Books – Page 4 – Stephanie Caffrey, Author

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.

Review: The Wife App

June 27, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged ARC, Book Review, Books, Reading, The Wife App1 Comment

THE WIFE APP by CAROLYN MACKLER

Release Date: June 27, 2023

I received this advanced copy from NetGalley, and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

Ever felt overwhelmed by the mental load you’re expected to carry out each day? In charge of remembering every event? Planning each event? School forms, vacation planning, packing? Well, what if you could pay someone to do all of that for you? What if there was an app for that? These are things the book The Wife App by Carolyn Mackler tackles.

Three best friends, fresh off one friend’s divorce from her cheating husband, come up with the idea of The Wife App. The book follows the women through the first year of the app, showing how their lives grow along with it.

Madeline, Sophie, and Lauren were very compelling characters, and I found myself instantly drawn into their stories. I was fully invested in each woman getting their happy ending. I felt the pace of the novel was great, and the idea of the plot brilliant. I couldn’t put the book down. I needed to know each woman would be happy when everything was finished.

If you’re looking for a fun read that will make you laugh, make you cry, and deliver you a happy ending, this is the book for you!

May 2023 Reads

May 31, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged Ana Maria and the Fox, Becky Chambers, Book Recommendations, Book Review, Books, David Copperfield, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Off the Map, Reading, Reveal the Gift, Snow Crash, Taking of Jemima Boone, The Lioness, The List, The Lonely Hearts Book ClubLeave a comment

Read for my Daughters of the American Revolution book club, I found this book very interesting. I think what really appealed to me was how the book didn’t read like non-fiction, it almost felt like fiction. I didn’t know a lot of what I read in this book about the relationship between the Native Americans and the Settlers during the American Revolution, and I never even thought about Kentucky being involved in the Revolution either. The author did a decent job trying to tell a balanced story.

This book was very unique, and I loved it. I’m a sucker for intergenerational relationships, and for books about books. This book had both, and multiple points of view, where none of the book felt like retreading things stated in the other POVs. The only thing I wished was for more. It wasn’t long enough!

Apparently, I’m a sucker for robots. This novella was so good. I enjoyed everything about it. It was a beautiful story of friendship and discovery.

A sweet romance book, the only problem I had was it being advertized as a marriage of convenience trope, when it wasn’t. The romance was really sweet, and I loved the sisters. I will definitely read more of this series.

More cute robot, more friendship, I enjoyed this novella more than the first. Again, the story was written beautifully, and I loved the commentary of how society could be, and it was lovely.

My most ambitious read of the year, David Copperfield, was absolutely worth every second of the thirty-eight hours it took to listen to it. While there were times you could really tell Dickens was being paid by the word when he published this as a serial, one could look past that and see the beauty in the story. I was engaged the whole time. There were a lot of characters, but each one was fleshed out, and unique. I was really impressed with this book, and really happy I read it.

Read for my science fiction and fantasy book club, this book is one that just didn’t vibe with me. I didn’t know what was going on for most of the book. Were Hiro Protagonist and Y.T.’s stories told linearly? Who even knows, I sure don’t. Add in the casual racism and sexism, and the disgusting sex scene thrown in at the end, this book was a no for me. The three stars are for the storyline of the dog, and some of the linguistic history the book tried to tell.

This was an ARC I read, you can find the review here.

With the CW’s Nancy Drew show coming back this week, I decided to check out the comic runs from a couple years ago. This run revolved around Joe and Frank being accused of murdering their dad. Nancy, of course, steps in and saves the day. This was a quick, fun read, and of course I loved it, it’s Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.

The second run of the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys comics I read surrounded the death of Nancy. Joe couldn’t accept her death was an accident, and his investigation leads to uncovering many secrets in River Heights. I also enjoyed this run (I read it as six separate comics, reviewing them all together). My only complaint is the story doesn’t feel complete, and I hope there is another run.

Read over the course of several months for my Catholic mom’s group, I did not like this book. The “ideal” woman according to the author is something that feels archaic. She puts down feminism several times, and I found myself growing angry at some of her advice. The only thing I liked about this book was learning about the female saints.

I love this series. This one was just as good as the other two. Eamon and Carla had some great chemistry. I laughed, I cried. I want to re-read the whole series.

Holy suspense, Batman. I listened to this very quickly, because I just had to know what was happening. A Hollywood starlet and her entourage go on safari for her honeymoon in the 1960s. They are kidnapped, and everything goes wrong. What follows is a tense story with a lot of graphic violence. not everyone comes home alive. Everyone needs to read this book, and then talk to me about it. Easily my favorite read of the month.

Book Review: The List by J.L. Bowman

May 21, 2023Posted in Book RecommendationsTagged ARC, Book Review, Book Siren, Books, J.L. Bowman, The List1 Comment

THE LIST by J.L. BOWMAN

Release Date: June 6, 2023

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The List by J.L. Bowman is a romance book about a woman, Ever, who is planning to go on a year long cross country road trip to cross things off of her bucket list. Everything is going to plan, until she meets Xavier, a retired professional surfer, and things begin to bloom between them.

I liked the book. Ever and Xavier were well developed characters. You could see their growth throughout the book. And I liked that we got to see each character separate from the other. I liked the romance, and the side characters. The plot was plausible, and I liked how independent Ever was.

The things I didn’t like about the book were some of the aspects of the relationship. It seemed a little over the top at times, and a little forced. The book also had a lot of errors in it, which I hope will be corrected before publication. A lot of pronoun mix ups and I think the timeline was a little fuzzy for each of the characters’ pasts. But the mistakes were not glaring enough to really affect my reading of the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and did cry the last 10% of the book – happy and sad tears. If you’re looking for a fun romance, this is for you. I will probably read more books in this series.