The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri

So like....it was ok...like... I don't know if the book is my style.
512 Pages

Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams

ARC Publication Date: May 2, 2023
Like...look at this cover. Flower shop AU and there's a guy with tattoos.
Also it's in the same universe as When in Rome... sfjkdllfjkldssfjkld
I have so many screeching like Hei Hei from Moana moments
Also I was attacked...multiple times..... I was in the photo....

The humor in this book was amazing... I just... cackled so much. It's just. The most chef's kisses.
Also so many gifs of the heavy breathing cat.
Will: 

THERE'S A BEE?!
We love Amelia. So much. And Noah. Because he know-uhs.
352 Pages

TS Song: Gorgeous 

The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest

ARC Publication Date February 28, 2023
Ok but like.... it's cute. I just wanna protect.
When one of your favorite authors turns into your mysterious pen-pal  and then turns out to be your neighbor.
Also Edith is a Karen.
Not me taking notes of the books they name drop.
Also it's set in New York and in publishing, and she just wants to be an editor for diverse children's books and he's a writer.
Also I live for like...when characters see someone being awkward and anxious and they don't try to change them.
416 Pages

Sorry, Bro by Taleen Voskuni

 

Pages: 351

"When Nar’s odar (non-Armenian) boyfriend gets down on one knee and proposes to her in front of a room full of drunk San Francisco tech boys, she realizes it’s time to find someone who shares her idea of romance. Enter Mom. Armed with plenty of mom guilt and an actual spreadsheet of Facebook-stalked Armenian men (complete with their height and weight), Mom convinces Nar to attend Explore Armenia, a month-long series of events in the city. But it’s not the mom-approved playboy doctor or bro-slinging engineer that catches her eye at the very first gathering—it’s Erebuni, a woman as equally immersed in the witchy arts as she is in preserving Armenian identity. Erebuni helps Nar see the beauty of their shared culture, and makes her feel understood in a way she never has before. But there’s one teeny problem: Nar’s not exactly out as bisexual. Her mom doesn’t even want her wearing flats, how would she feel about Nar bringing home a woman? The clock is ticking on Nar’s double life, though—the closing Explore Armenia banquet is coming up, and her entire extended family will be there, along with Erebuni. But Nar is determined to be brave, determined to claim her happiness: proudly Armenian, proudly bisexual, and proudly herself for the first time in her life." 

The beginning of this book was strong. Following Nar as she navigates her job, an unexpected proposal, and now the pressure from her family to find a good Armenian man. I was a little surprised that this was ladled as a RomCom style as there was a little too much tension that overshadowed the light-hearted moments. The ending conflict was resolved a little too easily in my opinion as well. Other than that, it was a fun romance that includes some cool looks into Armenian culture. The food descriptions kept making me hungry!

The Rose and the Dagger by Renée Ahdieh

 

Pages: 420

"In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad is forced from the arms of her beloved husband, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once thought Khalid a monster—a merciless killer of wives, responsible for immeasurable heartache and pain—but as she unraveled his secrets, she found instead an extraordinary man and a love she could not deny. Still, a curse threatens to keep Shazi and Khalid apart forever. Now she’s reunited with her family, who have found refuge in the desert, where a deadly force is gathering against Khalid—a force set on destroying his empire and commanded by Shazi’s spurned childhood sweetheart. Trapped between loyalties to those she loves, the only thing Shazi can do is act. Using the burgeoning magic within her as a guide, she strikes out on her own to end both this terrible curse and the brewing war once and for all. But to do it, she must evade enemies of her own to stay alive."

I am happy and upset at the same time with this ending. I loved how we got some more of the magic than the first book and how it was woven in to the story. Though now I am crying for Irsa, she deserved a happy ending. I wished we had more interactions between the main pairing as I loved their chemistry but this second half of the duology was more focused on the curse and near war.

Immortality: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz

ARC Publication Date: February 28, 2023
IT'S THE SEQUEL TO ANATOMY. SFJKDLSFDJKLSD;JKL
Where's my boy...pleeeeeeeeeeease. Please give me more Jack.
Hi Dana I would like more content please. I want more Jack....please. A short story. A novella. A newspaper article
374 Pages

Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho

It's so fluffy. 
It's childhood friends, and friend becomes a kpop star.
Y'all the high school drama is so big....Were my feelings that big...
338 Pages

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

Ok but like....it's in Victorian England, there's magic, and pirates flying houses.
The cover is so pretty.
I love pirates. I love them so much.
Also when the MC is like....I did nothing for the plot and is self-aware and knows that she's Indiana Jones...
324 Pages

Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare

......Parts of the book were kind of underwhelming for me... And maybe it's because I didn't do a re-read, but also like....Some of the writing was repetitive and cringe-y and not in a fun way.
I feel like the characters deserved better... like... Especially Matthew and Christopher...And Jesse...And Cordelia...and James...and Grace...like....everyone deserved better.
I love Alastair. So much....
Oscar. The hero we didn't deserve, but we needed.
Sometimes I really want to hurt CClare...For reasons which I will not be expressing in this review....
I don't care why they say the family tree is misleading, I just want the right one. So now I have to go stalk people on TikTok to see if someone did the research or if I have to do it myself.
800 Pages

Revelle by Lyssa Mia Smith

This was an ARC but I didn't finish it before it was published.
fklds;;sfkldjklsfdsfjkldjksfldsfjkldsfjkdjklsfdsfjkld
That's literally all I have to say. I'm dead.
It's Moulin Rouge, but in Prohibition Era, and there's magic, and it's like...Coney Island, but not...
Chef's. Kiss. I love it
464 Pages

TS: Mirrorball, Bejeweled, Mastermind--but in a villain way.

The Wrath & the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

 

Pages: 404

"Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi’s wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.

She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all." 

I love the blend of Arabian nights stories. A story of revenge turns into an intriguing romance with 'touch her and die' vibes. I love Shazi and how she is always putting people in their place, even if it gets her in trouble. And now a secret curse that would shed a new light on the heinous crimes of the boy-king is leading into the second book and leaving off on a cliff-hanger!

These Infinite Threads by Tahereh Mafi

Tahereh don't do this to me... Please. Not again.
WHO AM I SUPPOSED TO SHIP FJKDSA;JKLSDA
Ok but Alizeh and bread. Iconic. love to see it. We stan.
Cyrus to Alizeh: If Alizeh was Rosa and Cyrus was Captain Holt:

Cyrus Cyrus Cyrus.... Do I see Aaron Warner in you...But also istg if Kamran is Adam... I will riot. My boy is traumatized and he's doing his best. And he has to deal with the stupid dress lady that I continue to despise.
There are dragons. Also we get more backstory.
Once again, I am:

416 Pages

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi

I said it before, and I'll say it again. The. Cinderella. vibes.
Oh and there are dragons at the end. btw.
It's got the same vibes as the Wrath and the Dawn, which as we all know...is one of my favorites.
528 Pages

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

Me realizing that my internal image of Oak was WRONG.
Also like...you can't tell me Cardan hasn't rubbed off on him...like...
*has to wait a year for the next book in the duology...
374 Pages

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

Ok but this book was so funny. Just. like... sfjkdl
The OCD rep. I just loved the characters...like...the level of teenage.
336 Pages

TS: ...I automatically think Lover because this title.

A Wilderness of Stars by Shea Ernshaw

I was kind of bored with most of the book, until like...we met Noah.
The concept was interesting, but it wasn't really holding my attention.
But also, I was going to throw hands about the ending.
I think part of the problem was that the author was trying to keep mystery in the story by having the narrator hold back information, but for me it made it slightly less engaging.
400 Pages

Dark of the West by Joanna Hathaway

So like... the World War vibes. And the Top Gun vibes. And the Romeo and Juliet vibes. I just... I can't.
I'm gonna go....obsess over the rest of the series. It might become my personality.
Y'all know I love airplanes
The prologue has me v stressed.
Also I'm very afraid for Goose character.
496 Pages

Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson

LOOK AT MY BABIES
fdjkslafjkldsasfdjkasfjidsfjkld
sfdjkasfjkdajhksfdsfjkdasfjkda
MY SHIPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
Ok but now I need another book. You can't just....
I love Silas. I love him so much. Literally the last chapter.
192 Pages

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

It's the re-read so I can appreciate the novella.
sfdjkjhksfdasgjkdsfdjk
I forgot how much I love these characters.
All the heart eyes at Nathaniel and Silas...
The sass. The humor.
It's chef's kiss. I'm gonna go collapse and die from how much I love it.
456 Pages

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace

 

Pages: 416

"Nineteen-year-old Signa Farrow, orphaned as a baby, has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her last remaining relatives are the Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at the glittering and gloomy estate of Thorn Grove. Thorn Grove’s patriarch, Elijah, mourns his late wife, Lillian, through wild parties and drink, while eldest son Percy grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation and daughter Blythe suffers from the same mysterious illness that killed her mother. And when Lillian’s spirit confronts Signa and claims she was poisoned, Signa realizes that Blythe could be next to die.

Signa’s best chance of uncovering the culprit and solving Lillian’s murder is an alliance with Death himself—the very man she hates most. And Death, that fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side, shows her that their connection may be more powerful than she ever dared imagine."

I was initially drawn to this one for the cover. The first edition hardback is gorgeous and I need to find one;

I really enjoyed Signa discovering society life is not what she thought it was while at the same time trying to solve a mystery. I could not have predicted the ending and the Gothic vibes were amazing. Who doesn't want a murder mystery in a haunted mansion, being assisted by Death himself! I am now obsessed and want the next book to come out.