Young Adult

Dark And Shallow Lies // Book Review

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About The Book
A teen girl disappears from her small town deep in the bayou, where magic festers beneath the surface of the swamp like water rot, in this chilling debut supernatural thriller for fans of Natasha Preston, Karen McManus, and Rory Power. In a town where secrets lurk just below the surface, and where a murderer is on the loose, nobody can be presumed innocent—and La Cachette’s dark and shallow lies may just rip the town apart.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3WGq05r

My Rating

This book is a very interesting take on the YA mystery genre, because it has a magical realism element to it. In the book, Grey returns to La Cachette, Louisiana to spend the summer in the same place that her best friend, Elora, disappeared from, 6 month earlier.

In La Cachette everyone has some kind of magical ability, from being a love psychic to an empath. However, Grey, just now seventeen years old, is learning to discover her own gift. As the protagonist of the story, Grey was just okay. She wasn’t horrible or unlikable, but I wouldn’t say I loved following her either.

In my opinion, this book is way more mystery based, because there were a lot of secrets going on. The mystery of Elora disappearance did keep me interested, but not enough to where I couldn’t put the book down.

“Welcome to La Cachette, Louisiana Elevation 3 Ft. Population 106 Living Souls.”

For me, the story as a whole just didn’t work. The psychic aspect of the story was a bit weird, and La Cachette was a very twisted place. There’s also another mystery from the past that somewhat ties into the current mystery. And, there’s a romance as well. It just had a lot going on.

My biggest con was the writing. I do understand that this is a debut novel, so I am trying not to judge it too heavily. But, the book didn’t come to life for me, and man, was it slow moving. I wanted the plot to pick up, but it never really did.

Overall, the ending was solid and I do think the author has the potential to write something really good. Nevertheless, I want to say the this book isn’t comparable to Karan M. McManus’ works (as it states on GoodReads), which might be a good thing for some people. Also, the story is pretty sad, and there are some triggering things talked about in this book. One being the murder of children.

Remember that StoryGraph is a great tool for finding trigger warnings for books. Don’t forget to show your support by giving the blog a follow.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Finale // Book Review

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About The Book
Welcome, welcome to the Caraval’s Finale. All games must come to an end. With lives, empires, and hearts hanging in the balance, Tella must decide if she’s going to trust Legend or a former enemy. After uncovering a secret that upends her life, Scarlett will need to do the impossible. And Legend has a choice to make that will forever change and define him. Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3MUxFdi

My Rating

This is the final book in the Caraval trilogy, so beware that this review will contain spoilers. The book starts right off from where the second book, ‘Legendary’, ended. The dates have been released, and now everyone’s lives are at risk.

Something that was weird to me is that the whole second book was about Donatella’s desire to bring back their mother. However, she played such a small roll in this book. We didn’t even get to know anything about her. However, she did have a role in the overall plot without actually being in the story if that makes any sense.
Related Post: Legendary // Book Review

In the book, Donatella, Scarlet, Jillian, and Legend are trying their hardest to defeat the fates. That plot sounds amazing! And, although the book is fantastic, it was kind of slow moving. Tella’s whole story arc became all about her romance with Legend and Jacks (King Of Hearts).

I wanted there to be more fantasy, and less pinning for Legend. And, don’t even get me started on the slow burn between Legend and her. There’s even a sort of love triangle between her, Legend, and Jacks.

“There is nothing quite so precious as the love of a sister.”

On the other hand, Scarlett’s story arc was amazing. We learn something about her that left me stunned. Also, her and Jillian’s romance is super cute. But, I’ve always found Scarlett to be very likable. Not to say I don’t like Tella, because out of the two I actually relate more to her than Scarlett.

Now I did feel like this book had a lot going on, maybe a little too much going on. It was very plot driven, which to be honest the trilogy as a whole is more focused on the plot than characters. And, although there was a lot of packed into the story, it all came together at the end.

However, Tella’s story didn’t go exactly how I wanted it too. Let’s just say I’m a ‘villain gets the girl’ kind of reader. But, I liked how everything was wrapped up, and the last few chapters had me on the edge of my seat!

Overall, the book was well written. The characters didn’t have much development this time around, but were still very likable, and the story was fantastic. Although, it didn’t give me that 5 star feel, I would still recommend it to any YA fantasy lover.

In the comments, let me know your thoughts on the Caraval trilogy. Don’t forget to follow the blog for more book reviews.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Moment Of Truth // Book Review

- Bunny 2 Comments

About The Book
At sixteen, Hadley Moore knows exactly who she is—a swimmer who will earn a scholarship to college. So when a guy dressed as Hollywood’s latest action hero, Heath Hall, crashes her swim meet, she isn’t amused. Instead, she’s determined to make sure he doesn’t bother her again. Only she’s not sure exactly who he is. She soon finds herself getting caught up in the mysterious world of the fake Heath Hall.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3BNLO5G

My Rating

This book is way more than your average YA contemporary romance, which I actually really enjoyed. In the book, we follow high schooler Hadley, who is all about swimming. She has two loving parents that support her, but she always feels as though she’s competing with her brother. The brother she never met because he passed away before she was born.

If you’ve read any of Kasie West’s books, then you know that they usually aren’t all about the romance, and have a more serious side plot to them as well. However, this book takes a different approach with the romance being the side plot.

As the synopsis states, there’s this mystery plot point involving someone in a Heath Hall mask. And, that aspect really tied everything together; from the romance, to the more serious topics together. This book definitely requires you to look into trigger warnings, yet I recommend doing this for all books.

“Just because you can’t see the future, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. You don’t have to see everything clearly or know exactly where you’re going to move forward.”

The book tackles many different aspects of grief from not letting go, to feeling like a replacement child, to even being in competition with someone that’s not here anymore. It was interesting to see Hadley struggle with her feelings towards her late brother, and wonder if they’d be close if he were alive. The book begs explores the topic of how to fully grieve someone that we’ve never met, but have a connection with.

The romance was very cute, and young adult romance is something that Kasie West does a spectacular job of writing. I don’t know if I’d categorize this as an enemies to lovers, or opposites attract love story, since it falls somewhere in between. However, the love interest was funny and you could tell there were both catching feelings from early on.

Overall, if you want a more major romance contemporary then I’d give this a read. It also happens to be the last book in her ‘Love, Life, And The List’ companion trilogy. Although, the link to the first book was a very minor thing. Also, this author books are usually quick reads for me but this one, being a bit more serious, is a slower read, but I wouldn’t necessarily say that’s a con.

Before you go, leave me a comment and like this post. If you’d like to get post notifications, feel free to follow the blog.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

White Smoke // Book Review

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About The Book
Marigold is running from ghosts. The phantoms of her old life keep haunting her, but a move with her newly blended family from their small California beach town to the embattled Midwestern city of Cedarville might be the fresh start she needs. The renovated picture-perfect home on Maple Street, sitting between dilapidated houses, surrounded by wary neighbors has its. . . secrets. But “running from ghosts” is just a metaphor, right?
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/42Qz3TP

My Rating

Right off the bat, I was unsure about the writing of this book. For some reason, I didn’t love the author’s writing style, and felt it was going to be a more slow-paced young adult thriller, which it did end up being. However, in the book, we have an unreliable narrator, so I enjoyed that aspect a lot.

Marigold has moved with her newly blended family to a small town, and is trying to leave her addiction in the past, after it almost ended her life. So, drug use is mentioned a lot throughout the story. I found it interesting to see Marigold’s struggle with addiction, because you could see her wanting to stay clean, but the addict part of her brain was trying to convince her that she needed to use.

She also deals with OCD, which is a mental illness that I haven’t read about in books before. I liked the way the author talked about all these different issues, while still keeping the core of the book as a thriller. However, I didn’t find Marigold to be very likable. She had a brother that she was close to, but didn’t even want try and connect with her younger stepsister. It frustrated me to no end.

“The house stills. The house heard us.”

As for the thriller part of the plot, it was pretty slow moving. But, once you hit about the 50% mark, things get creepy. While Marigold is trying to explain away these unexplainable incidents, thinking they’re caused by her addiction, you as the reader just know something isn’t right with the house. There were times that I was freaked out and had goosebumps.

I didn’t see the ending coming at all. It was way more hard hitting than I expected, and it was a shocking turn of events to say the least. This book really straddles the line between young adult contemporary and thriller. It leaned a little too much towards the contemporary side of things for me, but I understand how some people might not feel that way.

Overall, it was a good read, and I probably would have enjoyed it more if it had been more fast-paced. The book just took a little too long to grab my attention and creep me out. I actually DNF’ed it the first time around, but I am glad I gave it another chance.

In the comments, let me know if you prefer fast or slow paced thrillers. Don’t forget to follow my blog if you like bookish content.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Belladonna | Book Review

- Bunny Leave a comment

About The Book
A gothic romance following a girl with Death constantly hovering nearby, Belladonna is the gripping story full of wealth, desire, and betrayal that will sweep readers up in its haunting tale from the very beginning! New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace brings to life a highly romantic, Gothic-infused world of wealth, desire, and betrayal.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/42R54ek

My Rating

The thing that appealed to me about this book was the title, because I happened to play the role of Belladonna in my college production of ‘Sleeping Beauty’. So, you could say the name holds a special place in my heart. But, other than the book title, and that it was a YA fantasy, I knew nothing about the book.

The main character is Signa, an orphan, who has spent her whole life being shipped off to relative after relative. She’s also sees death. Picture  along the lines of the Angel of Death. When she arrives at Throne Grove, she starts seeing spirits, and discovers hidden powers within her.

Signa was problem my least favorite thing about the book. I found her to be a little annoying at times. Early in her life, she learned that if she poisoned herself, the poison doesn’t affect her, but death will come to her. What was so annoying was her ability to blame death for all her problems. She accused him of always following her, when she was literally poisoning herself to see him.

Other than the main character being a 7 out of 10, I loved the book. The plot was fascinating and very gothic inspired. There were a few good twists, and even a love triangle, consisting of involving Signa, Death, and a stable boy. But let’s get real, this was more of a Bella, Edward and Jacob love triangle in which there’s not really any competition.

“Do not change the parts of yourself that you like to make others comfortable. Do not try to mold yourself to fit the standards someone else has set for us.”

Death was sexy as hell, no pun intended. He was dangerous, charming, smooth, and kind. Honestly, I’d poison myself if I knew I wouldn’t die to see him as well. The romance aspect was on point, and their relationship was awesome. Not too smutty, but hot. I was here for those little steamy moment’s between Signa and Death.

The ending of the book was incredible, and it will make you want to pick up the next book immediately. I loved how everything was wrapped up. The twist was great, and I can’t wait to continue on with the series. Adalyn Grace knows how to write a fantasy/romance for sure. However, despite my love for the book, the main character’s flaws kept it from being a 5 star.

Overall, I highly recommend this book – especially if you enjoyed the ‘Kingdom Of The Wicked’ series. I chose not to continue on with that series, but in my opinion this book has very similar vibes. One thing to note, there aren’t a lot of triggering topic but you should definitely check on them before jumping into the book.

In the comments, tell me if you’ve read this book, and what your thoughts were on it. Don’t forget to support my blog by giving it a follow!

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Friday Reads #16

- Bunny Leave a comment

Hello Friends,
Let’s do a weekend reading breakdown! I love sharing what I hope to read over the weekend with you guys. So, here is my Friday reads and it’s an ambitious one. But, what else is new.

‘A Magic Steeped in Poison‘ by Judy I. Lin
I’m on a fantasy kick and this book is fulfilling all my fantasy needs right now. I’m not far into it but the writing is amazing. And, so far I’m loving the story.

‘She Is a Haunting‘ by Trang Thanh Tran
I have been dying to read this book since I got the audiobook on release day. Honestly, I can’t remember the plot but I know that it’s a YA horror. This also happens to be my ‘The Reading Rabbits’ book club pick!

‘The Way I Used to Be‘ by Amber Smith
If you’ve read my blog for any amount of time you know that I love a good young adult contemporary. However, I haven’t really had the desire to pick any up lately. Yet, I picked this book out of my TBR jar so I would like to read it this month.

‘The Book of Cold Cases‘ by Simone St. James
I’ve been very intrigued by this book lately and it’s kind of been calling to me. It’s an adult thriller, so I’m most likely going to love it. Although, getting to it this weekend might be a bit of a stretch.

Those are the books I’m hoping to read with in 3 days. Yeah, I might be a little insane. In the comments, let me know what you are planning to read this weekend. Don’t forget to follow the blog for more bookish content.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

The Babysitter’s Coven // Book Review

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About The Book
Adventures in Babysitting meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this funny, action-packed novel about a coven of witchy babysitters who realize their calling to protect the innocent and save the world from an onslaught of evil.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3AJbksb

My Rating

 

I found this book to be very entertaining. It is totally ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ meets ‘The Babysitter’s Club’. The main character is Esme, who has a single dad, and runs a babysitting business with her best friend.

However, she soon discovers that she, along with the new girl, Cassandra, are basically superheroes. Complete with magic powers and everything. It gave me such ‘Secret Circle’ and ‘The Craft’ vibes.

As a main character Esme was smart and had good instincts. She’s the Buffy of the story, which I guess makes Cassandra the Faith. It did annoy me that Esme swooned over Cassandra’s brother because he was hot and cool. However, Esme’s best friend was great, and was truly her ride or die.

“I’m too far down the rabbit hole to turn back now. This night is too insane to ever be scary.”

The writing was great, and the story kept me interested. There were some funny moments throughout the story and I’d compare it to ‘Undead Girl Gang’ by Lily Anderson. And, seeing as I enjoyed that book, it’s no surprise that I was a fan of this one as well.

The last half of the book was crazy and super good. I loved all the twist and turns. It really focused on how jealousy and grief are powerful motivators. They can make you blind to evil actions.

Overall, I will likely be picking up the sequel. However, the ending was a little cheesy and I didn’t 100% love the last chapter, which is why it isn’t a five star. But, if you’re looking for a funny Buffy-esque book, then I’d for sure give this a read. Still, be aware that this is a YA book, and it does read like one.

In the comments, let me know if you plan on starting this series. As always, like and share this post. Also, you can follow the blog for more posts like this one.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

If He Had Been With Me // Book Review

- Bunny 1 Comment


About The Book
An achingly authentic and raw portrait of love, regret, and the life-altering impact of the relationships we hold closest to us, this YA romance bestseller is perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover, Jenny Han, and You’ve Reached Sam.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3LpL6Rs

My Rating

 

This book has been blowing up on Booktok, which is half the reason I wanted to read it. The other reason is that I heard it was a heartbreaking YA contemporary, and I have been in the mood for a story like ‘Five Feet Apart’.

The story follows Autumn as she details her high school experience and complicated relationship with long time friend Finn. The book is completely character driven. We get to learn a lot about Autumn her inner thoughts and feelings.

The writing was really good, and I was generally interested in the story. However, I can see how a lot of the characters and situations are very immature. I understand that they are teenagers, and generally teenagers aren’t the most mature people. I know that I certainly wasn’t mature at sixteen.

However, the immaturity did hinder my enjoyment of the story. I wanted to shake Autumn for her ignorance and desperation. And, even when she makes big realizations, she still doesn’t do anything about them. A lot of things could have been a avoided if she was just open and honest with people. It was frustrating, to say the least.

“I love him in a way I cannot define, as if my love were an organ within my body that I could not live without yet could not pick out of an anatomy book.”

There are mentions of depression throughout the story and how it has affects people. Also, it touches on toxic relationships. Honestly, I appreciated how it showed a different side to a toxic relationships. Not all of them need to have an element of abuse to still be considered toxic.

Sex, and the pressure to have sex, is a big topic in the book. There is even mention of teen pregnancy. I’m sure sex is a topic that is on a lot of teenagers minds, but in YA novels the main protagonist is always the one to want to wait. This isn’t a bad thing at all, but remember wanting, or having, sex in high school doesn’t make you a slut.

A lot of the plot was predictable and it felt like I was reading Autumn’s diary. Everything that happens seems very relatable, but not in a teen movie way. I’m sure that a lot of teenagers could really relate to the story.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but wasn’t wowed by it. Autumn wasn’t my favorite main character, but I did like the story as a whole. The ending did make me sad in a heartbreaking kind of way. It was kind of depressing, and I’m not sure if the book lives up to the hype. I guess it doesn’t truly depict how intense young love can be.

In the comments, let me know if you think this book deserves all the attention it has been getting. Don’t forget to follow my blog for more bookish content.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Spring 2023 // To Be Read

- Bunny Leave a comment

Hi Friends,
Today, I’m going to be doing my Spring TBR! I’ve decided to start doing more seasonal TBRs, since I’m a huge mood readers. However, I’ve been super active on Bookstagram and Booktok. And, on Booktok I’ve started doing a TBR jar, so each month I’ll pick out four books from that jar. If you want to see my picks for April go follow me on TikTok (@BooksWithBunny). Anyways, let’s get on to the books I hope to read this spring!

Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter: I have become a huge Lynn Painter fan, so I have decided to dive into her adult romances. I hear that this is a really funny and cute romance.

Love Wager by Lynn Painter: This is the second book in her ‘Mr. Wrong Number’ series. I don’t know much about it but the color is yellow, which makes me think of spring.

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston: I’ve read some of the authors YA work before, and admittedly, didn’t love them. However, I’ve heard only good things about this book. It’s a romance with a main character that falls in love with a ghost. It’s giving off major ‘Just Like Heaven’ vibes.

Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon: I have absolutely no idea what this book is about, but it follows a weather girl, so I’m sold. Anyone who knows me in real life knows that I’m obsessed with the weather, so this book is perfect for me.

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez: This is an adult romance that has to do with a women that is infertile. I’m excited to read this because Abby Jimenez is a very popular author, but, as I’m struggling to conceive as well, it might be a very hard read for me.

With And Without You by Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley: I have a love hate relationship with this author duo. I loved their book ‘If I’m Being Honest’ but have hated nearly all of their other books. However, I’m going to give this one a read, and see if they can prove they’re not just a one hit wonder in my book.

She Gets the Girl by Alyson Derrick and Rachael Lippincott: All I know is that this is a queer love story, and it’s written by one of the authors of ‘Five Feet Apart’. Enough said.

Promposal by RaeChell Garrett: This was on my most anticipated romance releases of 2023. As you can tell from the title it’s a young adult contemporary about prom. So, I have to read it around prom seasons.

Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sedoti: I know nothing about this book, except for the fact that it’s a YA mystery/thriller, but leans more toward the mystery side of things. The cool thing is that it’s told mostly through police interviews.

She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran: Honestly, I can’t remember what this book is about, but I know that it’s a YA thriller. And, it is said to be perfect for fans of ‘Mexican Gothic’. While I didn’t love that book, I remember being intrigued by this one’s plot.

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager: I’ve been wanting to pick up a Riley Sager book for sometime and this is the one I’ve chosen to read first. I believe it’s about a woman that thinks she witnessed a murder. However, I’m pretty sure she’s an unreliable narrator.

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins: This book has mixed reviews, but I still want to read it for myself. It is a ‘locked island’ thriller, which sounds unlike anything I’ve read before.

There you have my somewhat big spring TBR! Let me know what you are hoping to read this spring in the comments. Don’t forget to give my blog a follow.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

The Accident Season // Book Review

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About The Book
For fans of We Were Liars and The Ocean at the End of the Lane comes a haunting magically realistic debut about a family caught between a violent history, a taboo romance, and the mysteries lurking in their own backyard.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3ZQ6pjq

My Rating

From the very beginning, I could tell that the plot was going to be interesting. It had my full attention in the first chapter, and I couldn’t wait to see where the story was going to go. In the book, we follow a family that is pledged with the ‘accident season’ which turns accidents into tragedies.

Our main character is seventeen-year-old Cara. She’s close to her older sister, and ex-stepbrother, who still lives with her family. She also happens to have a bestie that is very into tarot cards and magic. Although, most of the characters were decent, I didn’t really feel connected to them.

As the book went on, I noticed the writing slowing down a lot. The plot became very strange, because it got very off message. A lot. For me, there was just too much going on, and minimum of three different plots to follow.

There was a Halloween party scene and a forgotten girl. There were a lot of metaphors throughout the story that made it very confusing to follow. But, that’s not to say the story was entirely bad.

“Accidents happen. Our bones shatter, our skin splits, our hearts break. We burn, we drown, we stay alive.”

Be aware that this story features many taboo subjects. One being the fact that underage drinking was approved by Cara’s mom. For me that’s was a little extreme. There was also underage smoking and a seriously abusive relationship.

For me the toxic relationship aspect was handled very well, but I can see how it could be triggering to some readers. As well as the sexual abuse aspect in the book. And don’t even get me started on the sort of weird incest relationship that developed as the story progressed.

I felt that the plot’s main focus was to show that once you deal with what’s haunting you, it has less power over your life. Also, are accidents simply accidents? Or is there something’s more magical behind them?

Overall, the book wasn’t horrible, and it was a fairly quick read. If you’re looking for a witchy story with a lot of heavy topics, and don’t mind a plot that jumps around a lot, then I’d give this book a read. I just felt the story wasn’t my cup of tea.

Make sure to look at the trigger warnings for this book before picking it up. In the comments, tell me your favorite witchy book. If you want to make my day, please give my blog a follow.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny