Happy Pub Day to these authors!
Thank you Minotaur Books, Forever, Berkley Romance, and Tundra Books for providing copies of these books!
What books are you most excited for this week?
Title: The Woman in Me
Author: Britney Spears
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir
Publisher: Gallery Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: October 24, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★
The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.
In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.
Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last.
Britney Spears was my favourite singer when I was a kid. I remember coming home from kindergarten and watching the music video for Baby One More Time when it premiered. I have so many memories of listening to her music throughout my life.
This book was amazing. I could hear Britney’s voice through the words. She’s led a rough life but she’s an incredibly strong person to have survived so much. Reading her story has just made me love her even more. She’s truly an inspiration!
I highly recommend The Woman in Me for anyone interested in music or memoirs.
Have you read The Woman in Me? What did you think of it?
Title: The Night Raven (Moonwind Mysteries #1)
Author: Johan Rundberg, A.A. Prime (translator)
Genre: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Mystery
Publisher: Amazon Crossing
Source: Firefly Books Distributed
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: November 1, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★
Mika is not your average orphan—and she’s about to prove it.
It’s 1880, and in the frigid city of Stockholm, death lurks around every corner. Twelve-year-old Mika knows that everyone in her orphanage will struggle to survive this winter. But at least the notorious serial killer the Night Raven is finally off the streets…or is he?
Mika is shocked when a newborn baby is left at the orphanage in the middle of the night, by a boy with a cryptic message. Who is he? And who is this “Dark Angel” he speaks of? When a detective shows up, Mika senses something even more sinister is going on.
Drawn in by Mika’s unique ability to notice small details—a skill Mika has always used to survive—the gruff Detective Hoff unwittingly recruits her to help him with his investigation into a gruesome murder. Mika knows she should stay far, far away, and yet…with such little hope for her future, could this be an opportunity? Maybe, just maybe, this is Mika’s chance to be someone who matters.
Stockholm, 1880: Twelve-year-old Mika struggles to take care of everyone at the orphanage. One night, a boy drops off a newborn baby at the front door with a warning about the “Dark Angel.” After making a police report about the new baby, a detective shows up at the orphanage to enlist Mika’s help. Detective Hoff wants Mika to help him solve a series of murders, because of her observations skills. Even though this could be dangerous, Mika sees it as an opportunity to one day move out of the orphanage, so she joins him on the investigation.
This story was so good! There were some sad moments with stories about the orphans, but the story was fast paced and didn’t linger on any scene for long. The mystery was really well plotted. There were great twists and reveals throughout the story. There were also a couple of subplots introduced, which I’m excited to find out more about in the next books!
The Night Raven is a great middle grade mystery!
Thank you Firefly Books Distributed and Amazon Crossing for sending me a copy of this book!
Content warnings: death, death of sibling, death of parent, death of child, parental abandonment, vomiting
Have you read The Night Raven? What did you think of it?
Title: Don’t Breathe a Word
Author: Jordyn Taylor
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Mystery
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover/audiobook
Release Date: May 18, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★
Present Day:
Eva has never felt like she belonged… not in her own family or with her friends in New York City, and certainly not at a fancy boarding school like Hardwick Preparatory Academy. So when she is invited to join the Fives, an elite secret society, she jumps at the opportunity to finally be a part of something.But what if the Fives are about more than just having the best parties and receiving special privileges from the school? What if they are also responsible for keeping some of Hardwick’s biggest secrets buried?
1962:
There is only one reason why Connie would volunteer to be one of the six students to participate in testing Hardwick’s nuclear fallout shelter: Craig Allenby. While the thought of nuclear war sends her into a panic, she can’t pass up the opportunity to spend four days locked in with the school’s golden boy. However, Connie and the other students quickly discover that there is more to this “test” than they previously thought. As they are forced to follow an escalating series of commands, Connie realizes that one wrong move could have dangerous consequences.Separated by sixty years , Eva’s and Connie’s stories become inextricably intertwined as Eva unravels the mystery of how six students went into the fallout shelter all those years ago . . . but only five came out.
Present day: Eva never fit in with her family or friends at her new boarding school, Hardwick Preparatory Academy. When she’s invited to join the exclusive group the Fives, she’s thrilled to join in their parties and events. However, Eva soon learns that the Fives are behind one of the darkest scandals in the school’s history.
1962: Connie volunteered to participate in the test of Hardwick’s nuclear fallout shelter so she can spend time with Craig Allenby, the popular boy in school. However, the test becomes more dangerous than they expected as their challenges become harder. Even though six kids went into the shelter, only five come out.
This was a thrilling dual point of view story! I liked the way the two perspectives were intertwined with each other. The story was fast paced. I listened to the audiobook and I really enjoyed it. The only criticism I have is the two narrators spoke at different speeds, so when I listened to it at a faster speed, one of them spoke much faster than the other.
Don’t Breathe a Word is a great story!
Content warnings: death, hazing, parental abandonment
Have you read Don’t Breathe a Word? What did you think of it?
Title: If You’ll Have Me
Author: Eunnie
Genre: Graphic Novel, Romance, Young Adult, LGBTQ, Contemporary
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 17, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★
Momo Gardner is the kind of friend who’s always ready to lend a helping hand. She’s introverted, sensitive, and maybe a little too trusting, but she likes to believe the best in people. PG, on the other hand, is a bit of a lone wolf, despite her reputation for being a flirt and a player. Underneath all that cool mystery, she’s actually quick to smile, and when she falls for someone, she falls hard. An unexpected meet-cute brings the two together, kicking off the beginning of an awkward yet endearing courtship—but with their drastically different personalities, Momo’s overprotective friend, and PG’s past coming back to haunt her, Momo and PG’s romance is put to the test.
Momo Gardner has always been eager to help, especially when it comes to girls she has a crush on. She may be too trusting sometimes but she tries to see the best in people. When she meets PG, she has an instant crush. The problem is that PG is known as being a player, like other girls who have used Momo in the past. When they keep running into each other, they decide to start hanging out and develop a friendship. However, Momo’s friends have to warn her that PG has a bad reputation and she may just be using Momo like girls in the past. Momo has to decide if she’s willing to risk her heart for PG.
This was an adorable graphic novel. Momo was sweet, innocent, and relatable. She could be a little naive when it came to falling for the wrong kind of girl, but that added to her charm. Though PG had a reputation as being a player, there was more to her than that. They made a cute couple, and I was rooting for them the whole time!
If You’ll Have Me is a cute graphic novel romance!
Thank you Penguin Teen Canada for providing a copy of this book!
Have you read If You’ll Have Me? What did you think of it?
Title: It Happened One Christmas
Author: Chantel Guertin
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: October 31, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★
Zoey Andrews lives and breathes Christmas. She loves everything about the season, and after years of directing countless holiday movies, she certainly knows her way around a festive tale. So, when she finally gets the chance to bring her own script to life, she isn’t about to let anything, or anyone, stand in her way–not even the stupidly sexy, utterly frustrating plaid-clad tree farmer Benoît Deschamps. Moonlighting as mayor of Chelsea–the cozy Quebec hamlet at the center of Zoey’s screenplay–Ben maddeningly refuses to grant her a film permit in his enchanting town.With just four days left before Christmas, Zoey must change Ben’s mind, but not before an unscripted ice storm leaves them stranded in the middle of nowhere, with nothing except . . . each other.Will Ben’s chilly resolve shatter Zoey’s Christmas movie wish? Or will Zoey be able to melt his stubbornness–and maybe even his heart?
Zoey Andrews loves Christmas and directs popular Christmas movies. When she writes her own script for a movie, she has the perfect town in mind: Chelsea, Quebec. After a mix up with their location scout, Zoey only has a few days to find the right places for them to film. However, as soon as she gets to the town, she comes up against Ben, the owner of the Christmas tree farm and mayor of Chelsea. Ben refuses to allow Zoey to have a permit to film in town. Zoey tries to change Ben’s mind, but as time is running out for Zoey to get the permits, they’re caught in a devastating ice storm. Ben and Zoey are suddenly facing a life and death situation. As they get closer to each other, Zoey keeps trying to change Ben’s mind, and possibly win his heart.
This is a fun and fast paced rom com! I read this book in just two sittings. The town of Chelsea sounded like the perfect holiday town. When Ben and Zoey were caught in the storm, the story took a scary turn. I knew nothing too serious would happen since it’s a rom com, but it was still scary to imagine being stranded in a severe ice storm. The ending was adorable and made it all worth it.
It Happened One Christmas is an adorable holiday rom com!
Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book!
Have you read It Happened One Christmas? What did you think of it?
Happy Pub Day to these authors!
Thank you Penguin Teen Canada, Raincoast Books, Tor Books, St. Martin’s Press, Inkyard Press, Firefly Distributed Lines, Skyscape, Wattpad Books, and Simon and Schuster Canada.
What books are you most excited for this week?
Title: Camp Sylvania (Camp Sylvania #1)
Author: Julie Murphy
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Contemporary
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: June 6, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin’ and Dear Sweet Pea comes a hilarious and spooky middle grade summer-camp story that takes a bite out of fat camp.
Magnolia “Maggie” Hagen is determined to be in the spotlight…if she can just get over her stage fright. This summer, though, she has big plans to finally attend Camp Rising Star, the famous performing arts camp she’s been dying to go to for three whole summers.
But on the last day of school, her parents break the news: Maggie isn’t going to Camp Rising Star. She’s being shipped off to fat camp—and not just any fat camp. She’s going to Camp Sylvania, run by world-famous wellness influencer Sylvia Sylvania, who is known for her soon-to-be patented Scarlet Diet.
When Maggie arrives at camp, things are…weird. There are the humiliating weigh-ins and grueling workouts, as expected. But the campers are also encouraged to donate blood—at their age! The cafeteria serves only red foods and the oddly specific rules change every day. There are even rumors of a camp ghost.
Despite these horrors, Maggie makes friends and starts to actually enjoy herself. There are even tryouts for a camp production of The Music Man! This place might not be so bad…until campers start going missing and suspicious things begin happening—especially after dark.
The camp ghost might be the least scary thing about this place….
Maggie Hagen is excited to be in the spotlight at her drama summer camp with her best friend Nora. However, on the last day of school, her parents break the news to her that she won’t be going to Camp Rising Star. Instead, she’ll be going to Camp Sylvania, which is a new fat camp run by her mother’s childhood camp friend, Sylvia. Things are strange at the camp right from the beginning. They have weigh-ins and workouts, but the kids also have to donate blood. The cafeteria only serves red foods, and the rules at the camp change daily. Maggie begins to suspect something dark is going on when kids disappear and strange things happen at night. She must work with her new friends to figure out what’s happening at the camp before she disappears forever too.
This story dealt with some tough body image issues that some kids have to face every day. Maggie knew she was bigger than most kids in her class, but it became a harsh reality when her parents decided to send her to fat camp. It made her feel like her weight was a part of her that needed to be changed. I found myself cringing at the scene when Maggie’s parents told her about fat camp, but it was also realistic. I can remember hearing people talk about my weight as a kid, and it isn’t a good memory. I liked that this body image subplot wasn’t as serious at the camp because there were other things going on. I thought it was obvious that there were vampires at the camp right from the beginning, but I’m not the target audience, so kids may not catch on as quickly as I did.
Camp Sylvania is a spooky middle grade camp story!
Content warnings: fatphobia, dieting, blood mentions
Have you read Camp Sylvania? What did you think of it?
Title: Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity (Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries #5)
Author: Elizabeth C. Bunce
Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: October 24, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★
In the fifth book of the Edgar Award-winning series, Myrtle Hardcastle uncovers a string of murders during a treasure hunt on a haunted Scottish estate. When her governess inherits an estate on a Scottish island, amateur detective Myrtle Hardcastle couldn’t be more excited. Unfortunately, the ancestral castle is both run-down and haunted. Ghostly moans echo in the walls, and there are rumors of a cursed treasure lost on the island—an ancient silver brooch that may have cost the former lord his life. But who had the motive, means, and opportunity to kill him? And could this Scottish trip mean the end of Myrtle’s plans to get her father and governess together?
Then Myrtle’s investigation stirs a villain out of hiding. The estate’s boat is stolen, so there’s no escape from the island. Myrtle is forced to play a deadly game, hunting for the brooch with a thief breathing down her neck—someone who will stop at nothing to get the treasure, even if it means murder.
When Myrtle Hardcastle’s governess, Miss Judson, inherits an estate in Scotland, they both go up to visit the land. It isn’t as grand as they expected though. The large house is haunted and run down. Myrtle is certain that the former lord, Miss Judson’s uncle, was murdered, so she embarks on her own investigation. When there’s another murder, and the estate’s only boat is stolen, Myrtle is stuck there until she solves the murders.
One of my favourite parts about the Myrtle Hardcastle stories is that they are a great mystery for adult readers to solve as well. The mystery was captivating and suspenseful. It became a little confusing by the end, because there were so many characters, particularly some suspects who were only mentioned and didn’t appear on the page. However, this was a fun story for middle grade mystery lovers!
Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity is a great new mystery!
Thank you Algonquin Young Readers for sending me a copy of this book!
Content warnings: death, murder, heart condition, death of parent (mentions)
Have you read Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity? What did you think of it?
Happy Pub Day to these authors!
Thank you Wednesday Books, Penguin Teen Canada, and Penguin Random House Canada for providing copies of these books!
What books are you most excited for this week?
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