The Chaos of Longing by K.Y. Robinson | Rating: ★★★★★

don’t shrink
your truth
to make it fit
nice and neatly
in others
as if it’s origami.

unfold and
free yourself.

As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

K.Y. Robinson knows what makes poetry. This much was apparent in The Chaos of Longing and I'm so incredibly moved by what she portrayed. She dives deeper and deeper into parts of her soul and gives us this intimate look inside. Something that is not always possible. Yet, here it is, that reminder that it's not impossible to feel connected to someone else's words. Much like with Depression & Other Magic Tricks, Milk and Honey and The Princess Saves Herself in this One, Robinson crafts something so obtainable and wonderful, I could not put the collection down.

Smoke & Mirrors by Michael Faudet | Rating: ★★★★☆

As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

Oh, I've been so overwhelmed with wonderful poetry lately. All this prose, all this intimacy, makes me feel full of some sort of emotion I can't quite express. Michael Faudet is, as per usual, exquisite in the way his prose comes to life. There's something fulfilling about even his shortest of expressions and I cannot get enough of it. I mean that--it's not as though his work is flaw free (no one's is) but at the end of the day it accomplishes everything it was meat to do.

I loved the way that intimacy--far, wide, casual--was explored. There were many standouts that I can't wait to highlight in a physical copy upon its release because, much like with Rupi Kaur, Sabrina Benaim, Amanda Lovelace, Lang Leav and Alicia Cook it's impossible to not feel something at every turn of pen. Isn't that what we all love about poetry to begin with? To fell--compelled, related, understood. To learn.

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins | Rating: ★★★★☆

“Yes, it is. It’s, like, when someone has an affair, why does the wife always hate the other woman? Why doesn’t she hate her husband? He’s the one who’s betrayed her, he’s the one who swore to love her and keep her and whatever forever and ever. Why isn’t he the one who gets shoved off a fucking cliff?”

Not quite the masterpiece that The Girl on the Train was, it still had that signature Paula Hawkins prose we are only just getting acquainted with. My biggest problem was neither plot or pacing--it was the insistent changing of narration that knocked my rating down just a bit. Once I grew used to it, I found the novel to be enjoyable; thrilling, thought provoking and maybe a little bit dangerous. As always, the psychological aspects of this mystery were on fire. You never know who to trust.

Paula Hawkins treats her fanbase to a story of love, loss and the damaging history of the waters in one small town. I enjoyed the elements of mystery and the questioning of deaths. The water has secrets of its own, I'm telling you. If water could talk... I'd certainly listen. Kicking things off with the mysterious element and dark history of the story at the center of things is one narrator we know only briefly--Libby. Her story is, perhaps, the darkest and most compelling. It leaves a mark on you even in the short moments we see the water through her eyes many, many years ago.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas | Rating: ★★★★★

“No one was my master— but I might be master of everything, if I wished. If I dared.”

 You know that feeling you get, not long after you close a good book, and you just have to sit there and bask in the aftermath? Hypothetically speaking, you kind of just sit there with your jaw on the floor, on the verge of rolling around? And it takes you a few hours to sort out whatever it is you are feeling, so you can finally--finally--write a review?

This bloody book did that to me and I'm, personally, considering a proposal to Sarah J. Maas. So here I am, after two and a half hours of sitting on my ass thinking, " Holy shit. I like it. I'm putting a ring on it. " and I'm going to be honest, it's kind of a brilliant feeling? Although, I can't seem to put my thoughts into words on how much I enjoyed A Court of Mist and Fury because in all honesty my biggest way of expressing this book, and my love for it, would have to just be me saying 'HOLY SHIT' in every language conceivable and then probably a dozen undiscovered, complete made up and forgotten ones.

(Quickly followed by the most creepiest addition yet: that old Myspace emoji that used to pop up in comments under 'horny'. Only because of its mischievous quality, I swear.)

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas | Rating: ★★★★★

I have one thing to get off my chest before gathering my thoughts: HOLY CRAP IN A SACK, WHY DID I PROCRASTINATE READING THIS FOR SO BLOODY LONG?! I'm serious. I know, I know, I know I should have listened to you guys ages ago about Sarah J. Maas but I'm stubborn and lazy and well actually mostly just lazy. All that matters is I got here--right? Just say yes.

Phew.

To say that A Court of Thorns and Roses was a wildly entertaining ride would be an absolute injustice to it. Because it was so much more than just fun and consistently captivating. I haven't had something literature related fuck-me-up so badly in ages (that's a lie but it's mostly not a lie if you close your eyes) but here we are. Sarah J. Maas, will you at least do me a solid and take me to dinner before screwing my emotions like this, mate? No? Fair.

Real talk: the hype surrounding this book, this series, is not unfounded. It's just brilliant in terms of magic and engrossing plots as well as seriously lovable (and hate-able) characters. Swooning over how perfect (I actually purred while typing perfect, if you need to mock something) Feyre is.

The End of Everything by Megan Abbott | Rating: ★★★★★

...like all that you are is the wanting, and the rest of you just burns away?

If there's only one thing to be said about an author like Megan Abbott, it should be this: she breathes life into her words and the characters only grow from there. She understand the complexities of being a young girl or woman--she just knows how the tone of life is for us. More than this, she is able to speak to parts of us that are often ignored in literature; teasing us with that ounce of fiction mixed in with what connects us to the characters. The End of Everything is just the same, a story of girlhood and the possible loss of innocence.

There's a dreamy quality to it that bridges the characters thoughts (both realistic and not) to our own way of processing things. As usual, the flow of it is vivid and velvety smooth, exactly what literature is meant to be. It is thought provoking and compelling, tying us to the pages of the bigger mysteries we see unraveling. I've always felt that Abbott understands things about what a reader finds captivating better than her peers and even in some of her weaker releases, this much is clear.

Some Kind of Perfect by Krista & Becca Ritchie | Rating: ★★★★★  

We speak of moving mountains, but sometimes people can completely rotate the world, just so someone else can land upright on their feet.

Every once and a while it is our pleasure as readers to find a series we feel so connected to. We live in the pages of these stories and watch as the characters move through their own lives; growing, growing, growing, until we have to say goodbye. Upon completing the series we know we can return at any time but still, somehow, feels like we've said goodbye to our very best friend. Krista and Becca Ritchie have created this within the characters we meet in Addicted and Calloway Sisters. I feel as though I've spent my 20s living side by side with Lily, Rose, Daisy, Lo, Connor and Ryke. In a lot of ways I have--and that isn't a feeling I thought I could have replicated beyond Harry Potter.

In the finale of a wonderful series, Some Kind of Perfect is a delight to start from finish. At first, I was concerned about the concept of an epilogue novel but there's something about Ritchie Squared and the way they develop their characters. It's a breath of fresh air in romance/new adult novels and their novels are truly one of a kind. They've set the bar high for other releases that are to come. And this isn't the first time I've said it, but they write their characters so beautifully it's impossible to not think of them as friends by the end of their stories.

Long Way Down by Krista & Becca Ritchie | Rating: ★★★★★  

“I am the biographer of my own life. And no one can take that away from me.” 

Since the day we were introduced to both Daisy and Ryke I have been waiting for them to get their own happily ever after. Since the day they got together. All the way to Long Way Down, I've been waiting patiently for luck to be on their side. So much of this time has been spent getting to know them as individuals, as a couple. If there were a pair of fictional characters so deserving of greatness it's them. All the way down the path to their destiny, it's been a pleasure watching them grow and seeing them navigate a sticky world.

One of the things that strikes me most about Long Way Down is that there are so many times that you just want to cry your eyes out. At good things. At bad things. Krista and Becca Ritchie have accomplished so much with their words throughout the course of Addicted and Calloway Sisters but their greatest feat, their biggest triumph, is how they tackle the complexities of life and human emotions. Every character we've met has struggled in different ways and their approach has always been honest in displaying various coping mechanisms.

Fuel the Fire by Krista & Becca Ritchie | Rating: ★★★★★ 

“I’m attracted to people. To the words they speak, to the actions they take, to their full-bodied mannerisms and soulful gaits. I am attracted to people. To impassioned hearts that beat out of sync, the ones that skip a measure, heard in hushed places and violent spaces—I am attracted to people.” 

Fuel the Fire is one of those novels that proves just how much of a punch our words can offer. Krista & Becca Ritchie really, really know how to get captivate us all and it continues to amaze me how underrated they are. How much they manage to intrigue me with every novel. It's no shock that this one would be one of my favourites of the entire series run--Connor Cobalt is my favourite of all the males. And yes, I'll probably regret saying that and change my mind because picking a favourite out of the core six is like...

Well, we won't get into that. It's just difficult. But Fuel the Fire made me love him even more which is not something I thought possible at this point. I loved the new set of challenges that Connor and Rose face (at the same time, back-off of my kids!) and how they handle it, as always, is with a determination and grace I aspire towards. As always: fire follows the two as they grow their family and embark on a future in the most Connor and Rose way possible.

Addicted After All by Krista & Becca Ritchie | Rating: ★★★★★ 

There’s something about Lily that makes all the terrible parts of me seem irrelevant. That makes a bad day momentary and a good one infinite. It’s love like this that’s worth living for.

I'm not crying you're crying. In the conclusion to Lily and Lo's series--this isn't goodbye, yet, thank fuck--Addicted After All takes us to an all time high of emotions. Krista and Becca Ritchie really have that way about things, don't they? To make you feel all the feels. Every. Last. One. Of. Them. It goes without saying, to all the fans out there, that this installment is no different--you'll love, you'll sigh, you'll laugh, you'll cry. All you can ask for in literature is a book that makes you come to life with it and Addicted After All is one of those books.

This series is just genuinely my favourite and I can't even imagine my life without it at this point. Shout out to Sue over at Hollywood News Source for posting about this series on a near constant basis over on Tumblr because without her, I would have never discovered this beautifully honest series--and where the fuck would I be, right?

Seeing Lily and Lo's progress... all of their highs and lows, has been one of my favourite reading experiences over the years.

Thrive by Krista & Becca Ritchie | Rating: ★★★★★  

It is bigger than an I love you. It is a declaration that solidifies what I’ve known for so long. We aren’t connected by our addictions. But by our childhood. Souls fused together from the very, very start.

Do you ever read a book and wonder--for a moment, after you put it down and absorb everything--how did I go so long without knowing these characters? Page after page, the further I dive into the lives of the characters, I can't help but to love each one of them. Krista and Becca Ritchie captivate me with their words and their character development in a way that is so hard to describe because it just touches something inside me. For as long as I live, these stories will mean the world to me and Thrive is a reminder.

How can I describe Thrive? It's a whirlwind of every damn thing you'd expect from this dynamic duo. Thrive, like the entire world its set within, is like nothing I've ever read before in NA. Everything about this novel is beautiful and emotionally gripping, it is something that takes you by your collar and says listen. What I can't stress enough is how intelligent and truthful the path is. One of the most important things to know about this series is that it's beautifully written and filled with so much heart and soul, you'll be left feeling like you've discovered a new friend. I couldn't stop highlighting Thrive and found myself scoffing again at the fact that I didn't purchase a physical copy.

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur | Rating: ★★★★★

As a note, Social Book CO provided a copy of this novel for review purposes. This does not effect my opinions in any way. 

Where to begin, where to begin, where to begin? Oh, bother. I feel like I have to stress that Amanda's thoughts on this novel is the exact feeling I possessed upon finishing it: if you are to read only one collection of poetry in your entire life, make it Milk and Honey. Rupi Kaur captures the essence of life in such a breathtaking way, you literally feel it in each line of her prose. One of the first thoughts that comes to mind when looking back is that it's such an intimate look into her soul, you can't help but to pause and say wow.

Milk and Honey is a raw, honest-to-its-core journey of life. Kaur casts a spell on her readers with an ease that isn't often accomplished at any age. There are four parts to the collection and each part is better than the last. Just when you think her writing couldn't get anymore honest or captivating, it draws you back in and you quite frankly lose your breath. It reminds us why we read  and write poetry. It's a promise of what brilliance is to come. It's exactly the kind of poetry you'll feel connected to in an instant--be sure to keep tissues and tabs on hand, because there are so many standout moments in the collection that will require it.

The Girls by Emma Cline | Rating: ★★★★★

That was our mistake, I think. One of many mistakes. To believe that boys were acting with a logic that we could someday understand. To believe that their actions had any meaning beyond thoughtless impulse. We were like conspiracy theorists, seeing portent and intention in every detail, wishing desperately that we mattered enough to be the object of planning and speculation. But they were just boys. Silly and young and straightforward; they weren't hiding anything.

You know that feeling when you've read a book and you're completely engulfed in it, you don't notice the passage of time? There could be a literal storm pouring outside and you would barely notice it, because you couldn't stop flipping the pages. Someone could walk past you, playing the theme to Star Wars on a tuba, while wearing a tie-dyed gnome costume with reindeer antlers firmly on their head and you wouldn't have the slightest idea because, holy shit, I can't put this book down!? I know you guys know what I'm talking about and The Girls is that book for me.

Impossible to put down. Excellent pace. Phenomenal writing. Complex characters. Thrills. Quotable to the highest degree. A quality I noticed about The Girls right away was that it was otherworldly. It takes your breath away. Something about it causes your heart to speed up and down and go all over the place in the most deliciously maddening of ways. It can chill you to the bone just as much as it could warm you up. The Girls is haunting, it is everything. It is familiar and incredibly put together.

Hothouse Flower by Krista & Becca Ritchie | Rating: ★★★★★

“You’re a hothouse flower,” I tell her. “You can’t grow under natural conditions. You need adventure. And security and love in order to stay alive.”

Is anyone completely addicted to Addicted and The Calloway Sisters? It's relatively new territory to me because I find it so difficult to get attached to most new adult releases. I guess it's something of a rule for me but if one series were to be the biggest exception, it's Addicted. I can't remember the last time I was so attached to the characters and their mental health and relationships, but I'm very invested in how things end up for all the characters we meet.

There’s something about Krista and Becca Ritchie’s world of characters that draws you in from the get-go. Perhaps this is because, unlike a lot of novels in its genre, the characters are fully fleshed out and flawed to high degree but still remain as something to be admired. In Hothouse Flower, the second of The Calloway Sisters spin-off series, we follow the lives of fan-favorites Daisy Calloway and Ryke Meadows; their feelings for one another is at the forefront of the plotline as these two wild cards remain entangled in the lives of Lily, Lo, Connor and Rose. Elements of love, addiction, mental illness, pregnancy, family and risk fill the pages in a way that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko by Scott Stambach | Rating: ★★★★★

Holy shit. Holy. Shit. You. Guys. Where do I begin to describe this gem? Breathtaking? Smart? Moving? Dark? As compelling as it is exquisite? A modern literature masterpiece? A total god damned triumph? Shall I continue, or do you lot get the idea? I may be a bit over the top right now but I can't put into words how much I adored this novel and how unexpectedly delightful it was to read it. Do you know that feeling you get, within the first few chapters of a book, where you're like "This is it, man. This book is it!"

Something about it just draws you in from the start. Be it the prose, the atmosphere, and anything really, that is what it's like to read The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko. Scott Stambach paints a beautiful and rich story for readers to surround themselves in and by the end of it, leaves us all feeling incredibly moved. Beautiful crafted and eye opening, there's just something about the novel that will leave you breathless and unable to shake the story in which you've just read.

I loved every moment of it and every page. There's no question that it's one of the best release of 2016 and cannot be missed. I kind of want to hunt down Scott Stambach and high five him? Or maybe throw a pie in his face or something for messing with my emotions. It's hard to tell. Whoa. Okay, sorry. Little off track there. Also, no idea where the throw a pie in his face comment came from. It just felt groovy, I guess?

If you're reading this, Scott, I'd like to formerly apologize.

Addicted for Now by Krista & Becca Ritchie | Rating: ★★★★★

I need you to know that I’m not going anywhere. I’ll always be here when you come home. There will always be an us.

Obligatory start to my review: if you are one of the many who have yet to read any of the novels by sister-duo Krista & Becca Ritchie, get up off your bum and do so, you know, now. I understand your hesitation in reading into a new adult series, given the genres very long standing shaky plots and characters. The thing about the Addicted series is it takes the stereotypes of the genre and throws them out the window. Unlike many stories from this corner of literature, Addicted embraces its flaws and gives us full fledged character growth; plots that are relatable and not.

In other words, it's true to life and carries on with something that is often missing in romance. Addicted is highly underrated and only just getting the attention it deserves thanks to its loyal fan base. Krista & Becca Ritchie are in a league of their own and at this rate, they are bound to carve a space in literature lovers history. Addicted For Now continues us down the path of recovery for Lily Calloway and Loren Hale; bumps along the way in a realistic way, a good support system of friends for the two and one mysterious texter threatening to spill Lily's biggest secret. For our beloved couple, LiLo, the road to recovery was just the beginning--now, they have to fight their addictions and battle it out with an unknown force who threatens to destroy the progress they made while Lo was in rehab and Lily began seeing a therapist.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon | Rating: ★★★★★

"I can bear pain myself," he said softly, "but I couldna bear yours. That would take more strength than I have.”

Diana Gabaldon's wildly popular Outlander series began in 1991 (as old as myself!) with its opener, also titled Outlander, and took us on a delectable tale of time travel, romance and strength. Its loyal fanbase has never wavered in its support towards the now-classic novels, and with that sort of love, curiosity is constantly sparked. Gabaldon is deserving of all the praise and interest and then some, and proves so within the first few chapters of this love story.

Due to renewed popularity through its Starz adaptation in late 2014, Outlander is just as popular as ever and quickly gaining new fans even now in the decades since is original publication. Which is fantastic and every bit of deserving. You see, if you haven't had the chance to pick up Outlander, you should know this: Gabaldon's writing is delicious, thrilling, sexy--captivating to the highest degree, therefore, it is quite easy to see why it is so beloved and continues to stand the test of time.

Its premise is simple: Claire Randall, a nurse from the 1940s, has just settled back into life with her husband after the war. Life seems to be back on the track to becoming ordinary again as the two lovers travel and embrace married life once more after being apart for so long.

Bucky F*cking Dent by David Duchovny | Rating: ★★★★★

Can you, man, find the poetry to keep the sun from rising, like a mountain, blocking its inevitable ascent for a few more moments? Can you, who call yourself a writer, find the words that will have an actual influence on the real and natural world? Magic passwords-shazzam, open sesame, scoddy waddy doo dah–warriors lurking in the Trojan horse of words. The implicit answer to Coleridge’s question was: Hell, no. If the answer were yes, he would never have asked the question. The writer will never make something happen in the real world. In fact, the act of writing may be in itself the final admission that one is powerless in reality. Shit, that would surely suck. 

Bucky F*cking Dent is more than just an attention grabbing title. It is more than just a small novel about life, and its hits and misses. Most importantly, the novel introduces us to David Duchovny, novelist, instead of David Duchovny, actor. You may know David Duchovny from his many iconic roles throughout his career: Fox Mulder (The X-Files), Hank Moody (Californication) or currently Sam Hodiak (Aquarius) or the like. Or you may only know him in passing from his prolific career.

But what many people don't realize is that Duchovny is a skilled writer--a talent that is often unacknowledged.

The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth | Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.7)

As a note, a printed galley of this novel was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

The first thing you should know about The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth is that it’s heartbreaking and full of raw honesty that it will touch something in your soul. Shockingly, it is so much more than that. It’s warm. It’s uplifting. It’s got such heart. I mean that–you’re going to feel so much while reading this that I cannot even capture all these thoughts into one review.

Yes, it’s that good. It’s impossibly good.

And at times it is very, very difficult to read it due to the turmoil which comes with subject matters. There’s a balance to it that makes it work, though. The Things We Keep is not going to be for everyone but its honesty and sheer magic in the way its written. It has already earned a lot of buzz for its touchy subject, all sorts of human emotion and has also garnered a comparison to Still Alice.

As I’ve only read about a quarter of the way through in Still Alice (not because it isn’t good), I can’t say that the two should be compared. I will say that Sally Hepworth knows what she is doing in crafting this story.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates | Rating: ★★★★★

“You must resist the common urge toward the comforting narrative of divine law, toward fairy tales that imply some irrepressible justice. The enslaved were not bricks in your road, and their lives were not chapters in your redemptive history. They were people turned to fuel for the American machine. Enslavement was not destined to end, and it is wrong to claim our present circumstance—no matter how improved—as the redemption for the lives of people who never asked for the posthumous, untouchable glory of dying for their children. Our triumphs can never compensate for this.”

As a note, a printed galley of this novel was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

Ta-Nehisi Coates has been on my radar for a long time and Between the World and Me was easily one of my most anticipated books of 2015. But who wasn’t waiting for this one? I was so beyond thrilled to see a galley reach my mailbox of it and I was so hyped to start it.

And between you and me, readers, it was all worth it.

If there’s one book you want to buy this year, only one based on reviews and praise, make it Between the World and Me. There are a lot of reasons why this book is so  important in the talk on status of race and the racism which still exists today. Coates puts all of this into words that are full of raw emotion and truths. It's not a simple assessment, but describing it is simply put by saying "this book, this--this is necessary."