BookWormin'

Photo by me - also on my bookstagram @ bookworminkayla If you haven’t read this book, this is your sign to do it now.   Everyone has to read Untamed .  That’s my initial thought with this book, which absolutely blew me out of the water! I was literally 15 pages in when I had to stop and write down all the great quotes I had read to that point.  "It's the polar bears now.  But nobody cares.  So next, it's gonna be us."  - p.15 I read this book at a time in my life where I’m expected to make a lot of big decisions and commitments and Glennon Doyle’s perspective on such things is so liberating. This book is all about the concept of freedom in your life, and she illustrates the different things that can mean as well as why it is so important, and ties it to how society tries to tame us when we should be wild.  So honest and unapologetic, the author presents her views on society in such a clear perspective it’s like drawing a curtain away from your eyes....

  This book has had the book community buzzing since it came out, so I was excited when my turn finally came at the library. In this novel, Addie LaRue makes a deal with the old gods, and in return is cursed. No one can remember her, and she cannot tell them any truths about her life.   Over 300 years Addie finds ways to survive and continue living as something less than human but more than ghost.   And suddenly, she runs into someone she never expected - and he remembers her.   The writing is phenomenal in this book. The perspective flips through the years of Addie’s life, drawing out key moments and bringing the past forward when it unlocks a new moment in the narrative. Addie is delightful and stubborn and so artistic in her soul, leaving crumbs of her self in various “lives” she’s lived.   When presented with her curse and confronted with pain over and over again, she digs in and finds a way forward, something to look forward to, a new thing she’d like to se...

  In The Crowns of Croswald, a middle-grade fantasy, we follow the magical adventures of one Ivy Lovely, a scaldrony maid. Ivy longs for something more to her life, something magic, and spends her free moments sketching in the open air and the light of the moon with her dwarf friend. One day though, Ivy’s whole life turns around; she is kicked out of her home and picked up by a scrivenist who starts her on her journey to the Halls of Ivy magic school.  Of course, no adventure would be complete without a mystery, and along the way Ivy picks up clues about the Wandering Family and some unexplained disappearances. Can Ivy put everything together before it is too late? To start off I love the world-building in this book!   The hairies for light, the mysterious ‘the Town,’ the cabbys and their personal storm covers, and especially the scrivenist magic; it’s all very mystical and fun.   Ivy’s experiences are exciting and new, and it’s easy to get drawn in to the story of t...

 Thank you to Social Butterfly PR for sending me a copy of this book to read and review! Below is my honest opinion which can also be found on Goodreads . (Are we friends on Goodreads yet? Add me to discover what books I'm reading and read my reviews in advance) Molly O’Shea is trying to break into the world of investigative journalism and has found the perfect story to do it. Popular novel “The Bad Luck Club” has an intriguing dedication and several holes in the tale of the club. Molly is determined to find out what exactly the story is here… starting with tracking down the mysterious Cal the book is dedicated to.  Unfortunately for her, Cal is not inclined to share his story and is determined to keep his secrets. After all, the one thing the book got right is  Rule #1: Don’t talk about the Bad Luck Club.  Photo from my bookstagram - @ bookworminkayla Not quite an enemies to lovers, this is still a cute romance as Molly tries her best to get to know Cal and he trie...

  Nina Dean is single, 32, and discovering for the first time the highs and lows of online dating. Along with her friend “good old Lola,” they deal with the ups and downs of relationships at this stage of life. At the same time, Nina is struggling with her father’s illness and his difficulty remembering his life, writing her third cookbook, and staying in touch with her married and coupled up friends.   This story is about relationships in their many forms - friends, family, and romance - and how Nina navigates them all.   Photo by me As a narrator, Nina is very introspective. Take for example the critical breakdown of messages on a dating app. Nina seems to examine the entire world this way - through a slightly critical lens that often focuses on writing as well as actions, and what message a person or action may be sending and the motive for it.   There is a lot of reflection happening, both about Nina herself as well as the people and world around her.   Doll...

 Thank you to Social Butterly PR and Penny Reid for sending me an ARC of this book to read and review!  Below are my honest thoughts which can also be found on my Goodreads .  Friend me on Goodreads for early looks at my reviews as well as star ratings. Actress Raquel Ezra finds herself in small town Green Valley, Tennessee, for the second time since her friend Sienna’s wedding there five years prior.  And just like last time, one man keeps catching her eye… a certain sheriff’s deputy, Jackson James. While Raquel takes a break from the craziness and demands of her Hollywood lifestyle, she also takes a better look at her one-and-done rule to leave people wanting more. Jackson’s also examining his personal rules as Raquel inadvertently tempts him off his new path towards settling down.  Sparks fly in this small town as these two try to figure out if their unforgettable night could ever be more, and if maybe some rules are meant to be broken.  Photo by me Ther...