Books

My 2021 Must Reads

- Bunny Leave a comment

Hello bookish friends,
I wanted to do a post about my must reads of the year. There are so many books from past years that I have never gotten too, so this year I am making a yearly tbr, of sorts, for myself. These are the books that are my top priority of the year, but I am not putting in pressure on myself. I find that I read better when I am doing it for fun instead of need. However, I would be very proud if I got to all of these books by the end of the year. I want to quickly note that the last two on this list are authors and not specific books that I want to get too.

Blood Heir by Amélie Wen Zhao: This trilogy is about Anastacya Mikhailov, a crown princess, who has the ability to control blood, a power she has kept secret for years. However, her lifes turns upside down when she becomes the prime suspect in her father’s murder. She must turn to a crime lord, Ramson Quicktongue, to help clear her name.

This series is completely out of my comfort zone, but the cover has me sold. The first book, in the series, was released in 2019 while the second was released early this month. I haven’t heard practically anyone talk about these books, so I will be going into them pretty blind. I will for sure do a review on each book or the trilogy as a whole once I read them all. I would really like to start this series soon.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: This is the story of the March sisters Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. We follow the girls as they grow-up, fall in love and face tragedy. I don’t think this book needs much of a description since it is a classic and has had countless movie adaptions released. I am a big fan of the Little Women story and movies, but I have never read the actually novel. I am not the biggest classic books fan, yet I hope to get to this one. I am giving myself a break if I don’t complete the book by the end of the year, still I would like to have started it.

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig: This is a dark retelling of the twelve dancing princess. The main character, Annaleigh, grows suspensions when four of her sisters lives are tragically cut short. Each of their deaths written off as an accident and the villagers think that the family is cursed. Once Annaleigh meets a mysterious stranger she decides to uncover the truths about these death before her life is taken as well.

Honestly, I know nothing about the twelve dancing princess story, so I am not really looking at this book like a retelling. I have been intrigued by this novel since it’s release. It is a dark, twisted tale that I don’t typically pick up, but I want to get into horror and thrillers this year. I will probably be reading this in October for Halloween, yet I might get to it sooner if I am in a spooky mood.

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan: This trilogy follows Lei chosen as one of the king’s Paper Girls. Each year, 8 girls are selected to serve the king, but this year is different because there is a ninth girl, made of fire. This series is all about secrets, revenge and forbidden love.

I am mix of emotions when it comes to starting this trilogy. I haven’t heard a lot of good things about it, still the synopsis sounds interesting. However, I feel like the plot could be a bit slower and not as fast paced as I would like in fantasies. I haven’t read anything from this author before, so I am willing to give it a chance. Also, there is supposedly LGBT representation in the book, which is awesome.

Kasie West: I have been a fan of hers for the last few years and usually love all her books. She has quickly become one of my favorite YA contemporary authors to read. I know for some people her books fall short, but for me they are fast, lighthearted reads that I enjoy. I have read three of her books, yet there are so many more that I haven’t had a chance to get too. I would love to pick up some of her older titles this year. She is mostly known for her contemporaries, but she does have a fantasy duology out that I am interested in reading. I am not sure how many of her books I will be able to get to by the end of the year, still I am going to try to catch up on her works.

Jenn Bennett: This is another author I am hoping to get to in 2021. As you probably know by now my love for contemporaries run deep, and people rave about Jenn Bennett’s contemporaries. I am a slightly nervous to read one of her book, because she gives me Sarah Dessen vibes, which is an author I don’t typically enjoy. However, people tend to hype up her books so I am going to try to give her a chance. I am unsure of what book I will read by her, yet I was leaning towards “Serious Moonlight” since it is a contemporary with a mystery element to it. I would love suggestions from other readers about which of her books I should pick up first.

Those are all the books on my yearly tbr, but don’t worry I will still be doing my monthly tbrs. I have so many other books that I am hoping to read this year and plan to have a very fun year of reading. Please support my blog by liking and sharing this post. You can follow the blog to get notified when I post.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Book Review: You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson

- Bunny Leave a comment

Title: You Should See Me In A Crown
Author: Leah Johnson
Published: 2020
Rating: 5.0/5.0 Stars

Synopsis: Liz Lighty has always believed she’s too black,
too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it’s okay—Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor. But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz’s plans come crashing down, until she’s reminded of her school’s scholarship for prom king and queen. There’s nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington.
Source: GoodReads

I am a huge fan of YA contemporaries. I would go as far as to say they are my favorite genre to read, so when I heard about this book from multiple Booktubers and book bloggers I knew I had to pick it up. The main character of Liz is not only POC, but part of the LGBTQ community. She has overcome the death of her mother, her brother’s chronic illness and anxiety all while living with her loving grandparents who are struggling to get by paycheck to paycheck.

Liz’s life was very relatable, and though I don’t deal with all her struggles I understand her anxiety and fears about not affording college. The main character has such amazing growth, which didn’t happen all at once, but progressed naturally throughout the the book. She ran for prom queen with the hopes of getting a scholarship and nothing more, yet it turned into something greater. She set free a part of herself that she was too sacred to show and learned to stand up for her rights. I feel that the anxiety representation was done well and I connected with her fear of other’s opinions.

“I’m so tired of the way this place treats people who are different, tired of feeling like I exist in the margins of my own life. I deserve better than that.”

She did face friendship struggles, which was probably my least favorite aspect of the story. I enjoyed the fact that she reconnected with an old friend, still I wish that it showed how friends change and grow apart especially at a young age. Instead it went another route, which was completely fine just not my favorite. Also, there was some major conflict between Liz and her best friend that was mended by the end of the book. However, I feel as though it was resolved rather quickly and there wasn’t much closure to it.

The romance was one of my favorite aspects of the book. It was so cute! Of course the girls go through some ups and downs, but you cannot deny how adorable they are together. I will say that the romance had an instant love feel, but probably very relatable to high-schoolers. I have never been to high school, home schooler here, still in every teen movie there is an instant crush. The love interest was a perfect contrast to Liz since she was outspoken and quirky, and helped Liz come out of her shell.

Someone compared this book to a 90s teen movie and I completely agree. I got all those classic teen romances flick feels that I love so much. If you are in the mood for a super cute contemporary than I recommend you give this one a chance. I hope that you liked this review and please let me know your thoughts on this book. If you want to support me please share and like this post. Also, follow the blog to get notified when I post.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Most Anticipated Spring 2021 Book Releases

- Bunny Leave a comment

Hello bookish friends,
I am always looking for new book releases to add to my wish list. This post is going to be about the spring book releases I am most excited for this year. I know that the books on this list are solely YA contemporaries, but what can I say it is my favorite genre. There are other books being released this spring that I am looking forward too, yet I thought I would narrow the list down to six books only.

The Secret Recipe For Moving On by Karen Bishcher (March 23rd): This is a YA debut about breaking up, making new friends and moving on. I think that this is going to be a really quick, fluffy contemporary. It is going to be a very classic traditional story that I am going to love. It is always hard when it comes to debut authors, because I don’t have much to go on when it comes to their writing style, still I have high hopes for this book.

 

Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau (April 6th): This book is compared to All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han, which is an all time favorite of mine. However, I get serious Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins vibes from this. The story is set in Paris and follows an American ballerina. If I am correct, she falls for a charming french boy while attending an elite summer ballet program. For some reason, story centered around ballerinas have been very in lately, and I am not mad about it. Now I am not sure if this will be a five star read for me, but I do really want to pick it up.

What’s Not to Love by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka (April 20th): Yay! I am so excited for this book that I could scream. I have only read one other book from this duo, yet I want to get to their others before this release. Their newest book is a young adult contemporary enemies-to-lovers story. I am a huge hate to love fan, so this is right up my alley. The book is set in high school, which means there is bound to be a lot of drama, romance and possibly some heartbreak.

Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli (April 20th): I am not the biggest fan of Becky Albertalli writing, yet this story intrigues me. Most of the contemporaries I read are mere love story, don’t get me wrong I love that aspect, but every now and again it is good to change it up. This book follows two long time best friends that have always been there for one another. Although, things get complicated when they both start crushing on the same guy. Not only will this set their friendship, but it could also ruin it. I am all for more contemporaries about best friends, and hopefully they remember “Hoes of Bros.”

Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson (May 4th): I have never picked up a Matson book, ever! This is shocking since I am a lover of all YA contemporaries, and she is like the queen of that genre. I guess I am very intimated by peoples love for her books. This new release might be my first taste of her writing. It takes place in New York City, which is a great backdrop if I do say so myself. To best friends, Kat and Stevie, perfect night in the Big Apple gets derailed when they are forced to come face to face with exes, family drama, their friendship and future. After reading the synopsis a lot seems to be going on in this book, but I am ready for it.

Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey (May 18th): This is a “You Got Mail” type of retail that seems so cute. The main characters both own competing bookshops and most likely fall for one another. Yep. This is another enemies-to-lovers story. What can I say I am an addict. I have heard that this book has some trigger warnings for child abandonment and absent parents, so keep that in mind when going into the story. From what I can tell this is going to be the type of book you either love or hate, so I am interested to see where I fall.

There you have the book releases I am most excited for this spring. I promise to try and an add some fantasy picks in my summer and fall 2021 book releases post. Also, keep in mind that there are other books coming out in the next three months that I will be adding to my tbr as well. Let me know in the comments what books you cannot wait to buy this month. You can comment if you want me to do a review on any of these books once I have heard them. Please like and share this post with all your book loving friends.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny