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 The Dark Bones by Loreth Anne White.
Goodreads Synopsis:
She’s come back to solve the mystery of her father’s death and confront her own dark past.
When Detective Rebecca North left her rural hometown, she vowed never to return. Her father’s apparent suicide has changed that. The official report is that retired cop Noah North shot himself, knocked over a lantern, and set his isolated cabin ablaze. But Rebecca cannot believe he killed himself.
To prove it, she needs the help of Ash Haugen, the man she left behind. But Rebecca and Ash share more than broken hearts. Something darker lies between them, and the investigation is stirring it back to life. Clues lead them to the home of Olivia West and her deeply troubled twelve-year-old daughter, Tori. The child knows more about the murder than anyone can imagine, but she’s too terrified to say a word.
And as a cold-blooded killer resurfaces from the past, Rebecca and Ash begin to fear that their own secrets may be even harder to survive.
Have you read this book? What did you think of it?
Title: American Royals Author: Katharine McGee Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Publisher: Random House Source: Publisher Format: Paperback Release Date: September 3, 2019 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
What if America had a royal family? If you can’t get enough of Harry and Meghan or Kate and William, meet American princesses Beatrice and Samantha.
Two princesses vying for the ultimate crown. Two girls vying for the prince’s heart. This is the story of the American royals.
When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne. Like most royal families, the Washingtons have an heir and a spare. A future monarch and a backup battery. Each child knows exactly what is expected of them. But these aren’t just any royals. They’re American. And their country was born of rebellion.
As Princess Beatrice gets closer to becoming America’s first queen regnant, the duty she has embraced her entire life suddenly feels stifling. Nobody cares about the spare except when she’s breaking the rules, so Princess Samantha doesn’t care much about anything, either . . . except the one boy who is distinctly off-limits to her. And then there’s Samantha’s twin, Prince Jefferson. If he’d been born a generation earlier, he would have stood first in line for the throne, but the new laws of succession make him third. Most of America adores their devastatingly handsome prince . . . but two very different girls are vying to capture his heart.
The duty. The intrigue. The Crown. New York Times bestselling author Katharine McGee imagines an alternate version of the modern world, one where the glittering age of monarchies has not yet faded–and where love is still powerful enough to change the course of history.
Review:
This book definitely lived up to the hype!
I loved this reimagining of America. It shows what it would have been like if the United States had a monarchy instead of the government. It was a unique revision of history.
There were four different narratives of girls who are part of the royal family. Two narratives were of the princesses, Beatrice and Samantha. The other two narratives were about girls who were on the outside of the royal family but were very close friends of the family, Nina and Daphne. All of these perspectives gave a complete picture of the life of the royal family.
The only thing that bothered me about this story was how boy crazy the girls were. They were all strong, independent women, yet they spent all of their time worrying about the boys they liked. The multiple relationships made for some intense scenes, because no one was ending up with the person they loved. However, I wished the women were able to live without depending on those men.
I loved this book! I hope the story continues because it left on quite a cliffhanger!
Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Royals (Royals #1) by Rachel Hawkins
Have you read American Royals? What did you think of it?
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 SLAY by Brittney Morris. The expected publication date is September 24, 2019.
Goodreads Synopsis:
By day, seventeen-year-old Kiera Johnson is an honors student, a math tutor, and one of the only Black kids at Jefferson Academy. But at home, she joins hundreds of thousands of Black gamers who duel worldwide as Nubian personas in the secret multiplayer online role-playing card game, SLAY. No one knows Kiera is the game developer, not her friends, her family, not even her boyfriend, Malcolm, who believes video games are partially responsible for the “downfall of the Black man.”
But when a teen in Kansas City is murdered over a dispute in the SLAY world, news of the game reaches mainstream media, and SLAY is labeled a racist, exclusionist, violent hub for thugs and criminals. Even worse, an anonymous troll infiltrates the game, threatening to sue Kiera for “anti-white discrimination.”
Driven to save the only world in which she can be herself, Kiera must preserve her secret identity and harness what it means to be unapologetically Black in a world intimidated by Blackness. But can she protect her game without losing herself in the process?
Title: Permanent Record Author: Mary H.K. Choi Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: September 3, 2019 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
From the New York Times bestselling author of Emergency Contact, which Rainbow Rowell called “smart and funny,” comes an unforgettable new romance about how social media influences relationships every day.
On paper, college dropout Pablo Rind doesn’t have a whole lot going for him. His graveyard shift at a twenty-four-hour deli in Brooklyn is a struggle. Plus, he’s up to his eyeballs in credit card debt. Never mind the state of his student loans.
Pop juggernaut Leanna Smart has enough social media followers to populate whole continents. The brand is unstoppable. She graduated from child stardom to become an international icon and her adult life is a queasy blur of private planes, step-and-repeats, aspirational hotel rooms, and strangers screaming for her just to notice them.
When Leanna and Pablo meet at 5:00 a.m. at the bodega in the dead of winter it’s absurd to think they’d be A Thing. But as they discover who they are, who they want to be, and how to defy the deafening expectations of everyone else, Lee and Pab turn to each other. Which, of course, is when things get properly complicated.
Review:
I really enjoyed this new novel.
Pablo straddles two different cultures, Korean and Pakistani. Since he is part of two different backgrounds, he doesn’t really feel accepted by either one. He hasn’t even travelled to either of his parents’ birthplaces, making him feel even more left out. This affects the rest of his life, leaving him unable to finish school and even abandoning his job.
I loved how realistic this book felt. It felt like I was reading about someone’s real life. Pablo has a pretty ordinary and unexciting life until he meets a pop star and they begin a relationship. Even though this extraordinary event happens to him, he is drawn back to his real life. The ending was perfect for this ordinary boy.
This is a great young adult novel!
Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo
Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi
Have you read Permanent Record? What did you think of it?
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 Books I Enjoyed That Are Outside of My Comfort Zone. Here’s my list:
1. I’ll Be There For You: The One about Friends by Kelsey Miller
2. Tidelands (The Fairmile #1) by Philippa Gregory
3. Hideaway by Nicole Lundrigan
4. The Agony of Bun O’Keefe by Heather Smith
5. The Daughter’s Tale by Armando Lucas Correa
6. Umbrella Academy, Vol. 1: Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way, Gabriel Bá
7. A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay
8. Rabbit & Robot by Andrew Smith
9. The Victorian and the Romantic: A Memoir, a Love Story, and a Friendship Across Time by Nell Stevens
Title: The Avant-Guards, Vol. 1 Author: Carly Usdin, Noah Hayes Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel, LGBT Publisher: BOOM! Box Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: September 3, 2019 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
When Charlie transfers to the Georgia O’Keeffe College of Arts and Subtle Dramatics, she struggles to find her feet, but winds up exactly where she belongs…in the school’s (terrible) basketball team.
As a transfer student to the Georgia O’Keeffe College for Arts and Subtle Dramatics, former sports star Charlie is struggling to find her classes, her dorm, and her place amongst a student body full of artists who seem to know exactly where they’re going. When the school’s barely-a-basketball-team unexpectedly attempts to recruit her, Charlie’s adamant that she’s left that life behind…until she’s won over by the charming team captain, Liv, and the ragtag crew she’s managed to assemble. And while Charlie may have left cut-throat competition in in the dust, sinking these hoops may be exactly what she needs to see the person she truly wants to be.
From Carly Usdin (Heavy Vinyl) and artist Noah Hayes (Wet Hot American Summer, Goldie Vance) comes an ensemble comedy series that understands that it’s the person you are off the court that matters most.
Review:
This is the perfect graphic novel for September. Charlie transfers to a new school, so we get to learn about the school through her new perspective. She was recruited to join the basketball team, where she found the perfect team.
I loved the variety of characters. Each one comes from a different background, yet they were all brought together by basketball. It was great to see how they found common ground in this sport.
I really enjoyed this book. I’m excited to see what happens next.
Thank you BOOM! Box for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Heavy Vinyl, Vol. 1 by Carly Usdin, Nina Vakueva
Giant Days, Vol. 1 by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, Whitney Cogar
Have you read The Avant-Guards, Vol. 1? What did you think of it?
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 Permanent Recordby Mary H.K. Choi.
What I’m currently reading:
I’m currently reading American Royals by Katharine McGee.
What I’m reading next:
Next I will be reading The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett.
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 Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi.
Goodreads Synopsis:
From the New York Times bestselling author of Emergency Contact, which Rainbow Rowell called “smart and funny,” comes an unforgettable new romance about how social media influences relationships every day.
On paper, college dropout Pablo Rind doesn’t have a whole lot going for him. His graveyard shift at a twenty-four-hour deli in Brooklyn is a struggle. Plus, he’s up to his eyeballs in credit card debt. Never mind the state of his student loans.
Pop juggernaut Leanna Smart has enough social media followers to populate whole continents. The brand is unstoppable. She graduated from child stardom to become an international icon and her adult life is a queasy blur of private planes, step-and-repeats, aspirational hotel rooms, and strangers screaming for her just to notice them.
When Leanna and Pablo meet at 5:00 a.m. at the bodega in the dead of winter it’s absurd to think they’d be A Thing. But as they discover who they are, who they want to be, and how to defy the deafening expectations of everyone else, Lee and Pab turn to each other. Which, of course, is when things get properly complicated.
