Jill's Book Blog

Review: Janie’s Hope (Southport #3)

Title: Janie’s Hope (Southport #3)
Author: S.R. Fabrico
Genre: Thriller, Contemporary
Publisher: SRF Creations
Source: iRead Book Tours
Format: Ebook
Release Date: February 11, 2025
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Award-Winning author of The Secrets We Conceal, Call Her Janie, and Keeping Janie.

Janie’s Hope is a powerful and heartwarming conclusion to the Southport Series, set in a charming small town where secrets run deep, and love can heal the deepest wounds. Janie, a strong neurodivergent heroine raised by a reclusive billionaire, is finally ready to step beyond her sheltered world and uncover the truths of her past. Following whispers of her late mother, she journeys to Southport, where her father’s warnings of hidden dangers only strengthen her resolve.

Her existence has been shaped by stories of her mother, Lizzie Levine, and the fleeting moments they shared in Southport. Eager to uncover her past, Janie is determined to follow in her mother’s footsteps, even as her father’s warnings of danger loom large.

Enter Noah, the sweet and adorkable cinnamon roll with hidden abs and quiet confidence, who falls for Janie almost immediately, captivated by her fiery spirit. But hidden truths linger in the shadows, including Janie’s secret identity, complicating their growing connection.

In this emotional journey of self-discovery and love, Janie’s Hope will sweep you away into a world where second chances and found family collide, proving that sometimes, the strongest bonds are forged in the most unexpected ways.

Janie’s Hope will sweep you into an emotional journey of self-discovery, romance, and the unexpected strength of a found family. S.R. Fabrico’s storytelling captivates with suspense, passion, and unforgettable moments, making this finale a must-read for fans of heartfelt romance and compelling mysteries.

Review:

This book is the finale to the Southport series. I haven’t read the first two books, but this one can be read as a stand-alone. However, there were some complicated relationships that happened in the first two books, so it might be helpful to read them first. This was a thrilling read. It was fast paced and difficult to put down. Everything came together very well in the end so I think it’s a great ending for a series!

Janie’s Hope is a great thriller!

Thank you iRead Book Tours for providing a copy of this book as part of a sponsored campaign!

Content warnings: death, parental death (off page), kidnapping (off page), gun violence, cancer

Other books in the series:

Call Her Janie (Southport #1)
Keeping Janie (Southport #2)

Have you read Janie’s Hope? What did you think of it?

Happy Pub Day – February 18

Happy Pub Day to these authors!

Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli

Never Planned on You by Lindsay Hameroff

Unhallowed Halls by Lili Wilkinson

Thank you Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Press, and Penguin Teen Canada for providing copies of these books!

What books are you most excited for this week?

Review: Forever the One.com

Title: Forever the One.com
Author: Connie Y. Harris
Genre: Romance, Thriller
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Source: Publisher
Format: Ebook
Release Date: May 6, 2024
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

No stranger to trouble as a Texas Game Warden, Mariah Michaels fearlessly enforces the laws that protect wildlife. However, when an unknown stalker imperils her life, she’ll need help neutralizing the threat.
Plagued by the limitations of his disability, Marine veteran-turned-security specialist, John Armstrong, joins an online dating site in search of love and an end to his loneliness. But he gets more than he bargained for when the woman of his dreams responds to his profile as a perfect match.
While they pursue a long-distance relationship, blazing a trail from Florida to Texas, the stalker’s actions escalate, putting Mariah and everyone close to her at risk. In over her head, she’s counting on John, who must face his worst fear and rise above his disability to save her, but will her faith in him be enough?

Review:

This was a very suspenseful romance. I liked the inclusion of different abilities. John was a veteran who used a wheelchair and a service dog. It was interesting to see how he was able to do everything himself with some assistance from special devices. Mariah’s mother had dementia, which added some complications to their investigation. This story was intense and fast paced, and it had me on the edge of my seat the whole time!

Forever the One.com is a great suspenseful romance!

Thank you The Wild Rose Press for providing a copy of this book as part of a paid campaign!

Content warnings: stalking, PTSD, animal abuse, fire, dementia

Have you read Forever the One.com? What did you think of it?

Review: Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo (Inbound #1)

Title: Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo (Inkbound #1)
Author: Philippa Leathley
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Contemporary
Publisher: Frenzy Books
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: January 28, 2025
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Enter an extraordinary magical adventure about family, fate and finding the courage to be truly yourself – perfect for fans of Nevermoor and The Swifts.

On her tenth birthday, Meticulous Jones–known to her friends as Metty–receives her fate, as all children do, in the form of a magical tattoo on her hand. She hopes that her ink will reveal something exciting: a tattoo that will symbolize travel, or discovery, or adventure. What appears is a skull, balanced in the palm of a violet glove.

Metty’s fate is to become a murderer.

Metty is swiftly hidden away by her father, Moral Jones, in a remote Welsh farmhouse, with only a miserable housekeeper (who’s terrified she’ll become Metty’s first victim) for company. But when Moral goes missing, his sister, Aunt Magnificent, arrives to sweep Metty off to the glittering city of New London. Metty is mesmerized by the magic and enchantment she discovers there. But when she starts to hear rumors of a mysterious and dangerous organization known as the Black Moths, she wonders if they might be connected to her father’s disappearance–and to her own fate. . . .

Review:

This was such a fun fantasy story! There was a distinct magical world, but it was similar and alongside our real world. I loved that kids found out what their “fate” or magic was through a tattoo on their hand. There were some exciting twists that I didn’t see coming. I’m excited to see what happens in the next book!

Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo is a great middle grade fantasy!

Thank you Frenzy Books for sending me a copy of this book!

Have you read Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo? What did you think of it?

Review: Goodnight, Teddy Pear

Title: Goodnight, Teddy Pear
Author: Mirko Filippi
Genre: Children’s, Board Book
Publisher: Taffy Tales
Source: Publisher
Format: Board Book
Release Date: December 12, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

Synopsis:

Teddy bears are cute and cuddly. Teddy bears are the favorite stuffed animal or toy of many children, and of many adults, looking back with fondness at their own childhood experiences. We need to throw that teddy bear out the window, because there is a new toy sherrif in town–Teddy Pear. Teddy Pear is not a big talker–that’s true–and . . . he doesn’t really do a lot . . . that’s also true . . . actually, will he ever do or say anything? In the end, we’ll have to read the book to find out.

Review:

In this board book, a little boy is getting ready to go to sleep with his giant Teddy Pear, a toy that takes up half of his bed. He keeps talking to the Teddy Pear to try to get him to respond. It reminded me of playing with my stuffed toys when I was a kid. This book also reminded me of the nursery rhyme Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear.

Goodnight Teddy Bear is an adorable board book for kids!

Thank you Taffy Tales for sending me a copy of this book as part of a paid campaign!

Have you read Goornight, Teddy Pear? What did you think of it?

Review: Picture a Garden

Title: Picture a Garden
Author: Linda Hornberg
Genre: Middle Grade, Nonfiction
Publisher: Peanut Butter Publishing
Source: iRead Book Tours
Format: Paperback
Release Date: January 28, 2025
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

What springs to mind when you hear the word GARDEN? Would it surprise you to learn that the world just outside your door is overflowing with art, science, humor, drama, intrigue, and colorful personalities? Nature has you surrounded. It’s time to come out with your hands gloved and your feet galoshed, ready to sow some spinach, pick a peony, mulch a maple, root a rose, graft a grape, stake a spruce, water a walnut, and hug a hemlock.

Set down your screens and take up your trowel.

Adventure awaits!

The stories inside this book are nearly all true. I have never actually seen a chorus line of worms decked out in feather boas, but I can guarantee that there are plenty of real-life larvae out there merrily chewing up the scenery. You can turn orange from eating too many carrots, and there really is a tiny plant island called a liverwart–although there probably are no tiny castaways living on it. Welcome to gardening for smarties. Never stop thinking, wondering, and digging, and you’ll never be bored. Have fun.

Review:

This book is all about plants, from the history of plants to how to design your own garden today. It was incredibly detailed, with illustrations on every page and some little jokes too. All the words are handwritten, which gives it a personalized feel, as if it was written directly to the reader.

Picture a Garden is a great book for kids who are interested in science or plants!

Thank you iRead Book Tours and Linda Hornberg for providing a copy of this book for a sponsored campaign.

Have you read Picture a Garden? What did you think of it?

Happy Pub Day – February 11

Happy Pub Day to these authors!

Get Lost with You by Sophie Sullivan

A Girl Like Us by Anna Sophia McLoughlin

Wicked Darlings by Jordyn Taylor

The Labyrinth of Souls by Leslie Vedder

(S)Kin by Ibi Zoboi

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Sourcebooks Landmark, Penguin Teen Canada, Tundra Books, and BookSparks for providing copies of these books!

What books are you most excited for this week?

Review: (S)Kin

Title: (S)Kin
Author: Ibi Zoboi
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Poetry, Contemporary
Publisher: Versify
Source: BookSparks
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: February 11, 2025
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

From award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Ibi Zoboi comes her groundbreaking contemporary fantasy debut—a novel in verse based on Caribbean folklore—about the power of inherited magic and the price we must pay to live the life we yearn for.

Fifteen-year-old Marisol is the daughter of a soucouyant. Every new moon, she sheds her skin like the many women before her, shifting into a fireball witch who must fly into the night and slowly sip from the lives of others to sustain her own. But Brooklyn is no place for fireball witches with all its bright lights, shut windows, and bolt-locked doors.… While Marisol hoped they would leave their old traditions behind when they emigrated from the islands, she knows this will never happen while she remains ensnared by the one person who keeps her chained to her magical past—her mother.

Seventeen-year-old Genevieve is the daughter of a college professor and a newly minted older half sister of twins. Her worsening skin condition and the babies’ constant wailing keep her up at night, when she stares at the dark sky with a deep longing to inhale it all. She hopes to quench the hunger that gnaws at her, one that seems to reach for some memory of her estranged mother. When a new nanny arrives to help with the twins, a family secret connecting her to Marisol is revealed, and Gen begins to find answers to questions she hasn’t even thought to ask.

But the girls soon discover that the very skin keeping their flames locked beneath the surface may be more explosive to the relationships around them than any ancient magic.

Review:

This is a beautiful novel in verse. It follows two girls: Marisol and Genevieve. They were connected through their shared power, where on every new moon, they shed their skin and fly like a comet with the ability to hurt someone who has harmed them. I read most of this book in one sitting. It was fast paced and so hard to put down. It addressed racism, bullying, and slavery in an intense and engaging plot.

(S)Kin is a beautiful story!

Thank you BookSparks for providing a copy of this book as part of the Winter Reading Challenge.

Content warnings: bullying, racism

Have you read (S)Kin? What did you think of it?

Review: Frankie and Friends: The Big Protest

Title: Frankie and Friends: The Big Protest
Author: Christine Platt, Alea Marley (illustrator)
Genre: Children’s
Publisher: Walker Books US
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: May 7, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Young reporter Frankie and her news crew of beloved toys learn why and how people protest as this engaging series continues.

There’s breaking news on TV at Frankie’s house—a protest to demand justice! Frankie’s mama, a journalist, gets a call to cover the story, and Frankie wants to do her own reporting, too. But what isa protest, exactly, and why do people do it? Along with her news crew, including Farrah the doll, Dan the teddy bear, and Nina the cat, Frankie prepares a feature story by doing research and conducting interviews with Papa and big sister Raven. And when the toys decide to have their own protest in support of the local movement, Frankie is on the scene to help make signs, march, and, of course, get the scoop! In this latest installment of the winning series, Frankie explores big ideas like racial injustice and activism with her supportive family and learns more about journalism in the process. Young newshounds will learn along with Frankie through all-caps vocabulary terms and a glossary at the back.

Review:

This story is a great way to teach children about protests and activism. There are so many protests about important human rights these days. It could be difficult to open that topic with children so they are aware of what’s going on in the world, but not give them so many details that it scares or traumatizes them. In this story, Frankie saw a protest on the news which inspired her to make her own news report about a protest. This was a safe way for her to learn about and experience a protest of her own.

Frankie and Friends: The Big Protest is a great early chapter book for young readers!

Thank you Walker Books US for sending me a copy of this book!

Other books in the series:

Frankie and Friends: Breaking News

Have you read Frankie and Friends: The Big Protest? What did you think of it?

Review: Beyblade X, Vol. 1

Title: Beyblade X, Vol. 1
Author: Homura Kawamoto, Hikaru Muno, Posuka Demizu
Genre: Manga, Young Adult
Publisher: Viz Media
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: January 14, 2025
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Who will rise to the top of The X in the ultimate Beyblade showdown?!

Bladers are ready to battle it out! They’ve set their sights on the top of The X tower and prepare to fight their way to victory. With new technology and powerful opponents entering the arena, Beyblades are pushed to their extremes as they race through a new era.

Amateur Blader Robin Kazami is left without a team after a crushing defeat. Things start to look up when he runs into former Beyblade champion Jaxon Cross, who is on his own journey to fight back to the top of The X tower under the alias “Blader X.” This unlikely duo teams up and vows to rise to the top of Beyblade!

Review:

This was such a fun manga! It’s about kids who compete in Beyblade tournaments. I didn’t play with Beyblades much as a kid, but a lot of my friends did. This book reminded me of playing during recess in elementary school. I think this book will make adult readers nostalgic and introduce young readers to the game!

Beyblade X, Vol. 1 is a great YA manga!

Thank you Viz Media and Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book as part of a paid campaign!

Have you read Beyblade X, Vol. 1? What did you think of it?