Acclaimed author Katherine Center is back with her newest love story, which was released July 14th, that will have fans of hers jumping for joy! With favorites like How to Walk Away and Things You Save in a Fire, Center’s new book, What You Wish For, might just be her finest work yet!
     Samantha Casey is a school librarian who loves her job, the kids, and her school family with passion and joy for living. But she wasn’t always that way. Duncan Carpenter is the new school principal who lives by rules and regulations, guided by the knowledge that bad things can happen. But he wasn’t always that way. And Sam knows it. Because she knew him before—at another school, in a different life. Back then, she loved him—but she was invisible. To him. To everyone. Even to herself. She escaped to a new school, a new job, a new chance at living. But when Duncan, of all people, gets hired as the new principal there, it feels like the best thing that could possibly happen to the school—and the worst thing that could possibly happen to Sam. Until the opposite turns out to be true. The lovable Duncan she’d known is now a suit-and-tie wearing, rule-enforcing tough guy so hell-bent on protecting the school that he’s willing to destroy it. As the school community spirals into chaos, and danger from all corners looms large, Sam and Duncan must find their way to who they really are, what it means to be brave, and how to take a chance on love—which is the riskiest move of all.
     This book has a fun enemies-to-lovers romance set in a colorful and creative elementary school, which makes this book even more endearing. Brimming with unforgettable characters, witty dialogue, and a kind and funny narrator, this might be my favorite Katherine Center book to date! I loved the characters, I wish I had Sam’s wardrobe, and I loved the redemptive arc that Duncan had. Plus, who can resist a book with a failed security dog named Chuck Norris??
     I also really loved the simple message of choosing joy and making an effort to love life to the fullest. While this book is fairly light-hearted, Center does touch upon real issues like school shootings, grief, and epilepsy. She handles these topics with care, yet shows that despite life’s hardships and traumas, a person can still overcome and live life without being plagued by their pasts, presents, or futures.
     If you’re a fan of Katherine Center’s other books or are just looking for a sweet rom-com, then this book is for you! And for those who haven't read any of Center’s prior books, this is a great one to start off with!!

*I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.​

     After the success of her first novel, I Wanna Be Where You Are, Kristina Forest has returned to the YA contemporary scene with a new book about finding yourself and trusting others while navigating fame. In Now That I’ve Found You, which comes out August 25th, is a story that has all of the summer vibes your TBR might be missing.
    Following in the footsteps of her überfamous grandma, eighteen-year-old Evie Jones is poised to be Hollywood’s next big star. That is until a close friend’s betrayal leads to her being blacklisted. Fortunately, Evie knows just the thing to save her floundering career: a public appearance with America’s most beloved actress—her grandma Gigi, aka the Evelyn Conaway. The only problem? Gigi is a recluse who’s been out of the limelight for almost twenty years. Days before Evie plans to present her grandma with an honorary award in front of Hollywood’s elite, Gigi does the unthinkable: she disappears. With time running out and her comeback on the line, Evie reluctantly enlists the help of the last person to see Gigi before she vanished: Milo Williams, a cute musician Evie isn’t sure she can trust. As Evie and Milo conduct a wild manhunt across New York City, romance and adventure abound while Evie makes some surprising discoveries about her grandma—and herself.
     This book was a quick and fun read! The whole mystery behind Gigi’s disappearance makes for an engaging storyline, but there wasn’t really anything that made me absolutely fall in love with it. I really liked the end, but Evie was a hard character to love in the beginning of the book for me, which might’ve been the reason for my hesitancy about this book.
     The message of accepting yourself and ignoring what others think of you translates well to readers, despite the protagonist being a celebrity and dealing with issues many average people wouldn’t have to. The romance between Evie and Milo is sweet and adds a little bit more to this YA book about figuring your life out, but I was hoping for a bit more swoon-worthy scenes. Instead, it was a lot of Milo being super sweet and kind and Evie forcing herself not to accept his help and then accepting it anyway. However, I still liked their little romance and how it paralleled Gigi’s first romance movie.
​     While I enjoyed this book and think it’s a great YA story, it just felt like it was missing that one thing to fully take it over the edge. That being said, I would still recommend this book to others and would definitely check out more of Forest’s books in the future.

*Special thank you to Fierce Reads for the giveaway win!

    The Bromance Book Clubbers are back in Lyssa Kay Adams’s newest installment in the series, Undercover Bromance! However this time, the guys must help one of their own not only get the girl, but get revenge on a sleazy celebrity chef in the process.
      Liv Papandreas has a dream job as a sous chef at Nashville’s hottest restaurant. Too bad the celebrity chef owner is less than charming behind kitchen doors. After she catches him harassing a young hostess, she confronts him and gets fired. Liv vows revenge, but she’ll need assistance to take on the powerful chef. Unfortunately, that means turning to Braden Mack. When Liv’s blackballed from the restaurant scene, the charismatic nightclub entrepreneur offers to help expose her ex-boss, but she is suspicious of his motives. He’ll need to call in reinforcements: the Bromance Book Club. Inspired by the romantic suspense novel they’re reading, the book club assists Liv in setting up a sting operation to take down the chef. But they’re just as eager to help Mack figure out the way to Liv’s heart… even while she’s determined to squelch the sparks between them before she gets burned.
     While I had my fears about this sequel not living up to the hype that The Bromance Book Club had, I quickly discovered that my fears were for nothing! Not only do we get the same witty banter from the same Book Club Bros we’ve grown to love, we get an amazingly sexy romance that not only leaves you blushing, but also leaves you thinking about how you can’t truly love someone else and their baggage unless you’ve come to terms with your own.
     What I loved about this novel was not only it’s focus on trust and honesty in a relationship and not letting your past define who you are, but the way it handled even deeper topics like sexual harassment and abuse. Adams not only forges a phenomenal love story, but jam packs it with other themes that just bring the book to the next level.
      And OH THE CHARACTERS! Not only were Mack and Liv amazing, but I think I laughed at everything The Russian said or did, Rosie and Hop are the perfect mix of quirky and endearing, and the little snippets of Gavin, Thea, and the girls just made me smile and reminisce about The Bromance Book Club! Speaking of, the rest of the book club bros make great appearances throughout and I’d gladly walk into any bookstore with them any day of the week!
    What can I say about this book other than that it was just as amazing as the first one! Once again, I found myself laughing by page 2 and binging the entire novel in the span of a day! While it isn’t a second-chance romance like it’s predecessor, Undercover Bromance is the enemies-to-lovers story that everyone needs in their lives right now.

     Set in an aptly named bar in a small Upstate New York town, the protagonist in Anna Bruno’s novel Ordinary Hazards slowly reveals more about her past and how she might start to heal from it. In this stunning debut, topics of loss, love, and living in the past all swirl around as readers step foot inside The Final Final: the last  bar on the outskirts of a small town.
      It is 5 pm and Emma has settled into her hometown bar for the evening, nine months after her divorce from Lucas, a man she met in this very room on a blind date orchestrated by the very locals who now surround her. As she observes their banter and reminisces, key facts about her history begin to emerge, and the past comes bearing down on her like a freight train. Why has Emma, a powerhouse in the business world, ended up here? What is she running away from? And what is she willing to give up in order to recapture the love she has lost? As she teeters on the edge of oblivion, becoming more booze-soaked by the hour, Emma’s night begins to spin out of control.
     Bittersweet and evocative, Bruno’s novel will have you sucked into Emma’s memories and remind you that not everything is as it seems on the surface. The non-linear timeline was a bit confusing in the beginning, but eventually made the story so much deeper than it would’ve been if it was linear. It was easy to dip into the story and just continue reading about Emma’s past and how it all culminated into a single night at the bar.
​     The setting of The Final Final gives that comfort and nostalgia factor of living in a small town, but can also relate to Emma’s preoccupation with the past and things she can’t change. It also lends itself to being the perfect way to introduce all of the main characters in the story and how they all interconnect in some way to each other and Emma’s life.
     This book displays all the hardships in life: death, grief, loss, longing, and indifference. All of these attributes fester in Emma and as she remembers each moment of her life that has brought her to the present, she realizes that life is about moving forward, not dwelling in the past.
     Without giving too much away, this novel will stay with you for a long time after reading it and is a great choice for fiction-lovers everywhere. Ordinary Hazards is set to come out August 18th and is the perfect end-of-summer book to discuss with your friends or book club!
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*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

     In Ellen Meister’s new novel, Love Sold Separately, forget all preconceived notions about rom-coms or mysteries. This murder mystery set against the backdrop of a shopping television network is quite unique and hilarious to read about, but will also leave you guessing until the end of the novel.
     Dana Barry is a hot mess and known for screwing things up in her life. She’s an aspiring actress who has just gotten fired from Hot Topic and lives to make her father disappointed in her. After her friend and manager books her for an audition to be the Shopping Channel’s new host and she gets the gig, things start to look up for Dana. She dives right in and is stunned when she lands the job. Her keen eye for detail, knack for knowing what makes people tick and sheer bravado make her perfect for the role. Until her first day on the job, when she finds The Shopping Channel’s star host, shot to death in her office. Dana can't help but involve herself in tracking down the killer. Never one to mind her own business, she winds up at the center of every drama. She also knows the prime suspect is innocent--they happened to have been together on the roof for some "alone time" when they heard the gunshot. His record may not be perfect, but she can tell the single father has a heart of gold. He may even be marriage material--something she'd focus on more if only Detective Marks wasn't so handsome and their chemistry so electric. Dana is so close to having it all if, just this once, she doesn't screw up. But trouble usually comes easier and is always a lot more fun.
     This book was a unique mix of romance, drama, mystery, and comedy. Dana is a woman who is trying to catch a break and just keeps getting caught up in drama and trouble, but her sleuthing skills show her grit and determination to defend herself and those she cares about. I loved the development of the characters and, while I wished we got some more closure at the end about some of them, everything wrapped up very nicely! 
     The mystery itself wasn’t overtly obvious either. Everyone seems guilty and the killer was unexpected to me! I found it to be more on the side of mystery than thriller and didn’t find the book scary or creepy at all. There also wasn't much smut either, making this a tamer on both the mystery and romance fronts.
     Without giving too much away, I think this book is definitely one to add to your list when it comes out August 25th! It’s engaging, unique, and will have you questioning everyone’s motives and intentions!

     *I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

     Heidi Pitlor’s new novel, Impersonation, follows a woman as she juggles work, caring for her son, and caring for herself as well. Set to be released on August 18th, this “timely, insightful, and bitingly funny story of ambition, motherhood, and class” takes a look at what life in America is like for one woman at this moment in time.
     Allie Lang is a professional ghostwriter and a perpetually broke single mother to a young boy. Years of navigating her own and America’s cultural definitions of motherhood have left her a lapsed idealist. Lana Breban is a powerhouse lawyer, economist, and advocate for women’s rights with designs on elected office. She also has a son. Lana and her staff have decided she needs help softening her public image and that a memoir about her life as a mother will help. When Allie lands the job as Lana’s ghostwriter, it seems as if things will finally go Allie’s way. At last, she thinks, there will be enough money not just to pay her bills but to actually buy a house. After years of working as a ghostwriter for other celebrities, Allie believes she knows the drill: she has learned how to inhabit the lives of others and tell their stories better than they can. But this time, everything becomes more complicated. Allie’s childcare arrangements unravel; she falls behind on her rent; her subject, Lana, is better at critiquing than actually providing material; and Allie’s boyfriend decides to go on a road trip toward self-discovery. But as a writer for hire, Allie has gotten too used to being accommodating. At what point will she speak up for all that she deserves?
     I loved the concept of a ghostwriter being the focus on the novel since it’s a profession not many people know about. However, what seemed to be a story of two women facing the same struggles actually is just a story about one woman trying to be the best mother she can be. I also was hoping for more interactions between Lana and Allie. Instead, all of the focus was on Allie and Lana is just seen through her eyes and it seemed borderline obsessive at times.
     The narration quickly shifts from Allie’s writing to the past to the present which can cause a bit of mental whiplash at times. The book starts off slow and the direction of the novel is hard to navigate in the first two sections. It isn’t until the third and final part of the book that it becomes more fast-paced and palatable.
     Additionally, I couldn’t really connect with the characters like I was anticipating. Maybe it’s because I’m not a mother myself, but I just found it hard to relate to being a middle-aged single mother struggling to raise her son well and comparing herself to those around her.
     This novel also takes a very politicized stance on certain ideas, which I wasn’t really expecting. Topics like #MeToo Movement and the events leading up to the 2016 Presidential Election are brought up in terms of how Allie tries to portray Lana and how Allie wishes the country could be.
     While this novel was interesting and might be a five star read for others, it wasn’t really my cup of tea. However, if you want to read a novel that digs deep into motherhood, feminism, and American politics, then I would definitely give this one a read!

*I received an ARC from Algonquin Books in exchange for my honest opinion.

     Hi everyone! Today I'm so excited to talk about one of my favorite books with the person who actually wrote it!
     I had the pleasure of talking with Giuseppe Bianco, author of A Girl Named Willow Krimble, a few questions about his inspiration for the writing this story, being both an illustrator and writer, and when we might see Willow and her friends again in another book! A Girl Named Willow Krimble is a book I hold near and dear to my heart, as I mention in my review of it (you can read that here), so I can't even tell you how happy I was to get the opportunity to sit down and speak with Mr. Bianco about it!
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What inspired you to write A GIRL NAMED WILLOW KRIMBLE?
     I won’t insult professional writers by calling myself a “writer”, but I have always considered myself a fun storyteller. Someone who loves recanting life’s fun, memorable incidents and occasions, sometimes embellishing to make the retelling of each version a bit more humorous or exciting. After reading the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, I didn’t think for one second, “I can do that. I can tell a story in that same way.” No way – I would never think that because Miss Rowling’s storytelling is on a whole other level, but I did think, “I WANT to do that.” I want to be able to create memorable characters that people would want to spend time with; be friends with; create a world that taps into the reader’s imagination in a way that makes you really want to be there. A world that makes you wonder how you would handle certain situations if you were presented with them. I don’t necessarily mean a fantasy world with wizards and dragons. It can be grounded in a bit more realism, but I really wanted to see if I could envelope the reader into my fictional environment, suck them in so deeply where they would laugh out loud in particular scenes, tear up at others, all the while being able to relate to certain characters. I hope I was able to accomplish that with Willow, Razzel, Shayla, Wyatt and the rest of the cast.

Who is your favorite character and why?
    Wow! That is a tough one. I’m going to have to cheat on this one. So, Willow is my absolute favorite because we can all learn so much from her poise, bravery, kindness and selflessness. Her heart makes her who she is; who she longs to be and who we wish we were more like, in terms of how we view and treat the people that orbit our world. On the other hand, Razzel is the most fun to write dialogue for because her sarcasm comes so easily to me. As exciting as it is to write Willow’s actions, it is even more fun to come up with Razzel’s re-actions. They play off of one another so well, so I really love them both equally.

I love the little illustrations before each chapter and thought it made the novel even more fun to read! What made you add them in?
     I started this book as a web-novel before I officially made it print-ready. Aesthetically I wanted to draw (pun intended) potential readers to my website so they would be curious to read the book. You have about 5-10 seconds to grab someone’s attention when they are on your website before they click onto the next thing that interests them. I wanted site visitors to want to turn my pages, digitally speaking, rather than click away from them. I hoped that the illustrations would intrigue them to stick around and find out what was in store for them if they stayed to visit the next chapter.

Did you have a favorite scene, character, or portion of the book that you had fun writing?
     The scene where Grandma Trisha asks Willow if her granddaughter would rather be “perfect” or would she rather be “great”? This is something we all struggle with. I know I do when it comes to being creative. We are always placing boundaries on ourselves by hoping that someone likes what we create, wear, drive, etc. When we remove the shackles of perfection, only then can we be ourselves and go beyond anyone else’s irrelevant perceptions of what they or we deem to be “perfect”. Also, it’s just such an endearing moment between the two characters and really sets the tone for their relationship.

Being an illustrator, did you have an idea for Willow in your mind before writing, or did the plot come before the character?
      With storytelling, at least for me, I have so many visons of what characters and scenes look like, but not until the writing begins to pour out of me. It may happen simultaneously, but rarely do I envision a character before I begin writing about them. That is probably one of the rare instances where I don’t picture something in advance. I want the natural process of writing to describe the character to me rather than any preconception of what I think or want a character to look like.

Since you are an artist, do you have a favorite medium or character you love to illustrate?
     Oh, boy! Here comes the fan-boy nerd in me. I’m a huge giant monster movie fan. More specifically, Japanese Kaiju films. In simpler terms, I love drawing Godzilla and all of the giant creations of nature in his world, and beyond. These creatures were such a big part of my childhood. For me, these movies are the ultimate form of escapism. The creativity and wonder in those films will always help me tap into my imagination in way that no other science fiction or fantasy film(s) can. There is nothing more wonderous to me than a world where a giant scary being can be a hero, a villain, a symbol, a metaphor, a warning, a force of nature…. Monsters are not always bad. They can be, of course, but there are so many other shapes they can take, not only in appearance, but in the form of an allegory that can mold itself into any lesson. My weapon of choice is a brush pen. Color art is beautiful, but there is something so revealing, delicate and raw about black/white line art. It’s all there; details, mistakes, lights, shadows, without any color to deter from what the eye is processing.

You've made the decision to keep this book free on your website. I know you get asked this question a lot, but can you explain why you chose to do so?
      The absolute truth is I knew it would be an uphill climb to get this published and I just wanted people to read it, to experience it; to get to know the characters and relate to them in any way they could. I never wrote this book to become a famous author. I wanted to see if I could create a world where people would want to visit and when they leave that world, the impressions left by it would last long after the final chapter. This is why I wrote it; to share my crazy imagination with the everyone. I figure the best way to get it out there was to place it on the web and make it available for anyone who wants to read it.

If you had a superpower like Willow, what would it be?
      Ah, the age-old question. There it is … what power would I want? I’ve thought about this for so long. If I had to choose one, it would be Super Speed because I always feel like I am running out of time with everything that I want to accomplish, not only in life as a whole, but even day-to-day activities. You could experience so much more if you could just move faster, forcing everything around you to slow down just a bit.

What do you want readers to take away from A GIRL NAMED WILLOW KRIMBLE?
     I hope that there are a lot of takeaways within Willow’s story: be yourself despite what others may think, appreciate your true friends, never let a handicap slow you down, etc. However, the main thing that I really hope resonates with the reader is that everything we do – EVERYTHING – the good, the bad, the kind, the hideous, the selfless and the selfish, effects everyone around you. That needs to be considered when we act or react to the people in our lives. The effects of our actions, words and emotions don’t just fade away with the breeze. They can and will remain embedded in the people within your environment. The positive or negative lasting effects can be infinite. We shouldn’t want the world to revolve around us – we need to remember that we revolve around our world.

After the ending of the book (no spoilers, but OMG!), please tell me you have any plans to write a sequel?!
      I have actually written a follow-up novel that picks up directly after the first book leaves off. In the next book, we get to delve a bit deeper into Shayla’s relationship with her father, Razzel’s relationship with Wyatt and, of course, the history of Willow’s … gift. Not sure when I am going to put it out. It is pretty much ready to go. I just need to tweak a few things, so hopefully it won’t be too much longer before we can reunite with Willow and her friends.

        Special thanks to Giuseppe Bianco for taking the time to speak with me!
    A Girl Named Willow Krimble by Giuseppe Bianco is available now and you can find Giuseppe @kaiju_sketches on Instagram. Click here to buy to book on Amazon or here to read it for free!! See, now you have no reason not to read this book!
 #agirlnamedwillowkrimble #giuseppebianco #willowkrimble

     What would you do if your tormentor lay dying on the side of the road and you were the only one who could save them? Tough question, I know, but this is just one of many situations Willow Krimble must face in her life. Originally published as a web novel, Giuseppe Bianco’s A Girl Named Willow Krimble focuses on the titular protagonist as she tries to navigate middle school bullies, a prosthetic leg, and a newly discovered ability to heal people.
​     Willow lives with her mother and older brother, Wyatt; she loves hanging out with her best friend, the feisty and sarcastic Razzel, and she has a close relationship with her grandmother. Seems pretty normal, right? It might be if the two most popular girls in middle school, Shayla and Snella, didn’t taunt and remind her on a daily basis that she was born without her left leg. Forced to maneuver through obstacles most teenagers would not need to tackle, Willow is suddenly blessed (or cursed?) with the unusual power to heal others through touch. Ever selfless, Willow’s desire to help the injured and sick thrusts her into a world where she is given immense responsibility, putting the needs of others before her own, all the while trying to maintain her secret. Willow’s adolescent journey takes her through an emotional cyclone where she finds joy and purpose in helping an array of patients from an old man with Alzheimer’s to a mauled animal in a pet store. But Willow soon finds out there are limitations to her ability and, no matter how hard she might try, she cannot save everyone.
      When I say that this is a book that anyone can read, I truly mean anyone! I first read this book when it was published in 2011, then I read it again in 2012, and just continually find myself rereading it over and over again throughout the years. The characters are well written, and the plot will keep any reader intrigued from start to finish. Additionally, themes of spreading kindness to others, being grateful for what you have, and not to compare yourself to others, all converge together to create a cute and funny middle grade novel.
     There is a bit of irony to the fact that a girl who is disabled has the power to heal others; however, it only highlights Willow’s caring and selfless nature as she progressively becomes more aware of the people around her and the hardships they struggle with. The joy and sorrow Willow feels translates so well to the reader and makes her such a fun and relatable character to read about.
     Overall, this book was so heartwarming and might even bring on some tears at certain points! This book is amazing and sends a great message for kids, teens, and adults alike! Willow is a girl that everyone in the world should meet and I cannot wait to see what may be next for her!

     Described as “unapologetically honest and intimately written”, With or Without You by Caroline Leavitt is a new contemporary novel that showcases relationships and examines how one moment can change three people’s lives. This new release from Algonquin Books is thought-provoking and makes you wonder “what if?”
     After almost twenty years together, Stella and Simon are starting to run into problems. An up-and-coming rock musician when they first met, Simon has been clinging to dreams of fame even as the possibility of it has grown dimmer, and now that his band might finally be on the brink again, he wants to go on the road, leaving Stella behind. But when she falls into a coma on the eve of his departure, he has to make a choice between stardom and his wife—and when she wakes a different person, with an incredible artistic talent of her own, the two of them must examine what it is that they really want.
​    Despite being catalyzed by a specific event, this book is very character-driven and I really loved the shifting viewpoints between Stella, Simon, and Libby. The alternating POVs gives the novel an immersive feel and showcases just how each of their lives shifted before and after Stella’s coma. The way some of these characters change their ways and others fall back into bad habits is so strikingly human that readers will be sucked into the mindsets of these characters. You simultaneously want to hate them and pity them, which seems to be a sign of a well-developed character.
     Some of the characters actions and motives are questionable, but it speaks to the human condition and how we as individuals cope and try to achieve our dreams. However, Leavitt also shows how sometimes dreams and aspirations can change, especially when looking back on the events in our lives that we can’t go back and change. All of the characters are flawed and affected by their pasts, yet that’s what makes them so interesting to read about.
     While I wish the ending would’ve been a bit different, I understand why the author chose to conclude the novel the way she did. The ending leaves something to be desired and might seem inconclusive, but all of the characters eventually find some sense of closure in their lives and resolve to live their lives differently.
     Leavitt crafts a distinct and thought-provoking book that any literary fiction lover will enjoy. If you’re looking for developed and flawed characters as they navigate the mundanity of life, then this is the novel for you.

*I received an ARC from Algonquin Books in exchange for my honest opinion.