Loren

You know the reason I like Maeve Blacks monster romance because outside of the smut the characters are always struggling with something real. In My Summer Girl, Dulce doesn't want to be a Cupid anymore, she wants to find the real love that her siblings have found even though they are cupids, love wasn't made for them. She stands in her decision, quits her job, and set out to fulfill her summer fuck it list. 
This book was fun, and my second favorite in the Monster Stuffer series! 

How lovely it was to be taken back to the Raybearer universe. 

The narrator did an incredible job creating an immersive experience, and gracing us with her lovely vocals! 

Jordan Ifueko truly has a way with storytelling, and if should wants to continue to write more stories in this universe I will be front and center every time. 

The Maid and the Crocodile had me cackling in my car, and locked in when things got tense. This book was just EVERYTHING! 

Thank you Recorded Books for the alc. 

Drew is definitely one of the good things that have come out of TikTok, and when it goes she will definitely be here to stay. 
This book touched on a bit of everything when it comes to Drew's life before and after TikTok fame. Reflecting on her pick me self, and the growth she has done as an individual, Her place within samoan culture, Decentering men in society, and letting us into more of her personal life when it came to her relationship with her family and boyfriend. 
My favorite part was Drew explaining her relationship with her sister. If you didn't know Drew's older sister Deison is a lesbian (and also HILARIOUS). She spoke about how Deison came out to her, and her behavior that followed. How it took sometime to mend that relationship. I thought it was very sincere, and spoke to the growth Drew went through to get to where she is now. 
Some parts were repetitive, but within the content it was good to bring up again. 
I was hoping to hear that contagious laugh in the audiobook!!! 
But overall I absolutely enjoyed learning more about one of my favorite influencers! 
Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the e-arc! 

The Deep Dark is officially my favorite graphic novel that I've read this year! Mags's struggle between isolation and connection, her deep fear of exposing the darkness within her, and her yearning for someone to understand her, even when she doesn't fully understand or accept herself. The art played a vital role in the storytelling, conveying emotion and tension in ways words absolutely couldn't. Each page set the atmosphere of mystery and magic. The visual representation of her inner and physical representation of “darkness”, and the way it affects her relationships, was beautifully rendered. At the very end when she accepts wholly excepts herself, we get pages full of color, the same way we do when we are in her memories. I don't think I will be able to recommend this book enough. It's definitely a book I will be revisiting. 

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️    ✨ Fated Mates  ⚗️ Experimental Planets  💕 Lok & Sol  🦁 A Talking Lion named Toto      I always have the best of times reading Kimberly Lemmings books! And this one has sky rocketed its way to my favorite of the bunch!    The Rom-Com aspect definitely hit! I loved Dory! She was the perfect balance of smart and chaotic. Her relationship with Toto was a lot more endearing than I thought it would be. At some points they would bicker like siblings 🤣. And I definitely can't forget Lok and Sol!!! WHEW 🥵 spectacular give me 14 of them!    This is definitely a strong start to what's probably going to be my favorite series from Kimberly Lemming! Because who would have thought that a story could blend alien abduction, prehistoric creatures, romance, and comedy? But somehow, Kimberly Lemmings makes it work ✨brilliantly✨. Every twist and turn kept me on the edge of my seat, laughing out loud one minute and swooning the next. I hate that I read this so early (Thank you Berkley 🫶🏾) because I want to know what happens next IMMEDIATELY!    Thank you Berkley Pub for the e-arc copy! 

I wanted to like this book more. I really did. 
We have a young black girl in Paris fulfilling her dreams of studying abroad, and putting on a one woman show in honor of her inspiration Josephine Baker. 
That premise alone got me into the book. As someone who did a few papers about Josephine Baker in high school, I couldn't wait to read this book!
But one I started to read into it things, and I'm about 60% into the book, this book feels like an amalgamation of different ideas for the same story, but they were stitch together very loosely. 
The romance between Whitney and Thierry started off abruptly and very rocky, and it felt unnecessary for it to start off that way? And then the distain her roommates had towards her after she introduced herself and then they just stopped talking to her felt too obvious to a plot point being made. 
We don't get too much of Whitney actually working on her show or her research project, but we also don't get too much of the romance aspect between her and Thierry until the last 70 pages??? mind you this books is very short. And the romance between them was very very cute. Yes it was a rough start but you can see the crush starting to form between them, and it was very sweet and sincere. I was hoping to get more of that! 
I can say my favorite part was reading Whitney getting her braids done. I've never in my years of reading (which I'm absolutely surprised) came across a book that just had a little part of the black girl experience of getting braids done... it was kind of therapeutic to read. 

I liked this retelling. Macbeth is not my favorite piece of work by Shakespeare, but I enjoyed the story regardless of that. I really loved the route the retelling went, with lady Macbeth having magical powers, actually being somewhat of a witch, and also her having a more elevated role in the story of Macbeth. 

I don't normally read Contemporary stories like this one, but I want to challenge myself and spread out to different genres. 
This was a fun read though! This is definitely one of those books I could see becoming a movie.  
Zoe was a really well rounded and relatable character! Definitely a girl boss, but not cringy AT ALL! We see Zoe get to a point where she got where she worked so hard  to get and it's not everything she'd hoped it would be. 
Zoe definitely took the leap of faith venturing into the tech world, and we get to meet some very great characters. I mean all of her coworkers, and friends were very well written people. I wasn't sure about this book I first, but I'm surprised I ended up liking it as much as I did. 

Thank you @berkleypub for the free finished copy! #berkleypartner 

I think I'm just not a fan of the writing for this author. I love love love books written in verse, and this is the second book I've read for Candace that I can't finish?? 

The concepts for the books are always something I would love to read, but when it comes to execution and just the overall pacing of the story, it's unfortunate falls short for me.

Gone Girl + You = How I'll Kill You 
I read You and Gone Girl in high school. I was absolutely obsessed with both of them, and I haven't really found another, not YA, thriller that captivated me like How I'll Kill You did. 
I was constantly on my toes, because these girls are unhinged! I couldn't predict a single one of their actions. 
Their dynamic and depleting level of trust with each other was very interesting to read. Especially when we learn the why. Why are these girls killing their boyfriends? 
Each sister had a job and a skill that was so uniquely developed I was kind of surprised to learn how this all even started. Overall, this was a really good debut! 

Thank you @berkleypub for the free finished copy! #berkleypartner 

For the most part I enjoyed Jackal! It gave what it needed to give. Horror, Thriller, Suspense, and Mystery!

Black girls have been going missing every year, for the past thirty years, on the summer solstice. The fact that that was not pieced together until Liz mentioned it just speaks volumes on how little the people in this town cared to actually figure out what was going on. Especially since all the girls died and were found with the same gruesome injuries. 

The reason this book didn't get five stars was because towards the end where everything comes to a head... I couldn't figure out what was happening. It was a good plot twist that fell short for me. I have it sectioned off to read it again. If I could compare it to anything it gives of IT (MOVIE NOT THE BOOK 🫠) vibes in terms of a supernatural element. 

Overall I would definitely recommend. I feel like this should be read as a buddy read. The discussions raised from this book can be very very productive in a group setting covering violence, classism, racism, and how the negative views of young black girls are detrimental in our society. 

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Thank you Good Girls PR for the arc!    “How could you ever think I don't want you around after all the things I've done to keep you in my orbit?”    Yeeeaaaaa this one is my new favorite in the New Haven Series!    J.L Seegers knows how to create stories about Black Love. She's truly an artist with it. Crafting stories of Black men protecting and loving on Black women. It's amazing!    You know when you loved a book so much it's hard to actually do a review for it??? That's what's happening here lol.    This story was definitely the darkest one in the series so far, but it was such a good story.    Nadia was such a resilient FMC, and deserved everything Sebastian gave her and more.    I was definitely surprised how hard and fast (lol) Sebastian fell for Nadia. It was one of the aspects in the book that I loved all the way through, just how he consistently fought for her to want better for herself, and to accept his love in her life and to trust him.    Overall 10/10 will recommend! Can't wait for the next book in the New Haven series!