FFAF: Did I Read It? Fall 2025 TBR

My Fall 2025 TBR

1. Galloway's Gospel by San Rebellin
2. The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
3. The Girl from Devil's Lake by J.A. Jance
4. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
5. The School for Thieves by Peter Burns

Did I read them?

So funnily enough, this is mad embarrassing for me lmao. That said, let's get into it.

I did not read Galloway's Gospel, but it is still on my physical TBR. Maybe I will read it this fall.

Even worse for me was The Final Gambit... I still have not even finished the book before it in the series. I love this series and basically all of her books in general. As such, I am terrible about saving them for "a rainy day" that seems to never come. 

In the case of The Girl from Devil's Lake, it is also still on my physical TBR. I may get to it in April though as it can fulfill a prompt for the Magical Readathon.

Finally I can feel a tiny bit better about myself. I read and gave Cemetery Boys 5 stars. It was fantastic. I was even sent another book by this author because I loved that one so much!

Lastly, I do not even recognize the title of The School for Thieves. I decided to look it up and am even more confused. Was it a lapsed library hold as it definitely wasn't an ARC.

 

Outro

Welp, this was not a fun time for me XD at least I read one. Even if I also did not recognize one. This is why my TBRs I make now are all ARCs or books I already have out at the library. That is really the only way I will ever stick to it.

T10T: Books with Green Covers

  

Welcome back to Top 10 Tuesday, following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! Yay for being able to do the prompt it its entirety! Happy St. Patrick's Day to all who celebrate!

This week's prompt is..... books with green covers

These are in no particular order

1. Stolen Moments by AB Jackson
2. Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden
3. Unseen by Molly Burke
4. Sweet On You by Dani Galliaro
5. Thinky Thoughts by Gwenna Laithland
6. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
7. Destructively Mine by Krista & Becca Ritchie
8. Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol
9. Game On by Navessa Allen
10. Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

Yay for pretty green covers. They are all so gorgeous, especially together.

Here it all is in a pretty lil' graphic as always

I am so happy this week went a lot smoother than previous weeks. It was getting rough not gonna lie. What color do you think is most prominent on your shelves?

Book Mail Monday #6

     

Intro

Welcome back to Book Mail Monday! The one where I bought some books for once. Check out some of my most hyped book mail!

The Book Mail

Books Included

-  Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas

- Free Fall by Kathryn Nolan

- Guilty Pleasure by Suzana Thompson

- Perfect Cover by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

- Killer Spirit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Discussion

Perfect Cover is the first one I bought. It is in a duology with the other book by her in this book mail. This is actually one of her backlist titles that got new modernized covers which was much needed honestly. There are STUNNING and a proud addition to my shelves. This one has pink sprayed edges that have a splattered, almost glittery effect coming from both corners. It also says "The Squad" (the series title) in dark pink lettering. 

Killer Spirit is the second book in this duology. I am happy to finally have these books in my Jennifer Lynn Barnes collection as she has been my favorite author for other 10 years. This one has the purple version of the sprayed edge, which is also gorgeous. 

Celestial Monsters was a total surprise to me sent by the publisher. I am guessing they must've seen by positive review of Cemetery Boys which you can find here. The only unfortunate thing about it is that it is book two in a series for which I do not have book one. But no real complaints for surprise queer book mail!

Free Fall was sent to me by the author for me to promote. Stay tuned on Instagram for my content about it! It is signed by the author. 

Lastly, Guilty Pleasure was also sent to me by the author. I have a flat lay post planned for it in a few days so keep your eyes peeled! It is personally signed for me which I appreciate oh so much!

Outro

Needless to say, this way some very anticipated book mail for me. I cannot wait to dive into these! I'm so happy Barnes is now mainstream so even more people love her works. Thank you to the lovely publisher and authors who were kind enough to share their books with me. While it has meant I've needed to reorganize my shelves, I'm proud to give them all a home with me. 

See you next time I have some exciting book mail to share!

FFAF: Spring Cleaning Book Tag

   

Intro

I am so happy that spring is upon us! At the time of writing this blog it's in the 80s outside which is so warm! As such, I've got the cleaning bug. That's where the spring cleaning book tag comes in! I found it on the Book Cheshire Cat blog. The tag is originally from Between the Shelves. Let's clean up!

The Prompts and My Picks

Getting started: a book series you've been wanting to read

The Addicted/Calloway Sisters series by Krista and Becca Ritchie

I absolutely adore the Webs We Weave series that these sisters also write. I've heard amazing things about this series. The only reason I have read it yet is that I want to read it physically. As I am trying to maintain a book buying ban, I am only very slowly able to obtain the series. So far, I have collected the first two books.

Cleaning/organizing the closet: the best way to organize books

The simplest answer is, however they fit and works for you. 

I think in my official library I hope to have once I move, I would sort by genre and keep series together. Other than that, just a vibe really.

Getting rid of unnecessary things: book/series you no longer need

Let Me Count the Ways by Laurel Osterkamp

I have read this book and don't think I would ever reread it. As such, I do not find the need to keep it.

Get some air: you favorite lighthearted read

One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune

This was one of my top reads of last year. It was oh so good and perfect for me during the time I listened to it. I loved it on so much. Highly recommend! 

Clean out the kitchen cupboards: favorite food-themed read

Café con Lychee by Emery Lee

This was such a nice YA read. It's got queer rep and portrays culture so well! You should absolutely check it out if given the chance.

Dust the shelves: what's the fifth book on your bookshelf

The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

As she is my favorite author, her books come up first on my shelves. This series is currently ongoing so I look forward to finishing it!

Wishing for the end: a 2026 release you are excited about

Game On by Navessa Allen

I have just read the second book in this series. While I did not enjoy it as much as the first book in the series, I still enjoyed my time with it. I'm curious to see if book three works better for me.

Long but satisfying: the longest book series you've read

The Wolf Mountain Ranchers series by Erin FitzGerald

I am not counting any of the series that I read as a kid and know I never finished (as some are still getting books added). As such, this series with 5 main books and a novella is the longest series I have finished as an adult.

Outro

Are you feeling cleaner? I know I am! If you are interested in doing this one, consider yourself tagged!

FFAF: 2026 Bookish Predictions

  

Intro

As we are still at the beginning of 2026, let's do some predictions shall we? I got the idea from Mehsi aka Twirling Book Princess. The original is from Book Princess Reviews.

The Prompts and My Picks

Next Read

The Spiral Key by Kelsey Day

I am due up for a thriller honestly, and this one just released which I had an ARC for.

Next 5 star read

The Primrose Murder Society by Stacy Hackney

I have already explained my excitement for this one. I have also seen some great early reviews that encourage me.

Next 1 star read

To Cage a Wild Bird by Brooke Fast

This is a fantasy books that I got an ARC for. As I'm sure you remember, I am not much of a fantasy girlie

Next love interest (or character you think will be cool)

One of the many MCs of 13 Little Love Stories by Elise Bryant; Jennifer Dugan; J. Elle; Jessica Goodman; Sloan Harlow; Crystal Maldonado; Krystal Marquis; Katharine McGee; Julie Murphy; Lynn Painter; Laura Sebastian; Sara Shepard; Jesse Q. Sutanto

There are so many characters here, I feel like I'm destined to like at least one of them. 

Next book you'll be buying

The Gilded Blade by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Barnes is my only auto-buy author (as I am too low income to have more than one). I quite literally just ordered this because I was able to get an exclusive signed edition for a good price!

Next book that will give you a book hangover

How to Fake a Husband by Bella Rivers

This one has such a pretty cover, I feel like I might not want to pick up anything else for the fear it will be a downgrade. 

Outro

If you'd like to do this yourself, go for it! It was easy and has me excited for my future reads! What are some of your bookish predictions?

FFAF: Did I Read My 10 Before the End

Intro

Now that 2026 is here, my time has expired to finish my "10 before the end" books of last year. I will tell you now, not all of these were finished and we will get into that. That said, progress did happen, so we are gonna celebrate the wins regardless of completion.

✅ means completed

💔 means untouched

🔆 means progress was made on it

The Books

1. Merry Little Kissmas by Lauren Blakely ✅
2. The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes 🔆
3. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton 🔆
4. The Autist's Guide to the Galaxy by Clara Törnvall 🔆
5. Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth 💔
6. The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff 🔆
7. My Roommate from Hell by Cale Dietrich ✅
8. Most Eligible by Isabelle Engel ✅
9. Dolls of Our Lives by Mary Mahoney and Allison Horrocks 🔆
10. Yule be Mine by Piper Rayne ✅

Discussion

See, it's not thattttt bad, I only entirely neglected 1 book. You can also blame my fiancée for two of these being unfinished (The Outsiders and The Autist's Guide to the Galaxy) as we are reading those together and they are way less inclined to reading than I am.

I enjoyed the books I finished and honestly did not read all that much time in December so it is unsurprising I am still in the middle of many of these. 4/10 is pretty good for prioritizing ARCs over anything and otherwise being a mood reader.

Outro

How did you do if you had a 10 before the end? Please tell me I am not the only one who did not finish half of it. I am still proud of kind of committing to a TBR that I considered no stakes. Let's just say, any other TBRs I make in the future of a similar nature are just for funsises.

 Top 5 Tuesday: Authors I Am Thankful For

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... authors I am thankful for

These are in no particular order

1. Harriet Ashford
2. Erin FitzGerald
3. Jennifer Lynn Barnes
4. Bindi Kennedy
5. Dani Galliaro

Happy Thanksgiving season to those who celebrate! While I am against the holiday in terms of its heavily falsified history, I do like that it encourages people practice gratitude. As such, I'm expressing gratitude for authors I love. Most of these are people I now consider friends. The only exception is Jennifer Lynn Barnes who I do not know personally. She is on this list because her books got me back into reading for fun in high school. If I hadn't picked up The Naturals my freshman year, I would probably not be writing this blog post right now. 

Here it all is in a pretty lil' graphic as always

I am looking forward to all of the family time this time of year lends itself to. Crazy that the next time I do this list it will be December aka my birthday month! Does anyone have any fun ideas of what I could do for it?

 Free For All Friday: My Picks for the Goodreads Choice Awards Round 1

Intro

Am I sharing a Friday post on a Tuesday? Yes, yes I am. I wanted to post this last Friday but honestly needed more time to brew my thoughts so here it is now.

It is once again that time of year for book awards. The one where I can actually have a say in is the Goodreads choice awards! While I am not a huge fan of the ethics and morals of Goodreads, it is a must for supporting indie authors. I'll share my deeper thoughts at the end. Let's dive into my picks!

The Categories

• Fiction
• Historical fiction
• Mystery & thriller
• Romance
• Romantasy
• Fantasy
• Science fiction
• Horror
• Debut novel
• Audiobook
• Young adult fantasy and sci-fi
• Young adult fiction
• Nonfiction
• Memoir
• History & biography

My Picks and Explanations

Fiction: The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley

I have not read any of the books in this category yet but multiple are on my TBR. I decided to pick the book that included representation I found important. In the time of unhealthy beauty standards, a cover with a "chubby" girl on it says and lot and says what I want to see more of.

Historical Fiction: Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Another category where I have not yet picked any up. I decided to pick the book I have seen the most of my fellow bookish friends enjoy. When this one came out, I saw a ton of praise for it. 

Mystery & Thriller: Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto

I read this one and had a good time with it. Sutanto writes a comedic mystery better than most. Every book of his I have picked up I enjoyed. This one was no exception. You can find my complete review of it here.

Romance: Till Summer Do Us Part by Meghan Quinn

Unsurprisingly, this is the category I struggled the most with picking a book for. I love many of these authors and their stories. I ended up picking a 5-star read of mine which is a contender for my top of the year! I highly recommend it and you can see my review here.

Romantasy: Mate by Ali Hazelwood

Admittedly, this is a genre I flat out do not read. I do not like fantasy and do not have opinions on it. That said, there are multiple authors here who are awful human beings that deserve way less popularity. As such, I decided to choose Ali Hazelwood's book as I do like other books she has written (her STEM romances specifically).

Fantasy: King Sorrow by Joe Hill

This one is written by Stephen King's son. While King is not a great person, from what I know his son is okay. I do not read fantasy at all so again no strong opinions. That said, I actually did just received this book so that is why I picked it. If you like incredibly chunky books, this may be for you.

Science Fiction: Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove

You may not have guessed this, but I also do not really read sci-fi. (I promise I read a variety of genres, just not these last few). The only one of these books I am familiar with is by an author I have learned has said hateful rhetoric so I will not be supporting that. As such, I truly just picked a book with an interesting cover. I also just discovered it is published by a creator I enjoy which makes this even more exciting!

Horror: Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle

I am only now dipping my toes into horror. I do not like scary things and am a total scaredy cat, so be patient with me for any horror reviews. I picked the book by the only author I have read from before. I enjoyed Bury Your Gays by him, at least as much as I will ever enjoy true horror. You can find my review for that here. 

Debut Novel: The Irish Goodbye by Heather Aimee O'Neill

Somehow I have not heard of a single book in this entire category. Not once... There have been so many fantastic debut releases this year, but nope, these feel truly random. As such, I closed my eyes and picked one. Let me know if there are any good books in this category that I should give my love to!

Audiobook: Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver

I had a couple of potentials for this category but decided to go for the author whom I loved the most books for. I loved her Ruinous Love trilogy. You can find my review for the second of these here.

Young Adult Fantasy & Sci-Fi: Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

I haven't read any of the books in this category. I picked the book that a few of my best friends quite enjoyed. As they don't use bookish social media, I feel like this vote is for them. 

Young Adult Fiction: Glorious Rivals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

This one was a super easy choice to make. Jennifer Lynn Barnes is my favorite author ever. My only auto-buy author as someone who spends almost nothing on books. Anything I can do to support her, I gladly will. 

Nonfiction: Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green

I have not picked up any of the books in this category yet, but I have heard fantastic things from loved ones about this and have it on my TBR. I used to read his fiction books when I was younger. 

Memoir: 107 Days by Kamala Harris

I've been reading more memoirs this year, of people I find fascinating. I like to audiobook them while being productive. As a proud Kamala voter, you know I had to pick this one up. (If you are Trumpie, get the actual fuck off my blog, there is no space for your disgusting views here). 

History & Biography: Sisters in Science by Olivia Campbell

I am not much of a history reader, that is my father's thing really. I picked the one that sounded the most fascinating that is also clearly feminist-coded. 

The Problems

Goodreads is an Amazon created platform. As such, it is incredibly capitalist-coded and is the most mainstream book review platform. The authors and books nominated are very clearly based on who Amazon wants to promote.

I wish there were way more POC, queer, and disabled nominees. It's very white-washed and cishet unfortunately. The diversity of the world and books released in 2025 is not at all reflected well in these nominations. I am genuinely outraged by it, but simultaneously not at all surprised given Goodreads' history. 

Outro

We made it! There were a lot of categories that I was going in blind for. If you have any recs for those categories, I am happy to vote for them in the coming rounds! Are any of our picks the same? How do you feel about the lack of diversity in this opening round?

 Free For All Friday: 10 Before the End

Intro

As this year comes to a close, I wanted to recap the books I still hope to read before the end of the year. That is where "10 before the end" comes along. It is a trend that encourages us to make a TBR with a new year's due date. Can you believe there are only 2 months left in 2025?

A lot of these I am currently in the middle of. A couple are ARCS. I am hoping I end up loving every one. Let's get into them!

My Picks

1. Merry Little Kissmas by Lauren Blakely
2. The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
3. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
4. The Autist's Guide to the Galaxy by Clara Törnvall
5. Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
6. The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
7. My Roommate from Hell by Cale Dietrich
8. Most Eligible by Isabelle Engel
9. Dolls of Our Lives by Mary Mahoney and Allison Horrocks
10. Yule be Mine by Piper Rayne

Outro

I have a nice variety of reads in my future (assuming I actually get to these.) I am hyped for each and every one. Have you read any of these? If not, what is on your ten before the end? I will see you again next week!

 Top 5 Tuesday: Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time 

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... books I wish I could read again for the first time

These are in no particular order

1. The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
2. How to Keep House While Drowning by K.C. Davis
3. Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
4. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
5. You Will Get Through This Night by Daniel Howell

All of these books are my 5-star reads that have left an impact on me to this day. I would love to get the magical feeling from them again. What is somethin you would love to read again for the first time?

Here it all is in a pretty lil' graphic 😁

Look at me here again for another week! Go me! I liked how easy this prompt was honestly. It was nice to recall all of these wonderful stories again and consider a reread. See you tomorrow!

Top 5 Tuesday: Satisfying Book Series

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... satisfying book series

These are in no particular order

1. The Naturals series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
2. Wolf Mountain Ranchers series by Erin FitzGerald
3. Orleans University series by Maren Moore
4. So Not My... series by Evie Sterling
5. Streams and Schemes series by Rebecca Kinkade

I am admittedly not the best at finishing series, but here are a few that I did finish that I feel like were bangers all the way through. All are romance series apart from The Naturals. I know there are a lot of series currently in progress that I am reading and loving. I would be happy to include those if a similar prompts comes up again when those series are concluded.

Here it all is in a pretty lil' graphic 😁

It took me a minute to find all completed series, but I did it! All of these have different vibes, but all are ones I loved. Have any of y'all finished any of these series? See you tomorrow!

 Top 5 Tuesday: Books on my Fall 2025 TBR

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... books on my fall 2025 TBR

Are any of these gonna be particularly fall-ish? I am not sure. Let's find out together!

These are in no particular order

1. Galloway's Gospel by San Rebellin
2. The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
3. The Girl from Devil's Lake by J.A. Jance
4. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
5. The School for Thieves by Peter Burns

There are a bunch of thrillers on here, which feel pretty fall-themed to me. Multiple of these I got in book mail, some are on hold at the library, and one is to continue a series. Will I actually get to all of these? Probably not, but it is a fun hold, isn't it?

Here it all is in a pretty lil' graphic 😁

I have a LOT going on in my personal life, but I still made it here, so go me! I am quite proud of myself. If you see me less active on Instagram and Bsky, that is why. I have also had to switch to an old laptop due to my current one stopping charging. It feels so weird to type on this one now. I shall see you tomorrow for Can't Wait Wednesday!

 Free For All Friday: Roll the Dice Challenge

Intro

I found the roll the dice challenge on Twirling Book Princess blog and put it in my back pocket for a rainy day. This is that rainy day.

If you would like to do this challenge, consider yourself tagged!

The Prompts

• Favorite standalone
• Favorite sequel
• Favorite trilogy
• Favorite four-word title
• Last 5-star read
• Six books I recommend

My Picks

Favorite Standalone

Pillow Thoughts by Courtney Peppernell

This is a beautiful and relatable poetry collection.

Favorite Sequel

Destructively Mine by Krista and Becca Ritchie

The first book in this series is one of my favorite books of all time. The sequel just gave me even more of what I have been desperately craving. I loved every moment and the new reveals. 

Favorite Trilogy

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Absolutely nobody should be surprised that books by my favorite author are on my list. I found this series to be a lot of fun. Is it technically longer than 3 books... maybe... but the core story is a trilogy, so shush.

Favorite Four-Word Title

We All Fall Down by Erin FitzGerald

While I cannot explain why, this title is absolutely perfect for this series and book in particular. I love its simplicity while simultaneously telling so much. Erin, you know I love you and your books so much! Y'all should support her!

Last Five-Star Read

One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune

This book was exactly what I needed when I read it! It's quintessentially summer and a quick feel-good read.

Six Books I Recommend

Till Summer Do Us Part by Meghan Quinn

The Trouble with Love and Coaches by Harriet Ashford

The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera

Bridesmaid by Chance by Meghan Quinn

The Wiener Across the Way by Amy Award

Bunny Season by Bindi Kennedy

Outro

This was the absolute perfect and quick challenge! To my fellow bloggers, you should totally try it! I am also ecstatic that I was able to include all of my 5-star reads so far this year! It worked out so wonderfully.

Unfortunately, I have a super-long workday next Friday, so I won't be back then. That said, you can still catch me here earlier on that week!

April 2025 Reads

  April 2025 Reads 

This month, I read 18 books 

These books were 89% fiction

They were 6% physical, 22% digital, and 72% audio

The most popular genres were romance, contemporary, and LGBTQ+

My average rating was 4.17 stars

My longest reading day was May 1st

The Books

➽ Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter

➽ The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (reread)

➽ Punt in the Dark by Ariana St. Claire

➽ Three Tainted Teas by Lynn Cahoon

➽ The Girlfriend Zone by Lauren Blakely

➽ Beneath the Hood by Emily McIntire

➽ Outdrawn by Deanna Grey

➽ Bridesmaid by Chance by Meghan Quinn

➽ When Ivy Met Adam by Jennifer J. Coldwater

➽ Heartbreak Beach by Bailey Thomas

➽ Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

➽ We Did Nothing Wrong by Hannah Jayne

➽ How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang

➽ All Signs Point to Malibu by Jennifer Snow

➽ However You Want Me by Amelia Wilde and Willow Winters

➽ Family Face-Off by Devon Glenn

➽ Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

➽ Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams

This month, as part of the Magical Readathon by Book Roast, I had to read a few books outside of my comfort zone. As such, my average rating decreased a little bit as I didn't love the books I read. See you next month with hopefully even more great reads!

  

Top 5 Tuesday: Green Books

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday! As it is Earth Day, I thought it would be fun to do something somewhat related

This week's prompt is..... green books

All of these books have green covers, that's it. I know it's not super related, but my brain is still fried from volunteering this weekend, so this is what we are working with. They are mostly in no particular order other than #1

1. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
2. Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol
3. Conflict Mediation by D.C. Emerson
4. Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison
5. Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

Here it all is in a pretty lil' graphic 😁

Hopefully I will be back next Tuesday, but no promises

Top 5 Tuesday: Books I Want to Reread Someday

 

 Top 5 Tuesday: Books Want to Reread Someday

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday. Everyone be proud, I'm here two weeks in a row. Even if it is pretty late, I got y'all

This week's prompt is..... books I want to reread someday

Some books are just so obvious that it will be a great time again in the future. My hope with all rereads is that I would gain something new by rereading it.

Let's break down the why for each of these...

#1 is the only thriller I thought could be cool to reread. I feel like it would be a very different but worthwhile experience to read it again a while down the line while having the context of what everyone in the story actually did. 

#2 is the start of a series that is written by possibly one of my favorite humans ever. That is one big reason I wanna go back to the beginning someday and experience the magic once again. I also find the MMC to be very similar to my partner in some ways so it would be fun to read it with that in mind.

#3 is chock full of helpful advice that is gonna be relevant throughout my life. I think it would be good to circle back whenever my life circumstances change a good bit to prioritize the advice that will help me at the time. 

With #4 I just really want to annotate it because I didn't the first time and kinda regret that.

#5 on the list is actually a book I would be reading for the 4th time because it is just that impactful for me. It was the series that got me back into reading for fun so I gotta give it some love every few years.

1. The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
2. Something Lost by Erin FitzGerald
3. How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis
4. Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
5. The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Here it all is in a pretty lil' graphic 😁

See you all next Tuesday for another top 5!

November 2023 Reads

  November 2023 Reads 

This month I read 4 books 

These books were 100% fiction

The most popular genres were contemporary, LGBTQ+, and young adult

My average rating was 4.69 stars

The Books

➽ The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

➽ A Fabumouse Vacation for Geronimo by Geronimo Stilton

➽ The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

➽ People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Review

* This review is spoiler-free *

4.5/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Adorable dogs

➮ Found family

➮ Thriller

Synopsis

Kira is a teenager who trains dogs for search and rescue missions. One day a mission ends up getting her whole found family involved. It didn't help that the case hit rather close to home. Kira has to prove herself as a trainer and that her dog Saskia can handle the role. Kira and her family then embark on a dark and twisted adventure full of adorable dogs and confounding discoveries. 

Best Quote From the Book

“'Now would be a good time for you to say something,... propose a theory, and I will do my Sherlockian duty and tell you why you are wrong.'"

My Thoughts

Jennifer Lynn Barnes just proved again why she is my favorite author. Her timing for dropping hints and truth bombs keeps me on the edge of my seat desperate to turn to the next page the entire time. Perhaps I am especially tempted by fast-paced books because they avoid dragging on too much. Her carefully crafted level of detail combined with her fantastic plot created a story that defines what it means to be a page-turner. 

The Lovely and The Lost excels at portraying familial bonds. I will never fail to be a sucker for a well-written found family. While Kira's found family is mostly a result of a foster relationship, it felt like Kira, her foster brother Jude, and their boundaryless neighbor Free felt like an inevitable trio. Watching their bond strengthen and their trust in one another keep them alive, literally, brought a fuzzy feeling. 

For those who have read this book, I think we would all be honored to have Cady as a mother figure. She was the strong-willed yet understanding counter to Kira's rougher persona. Watching them interact demonstrated how familial love trumps all. I hope to see more role models like Cady in literature. 

If you thought I was going to get through this review without a paragraph dedicated to doggy cuteness, you are sorely mistaken. The dog-centered moments of the story pulled at the heartstrings and showed how a dog and human bond isn't something to scoff at. One of my favorite doggy moments was when Free's dog Duchess was continually referred to as Her Ladyship. This kept me laughing for a while. The dog team is also another excellent example of how much search-and-rescue efforts rely on unwavering trust. Seeing the different personalities and approaches of the dog and trainer duos shed light on an often under-appreciated element of rescue missions. 

I was honestly surprised to see that this book was written relatively recently in Barnes's career because it has a much different feel regarding the found family aspect than her other series. Perhaps that is because the found family is well-established so nothing has to be said outright like in her other series. The love and unconditional trust is already there. Despite being thrown into the middle of their lives, it feels as if as a reader you've known the Bennett family's dynamic for years. 

Overall I really enjoyed this book with its unique balance of wholesome, dark, and funny moments. The found family aspect is probably my favorite part of the book that doesn't involve massive spoilers. I wish I could've talked about my thoughts about the case but I want to keep that experience a secret for anyone who may want to read it. I recommend this book for dog lovers and those looking for a book to pull at their heartstrings while we all shelter inside from the chilly weather. 

My Favorite Authors

My Favorite Authors

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Inheritance Games series

The Naturals series

The Fixer novels

Debutantes series

Nobody

The Lovely and the Lost

David Levithan

Every Day Series

Boy Meets Boy

19 Love Songs

Nock and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Benjamin Alire Sáenz 

Aristotle and Dante series

Adam Silvera

What If It's Us Series

History is All You Left Me

Death-Cast Series

Becky Albertalli

What If It's Us Series

Yes No Maybe So

Samantha Young

Fight or Flight

A Cosmic Kind of Love

Much Ado About You

Erin FitzGerald

Something Lost

Something Broken

Evie Sterling

The Anatomy of Matchmaking

Digging Up Love with the Sheriff

Game, Set, Matchmaker

So Not My Mr. Wright