 Enola Holmes fans rejoice! Everyone’s favorite young sleuth is back with another mystery that readers both young and old will enjoy. The newest installment in Nancy Springer's series, Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade, is set to be released on September 6th and will have readers flipping the pages to see what’s going to happen next! Enola Holmes, the much younger sister of Sherlock, is now living independently in London and working as a scientific perditorian (a finder of persons and things). But that is not the normal lot of young women in Victorian England. They are under the near absolute control of their nearest male relative until adulthood. Such is the case of Enola's friend, Lady Cecily Alastair. Twice before Enola has rescued Lady Cecily from unpleasant designs of her caddish father, Sir Eustace Alastair, Baronet. And when Enola is brusquely turned away at the door of the Alastair home it soon becomes apparent that Lady Cecily once again needs her help. Affecting a bold escape, Enola takes Lady Cecily to her secret office only to be quickly found by the person hired by Lady Cecily's mother to find the missing girl—Sherlock Holmes himself. But the girl has already disappeared again, now loose on her own in the unforgiving city of London. Even worse, Lady Cecily has a secret that few know. She has dual personalities—one, which is left-handed, is independent and competent; the other, which is right-handed, is meek and mild. Now Enola must find Lady Cecily again—before one of her personalities gets her into more trouble than she can handle and before Sherlock can find her and return her to her father. Once again, for Enola, the game is afoot. Enola Holmes is back with another thrilling and endearing adventure! If you’re wondering “Wasn’t this a movie with the girl from Stranger Things?” then you’d be correct! This is the 8th book in the series that inspired the Netflix movie and it’s the perfect book to engage young adult readers! Enola is a feisty and headstrong character and her strong belief in fighting for what is right and helping those she cares about is inspiring to read about. Featuring cameos from Sherlock Holmes himself and a cast of fun supporting characters, this read will have you flipping the pages to see how Enola will manage to help her friends and solve the mystery! For younger readers or anyone who loved Nancy Drew as a kid, this book is for you! *I received an ARC from Wednesday Books in exchange for my honest opinion. 
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 Set to be released on August 9th, Bend Toward the Sun by Jen Devon is a long-haul love story chronicling two very different people trying to heal old wounds and find comfort in one another over the course of a year. Rowan McKinnon doesn’t believe in love. With a botany PhD, two best friends who embrace her social quirkiness, and some occasional no-strings sex, she has everything she needs. But she hides deep wounds from the past—from a negligent mother, and a fiancé who treated her like a pawn in a game. When an academic setback leads Rowan to take on the restoration of an abandoned vineyard, she relishes the opportunity to restore the grapes to their former glory. She does not expect to meet a man like Harrison Brady. An obstetrician profoundly struggling after losing a patient, Harry no longer believes he is capable of keeping people safe. Reeling, Harry leaves Los Angeles to emotionally recover at his parents’ new vineyard in Pennsylvania. He does not expect to meet a woman like Rowan McKinnon. As their combative banter gives way to a simmering tension, sunlight begins to crack through the darkness smothering Harry’s soul. He’s compelled to explore the undeniable pull between them. And after a lifetime of protecting herself from feeling anything, for anyone, Rowan tries to keep things casual. But even she can’t ignore their explosive connection. This book took me a little while to get into but the ending was worth the trudging to get to. I got a little frustrated because it felt like Rowan and Harry’s pasts got a little too in the way of their romance, but I guess that was probably the point, right? Ultimately, this book shows how important it is to reconcile with your past so that you can’t move forward into the future. Additionally, it also highlights how you have to love and accept yourself before you can love and accept another person into your life. If you’re looking for a heartwarming read that deals with deeper topics, this one’s for you! *I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest opinion.  Just released yesterday on August 2nd, Julia Whelan’s Thank You for Listening has already gotten rave reviews and I’m going to add another one to the pile! This romance book about an audiobook narrator written by a real-life audiobook narrator is a book lover’s dream read that I can’t recommend enough. For Sewanee Chester, being an audiobook narrator is a long way from her old dreams, but the days of being a star on film sets are long behind her. She’s found success and satisfaction from the inside of a sound booth and it allows her to care for her beloved, ailing grandmother. When she arrives in Las Vegas last-minute for a book convention, Sewanee unexpectedly spends a whirlwind night with a charming stranger. On her return home, Sewanee discovers one of the world’s most beloved romance novelists wanted her to perform her last book—with Brock McNight, the industry’s hottest, most secretive voice. Sewanee doesn’t buy what romance novels are selling—not after her own dreams were tragically cut short—and she stopped narrating them years ago. But her admiration of the late author, and the opportunity to get her grandmother more help, makes her decision for her. As Sewanee begins work on the book, resurrecting her old romance pseudonym, she and Brock forge a real connection, hidden behind the comfort of anonymity. Soon, she is dreaming again, but secrets are revealed, and the realities of life come crashing down around her once more. If she can learn to risk everything for desires she has long buried, she will discover a world of intimacy and acceptance she never believed would be hers. This book is the perfect story for anyone who loves books (especially romance)! Whelan, who is a popular audiobook narrator herself, gives readers an inside look into the world of audiobook narration and what it’s like to work in the publishing industry. While this book is branded as a romance book, it also pokes fun at the genre with its HEAs and tropes while embodying those same qualities. However, it doesn’t match the exact trajectory of classic romance novels. The book mixes in elements from Women’s Fiction and other genres to craft an entertaining and touching story about a woman trying to find her way through life when life keeps throwing obstacles her way. For any romance lovers out there, this one’s for you and I, for one, cannot wait to see what Whelan will write next! *I received an ARC from Harper Collins in exchange for my honest opinion.   After her debut novel This Is How We Fly, Anna Meriano returns to the YA stage with a kind of spin-off book featuring Ellen’s half-sister, Yasmín. Filled with high school angst and drama, It Sounds Like This (which comes out on August 2nd) takes readers into the inner workings of high school marching band! Yasmín Treviño didn’t have much of a freshman year thanks to Hurricane Humphrey, but she’s ready to take sophomore year by storm. That means mastering the marching side of marching band—fast!—so she can outshine her BFF Sofia as top of the flute section, earn first chair, and impress both her future college admission boards and her comfortably unattainable drum major crush Gilberto Reyes. But Yasmín steps off on the wrong foot when she reports an anonymous gossip Instagram account harassing new band members and accidentally gets the entire low brass section suspended from extracurriculars. With no low brass section, the band is doomed, so Yasmín decides to take things into her own hands, learn to play the tuba, and lead a gaggle of rowdy freshman boys who are just as green to marching and playing as she is. She’ll happily wrestle an ancient school tuba if it means fixing the mess she might have caused. But when the secret gossip Instagram escalates their campaign of harassment and the end-of-semester band competition grows near, things at school might be too hard to bear. Luckily, the support of Yasmín’s new section—especially new section leader Bloom, a sweet and shy ace boy who might be a better match for her than Gilberto—might just turn things around. This book had a lot of characters I wasn’t a fan of and the plot felt a little drawn out in the beginning; however, once I got about halfway through the book, the storyline picked up a bit and some of the characters became likable. The marching band theme of the book was interesting to learn about, since I never did marching band as a teenager, and it gave an inner look at the dedication band kids have to make many moving parts into a cohesive piece of art. This book also touched upon themes of sexuality, bullying, peer pressure, and mental health which made it a pretty relevant read. Ultimately, the story was okay... I don't think I'll be reading any of Meriano’s other books in the future just because the struggle to get into the story wasn’t worth the ending in my opinion. However, a younger reader might feel differently than I did. *I received an ARC from Penguin Teen in exchange for my honest review.   From debut novel to international phenomenon, Where the Crawdads Sing has been on bookshelves all over the world since its release in 2018. Now that its movie adaptation has just been released in theaters in the United States, I thought it’d be the perfect time to finally listen to all of the friends and family members who have recommended it to me and dive into Delia Owens’s beloved novel! For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet fishing village. Kya Clark is barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when the popular Chase Andrews is found dead, locals immediately suspect her. But Kya is not what they say. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life's lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world—until the unthinkable happens. This book took me quite a bit to get into but I ended up really enjoying this story. Kya’s story stirred up many different emotions for me: heartache, sorrow, joy, wonder, and many more. Her persistence at making a life for herself and her intelligence when it came to nature was so cool to read about and it gave me a greater appreciation for the natural world. The way this book mixed mystery, coming-of-age, romance, and many other genres into one book was impressive and made this book a unique read. If you appreciate super descriptive novels or ones that will have you guessing until the very end, then add this one to your list! Now I just need to see the movie...  One of my most anticipated reads of the year is finally here!!! Katherine Center’s latest romance, The Bodyguard is available as of July 19th and I cannot express how happy I am about it! If you're looking for a book that will make you smile, but will still tug at your heartstrings, then this is it! Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindergarten teacher than somebody who could kill you with a wine bottle opener. Or a ballpoint pen. Or a dinner napkin. But the truth is, she’s an Executive Protection Agent (aka "bodyguard"), and she just got hired to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker. Jack Stapleton’s a household name—captured by paparazzi on beaches the world over, famous for, among other things, rising out of the waves in all manner of clingy board shorts and glistening like a Roman deity. But a few years back, in the wake of a family tragedy, he dropped from the public eye and went off the grid. When Jack’s mom gets sick, he comes home to the family’s Texas ranch to help out. Only one catch: He doesn’t want his family to know about his stalker. Or the bodyguard thing. And so Hannah—against her will and her better judgment—finds herself pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend as a cover. Even though her ex, like a jerk, says no one will believe it. Hannah hardly believes it, herself. But the more time she spends with Jack, the more real it all starts to seem. And there lies the heartbreak. Because it’s easy for Hannah to protect Jack. But protecting her own, long-neglected heart? That’s the hardest thing she’s ever done. This might be my favorite Katherine Center book to date (and I’m pretty sure I’ve said that before but I’m sorry! This time it’s true)! This is the fifth book of her’s that I’ve read and I definitely was not disappointed by this book! Honestly if she wasn’t already an auto-buy author of mine, this book would’ve changed that. In true Katherine Center fashion, this book is such a delightful read! The plot was adorable, the characters were amazing, and I laughed and cried my way through the whole book! I loved how the main message of this book wasn’t just about finding someone who loved you for you and not settling for anything less, but also about loving yourself. True love isn’t just found in another person; it’s found within yourself. I simply loved this book and all of the different backstories and plots surrounding Hannah and Jack’s romance and I cannot wait to read whatever Katherine Center decides to write next! *Thank you to Goodreads for the ARC and St. Martin’s Press for the finished copy in exchange for my honest review!  Have you ever read a book that just hits you and leaves you wanting more? That was me with A Heavy Dose of Allison Tandy by Jeff Bishop. This YA novel, which comes out July 12th, mixes reality with a touch of the supernatural to weave a gorgeous, moving, and funny story. The summer after senior year should have been a time for Cam to party and hang out with his friends. It should also have been a time for him to win back the love of his life, Allison Tandy, who'd dumped him so brutally the year before. But it quickly becomes clear that this summer is going to be worse than a failure for Cam. It's going to be a tragedy. Ally is left comatose after a terrible car crash, then Cam tears his ACL in a basketball accident. The operation leaves him in agony, confined to his couch and ruminating over the fact that his ex may not survive. But when (after taking his medication) Cam starts seeing Ally, he starts to think: 1. He may be headed for a complete mental breakdown and 2. This summer might just be interesting after all. Wow wow WOW was this book one of the best books I’ve read in a while! I absolutely adored Cameron’s narration. It made the story that much more relatable and entertaining, especially when he spoke directly to the reader. The supernatural element gave this YA coming-of-age contemporary novel a fun twist that will have you flipping the pages to see what is going to happen next. However, this book isn’t just about teens ending high school and one guy still dealing with the breakup with his ex from months earlier; it’s about first love, heartbreak, and living life despite knowing things could go wrong at any moment and weaving your way through the unpredictable. This story is so much deeper than two exes trying to get over one another and Bishop really makes you feel invested in the story and I’m not ashamed to admit that I bawled like a baby during certain parts of the story. Simply put: I adored this novel and I’m very happy that a sequel seems to be in the works! For anyone looking for a unique and fantastic YA book this summer, READ. THIS. BOOK! *I received an ARC from Penguin Teen in exchange for my honest opinion.  A small-town romance that can never work? Mental health representation? All set around bingo games? As unique as it sounds, Jamie Wesley’s Bet on It features all of the above and you can read all about it when the book comes out on July 12th! The first time Aja Owens encounters the man of her dreams, she’s having a panic attack in the frozen foods section of the Piggly Wiggly. The second time, he’s being introduced to her as her favorite bingo buddy’s semi-estranged grandson. From there, all it takes is one game for her to realize that he’s definitely going to be a problem. And if there’s anything she already has a surplus of, it’s problems. In Walker Abbott’s mind, there are only two worthwhile things in Greenbelt, South Carolina. The peach cobbler at his old favorite diner and his ailing grandmother. Dragging himself back after more than a decade away, he’s counting down the days until Gram heals and he can get back to his real life. Far away from the trauma inside of those city limits. Just when he thinks his plan is solid, enter Aja to shake everything up. A hastily made bingo-based sex pact is supposed to keep this…thing between them from getting out of hand. Especially when submitting to their feelings means disrupting their carefully balanced lives. But emotions are just like bingo callers—they refuse to be ignored. This book was a great read. I liked the emphasis it put on mental health and how both our MCs have issues that they’re dealing with yet are able to realize how sharing their burdens with others and letting themselves feel things and embrace the unknown can make them stronger. In addition to the romance, the small-town southern charm in this novel was fun to read about and I’m kinda a sucker for a good bingo game, so I totally understood Aja’s love of attending the bingo hall! There were a few things I was missing in terms of plot. For example, there wasn’t much of a backstory for Aja and some of the time jumps were all over the place. Additionally, I wanted more vulnerability for Walker with his grandma. Besides those little one offs, I thought it was cute! While the plot was a little predictable, the mental health rep made this book a bit more interesting! Ultimately, I think this was a quick and cute summer read that any romcom lover will appreciate! *I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest opinion.  Lasairiona McMaster is back with the fifth (and what might be one of the best) installment in the Snow Pirates Series! Two for Tripping, which comes out on June 30th, follows the Snow Pirates’s team captain, Will, as he not only navigates new love, but also his past demons. After graduating top of his class, Will Morrison has no idea of what to do next. Everything feels meaningless, and his recent mistakes have put him on tenuous ground with his best friend and sister. His hockey teammates are moving on without him, he has too many choices for what to do next, and no clue what makes his heart sing… Until a one night stand with a fiery red-head turns his world upside down. Quinn’s everything he’s not: outgoing, brave and driven. Being with her shines a light on his dark side. But following the road to redemption means more than making amends with friends and family. Can he forgive himself, and accept that he doesn’t need to know the full path to take the first step? Or will his inability to love himself mean losing her, too? Wow, do I love this series! While the beginning got off to kind of a fast-paced start, the way this book eventually got its footing was very well done and by the end of the book, I was searching for another Snow Pirates Book to binge read (so if you could get on that Lasairiona, that’d be GREAT lol)! Will was a character I was really excited to read about since we’ve seen bits and pieces of him in past books (especially in Two for Roughing) and I think McMasters did a fabulous job of making him a redeemable and lovable character. This book did touch upon some heavy topics, like sexual abuse, but I think they were handled gracefully and authentically. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see what’s next for the Snow Pirates! If you haven’t checked this series out yet, I highly recommend you do! *I received an ARC from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.  Cupcakes and romance? Say no more! Jamie Wesley’s Fake It Till You Bake It, which comes out on June 21st, is the sweet romance you need this summer! Jada Townsend-Matthews is the most reviled woman in America after turning down a proposal on a reality dating show. When she comes home to lick her wounds, Jada finds herself working at San Diego's newest cupcake bakery, Sugar Blitz, alongside the uptight owner and professional football player Donovan Dell. When a reporter mistakenly believes Jada and Donovan are an item, they realize they can use the misunderstanding to their advantage to help the struggling bakery and rehabilitate Jada's image. Faking a relationship should be simple, but sometimes love is the most unexpected ingredient. This romance was so cute and honestly worth reading just for the drool-inducing descriptions of cupcakes in the story. Fake dating has always been a favorite trope of mine and this one was done so well and just made me love this trope even more! I loved the different personalities of the main characters and how Jada and Donovan complemented each other. Plus the fact that Donovan is a stern grumpy pants while Jada is a sassy sunshine makes this story even more delicious! Add in a few amazing bestie side characters and you have a recipe for a great romcom! I seriously need to read August’s book ASAP so I hope it comes out soon! But in the meantime, Donovan and Jada’s story is so much fun and is definitely one to add to your Summer TBR! *I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest opinion. |
AuthorHi! My name is Elisa and my bookshelf is quite literally overflowing! Join me in my journey of reading as many books as humanly possible! Archives
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