If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich

The cover is purple...which is my favorite color....
Yes I'm here for the trope. (the gays guys in the band)
THERE'S A SUPER CATHOLIC ONE....now I hope he's not obnoxious
Am I thinking of Taylor Swift and her concerts and the color changing bracelets and the moving sets...yes....I love her. 
Alexa play "Turn It Off"
"Once you've learned shame, it settles into your skin like a tattoo"
*snorts because John (spelling) is reading the Wheel of Time
Rueben to Zack: 

Also excuse me I did not come here to be attacked with the problematic mother...and the need to please everybody and put everyone's happiness and wants ahead of one's own. 
And now I'm thinking of 1D and BTS...
416 Pages

Monstrous Design by Kat Dunn

Do I continue to see all the French revolution media references...yes...
I liked Edward. He was cool.
It felt less cohesive because the squad was split up and they weren't all like....going after one goal. 
432 Pages

Kingdom of Ash

 

Kingdom of Ash

By Sarah J. Maas

Pages: 989

"As the threads of fate weave together at last, all must fight, if they are to have a chance at a future. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever in the explosive final chapter of the Throne of Glass series."

Explosive ending indeed. This series was absolutely amazing. Its hard to give it a review now since there were soo many twists and reveals that make the last book vastly different from the first one. You can really see how the authors writing skills grew as she wrote this series. The end of this book both broke my heart and filled it to the brim at the same time. Get ready for an emotional roller coaster as all the ends meet, characters finish their story arcs, and kingdoms start to build anew.

XOXO by Axie Oh

Summary: "Cello prodigy Jenny has one goal: to get into a prestigious music conservatory. When she meets mysterious, handsome Jaewoo in her uncle’s Los Angeles karaoke bar, it’s clear he’s the kind of boy who would uproot her careful plans. But in a moment of spontaneity, she allows him to pull her out of her comfort zone for one unforgettable night of adventure…"

Bae Jaewoo is just that...BAE.

Also, I would like this book to be 200 more pages of Jaewoo and Nathaniel please.

337 pages

goodreads | MOBIUS

So This Is Ever After by F.T. Lukens

When they describe the squad like you'd describe a D&D group. 
I love how the story starts at an end...The group has already gathered and gone on a quest. And now they have to like....live with it.
I love the characters...they're just great.
Am I also here for the cover...yes.
Everyone's a disaster and we live for the chaos. 
Stupid clueless blind love-birds. Matt is too pure for this world... So is Arek...both the lovelies. 
352 Pages

The Bright and the Pale by Jessica Rubinkowski

Alik is cool. We like him.
Do I love the cover. Yes.
Ok...but the fantasy element....and how the magic works....Cool.
Hey look...Racism...
352 Pages

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

Summary: "The full inside story of the breathtaking rise and shocking collapse of a multibillion-dollar startup, by the prize-winning journalist who first broke the story and pursued it to the end in the face of pressure and threats from the CEO and her lawyers.

In 2014, Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes was widely seen as the female Steve Jobs: a brilliant Stanford dropout whose startup "unicorn" promised to revolutionize the medical industry with a machine that would make blood tests significantly faster and easier. Backed by investors such as Larry Ellison and Tim Draper, Theranos sold shares in a fundraising round that valued the company at $9 billion, putting Holmes's worth at an estimated $4.7 billion. There was just one problem: The technology didn't work."

What a wild ride that my brain is still trying to comprehend. Like, HOW did this happen??? And why??? Who does that???

Amanda Seyfried deserves an Emmy for her performance in The Dropout. She is superb.

339 pages

goodreads | MOBIUS

The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart

SCREECHES BECAUSE MY SHIP
Also my cat-dragon's learning sarcasm. I love them. 
592 Pages

Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson

So it's like... You've Got Mail, writers edition
Living out my dream of being an editor/writer and having the person I love communicate through notes on my manuscript.
The dig at Branson...is not wrong...If I only I could find the tiktok that says Branson is if Cracker Barrell was a city. 
320 Pages

Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood

It's a Jane Eyre retelling/reimagining, but it's not. And I love Jane Eyre. It's not a line-by-line retelling, and kind of focuses more on the vibes of Jane Eyre--spooky house, awkward man with secrets...some excellent quotes.
Magnus is great.
336 Pages

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Did Taylor Swift send me here....yes. 
I have a very specific way I want this story to go, and if it doesn't go that way, I don't know if I'll ever be happy again. 
So like....the last like...paragraph ruined me, and I don't know how to handle it....Is it because I love Tate and because he's precious...yes.
400 Pages

Muse by Brittany Cavallaro

It's an alternate history where America is a monarchy and the country isn't divided into the states as we know them.
And there's fantasy that might be science....
I loved that we got to see historical figures, and the scientists. 
Remy's cool. 
368 Pages

March Reads Tim Emmel

1920: The Year that Made the Decade Roar by Eric Burns (400 pages)

Interesting look at the year of 1920 and how the people and events contained within would go on to shape the coming course of America. A fast paced jaunt around the country, everything from Charles Ponzi to The Wall Street bombing, shows how history can be made and the future impacted in just 365 days.

Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America by Eric Jay Dolin (464 pages)

A look at the history of America and the hunting, trapping, and selling of furs. From the epic highs of huge profits to the staggering lows of nearly wiping several species off the face of the earth, this book does a good job of showing what impact man can have on nature.

It's Better to Be Feared: The New England Patriots Dynasty and the Pursuit of Greatness by Seth Wickersham (528 pages)

A fascinating look at the 20 year career of Tom Brady, Bill Belicheck, and Robert Kraft and the changes the made not only to the New England Patriots but to the NFL itself. An in depth look at one of the greatest dynasties in sports.

Off the Edge: Flat Earthers, Conspiracy Culture, and Why People Will Believe Anything by Kelly Weill (256 pages) 

A scary look into the history of “Flat Earth,” believers. This book shows how from a small group of believers in England became today’s YouTube “experts.” An interesting tale of how a conspiracy theory can never really die.

Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990s New York Knicks by Chris Herring (368 pages)

A hard hitting, no punches pulled look at the 90’s New York Knicks. This book is great for anyone who grew up watching basketball and hating those Knick teams for their “rugged” (or boring) play

Message Not Found by Dante Medema

I liked watching the development of the app and how it evolved with more information.
When you see yourself in both people in the friendship....oof. 
The high school shrines and the hatred of them...
It's the Bob Ross references for me.
Can we just...protect Bailey, Mason, and Spencer....
We're just getting hit with all of the feels
Also do I keep thinking of Folklore and Evermore because this book also references quarantine...yes.. "incandescent"
400 Pages

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone

The names they have for each other as the story progresses, and how the letters become bolder. 
There's time travel, and rivals to lovers. Excellent
224 Pages

Tales from the Hinterland by Melissa Albert

So it's like....a Grimm's Fairy Tales
I wish I had read this closer to when I read the series because then I would like...really catch the references.
240 Pages

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

So it's a Sleeping Beauty retelling, and stuff, but like...
It was ok. 
336 Pages

Tower of Dawn

 Tower of Dawn

By Sarah J. Maas

Pages: 668

"Chaol Westfall has always defined himself by his unwavering loyalty, his strength, and his position as the Captain of the Guard. But all of that has changed since the glass castle shattered, since his men were slaughtered, since the King of Adarlan spared him from a killing blow, but left his body broken.His only shot at recovery lies with the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme in Antica-the stronghold of the southern continent's mighty empire. And with war looming over Dorian and Aelin back home, their survival might lie with Chaol and Nesryn convincing its rulers to ally with them.But what they discover in Antica will change them both-and be more vital to saving Erilea than they could have imagined."

I honestly was slightly dreading reading this book since it takes a break from the main plot and the last book left off on such a cliffhanger but I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed it. There were still major revelations that will affect the main storyline and I fell for the new character that is introduced and links back to our current party. Even better is I now to get to read the final novel in this series!

War of Two Queens by Jennifer L Armentrout

The Kieran appreciation grows.
The fricking drakens. Like. Love it. 
Also the Delano love. Excellent. 
Also the dual perspectives is just. What I always want. 
I really want to get on my soap box about psychological issues and how like...you don't realize that a relationship is problematic until you see something different than what you received. 
Isabeth just brings me....all of the rage....
I just wanna talk about Cas.
*mentions wisteria-- Alexa play Taylor Swift's "The Lakes"
Cas:

 just iconic.

So there's a Kieran, Poppy, and Cas... cough....I'm just gonna say it's nsfw...I mean there are other parts of the book that is nsfw, but anyway.

Unrelated, and totes safe for work:

Now I'm just going to sit and wait for the next book in either series... it's fine. 

654 Pages

Empire of Storms

 Empire of Storms

By Sarah J. Maas

Pages: 704

"The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius as war looms on the horizon. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don't. With her heart sworn to the warrior-prince by her side, and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past, and dark forces become poised to claim her world, the only chance for salvation will lie in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear."

I had to stop and sit for a while after I finished this book just to process the ending. It is hard to write a review on this one without spoiling so many things that happened as our characters converge at last only to them to rip my heart out as they separate again. I cannot wait to see how the story picks up, but apparently the author decided to take a break from this story line to follow Chaol and so I have to wait an entire book to get any sort of closure!!!

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

It's fluffy and it has all the fanfic vibes.
Also. We love great representation of mental illness. Especially the physical symptoms of depression and anxiety/panic attacks, and how it just generally make life difficult. The talking about the stigma around mental illness, in the workplace and in social settings.  
People caring about other people's mental health and just being supportive of it is my favorite. I'm just gonna go cry and think about my friends. 
Also the ace and demi rep is just. My favorite. 
I wish we would have had more of Charlie's backstory, because I love angst, but also like. I love him because he's awkward and adorable and trying his best. 
368 Pages

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

It's the Greek retelling(ish) with magic and witches for me. 
And the inheriting a relatives house in upstate New York and having a witchy garden, and growing poisons.
Do the glasses make me think of Mirabel....yes
384 Pages