This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!
What I just finished:
This weekend I finished That Summer in Maine by Brianna Wolfson.
What I’m currently reading:
I’m currently reading The Unready Queen (The Oddmire #2) by William Ritter.
What I’m reading next:
Next I will be reading Every Step She Takes by K.L. Armstrong.
What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?
The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl.
This Sunday I’m reading That Summer in Maine by Brianna Wolfson.
Goodreads Synopsis:
A novel about mothers and daughters, about taking chances, about exploding secrets and testing the boundaries of family
Years ago, during a certain summer in Maine, two young women, unaware of each other, met a charismatic man at a craft fair and each had a brief affair with him. For Jane it was a chance to bury her recent pain in raw passion and redirect her life. For Sue it was a fling that gave her troubled marriage a way forward.
Now, sixteen years later, the family lives these women have made are suddenly upended when their teenage girls meet as strangers on social media. They concoct a plan to spend the summer in Maine with the man who is their biological father. Their determination puts them on a collision course with their mothers, who must finally meet and acknowledge their shared past and join forces as they risk losing their only daughters to a man they barely know.
Title: Take a Hint, Dani Brown (The Brown Sisters #2) Author: Talia Hibbert Genre: Romance, Contemporary Publisher: Avon Source: Publisher via Edelweiss Format: Ebook Release Date: June 23, 2020 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Talia Hibbert returns with another charming romantic comedy about a young woman who agrees to fake date her friend after a video of him “rescuing” her from their office building goes viral…
Danika Brown knows what she wants: professional success, academic renown, and an occasional roll in the hay to relieve all that career-driven tension. But romance? Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. Romantic partners, whatever their gender, are a distraction at best and a drain at worst. So Dani asks the universe for the perfect friend-with-benefits—someone who knows the score and knows their way around the bedroom.
When brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it’s an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and ex-rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Now half the internet is shipping #DrRugbae—and Zaf is begging Dani to play along. Turns out, his sports charity for kids could really use the publicity. Lying to help children? Who on earth would refuse?
Dani’s plan is simple: fake a relationship in public, seduce Zaf behind the scenes. The trouble is, grumpy Zaf’s secretly a hopeless romantic—and he’s determined to corrupt Dani’s stone-cold realism. Before long, he’s tackling her fears into the dirt. But the former sports star has issues of his own, and the walls around his heart are as thick as his… um, thighs.
Suddenly, the easy lay Dani dreamed of is more complex than her thesis. Has her wish backfired? Is her focus being tested? Or is the universe just waiting for her to take a hint?
Review:
Danika Brown is a PhD candidate. She isn’t interested in romance, but she needs to have friends-with-benefits. When her friend, Zaf, rescues her from a building during an emergency drill, the video of him carrying her outside goes viral. Zaf is a former rugby player, who works as a security guard at the university. The sudden viral video brings a lot of attention to the mental health charity that he created after a tragedy ended his rugby career. Since Zaf needs the popularity of the viral video to promote his charity and Dani needs a new friend-with-benefits, they decide to start a fake relationship to help them both. However, their fake relationship becomes threatened when feelings get involved.
This was another steamy romance in the series about The Brown Sisters. Even though there was a lot of romance, there were also some important issues that were brought up in the story. Zaf suddenly lost his brother and father in a car accident, which ended his rugby career. He experienced anxiety and depression following that accident. He still has triggers that can give him panic attacks. One way that he dealt with that is creating a charity to help athletes with mental health. Dani was supportive of his mental health, which is so important.
One thing I loved about the first book in the series was seeing the three Brown sisters together. They were a lot of fun and supportive of each other. In this book, the other sisters only appeared a couple of times for short scenes. I wished they had gotten together more, because it was great to see their relationship. Hopefully in the next book, the Brown sisters will have more time together.
This is a great, steamy romance!
Thank you HarperCollins for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient #1) by Helen Hoang
The Wedding Date (The Wedding Date #1) by Jasmine Guillory
This is a weekly meme hosted Devouring Books. This week’s prompt is Books I’d Give a Second Chance. These are books that I just wasn’t in the mood to read the first time I started them, but I plan on reading them again. Here’s my list:
1. The Iron Flower (The Black Witch Chronicles #2) by Laurie Forest
2. Raven Lane by Amber Cowie
3. A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J. Maas
4. My Summer of Love and Misfortune by Lindsay Wong
5. Crown of Feathers (Crown of Feathers #1) by Nicki Pau Preto
(All book covers from Goodreads)
If you’d like to do this list too, consider yourself tagged!
Title: Megabat is a Friadybat Author: Anna Humphrey, Kass Reich (illustrator) Genre: Middle Grade Publisher: Tundra Books Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: April 7, 2020 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Megabat and his best friend, Daniel, go to sleepaway camp for the first time. Another hilarious chapter book in this laugh-out-loud series for fans of Dory Fantasmagory and Narwhal and Jelly.
Daniel is not so sure about going to camp. There will be bugs. And uncomfortable beds. And leeches!
Megabat can’t WAIT to go to camp! There will be so much smooshfruit, and he loves a good sing-along.
Daniel starts to think camp isn’t so bad. He’s made friends, and his bed isn’t THAT uncomfortable.
Megabat has made a new friend too. But his new friend wants him to go flying to spooky caves. And her mom is very toothy.
As Daniel is getting into the swing of things and starting to enjoy camp, Megabat is getting himself into one tangle after another to avoid going into the scary woods. But can Megabat overcome his fears to help save his new friend? Kass Reich’s adorable illustrations paired with Anna Humphrey’s hilarious text make for another unforgettable Megabat adventure, one that will appeal to Megabat fans and newcomers!
Review:
Daniel’s father surprises him with a trip to a sleep away camp. Daniel hasn’t ever gone to camp before and he is scared. His friend, Megabat, will be accompanying him, and he is excited. Megabat is a fruitbat, who can speak. Daniel immediately loves camp when he makes some friends, but Megabat is scared. Some bats met Megabat and want him to go into the dark forest with him. Megabat has to figure out how to conquer his fears.
Megabat is adorable! He speaks like a little kid, without proper grammar. For example, when he found out they were going to camp, he said, “But camp is being the adventure of a livingtime.” Even though he doesn’t use the right words most of the time, it’s easy to figure out what he means.
This was a great story about camp. Daniel was scared to go because he didn’t know what to expect. As soon as he made a friend on the bus, he forgot all about his fears. Even though many kids won’t be going away to camp this summer, they can read about camp in stories like this one.
This was a fun kid’s story!
Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
The Secret of Shadow Lake (Creature Campers #1) by Joe McGee, Bea Tormo (illustrator)
Have you read Megabat is a Fraidybat? What did you think of it?
Title: Stay Gold Author: Tobly McSmith Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT Publisher: HarperTeen Source: Purchased Format: Ebook Release Date: May 26, 2020 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Debut author Tobly McSmith delivers a coming-of-age teen love story about a transgender boy who’s going stealth at his new Texas high school and a cisgender girl who is drawn to him, even as she’s counting down the days until graduation. Perfect for fans of David Levithan, Becky Albertalli, and Jenny Han.
Pony just wants to fly under the radar during senior year. Tired from all the attention he got at his old school after coming out as transgender, he’s looking for a fresh start at Hillcrest High. But it’s hard to live your best life when the threat of exposure lurks down every hallway and in every bathroom.
Georgia is beginning to think there’s more to life than cheerleading. She plans on keeping a low profile until graduation…which is why she promised herself that dating was officially a no-go this year.
Then, on the very first day of school, the new guy and the cheerleader lock eyes. How is Pony supposed to stay stealth when he wants to get close to a girl like Georgia? How is Georgia supposed to keep her promise when sparks start flying with a boy like Pony?
Funny and poignant, clear-eyed and hopeful, Stay Gold is a story about finding love—and finding yourself.
Review:
When Pony’s family moves to a new town in Texas, he can start at a new school and hide his transgender identity. Even though he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s transgender, he’s constantly worried about that part of his identity being revealed. Pony is attracted to Georgia as soon as he spots her across the schoolyard. She’s a popular cheerleader, who he probably has no chance with. Pony and Georgia end up sharing all the same classes and spending a lot of time together. However, their real relationship can’t begin until Pony is honest with Georgia.
I was so excited to read this book as soon as I heard about it! I read The Outsiders in middle school, so I recognized the phrase “Stay Gold” as soon as I read the title. This book wasn’t an exact adaptation but I recognized some of the same themes as in The Outsiders.
Though Pony was one of the main characters, this story also showed different kinds of transgender identities. Pony was obsessed with having top surgery, so he wore a binder everyday even though it was uncomfortable. His main goal was to earn enough money to be able to afford the surgery, because he wanted to present as male. At the same time, his friend Max was proud of his trans identity. He shared articles and petitions on social media, but Pony didn’t want to have that part of his life online. Sometimes I think people consider all people who share a gender identity to be the same, so I’m glad this story showed different perspectives.
I loved this story!
What to read next:
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju
Have you read Stay Gold? What did you think of it?
TBR Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly Faye Reads, where you post a title from your shelf or e-reader and find out what others think about it.
My pick this week is Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo.
Goodreads Synopsis:
Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people…
In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.
Separated by distance – and Papi’s secrets – the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered. And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other.
Papi’s death uncovers all the painful truths he kept hidden, and the love he divided across an ocean. And now, Camino and Yahaira are both left to grapple with what this new sister means to them, and what it will now take to keep their dreams alive.
In a dual narrative novel in verse that brims with both grief and love, award-winning and bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.
Have you read this book? What did you think of it?
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