TL;DR: Ten books read, including three re-reads and no DNFs. Three anticipated books releasing this week and I’m finally reading From Blood and Ash!
Updates
| Last Week’s Blog Updates | Last Week’s Goodreads Reviews |
|---|---|
| 📖 Weekly Wrap: March 15th to March 21st 📖 Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao | 📚 How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams |
Contents
*These buttons (🇨🇦 🇬🇧 🇺🇸) and the Kindle Embeds contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you buy the item using the links at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclaimer here.
Weekly Review
What I’ve Read This Week
Key: 🔁 re-read | ❌ DNF | 📜 from my Up Next shelf | 📲 eARC
- Unforgettable by MINK ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Blindly Indicted by Katie May 🔁 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- The Sweetest Fix by Tessa Bailey ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Act Your Age, Eve Brown (The Brown Sisters, #3) by Talia Hibbert ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson 📜 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- The Mistletoe Kisser (Blue Moon, #8) by Lucy Score 📜 ⭐⭐⭐
- How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams ⭐⭐⭐
- Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao 📜 ⭐⭐⭐
- Bourbon Bliss (Bootleg Springs, #4) by Claire Kingsley 🔁 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Whiskey Chaser (Bootleg Springs, #1) by Lucy Score 🔁 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Reading Progress
I finally got another book review out this month! I’ve been struggling to find my rhythm now that I’m back in school. Last week I was streamlining the format to all my featured reviews, which meant going through them all. It made me realize how much I miss picking about a book: what my likes and dislikes were (and the many tiny little details the bugged me, even if I gave the book 5-stars 😅).
That being said, I posted my quick review of Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao yesterday! All of March I’ve been in the mood for lighter reads, particularly sweet romances. This book used one of my favourite tropes (fake dating) as its meet-cute but the complex relationship between the Heroine, Chloe (also known as Jing-Jing), and her parents makes for a heavier read than I expected. It’s still a good book but it just wasn’t what I was anticipating. You can see my full review here.
Last week I mentioned Rules for Being a Girl by Candace Bushnell and Katie Cotugno was my next read from my Up Next Shelf! I’m currently reading it (and am only one chapter in), and I realized when I started the book I’ve never been this apprehensive about a young adult contemporary novel before! I know the instigator for the main plot is the Heroine being hit on by her favourite teacher, but reading how much she looks up to him and trusts him beforehand made me feel so anxious and sad for her knowing what’s going to happen.
However, I read quite a few positive reviews yesterday which bolstered my excitement. I’m particularly excited about the feminist book club the main character starts 😊.
I also wanted to remark on how great the cover and back cover of Rules for Being a Girl is! If you head to my Weekly Wrap highlight on Instagram you can see a photo of the back cover – it’s fire 😉!
Up Next Shelf Progress
A reminder: my Up Next Shelf is comprised of all the unread books I want to read and have purchased.
So, I didn’t read more Up Next books than new reads or re-reads last week. But, I am happy that I still knocked off two books from my Up Next Shelf! I finished Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao, which I already discussed in-depth above, and All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson.
All Boys Aren’t Blue is a contender for my favourite book of March. I concur that it’s a must-read for everyone; if you’re looking for a book to start your LGBT+ personal library section, I highly recommend this book.
I didn’t add any new books to my Up Next shelf last week so my Up Next Progress rating (Read – Bought) is the same as last week: two.
Want to Read Updates
You will like Aftershocks by Nadia Owusu if you appreciate:
✨ Memoir
✨ Navigates self-identity and the shifting reality of being a Black woman from Rome and London to Dar-es-Salaam and Kampala
✨ Unpacks the impact of personal and generational trauma
✨ Explores the meaning of home
You will like Bride of the Sea by Eman Quotah if you appreciate:
✨ Debut novel
✨ Exploration of familial relationships
✨ Portrait of loss and healing
✨ Tale of colliding cultures, immigration and religion
The Upcoming Week
To Be Read
Get the Book: 🇨🇦
I’ve been putting off From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout for ages. Why? Because the final book is coming out in a month, and while I know I’ll enjoy it, it’s an angsty read that I just haven’t been in the mood for. But, my best friend has told me I must finish this book before the end of March, so of course, I put it off until the very last week (if this week even counts as March, given that a majority of it is in April).
I’m hoping that From Blood and Ash will kick off a fantasy binge. I have so many fantasy novels waiting to be read but, again, I just haven’t been in the mood for anything but sweet (light and fluffy) romances. Upon reflection, it’s probably because I’m neck deep in academic journals and other nonfiction books as my semester wraps up.
To Look Forward To This Week
Get the Book: 🇨🇦
This week is so exciting; three anticipated books are releasing this week! Even better, they’re all from different genres. Releasing tomorrow (March 30th) is Sweethand by N.G. Peltier and Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia.
Sweethand is a Caribbean romance set in Trinidad, following Cherry as she recovers from a horrible public break-up and gets ready to be her young sister’s maid of honour. Of course, her childhood enemy, Keiran’s best friend is who her sister is marrying! Sweethand seems like it’ll be a cute enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance. Also, Cherry is a pastry chef so I’m excited about all the food!
The reason I want to read Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia is perfectly summarized in this excerpt of the synopsis: “From 19th-century cigar factories to present-day detention centers, from Cuba to Mexico, Gabriela Garcia’s Of Women and Salt is a kaleidoscopic portrait of betrayals–personal and political, self-inflicted and those done by others–that have shaped the lives of these extraordinary women.” I love books that explore the complexities of mother-daughter relationships.
Finally, Blindly Acquitted by Katie May releases on Friday (April 2nd); it’s the sequel to Blindly Indicted. I love how the first book’s reception was so high the author decided to write a sequel (even though the first book was supposed to be standalone). The book is a dark†, urban fantasy reverse harem romance. It will definitely be an instant purchase and read! A warning, the Heroine is a Mary Sue, but when the characterizations are fun, and the romance is good, I don’t really care.
†Note: Read the trigger warnings here if you’re thinking about reading the first book.
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