Lightlark by Alex AsterDark Fantasy for TeensRecorded BooksAugust 23, 2022 Review by Jen When I first started listening to Lightlark by Alex Aster, I had no idea of the controversy around the book, the author and TikTok. I did hear about the book from BookTok and was super intrigued. I’ll spill the tea in a minute, but first my review. Every 100 years the island of Lightlark invites six leaders from the six different cursed realms to compete against each other to break the original Continue Reading
Melinda’s Audio Minis: We Were Dreamers by Simu Liu & Ruthless Women by Melanie Blake
We Were Dreamers by Simu LiuMemoirMay 17, 2022, by William MorrowAudio ARC Review by Melinda I’m a big fan of celebrity memoirs, particularly when listening to an audiobook with the celebrity narrating themselves. It always lends more of a personal tone to the book and makes it feel more like the celebrity is just sharing stories with you one-on-one. We Were Dreamers is narrated by Simu Liu and he tells his background as a child of immigrants, and how that shaped his childhood and Continue Reading
Audio Review: The Break Up Artist by Erin Clark & Laura Lovely
The Break Up Artist by Erin Clark and Laura LovelyContemporaryJune 9, 2022, by Audible OriginalsAudio ARC Review by Melinda The Break Up Artist is a debut by co-authors Erin Clark and Laura Lovely, who have an interesting background of their own. Clark is a nonfiction writer, a world champion para-pole athlete, a circus aerialist, and a pilot. Lovely is a romance author, a playwright, a pinup performance artist, and a tech founder. The two met and became the comedy duo Flaming Mermaid Continue Reading
Audio Review: The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
The Woman in the Library by Sulari GentillSuspenseJune 7, 2022, by SourcebooksAudio ARC Review by Melinda I’m always looking for good thrillers, and I think they can be difficult to find. It takes someone really talented to build the suspense necessary to keep a reader invested in the plot, and then even more difficult to have a twist that no one sees coming. The Woman in the Library does the next to impossible and has high tension, a unique format, and is completely addictive. I Continue Reading
Jen’s Mini Reviews: Books by Lydia Michaels and Meagan Brandy
Love Me Nots is the third book in the Jasper Falls series. It can be read as a standalone and I haven’t read or listened to the other two books. No issues catching up with characters or complicated backstories. Go for it! I must be on a small-town romance binge because this is the third one in a row for me- and they’ve all been excellent! Perrin is a small town bar owner. She and her sister own the business and Perrin has big plans to expand. She’s also had her fill of heartbreak Continue Reading
Audiobook Review: Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler
Home Field Advantage by Dahlia AdlerContemporary YAJune 7, 2022, by Wednesday BooksARC Review by Melinda Home Field Advantage is a twist on the classic love story between the High School Quarterback and the Head Cheerleader. Jaclyn (Jack) Walsh is recruited to play football at Amber's high school but Jack doesn't exactly fit in right away. The previous quarterback was killed in a car accident and everyone looks at Jack as a not-nearly-good-enough replacement for him. So things are super Continue Reading
Audio Review: I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston
I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuistonLGBTQ+ Romance for TeensMay 3, 2022, Wednesday Books ARC Review by Jen This book was such a delight! I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston brought tears to my eyes in the very best way. I’ve had Red, White, and Royal Blue on Kindle, and while everyone loves it, and I want to read it, I just haven’t yet. Now, I will. Same author as this gem. Set in a small conservative town in AL, the story follows senior queer girl, Chloe Green Continue Reading
Audio Review: Starry Eyed Love by Helena Hunting
Starry Eyed Love by Helena HuntingRomantic ComedyMay 10, 2022Macmillan Audio Review by Jen Starry Eyed Love by Helena Hunting is the second book in the Spark House series. You can listen or read it without having read book one. Some background- Spark House is a boutique hotel in Colorado run by the Spark sisters. They create unique events and operate their business through the lens of sustainability. This second book features London Spark, the crafty (as in Etsy crafts!) middle Continue Reading
Audio Review: The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
The Atlas Six by Olivie BlakeContemporary FantasyMarch 1, 2022Macmillan Audio Review by Jen First, I’m so excited that I found libro.fm because it’s a book site that supports independent booksellers. I love Amazon, but this was a nice find. The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake is a dark academia book that has been on my list for quite a while. It was a huge hit on booktok and was optioned by Amazon for a series. I ended up listening to this one and really enjoyed it! With that said, Continue Reading
Audio Book Reviews: A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole and Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
These books are vastly different and both were terrific. First up is A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole. So, “love” may not be exactly the right word to describe my listening experience. I don’t normally gravitate to the super sad books. But Rune and Poppy’s story was addicting to me and I pushed through the tears. A Thousand Boy Kisses is a YA tearjerker that walks the line of being so saccharine that it’s almost cringey. The thousand kisses referenced in the title are a jar of Continue Reading