Make Up Reading

I am so glad that I picked up this series. I loved "Strange the Dreamer" but I loved this book even more. You really got a great background on the world and how many of the characters became who they are. Lazlo and Sarai are definitely one my most favorite couples ever! Their love story is just so beautiful.  What I love so much about this story is the way Laini Taylor writes villains. There are so many layers to them and you often find yourself feeling so much for them. I really don't want to ruin this for you so I will just say that this is an absolutely beautiful follow up to "Strange the Dreamer". You will not be disappointed!

5 out of 5 stars I have been hearing about this book for about a year when one of my top booktubers starting raving about how much she loved the book. Her love of this book had me super curious to pick this up but then another book would come out and I would end up getting that one. I also started reading a lot of ARCs so that had made me a bit busier. I finally bought this in audio form and I am so glad that I did. When we first meet Lazlo Strange, a foundling raised by Monks who has spent most of his life in the library reading and dreaming. Life has been pretty dull for the librarian until "The God Slayer" comes to town looking to create the perfect group to help him with a very special mission to help protect the people of the town Weep. Lazlo is surprised and thrilled to be chosen to go along even though he has no idea why they would they be interested in a quiet, shy dreamer. Meanwhile in the citadel above the city of Weep a young Goddess named Sarai, one of only five G...

I decided to listen to the audio version of this because I always like to pick one audio book to listen to as I get ready for bed. This was a good choice. The narrator Kate Orsini was really good. If you love a good Southern Gothic then this novel is for you. Meg has spent her whole life in the shadow of her novelist mother. Francis Ashley is famous for the novel "Kitten" the ultimate "killer kid" novel. The book which may or may not have been based on an actual murder was such a sensation it attracted a group of fans so obsessed they call themselves Kitty Cultists. They are so obsessed that they used to travel to the famous hotel on Bonnie Island where the real murder the book was based on took place. They spend hours online researching, determined to solve the crime. To prove that the real "Kitten" murdered young Kim Baker when she was just eight years old. As the 40th anniversary of the novel's release approaches the hype around the book grows ev...

This is the second Megan Abbot book I have read and I liked even more that the first which was "The End of Everything". I have become a big fan of Megan Abbot after reading this one. This book is a bit different because it is told from an adult point of view except for one section near the end. The Knox family lives and breathes through teenage daughter Devon, a phenom on her way to becoming an Olympic gymnast. In fact their whole little gymnast community lives and breathes through Devon. They all want her to succeed so that maybe, just maybe their daughters can. One night everything changes, a young man dies a violent death and the world they all live in is thrust into chaos.  Now, let me start by saying this book reads different than her other books or at least the one I read. Megan Abbot excels in writing teenage girls and just how devious and yet innocent they can all be so, I was curious to see if she could write for an adult women in the same way and let me assure you t...

5 out of 5 stars Quincy Carpenter is a member of a very exclusive club, she is a final girl. There are three girls that are members of this club and to be one you must be the lone survivor of a mass murder. Quincy managed to survive the Pine Cottage Killings ten years ago back when she was in college. She thinks she has her life together now, a live in lawyer boyfriend, a successful baking blog and a lovely apartment in NYC. Sure, she also happens to drink too much wine and she depends on Xanax a little bit too much.  The life that Quincy thinks she has starts to fall apart after she finds out that the original Final Girl Lisa is found dead and the only other Final Girl Sam shows up on her doorstep.  I loved this book. It totally read like a horror film. There were many good twists and turns some I completely saw coming and some that did come as a surprise. The biggest weakness was the fact that Quincy was so easily influenced. That is something that I would have expecte...

3.75 stars This was actually a very hard book to rate for me. For one thing it is one of the most hyped, popular books that I have ever read and I went into it very excited. However, this was one of the slowest books I have ever read. I listened to it on audio and the every VA was fantastic so it had nothing to do with that. For me the book just didn't get going until there was about 45% left. The reason I chose to rate it what I did was because when this book got started it really got started! There were many surprises, twists and turns around every corner. I loved the secrets that the characters that kept from us. The intricate plots woven together kept me hooked. I had no issue with the fact that this totally ends in a cliffhanger. My only other main issue is the fact that it seems like everyone seems to pair up. I love a good romance but we don't need all six of the main characters to either be in love or heading that way. Would I recommend this book? In a heartbeat. I...

3.5 Stars First off I would like to thank Netgalley & the publisher Bleeding Ink Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. For the longest time Jack Frost was one of the most underused mythical characters. I think the movie version of "Rise of the Guardians" brought him more to the forefront. Every year at Christmas the Jack Frost special comes on and I always cry so I have been a fan of his for a while!  Inside the globe no one knows knows that the weather is being controlled by  Morozoko Industries. Jack and Gen want to know why Winter lasts forever and yet Spring,Summer and Autumn seem to go by in a blink of an eye. With WInter lasting so long the residents have a very short amount of time to harvest what they need to survive the cold season to come. Life is not easy for the residents of the globe. I felt that this book was a bit of a hit and miss for me. There were parts that I really liked a lot but I di...

2.75 Stars The very first novel by Lauren Oliver that I read was "Before I Fall". I fell madly in love with that book,the writing was lyrical and the story was beautiful. Yes, it was a concept that had been done before but the way that Lauren Oliver wrote this book was just perfect in every way. I have since rad "Panic" as well as "Liesel & Po" and "The Spindlers" and I really liked them. However this book had a hard time holding my interest. I started it a while ago and I was having such a hard time getting into it I actually ended up reading two other books before picking this one back up. I really love Lauren Oliver's writing style so really that had nothing to do with it. Nick was a very likable character though Dara was not even in her journal issues she was not likable. I really hated her parts of the story. I also am like many other that found the twist to be a bit obvious. You knew what it was from almost the very start. I really ...

First off I would like to thank Netgalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I have heard of Lisa Jewell but have never read any of her books. Well, that is going to change because I truly enjoyed this novel!  We first meet newlywed Joey shortly after she and her new husband Alfie has moved from Ibiza to Melville Heights to live with her older brother and his pregnant wife Rebecca. Joey finds herself almost immediately attracted to Tom  Fitzwiiliam a middle aged married man whom she first sees with his wife Nicola and son Freddie as they get out of their car. Though ordinary by most standards there is something so charismatic about Tom Joey finds herself crushing on him without even saying a word.  The story switches from three POVs and police interviews after a murder has taken place, flashing back to a few months prior to the crime. Joey's story, Freddie's story and one of Tom  Fitzwi...

I would like to start this review by thank Netgalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. For me though I really enjoyed this book and was going back and forth between a 3.5 stars to a solid 4 stars I ended up going with 3.5. Of course I gave it 4 as we are not able to give half stars! I also felt that the twists were enough to give it a 4 star rating. One perfect May morning Susannah returns from her run to find a note on the door of her home that reads simply "I know who you are". Susannah is freaked out by the note and immediately calls her husband who is out of town on a business trip.  When Max gets home he is not as upset by the note and ends up just dismissing it. Thinking that is the end of it and then something else happens. The husband of a couple that had dined with Max and Susannah recently dies in a terrible accident while on a run with Max. Shortly thereafter another note arrives ...

This was a full 5 star rating for me! I loved this book! First off I would like to start by thanking Netgalley and the publisher  St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 28 year old Jessica Farris is a makeup artist struggling to make ends meet in New York City when she overhears one of her clients talking to a friend about blowing off a study seeking women aged 18-32 for a study in morality. Seeing as how her very wealthy client seems to have no real interest in going Jess decides to go in her place. She could really use the five hundred dollars and what harm could it cause? Little does Jess know just how much her life will change by doing this one, little thing. Jessica is thrilled when she is not only accepted into the study but has intrigued the psych professor Dr. Shields so much the doctor wants to continue the study with her and not only that, she wants to pay her much, much more. Sure, some of the  ...

First of all I would like to thank Netgalley as well as the publisher  St. Martin's Press for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Anna Roux a 26 year old dancer has been dealing with the eating disorder anorexia for years but after years of struggling things have finally come to a head.. Her husband Mathias convinces her to go to treatment facility at 17 Swann Street. There  she meets a group of girls suffering from  anorexia or bulimia. Ash she becomes friends with the girls there she also begins to discover herself. When she first arrives and through much of the book Anna is at a loss as to why she is even at Swann Street. Sure, she watches her diet but she is a dancer and dancers need to diet to stay in shape don't they? Yes, she restricts most foods but as a vegan once again that is something that vegans do.....right? The answer is no, to both things. When she first arrives Anna is in complete denial. She remember things differently than h...

Barely 1 star! I was very, very disappointed in this novel. You know how you will go to your favorite coffee shop and eye a yummy looking cupcake everytime you? Imagine buying the cupcake thinking you will get a yummy chocolate cream (or whatever your flavor is) and it tastes like the flavor you hate most? You walk away disappointed, right? Maybe even a little bit angry? That was my experience with this book!   I had it on my list for a long time and I finally took the plunge and bought it. A big mistake. This book was nothing like I thought it would be. While I would say the actual writing was not bad the story was not good. Most of the time when a book takes a surprising leap I enjoy it and go along with it but not here. I just couldn't follow along with this one. I won't go into details too much because I don't want to spoil anything. I will say that this is not your typical mystery in a very bad way.  

4.5 Stars First off I want to thank Netgalley and the Pan Macmillan AU publishing company for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review. In the small town of .Strathdee in Australia the body of sweet,young Bella Michaels is found brutally raped and murdered. Turning the whole town on it's head and altering the life of her older sister Chris forever. The novel is told through the first person voice of Chris and through a third person account of Sydney reporter May who is in town to write a story. Chris' voice is heartbreaking. She is a strong, tough and honest character who never tries to run from who she is. The grief she feels is overwhelming and we feel every bit of it. May is one of the few reporters that is not there .to exploit but is more or less there to write and actual story of Bella and what happened to her. This wonderful written novel is raw and honest. It talks of what it is like to be a woman. How as women we live in a world where anyt...

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Graydon House  for allowing me to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! Let me just say that I am not sure  exactly what genre this books is but I guess I would call it a historical paranormal romance and let me tell you that I am here for it! I just loved this book. I was intrigued by the cover of the book that the blurb but I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I thought I would. This is the perfect book to read on a chilly Autumn evening by the fire. It is warm yet gothic, romantic, lovely and yet heartbreaking. Lydia Montrose has known for a long time that she was different  and she can even tell you the exact day it hit her that something was off, she was around five and she hurt a crue little boy without touching him. After that her Mother warned her to never do that again. Though she didn't understand how she did what she did she tried her best to hide who truly is. In fact she did such a good job ...

I have to admit that I was a bit confused by the many poor reviews this book got. I actually liked it a lot. I thought it was very true to the rather rotten way we, as teenagers treat one another and even ourselves in the desperate need to be liked and thought of as cool. I am no longer a teenager and I was raised to actually stand up to bullies but in the process I myself had been attacked by the bullies. I can understand where each and every character was coming from. Alice is a slut who slept with two boys in one night or so says Elaine, Alice is responsible for the death of the coolest boy in school, QB Brandon Fitzsimmons if you ask his best friend Josh. Alice had an abortion if you ask her ex best friend Kelsie. Alice is perfection if you ask the class nerd Kurt. The truth lies somewhere in between. We hear all about Alice through the voices of these four characters. I will admit that most of them are not very likable characters and I hated the actions they took but if you rememb...

2.5 stars Here is the thing, I wanted to read this book so bad and I was super excited when I was able to get it on Kindle for 1.99, the problem is that this book was really hard to get into. It just felt flat. It is not because in a lot ways the writing feels like a classic, in fact that was one of the things I enjoyed most about it. The problem was that the storyline fell flat for me. This book had everything I love, good representation, an interesting and funny lead character that you actually could like even though he was rather dickish and relationships that I was rooting for. Yet, with all of that going for it there were times when I could not even bother to care. I actually fell asleep a few times while reading this. I know rom the ratings that I am in the minority here and I may read the next book but I am disappointed. The reason I rounded this up to three stars is because the wide representation in this novel. If not for that it would have only been a two star book.

First, I want to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the chance to read an advanced copy of this book. A beautiful story about a difficult subject. This book is very hard to  review without revealing some spoilers. So I am going to warn in advance that there will be some spoilers in this. Once upon a time, a long time ago back when they were in Girl Scout Mellie Rivers and Lise Grant were friends. Though they were very young when Mellie's parents took he out of Girl Scouts because one of the girls had two Dads Lise never stopped feeling as if Mellie was her friend. So many years later when the girls are sixteen and Lise notices that something terrible is going on with Mellie she sets out to do what she can to help her.  It seems Mellie has been raped and has fallen pregnant. Mellie is from an extremely religious family and he Father also happens to be Mayor. She is frightened and lost, feeling like there is no way out and beginning to become more and more desperate ...

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors Lion Forge for allowing me to read this in advance! This book was so good! I loved the art and the story so very much. Marjorie is a girl that feels invisible She just feels as if she will never belong in this world.. She spends most of her time running her family's failing  laundromat as her Father is just too depressed to do anything except lay in bed overcome with depression from the loss of Marjorie's Mother. She also loves to lose herself in books. There is someone in Marjorie's life who happens to also be a ghost named Wendell. Suddenly Marjorie isn't all alone and she has someone to help her save her laundromat. This is a beautiful story of grief, loss, loneliness and strength.. It shows that nothing is impossible with hard work. I loved Wendell and Marjorie and I am sure you will as well. This is a must read!

I have read this book well over twenty times. Every single time I read it I am so moved by Deborah and what she went through trying to help a child that was turned away at every turn. No one understood what was wrong with Nancy and no one really wanted to understand. She was too smart, too high strung and honestly just too difficult.  She was a complicated child born into a world and a time where no one, including the medical community knew how to handle her. Drugged from birth did she ever really stand a chance? Was she predestined to be an addict? It certainly seems so.  Deborah's journey was harrowing and you can't help but feel for her and the Spungen family. Nancy seemed to affect everyone in her life.  This book is about more than the murder of Nancy by her boyfriend punk rock legend Sid Vicious. She was someone's child and this book covers every little detail of her life and death in a beautiful, sad way.  I recommend this book to everyone I know and...