Book Recommendations – Page 2 – Stephanie Caffrey, Author

September 2023 Reads

October 1, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged As Long As You Love Me, Between Us, Book Recommendations, Book Review, Books, Counting the Cost, Erin Hahn, Floyd Collins, Jill Duggar, Josie Silver, Kiss the Girl, Love Holly, Reading, The Keeper of Lost Causes, The Takedown, Thornhedge, Vampires of El NorteLeave a comment

Fun retelling of The Little Mermaid. I loved the family aspect, for both Ariel and Eric, and the music aspect. The downside to books about music is the music isn’t real. Ariel and Eric were great together.

I really enjoyed this book. The romance between Matt and Roisin felt natural. The Friends to Lovers was so warm and cute. I didn’t like Joe at all. He felt slimy from the beginning.

I reviewed this book here.

Very interesting story, but also very tragic. Listening to Floyd’s life, I at first thought, “man, of course this dude was trapped.” Also, the use of the word “cave” to describe where he was trapped felt very generous. I would have described it as “tunnel.” But the real tragedy is how everyone bungled his rescue. I think if the media didn’t become involved, and outside people, Floyd would have been rescued.

I reviewed this book here.

This book reminded me of the show Cold Cases, which I loved. The duel timelines was a great storytelling aspect. I enjoyed the detective and his partner. The pace was good, and the whole thing had me at the edge of my seat. Minus one star because I figured out the whodunit and the motive pretty early on. It was pretty heavy handed foreshadowing.

Spooky, romantic, and set in Mexico during the Mexican-American war, a time period I would love to know more about, this book was nearly impossible to put down. I would describe it more of a historical fiction with a friends to lovers trope that happens to be spooky rather than horror, but that didn’t bother me one bit.

I really enjoyed this short retelling. I liked the new perspective. It was really unexpected in many ways, and I loved the freshness of this novella.

I liked Jill Duggar’s honesty, in the ways she felt comfortable in opening up. While I’m sure there is a lot more she could have said, but while I look forward to her being ready to do so, what she wrote was still upsetting. I wanted to punch Jim Bob in the face by the end.

I reviewed this book here.

Book Review: A Winter in New York by Josie Silver

September 30, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged A Winter in New York, ARC, Book Recommendations, Book Review, Books, Josie Silver, Netgalley, Reading1 Comment

A WINTER IN NEW YORK by JOSIE SILVER

RELEASE DATE: October 3, 2023

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After reading A Winter in New York by Josie Silver, all I want to do is eat gelato. And after you read it, you will too.

The book follows Iris in her first year living in New York after previously living in London. She has left an abusive relationship behind, and is still grieving the loss of her mother. The one constant in her life is the secret gelato recipe her mom had made her her entire life. As she attends an Italian festival, she finds a door that looks familiar. Turns out, it’s the gelato restaurant from her mom’s past, the source of the secret gelato recipe.

Enter Gio, the handsome widower, and son of the gelato owner. There’s been a family tragedy, and they don’t have the recipe…but Iris does. What follows is the gradual falling in love between these two lost souls as they work to find the lost recipe.

While I really liked this book, the characters were amazing, I felt the secrets Iris kept from Gio were kept for much too long, and I felt the ending was very rushed. I feel like Silver could have drawn it out a little bit more. However, that minor gripe aside, the book was an emotional rollercoaster. It had me smiling, crying, and sighing at the romance of it all.

Josie Silver is one of my favorite romance authors and look forward to reading her books every year. I was not let down with this book. It had every element I love in a Silver book: realistic characters, realistic problems, a tad of a tragic background, overcoming grief, romance, and hope.

A Winter in New York is the perfect addition to your holiday TBR list.

Book Review: The Takedown by Carlie Walker

September 25, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged ARC, Book Recommendations, Book Review, Books, Carlie Walker, Netgalley, Reading, The Takedown1 Comment

THE TAKEDOWN by CARLIE WALKER

RELEASE DATE: October 3, 2023

Thank you NetGalley and Berkely for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Takedown by Carlie Walker is a wonderful romantic suspense meets romantic comedy. The characters are rich, and the chemistry between Sydney and Nick is palpable, and one of the best buildups I’ve read in a romance this year.

Sydney is a CIA operative, and the FBI has pulled her from duty because her sister is marrying a Boston crime lord. It’s her job to get close enough to his bodyguard, Nick, to find out where the next big hit is going to be. Oh, and under no circumstances should she fall for the target. Simple, right? Maybe not.

The plot has so many twists and turns it keeps the typical tropes (enemies to lovers, there’s only one bed, etc.) feeling fresh. The comedy is also real, and I found myself chuckling aloud. More importantly, the relationship between Sydney and her sister, Calla, was touching, and probably my second favorite part only to the romance.

I devoured this book in a day, and I highly recommend giving it a read. Since it takes place during Christmas, you could even add this to your December TBR.

Book Review: Friends Don’t Fall in Love by Erin Hahn

September 19, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged ARC, Book Recommendations, Books, Erin Hahn, Friends Don't Fall in Love, Netgalley, Reading1 Comment

TITLE: FRIENDS DON’T FALL IN LOVE by ERIN HAHN

RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 17, 2023

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Friends Don’t Fall in Love by Erin Hahn is a friends to lovers romance for the ages. The story is about Craig and Lorelai, who are best friends and fall in love. Craig is a country music writer and producer, while Lorelai is a former country music star who is now unpopular.

While the first person present narration is not my favorite, I could get over it and really enjoy the story. Craig and Lorelai’s relationship felt so natural and I could root for them through the book.

The third act break up is always painful, but this one wasn’t, and I think it is because of the friendship they have.

If you like friends to lovers tropes in romance, you should really give this one a try. Bonus points for celiac representation. I always like to see authors adding in personal touches and using their platform to raise awareness of things like this.

Book Review: Love, Holly by Emily Stone

September 7, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged ARC, Book Recommendations, Book Review, Books, Love Holly, Netgalley, Reading1 Comment

LOVE, HOLLY by EMILY STONE

Release Date: September 26, 2023

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Love, Holly by Emily Stone is a holiday romance that doesn’t completely revolve around the holiday season. We see three different Christmases, but the book is about so much more than that. It is about family, fate, and learning to accept things you may not believe.

Holly meets Jack during a pit stop as she and her sister are driving to a family Christmas getaway. There’s an instant connection. However, something causes them to lose contact after that first meeting. Three years later, Holly is part of a Dear Stranger letter exchange to help lonely people during the holidays. When she reads this year’s letter, she immediately feels a connection and knows she needs to find the letter writer.

What follows is a heart-wrenching story that made me cry several times at multiple parts of the book. The characters are so genuine; they leap off the page, and their heartbreak is my heartbreak. You can’t help but root for Holly and Jack and Emma as the book progresses. I never wanted to stop reading. In fact, I stayed up way too late finishing the book because I needed to make sure everything turned out okay.

If you enjoy holiday romances and books that make you believe in fate, this book is definitely for you.

Book Review: As Long As You Love Me by Marianna Leal

September 5, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged ARC, As Long As You Love Me, Book Recommendations, Books1 Comment

AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME by MARIANNA LEAL

Release Date: September 12, 2023

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

As Long As You Love Me by Marianna Leal is a perfect example of two of my favorite romance tropes: enemies to lovers and fake dating.

Catalina is the perfect immigrant. She is getting good grades and staying out of trouble to achieve her goal of working and staying in the US. Her primary competition is the campus heartthrob, Gabriel. When Gabe proposes Catalina pose as his girlfriend at his brother’s wedding, she agrees, only if he steps back from the job. He agrees.

What follows is a whirlwind of events that leads to the inevitable: is the relationship really pretend anymore? And when an emergency crops up with Catalina’s family in Venezuela, will their relationship last?

I truly enjoyed this book. Catalina was a great protagonist, and Gabe was an amazing love interest. I loved how Gabe was always there for Cata, even if she didn’t want him to be. The characters in the book were well-developed, and their love story felt well-paced and realistic.

If you’re a romance reader and you enjoy these tropes, you should definitely read it.

August 2023 Reads

September 1, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged Binti, Book Recommendations, Book Review, Books, Brandon Sanderson, Erotic stories for Punjabi Widows, Foundation, House of Salt and Sorrow, Light From Uncommon Stars, Neuromancer, Nimona, Pines, Ravensong, Reading, Station Eleven, Time Machine, TJ Klune, Vera Wong, Vonnegut, Whalefall, Who Goes There?3 Comments

An interesting concept with a lot of world building in a short amount of time. The last quarter of the book was the best part with the connection between Binti and the Meduse becoming change and interesting. I may need to read more.

Wasn’t really what I was expecting. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t really men sitting around and talking about the adventures the Time Traveler went on. I think I would have liked the story much better if it weren’t a second hand account, and we were entrenched in the story.

This series is amazing. I loved this book as much as the first one. It was nearly impossible to put down. The entire thing was very romantic. The flashbacks, the current timeline. It’s a TJ Klune book, so of course I cried. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

This book didn’t feel eighty years old. It read very modern. Even though a lot of the book was telling rather than showing, there was still a lot of suspense. I was really happy to see how faithful the movie adaptations were to this short novella.

Blake Crouch books are so intense. I constantly have that worried feeling in my stomach as I read. This book was no different. I had so much anxiety as the ploto sped ahead, and I couldn’t read fast enough to find out what was going on. It was impossible to step away from this book. I will definitely be finishing the trilogy.

I regret waiting so long into my life to read Slaughterhouse-Five. I actually listened to this book at 1x speed. I was enthralled. The way Vonnegut writes is beautiful and heartbreaking. What a beautiful way to examine PTSD in WWII soldiers.

So. Cute. So. Good. It was a quick read. I really liked the story and the characters. Reading this book made me smile.

A very good retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. The story was very original while also maintaining the spirit of the original. I honestly couldn’t figure out what was going on and I loved it. Can’t wait to read the sequel.

Very good, very funny. I loved all the widows. They made me smile. It did surprise me that we were able to hear the erotic stories, I thought the title was merely ironic, but it wasn’t terrible. I loved how the story was also a true crime murder mystery/thriller. It surprised me when the book took that turn, but I didn’t hate it.

At first I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this, but then the plot picked up and I really ended up enjoying it. It was hard to tell when they were in the virtual world or not, but that didn’t really affect the book experience for me.

The constantly changing POVs made listening a little difficult at the beginning, but it became easier. The story was so moving. Who knew you could have a deep message about identity, being a trans teen, and humanity all while involving aliens and donuts?

This book made me laugh out loud. Vera was easily my favorite character. She was hilarious. I loved all the characters, and the story really evolves into a found family story. For the longest time, I thought there really wasn’t a mystery, and genuinely didn’t see the end coming.

My first Brandon Sanderson book. Very interesting concept, and impressive world building made this short novel a joy to listen to. For such a short book, I was impressed how much I knew about the world, the characters, and how invested I was in the outcome of the book.

Turns out, I’m not a fan of Asimov. This book was pretty dull. I read about 95% before I just set it aside. It was a lot of old men sitting around and talking about stuff that would have been more interesting to see rather than hear about.

What a book. Never have I read a book set in a post-apocalyptic world that had such a feeling of hope for humanity. Yes, we had the prophet, but the sense of comradery between the characters and the people they encountered was such a breath of fresh air. Yes, it was sad, but there was so much hope. The characters were all amazing, and there wasn’t one section I dreaded reading. The whole book was very well done.

What a tense book. At one point I had to stop what I was doing and put my head down, I was so stressed out about Jay’s survival. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. The book was very intense. Lots of body horror, so if that is not your thing, I would skip. Especially since the description of Jay as a “man” is very loose, since he is seventeen years old. Ultimately, the book was a story of a father and a son, and their relationship.

July 2023 Reads

July 31, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged Book Recommendations, Books, Fourth Wing, Girl Who Drank the Moon, Heartstopper, JR Ward, Killers of a Certain Age, Lone Women, Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys, Nick and Charlie, Reading, The Measure, Watership Down, We are Never meeting in Real LifeLeave a comment

The book was fun, but nothing to write home about. I liked the ladies, but only Billie stood out to me. There were several threads I felt were dropped (Minka and Travener), and I wish they had been a little more detailed and deeper. I liked the action and the spy stuff, and I totally can see this as a movie. I just wish there had been more.

I don’t know what I was expecting when I opened this book, but it wasn’t what I got. And I mean that in a good way. This book exceeded expectations. It is a horror fantasy book, so know that going in. But I don’t want to say too much more about it, because I don’t want to spoil it. I will say, I couldn’t put it down.

As of right now, this is my favorite book I’ve read this year. My life has been missing a great fantasy series (this is book one of five), and I think this is going to fill that whole. I haven’t had something to obsess over in a long time. The book is a lot of world building, but what a world. I loved everything so much. Violet. Xaden. We won’t talk about Dain. The cliffhanger at the end has me counting down the days to November.

After a slow start, the book became impossible to put down. It was a very interesting concept for a book, and it really made me think. The events of the book felt realistic. I loved all of the characters, but Amie and Ben were easily my favorite. We read this for one of my book clubs, and it lead to a lot of very interesting conversation.

This book wasn’t what I expected, and I ended up not liking it at all. I thought this was going to be a romance, and it wasn’t. I really didn’t like the narrator or the plot, and I couldn’t wait to finish reading it.

I received this book from NetGalley as an ARC, and I am reviewing it with my honest opinion.

I read this book too quickly, and now I am sad that I am out of Heartstopper material. As usual, the book was adorable, a quick read, and the events Nick and Charlie deal with are realistic.

Cute romance. I loved Sam and Ben together. I felt her dyslexia was a little overplayed (we get it, you don’t need to mention it every other page), but it didn’t detract from the story. I really enjoyed Sam and Tyler’s sibling bond. I’m hoping for a sequel featuring Em, because she deserves a happy ending.

This was a re-read for me to fill a prompt for a reading challenge, and I loved it as much as I did in high school. I love when the Hardy’s and Nancy team up, and this is one of my favorite mashups. Frank and Nancy have “a moment.” There are very few books where this happens, and I have them all! Knocked a star off for Ned showing up. No one likes Ned.

Jane Eyre is my favorite book of all time, and this is a retelling of it, with magic and set in Ethiopia. In other words, this book was amazing. I loved Blackwood’s take on the story. Her characters were rich, her magic system was amazing, and I loved how you could tell it was an Eyre retelling without it explicitly hitting ever beat of the original.

I’m pretty sure the fact Peter Capaldi read this to me, and he did an amazing job at it totally influenced my view of this book. I really enjoyed it, especially when I learned it was a retelling of The Aeneid. I became really invested in the survival of these bunnies, and couldn’t stop listening.

A beautiful story of magic and family. The imagery was so vivid in this book, I could picture everything. Told as if it were a proverb or fairy tale, I was completely drawn in.

Another book club pick, this book was hilarlious. I loved listening to the author read her autobiographical essays. I laughed out loud several times. Especially her essay about her cat. I will definitely be checking out more of her work.

Another book club pick, this is a series of short stories that are seemingly un connected except for the fact they are all about fishing. And they are all sad. And most of them have questionable age gaps between couples. I enjoyed a few of the stories, hence the star rating, but i wouldn’t recommend it.

June 2023 Reads

July 1, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged Book Recommendations, Book Review, Books, Cemetery Boys, Elliot Page, Emily Henry, Heartstopper, JR Ward, On Earth as it is On Television, Pageboy, Practice Makes Perfect, Reading, TJ Klune, Wife AppLeave a comment

I highly recommend reading David Copperfield first. It adds a whole new layer to this book, which is a beautiful heartwrenching story that hit all the same beats as Copperfield, but just transferred to a modern setting. I loved Demon and Angus, and rooted for Demon to get out of his situation. The characters were great, the prose was beautiful. This was not a bok to rush through, it needed to be savored.

Emily Henry is always a win. I loved the format of this book. I loved that we got to see the relationship in chornological order, simultaneously with the current time. I’m a sucker for the “there’s only one bed” trope, and this one was no different. Like all Emily Henry books, I found myself loving the side characters just as much as the mains. I wouldn’t say no to a book of short stories following up on all of Henry’s side characters post their books. This was a beautiful story and a wonderful romance. Couldn’t put it down.

Second book in the Wolven series, Forever deals with Daniel’s cancer and what Lydia is going to do when he dies. I trust JR Ward inherently to give me a happy ending, so I’m going to continue to trust her. But man, these book was pretty bleak. It made me cry, a lot. And I now ship Lydia with both Daniel and Blade, and I don’t know what to do with that. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

This book was okay, and I was a little let down since I was really looking forward to it. I didn’t really like the way it was written, the prose. And the plot felt pretty rote for the first section. There was a twist in the second part which peaked my interest. But it wasn’t enough to “wow” me. I liked how all the different POV characters stories tied in together, but there really was only one story I really wanted to read, and there really wasn’t enough of it, I think his was represented the least.

Really cute story!! I love Nick and Charlie. Everything about their story was so organic and fluffy and I could not put it down. Made me want to read the whole series.

I don’t know why it took me so long to read this one! It’s so good. the commentary on being trans, deportation, and community were all really good. The love story? Epic! The plot?? Amazing. I couldn’t stop reading. It was intriguing, suspenseful, and honestly caught me off guard. Loved it.

Charlie and Nick are completely adorable. I didn’t think they could get any cuter. But they did. Again, the story just feels so authentic.

Paris! We’re taking the story on the road and getting to the friend group better. I love all of the characters! They are all amazing and I love them all. These characters are great!

Cried so much in this one, but everything covered felt so authentic. I really appreciate the care with which the subject matter is being handled. Can’t wait for more.

Cute premise, and lovely romance. I loved everything about it. The characters were great, the chemistry was on point. I loved that there really wasn’t a third act break-up. All tears shed were happy tears or shed over things not between the couple. Now I want to read the first book in the series.

Leon and Tiffy are both great characters who combined into the sweetest romance. The book was so cute. The romance was sweet, the third act breakup was minimal. Loved everything about the book.

Read this as an ARC, you can find my review here.

Read this as an ARC, you can find my in depth review here.

I had been really looking forward to reading this book, and it didn’t disappoint. Elliot Page really made clear everything he felt pre-transition and post-transition. He talked about the dysphoria he felt, the pain he felt being in all the closets he was forced into. I’m so happy he felt comfortable enough to open up, since he’s one of the most visible transgender actors around. I was happy when he shared stories of all the people who are supportive of him, both biological and found family. It was important to me to know he had people in his life who were there for him.

Review: Wolfsong

July 1, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged ARC, Book Recommendations, Book Review, Books, Netgalley, Reading, TJ Klune, Wolfsong1 Comment

Wolfsong by TJ Klune

Release Date: July 4, 2023

Thank you NetGalley and Tor books for the ARC. I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

It’s candy canes and pinecones. And epic and awesome. And it’s everything you would expect from a TJ Klune book, except with a lot more angst and smut. Wolfsong is technically a back list title of Klunes, but Tor is re-releasing the series. If you haven’t read the series before, like me, this is the time.

Clocking in at nearly six hundred pages, don’t let the size of the book intimidate you – I read the book in two days. I could not put it down. I was enthralled. Told from the point of view of Ox, beginning when he is twelve years old, the book’s timeline spans a little over a decade.

At first it was hard to get into the book, but the minute Ox meets ten year old Joe on the dirt road outside his house on the day he turns sixteen, I was hooked. What follows is the slowest of slow-burns, and the most satisfying fantasy story about werewolves I’ve read.

As you would expect from a Klune book by now, the book is full of found family and unconditional love. The book has the squishy feelings his other books have, and you will be laughing and smiling and your heart will be bursting. Except, where this one differs is there are several events that will just rip out your heart and stomp on it. But they don’t hurt too bad, because this is Klune, so he’ll just add more found family and unconditional love to temper the blow.

This book made me laugh, it made me cry, it made my heart swell. If you’re a fan of Klune, you should definitely pick this up. If you’ve never read Klune before, you could also read it, but I suggest you also read all the rest of his books as well. Klune is a favorite author of mine, and he’s never let me down. I hope you will enjoy him too.