Looking for an under-hyped gem to round out your summertime reading list? Destination Wedding is here to save the day! ...
archive: 2020
A Gripping, Poignant, Heart-Aching and Brilliant Debut | Review: This Is My America by Kim Johnson
6:00 AM
This Is My America is destined for beloved status. This is the young adult contemporary you need to be reaching for this year. Toss everything aside to boost it up on your TBR. It's time. But. How can I begin to describe its beauty? ...
Retellings. Give us all the glamorous and witty retellings, Kevin Kwan. IT'S WHAT WE DESERVE. (Also, yes, I am making grabby hands at my screen. No, I have no regrets.) Sex and Vanity was kind of everything, okay? ...
archive: 2020
Erin Hahn's Writing is Like Music to My Ears | Review: More Than Maybe by Erin Hahn
6:00 AM
Erin Hahn proves once again that she's one of the best voices to come to modern young adult fiction. ...
Woo, woo! Still catching up with prompts. Fortunately for me, there was a freebie week this week! And nothing says, "Jessica has good timing for once!" quite like listing a few books that make me smile. ...
a wicked magic
Wickedly Compelling and Atmospheric. Is It Autumn, Yet? | Review: A Wicked Magic by Sasha Laurens
6:30 AM
Obviously Sasha Laurens had me at the comparison to Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and The Craft. (And I'm over here wishing desperately for autumn to hurry up and arrive.) I'm not going to lie to you guys, there was a HUGE disappointed sigh from me knowing that I am not reading this during the autumn. ...
archive: 2020
Mesmerizing and Completely Worth the Read | Review: The All-Night Sun by Diane Zinna
3:55 PM
Did I request The All-Night Sun solely because of its stunning cover art's aesthetic? Yes. But, boy, oh boy, you guys: this book was fantastic and so much more than I expected. ...
archive: 2020
Sharp, Timely and Highly Entertaining | Review: He Must Like You by Danielle Younge-Ullman
3:36 PM
Spoiler alert: He Must Like You is yet another book I wish I'd had when I was just starting, or the middle of, high school. AND IT'S SO GOOD. ...
Remember last weekend when we knew peace and didn't have the faintest clue that Taylor Swift was about to drop a folksy inspired record full of some of her best, most atmospheric, story-telling lyrics? Nope, neither do I. The bottom line is folklore is basically the older sister record to Red that longtime fans have been waiting for. AND IT IS SO GOOD....
archive: 2020
The Voting Booth is Basically the Perfect YA Contemporary | Review: The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert
7:00 AM
Filed under: books I cannot stop thinking about. Or grinning over. Or attempting to shove down people's throats. (Er, okay, I wouldn't do that to a book. I AM, HOWEVER, BUYING COPIES TO PUT IN SOME LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES BECAUSE I HAVE NO CONTROL. All caps. ...
archive: 2020
The Secret Women is the Ultimate Beach Read (and I NEED to Dive into Sheila Williams' backlist) | The Secret Women by Sheila Williams
6:30 AM
Sheila Williams should have been on my radar sooner. But, better late than never, right? The Secret Women was everything I didn't know I wanted from the year in fiction. ...
Ah, I've been having a bit of a case of writers block AND laptop issues these last few weeks. It's good to be back. (Although, my laptop is still frustrating me.) You know what that means. Time to play catch up with Top Ten Tuesday prompts! I decided to take on a prompt from a couple of weeks ago instead of discussing book...
archive: 2020
Renée Ahdieh is Now the Queen of Vampire YA | Review: The Damned by Renée Ahdieh
7:00 AM
Last year if you told me that, exactly one year later, I'd be frothing at the mouth for vampire fiction during a global pandemic I would have asked you who your dealer was. This year, I'd say, "READ THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED. Both are by Renée Ahdieh and you are missing out." Word for word. ...
archive: 2020
Short, but Fiery: Sierra Simone is the Queen of Smut | Review: The Awakening of Ivy Leavold by Sierra Simone
4:44 PM
Am I still avoiding reading the third installment of Thornchapel? Yes. Was I having withdrawals of the Sierra Simone variety? Also yes. So, on a whim, I decided to start the Markham Hall trilogy. And. Um. Hoo, boy. ...
archive: 2020
Beautifully Written and Thoroughly Engaging | Review: Forest of Souls by Lori M. Lee
4:18 PM
Page Street Kids continues to slay with their highly engaging, diverse YA novels and I'm forever in awe. Forest of Souls is the latest atmospheric release from their lineup--and you definitely need to be keeping an eye out for Lori M. Lee. ...
archive: 2020
Cinderella is Dead, but I'M FEELING VERY ALIVE RIGHT NOW | Review: Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
3:54 PM
Young Adult Fantasy in 2020 continues to be the only saving grace of an otherwise shit-tastic year. I stand by that and am listing Cinderella is Dead as a leading example. (ALSO!! That cover!!!) ...
archive: 2020
Addictive, Explosive and Entering New Territory | Review: Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
3:15 PM
If your question is, "Does Jessica still hate Bill?" The answer is a resounding YES. (Seriously. Thank you, Charlaine, for Club Dead and its lack of Bill.) ...
archive: 2020
Houe of Night Other World Continues to Impress... I'm Sad it's Over! | Review: Found by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
2:54 PM
The explosive conclusion to House of Night Other World is finally here. AND I'M SO SAD ABOUT IT? In an excited, feeling revitalized, way? It's time to get Found. ...
archive: 2020
Not Nearly as Fun as its Predecessor or Adaptation (But Still Fun!) | Review: Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
6:00 AM
Season two of True Blood is, honestly, my favourite season of the show and maybe even my favourite season of any series ever. Although this is where the series starts to deviate pretty evenly from its source material, I had high hopes for Living Dead in Dallas. ...
Although I adore Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City series, we all know my feelings for the Throne of Glass series are mixed at best. I definitely delayed diving into the novellas in The Assassin's Blade. ...
archive: 2020
After Years of Saying I Would, I Finally Began the Sookie Stackhouse Novels and Regret Nothing | Review: Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
4:30 AM
Already familiar with Charlaine Harris' characters, via its television adaptation True Blood, and fed up with 2020's general tone, I decided now was as good a time as any to begin this series. And, spoiler alert? It's just as fun and trashy as the show. I'm going to be real with you guys, though! It was almost overwhelming figuring out what series title...
archive: 2020
While I Love Marissa Meyer, Renegades Wasn't My Cup of Tea | Review: Renegades by Marissa Meyer
7:00 AM
There was a substantial amount of hype surrounding Marissa Meyer's Renegades series. Alas, it was not my favourite. (Although, I can see why so many people might love it.) ...
archive: 2020
Chosen Ones Solidifies My Theory That Veronica Roth's Books Don't Do It For Me Anymore | Review: Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth
5:30 AM
After rereading the Divergent trilogy and lowering my rating considerably, and the miss that was Roth's Carve the Mark, I've come to the conclusion that I just don't connect with her writing. (But, because of her connection to Chicago and my youthful nostalgia for Divergent I always want to.) ...
