Together We Caught Fire by Eva V. Gibson

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*I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own* 

Okay, so, this book topic was certainly a choice. Looking at the reviews I can see that I'm one of the few who was NOT impressed with it. Here's the gist: Lane has had a crush on Grey forever. But Grey is in a relationship with Sadie. He's also her STEPBROTHER thanks to her dad marrying his mom. Weirdness ensues of course. 

So I'm no stranger to the incest trope. I grew up reading V C Andrews books for crying out loud. But this... just fell flat. For one thing, she barely knew the kid, but was in love with him because they dissected a frog together in middle school? Nah bruh. Then there was the fact that Sadie and Grey are in love and going to get married, but they're like sixteen. *eye. roll.* Their relationship wasn't exactly forbidden. It bears repeating that, THEY WEREN'T RELATED. The description tried to play up the "incest" angle, but the book was more like, "I can't have this guy because he's actually in a relationship and in love with someone else that happens to be my friend". If he was single, I don't think this story would have been near as interesting. Bad pornography storyline at most.

 The slut shaming that Sadie did toward Lane was a hard pass for me as well. At one point she tells Lane that she needs to "wear more clothes" when she's in her yard gardening, because Grey is around. Okay, and? I get that Sadie was raised in an overly religious household, and her dad was a jerk, but she was kind of awful. Honestly everyone in this book was kind of awful. and not in the fun VC Andrews way. 

What Kind of Girl By Alyssa Sheinmel

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*I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are mine.* 

TW: abuse, self harm, eating disorders

Within the first five minutes of reading this book, I was PISSED OFF. Based on the back cover of the book, you know that a high school girl has suffered abuse at the hands of her boyfriend, and that she reports it. This information has caused a divide in the student body, because her boyfriend is essentially Mr. Perfect-- and no one saw it coming. As a matter of fact, no one would believe her if it weren't for the bruise on her face. 

What Kind of Girl gives the perspective of different girls: the burnout, the cutter, etc. Each of them has their own opinion on what happened to the victim and how much of it was her fault. Upon reading, you realize that there are actually only two girls telling the story: the victim and her best friend. The different perspectives are different aspects of their personalities. It was hard enough reading the first part where the "popular girl" says that she doesn't believe the victim because "what kind of girl doesn't report it when it starts" and "what kind of girl stays when her boyfriend hits her" so "it must have been her fault" but it was even more heartbreaking to realize that the "popular girl" was the victim herself, and she was questioning herself. 

The best friend offers a different perspective, because she feels like she should have known what was going on, and blames herself for what happened. She is a feminist and wants to rally the girls together to get Mike Parker expelled from school, but she also has her own doubts-- especially when her own friend doesn't know if she wants him expelled. 

There is talk of self harm, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and obviously domestic abuse. This was NOT an easy read, especially from someone who has suffered through all of these things. However, I think it's something that needs to be talked about. We need to start commending those girls who come forward, and stop letting them think that it was their fault. No one should have to take responsibility for someone else laying a hand on them. I had to pause a few times and remind myself that things do get better, so I can see how this book would be triggering for some people. I also liked the ending. There isn't a happy ever after, things don't automatically get better-- but that's life. It's not a black and white situation, and even though there is hope for our main character, the author lets us know that she still has a tough road ahead of her, sadly, just like most victims do. 

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

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*I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own*

First of all, yes this is a YA novel. Yes, I am an almost 30 year old woman. Yes, I still read (and ENJOY) YA novels. No I don't care if you think I'm too old for that, or if you don't like it. Keep scrolling. 

Alright, now that that unpleasantness is out of the way... I LOVED this book. Pepper and Jack were two of my favorite characters I've been introduced to in a while. Pepper was high strung and very type A, compounded by the pressure she received from her mom to help run their burger joint's Twitter. Jack is her exact opposite, except that he also helps run his family business's Twitter account. When the two businesses end up in a Twitter war, they eventually figure out their connection, and try to put their angst aside to become friends.What they don't realize is that they've been baring their souls to each other on a secret app where all the participants have their identities hidden. I kept wanting to yell at both of them, because I was ready for the HEA, but Ms. Lord did NOT disappoint on that end. 

This was one of those sickly sweet romances that I probably would have hated during my teen years, but come to appreciate after having been in the actual dating scene ( 0/10 would NOT recommend). There aren't any steamy scenes (it is YA after all) and all in all this is a cute, easy read. I would definitely recommend it to our teen readers and even some of our adults as well. 

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn

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*I was given an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own* 

This book was adorable, and for someone who's watched nothing but Investigation Discovery for about a week straight, it was just the palate cleanser I needed. 

Meg is an artist of sorts. She is a calligrapher, who makes designs out of words. As a matter of fact that's how she meets Reid-- she designed his wedding invitation. So when he comes into her shop one day and asks her about that design, and something she'd hidden in it in particular, both of their lives are changed. The two immediately fall into a friends-then-lovers sort of situation, which for me can be either hit or miss. Meg and Reid are just different enough that it works without being over the top cheesy, and I couldn't help but root for them. 

This was a fast read (finished it within a matter of hours) and definitely a cute one. It wasn't earth shattering or ground breaking but it was a sweet story that took my mind off of the chaos that is going on around the world right now. Sometimes that's just as important as being a literary trophy. There was a fairly descriptive sex scene, but it wasn't something I'd be afraid of my little sister reading. 

I look forward to reading more of Clayborn's work, and would recommend this book to many of the romance readers I know!

The Wife and the Widow by Christian White

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* I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.*

Ever read one of those books where you think you know how it's going to end, but then the script is flipped and it turns out to be something entirely different? That's how The Wife and the Widow  was for me. When it started, I was hooked, and needed to know how these people fit together, because I knew that somehow they did; however; I was NOT expecting it to go down the way it did. 

Our story is told in alternating perspectives, between Kate, who's husband has recently passed away, and Abby, who's husband is not all that he seems. There seems to be a story inside of a story, which I really enjoyed. I found myself sympathizing with Abby throughout the story, even at the end when her character seems almost nonredeemable-- a parent's love can make them do some crazy things. Even Kate stuck with me, a grieving wife who just wanted to understand her husband in a way she couldn't during the course of his life. Lately I've been fond of the alternating perspectives in books, and this one was no exception. I think it added more to the story than if we just got Abby's or just got Kate's side of the story. The two are too tied together to NOT tell both. 

This wasn't a difficult read, but it did take me a while to get through, just because I was doing a million other things and didn't have the time to devote to it that I wanted. I did stay up late finishing it though, and most days I'll choose sleep over a book, so that's saying something. The Wife and the Widow  was published in January of this year, and should be available at bookstores and your local libraries. I would highly suggest it for suspense lovers!