Sicily Joy Writes

Kenzie was dumped by her baseball star fiancé during a baseball game. When she goes to confront him, she slips and falls right into the arms of Trevor, who is a catcher and her roommate. While Kenzie mourns her failed relationships, she does a bucket list. Trevor is determined to help her accomplish her list because he is secretly in love with her. Can Trevor keep his feelings hidden while Kenzie recovers from her broken engagement?

I loved this book. The voice actors were superb. The main characters were adorable. I love how down bad Trevor was for Kenzie. They had great romantic chemistry, but were also good friends. I also enjoyed the adventures they went on in order to complete the bucket list. This novel was a closed-door romance, which I think worked well for this sweet story. My only complaint was that I didn’t like when Kenzie made comments about Trevor being like a big brother.

Radio host Bellamy Barnes and Basketball star Cole Howard are supposed to be sworn enemies. Bellamy put Cole’s marriage problems on blast, and he has never forgiven her. But fate has other plans. When Bellamy’s radio career goes up in smoke, she moves into her sister’s apartment as a dog sitter. It just so happens that Cole is now her neighbor.

I loved the dual narration. Both voice actors did an excellent job. I especially enjoyed Sean Crisden’s deep voice.

There was high drama from the beginning of the book that pulled me in. The banter between Bellamy and Cole was witty and almost poetic. They also had great chemistry, and the spice scenes were good.

The ending felt rushed, and there was an unnecessary conflict between Cole and Bellamy at the end.

Mostly, I enjoyed the novel. The voice acting, the dialogue, and the chemistry were excellent. I just wanted a smoother ending. I gave Clickmate by Tia Kelly 4 out of 5 stars.

The Girls Before by Kate Alice Marshall is told from two points of view. One from a search and rescue volunteer, Audrey, who believes that she can sense where a missing girl was taken. Another point of view is that of a nameless kidnapped victim who is trapped somewhere below. The girl is fighting to survive and not become like the other missing girls that haunt her.

The narrators, Karissa Vacker and Ina Barron, did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life. Their beautiful narration matched how beautifully the story was written . The characters were complex, and they had strong character development. I liked both the MCs and was rooting for them. 

The story goes by fast as I was dying to know what would happen next. The plot twists were mind-blowing, and I didn’t guess them. The only negative was that some of the plot was unrealistic.

Josie has a secret which has kept her out of the limelight. But she makes one big mistake: she lets her best friend enter her in a contest for a date with her celebrity crush. Now, she must fight against a budding romance with her crush, Sean, while doing everything she can to keep her identity hidden.

I listened to the audiobook, and the cast did a great job, especially with the different accents. I also enjoyed how silly this book was. I loved the quirkiness of the characters. Sean and Josie’s sarcasm made for witty banter. The two of them made an adorable couple. This is a closed-door romance which I think fits the PG-13 vibe of the book. I think teens and adults could enjoy this rom-com.

There were a few things that bothered me. At first, I found Josie’s over the top, unbelievable lying to be funny, but after a while it annoyed me. Same with her overreacting about her secret possibly coming out. After a while, it felt like she was making everything about her, and she came across as selfish to me. I also didn’t like when Josie and Sean decided to cosplay as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, as they are notorious racists. Besides the questionable cosplay, the book was full of ableism, particularly toward the mentally ill.

Eden Fox goes for a run, like she does every day. But when she runs to her home, her key doesn’t work. A woman answers the door. The woman looks like her, and she is saying that she is Eden Fox. When her husband comes to the door, he confirms that the other woman is his wife, Eden Fox. Now Eden must find out who this woman is that has taken over her life.

Birdy is about to die. She doesn’t know when. But when offered the chance to know the exact date of her death, will she take it?

First off, it was a great audiobook. The voice actors were perfect, especially Gabriella. However, I think the sound effects were unnecessary.

 I had to pause the audiobook several times to ask myself WTF am I reading.  I was confused throughout the book, but in a good way. There was a plot twist after plot twist. Each one stranger than the last. I didn’t guess any of them.

I kept wondering if this was a sci-fi because I started buying into the whole body switching and death date element of the story. This story was a rollercoaster. I was thoroughly entertained, and it was a hard book to put down. 

With that said, there were elements that were too unbelievable. I was also left with a few unanswered questions.

In this haters to lovers romance, Yael and Ravi meet under unfavorable circumstances, causing Yael to hate Ravi. Little did they know, they started emailing each other under their aliases. Without knowing who they truly are, they fall for each other. Will their love survive when their true identities are revealed?

 I really enjoyed this romance. I appreciated how queer the story was. I especially liked that this was BI for BI love. I love all the book-name drops throughout. It was fun to read them talking about books I have loved and books on my TBR. I laughed at the criticism of the books we had to read in high school. I was there for the Fahrenheit 451 slander, as it is rare to find any criticism of this book.

The character development was strong, with each character dealing with their own obstacles to dating. I appreciated the discussion of mental health and the pro-therapy sentiment. The spice was well-written, and it was just the right amount for me. 

Isn’t it obvious is told with dual narration. I think both voice actors did a wonderful job bringing these characters to life. My only complaint is that the reading of the emails didn’t really work in audio form. I think it would have been better if the narrator hadn’t read the whole headers with each email.

For the most part, I had a good time with Isn’t it obvious by Rachel Runya Katz. I gave it 4 stars out of 5 stars.

The Girl in the Window By AJ McDine. Narrated by Tamsin Kennard and Stephanie Cannon

Laura has just broken up with her fiancé. Looking for an escape, she has taken a vacation to a Cornish Village without him. There she comes across an artistic photo of herself. Except, it isn’t her. The photo is of a woman who looks exactly like her. Determined to meet her doppelgänger, Alana, she pulls out all stops to manufacture an encounter with her. But, Laura soon finds out that Alana’s life isn’t as picture perfect as it first seemed. Will Laura risk everything to rescue her double?

I was very intrigued by the premise of doppelgangers finding each other, and the story itself was very captivating. I was particularly interested in reading about  two lives, which were vastly different but shaped by the men in them.

The real action of the book didn’t happen until the 50% mark, but I didn’t mind as I was enjoying just listening to ‌their backstories. The storytelling was great. The relationships were realistic. There was strong character development. I also thought the voice actors did an excellent job, especially since they were performing two different accents. I loved that the ending of the book wrapped up all the loose ends. However I found one of the twists to be predictable.

I did find Laura's attitude towards domestic violence to be naive. But overall, I think the subject of domestic violence was treated with compassion.

Strange Houses by Uketsu

So, a guy and his wife are looking to buy a house. One day, they are shown a newly built home that has a strange floor plan.

The guy has a friend ( known as "the author" throughout the book) who writes about strange and spooky things. So, the guy shows The Author the floor plan.  The Author agrees to investigate further into this strange house.

The plot for strange houses was ridiculous and unbelievable. There is very little character development.  But, I still gave it four stars because it was a fun read and I had such a good time reading it. I think the winning element was that I loved the writing style. For a convoluted mystery, the story was still easy to follow. The absurdity keep me turning the page, eager to see how much wilder the story was going to get.

So if you are in the mood for a weird but good reading experience, I recommend strange houses.

Lola is a people-pleasing pop star who isn’t out as a bisexual, and is suffering from writer’s block. 

Renee is commitment-phobic, doesn’t care what anyone thinks Lesbian, who is struggling with her graduate film thesis. 

When Lola and Renee, childhood friends, meet again at Lola’s sister’s wedding, sparks fly.

So when Lola is struggling to find a director for her documentary, she recruits Renee.

They soon learn that they want to be together. But can their relationship survive the spotlight?

I really enjoyed When I Picture You. I loved the diversity and appreciated the bisexual representation. I think the book did a great job highlighting the biphobia and homophobia in the music industry. Also, the struggles Lola faced in coming out were very realistic. 

The character development was excellent. I think Lola learned a lot about her people pleasing and Renee confronted her issues around commitment.

I feel that the spicy parts were well done and plentiful. Outside the bedroom, the chemistry between Lola and Renee was strong. 

The book was clearly Taylor Swift inspired, but not in a bad way. Lola was like a queer Taylor Swift who isn’t problematic and actually helps the LGBTQ community.

Another positive was the narration. I especially liked how they did the social media comments from fans. 

My only negative was that the book was too long. I think it easily could have been an hour shorter.

I give When I Picture You by Sasha Laurens 4 stars out of 5 stars. 

Cassidy has just opened up a Cocoa shop in her dream town, Maple Falls. Now, all she wants to do is win the Christmas decoration competition to be named business of the year. Too bad, Liam, the resident Grinch, is also determined to win.Who will win? Either way, this competition will not stop the growing attraction between the two.

I thought I would love this book. But it just didn't hit for me. I didn't connect with the romantic development. The physical attraction came in quick and too strong. All the lusty fantasies overpowered the emotional connection. They didn't seem to bond and talk enough for their love to emerge as it did.

There are also a few other things that didn't work for me. I hated that Liam called Cassidy sugar plum, it felt condescending. I didn't think that Liam was enough of a grump.

With that said, the narration was excellent. I did appreciate the conversations around grief. I like the small town vibes. There was also a subplot I enjoyed where an unknown Gingerbread jerk is destroying the displays and Cassidy is determined to find out who it is.

I think anyone who's looking for a Hallmark channel like rom-com will probably enjoy the Spiced Coco Cafe.

Finally over her breakup with her fiancé, Valencia goes to her best friend’s holiday party. While dancing the night away, Valencia runs into her high school bully, Gideon. Unfortunately, the man is gorgeous. Perhaps it was the holiday spirit or the alcohol that makes Valencia pull Gideon on to the dance floor. And those steamy dance moves lead them back to her place.

After having some more holiday fun, the two create a pact to celebrate the twelve days before Christmas together while completing their own naughty and nice list.

The Holiday Hookup list was so good, I read it in one day. First off, I loved that this is a diverse read with bisexual and pansexual representation especially having a bisexual male as a main character. Also, I loved that there wasn’t a lot of miscommunication instead the book kept me hooked with the growing chemistry between Valencia and Gideon. Both characters were so loveable with their authenticity and vulnerability. The intimate time was not only spicy enough to make anyone blush, it was plentiful. I loved the concept of a naughty and nice to do list which kept their dates interesting and exciting. I am inspired to do my own list this holiday season. 

A tale of murder, sisterhood and sirens.

There were quite a lot of elements I enjoyed about The Sirens by Emilia Hart. I always enjoy a good atmospheric story. At times, it was like I was right there at the ocean's edge.

I'm a big fan of podcasts in novels. I was hooked everytime the story switched to podcast mode.

While I appreciated the historical elements and non linear storytelling, it felt like the novel was doing too much. There was the 1800s storyline, modern day storyline, a podcast and diary entries. With all those elements nothing was fully explored. For instance, I wanted more of the podcast instead it seemed like an afterthought.

My biggest issue with the novel was the middle dragged. While I was captivated in the beginning I found myself bored half way through.

Although I enjoyed the plot and atmospheric setting, the uneven pacing hampered that enjoyment. Therefore, I gave The Sirens 3.5 stars out of 5 stars.

Lila Dalton doesn’t remember who she is, but more importantly, she doesn’t know why she is the attorney on a terrorism case. Somehow, she needs to defend her client and solve the mystery of her memory loss.

This is a speculative fiction that mixes genres of thrillers, sci-fi and mystery. The mystery kept me going with the book and the stakes were high throughout. There was also an interesting courtroom drama aspect to the novel. However, I found the pacing to be inconsistence as there were parts that dragged on for me. I found the plot to be too convoluted for me and the ending was anti-climatic. Lila felt naïve and childish, especially her internal dialogue. She was too worried about embarrassing herself than way more pressuring matters.

I gave The Trials of Lila Dalton a 3 out of 5 stars for having an intriguing mystery. I also appreciate the author exploring of various genres and themes. But I found the main character frustrating and the story confusing.

Perfect Girl is a teenage slasher novel. Its a sleepover gone wrong. The characters are pretty one-dimensional except for one character who is in a domestic violence relationship. Also the main character is dealing with the pressure of being a perfect girl. There are themes around gender oppression and the roles women and girls are supposed to fulfill. The book was fast paced and mostly plot driven. While the twists were predictable, this is definitely a book for the fans of campy horror. In the end, it a forgettable book. But if you are looking for a mindless good time try the perfect girl.

 When Dr Ralson adopted his six children, he decided it was a brilliant idea to build them a mansion on their own private island. The Morning House was the subject of many newspapers and lifestyle magazines. But then the deaths happened. Right after the tragic deaths occurred, the family abandons the Morning House. It sits empty until one summer, decades later, the new owners open the Morning House for tours.

Marlowe, our main character, becomes a tour guide after her bad luck kicks her butt and ruins her chance at love. It was supposed to be an escape from her embarrassment and guilt, but things quickly turn deadly. Can Marlowe solve the mysteries that surround the Morning House before it’s too late?

I was quick to select this on Netgalley because I love Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson and I found this plot to be interesting. But, it ended up being the characters that I found the most interesting, relatable and well developed, especially Marlowe. I got a kick out of learning about Marlowe, her personality and what (and who) she loved.

 Then there was the romance side plot where we learn that Marlowe loves hard and will lose herself in a person. It was quite a wholesome and cozy read, except for the deaths. 

I was also pulled into the mysteries. I found myself eagerly trying to figure out how Marlowe’s skills were going to help solve the mystery of the Morning House. Speaking of which, the book did a great job of tying everything up.

Yet, the book was too slow pace for me. It was too heavy on the details and some of the Marlowe’s inner dialogue was repetitive. It took until a third of the book before the book finally picked up speed. Then because the book had a pacing problem, by the time it gets to the reveal, it felt anti-climatic.

I loved the characters, the history of the Morning House, and the romance. However, the slow pacing is why I gave Death at Morning House 3.75 stars out of 5 stars. I will definitely continue reading about Marlowe if there is a series.

Video review:

5 out of 5 stars.

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When Oceans Rise by Robin Alvarez is a very powerful book. In the novel, Malaya is cursed to fall in love with a dangerous boy. Wanting to escape the abuse and emotional ties she has with him, she makes a time altering deal with a sea witch.

When Oceans Rise, is full of Filipino culture and mythology. It is also a retelling of the little mermaid and with a splash of science fiction particularly different timelines and alternative selves.

I love the rich cultural elements throughout the book. It definitely makes me want to dive into more Filipino media.

The little mermaid theme mixed with Filipino monsters and Gods was expertly done and captivated me. I believe the plot also aligned with the original Hans Christian Anderson’s story as Malaya struggles with a doomed love and the sacrifices she must make to protect others.

As far as the abusive relationship that the plot centers around, it is painfully realistic to how abusers can tangle you to them. Also, how family bonds can become broken because of these relationships.

However, the novel takes Malaya on a healing journey both for herself and her family. Although at the beginning, I found the book difficult to read, I eventually found my own realizations and some healing while reading about Malaya’s path to freedom.

I highly recommend this book to young and older adults. I think readers of fantasy, mythology lovers, and family drama readers will love this novel.