Karen M. McManus // Book Ranking

Hi Friends,
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you know that Karen M. McManus is on of my favorite YA thriller authors. Well, I have read all her releases thus far and wanted to do a ranking of them. Keep in mind that this is just my personal ranking of her books.


Related Post: You’ll Be The Death Of Me // Book Review


Related Post: The Cousins // Book Review


Related Post: One Of Us Is Next // Book Review


Related Post: One Of Us Is Lying // Book Review


Related Post: Two Can Keep A Secret // Book Review



There you have my ranking of all Karen M. McManus books from my number one favorite to least favorite. But, as I mentioned early this is my own personal opinion and might not be everyone’s ranking. To read more posts like this one follow my blog to get post notifications.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Live Your Best Lie | Book Review

About The Book
Influencer Summer Cartwright appears to be living the dream with fame, fashion, and a book deal. But when she disappears at her Halloween party and a post claims she’ll be dead in minutes, those closest to her know it’s no stunt. After finding her body, they’re forced to face the unsettling truths they’ve been hiding.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/4eCADOK

My Rating


I was hoping that this would be a good, suspenseful young adult thriller. Unfortunately, from the first chapter, I could tell that this book probably wasn’t going to be for me. It reads very YA, which, to be fair, makes sense for a young adult book.

I went into this expecting the same vibes as a Karen M. McManus or Holly Jackson novel, but by the end, my feelings were more in line with how I feel about Jessica Goodman’s books. They aren’t bad, but they’re very one-dimensional. We follow stereotypical teenagers, and most of them live a Gossip Girl type of life.

In this book, Summer Cartwright, a teen influencer, dies on Halloween night. But someone is still posting on Summer’s Instagram, and they want to make it known that her death was no accident. We have the usual suspects: the ex-boyfriend, the best friend, the wannabe, and the frenemy.

“Is your teen safe engaging with social media? And darker still, how far would they go to find fame on the internet? ”

Honestly, this book was a basic thriller, but in the best way possible. I couldn’t put it down, and that really speaks to the author’s writing. Although the story wasn’t particularly compelling, I still couldn’t stop reading. So, I’d say that makes this a pretty solid and easy read.

The ending wasn’t shocking, because you can kind of see it coming. I felt there needed to be one or two more twists to make the book stand out. Unfortunately, I wanted more from the plot—something to set it apart from other thrillers I’ve read.

Overall, for a debut novel, it is pretty good. The YA thriller genre is saturated and still growing, so you really need a plot that stands out. Although this book probably won’t have a lasting impact on me, but I can see myself reading more from this author. The plot and characters weren’t my favorite, but I’m excited to see what they release in the future.

In the comments, let me know if you’ve read this book. If you like this post, please give it a share, and don’t forget to follow my blog to get notified whenever there’s a new post.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Back To School | Book Recommendations

Hi Friends,
I can’t believe it’s already back-to-school season! The months have flown by so quickly, but I’m excited for fall. I know some of you might not be thrilled about school starting again, so I thought I’d share some book recommendations to help you get into the back-to-school spirit.

Matilda by Roald Dahl
This middle-grade novel is a quick read about a young girl with a tough home life. Matilda loves to read and is excited about going to school for the first time. I enjoyed both the book and its movie adaptation.

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
This book is packed with drama, friendships, and a murder mystery. It starts right at the beginning of a new school year, and it’s a fast-paced read that keeps you hooked.
Related Post: One Of Us Is Lying | Book Review

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
This YA mystery kicks off a series about a teenage girl who loves true crime and attends a boarding school where a murder takes place. I didn’t love it, but if you enjoy boarding school settings, it’s worth a read, especially in the fall.

The Ivies by Alexa Donne
Another YA mystery thriller, this book is set in a boarding school and revolves around students aiming for Ivy League colleges, with a murder thrown into the mix. It wasn’t my favorite, but it fits the back-to-school theme.
Related Post: The Ivies | Book Review

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
This contemporary YA novel is great for starting the school year, especially if you’re figuring things out about yourself. The main character has a supportive family and friends but still struggles with his identity. The book has a fantastic ending and a movie adaptation worth watching.

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
I haven’t read this one yet, but it’s a dark academia novel involving a secret society and magic. It sounds like a good pick if you’re into fantasy elements.

There you go—some book recommendations for back-to-school reading. If you have an Everand subscription, some of these books are available there. If you want to try out the service, you can use my link (click here) for a free trial. Check out my Amazon Storefront page for all the titles mentioned here. Don’t forget to click follow so you never miss a post!

“Do I Have That Book” Challenge!

Hi Friends,
I thought that for day 9 of Bookmas it would be fun to do the ‘Do I Have That Book Challenge.’ This is a popular YouTube tag and I believe originally you were supposed to set a 60 second timer and try to find a book on your shelf that fit the question. However, I’m doing a book blogger take on the tag by eliminating the timer aspect.


Like most readers I’m not a fan of deckled edges, but my edition of ‘Speak’ by Laurie Halse Anderson does happen to have deckled edges. Funny, enough I instantly knew this book had them and I got this copy years ago. Probably when I first started becoming a reader.


I had a few books I could have choose for this and I went with an unlikely choice. This book has three silhouettes on the cover, but I’m still counting them as three people. Also, who doesn’t love the Sanderson sisters? And, just a quick note the sequel in this book isn’t anything like Disney+ ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ film.


Yep. ‘Geekerella’ is a Cinderella retelling. Honestly, this series of companion novels weren’t my favorite, but I enjoyed this book. It was a fun twist on the Cinderella story and the romance was really cute.


It took me a while to find a book with exactly ten letters in the title, but I ended up finding ‘Splintered’ by by A.G. Howard. This is the first book in an ‘Alice In Wonderland’ retelling series. This series is very old and use to be talked about a lot in the book community. I have yet to start it, but hop to pick it up relatively soon.


This was surprisingly easy to find, ‘Two Can Keep A Secret’ by Karen M. McManus starts and ends with the letter T. This is a YA thriller that I didn’t love, still it works for this prompt so I’m happy.


I only have one ‘The Time Keeper’ by Mitch Albom. I don’t know why I have this book, yet I can only assume it is because I read a lot of his books early on in my reading journey. Have I read this book. Nope. Do I know what it’s about. Nope.


Mary Poppins‘ by P.L. Travers! The authors actual name is Pamela Lyndon Travers. I have a few other books by authors using a pen name but this was the first one that came to mind.


Anna and the French Kiss‘ by Stephanie Perkins, which happens to be one of the first YA contemporary trilogy, of sorts, that I read. It is such a cute YA romance set in France. I still love this book even though I haven’t read it in years. Maybe, a reread is in order here.


Nope! I looked through practically every book on my shelf and couldn’t find a single book containing not only two but let alone one map. Probably, because fantasy isn’t a genre I typically buy. However, that is changing so I might have a book that meets this prompt in the future. But, as of today I do not.


I feel like every book these days is turning into a TV show or movie, so I have quite a few. Such as ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ trilogy by Jenny Han that was turned into an Amazon Prime original show. I still need to watch the whole series, yet the first episode was really good. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I think the series might be better than the books. Yeah, I said it don’t come for me.


Yep! I have ‘Some Things I Still Can’t Tell You‘ by Misha Collins, who plays Castiel on Supernatural. This is a poetry book that he released and I also believe that I have his cookbook. A little known fact is that he is my soulmate we just haven’t met yet. Don’t worry my husband is cool with it.


This is another one that I’m surprised I don’t have in my collection. You’d think more books would have clocks on the cover. I do want ‘The Toymaker’s Apprentice‘ by Sherri L. Smith, which does have a clock on the cover. However, as of now I don’t own any books that fit this prompt.


I’m going to do a shameless self promo and say ‘Convenient Interruptions‘ by ME! If you don’t know I released a poetry collection that you can buy on amazon and read for free on Kindle Unlimited.


I’m the type of person that hates any type of sticker or stamp on a book cover, but I did have a copy of ‘The Graveyard Book‘ by Neil Gaiman that I bought from Half-Priced Books. It has an award stamp on the cover, because it won the John Newbery Medal. However, I unhauled the book so I don’t actually have a book for this question.


Technically, I do since I mentioned that I have a copy of my own book. However, if we are speaking about books not written by yours truly than no. I think my initials NE, or maiden name initials NT, are pretty uncommon.


I own a few books of short stories such as ‘Blackout‘ by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon. This is a collection of interlocking short stories about black teens.


Nope! I either have books that are under 400 pages or over 510 pages, which is pretty weird if you ask me. I’m not usually someone that will read a long book, so it makes sense that all my books are relatively short. Yet, I do have some that contain up to 550 pages and that’s a little intimidating to say the least.


One of my all time favorite books ‘Five Feet Apart‘ by Mikki Daughtry, Rachael Lippincott, and Tobias Iaconis was turned into a film. In my opinion, the movie is just as good as the book and I recommend them both if you like heartbreaking young adult romances.


I’ve bought a lot of graphic novels with in the last year. My most recent graphic novel purchase was ‘Squad‘ by Maggie Tokuda-Hall, which is a sapphic horror about a group of werewolves.


A Secret Princess‘ by Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz is a YA retelling of ‘A Little Princess’ and ‘The Secret Garden’. And, obviously it’s written by two wonderful young adult authors.

There you have the ‘Do I Have That Book’ book tag challenge! It was very interesting going through my book shelf to find books that correlate with each prompt. In the comments, let me know how many prompts you can complete with the books on your selves. Don’t forget to hit the follow button for more bookish content.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Christmas Songs // Book Tag

Hi Friends,
Today, for day 8 of Bookmas, I’m going to be doing the ‘Christmas Songs’ Book Tag created by That Artsy Reader Girl. I have never done this tag before, which made it even more fun to do.


Related Post: Better Than The Movies // Book Review

This was easy, because my favorite book couple is probably Liz and Wes from ‘Better Than The Movies’ by Lynn Painter. I love their dynamic and love story.


Related Post: Kiki’s Delivery Service // Book Review

The first book that comes to mind is ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ by Eiko Kadono, since she leaves home in the beginning of the book. It’s such a fast read that was really cute. And, I’m sure the anime film adaptation is just as good.



As a kid, I loved ‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas’ by Dr. Seuss. It still holds a special place in my heart.



I have too many on my list, so I’d really love any book. I have an Amazon wishlist that has a ton of books that I would love to get on Christmas.



I’m a baby when it comes to books, and I’ll cry at a lot of them. Most recently ‘Serpent and the Wings of Night’ by Carissa Broadbent made me ugly cry.


Related Post: The Holiday Swap // Book Review

Anything that embodies a Hallmark movie! I’m all about a good plot, but a little bit of cheesy romance. The one that I always recommend is ‘The Holiday Swap’ by Maggie Knox, because I can definitely see it being a Hallmark movie one day.


Related Post: Caraval // Book Review

I’m going to talk about the ‘Caraval’ trilogy by Stephanie Garber, because to me all the book were very well done. However, my favorite is ‘Caraval’, which is the first book. In my opinion, it was a great start to the trilogy.


Related Post: Divergent // Book Review

Four, from ‘Divergent’ by Veronica Roth because I’m into the brooding, serious, and misunderstood type, with a heart of gold. I think it would make for an interesting snow day.


Related Post: One Of Us Is Back // Book Review

Sadly, ‘One Of Us Is Back’ by Karen M. McManus wasn’t my favorite book. I still enjoyed it, but as the ending to a great YA thriller trilogy it was a letdown.



I’m so excited for ‘Happily Never After’ by Lynn Painter! It’s an adult romance about two love cynics, and I cannot wait to read it. The release date is set for March of 2024.


I think that all the questions were very creative, and I can see myself doing this tag again next year. In the comments, let me know you answers to these questions. Don’t forget that you can always follow the blog, to ensure that you never miss a post.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Anticipated Releases // October 2023

Hi Friends,
I cannot believe that it is already October. Where has the year gone? But, I do love the last three months of the year the best! Not only for the holidays, but also all the seasonal book releases. So, let’s talk about the October releases that I’m most excited about this year.

Hatchet Girls by Diana Rodriguez Wallach (October 10th): This book sounds amazing! It’s essentially a retelling of Lizzie Borden and how a similar crime would be handled today. I would love to get to this as soon as it comes out, because the Lizzie Borden story has always fascinated me. That’s not weird, right?

The Fall of Whit Rivera (October 10th): This is a cozy autumn young adult romance that I think I’m going to really enjoy. The plot is about two high school enemies that have to work together to plan the fall dance. I’m always down to read an enemies-to-lovers romance, and one that takes place in the fall is even better.

All That Consumes Us by Erica Waters (October 17th): This is a gothic young adult dark academia that sounds very creepy. In the book, a girl gets invited into a elite academic society, but starts to realize that it’s more of a nightmare than a dream come true. It seems like the perfect read for the spooky season.

Thin Air by Kellie M. Parker (October 17th): I’m very excited for this release because it’s a young adult mystery thriller which is one of my absolute favorite genres. From what I gather it’s about 12 contestants who end up on a deadly flight. But, I really don’t need to know much about it since it’s supposedly perfect for fans of Karen M. McManus, which basically means it’s meant for me.

People to Follow by Olivia Worley (October 31st): I heard about this book a while back, and I cannot wait to read it! This is an adult thriller about a bunch of influencers that get invited to a remote island and then the begin dying. Honestly, it sounds like a more adult version of ‘The Island’ by Natasha Preston that I read earlier this year but more up my alley.

The Rosewood Hunt by Mackenzie Reed (October 31st): This is giving ‘The Inheritance Games’ by Jennifer Lynn Barnes vibes. However, this plot sounds bit more intriguing to me. The book follows Lily Rosewood and three others on a treasure hunt for the Rosewood fortune left behind by Lily’s recently deceased grandmother. Although, ‘The Inheritance Games’ was a DNF for me, I have high hopes for this book.

There you have some of my most anticipated releases for October. Oddly enough, I’m typically the last to know about new book releases, so there are probably a ton that I’m forgetting. In the comments, let me know what is your most anticipated book release for the month. Don’t forget to follow the blog so that you never miss a post.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Nothing More To Tell // Book Review

About The Book
Four years ago, Brynn left Saint Ambrose School following the shocking murder of her favorite teacher—a story that made headlines after the teacher’s body was found by three Saint Ambrose students in the woods behind their school. Now that Brynn is moving home and starting her dream internship at a true-crime show, she’s determined to find out what really happened. The kids who found Mr. Larkin are her way in, and her ex–best friend, Tripp Talbot, was one of them.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/46s76D4

My Rating


I am a huge fan of Karen M. McManus, but I was sadly disappointed with this book. The plot follows high school student Brynn, who gets an internship at a true crime podcast. She has a perfect case for the show to follow – the unsolved murder of her favorite teacher, Mr. Larkin, at Saint Ambrose School. However, this means reconnecting with her ex-best friend Tripp, one of the three students who discovered Mr. Larkin’s body.

This book did not live up to my expectations. The plot was not very intriguing, and the characters were simply okay. There were some twists and turns, but nothing left me shocked. The entire book was very slow moving. I wanted more excitement, thrilling, and heart-pounding moments.

Don’t get me wrong, McManus has impeccable writing, which really helped me enjoy the book. However, I did not care about the mystery, which is the whole point of a mystery/thriller book? Furthermore, the plot in general was not all too interesting, but maybe I was just expecting too much from the book, since I have loved most of her other releases.

As for the podcast show element, it was not something I cared for either. It felt as though that was just away to get the characters digging into Mr. Larkin’s murder. I am not the biggest fan of books that follow podcasts or true crime lovers since they usually seem like they are trying to be relevant. Not that they’re bad, I just have not enjoyed any of the books I read with that plot device.

“I know that secrets can eat you alive, and the truth can break your heart, and sometimes it’s hard to know which is worse.”

There was a romance in the book that you could see coming to, but the main question was whether it was needed. Not every young adult book requires a love story. I felt that the book could achieve the same outcome without any sort of second-chance romance side plot.

Now the ending was fairly shocking, and truth be told, I am not sure how I feel about it. The author went a rather unexpected and interesting route that I did not see coming at all. The book was left somewhat open and ended. If you know me, I am not a fan of cliffhangers, so this ending bothered me.

Overall, I still love Karen M. McManus and will continue to read anything she will release. This story was not my favorite, but the writing was phenomenal and the ending was quite unexcepted. I would probably only recommend it if you were very new to the YA mystery/thriller genre.

In the comments, let me know if you have read the book. Do not forget to help support my blog by giving it a follow before you leave.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

One Of Us Is Back // Book Review

About The Book
The third time’s a charm. First the Bayview Four had to prove they weren’t killers. Then a new generation outwitted a vengeful copycat. Now the entire Bayview Crew is back home for the summer, and everyone is trying to move on. Only, this is Bayview, and life is never that simple. The global phenomenon returns with the third book in the One of Us Is Lying series, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen M. McManus.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3PbUOsS

My Rating


This is the third, and final, installment of Karen M. McManus’s ‘One Of Us’ series. Keep in mind that this review might spoil something’s in the first two books. In this book, we follow the perspectives of Addy, Nate, and Phoebe. I loved being back with the Bayview crew, because these characters are incredibly likable.

In the first book, we had a whodunit type of murder/mystery plot. The next book had a deadly truth or dare situation. However, I’m not really sure I can explain the plot of this book, because there really wasn’t much of one.

The author was trying to create a plot that brought everything full circle and connected all three books. However, I think that she lost sight of making a really engaging story. The plot just kind of lacked, and fell short for me. It wasn’t as intense or gripping as the first two books.

This isn’t to say that the book is bad, because I was interested in the story, but that could just be for my love of these characters. I did find the book to be fast paced and McManus’s writing is wonderful – as always. I was just hoping for more.

“But we all know how Simon felt about secrets, right? They have to come out eventually.”

The way on which everything was tied together wasn’t my favorite. It felt very random. As a horror movie fan, I love when sequels are tied into the first movie, making things come full circle. But, only if it’s done right. The first three Scream movies did that perfectly, yet the ‘Happy Death Day’ films took a really weird route in the second movie. But, I digress.

Overall, the plot just didn’t leave me shocked, and there really wasn’t any sort of major twist. I do like that the author went back to the ‘secrets are powerful’ message, as it was a recurring theme throughout the entire series. Nonetheless, it was a decent conclusion to the trilogy, and I will continue to support Karen M. McManus. Also, thank you for giving us more Knox and Phoebe!

In the comments, let me know which ‘One Of Us’ book is your favorite. My personal favorite is ‘One Of Us Is Next’, because I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I read it. If you enjoyed this book, please hit the follow button, because it really helps my blog grow!

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Anticipated Releases // Summer 2023

Hi Friends,
Today, I’m going to be talking about my summer anticipated book releases! This years has been full of amazing book releases. I cannot wait to read all of these books! I’m hopeful that I will get to at least some of these new releases this summer, because they all sound so good. But, I do want to preface that I only have limited knowledge of what each of these books are about. What can I say, I like to go into books a little blind.


Summer Rental by Rektok Ross (June 13th): This book is tag-lined as Mean Girls meets Scream, which is all I need to know. I believe that it’s a YA thriller about a group of friends trapped on an island with a serial killer. I’m thinking it’s going to be more of a campy thriller, which I can get behind.

The Only One Left by Riley Sager (June 20th): I’ve been wanting to get into Riley Sager books for a while now, and this one sounds amazing. The book takes place in the 80’s, where we’re following Kit. She is a home health aid for Lenora, an old woman that is unable to speak or move anything but her left hand, due to polio. Here’s the kicker, as a teenager Lenora was accused of killing her parents and sister, yet she was never charged with their murders. Soon Kit starts to suspect that Lenora might be more dangerous than she thinks. My interest is piqued!

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston (June 27th): I’m not sure how I feel about this book, because it’s giving off serious ‘The Lake House’ vibes. If you have no clue what I’m talking about, ‘The Lake House’ is a movie starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves, in which they both live in the same house, but in different timelines, and somehow they end up communicating with one another. This book follows what seems to be a similar plot. Although, I didn’t love the movie, I know that Poston’s adult romance ‘The Dead Romantics’ was a big hit last year, so I want to give this book a chance.

Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon (July 4th): I’m actually very excited for this book, because the premise sounds really funny. This is an adult romance following a ghost writer and a C-list actor, who have a less-than-satisfactory one-night stand. Cue some “lessons in satisfaction” and it sounds like a winning plotline to me. I haven’t read anything by this author before, but I’ve heard some good things about her books. Also, who doesn’t like mixing a little pleasure with business every now and again.

Ghosted: A Northanger Abbey by Amanda Quain (July 25th): As you can tell from the title, this is a Northanger Abbey by Jane Austin retelling. It is a young adult story about a high school senior, and there’s a ghost hunting element. That’s pretty much all I know about this book, which, according to GoodReads, has X-Files vibes to it.

One of Us Is Back by Karen M. McManus (July 25th): Why do I feel like I’ve talked about this book a lot? Probably, because it’s one of my most anticipated releases of the entire year. If you’ve read my blog for any amount of time, then you know that Karen M. McManus is on of my favorite authors! She writes some of the best (at least, in my opinion) young adult mystery thrillers. This is the next, and possibly last, installment book is part of her ‘One of Us is Lying” series, and I could not be any more ready for it.

The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard (August 1st): This is a psychological thriller set in Ireland. It follows Lucy, who is trying to uncover what happened to her sister Nicki that disappeared a year ago. The book is inspired by a series of still-unsolved disappearances that took places in the 90’s. The fact that there’s a real world element to these books makes the plot even more exciting.

Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine (August 1st): I was stoked to find out that Danielle Valentine was coming out with another horror novel. Last year, I read her book ‘How To Survive Your Murder’ in about a day. It was such a fun, campy, slasher horror book. However, this book is an adult thriller, which I’m typically more of a fan of. I also heard that it is the basis for the next season of American Horror Story. And, as a reader, I have to read the book before watching the show. It’s practically a law.

Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney (August 3rd): I’ve only read ‘Rock Paper Scissors’, which I did really like. But, she is known as the queen of plot twists, so I’m looking forward to picking this book up. The book follows two crimes which, despite happening twenty years apart, are somehow linked. This book is said to have a lot of twists, and let’s face it, the twists are what make a good thriller.

Foxglove by Adalyn Grace (August 22nd): This is the sequel to ‘Belladonna’, which was a fantastic YA fantasy. The first book ended on a cliffhanger, and I cannot wait to find out what happens next. Honestly, ‘Belladonna’ shocked me with how good it was, so I’m hoping that the next installment doesn’t let me down. Other than the fact that it’s a sequel, I actually don’t know much about the plot, but I’m okay with that.

There you have my summer 2023 most anticipated book releases. of course there are a ton more releases I want to get to, but these are the ones at the top of my list. In the comments, share your most anticipated book release with me. Don’t forget to hit the follow button before you leave.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

2023 Mid-Year Book Freakout // Book Tag

Hi Friends,
Today I’m doing the classic ‘Mid-Year Book Freakout’ Book Tag! This tag is a very popular one among the book community. If you’d like, you can check out my 2021 and 2022 editions of this tag.


I’m going to say ‘Belladonna’ by Adalyn Grace. This is a young adult fantasy that I couldn’t put down. I can’t wait for the sequel to be released! Other than that, I feel like my reading year hasn’t been the best.
Related Post: Belladonna // Book Review


Because I’m terrible at finishing series, I haven’t read too many sequel. So, there’s only one answer for this question and that would have to be ‘Finale’ by Stephanie Garber. It’s the conclusion to the ‘Caraval’ trilogy. I enjoyed how the ending, but it wasn’t my favorite book in the series.
Related Post: Finale // Book Review


You Shouldn’t Have Come Here’ by Jeneva Rose is an adult thriller about a woman that rents an Airbnb ad falls for the owner of it. But, their romance goes from sweet to obsessive. It was released back in April of 2023 and I still haven’t had the chance to pick it up. I haven’t read anything by this author, but I tend to have good luck with adult thrillers, so I have high hopes for this book.


This is a no brainer! It’s is, for sure, ‘One of Us Is Back’ by Karen M. McManus, which will be released on July 25th. I loved ‘One of Us is Lying’ and ‘One of Us is Next’, so I’m very excited for the next book in this YA thriller series of companion novels. Hopefully we get to see more of Knox and Phoebe relationship.
Related Post: One Of Us Is Lying // Book Review


Probably, ‘Five Survive’ by Holly Jackson. I’m a pretty big fan of the ‘Good Girl’s Guide To Murder’ trilogy by this author, but this book was a fail. It was my first read of the year and put me in a reading slump. The whole premise behind the book was subpar and the writing wasn’t up to her usual standards.
Related Post: Five Survive // Book Review


I’m going to have to say my biggest reading surprise of the year, so far has been ‘With and Without You’ by Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley. I have read all of their YA novels, and only ever truly liked one of them. But, this book shocked me and was a 5 star read. It was such a cute YA contemporary romance that had a long distance relationship element, which isn’t something you typically see in YA books.


I’ve apparently been sleeping with regard to Kara Thomas’ young adult thrillers. I read ‘The Cheerleaders’ and it was a really captivating mystery. The writing was wonderful and it’s made me want to pick up all of her books.


I’ve got two answers for this question. The first being, Patrick from ‘With and Without You’, because if I was a teen girl, I would be swooning for this boy. And, the second is Four from ‘Divergent’ by Veronica Roth. What can I say I guess I have a thing for quiet, strong, serious guys.


Vera from ‘Shady Hollow’ by Juneau Black is a great main character. Yes, she is a fox, but I love her personality, and she’s become one of my new favorite characters.
Related Post: Shady Hollow // Book Review


So far, I actually haven’t read a book that has made me cry. But, I did find ‘Then She Was Gone’ by Lisa Jewell really sad. Honestly, for a mystery thriller, it’s pretty heartbreaking.
Related Post: Then She Was Gone // Book Review


The Stand-In’ by Lily Chu brought a smile to my face. It’s an adult romance that I adored. The entire plot and writing was great, and I had a really fun time reading it.


The special edition of ‘Daughter of the Pirate King‘ by Tricia Levenseller. I pre-ordered it, so it isn’t released until my birthday (June 27th). But, I’m still counting it as the most beautiful book I’ve bought this year. And, yes I did pre-order the rest of the series special editions as well. Before you ask, no, I haven’t read the series yet.


My TBR is far too long for this question. However, I’m really hoping to complete some book series that I’ve started. One that is high on my list is ‘Our Violent Ends’ by Chloe Gong, since I really enjoyed ‘These Violent Delights’. It should be easy to get a few duologies finished by the end of the year. At least, that’s what I’m hoping.
Related Post: These Violent Delights // Book Review

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Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny