AuthorSarah

He Said, She Said by Kwame Alexander

H

Series: Standalone

Release Date: November 19th, 2013

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>

Insert Here

<strong>Ending</strong>

HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
• Black main and supporting characters
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Gun violence
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Not Safe
Does have cheating
– The Heroine finds out from someone else that the Hero cheated on her
Does have a descriptive sex scene with OW
Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
Does have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

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The Dark World (Dark World, #1) by Cara Lynn Shultz

T

Series: Dark World

Release Date: May 27th, 2014

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Paige Kelly is used to weird–in fact, she probably corners the market on weird, considering that her best friend, Dottie, has been dead since the 1950s.

But when a fire demon attacks Paige in detention, she has to admit that things have gotten out of her league. Luckily, the cute new boy in school, Logan Bradley, is a practiced demon slayer-and he isn’t fazed by Paige’s propensity to chat with the dead.

Suddenly, Paige is smack in the middle of a centuries-old battle between warlocks and demons, learning to fight with a magic sword so that she can defend herself. And if she makes one wrong move, she’ll be pulled into the Dark World, an alternate version of our world that’s overrun by demons-and she might never make it home.

<strong>Ending</strong>

 Cliffhanger
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Violence
• Killing/murder
• Death
• Bullying
• Girl-hating
• Sex-shaming
<strong>Mature Themes</strong>
• Allusions to sex
• Training to kill
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.25/5 stars

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Sweet Home, A Series by Tillie Cole

S

About the Series

I have a weakness for cliché contemporary romances, especially books with an alpha male, a strong female lead, and an awesome romantic story. Also, since this book was based on the famous Shakespearean Romeo and Juliet, I had to read Sweet Home. It’s up to the reader to see if these reincarnations of Romeo and Juliet finally get their HEA.

The review of the series includes reviews on each of the following books (listed in order of release):

Note: The review of Sweet Rome may discuss spoilers from the first book since they are companion novels. Books 2-5 in this series are Standalone.

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Magnolia (Magnolia Branch, #1) by Kristi Cook

M

Series: Magnolia Branch

Release Date: August 5th, 2014

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
In Magnolia Branch, Mississippi, the Cafferty and Marsden families are southern royalty. Neighbors since the Civil War, the families have shared vacations, holidays, backyard barbecues, and the overwhelming desire to unite their two clans by marriage. So when a baby boy and girl were born to the families at the same time, the perfect opportunity seemed to have finally arrived.

Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden have no intention of giving in to their parents’ wishes. They’re only seventeen, for goodness’ sake, not to mention that one little problem: They hate each other! Jemma can’t stand Ryder’s nauseating golden-boy persona, and Ryder would like nothing better than to pretend stubborn Jemma doesn’t exist.

But when a violent storm ravages Magnolia Branch, it unearths Jemma’s and Ryder’s true feelings for each other as the two discover that the line between love and hate may be thin enough to risk crossing over.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
• Black side characters
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Hurricane storm
• Death
• Cancer
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe with Exceptions
No cheating
Does have OM drama
– The Heroine kisses and goes on dates with OM (before the Hero and her get close)
Does have OW drama
– There’s a rumour that the Hero hooked up with the Heroine’s cousin (we never find out if it’s true)
– Hero leads on OW–Heroine heard the Hero and the OW made out but there’s no clarification if that happened or not
– The Hero was trying to make the Heroine jealous
Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
No separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

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Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

G

Series: Standalone

Release Date: May 4th, 2012

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Marriage can be a real killer.

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy’s diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.

One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HFN… Kind of?
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Murder
• Violence (Blood and gore)
• Use of false rape claims as a plot device
• Sexual abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Psychological abuse
<strong>Mature Themes</strong>
• Infidelity
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

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Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick

G

Series: Standalone

Release Date: April 30th, 2013

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Inner beauty wants out.

When eighteen-year-old Becky Randle’s mother dies, she’s summoned from her Missouri trailer park to meet Tom Kelly, the world’s top designer. He makes her an impossible offer: He’ll create three dresses to transform Becky from a nothing special girl into the most beautiful woman who ever lived.

Becky thinks Tom is a lunatic, or that he’s producing a hidden camera show called World’s Most Gullible Poor People. But she accepts, and she’s remade as Rebecca. When Becky looks in the mirror, she sees herself – an awkward mess of split ends and cankles. But when anyone else looks at Becky, they see pure five-alarm hotness.

Soon Rebecca is on the cover of Vogue, the new Hollywood darling, and dating celebrities. Then Becky meets Prince Gregory, heir to the British throne, and everything starts to crumble. Because Rebecca aside, Becky loves him. But to love her back, Gregory would have to look past the blinding Rebecca to see the real girl inside. And Becky knows there’s not enough magic in the world.

A screamingly defiant, hugely naughty, and impossibly fun free fall past the cat walks, the red carpets, and even the halls of Buckingham Palace, Gorgeous does the impossible: It makes you see yourself clearly for the first time.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
• LGBTQIA+ side characters
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Death of family
• No abuse
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
No cheating
No OW/OM
Does have the Heroine pushing away
Does have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

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The Selection, A Series by Kiera Cass

T

About the Series

The Selection series has been an awesome adventure and started out as a girl already in love being forced to participate in a competition she wanted nothing with. But throughout these three books, we’ve witnessed America stand her ground for what she believes in, fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, and truly find herself.

The Selection is a series to read again, and lucky us, Kiera Cass is releasing a companion series, continuing America’s story through her daughter in The Heir.

The review of the series includes reviews on each of the following books (listed in order of release):

Note: The review of the second and third books may discuss spoilers from the first (and second) book(s).

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A Different Blue by Amy Harmon

A

Series: Standalone

Release Date: March 23rd, 2013

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Blue Echohawk doesn’t know who she is. She doesn’t know her real name or when she was born. Abandoned at two and raised by a drifter, she didn’t attend school until she was ten years old. At nineteen, when most kids her age are attending college or moving on with life, she is just a senior in high school. With no mother, no father, no faith, and no future, Blue Echohawk is a difficult student, to say the least. Tough, hard and overtly sexy, she is the complete opposite of the young British teacher who decides he is up for the challenge, and takes the troublemaker under his wing.

This is the story of a nobody who becomes somebody. It is the story of an unlikely friendship, where hope fosters healing and redemption becomes love. But falling in love can be hard when you don’t know who you are. Falling in love with someone who knows exactly who they are and exactly why they can’t love you back might be impossible.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• Native American biracial main character
• Hispanic side characters
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Sexual abuse
• Drug addicted parent
• Allusion to molestation (flashback)
• Abandonment
• Teen pregnancy
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Not Safe
Kinda cheating
– The Hero kisses the Heroine and is in love with her while dating the OW (so the Heroine is kind of the ‘other woman’)
Does have OW drama
– The Hero has a childhood friend who he’s in a physical relationship with–the Heroine sees them kissing and believes they are a couple
No OM
– The Heroine sleeps with OM but the sex isn’t detailed
Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
Does not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

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Reboot, A Series by Amy Tintera

R

About the Series

If you like reverse-gender roles (the heroine is the physical badass, while the hero is the one who possesses EQ) and complex heroines, this is the series for you!

The Reboot series uniquely employs the Romeo and Juliet trope by having the heroine be the most accomplished Reboot while the hero is the least impressive (and most human) Reboot. The action, conspiracies, and slow-burn romance make Reboot and its sequel, Rebel, page-turners.

The review of the series includes reviews on each of the following books (listed in order of release):

Note: The review of the second book may discuss spoilers from the first book.

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