books – Page 18 – Jill's Book Blog

Review: Wildfire (Maple Hills #2)

Title: Wildfire (Maple Hills #2)
Author: Hannah Grace
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Atria Books
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: October 3, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The latest in the Maple Hills series follows two summer camp counselors who reconnect after a sizzling one-night stand.

Maple Hills students Russ Callaghan and Aurora Roberts cross paths at a party celebrating the end of the academic year, where a drinking game results in them having a passionate one-night stand. Never one to overstay her welcome (or expect much from a man), Aurora slips away before Russ even has the chance to ask for her full name.

Imagine their surprise when they bump into each other on the first day of the summer camp where they are both counselors, hoping to escape their complicated home lives by spending the summer working. Russ hopes if he gets far enough away from Maple Hills, he can avoid dealing with the repercussions of his father’s gambling addiction, while Aurora is tired of craving attention from everyone around her, and wants to go back to the last place she truly felt at home.

Russ knows breaking the camp’s strict “no staff fraternizing” rule will have him heading back to Maple Hills before the summer is over, but unfortunately for him, Aurora has never been very good at caring about the rules. Will the two learn to peacefully coexist? Or did their one night together start a fire they can’t put out?

Review:

Russ Callaghan and Aurora Roberts meet at a party at the Maple Hills hockey house. They have one passionate night together, but due to some miscommunication, Aurora leaves before saying goodbye. They’re both shocked when they turn up at the same summer camp where they’re working as counselors for the summer. There’s a rule that staff at the camp aren’t allowed to fraternize, but Aurora has never liked to follow rules. They have to decide if they will stay apart or if they will continue what they started that night at Maple Hills.

This was such a cute romance! I loved Aurora and Russ. Russ was like a sweet cinnamon roll. Both of them had to deal with serious issues with their fathers, but they were able to put some distance between those and their daily lives. I liked how this story was light and funny. The “third act break up” wasn’t long and heartbreaking. Russ and Aurora also noticed when they had a miscommunication problem, so they were able to resolve that quickly.

Wildfire is a fun romance!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book!

Content warnings: parental abandonment, gambling addiction, vomiting

Other books in the series:

Icebreaker (Maple Hills #1)

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

Review: Not Like Other Girls

Title: Not Like Other Girls
Author: Meredith Adamo
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Thriller
Publisher: Bloomsbury Books
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: April 30, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A girl risks everything to find her former best friend in this powerful debut mystery about trauma, girlhood, and what we deserve.

When Jo-Lynn Kirby’s former best friend—pretty, nice Maddie Price—comes to her claiming to be in trouble, Jo assumes it’s some kind of joke. After all, Jo has been an outcast ever since her nude photos were leaked—and since everyone decided she deserved it. There’s no way Maddie would actually come to her for help.

But then Maddie is gone.

Everyone is quick to write off Maddie as a runaway, but Jo can’t shake the feeling there’s more to the story. To find out the truth, Jo needs to get back in with the people who left her behind—and the only way back in is through Hudson Harper-Moore. An old fling of Jo’s with his own reasons for wanting to find Maddie, Hudson hatches a fake dating scheme to get Jo back into their clique. But being back on the inside means Jo must confront everything she’d rather forget: the boys who betrayed her, the whispers that she had it coming, and the secrets that tore her and Maddie apart. As Jo digs deeper into Maddie’s disappearance, she’s left to wonder who she’s really searching for: Maddie, or the girl she used to be.

Not Like Other Girls is a stunning debut that takes a hard look at how we treat young women and their trauma, through the lens of a missing girl and a girl trying to find herself again.

Review:

Jo-Lynn Kirby is a seventeen-year-old junior in high school. Her former best friend, Maddie Price, disappears after asking Jo for help. Jo has been an outcast ever since her private photos were leaked, so she doesn’t know why Maddie would go to her for help. The police decide that Maddie has just run away on her own, but Jo suspects there’s more to her disappearance. She joins together with her former fling, Hudson, to figure out what happened to Maddie, but she ends uncovering her own secrets as well.

This was such an intense YA thriller. It was so hard to put down. I think readers who love awesome thriller writers like Karen M. McManus and Holly Jackson will love this debut thriller!

Thank you Bloomsbury Books US and Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book for part of a sponsored campaign.

Content warnings: sexual assault, rape, gaslighting

Have you read Not Like Other Girls? What did you think of it?

Review: Fangirl Down (Big Shots #1)

Title: Fangirl Down (Big Shots #1)
Author: Tessa Bailey
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Avon
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: February 13, 2024
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey launches a super sexy sports romance series with a rom-com about a bad boy professional athlete who falls for his biggest fan…

Wells Whitaker was once golf’s hottest rising star, but lately, all he has to show for his “promising” career is a killer hangover, a collection of broken clubs, and one remaining supporter. No matter how bad he plays, the beautiful, sunny redhead is always on the sidelines. He curses, she cheers. He scowls, she smiles. But when Wells quits in a blaze of glory and his fangirl finally goes home, he knows he made the greatest mistake of his life.

Josephine Doyle believed in the gorgeous, grumpy golfer, even when he didn’t believe in himself. Yet after he throws in the towel, she begins to wonder if her faith was misplaced. Then a determined Wells shows up at her door with a wild proposal: be his new caddy, help him turn his game around, and split the prize money. And considering Josephine’s professional and personal life is in shambles, she could really use the cash…

As they travel together, spending days on the green and nights in neighboring hotel rooms, sparks fly. Before long, they’re inseparable, Wells starts winning again, and Josephine is surprised to find a sweet, thoughtful guy underneath his gruff, growly exterior. This hot man wants to brush her hair, feed her snacks, and take bubble baths together? Is this real life? But Wells is technically her boss and an athlete falling for his fangirl would be ridiculous… right?

Review:

Josephine Doyle is Wells Whitaker’s number one fan. She’s nicknamed herself “Wells’s Belle” and cheers him on at the PGA Tour, despite his promising career taking a nosedive. Wells is ready to give up on his golfing dreams, but then he realizes he’s made a mistake. He shows up on Josephine’s doorstep with a proposal for her to be his caddy for a share of his tour winnings. Josephine needs the money to pay for her health insurance for her diabetes and to fix up her family’s golf shop, so she agrees. They get closer as Wells starts winning again with his new good luck charm, but they also have to deal with the way their exciting new partnership draws media attention that isn’t always positive.

This is my first Tessa Bailey novel and I loved it! Wells and Josephine were the perfect “grumpy/sunshine” pairing. Even though Wells was grumpy, he still had a likeable quality to him. I liked the inclusion of Josephine’s diabetes. I’ve learned a lot about diabetes over the last year since my dog was diagnosed with it, so it was interesting to see the way Josephine had to manage it in her own life. There were some quite spicy scenes in this romance too!

Fangirl Down is a great golf romance!

Content warnings: diabetes, hurricane

Have you read Fangirl Down? 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: ★★★★★

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:

Kill Joy (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #0.5)
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #1)
As Good as Dead (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #3)

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

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: ★★★★★

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?

Review: Get Signed: Find an Agent, Land a Book Deal, and Become a Published Author

Title: Get Signed: Find an Agent, Land a Book Deal, and Become a Published Author
Author: Lucinda Halpern
Genre: Nonfiction
Publisher: Hay House
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: February 6, 2024
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A step-by-step guide from a New York literary agent that will show you how to create a winning concept, craft an irresistible pitch, and land your dream book deal.

In this practical, immediately actionable guide, Lucinda Halpern , founder of the prestigious New York agency Lucinda Literary, divulges what agents look for in authors and the shortcuts they use to get book deals but have never revealed—until now.

Lucinda has personally witnessed how dramatically writers’ lives can change when they publish their first book. But the path to literary success begins with knowing the answers to questions

With her unique 6-step method, Lucinda provides the tools and concrete strategies

Packed with interviews from best-selling authors, leading book editors from Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette, and more, Get Signed is the indispensable roadmap you need right now to get noticed and become a published author.

Review:

This book is a step-by-step guide to how to sign with a literary agent. There are great tips on things that agents look for as well as examples of real query letters.

I’ve been querying my manuscript for four months without any luck. When I heard about this book on the Happy Writer podcast with Marissa Meyer, I had to get it. I’m definitely going to implement some of these tips in my query letter!

Get Signed is a great book for querying writers!

Have you read Get Signed? What did you think of it?

Review: A Friend in the Dark

Title: A Friend in the Dark
Author: Samantha M. Bailey
Genre: Thriller, Contemporary
Publisher: Thomas and Mercer
Source: Firefly Books Distributed Lines
Format: Paperback
Release Date: March 1, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A digital romance turns deadly…

Eden Miller’s world is crumbling. Her husband blindsided her with divorce, and her daughter barely speaks to her. In an impulsive decision to escape her present and revisit the past, she sends a friend request to her college crush, Justin Ward.

One night twenty-three years ago changed the course of her life. It closed the door on Justin and opened the door to her husband, Dave. But what if Eden could have a do-over?

Eden begins an online relationship with Justin that awakens her in ways she never thought possible, and his voice and words make her take bold risks. But something’s off. He knows too much about her and her family…he’s been following her.

Eden is forced to awaken from her fantasy and look for answers—who really is the man on the other line? The truth about Justin—and about what happened that fateful night two decades ago—puts her and her family in a fight for their lives.

Review:

Eden Miller is struggling with changes in her life. Her husband suddenly wants a divorce and her seventeen-year-old daughter is barely speaking to her when she moves to college. One night she decides to add her college crush, Justin Ward, on Facebook. He messages her right away and they begin an online relationship. However, something seems off. Justin knows more about her life than Eden has told him. Though Eden is living the fantasy that she imagined over twenty years ago, she has to figure out the truth about Justin before her family is put in danger.

This was such an intense and suspenseful thriller. It was so creepy, in the way that Justin seemed to know a lot about Eden that she hadn’t told him. It’s scary to think that you might not know who the person really is on the other side of the screen. I liked that Eden was a middle aged protagonist. Protagonists in adult novels are often younger adults, so I liked that Eden was at a different stage of her life, but she was also starting a new chapter on her own.

A Friend in the Dark is a fast-paced and creepy thriller!

Thank you Firefly Books Distributed Lines for sending me a copy of this book!

Content warnings: death, death of parent, abuse, rape, sexual assault, murder, stalking, gaslighting

Have you read A Friend in the Dark? What did you think of it?

Review: The Dark Fable

Title: The Dark Fable
Author: Katherine Harbour
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: January 30, 2024
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Magical heists. Deadly secrets. Come along for the ride . . . if you dare. This heart-stopping, seductive fantasy is perfect for fans of Six of Crows .

Evie Wilder is an orphan who has gone through most of her life unnoticed . . . until she’s caught up in a dramatic heist and captures the attention of the Dark Fable. They have chosen her for a she can turn invisible. This skill would make Evie a treasured asset to the legendary group of thieves known for spiriting away obscure and occult artifacts.

Evie cannot resist their allure and is eager to join this newfound family. But she discovers there are more skeletons in the Dark Fable’s past than she could have ever imagined. And these secrets might be the answer to her own tragic past.

No one is who they seem to be and the price of uncovering the Dark Fable’s cryptic history just might be fatal . . .

Review:

Evie Wilder is an orphan who usually feels invisible. When she’s caught in a heist to steal a necklace, she catches the attention of The Dark Fable. They are a group of thieves, who ask Evie to join them because she has a special ability to turn invisible. Evie joins them so that she can finally feel like she has a family and she belongs. However, there are many secrets in the Dark Fable’s past, which may be connected to Evie’s own history. She must decide where her loyalty lies, so she can find answers to questions she’s had for years.

This was a fast paced heist story. Evie was an unreliable character with lots of secrets in her past. The Dark Fable was a mysterious group of thieves with magic powers. Even though the story is called The Dark Fable, the group in the story was referred to by their French name La Fable Sombre. It sounded more mysterious, but I wish it was consistent with the name of the book. There were some great unexpected twists at the end of the story, but they were explained quite quickly. I would have liked to see them revealed a bit earlier so there was more time to see the fallout of these twists.

The Dark Fable is a great YA fantasy!

Thank you Bloomsbury YA for providing a digital copy of this book.

Content warnings: death of parents, death of siblings, gun violence, stabbing

Have you read The Dark Fable? What did you think of it?

Review: With Any Luck (The Improbable Meet-Cute #5)

Title: With Any Luck (The Improbable Meet-Cute #5)
Author: Ashley Poston
Genre: Novella, Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Source: Purchased
Format: Ebook
Release Date: January 23, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Every person she kisses finds their true love, and it’s never her—until now, in this funny and magically romantic short story by the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

Audrey Love is cursed to be the person before you find your soulmate, the girl you dump for your true love. So when her best friend disappears hours before his Valentine’s Day wedding, Audrey fears that she did the unthinkable and kissed him at last night’s bachelor party. With help from the best man, she retraces her steps to find the missing groom and, with any luck, a true love of her own.

Ashley Poston’s With Any Luck is part of The Improbable Meet-Cute, irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it. They can be read or listened to in one sitting. Let’s make a date of it.

Review:

Audrey Luck is unlucky in love. She’s the last person someone kisses before they find their true love. After her best friend disappears on the night before his wedding day, Audrey worries that she kissed him and led him to his true love, who is not his fiancé. Audrey must retrace her steps from the night before with the help of the best man to find her best friend before his wedding.

This was such a fun novella! It was an entertaining and slightly suspenseful story. It really felt longer than a novella because the characters were well developed and the story was cleverly plotted. This is my favourite novella the whole The Improbable Meet-Cute series.

With Any Luck is a fun romance novella!

Other books in the series:

The Exception to the Rule (The Improbable Meet-Cute #1)
Worst Wingman Ever (The Improbable Meet-Cute #2)
Rosie and the Dreamboat (The Improbable Meet-Cute #3)
Drop, Cover, and Hold On (The Improbable Meet-Cute #4)
Royal Valentine (The Improbable Meet-Cute #6)

Have you read With Any Luck? What did you think of it?

Review: Yours from the Tower

Title: Yours from the Tower
Author: Sally Nicholls
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Walker Books US
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: January 30, 2024
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Bridgerton fans rejoice! This epistolary confection—told in letters among three school friends—is perfect for devotees of gossipy costume drama.

Tirzah, Sophia, and Polly are best friends who’ve left boarding school and gone back to very different lives. The year is 1896, and Polly is teaching in an orphanage, Sophia is scouting for a rich husband at the London Season, and Tirzah is stuck acting as an unpaid companion to her grandmother. In a series of letters buzzing with atmosphere and drama, the friends air their dreams, hopes, frustrations, and romances. Can this trio of very different young women—one industrious, one artful, and one in exile—find happiness and love near the dawn of the Edwardian era? From the award-winning author of the Carnegie Medal–nominated historical romance The Silent Stars Go By comes a playful, feel-good story of friendship and aspiration pitched just right for fans of Jane Austen and her contemporary disciples.

Review:

1896: Tirzah, Polly, and Sophia are friends from boarding school who keep in touch through letters after they’ve finished school and moved on in their lives. Tirzah is living with her strict grandmother. Polly is working at an orphanage. Sophia is staying with her wealthy aunt and uncle for the season to find a husband. All three girls have to deal with tough problems as they move away from their teenage years and become young women.

This was a great epistolary novel. The short letters made the story fly by. It was easy to differentiate the three storylines since the girls were each leading such different lives. Polly was working, Sophia was looking for a husband, and Tirzah was still being treated like a child at home. They all had serious issues to deal with, such as a parent with alcoholism and a parent who abandoned their children. Despite these hardships, the story had a happy ending.

Yours From the Tower was a great coming of age story.

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

Content warnings: alcoholism, parental abandonment, death of parent

Have you read Yours from the Tower? What did you think of it?