Hi! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @thatartsyreadergirl. This weekly meme is for book bloggers to foster our love of lists, and come together as the book blogging community. Each week, Jana will post a prompt, and we readers will respond with our list. This week, our topic is Fall TBR. I have some books I want to read, but I’m also leaving some books open for prompts and what I’m in the mood for.
September
Physical Books
1- How to Succeed in Witchcraft by Aislinn Brophy
Ebooks/E-ARCS
2-Gamer Girls Gnat Vs Spyder by Andrea Towers and Alexis Jauregui (illustrations) -Net Galley Read Now
October
Physical Books
4-Renegades by Marissa Meyer
5- Percy and the Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Ebooks
6- The 10,000 Door of January by Alix E. Harrow
7- Fangirl Volume 2 by Rainbow Rowell adapted by Sam Maggs
November (National Novel Writing Month, so I’m going to have some fun with Middle-Grades)
Hello and welcome to my stop on the TBR & Beyond blog tour for Other Ever Afters by Melanie Gillman. Thank you to TBR & Beyond and Random House for an E-ARC of the book. Having a free copy of the book does not affect my opinions or my review.
About the Book
Genre: Young Adult Graphic Novel Publishing date: September 20th, 2022
Once upon a time . . . happily ever after turned out differently than expected. In this new, feminist, queer fairy-tale collection, you’ll find the princesses, mermaids, knights, barmaids, children, and wise old women who have been forced to sit on the sidelines in classic stories taking center stage. A gorgeous all-new collection in graphic novel format from a Stonewall Honor-winning author and artist.
What if the giant who abducted you was actually thoughtful and kind? What if you didn’t want to marry your handsome, popular, but cold-inside suitor? What if your one true love has all the responsibilities that come with running a kingdom?
Award-winning author Melanie Gillman’s phenomenal colored-pencil art creates another “ever after” for the characters who are most worthy of it.
Favorite Quotes
“I’ve Been Sick for a long time. The Flowers help me feel a little better.”- The King’s Forest
Some things are worth a little risk.”- The King’s Forest
“Goose Girl. Through your station is low and your family poor, I have watched you sell your geese at the market, and your beauty has bewitched me.” -Goose Girl
“Only complete my happiness, and I swear I will complete yours.” -Goose Girl
“And I’m afraid, no love in a wife who would ask her beloved to live in such a way.”- Goose Girl
“When you laugh it will ring so beautifully, he will have no choice but to look.”-Hesthete
“I have one gift left. Take my candle. Use it to light your way home and trust me.” -Hesthete
“If I am lucky, I may live to do so many, many times more.” Hesthete
Review
Rating -5 stars
Characters
Even when I read graphic novels or comics, I love when stories have interesting characters. All the characters in Other Ever Afters were amazing, and they each had their own backstory and personalities. In the same story, a character would go from fun and light-hearted to heavy, and this shows Melaine Gillman’s style, and how they can bring the reader into the stories through their characters.
Stories
Other Ever Afters was a collection of stories featuring LGBTQ+ characters, and I enjoyed all of them. I had three favorites, which were: The King’s Forest, Goose Girl, and Hesthete. The King’s Forest was a cute story about two girls and the flower that brought them together. I love flowers, and forest vibes, so this story spoke to me on a personal level. Goose Girl followed a princess who wanted to marry a peasant girl, and the story talked about class dividers. As a fan of mythology, Hesthehe was my favorite in this collection. T could feel the main character’s anxiety and Hesthehe’s love for the bride was so sweet, and I loved them as a couple.
Art
The art style is something I love seeing in Graphic Novels, and the art style Melanie Gillman uses in Other Ever Afters is adorable, and so sweet. I love the use of light and dark colors in all the panels. A graphic novel relies on the art style to tell the story and Other Ever Afters works in tandem with the writing to tell the story.
Romance
Other Ever Afters was filled with sweet romances with LGBTQ+ characters a the helm. I love seeing queer characters in stories, and the romances found in these stories were so interesting.
Recommended for/ Enjoyment
I enjoyed Other Ever Afters so much! Other Ever Afters would be recommended for fans of Graphic Novels, especially with LGTBQ+ characters.
About the Auhtor
Melanie Gillman is the cartoonist behind this story. They hold an MFA in comics from the Center for Cartoon Studies, and currently live in Columbus, OH. Melanie is also the author of Stage Dreams, a lesbian western graphic novel, available from Lerner/Graphic Universe. They are represented by Jen Linnan, of Linnan Literary Management.
Hello, Tressa hosts Can’t-Wait Wednesday @wishfulendings.com. This is a weekly meme that is a rebrand of Waiting On Wednesday which was hosted by Jill @ breakingthespine. This week I’m highlighting a book from an author whose book I loved last year. All information comes from Goodreads.
Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner
Title: Mistakes Were Made
Author: Meryl Wilsner
Genre- Adult Romance
Expected Publication- October 11th, 2022 from St. Martin’s Griffin
Book Synopsis
From the critically acclaimed author of Something To Talk About comes a sharp and sexy rom-com about a college senior who accidentally hooks up with her best friend’s mom.
When Cassie Klein goes to an off-campus bar to escape her school’s Family Weekend, she isn’t looking for a hookup—it just happens. Buying a drink for a stranger turns into what should be an uncomplicated, amazing one-night stand. But then the next morning rolls around and her friend drags her along to meet her mom—the hot, older woman Cassie slept with.
Erin Bennett came to Family Weekend to get closer to her daughter, not have a one-night stand with a college senior. In her defense, she hadn’t known Cassie was a student when they’d met. To make things worse, Erin’s daughter brings Cassie to breakfast the next morning. And despite Erin’s better judgement—how could sleeping with your daughter’s friend be anything but bad?—she and Cassie get along in the day just as well as they did last night.
What should have been a one-time fling quickly proves impossible to ignore, and soon Cassie and Erin are sneaking around. Worst of all, they start to realize they have something real. But is being honest about the love between them worth the cost?
I want to read this book because I’m trying to read more adult romance. Something to Talk About was one of my favorite reads last year, and I want to see if this one hits the same way. Mistakes Were Made seems like it has the same vibes, or similar vibes to Something to Talk About.
Hi! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @thatartsyreadergirl. This weekly meme was born out of a love of lists and bringing the book blogging community together. Each week, Jana will post a prompt, and we readers will post our list. This week, our topic is Books with Geographical Terms in the Title (for example mountain, island, latitude/longitude, ash, bay, beach, border, canyon, cape, city, cliff, coast, country, desert, epicenter, hamlet, highway, jungle, ocean, park, sea, shore, tide, valley, etc. For a great list, click here!) (Submitted by Lisa of Hopewell). I went with more of board use of terms and locations in the titles.
Books I’ve read
1- The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
This book has been all over the place over the last several years. I read it as part of Blinde Date with a Book at Barnes & Noble. I loved it, and I might reread it soon.
2- The Room on the Rue Amelie by Kristin Harmel
While I enjoyed this book, I was a little disappointed in the end. The story took place in France during World War 2, and while it was about a different side of the war, it was still a slow story for me.
3- Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
Last Night at the Telegraph was an audiobook I listened to in June of this year. I fell hard for this book early on, and my love for this book kept growing as I listened. I loved Lily and Kath as characters, and I loved their story.
4- West Side Love Story by Priscilla Oliveras
I grabbed this from Prime Frist Reads this year. The book was great, and I loved the characters in the story. West Side Love Story also had a sweet romance.
5- The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
I had heard of these books for a few years, and I read the content from Karina Yan Glaser on Book Riot. This book was fun, and the family was interesting to read about.
6-A Very Large Expansive Sea by Tahereh Mafi
I’s had people tell me to read this book over the years thinking that I would enjoy it, After reading this book this year, I really did enjoy it, and I’m so glad I read it. I really enjoyed the main character and the story.
7- Boulevard of Dreams by Mandy Gonzalez
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know that I’m a fan of the fearless duology, and I’ve recommended it several times. I enjoyed the second novel as much as the first, and it was about family, and finding yourself just as the first one was.
8- Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
This is a classic that many people read. I read it during Middle-Grade May last year, and I want to reread it. While I enjoyed it, I think I wasn’t really in the mood for the story, and I want to reread it again to see if I enjoy it more.
9- Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I’m a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid, and this is one of my favorite releases I’ve read by her. I loved the characters and the story this book had.
Book I have not read yet but is on my TBR
10- Beach Read by Emily Henry
I’ve heard great things about Beach Read. After reading and enjoying People We Meet on Vacation this year,
Hi! I was contacted about doing this book tour, and I picked to do a book spotlight.
Book Synopsis
Twelve-year-old Daphne reconciles with her father, who left her stranded three years ago, and learns forgiveness one fall at a time in this heartwarming debut by Sally Engelfried. For fans of The First Rule of Punk.
Daphne doesn’t want to be stuck in Oakland with her dad. She wants to get on the first plane to Prague, where her mom is shooting a movie. Armed with her grandparents’ phone number and strict instructions from her mom to call them if her dad starts drinking again, Daphne has no problem being cold to him. But there’s one thing Daphne can’t keep herself from doing: joining her dad and her new friend Arlo at a weekly skate session.
When her dad promises to teach her how to ollie and she lands the trick, Daphne starts to believe in him again. He starts to show up for her, and Daphne learns things are not as black and white with her dad as she used to think. The way Daphne’s dad tells it, skating is all about accepting failure and moving on. But can Daphne really let go of her dad’s past mistakes? Either way life is a lot like skating: it’s all about getting back up after you fall.
Hi! I was on the blog tour for Bad at Love by Gabriela Martins, and I wanted to review the book as well.
Rating: 4.75 5 stars on Goodreads
Characters
They filled bad at Love with characters that I loved reading about. Daniel and Sasha were both fantastic, and a supporting cast of characters that made the story fun for me to read surrounded them. My favorite character was Sasha because she wanted to live out her dream as a writer and a journalist, and I related to her. Daniel was also sweet, and he was just trying to live his life and find out about himself. Both Sasha and Daniel went on journeys in this book, and I loved seeing where they ended up at the end of the novel.
Plot
The story of Bad at Love was one about finding love and finding yourself when the world is rough for you. There was also a music element, and as a fan of music, I love seeing new stories that have a music element. Bad at Love was also a light and fun story about teenagers in LA just trying to live their lives, and I loved it.
Writing
The writing in this novel was fantastic. There was a mixture of fun scenes with a light-hearted tone, and this was a break from the scenes that were heavy scenes. I loved the heavier scenes as well because they made the story feel real.
Romance
One of the characters in this novel is Demi-sexual, and I loved seeing the romance in the novel. Sasha and Daniel made a cute couple, and I loved their romance. They had their struggles, but I felt that these struggles made the story real. This was one of the rawest romances I’ve read in YA, and I just loved it.
Enjoyment & Recommended
This book was very fun, and I enjoyed my time with it. If you enjoy a romance with characters who are fun but still have their struggles, I recommend this book for fans of YA Romance with light and heavy themes.
Ever since Daniel moved to L.A. from Brazil to join the band Mischief & Mayhem, he’s become the tabloids’ bad boy. Paparazzi follow him and girls swoon over him . . . except for Sasha, who hates bad boys. When a chance encounter brings them together, Sasha sees an opportunity to get close to Daniel and write a story that will make a name for herself at the celebrity gossip magazine where she interns. But Daniel is surprisingly sweet and extremely cute—could she be falling for him?
The truth is: Daniel is hiding something. When Sasha discovers his secret, will she follow her heart or deliver the hottest story of the summer?
15 Reactions While reading Bad At Love by Gabriela Martins
1- I love how Daniel invited Sasha over for a pool party on their date.
2-Daniel and Sasha starting to have feelings for each other was so sweet.
3-Daniel texting Sasha to go out, and Sasha saying she needs to look irresistible is so sweet.
4- Sasha showing Daniel where the creatives in LA go is so sweet, and the two of them, are so sweet.
5-How the bandmates support each other is so sweet, and I love it.
6-I’m not the biggest fan of Lloyd asking where Sasha’s loyalties lie.
7- I love how Sasha and Daniel are talking and trying to establish their relationship. Also, Daniel calling Sasha his first girlfriend is fantastic.
8- While I don’t think that it should have been revealed before they were made publicly official, I also know how the music industry works, and I think the revelation was interesting.
9-I hope Sasha doesn’t find out about the bet the band made at the beginning of the summer. On the other hand, I hope that Daniel tells her so that everything is clear between the two of them.
10- Daniel kissing Sasha was so sweet, and him with her after was such a sweet moment. I loved seeing this interaction because it’s conversations like this that opens the door for LGBTQ+ people to be honest with their partners.
11-We don’t hear much about Daniel’s family over the course of this story. It hit hard when Daniel’s dad called about his mother, and I felt bad for him and Helena.
12-The scene with Sasha trying to find the band at the club is so sweet because she is trying to save the other girl from being hurt by Daniel.
13-I’m glad that Sasha and Daniel cleared the air, but I still think they ended things badly.
14-The concert scene with Sasha singing to Daniel was so sweet.
15- The end of this was so sweet, and I just loved it!!!
About the Author:
GABRIELA MARTINS is a Brazilian kidlit author and linguist. Her stories feature Brazilian characters finding themselves and love. She was a high school teacher and has also worked as a TED Ed-Club facilitator, where she helped teens develop their own talks in TED format. She edited and self-published a pro-bono LGBTQ+ anthology (KEEP FAITH) with all funds going to queer people in need. When she’s not writing, she can be found cuddling with her two cats, or singing loudly and off-key. LIKE A LOVE SONG was her YA romance debut, and BAD AT LOVE (Underlined/PRH) is her sophomore novel, coming out in summer 2022. She’s also one of the contributors for the Algonquin Latinx Horror anthology OUR SHADOWS HAVE CLAWS.
Hi! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @thatartsyreadergirl. This weekly meme was born out of a love of lists and bringing the book blogging community together. This week our topic is : Books I Loved So Much I Had to Get a Copy for My Personal Library (Maybe you received an ARC or borrowed from a friend/the library and loved it so much you wanted your own! Or maybe you read it in one format and wanted another format, like you read it in ebook and wanted a physical copy to display on your shelves or you read it the paperback and would love to re-read it on audio. Change this TTT title to fit your post best!) (Submitted by Alecia @ The Staircase Reader). I’m making a list based on library books I read and want to buy, and ARC’s of books I loved and want to buy.
Paiges of Novels 