I just said was a load of bull but either way, these 2020 life lessons will always apply so I hope you take them with a grain of salt. In conclusion: No one has the right to determine who deserves to live and die (shoutout to our government). No one is ever entitled to that much power even though everyone has the power to abuse whatever privilege they have in order to extort vengeance or anger on another person. It doesn't make it right but just the very fact that you can understand the villain's logic and his anger--though his misplaced anger is never an excuse--is big. Bigger than a random serial killer with a blonde fetish, for sure in the context of horror films. And I thought the impact in that statement alone just makes the whole movie seem more real but also allows the audience to connect with the characters and the situations in the movie a whole lot more. You're thrown into this situation with them, discovering clues with them and you don't know what to think and you couldn't even begin to guess that ending because I sure as hell didn't (and I usually always try). So when I can't guess the ending, I get to participate in a film mentally, and the plot twist isn't completely left field, I'd say that's a freaking great movie. So...watch it. It's relevant, it's fun, it's scary and you're really going to love that ending. Trust me. It's also a series, but I haven't watched all 7 movies. I also did not watch Jigsaw which came out in 2017 and I see that they might be making a spinoff in 2021 so I guess look out for that. I stopped watching after the first three so let me know if they're still any good past that. (Long series' can bore me). Otherwise, I recommend the first three for sure. Now, I can't say I've seen all the Halloween movie trailers that are planning on coming out this year (2020 was horrific enough. Too soon? Sorry, I needed to lighten up the mood a little bit.) but I've realized the past couple of years that the horror movies just don't deliver in the same way the classics do. Want my top 5 list? Check out my Instagram, I posted them on there. (I know, I'm so bad for tricking you like that). But I'll even link it here for you so you can go straight to it. See? I'm so nice. Lol. Anyways, I also know that I'm Thinking of Ending Things is out on Netflix and I haven't watched it yet because I want to read the book first but I'm putting it out there that I hope it's good. Don't tell me if it is or isn't. I'd rather be disappointed for myself just in case. All in all, watch SAW because it’s fucking phenomenal and Hollywood? If you're going to make a scary movie, make me fear for my life. I like a little adventure when I go to sleep at night because I definitely was scared Jigsaw was going to come after me in my sleep.
(You can stream SAW on Amazon Prime. Freaking 3.99 but totally worth it.) Always with love, Arianna Ladies and gentlemen, buckle your bootstraps because I’m taking you to Texas and I don’t think I’m ever coming back home… First let me start out by saying, I had in no way planned for this blog post to happen. I hadn’t even planned to read these books and certainly not so quickly. But alas, here we are. Let’s first start with the fact that I'm stingy--and I mean stingy--with my five star ratings. But after I finished reading the first book, I didn't even hesitate and even after sleeping on it, I have yet to take it back. Though, I must admit it was well deserved. I feel like these books go beyond what I liked personally but also how much I valued the writing for each of these novels; between the characters—for their differences, relatability/likeability-- and the overall theme and plot for these stories. Kate Stewart is by far my new favorite author because of the way she can tell a compelling story about people; which is all I can ever aspire to do as a writer, and everything she accomplished by giving me something I had always looked for in novels and finally found. But enough ranting and raving, let’s get into the elements of the books: what I loved, comments on character, style/format of writing and recommendations! Intro: This series is a new adult sports romance based in Texas (hence my cheesy Intro line) set at a fake university...in Texas. It’s got sass and cowgirl boots and a whole lot of heart so let’s get into BOOK 1! The Guy on the Right- Rating 5Summary: This story follows a guy named Theo whose a band geek. At the beginning of the book he’s just coming out of a heartbreaking relationship and so his goal is to loose his virginity. With the help of his more popular, football playing roommate things don’t go as well as he had hoped and on a drunken night that’s where he first meets Laney. Laney is tired of dating assholes who don’t respect her and so she’s swearing off men for the rest of her senior year (Theo is a junior) and they embark on this hilarious and loving friendship. Things I loved: The characters. I think the theme of this entire trilogy that you’ll see as being Kate Stewart’s strongest points in these books is how well she develops her characters. They’re well rounded with quirks and flaws that aren’t just there to say they’re there, but we feel and understand the character’s motives for everything they do. This book focuses heavily on insecurities as being the driving force of the plot’s conflict but it was built up so well throughout the rest of the novel and we get to see a lot of the character development in a way that’s just enough so we feel the angst but understand why the tension is there and how things finally develop into something real. Also, Kate Stewart is freaking hilarious! The banter between this couple was so incredibly funny, the moments they share together were just awesome and real and I love how this trilogy is called The Underdog Series because Theo really was portrayed as a regular guy with fears and ranging emotions and they were compatible for each other but he was the underdog. The plot. There was a never a point in the book where things didn’t make sense for the characters to not be together. As I mentioned before, the insecurities were the main things that were driving this couple away but I thought that because this novel did so well with developing a story between characters, it made sense that there wasn’t some dramatic plot twist that drove them away. Instead it were the flaws of these characters that we saw sprinkled throughout the rest of the story rearing it’s ugly head. I think a lot of times, novels can try too hard to make for an interesting plot in order to drive the story along, but I loved that it stayed between the people we had been following throughout and nothing was too dramatic and it was realistic. I love how this story gave us scenes and moments that were slice’s of life but the scenes always added something more to the story. There was never a point where things felt like a filler or that it was too cheesy, everything was well rounded and came full circle at the end. I also liked how the characters got together about 50 percent into the story because usually I read stories where the characters come together at the end and they get their happily ever after and it makes sense. But there are few that I’ve read where the characters come together so close to the beginning were it feels well developed and then the big conflict happens and the end still feels as well rounded as this one does. Which is also why I appreciated the slice of life moments we were getting, especially after they got together because it wasn’t always happily ever after. The scenes were doing something to either add to character development or lead us up to the overall conflict at the end. Any problems: There weren’t too many problems that I had with this book except the ending of the conflict and how that was handled. I definitely understood why the conflict happened, there was definitely a good build up to it happening but I think this is the only time I felt that there was slightly unnecessary miscommunication. Though, the characters had their motives explained, our main character took more time to coming around than I would have thought but I feel like this was so minor on the grand scheme of things. I think this can be a point made on how people can’t just overcome their insecurities so quickly which I can still appreciate. Even the epilogue, which I felt could have probably been the cheesiest moment in the entire book, was well placed and written and this book was just phenomenal. Extra thoughts: I also want to point how despite how strong our main characters were, how equally strong and developed our secondary characters also were. They weren’t just cardboard cutouts used to drag the story along, you felt their personalities and some of their motivations as well, at least pertaining to the main story. Even though I couldn’t say I was so eager to read about the second person in the trilogy, I think that’s only because I loved this first story so much, I still loved Troy, the second book’s hero, just based off of this book and was definitely interested in his story by the end of this. The Guy on the Left- Rating 4.5Summary: This story is the second book in the trilogy and follows Theo’s roommate named Troy, and Clarissa a single mom. Troy’s a football player with a lot more responsibility than let on and Clarissa is a teacher. This is sort of a second chance romance as Troy tries to be a part of his five year old son’s life. Things I loved: First of all, I’m a sucker for kids in romances when they’re written well and this was simply spectacular. Dante was a little spitfire with interests and personality that were so beautifully portrayed in the novel making him just as important and well rounded of a character. Which I think is so important when writing kids because they shouldn’t just be things used as an end goal to get our main characters together and this definitely was a story about them as a family and them trying to make things work aside from just the romance. Again, the characters were well rounded although I definitely felt that these characters were more consistent and this story wasn’t so much focused on character development as it was the main theme of the story driving our characters motives and how they were challenged to react in their environments. I definitely had stronger emotions towards whose side I was on when conflict arose but I don’t think that had to do with the writing per se, and I appreciated that we were never told who to root for. I definitely felt like this story was supposed to show more of an overall theme of family and loyalty and trust in relationships more than the characters in a relationship themselves. This was a true slow burn in terms of the romance. There weren’t even any steamy scenes until the end but because it was so well written, I didn’t mind. I also loved that Troy’s story was happening at the same timeline as Theo’s story and how many pop up surprises we got from recurring characters. I think this story does an amazing job of building on the characters that we see in the first story, giving them an ending in this story or allowing us to see more relationship building, using this story as a way to cross over from one story into another (whether that be from the first book to this one or preparing us for the characters in this story for the third one). The plot: As I mentioned before, this story definitely was showcasing themes about love, relationships and parenting and I think this story does a great job of developing these themes and explaining this theme in a way that’s not necessarily unconventional, but in ways that make you think and offer different perspectives. I like how this story wasn’t like the first one and instead didn’t build up to a final conflict, instead there were many small conflicts scattered throughout the story that the couple had to jump through and cross together as they discovered who they were with each other and what they wanted to be in the future. I really love how our main character found himself in the end, because I think a lot of romances focus on the characters together and who they are without each other when they are apart but not so much who they are alone (unless it’s at the beginning of the story) so I thought this did that very well. Any problems: I think my two thoughts on this story were how often I didn’t like our heroine. She seemed unnecessarily hostile and untrustworthy at times. I understood her reasons why, she was definitely built up enough as a character for me to feel this way but there were times where I felt she was being immature or just extra and I felt those minor internal conflict battles were getting annoying to an extent. Though again, this critique isn’t about the writing per se, and more so personal thoughts and feelings. I did, however, think this ending tied up a little too fast. Maybe a few more pages could have done things well for me in order for me to feel like the couple had actually gotten to the place they needed to by the end of this book (mainly involving ways to make the reader feel like our heroine should be trusted in wanting to make things work with our hero) but I also think that’s another small part to make this actually a problem for me because in the end things tied up in a nice full circle which I enjoyed. Extra thoughts: I loved the ending of this book and the secondary characters were phenomenal. I thought this book was definitely a heart tugging story and we were always rooting for the characters to get together (even when our heroine was making our hero work so freaking HARD. Lol) This book was also not as lighthearted as the first which isn’t a bad thing but prepare for the deeper plot line but overall I loved it. The guy in the middle- rating 4.5Summary: This story is about the third roommate of Theo and Troy, Lance, and how he comes to be in a relationship with Harper. This is a brief friends with benefits turned loving relationship as well as forbidden romance trope though under more than one different conflict (personal and external) which I enjoyed, along the way. Things I love: Sooo, originally I was going to rate this book 4 stars, but based off of the last five chapters I bumped it up to 4.5. I’ve never felt so compelled to up a rating so late in a book but I had to because Kate Stewart really is Just. That. Bitch. Gosh that ENDING SLAYYYYYED ME. But I’m getting ahead of myself so let me start from the beginning. I loved the romantical development of this relationship. It definitely was a faster slow burn but that was only because this story focuses a lot on their relationship over the course of a few years instead of them actually falling in love. With that being said, I did enjoy the discovery of the problems between the couple and for them individually and how they tried to work through that within the novel. I also enjoyed the characters. Between all three books, I feel like this book started out with the most very sure-of-themselves and well-rounded characters, so there didn’t need to be much self discovery but of course there was which made it make sense for why the plot was more of the driving force keeping our characters apart. This also made the introspection more interesting and allowed it to focus more on the characters surrounded by their conflicts and how to interact with those in the plot which I thought was amazing. This book also dealt with bullying as teenagers and the trauma it causes in young adulthood and mental health; though it was mainly brought into the limelight towards the end it didn’t feel misplaced with the theme of the book and the hints placed throughout which I appreciated and thought made things feel very realistic. The plot: I know for the second book I talked so deeply about the themes being the driving force of the plot, mixing character development and environment to make that story full, but if you take all of my comments that I talked about for that plot, put it towards this book, and just change the themes, that’s this book just….10xs more plot and theme driven. Which I know might make things so confusing and redundant but I hope you can stick with me here. Lol. With this book being the most conflict and plot driven, I love how real-time it felt. There weren’t any spontaneous plot twists that didn’t make sense. I do want to mention the impact of the ending again and how I felt that it was beautifully written, tying up the overall conflict of bullying and depression. This book definitely was more serious than the other two, and the problems that our hero faces is so relatable at least to me which I thought was great. It never felt like the the problems in Lance’s life were “other” than him, they definitely defined him as a character and we got to see the affect of that on him and his relationship. I love how we got to see his family so well flushed out as this book also deals with the impact of being the oldest and responsible son. I also loved how the book made a point to show how things weren’t happily ever after but emphasizes that life isn’t that way but things can still be worked out and be good as long as you have hope and faith and family. (Which is to say, despite this, the book didn’t end on a depressing note at all, so it was a very satisfying pay off to all of our struggles as a reader). And omg THE EPILOGUE! I definitely could have written this under one of the main things I loved but I think putting it under plot is good because the things that I loved about it was the fact that the epilogue ties up all the themes of the books individually and as a series so well. It brings back all of our main characters, shows even more development from the first two couples since we’ve last seen them, and ties in the bigger theme of realism in relationships and life, together so so well. 10/10. Any problems: It’s not a big problem, but the layout of this story was definitely different than the last two in the sense that we follow our main characters over a few years and months and I didn’t love the way the time jumps were woven together. They definitely made sense, and I love how within these time gaps we get to see the personal growth and successes of our main characters, though I thought the way they got back together the first time was a little cheesy but I can forgive it. There’s also the time when they’re in the midst of working things out and he’s such an asshole. Which I know seems so biased but I’m still unsure as to where the anger is coming from to explain these actions. I definitely plan on re-reading this series in the future so hopefully I can I figure it out then and edit my thoughts but my goodness, it was so angsty to read. Though, I thought the inner dialogue was well thought out to try to explain the actions and reactions. At times, it just felt like it was a little too much, especially in the beginning. But again, that might just be me or due to the fact that during this time we got mostly our heroines perspective. My main problem though has to be with the side character and best friend of our heroine. He has an accent and his character is written in the accent in which he speaks. That was hard to read and I admit I definitely skimmed some of the things he said because they just made the reading jarring and hard to concentrate on. I definitely think there could have been a way to allude to the accent and also continually bring it up in order to remind our characters of the ethnicity of the character, though I’m still not sure what ethnicity that is (even though I can guess, I don’t want to assume but I will be asking for opinions to make sure). I’m not sure if I would call this problematic per-se, just very hard to read and unnecessary. Extra thoughts: Despite my criticisms and initial thoughts before the last five chapters, I still thought this book’s message was the most powerful of the three. There’s always that question of: talk about a book that’s changed you and why/how? and I never had one until now. It definitely changes the way I view the world and people, especially us women in the way that we talk about each other and judge. Insecurities about looks can do so much damage and they can really destroy a person’s life and it just makes me want to think about being more conscientious about my first impressions of people. And even if society has programmed us with some of these toxic traits, I too am human and have flaws and make mistakes and it’s always about what you can do to change and grow as a person and I love that this book emphasized that mentality, at least for me. Again, I’m going to mention how the epilogue nearly destroyed me. Just reading the POV after finishing the last chapter brought tears to my eyes because I knew I had come to the end of the book with these amazing characters and their stories. I did not want it to end, I still don’t want things to end and I would love to just have more, but Lance and Harper definitely were the couple that resonated as the most realistic to me and I loved that so much. Final thoughtsKate Stewart really is my new favorite author at the moment and her books are everything I’ve ever needed and now have found. I want to read more of her backlist sometime soon but I have a mile long tbr list right now and I really want to get through other authors and genres first but I will most definitely be coming back to read more of her work in the future. I’m also so glad that I found her now because I would have died if I had to wait for the third book (the guy in the middle just came out in 2020). I read this on kindle unlimited which I highly recommend if you guys are avid readers, especially for romance, they have an amazing selection. I think you get the first month free and then it’s 9.99 after that so, from someone who doesn’t like to pay for anything, it’s totally worth it. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of ebooks for long term but I’m making plans to collect the entire trilogy for my shelves, so if you like to read things to see if they’re worth owning (like I do) I recommend kindle unlimited for this purpose as well. I love how different Kate Stewarts books are each from each other even within the trilogy. She stands out from other authors because of how well developed her characters are which I so heavily enjoy. "My everything is yours"- Troy, The Guy on the Left I know this is a long one but I had been talking about this book series too long not to write to you guys about it so here I am. I hope I did a good enough job of explaining things without giving away too many spoilers. I really just hope you read these books and tell me if you do and what you think because so far this series is my most favorite of the year so I’m pretty happy about that. I actually took a break after reading the second book because I didn’t want the books to start blending together and I’m so glad that I did. I then waited a little while after that to write this review because I wanted this to be my raw and unfiltered thoughts post-reading high so that I could trust my emotions on these books haha. So, I hope you guys are doing well and are reading and watching Netflix at leisure if you can. Stay tuned for my next adventure (reading or other)!
Until Next Time! With love, Arianna P.S. What are some books that have changed you and why?
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I'm so excited to do this blog post for you guys. I don't do many book related posts but if you guys don't know me, know that I love to read. Unfortunately though (and it's not just me, maybe there's just a universal age where we all just don't read as much. It definitely has something to do with high school and college work loads and teenage/adult responsibilities but I won't go into that right now) anyways, I don't read as much as I used to and when I do, I'm much more selective. So this year I wanted to challenge myself to A. read more! (Duh). And B. To break out of my comfort zone and read books that I normally wouldn't pick up on my own. It's definitely going to be a challenge since I'm a binge reader (so I'll sit and finish a book in one sitting, no breaks in between) but it's good to break old habits. Besides, I learned that it's okay to read and have to come back to a book as long as I finish the book. So that's what this list is. It's a personal goal to read at least twenty books by the end of this year. Of course I want to read more but I feel like twenty is a good number to start with. I can't take all the credit for this list though. I have to give a shout out to this YouTuber I found named Katherine Cassidy who has the most amazing energy when doing book reviews. I love the amount of detail she gives to the books descriptions and how she doesn't just read the back of the cover. She talks personally about certain aspects that she loved throughout the novel without giving any spoilers and any apprehensions she had before reading (not to mention, she had many books on her own list that I've read and loved so I'd say she has good taste. lol). So, most of the books on my list are inspired by three of her videos which I will have linked below. Now, I will warn you, I'm a softy and so my favorite (and pretty much only) genre to read is romance. Contemporary and steamy are my go-to's so the videos down below and some of the books on this list fall under this category, so don't judge but you have been forewarned. Haha. However, since I'm challenging myself, I threw in a few surprises just to push myself (and you) into new territory. I have two poetry books, I have comic books, and I have one non-fiction. I don't think I have any fantasy but maybe if I can finish my twenty books before the year is over then I'll throw one in. It took me so long to finish this list because number 20 was going to be a mystery but I wanted to make sure these were books that I would be able to come back to during my busy schedule and I don't think I'll be able to do that right now for a mystery in order to remember what's happening. (But don't worry Rossena, I will eventually read and finish Gone Girl. I promise. lol). Okay, so now that all introductions are out of the way, let's jump into the list!
1. Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi
I've been trying to read this book for at least a year now. 2019 wasn't the year for it but hopefully in 2020 this book will finally have its time to shine. I have the physical copy of it too so I hope that'll inspire me to get to it faster since I love physical books opposed to reading online. (It's such a hassle, painful for my eyes, and if it's not free it's not for me. Lol.) Anyways, this book is a dystopian thriller which is way out of my comfort zone. Dystopian, for sure (loved The Giver) but thrillers are usually only for movies within my range of interests. I was mainly drawn to this book for its unique writing. One line is written, another has a line through it. I loved that because it's exactly how we think, how we write. We say one thing, cross it out, edit. It was interesting to me but it's something that I'm going to need to dedicate time to reading since this isn't purely romance. Although, for a girl with a fatal touch it must be a pretty interesting story to see how all her relationships work...especially while locked in a cell. Long story short, this'll be fun.
2. Collide by Gail McHugh
This book seems like your typical 'bad boy romance' and I'm totally here for it. I'm not one for love triangles (I hate them actually) but the plot didn't hint at the love triangle so much as having one person in Emily's life and then finding another who is determined to have her. (Cue eye roll) but I love second chance romances so we'll see how it goes.
3. Not So Nice Guy by R.S. Grey
Do some titles ever make you question "why"? I mean, covers, I'm not surprised. When it comes to romance it's no surprise if it's just a variation of a girl and a guy, but this title makes me wonder why Ian isn't as nice of a guy as he apparently is made out to be. In my head I'm wondering if this is hinting to some freaky stuff or maybe a troubled past...I don't know. What do ya'll think? Anyways, I've never read a teacher-teacher romance before. I've read teacher-and something else so I'm excited for this read. It's your typical best friend trope where they end up falling in love but I'm excited to read this one because of the new setting. I hope they keep it pg in front of the kids though because the description didn't say they were professors. I'm all for a good scandal but not with fifth graders in the next room. Lol.
4. Walk of Shame by Lauren Layne
This is a book that I've already crossed off my list (I started out pretty strong this January so a few of the books I'm listing here are crossed off so I'll just tell you what I thought before reading it and then how I felt after reading it). When I started reading it, I was so intrigued. I love cliche romance stories with (mainly) interesting lead characters, that way it gives things a twist. Otherwise, there needs to be a dramatic twist somewhere along the story line in order to keep me hooked. That being said, this book sounded so good! Especially in the way Cassidy described it in her review. It's about this guy and a girl who live in the same building and they each meet each other at five am-him on his way to work and her on her way back from a night out- I was like oh yeah. Opposites attract, here we go. Because usually when I hear this story line starting out with the leads having a common interest, I thought-so maybe the guy and the girl both workout at this same time-but from right off the bat my attention is drawn to the differences. I loved it! Anyways, I have the book linked up above (click the picture!) so that you can get a better feel of the actual description but I must say I was very disappointed after reading this book. It started off so good but in the end it was all just...fluff. Although I didn't expect much from the description but I did expect a whole lot more. Though, as much as I'd really like to go into the details about this book and how I felt about it, I think I'll do full book reviews on each of these after I complete the list. (I know, I totally suck for keeping you hanging like this). But trust me. It'll be worth it. Besides, maybe you'll read this book by then and have an opinion to share about it instead. I'd love to hear what you guys think.
5. Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas
I'm going to be honest, I'm putting off reading a lot of the books on this list until the last possible moment, even though I really shouldn't. It's the stubbornness in me to read what I think, I know I like (because you never really know until you try) but even though this books falls under romance, for me, it's a little risky. There's a huge age gap and listen, I'm all for a little scandal between 25 and 37 but hot damn, 19 and 38 had my heart stopping just for a second. THAT BEING SAID...Cassidy said that it wasn't freaky or weird and so I'm going to try it out. Besides, the description on Goodreads was enticing so I'm going to try to go into it with an open mind. I'll let you know how it goes.
6. Getting Lucky Number Seven by Cindi Madsen
I looove me a good girl/guy bestfriend-turned-lover-relationship. I love them even more if 1. They're in college (Like Me!) 2. The guy is in sports (which he is) and 3. There's always the nerdy girl with determination and a bucket list. And Number seven, of course, is to have mind-blowing sex. HULLO! Right up my alley. You know, people really are missing out when they say romance novels don't have that much thrill. Because I'll tell you right now that I'm so thrilled to read this book. I hope it's good.
7. The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros
This was the book I was most excited for on this list and so it was the first book I read after I learned about it. And it was sooo good. It's romance, but for me it felt like more than that. It felt like a story about family and the strengths love can have to build relationships. I don't know how to explain it but it was just a beautiful story, not just a great romance story. It's about a single mother who writes to her brother's best friend who's in the military. (And fun fact about me but I love a good soldier. Count. me. In.) Anyways, They're pen pals for awhile until Beckett comes home and lies to Ella about who he is in order to help her raise her children after something happens to one of them. It's soo good guys. Usually I don't read single mom stories either because not all the times are the kids easily integrated into the story or, sorry to say, but the stories are too mature in the sense that they're really boring. lol. But this one was perfect. Highly recommend.
8. Brooklynaire by Sarina Bowen
I'm not sure why I'm more hesitant to read this one. It's definitely within my usual genre and I actually like hocky romances (despite my disinterest in the actual sport). I think it's because it's not hinting to the buildup of their romance as being the main plot of the story, but rather what happens after they have their one night (and that can either go really good or really bad depending on how the story is written). But I promised myself that I'd go into each story with an open mind and I'm determined to do so. Besides, I like the name Brooklynaire. It reminds me of the city. Haha.
9. The Unhoneynmooners by Christina Lauren
I love Christina Lauren! (From the one other book I've read by them. lol.) This best friend duo of authors has really changed my perspective on female main characters in the best possible way. That being said, highly recommend Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating because that was just spectacular. Best female lead award goes to that book. Hands down. Anyways...The Unhoneymooners. I was intrigued! Perfect plot and perfect setup and given my great experience before, I was expecting ten out of ten reviews for this one too...and to be honest I don't know yet. I haven't finished it, I'm almost done but a bulk of the novel is almost done and I'm not completely satisfied. I'll let you know what I really think when I'm finished with it but for now I've put the novel on pause since I'm worried about how it's going to end (or rather, how I'll feel once it does. Can you tell I don't do well with conflict? lol).
10. The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dane
This is one of those risky novels again. Haha. I love period films but if the cover of a novel has a woman wearing a corset, a poofy dress, and is in the arms of a man in a billowing linen shirt I'll always say pass. (Sorry, but I most definitely judge books by their covers. Oops). Anyways, I'm usually apprehensive about historical romances too because I've read some pretty...offensive plot lines and I'm sorry but no amount of open mindedness will ever allow me to read a romance story based around no consent. Period. On that note, this plot line doesn't seem too bad. I'm hoping the book is better than described on Amazon, especially since I'm going off of Cassidy's energy solely for this one. I'm very interested in writing this book review though, especially for the more risky ones. I want to see how much my perspective has changed either for the book or that sub-theme in general.
11. Never Have I Ever by Lauren Blakely
This book said single sexy dad? Here. And boy am I there. I'm actually really excited to read this book. I had to look up the description again to give you guys my full thought process behind it but I'm 100 percent here for this book. (Which is such a relief after talking so much about my apprehension on the other one's on this list. lol). It's an opposite's attract trope (which sometimes I love and sometimes I'm 'eh' about to be honest). But for me it's the kid that's making me swoon because oof. I'm really excited to see where this goes actually. Plus wedding planners are so cool to read about. I just hope the lawyer has more depth to him than the stereotypes write them out to be.
12. The Risk by Elle Kennedy
Elle Kennedy! Ugh. I love her and have loved her but you know, now I'm not so sure...Anyways, let me jump right in here to say that I've loved Elle Kennedy for a minute. I read her entire Off-Campus series which I absolutely adored and highly recommend. (The Score and The Goal are my two favorite, in that order). So, when I heard that she was doing a second series with FITZY? Ah! I nearly died. I've been waiting on that book for a minute. But not gonna lie, wasn't too thrilled (which is why it's not on this list. Also because I already read it in 2019. Let me know if you guys want me to add a review to that book when I do these since that book is technically the first book in the series. The Risk is the second.) However, This book is a standalone! Other characters are mentioned from her Off-Campus series and from the first book but you don't need to read them in order to understand this one. Anyways, despite my initial disappointment with the start of this series, second chances and all that so I'm here, back again. I was very interested in Brenna as a character from the first book though. I'll get back to you on how I actually felt about the book but it was all good vibes. It's another college hocky romance which I enjoyed and they're rivals. OOOh. So yeah, I was hype.
13. The Play by Elle Kennedy
Okay, so I know I keep mentioning this book review that I'm going to do. Blah Blah Blah BUT even though this may be considered a spoiler on my thoughts to this book, it needs to be said. I liked...some of this book. The ending was pretty awesome not gonna lie HOWEVER the main character is mixed. She's black and latina and before we get too excited about "ooh diversity! Ethnicity! Melanin!" I lowkey felt the stereotypes here. Listen, I'm not saying people can't write diverse characters and perhaps a lot of research was put into this book but to me, I felt like there were a few things that seemed way too surface level to be considered well thought out. This is my one opinion though and I'm really so interested on what you guys think about this. To be honest, this all stirred from one scene (guys, no actually, please read this just so we can talk about this one scene. It's the dance scene. You'll know when you know). But anyways, from there on I started nitpicking every little thing in the entire book about the character and even one reference made about a black guy made in The Score (even though I loved that book but it was just one line that made my brow go up). That being said, I still hope you guys will read it and given the ending you guys will hopefully understand that yes, romance has it's fair share of cheese but damn it's those plot twists we really live for! Okay, enough about this book. Onto the next.
14. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
Oh. M. Gee. You guys, I'm not going to lie. It's really hard not to rant and rave about these books after having read them but can we just talk about it. Can we just talk about this PLEASE? Because girl, I nearly died. Yes, I know I'm late to the gravy train but I really am one of those people who just doesn't do things when they're popular. I don't even know why! I swear it's not a thing I force myself to do but it's really just a turn off for me. But anyways, you guys probably already know about this book because HULLO who hasn't? Rupi Kaur really killed y'all in 2014 because she really slayed my ass in January 2020. I can't even lie. This is literally the next book I'm buying on my Amazon wishlist. Anyways, read it again if you haven'tread it awhile. Read it again if you read it yesterday. And tag me with your favorite poem from the book on Instagram because I have plenty. And if you haven't heard of or read this book yet, prepared to be slayed and laid by one true poetry queen. And that's all I have to say about that. Look to Amazon for the boring description because I can't even muster one up without excitement. It doesn't do this woman justice.
15. A Warning by Anynomous: A Senior Trump Administration Official
Guys, I don't know what I was thinking when I picked up this book and said "this will be a great idea not only to read but to add to my list". I had really hoped I wouldn't lie to myself and you this year but this book is mighty hefty and a little dense and I don't know. I may or may not be finishing this book this year. lol. But I sure as hell am going to try! And I really want to, simply because I want to try to be more proactive about my learning, especially keeping up to date with politics. I don't want this book to feel like homework (because the only other nonfiction I've read for fun were magazines and a lifestyle book. I own four and even out of those four I've only finished one. Sadly.) but I feel like this could be something worth pushing through my boredom if it gets to that. But I never know, I could actually love the style of writing and learn something at the same time. There's no pictures though and my lifestyle book had pictures so we're definitely competing for captivity here. lol. Anyways, it's basically a book about the behind the scene's of Trump's presidency and the first words of a senior official who's words of warning "rocked the nation's capitol". Yup, totally copied that from the description but I'm pretty sure the billions of other websites before Goodreads explains this book a whole lot better.
16. Permenant Record by Mary H.K Choi
Mary H.K. Choi! Her name was the first thing I recognized after reading the back of this book. But first, let's talk about how cool the outside cover is. I first picked this book up in Target and it was a hardcover. All I have to say is, if you can find the hardcover, do it just to look at it in person because I personally think it's so freaking cool. Anyways, I recognized the author because she was interviewed by Teen Vogue (I think. I'm pretty sure it was Teen Vogue) about a new book and I just really loved what she had to say to fellow writers. I think I saved the quote from her or at least wrote it down in my notes. She said, "If you want to be a writer, just write. Don't wait for permission...it's really ugly, it's really intolerable but just do it." And you know, it was nice to read that quote again to motivate me. Anyways, I saw her name on this book (and luckily for me, I loved the story behind it first) and so now it's on my list. This book is about a guy who's a year out of college and a internet famous girl who cross paths in Brooklyn (we really need a Bronx love story out here guys. We have so much to offer!) but it's so beautifully modern that I'm so excited to read this story. It's also pretty thick so I feel like there's going to be a beautiful story told on these pages. And then based off of the cool cover, I don't know why but I just feel like this is going to be a good book.
17. The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur
And of course, after reading her first book I looked up her others. And this one is a thick queen and I'm so excited to read it. I read Milk and Honey literally in an hour. (I swear, I was like a bee slurping up honey. It was that good. Wow, the analogies man!) That being said, I want to be able to dedicate that much time to this book as well because I have another poetry book that I've been "in the process" of reading for over a year now and I really fear it's never going to get done. lol. So I want to do this book justice and dedicate a spring break vacation day just to this book. (And hopefully to my other books as well) but at least one day to this book specifically. (Now let me look up what this one is about because I honestly don't know, forgot and didn't care simply because it was another poetry book by her). Okay, The sun and her flowers has five chapters about growth and journey and...hell. Amazon guys. Amazon has all the answers.
18. Teen Titans: Beast Boy (Comic) (Coming September 8, 2020) by Kami Garcia Illustrated by Gabriel Picolo
You know, I found this comic (series? Right now this book will make it a duology but I'm not sure what the contract is on this. Anyways!) because I had followed Gabriel Picolo on Instagram. I had found his artwork five years ago randomly on Pinterest and now years later I'm following him and Kami Garcia and they come out with a whole comic book! I was stoked. Now listen, I can't say I'm a hardcore DC fan (because come on. Those movies really be slacking. Endgame? DC could never) but aside from that, their TV shows are pretty cool and I loove the Teen Titans. And I'm not talking just the Cartoon Network cartoon but the actual cartoon movie. (The Judas Contract was so great.) Anyways, my newfound obsession came with the cartoon artwork of Raven I had been recently seeing and so of course I wanted to write her story with her and Beastboy because HULLO power couple anyone? But yeah, we won't talk about that. Haha. Long story short, I read the Raven comic in a flash (I totally planned that joke. I can'r even lie about my corniness at this point. Lol) and now I've been waiting impatiently for the Beastboy comic WHICH COMES OUT IN SEPTEMBER! So I'm super hype for this to be my summer read. I think I'm going to buy it hardcopy too just because Beastboy really is such a king, man. Highly recommend reading Raven first though. Not because it's not a standalone but because why not? lol. The beastboy comic is a standalone though and the story actually looks so great. It's talking about our lovely teenage years and friendship and growing into our identities...really a good read. I love comics!
19. Grimm Fairy Tales Volume 2 by Joe Tyler and Ralph Tedesco (Sorry no pic for you guys on this one but click on the link and you can see it.)
I must admit, I have not talked about this comic series as often as I probably should considering how much love I have for it. Shout out to my dad for introducing me to this (and comic books in general, I guess. lol) because this series is AMAZING! Let me give a little context though. If you didn't already know (because Disney deceived me during my childhood as it probably has most of us and to be honest, I'm still not mad at it) but anyways, the grimm fairytales are actually quite...grimm. Lol. I'm pretty sure these comics have taken the original stories and modernized them for us 21 century folk but my goodness, my dad gave me volume 1 and all I want to do now is read more about the twisted tales of Cinderella and Red Riding Hood (because honey, humanity really is twisted. lol). Anyways, this is volume two and each comic is a standalone full of 5 short stories (at least in this one). They're all of stories we probably know and love so I personally recommend volume 1 as well but read volume 2 with me just so we can talk about it because whew. I'm excited for this one. I'm definitely buying a hard copy of this because just to own one will make my entire year.
20. Maybe Now by Colleen Hoover
I love Colleen Hoover. As in, if her brain were a walking talking human I would marry it and just listen to the stories it creates for hours. That's how in love I am with Colleen Hoover. Her other book, It Ends With Us, is perfect and I cannot recommend it enough. I read Maybe Someday years ago when it first came out and I fell in love. (I was still into my nook back then and realized-sadly- how much I still hate reading online unless it's free) and then she started posting the beginning chapters to this book on Wattpad. I followed them like an addict until she just stopped and I forgot all about it. But thanks to the power of social media (and her giveaway at the time) I was reminded of it again and instantly decided this would be the perfect ending to my list. Granted, after I finish The Unhoneymooners I'll probably read this one next but I'll try to hold out for as long as I can to at least give the other books a chance. Maybe Now is the third book ending this duology (with one novella in between) so it is highly recommended that you read Maybe Someday first but you don't need to read Maybe Not (the novella) to understand this one (from what I remember) unless you want to, which, trust me, you'll want to. I know this list took so long to get through. I really was just ranting and raving by the end because I couldn't help it. Some of these books have history even if I haven't read them yet. But I'm really excited to complete this list. I'm proud of myself for even starting so soon though so yay me in 2020 for starting off the new year right. I know it's February though but better late than never. Also, HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH! Celebrate black authors and writers in spirit of this month and this post. Comment down below your favorites. Also comment any books you think I should add to my list whether you think I'll like it or not. Really staying on trend here with versatility. Lol. Overall, I really hope this list gave you guys some ideas for some things to read for this year. If not, I hope it challenges you to go out of your comfort zone to read outside of your genre or maybe it'll push you to simply read more this year. Either way, I hope you enjoyed. Until Next Time! With love, Arianna Katherine Cassidy's Videos: Steamy Romance Book Recommendations Episode 1 Steamy Book Recommendations Episode 2 Steamy Book Recommendations 3 If you guys haven't already read part 1 of this post, I highly suggest that you read that first before reading this. If you haven't read the book yet, then I suggest you do that as well. Lol. There are major spoilers. Now, if you've read both (or don't care about the spoilers for the book) then I hope you enjoy reading the parts of this book that really made me reflect on life. I always said that this book reminded me of a modern day The Catcher in the Rye (even though I definitely hated that book in high school. Lol.).
The style of writing, the letter format, the ending...Was I the only one who couldn't spot the plot twist? Either way, the story and the writing are what made this book special for me. I 10/10 recommend. Now let's get into the quotes: "I think it's bad when a boy looks at a girl and thinks that the way he sees the girl is better than the girl actually is. And I think it's bad when the most honest way a boy can look at a girl is through a camera. It's very hard for me to see Sam feel better about herself just because an older boy sees her that way." "...the scientists found out was that the rat of mouse would out up with a lot more voltage for the pleasure. Even for the food." (This concept was interesting to me because it makes you realize that even for animals, where their survival is based on pure instinct, happiness in life holds more value than even survival. Things such as money, (food for the rats) a steady job, etc. don't matter if you're not enjoying the life you're living, even the little things. Imagine if we chose pleasure all the time?) Thoughts: Charlie says he wants to be anonymous but the first thing he mentions is the death of his friend "Michael" by the cause of suicide. Since it was such a huge event at his school doesn't he think who he's writing to will know who he is since she was there? December 21, 1991 -after he read the poem- "And I think they knew." "And I think that's all you can ever ask from a friend." (Looking back on this quote I can't help but think what did they know? Did they know about Helen?) Thoughts: December 26, 1991 What happens to him after he found out Aunt Helen died? "I would die for you, but I won't live for you." (I love this.) "I think the idea that every person has to live for his or her own life and then make the choice to share it with other people. Maybe that is what makes people "participate."" (…And this.) "I just want you to know that you're very special...and the only reason I'm telling you is that I don't know if anyone else ever has." "I think that should be the tradition. The kid gets gifts from everybody, and he buys one present for his mom since she was there, too. I think that would be nice." (I love his use of simple words to describe an emotion so deep. "nice".) "...called me a "teacher's pet" in the hallway after Bill's class, but I didn't mind because I think he missed the point somewhere." (I wish I even had simple words to describe this emotion.) "It's strange the times people choose to be generous." "Remember when we all felt infinite?" (The first time it was said had an impact but when this was said and the "remember" is what hit me. There was nostalgia for such a glorious moment in his life but also so much pain and longing.) "I just remember walking between them and feeling for the first time that I belonged somewhere." (I love that feeling. That feeling of "I love you", "I love me", "I love this life" because this makes me feel ALIVE.) "I thought that your being sad was much more important to me than Craig not being your boyfriend anymore. And if that meant that I would never get to think of you that way, as long as you were happy, it was okay. That's when I realized I really loved you." (What is love? Is it this like he described? Is it what Sam told him it really was? How do you know?) "If somebody likes me, I want them to like the real me, not what they think I am. And I don't want them to carry it around inside. I want them to be able to do whatever they want around me. And if they do something I don't like, I'll tell them." (Authenticity.) "I wasn't being honest. So, why would I care whether or not he loved me when he didn't even really know me?" (Sadness.) "I'm going to be who I really am. And I'm going to figure out what that is." (We all have those moments. The journey never ends. We continue to grow.) "But right now I'm here with you. And I want to know where you are, what you need, and what you want to do." (We all need people like this.) "I am writing to you because she said you listen and understand and didn't try to sleep with that person at that party even though you could have." (Being a good person can have a long lasting impression on someone, no matter how small.) Thoughts: I wonder if her life changed after getting these letters. I hope she read them. "And I was really there. And that was enough to make me feel infinite." Until Next Time! With love, Arianna Wallflower (Noun)- a person who has no one to dance with or who feels shy, awkward, or excluded at a party.
[wol-flour] Do you guys like my made up pronunciation of the word? I thought it was pretty clever. Lol. Anyways... I am not a wallflower, and I'm glad for that I guess, but I do think that any modern day teenager can relate to some of the thoughts and emotions Charlie was feeling in this book. I'm writing about this book because this book meant so much to me when I read it. I didn't know how much of a tough time I was having until I finished the book at two o'clock in the morning and I was just...numb. But I'm learning to be more vulnerable with the world and trusting with myself which is why I'm sharing my thoughts on here with you. And I'm learning to trust myself to handle my emotions and allowing people in to help me with the things I can't do on my own. Aside from that, Perks of a Wallflower inspired me to write. It inspired passion and emotion and creativity. When you go through these growing pains, as I like to call them-when you begin to question your confidence and your identity- I feel like books like this one are the books you need that will bring you to that dark place of self reflection. It will help you discover what you need. I needed to confide in someone in that moment, and the next day I did. I've never felt better. But my journey isn't over. Maybe one day I'll be able to share all of it with you guys but for right now I appreciate the constant support of always sticking by me and reading whatever midnight thoughts fly through my brain. I'm at college right now, learning how HARD it really is and I really love it here but I'm not 100%. It has nothing to do with the place or the people but just because of me. I'm trying though, and I know I'll get there eventually but a professor of mine recently told me that I've always been confident because I've never had a moment where I've needed to challenge that confidence. Who am I really? And the truth is, I don't know. I'm trying to learn that that's okay. I've been giving some pretty not-so-subtle hints about my struggle with mental health through my Instagram so definitely follow me on there, but college is teaching me that this part of my life is a new, fresh start and I get to chose who I want to be, so I refuse to waste it. As a result, I've made a list. Four steps to emotional success: 1. Have a good cry at least once a week. (Preferably with someone close to me so I can learn that it's okay to trust people who care for you.) 2. Confide in someone close to you. (I need to learn that it's okay to be vulnerable because the lack thereof will only make it hard for me to build real, genuine relationships and I don't want to live my life like this.) 3. Take a chance. (I need to take emotional risks and fail if I ever want to gain my confidence back.) 4. Go to therapy. (This is an idea I've already committed to and I'm very excited and nervous. But I know I can't do everything on my own so, it's time to go to a professional.) 5. Try something new every week (Whether it be yoga, working out, running, throwing karaoke and movie night in my dorm, I have to allow myself to take advantage of how great life is because it's phenomenal.) These are four tips I wrote for myself but if you're going through anything I highly encourage making a list of your own or using mine to help you through your journey. Just know that doing everything alone only makes you lonely. And even if you're not going through anything right now, you can never be too confident or self-assured. Let yourself be 100% authentic and real with your emotions. Treat them as a part of you, don't shun or turn them away. Embrace them and they'll only help you grow more strong in the long run. So, I realize I've been talking to you guys for awhile now and you're probably tired of reading by now so stayed tuned for PART 2. That's where I'll share all the quotes and paragraphs I absolutely adored from this book. Until Next Time! With love, Arianna 11/22/2018 0 Comments The Poet Poetry wasn’t something I always enjoyed writing. I didn’t think I could do it, that it had to sound a certain way and be “perfect”; but the thing about poetry is that it’s not perfect. It’s rough and raw but that’s what makes it so amazing. It can be forgotten thoughts, tangents of an old conversation, or the whispers of a dream only you can hear. It doesn’t always have to be lyrical, you don’t have to worry about punctuation if you don’t want to; it doesn’t even have to be in a straight Line. It just IS. And as soon as I stopped being so intimidated by it and gave it a go, I found that I could use poetry as a way to develop my skills as a writer. I just read something on Pinterest the other day and it said: “It takes years to develop your craft. Do not romanticize the idea of an ‘overnight success’.” And it really hit me that I’ve been writing so long because I love it, but how can I call myself a writer if I don’t try every writing style there is; If I don’t branch out of my preferable genre, if I don’t read the “odd” books in the bookstore, just to see how it is? Maybe I’ve romanticized myself as an overnight success. Maybe I’m too hard on myself for my imperfections not realizing that in order to get good, I need to know how to fix what’s wrong; and in order to get really good, I need to know what I can improve. Maybe I just need to accept the fact that I’m still a student in my field and I’m growing and learning every day. I’m not even in college yet and I still have so much to learn and apply to my life so my writing may not be perfect for a long while and that’s okay. But when there are all these doubts and negative emotions whirring through my brain, that’s when projects begin to build up and my hiatus begins to become more of an excuse not to write rather than a break to think about what I want to write about next. When I don’t write for long periods of time, my writing obviously isn’t as good as when I’ve been writing everyday. And if I’m not writing, I need to be reading, but if I’m doing neither... This is where poetry comes in. It’s not easy, but writing never is. Though, when paragraphs are too long and sentences seem pointless, poetry is a great way to keep up with your skill. And it’s so much fun to read! If you have a good poetry book, you can keep it in your everyday bag and pull it out for ten minutes as you wait for the train, or while you pump your gas. It gets your mind whirring, and your creative juices flowing and for me, it allows me to try something new. But it can be hard to just switch over sometimes. When we get in our comfort zones then it’s to hell with everything else, and even if we didn’t try it, we don’t like it. But why not give something new a chance? Write a mystery story instead of sci-fi for once, see where it goes. Write in prose instead of poetry, try poetry instead of short stories; And you never know, you might discover something new about yourself, and 'Bonus!', you’d have unlocked a new skill in your creative writing. So these are three poems I wrote awhile ago. I’m trying to read more during the break, but school has been keeping me occupied these last few weeks so I’m hoping to find some poetry books that really strike my fancy. A few friends recommended some but if you have any others, let me know! Poem: The Red Queen The world did not end in a bang, or a whisper, but rather, one scream at a time. “Everyone knew that this world would soon be mine.” The Red Queen sat, gleeful as she claimed her throne Those below her, watched; fear had claimed their homes. Terror had taken over the town and death had claimed the ones they loved. She had wanted the crown and now that she has it, the world must fall. The world would crumble, before it was to rise again, but those who stood by her side would be spared of the wrath her reign would begin. The Writer: My mind is a mess my head a myriad of ideas. I tend to forget so excuse me if I forget your birthday this year. My brain moves too fast, faster than I can type so one project just piles up after the last always incomplete never quite right. But I have a passion that runs deep, and knowledge that I’m not afraid to show. I can correct your grammar in a heartbeat and I hate it if you read too slow. I’m a romantic by default It was programmed into my genes. I love to sit where the flowers bloom and then write about it as they seem… so… distant. I can be lost for days. Disappear into my own head, my room I get cranky about early mornings; That’s because I hate waking up. When the sun comes out, that’s when the inspiration stops. So I’m a night owl, that’s why I’m always up. Late. Too late, everyday Going to bed early just isn’t my thing but as soon as I’m awake and this poem is done then you’ll see, that I can change people’s worlds With only a few verses and fancy words… And here comes the sun. Who am I? Fireworks: The first time you kissed me, I tasted the sky. Weightless, limitless, endless, You were my oxygen keeping me alive. My helium keeping me afloat. It was from that first kiss that I knew, You were the one. When you kissed me the second time, I tasted fireworks and orange popsicle. It was bursting, and exploding, and nerve wracking to my core, But then you pulled away with a smirk, Leaving me panting at your front door. But every time I kissed you or you kissed me, The moment our lips touched home, I breathed you in like my life depended on it. Because every time you pulled away, you left me gasping for more. So every time we kissed, I tasted the sky. You are my life line, Every. Single. Time. "There are always three choices in life: give up, give in, or give it all you've got." -Charleston Parker
Thank you so much for reading! Until Next Time! With love, Arianna |
AuthorI'm an 21 year old girl who lives in NY. I love to read and write and fashion is my life. Follow me to find out more! Archives
January 2023
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