Jill's Book Blog

Review: Take a Hint, Dani Brown (The Brown Sisters #2)

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.

Other books in the series:

Get a Life, Chloe Brown

Have you read Take a Hint, Dani Brown? What did you think of it?

Top 5 Saturday – Books I’d Give a Second Chance

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!

Did you make a Top 5 Saturday list?

Review: Megabat is a Fraidybat

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.

The Friday 56 – The Other Mrs.

This is a weekly meme hosted by Freda’s Voice.

The Rules are:

Grab a book, any book.
Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.
Find any sentence, (or few, just don’t spoil it) that grabs you.
Post it. And share your link.
It’s that simple.

Today I’m reading The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica.

Here is my line from location 56% in my e-ARC:

“But the guilt only lasts so long before it’s replaced with something else. Jealousy? Anger? Empathy? Or maybe surprise.”

Did you make a post for the Friday 56?

Review: Stay Gold

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 – June 18

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.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898.png

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?

Review: Spy x Family, Vol. 1

Title: Spy x Family, Vol. 1
Author: Tatsuya Endo
Genre: Manga
Publisher: VIZ Media
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: June 2, 2020
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

An action-packed comedy about a fake family that includes a spy, an assassin and a telepath!
Master spy Twilight is the best at what he does when it comes to going undercover on dangerous missions in the name of a better world. But when he receives the ultimate impossible assignment—get married and have a kid—he may finally be in over his head! Not one to depend on others, Twilight has his work cut out for him procuring both a wife and a child for his mission to infiltrate an elite private school. What he doesn’t know is that the wife he’s chosen is an assassin and the child he’s adopted is a telepath!

Review:

Twilight is a master spy. His latest mission involves infiltrating an elite private school. However, he will need a family to do that. He knows the school will want him to have a wife, and a child to send to the school, but he is single. Twilight adopts a child from an orphanage. He doesn’t know her secret, that she’s a telepath. The woman he finds to act as his wife, Yor, is a secret assassin. Twilight has to train his new wife and child to get used to their new life, while they both have their own secret identities.

This was an intriguing plot. Twilight had an important mission, but he had to make some major changes to his life to complete it. It was kind of absurd that he needed a wife to be able to send his child to the school. It was even more suspenseful since the wife and child were hiding their secret identities from him as well.

There were some sexist parts of the story, which I didn’t like, but they were so extreme that they weren’t realistic. The idea that a man would need to have a wife to enroll his child in a school is crazy. Yor’s friends teased her for not having a boyfriend before she met Twilight. There were also some inappropriate questions that were asked during their private school interview about the mother and father’s roles in the household. I didn’t like these sexist parts of the story, but I don’t think they were meant to be offensive to the reader.

I’m curious to see what happens in the next book!

Thank you VIZ Media for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – June 17

This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.

The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is Loathe at First Sight by Suzanne Park. The expected publication date is August 4, 2020.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Melody Joo is thrilled to land her dream job as a video game producer, but her new position comes with its share of challenges. Namely, an insufferable CEO and a team that consists of mostly male co-workers who make the term “misogyny” pale in comparison to their obnoxious comments. Then there’s the infuriating—yet distractingly handsome—MBA intern Nolan MacKenzie, a.k.a. “the guy who got hired because his uncle is the boss”.
Just when Melody thinks she’s made the worst career move of her life, her luck changes on a dime. While joking with a friend, she creates a mobile game that has male strippers fighting for survival in a post-apocalyptic world. Suddenly, Melody’s “joke” is her studio’s most high-profile project—and Melody’s running the show.
When Nolan is appointed a key member of her team, Melody’s sure he’ll be useless. But as they grow closer, she sees he’s smart and sexy, which makes Melody want to forget he’s her intern. As their attraction deepens, she knows it’s time to pump the brakes even with her Korean parents breathing down her neck to hurry up and find a man. But she’s here to work—and nothing more. All she has to do is resist the wild thoughts coursing through her mind whenever Nolan is near. Easy . . . or so she thinks.
With her pet project about to launch, Melody suddenly faces a slew of complications, including a social media trolling scandal that could end her career. She suspects one of her co-workers is behind the sabotage and is determined to find out who betrayed her. Could the man she’s falling hard for help her play the game to win—in work and love?

What books are you waiting on this week?

Review: Legend (Legend #1)

Title: Legend (Legend #1)
Author: Marie Lu
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Publisher: Speak
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: November 29, 2011
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.
From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Review:

June is a prodigy, who got the only perfect score on the trial that everyone has to take as a child in the Republic which used to be known as the United States. Her older brother is a high ranking commander. When he is killed suddenly after a robbery, the criminal mastermind, Day, is the lead suspect. June is enlisted to find Day and bring him in. However, they learn that they have a lot in common. They work together to uncover the secrets that the authorities are hiding.

In this futuristic world, a plague keeps infecting the residents. It was eerily like the pandemic we are experiencing today, though there was more to it than a spontaneous illness. There were so many twists, which made this a quick read.

The story alternates between June’s and Day’s perspectives. The two alternating chapters were also printed in different fonts and colours, which made it easy to differentiate between them. I haven’t seen many books formatted in that way, and I really liked how unique it was.

I’m so glad I finally read this book. It was on my wishlist for a long time, and it was just as good as I expected.

Other Books in the Series:

Prodigy
Champion
Rebel

Have you read Legend? What did you think of it?

Top Ten Tuesday – Books I’m No Longer Interested in Reading

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Top Ten Tuesday Turns 10! I chose a past topic that I didn’t do before, which is Books I’m No Longer Interested in Reading. Here’s my list: