AuthorSarah

Riveting Yet Demoralizing: If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

R

Series: Standalone

Release Date: April 21, 2020

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
A riveting debut novel set in contemporary Seoul, Korea, about four young women making their way in a world defined by impossibly high standards of beauty, secret room salons catering to wealthy men, strict social hierarchies, and K-pop fan mania.

“Even as a girl, I knew the only chance I had was to change my face… even before a fortune-teller told me so.”

Kyuri is a heartbreakingly beautiful woman with a hard-won job at a “room salon,” an exclusive bar where she entertains businessmen while they drink. Though she prides herself on her cold, clear-eyed approach to life, an impulsive mistake with a client may come to threaten her livelihood.

Her roommate, Miho, is a talented artist who grew up in an orphanage but won a scholarship to study art in New York. Returning to Korea after college, she finds herself in a precarious relationship with the super-wealthy heir to one of Korea’s biggest companies.

Down the hall in their apartment building lives Ara, a hairstylist for whom two preoccupations sustain her: an obsession with a boy-band pop star and a best friend who is saving up for the extreme plastic surgery that is commonplace.

And Wonna, one floor below, is a newlywed trying to get pregnant with a child that she and her husband have no idea how they can afford to raise and educate in the cutthroat economy.

Together, their stories tell a gripping tale that’s seemingly unfamiliar, yet unmistakably universal in the way that their tentative friendships may have to be their saving grace.

<strong>Ending:</strong>
Surprisingly hopeful
<strong>Representation</strong>
• South Korean main and supporting characters
<strong>Possible Triggers:</strong> Yes
• Parental abandonment
• Physical assault (on-page and off-page, one instance resulting in one main character, Ara becoming mute)
• Emotional abuse
• Discussion of abortion
• Discussion of miscarriage
• Cheating
• Discussion of suicide and suicidal ideation
• Discussion of murder and suicide of sex workers
Title
Miho’s relationship with her boyfriend: Not Safe
• Does have cheating
• No OM
• Does have OW
— He cheats on her with a sex worker (a friend of Miho’s roommate) and is engaged to a woman from a family of similar economic wealth to him
• Does have Miho pushing Hanbin away
• No separation

Wonna’s relationship with her husband: Safe with Exception
• No cheating
• No OW/OM drama
• Does have Wonna pushing her husband away
• Does have a separation between Wonna and her husband (a permanent one, I think)
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Hardcover

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

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Heartfelt and Nostalgic: Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon

H

Series: Standalone

Release Date: July 14, 2020

<strong>Synopsis</strong>
The Hating Game meets Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by way of Morgan Matson in this unforgettable romantic comedy about two rival overachievers whose relationship completely transforms over the course of twenty-four hours.

Today, she hates him.

It’s the last day of senior year. Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been bitter rivals for all of high school, clashing on test scores, student council elections, and even gym class pull-up contests. While Rowan, who secretly wants to write romance novels, is anxious about the future, she’d love to beat her infuriating nemesis one last time.

Tonight, she puts up with him.

When Neil is named valedictorian, Rowan has only one chance at victory: Howl, a senior class game that takes them all over Seattle, a farewell tour of the city she loves. But after learning a group of seniors is out to get them, she and Neil reluctantly decide to team up until they’re the last players left—and then they’ll destroy each other.

As Rowan spends more time with Neil, she realizes he’s much more than the awkward linguistics nerd she’s sparred with for the past four years. And, perhaps, this boy she claims to despise might actually be the boy of her dreams.

Tomorrow…maybe she’s already fallen for him.

<strong>Ending</strong>
HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
• Latina biracial main character
• Lesbian supporting character
• Bisexual supporting character
• FF side romance
<strong>Possible Triggers:</strong> Yes
• Anti-Semitism
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• No OW drama
• Does have OM drama
— The Heroine has conversations with an ex to get closure. It stirs up past regret.
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing each other away
• No separation
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format:

Rating: 5/5 stars

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Striking Yet Harrowing: Searching For Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok

S

Series: Standalone

Release Date: June 4, 2019

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
A poignant and suspenseful drama that untangles the complicated ties binding three women—two sisters and their mother—in one Chinese immigrant family and explores what happens when the eldest daughter disappears, and a series of family secrets emerge, from the New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Translation

It begins with a mystery. Sylvie, the beautiful, brilliant, successful older daughter of the Lee family, flies to the Netherlands for one final visit with her dying grandmother—and then vanishes.

Amy, the sheltered baby of the Lee family, is too young to remember a time when her parents were newly immigrated and too poor to keep Sylvie. Seven years older, Sylvie was raised by a distant relative in a faraway, foreign place, and didn’t rejoin her family in America until age nine. Timid and shy, Amy has always looked up to her sister, the fierce and fearless protector who showered her with unconditional love.

But what happened to Sylvie? Amy and her parents are distraught and desperate for answers. Sylvie has always looked out for them. Now, it’s Amy’s turn to help. Terrified yet determined, Amy retraces her sister’s movements, flying to the last place Sylvie was seen. But instead of simple answers, she discovers something much more valuable: the truth. Sylvie, the golden girl, kept painful secrets . . . secrets that will reveal more about Amy’s complicated family—and herself—than she ever could have imagined.

A deeply moving story of family, secrets, identity, and longing, Searching for Sylvie Lee is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive portrait of an immigrant family. It is a profound exploration of the many ways culture and language can divide us and the impossibility of ever truly knowing someone—especially those we love.

<strong>Ending:</strong>
Tragedy; HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
• Chinese main and supporting characters
<strong>Possible Triggers:</strong> Yes
• Racism
• Statutory r@pe
• Discussion of suicide
• Emotional and physical abuse
• Infidelity
<strong>Mature Themes</strong>
• Childhood abandonment
• Missing person (the resulting grief that goes with that)
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Hardcover

Rating: 4.75/5 stars

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Found (Books of Stone, #1) by B.L. Brunnemer

F

Series: Books of Stone

Release Date: January 13th, 2018

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Forget everything you know about the world. Vampires exist, Werewolves exist, monsters hide in the shadows, and it’s my job to make sure they obey our laws. My name is Evelyn, and I’m a gargoyle. The last one or so I thought.

A team of Gargoyles have found me. And for the first time in over a century, I’m not the only one of my kind around. Which is a good thing since demons are slipping into this world fully formed. The bodies are piling up. Something is going on in my city, and it looks like I’m going to need the backup.

*While this is a Veil Diaries world book, this is not a Young Adult book. Graphic content.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HFN
<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: The Heroine has both of her legs (below the knee) chopped off as payment to another supernatural species. The scene is descriptive.
Note: Gargoyle have regenerative abilities, so her legs do grow back.
• Murder of family (off-page, flashbacks)
• PTSD
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
No cheating
No OW
Does have OM (A human ex-lover of the Heroine attempts to win her back.)
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: 3.25/5 stars

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Pestilence (The Four Horsemen, #1) by Laura Thalassa

P

Series: The Four Horsemen*

Release Date: March 20th, 2018

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
They came to earth—Pestilence, War, Famine, Death—four horsemen riding their screaming steeds, racing to the corners of the world. Four horsemen with the power to destroy all of humanity. They came to earth, and they came to end us all.

When Pestilence comes for Sara Burn’s town, one thing is certain: everyone she knows and loves is marked for death. Unless, of course, the angelic-looking horseman is stopped, which is exactly what Sara has in mind when she shoots the unholy beast off his steed.

Too bad no one told her Pestilence can’t be killed.

Now the horseman, very much alive and very pissed off, has taken her prisoner, and he’s eager to make her suffer. Only, the longer she’s with him, the more uncertain she is about his true feelings towards her … and hers towards him.

And now, well, Sara might still be able to save the world, but in order to do so, she’ll have to sacrifice her heart in the process.

<strong>Ending</strong>

• Concerning the couple: HFN
• Concerning the remaining Horsemen: 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>
• Attempted murder
• Torture
• Stockholm syndrome
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
No cheating
No OW/OM
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: 3.25/5 stars

*Each novel in the series is Standalone

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The Raw Touch by Serena Akeroyd

T

Series: Standalone

Release Date: January 23rd, 2018

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Touch.

The simplest form of communication.
For some, the most complex.

Undercover cop, Lucia has more secrets than a rat’s nest. She works the beat, works it well, until she infiltrates a gang where she finally finds her place. Jungle justice suits her down to a tee, but the day comes when she has to return to her real life, and brothers in arms suddenly become enemies, as she flounders to find her place in the world once more.

Martinez, a gang boss, one of the most powerful men in the city, has had his eyes on Lucia from the start. His instincts told him she was the rat in his midst, but other, baser, parts of him swayed his judgment. When his brother is sent down thanks to Lucia’s testimony, he can think only of revenge.

When a woman who can’t stand to be touched has to fight for her life in the bed of a man who can kill her in the blink of an eye, everything, even reality, unravels.

On the run, her past as a cop and footsoldier chasing at her heels, Lucia’s safety lies in the hands of the one man who can and will hurt her the most.

Through his raw touch, she has to find a haven where all around her, there is nothing but hell. Can she allow him into the ashes of her life, if it means her survival is at risk?

Find out in The Raw Touch.

Reader Advisory: this full-length novel contains scenes of dubious consent, as well as information that readers might find upsetting.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
• BIPOC main and supporting characters
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• BDSM
• Sexual abuse
• Abduction
• Dubious consent – Although, I hate the term. Either consent is given, or it is not given. However, the author warns of a ‘dubious consent’ scene in the synopsis, so I’ve included it here.
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe with Exceptions
No cheating
No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
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: 2/5 stars

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Dragonsteel (Shadowsword’s Harem, #1) by Rachel Baelfire

D

Series: Shadowsword’s Harem

Release Date: January 2nd, 2018

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
My name is Helena, and I’ve been on the run my entire life.

Every day my father and I protect each other from the dragon shifters who’ll stop at nothing to see us dead.
Until he’s captured.

Pursued for powers they’re convinced I shouldn’t have, the only ones who can help are my childhood friend who’s half-werewolf, and a mysterious dragon shifter with a secret agenda.

When a new evil rises, the danger is greater than ever, and one thing is certain. My father and I are both running out of time.

****Dragonsteel is the first book in the Shadowsword’s Harem series. It’s a full-length, Reverse Harem, Urban Fantasy Romance. The harem will be introduced slowly as the series unfolds. Contains some violence and sexual situations.

<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>
• Heroine’s mother was murdered when she was a child
• Heroine’s father disappeared 7 years ago (Flashbacks)
• Violence including murder
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
No cheating
No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
Does not have a separation between the Heroes 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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Bentley (Vested Interests, #1) by Melanie Moreland

B

Series: Vested Interests*

Release Date: February 8th, 2018

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Three young men meet in university and form a lifelong friendship.
Their pasts dictate the men they are, but their present shapes their future.

What happens when these men meet the one person they are destined to be with? Can they fight their feelings and walk away? Or will they each succumb and learn the sweet agony of love?

Bentley
The leader of the group. He is uptight, formal, and cold. Rigid and set in his ways, always following the same path. Until the day, he stumbles upon her.

Emmy
She brings with her spontaneity and light. The world she lives in is so different from his, yet he cannot control the draw to her. Nor can he explain the way she makes him feel.
Happy.
Protective.
Loved.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HEA
<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>
• Heroine was abandoned by her whole family (parents and older brother)
• Hero’s parents died when he was young
• Abduction
• Suicide
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
No cheating
No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
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 stars

*Each novel in the series is Standalone

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From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata

F

Series: Standalone

Release Date: February 1st, 2018

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
If someone were to ask Jasmine Santos to describe the last few years of her life with a single word, it would definitely be a four-letter one.

After seventeen years—and countless broken bones and broken promises—she knows her window to compete in figure skating is coming to a close.

But when the offer of a lifetime comes in from an arrogant idiot she’s spent the last decade dreaming about pushing in the way of a moving bus, Jasmine might have to reconsider everything.

Including Ivan Lukov.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
• Hispanic main and supporting character
• LGBTQIA+ supporting characters
• Main character with learning disability (dyslexia)
• Addresses ageism
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• No OTT sad parts
• No abuse
• The Heroine has a really bad relationship with her father. He undermines her whole career and doesn’t acknowledge her dyslexia.
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
No cheating
No OW
– It’s never clarified if the Hero dated/slept with his last partner.
Does have OM
– The Heroine’s ex-BF was also her ex-skating partner. He tries to make things right at the end, but the Heroine isn’t having it.
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 stars

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