Month: April 2024

Review: The Only Lonely Fairy

Title: The Only Lonely Fairy
Author: Lana Button, Peggy Collins
Genre: Children’s, Picture Book
Publisher: Pajama Press
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: March 5, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Make-believe + melodrama = comedy as one dramatic little girl learns the new skill of finding a friend Leah is looking for a friend to play fairies. But when her invitation fails to sway her classmates, Leah is left all…ALONE. Poor Lonely Leah! Will she always be the only one standing alone in line? The only one reading fairy tales in the book corner? The AGONY of her SUFFERING is so overpowering that she almost misses the quiet voice trying to get her attention… From the creators of Percy’s Perfect Friend comes an entertaining new journey into social-emotional growth. Author Lana Button is an early childhood educator who has seen firsthand the struggles many kids experience learning to navigate social situations and conflict—especially if pandemic lockdowns were part of their early lives. In The Only Lonely Fairy , she tells a relatable story of someone trying to make friends and missing the mark, while Peggy Collins brings lively humor to the illustrations, letting readers know what Leah doesn’t that she isn’t alone after all.

Review:

Leah wants to find someone to play fairies, but none of her classmates want to play with her. She gives up on asking and gets upset that she’s the only lonely fairy with no one to play with, but she doesn’t notice that there is one girl who does want to play with her.

This is a great picture book about making friends. It can feel so devastating when you’re a kid and can’t find someone to play with. This book captures that feeling. The illustrations are beautiful. I liked that the children in the images were diverse, including children of different races and abilities. 

The Only Lonely Fairy is a beautiful picture book. 

Thank you Pajama Press for sending me a copy of this book!

Have you read The Only Lonely Fairy? What did you think of it?

Review: Good Girl, Bad Blood (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #2)

Title: Good Girl, Bad Blood (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #2)
Author: Holly Jackson
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: March 2, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Pip is not a detective anymore.

With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true-crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.

But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared, on the very same night the town hosted a memorial for the sixth-year anniversary of the deaths of Andie Bell and Sal Singh.

The police won’t do anything about it. And if they won’t look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town’s dark secrets along the way… and this time everyone is listening. But will she find him before it’s too late?

Review:

Following the success of her podcast about the murder of Andie Bell, Pip is continuing to share episodes about the trial. Pip says she won’t investigate any crimes again, but when her best friend Connor asks for her help in finding Jamie, his missing brother, Pip agrees to help find him. The police won’t look for Jamie because he’s an adult, but Pip knows his disappearance is suspicious. With the help of her friends, Pip begins recording season 2 of her podcast, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, to get the public’s help in finding Jamie.

This story kept me on the edge of my seat. I really couldn’t put it down. There were so many twists and clues that I couldn’t predict where the story would end. The ending was a little complicated with multiple people involved. I don’t think you could solve the entire thing with the clues given throughout the story, but I was very surprised at who was involved in Jamie’s disappearance. 

Good Girl, Bad Blood is a great sequel! I can’t wait to read the next book!

Content warnings: death, death of parent (off page), child abuse (off page), child death (off page), knife violence, gun violence, fire

Other books in the series:

Have you read Good Girl, Bad Blood? What did you think of it?

Happy Pub Day – April 2

Happy Pub Day to these authors!

Made Glorious by Lindsay Eagar

Draw Down the Moon by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Trouble at the Tangerine by Gillian McDunn

A Spartan’s Sorrow by Hannah Lynn

Lightingborn by Julie Kagawa

Young Rich Widows by Kimberly Belle, Layne Fargo, Cate Holahan, Vanessa Lillie

Thank you Candlewick, Wednesday Books, Bloomsbury US, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Disney Hyperion for providing copies of these books!

What books are you most excited for this week?

Review: A Study in Drowning

Title: A Study in Drowning
Author: Ava Reid
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Gothic
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 19, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. Haunted by visions of the Fairy King since childhood, she’s had no choice. Her tattered copy of Angharad—Emrys Myrddin’s epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him—is the only thing keeping her afloat. So when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to redesign the late author’s estate, Effy feels certain it’s her destiny. 

But musty, decrepit Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task, and its residents are far from welcoming. Including Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar determined to expose Myrddin as a fraud. As the two rivals piece together clues about Myrddin’s legacy, dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspire against them—and the truth may bring them both to ruin.

Review:

Effie Sayre is the only girl in her university architecture program. She wasn’t allowed to attend the literature program because girls aren’t allowed in. Her favourite book is Angharad, the famous book by Emrys Myrddin about a girl who falls in love with the Fairy King and then destroys him. When Myrddin’s son creates a contest for an architecture student to redesign the late Myrddin’s home, Effie enters and wins. She goes to the estate, where she meets Preston, a literature student who is researching Myrddin’s documents to prove he was a fraud. That goes against everything Effie has always believed about her favourite author, but she can see some truth in it. Effie and Preston have to discreetly look for evidence to prove Myrddin was a fraud, while his estate crumbles around them. 

This was such a powerful story about women finding their voice. Effie had experienced so much sexism and misogyny at school. She wasn’t believed at home or school because she was a girl. I liked the theme of history repeating itself. Effie’s story was universal, because at some point in every woman’s life they have heard comments like this or experienced horrible acts simply because of their gender. This story also addresses what happens when the author of your favourite book, that you’ve always believed in, betrays you. It’s very difficult when someone you’ve admired for your whole life turns out not to be the person you thought you were, but unfortunately that happens. 

A Study in Drowning is a thought-provoking story!

Thank you Frenzy Books for providing a digital copy of this book. 

Content warnings: sexual assault, misogyny, sexism, drowning, death of parent (off page)

Have you read A Study in Drowning? What did you think of it?