Contemporary

April 2021 TBR

- Bunny Leave a comment

Hello Book Lovers,
It is monthly tbr time once again! I am happy that it is finally April, because March seemed to last forever. I have a pretty ambitious tbr planned for this month, but I am ready for the challenge. I do have a few books rolling over from March that I will be continuing, still most of them I haven’t started at all.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyers: My husband and I started the audiobook at the beginning of March. I was using this for the Tis The Damn Readathon prompt of “Book with a Film Adaption.” We are only 13% into it, but I don’t mind it taking a bit. However, I would like to make it more of a priority this month.

10 Truths And A Dare by Ashley Elston: I was using this for the Tis The Damn Readathon as well. I believe it was for the “5 Star Prediction” prompt. I got approved for the arc on Netgalley, and have been reading the e-book. I am enjoying it a lot, but just haven’t had a lot of time to dedicate to it. I really want to dive more into it, because I enjoy Ashley Elston’s writing.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill: This is a middle grade book about a witch and a human girl she raised from a baby after giving her magical powers. Honestly, I don’t know much about it besides it being a favorite among readers. I tried starting it once before and didn’t get very far into it. I am hoping I will actually finish it this time around. I don’t think I read enough last time to form any distinct thoughts.

If I’m Being Honest by Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley: I have no idea why, but this book as been on my radar recently. I have read one other book by this duo before and didn’t love it, still this one seems more up my alley. It is supposed to give you that teen rom-com feel. I don’t know much about it except that it is about a high-school girl who is known as a b*tch, so she tries to change her image to get a guy. Although, I could be completely wrong.

There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins: In 2018, I dnf this book because I couldn’t get into it. The writing felt off and the plot was slow-moving. Nevertheless, I am in the mood for a thriller and I here that Netflix is turning this into a film. I decided I would give the book a second chance before the movie adaption is released. From what I have gathered about the plot it is like The CW version of the Scream movies. If that makes any sense at all.

My Plain Jane by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows: I love this trio of authors. I read their first collaboration “My Lady Jane,” and to my surprise I loved it. I don’t know anything about this book, but I have heard that it is a Jane Eyre retelling. I am not familiar with the original story, still I am looking forward to reading their take on it.

Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston: I have been on a Once Upon a Con kick lately. I am excited to finish this series of companion novels. I have a review up on the first book Geekerella and will be doing a review of the second very soon. I think that this is the last book in this world, which is bittersweet. Not sure about the plot, but I think it’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling, which I am here for!

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson: This will be my first Matson read. Yep, it is shocking that someone who loves contemporaries I haven’t read any of her books. Once again, I have no clue what the book is about just that it is a contemporary following a girl and I think she somehow becomes a dog walker. I really have no idea.

I might try to tackle some other arcs, or perhaps throw in a mood read. I am enjoying reading a lot these days, so I hope my want to read stays with me in April. Let me know what is on your tbr in the comments? I would love if you liked and shared this post. You can follow the blog to get notified when I post.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

5 Star Predictions #1 // 2021

- Bunny Leave a comment

Hello book lovers,
I am back to blogging! I took a little break this week, but I am very excited about today’s post. I am going to talk about my 5 star book predictions. I typically stay in my comfort zone when it comes to reading, so I can normally tell the books I am going to enjoy. I do want to branch out in my reading this year, but these are the books that I have a good feeling I will rate highly.

Fool Me Twice by Carrie Aarons: After the death of her best friend, due to cancer, she sets out to complete her bucket list. One of the major tasks on the list is getting back at Lincoln Kolb, her late best friends jerk of an ex-boyfriend. However, these enemies might not start to look past their bad blood.

I love a good revenge turned love story! I feel like this book could either be great, or just average. I am hoping for the best, and going to predict that I will give it a 5 star rating.

Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth: Aideen can’t solve her own problems, so she takes it upon herself to solve one for her overwhelmed classmate. After her act of kindness more of her classmates want Aideen’s help.

This book gives me teen movie vibes, which I am here for. I can picture this as a Netflix movie one day for sure. I think the concept could be very funny and I am looking forward to picking it up. It won’t be released until May 2021, still I will be reading it as soon as possible.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab: Addie LaRue made a deal of a lifetime with the devil. She will live forever, yet be forgot by everyone. She tries to leave her mark on the world and be remembered however she can.

I don’t usually go for these kinds of books, although I am a big fan of V.E. Schwabs middle grade works. This story peaked my interested from it’s release, and I have a good feeling it will become a favorite of mine.

What I Like About You by Marisa Kante: Girl meets boy online. They become the best of internet friends. Girl moves to a new town. Boy happens to live in that town. Girl hides her online identity from boy. A tale as old as time, right?

This is Kante’s debut novel and it sounds adorable. I do see a bit of similarities to Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia, and I could see there being some possible anxiety representation in this book. I find the plot a typical cute, lighthearted contemporary story that I love.

Admission by Julie Buxbaum: Chloe thought she had the perfect life with admission into her dream school, a celebrity mom and amazing prom date. However, things get less than perfect when her mom gets arrested for participating a college admission scandal. Chloe must come face to face with the truth and everything she has taken for granted before.

You all have probably heard about the real college admissions scandal that rocked Hollywood. I knew that some form of fiction would be made from it, though I figured it would be a Lifetime movie, still I think this will be an interesting read. I haven’t heard anyone talk about this book, so I am looking forward to discovering if I like it as much as I expect.

Those are all my star predictions as of now, and I am curious to find out if my intuition is as good as I believe. Please support my blog by liking and sharing this post. I would e honored if you followed the blog as well.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Book Review: Geekerella by Ashley Poston

- Bunny Leave a comment

Title: Geekerella
Author: Ashley Poston
Published: 2017
Rating: 4.0/5.0 Stars

Synopsis: Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield,

the classic sci-fi series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball, and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck (and her dad’s old costume), Elle’s determined to win…unless her stepsisters get there first.
Source: GoodReads

When I picked up this book I didn’t know much about it besides that it was a Cinderella retelling. I am not the biggest Cinderella fan, but I had heard good things about this book. Also, I am a sucker for retellings of all kinds. This is the first in a series of companion books, which means each book follows different characters that are connected. I was obsessed with this story from the start and couldn’t put it down, which makes for a great reading.

I liked reading about Elle and how she felt out-of-place within her family after her father’s death. She wasn’t a brat or negative despite her circumstances. I understand that she had a hard time letting people in since she has been hurt before. It was nice to see her passion for Starfield and the connection she had with it because of her parents. Also, Her being a blogger made me smile.

“Look to the stars. Aim. Ignite.”

The love interest of Darien was great, and he was probably my favorite character. He was so naïve and kind, yet charming at the same time. He didn’t let his fame consume him and had his own personal struggles. It found his text messaging relationship with Elle very cute, because they got to know each other on a deeper level. Honestly, it reminded me a little of how I met my husband, thank you Tumblr.

I enjoyed the side characters in the book as well, and I liked the friendship that blossomed between Elle and her co-worker, Sage. The story showed that people shouldn’t be judge by who they are, and we are never really alone even if it feels that way sometimes.

I wouldn’t call this one of my new favorite books, but I did enjoy it and looking forward to reading the author’s other works. Let me know if you are have read this book and your rating in the comments below. Please support my blog by liking and sharing this post. As always you can follow the blog to get notified when I post.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

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

You Should See Me In A Crown | Book Review

- 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 mid-western 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