en-US Fri, 04 Jul 2025 09:44:22 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 154462576 New York Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale

January 1918. Laura Iven was a revered field nurse until she was wounded and discharged from the medical corps, leaving behind a brother still fighting in Flanders. Now home in Halifax, Canada, she receives word of Freddie’s death in combat, along with his personal effects—but something doesn’t make sense. Determined to uncover the truth, Laura returns to Belgium as a volunteer at a private hospital. Soon after arriving, she hears whispers about haunted trenches, and a strange hotelier whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion. Could Freddie have escaped the battlefield, only to fall prey to something—or someone—else?

November 1917. Freddie Iven awakens after an explosion to find himself trapped in an overturned pillbox with a wounded enemy soldier, a German by the name of Hans Winter. Against all odds, the two men form an alliance and succeed in clawing their way out. Unable to bear the thought of returning to the killing fields, especially on opposite sides, they take refuge with a mysterious man who seems to have the power to make the hellscape of the trenches disappear.

As shells rain down on Flanders, and ghosts move among those yet living, Laura’s and Freddie’s deepest traumas are reawakened. Now they must decide whether their world is worth salvaging—or better left behind entirely.]]> 325 Katherine Arden 0593128257 Marieke 4
Endings—they are beginnings too.

Isn’t that title beautiful? The Warm Hands of Ghosts. For that reason alone, I’d recommend this gorgeous, gripping, and vivid story!

The term PTSD didn’t exist during WWI, but the condition itself certainly did. Laura refers to soldiers with psychological problems as "madmen," a term we would no longer use. But that war was undeniably maddening—and so much more.

I picked up this book after a friend (thanks Kelly!)recommended it, and I’m so glad I dove in right away. It’s exactly the kind of story I love. It’s triggering, heartbreaking, gritty, and yet brimming with love at the same time.

It’s a story of courage and grief, but above all, it’s about the PTSD that haunted so many soldiers. I believe the speculative element, the presence of Faland, represents how our minds can betray us when we can’t handle our emotions—when the pain, grief, and horror of what those soldiers experienced, Freddy in this book, becomes too much to process. But this story is also about what love can do. It can’t help us forget, but it can heal us.

“I don’t want anything,” he whispered. “I’m not—I’m not anything. You don’t want me.”

Laura is an incredibly brave nurse, but she is also burdened by grief and guilt. My favorite character was Freddy, and I loved spending time with him and Winter in the pillbox, even though those scenes were devastating. This story also clearly shows how sometimes two people are fighting on opposite sides, yet aren’t that different from each other. Therefore, I loved this quote:

The whole world’s made up of systems now. Systems that are too big for any one person to understand or control, or stop. Like the timetables. Alliances. Philosophies. And so now we’re here, even though no one wanted to be.

That last part was gut-wrenching, but also so good!

If you love books that make you feel, that can be harrowing, but have a HEA (or at least a HFN) then I highly, highly recommend The Warm Hands of Ghosts.

Follow me on ]]> 3.95 2024
author: Katherine Arden
name: Marieke
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/30
date added: 2025/07/04
shelves:
review:
Actual rating 4.5 stars.

Endings—they are beginnings too.

Isn’t that title beautiful? The Warm Hands of Ghosts. For that reason alone, I’d recommend this gorgeous, gripping, and vivid story!

The term PTSD didn’t exist during WWI, but the condition itself certainly did. Laura refers to soldiers with psychological problems as "madmen," a term we would no longer use. But that war was undeniably maddening—and so much more.

I picked up this book after a friend (thanks Kelly!)recommended it, and I’m so glad I dove in right away. It’s exactly the kind of story I love. It’s triggering, heartbreaking, gritty, and yet brimming with love at the same time.

It’s a story of courage and grief, but above all, it’s about the PTSD that haunted so many soldiers. I believe the speculative element, the presence of Faland, represents how our minds can betray us when we can’t handle our emotions—when the pain, grief, and horror of what those soldiers experienced, Freddy in this book, becomes too much to process. But this story is also about what love can do. It can’t help us forget, but it can heal us.

“I don’t want anything,” he whispered. “I’m not—I’m not anything. You don’t want me.”

Laura is an incredibly brave nurse, but she is also burdened by grief and guilt. My favorite character was Freddy, and I loved spending time with him and Winter in the pillbox, even though those scenes were devastating. This story also clearly shows how sometimes two people are fighting on opposite sides, yet aren’t that different from each other. Therefore, I loved this quote:

The whole world’s made up of systems now. Systems that are too big for any one person to understand or control, or stop. Like the timetables. Alliances. Philosophies. And so now we’re here, even though no one wanted to be.

That last part was gut-wrenching, but also so good!

If you love books that make you feel, that can be harrowing, but have a HEA (or at least a HFN) then I highly, highly recommend The Warm Hands of Ghosts.

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]]> 220504469
For Mason, tutoring an airheaded jock is nothing but a distraction from a past he can't escape. What he doesn't expect is to find something worthwhile in their conversations-something softening in the ice between them. Nor does Cam expect that Mason's calm smile hides a harrowing story. As they slowly nudge through each other's steel gates, the dangerous realities beyond high school threaten their deepening bond.

But really, it's about football.]]> A.M. Woody Marieke 5 ”I won’t leave you … I’ll be there after to pick you up …I’ll make you smile every day. Because that’s what you deserve.”

Thank you, Amanda Woody, for making me sob so hard. Thank you for the love you incorporated into my heart. Thank you for this amazing story. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Take They Hate Each Other, add the coping mechanisms of Stars in Your Eyes so no one sees the real Cam and Mason, top off with the rawness AND sweetness of The Long Run, and Most Valuable Player is born. This fantastic book ended up on my favorite 2025 shelf. So, so good!

Do you know when you start reading a story, and from the first moment, you already know it will be a masterpiece even though the main character acts like a jerk? When the pacing is flawless, and grins erupt from your mouth, but after a while, your stomach contracts? Then, your eyes crinkle with a smile again until those same eyes betray you, and you need to blink and blink and blink again because otherwise, tears will run down your cheeks. But those tears slip from your eyes anyway because it f*ing hurts so much.

Sometimes, I wanted to slam my ereader into the wall. Out of anger. Out of frustration. Out of raging hate. At the same time, I wanted to hug those two boys so much and protect them with my life. Mason, beautiful, quiet Mason, I wanted to protect him the most. But Cameron, sweet, sweet Cameron, he needed hugs and protection too. Please, Mason and Cameron, never hide yourself behind that mask again—the person beneath it is so worth it.

Please, please, read this book, everyone. And please, please read the content warnings if you have specific triggers. It’s a beautiful YA novel but also a harrowing one at times.

Dear Amanda, thank you so much for this ARC.

Follow me on ]]> 4.70 2025
author: A.M. Woody
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.70
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, grief-trauma, lgbtqia, young-adult, most-memorable-2025
review:
”I won’t leave you … I’ll be there after to pick you up …I’ll make you smile every day. Because that’s what you deserve.”

Thank you, Amanda Woody, for making me sob so hard. Thank you for the love you incorporated into my heart. Thank you for this amazing story. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Take They Hate Each Other, add the coping mechanisms of Stars in Your Eyes so no one sees the real Cam and Mason, top off with the rawness AND sweetness of The Long Run, and Most Valuable Player is born. This fantastic book ended up on my favorite 2025 shelf. So, so good!

Do you know when you start reading a story, and from the first moment, you already know it will be a masterpiece even though the main character acts like a jerk? When the pacing is flawless, and grins erupt from your mouth, but after a while, your stomach contracts? Then, your eyes crinkle with a smile again until those same eyes betray you, and you need to blink and blink and blink again because otherwise, tears will run down your cheeks. But those tears slip from your eyes anyway because it f*ing hurts so much.

Sometimes, I wanted to slam my ereader into the wall. Out of anger. Out of frustration. Out of raging hate. At the same time, I wanted to hug those two boys so much and protect them with my life. Mason, beautiful, quiet Mason, I wanted to protect him the most. But Cameron, sweet, sweet Cameron, he needed hugs and protection too. Please, Mason and Cameron, never hide yourself behind that mask again—the person beneath it is so worth it.

Please, please, read this book, everyone. And please, please read the content warnings if you have specific triggers. It’s a beautiful YA novel but also a harrowing one at times.

Dear Amanda, thank you so much for this ARC.

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]]> 220909040
Evander has lived like a ghost in the forgotten corners of the Hazelthorn estate ever since he was taken in by his reclusive billionaire guardian, Byron Lennox-Hall, when he was a child. For his safety, Evander has been given three ironclad rules to follow:

He can never leave the estate. He can never go into the gardens. And most importantly, he can never again be left alone with Byron's charming, underachieving grandson, Laurie.

That last rule has been in place ever since Laurie tried to kill Evander seven years ago, and yet somehow Evander is still obsessed with him.

But when Byron suddenly dies, Evander inherits Hazelthorn’s immense gothic mansion and acres of sprawling grounds, along with the entirety of the Lennox-Hall family's vast wealth. There’s just one caveat: He must choose a new guardian from amongst Laurie's scheming, backstabbing relatives to help manage the estate until he turns eighteen.

Except Evander's sure his guardian was murdered, and Laurie may be the only one who can help him find the killer before they come for Evander next. Perhaps even more concerning is how the overgrown garden is refusing to stay behind its walls, slipping its vines and spores deeper into the house with each passing day. As the family’s dark secrets unravel alongside the growing horror of their terribly alive, bloodthirsty garden, Evander needs to find out what he’s really inheriting before the garden demands to be fed once more.]]> 368 C.G. Drews 1250376297 Marieke 5
He is the cuckoo in the nest of broken twigs and wishbones and bloody hearts.

They did it again. They left me speechless, my words fumbling as I struggled to form a coherent sentence. But nothing came out. What can I possibly say about a lonely and anxious boy who hasn’t stepped outside Hazeltorn in seven years? Whose voice creaks from lack of use after all this time in silence? Who is chasing the idea of being normal, even though he doesn’t even know what normal means anyway?

He wishes he wasn’t like this, wishes he could stand even parallel to normal and be someone who fits next to those his age, who goes to school and kisses an appropriate amount of pretty people and isn’t bothered by things like an odd seam in his clothes or the very existence of socks.

I’m flabbergasted at how easily this book snatched me inside the pages and held me captive until the last sentence and even after closing it.

The thing he truly wants to understand is how he, too, can hate this boy and yet long to use his own bones to build a shelter around Laurie’s raw, bleeding heart.

I wanted to protect Evander with my life—not only him but Laurie, too, the boy whose smile could cut ice and whose voice could be like pure acid.

Laurie has buried the vulnerable truth of himself as deep as he can, leaving only this insolent mask for everyone to see. Maybe he does this to protect himself. Maybe he does this to hide.

This book is genre-bending. It goes from a psychological thriller to a murder mystery to almost vampire-like to horror to psychological again, and I ate it up in a terrifying hunger for more.

Unless you’re making everything up because it’s easier to imagine monsters than admit you’re lonely and scared and overwhelmed by inheriting this estate.

I almost don’t dare say it, but I think this one might even be better than Don’t Let the Forest In.

He is an autumn leaf, meant to be pressed between the pages of an old book and forgotten.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Tatiana, from Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, for sending me my most anticipated ARC of 2025. Of course, this one ended up being one of my favorites, or even my favorite of 2025. I just can’t describe with words what this story did to me.

Once the garden has a taste, it wants the rest.

This story is so good that I’m almost mourning the fact that I can’t read it for the first time ever again. Bravo, C.G. Drews, bravo! Your author’s note made tears burn in my eyes.

Follow me on ]]> 4.69 2025
author: C.G. Drews
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.69
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/22
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, grief-trauma, heartbreaking, most-memorable-2025, young-adult, neurodiverse-autism-adhd-dcd-etc
review:
I’m stunned. Dazed. C.G. Drew just took my breath away.

He is the cuckoo in the nest of broken twigs and wishbones and bloody hearts.

They did it again. They left me speechless, my words fumbling as I struggled to form a coherent sentence. But nothing came out. What can I possibly say about a lonely and anxious boy who hasn’t stepped outside Hazeltorn in seven years? Whose voice creaks from lack of use after all this time in silence? Who is chasing the idea of being normal, even though he doesn’t even know what normal means anyway?

He wishes he wasn’t like this, wishes he could stand even parallel to normal and be someone who fits next to those his age, who goes to school and kisses an appropriate amount of pretty people and isn’t bothered by things like an odd seam in his clothes or the very existence of socks.

I’m flabbergasted at how easily this book snatched me inside the pages and held me captive until the last sentence and even after closing it.

The thing he truly wants to understand is how he, too, can hate this boy and yet long to use his own bones to build a shelter around Laurie’s raw, bleeding heart.

I wanted to protect Evander with my life—not only him but Laurie, too, the boy whose smile could cut ice and whose voice could be like pure acid.

Laurie has buried the vulnerable truth of himself as deep as he can, leaving only this insolent mask for everyone to see. Maybe he does this to protect himself. Maybe he does this to hide.

This book is genre-bending. It goes from a psychological thriller to a murder mystery to almost vampire-like to horror to psychological again, and I ate it up in a terrifying hunger for more.

Unless you’re making everything up because it’s easier to imagine monsters than admit you’re lonely and scared and overwhelmed by inheriting this estate.

I almost don’t dare say it, but I think this one might even be better than Don’t Let the Forest In.

He is an autumn leaf, meant to be pressed between the pages of an old book and forgotten.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Tatiana, from Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, for sending me my most anticipated ARC of 2025. Of course, this one ended up being one of my favorites, or even my favorite of 2025. I just can’t describe with words what this story did to me.

Once the garden has a taste, it wants the rest.

This story is so good that I’m almost mourning the fact that I can’t read it for the first time ever again. Bravo, C.G. Drews, bravo! Your author’s note made tears burn in my eyes.

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]]> 223923121
For generations, Anchor’s Mercy has welcomed visitors from all over the world to revel in the island’s pristine beauty and queer culture. But something is wrong. Very wrong. And Ollie Veltman is going to have to figure it out if he wants to stop his island, and everyone upon it, from drowning within a supernatural, radiant plague rising from the waves.

Take a deep breath...

Told as a kaleidoscopic drama between past and present, narration and interview, text and pictures, The Dead of Summer is a story within a scavenger hunt for truths so dangerous they will make your skin crawl and your lungs ache for air. Get ready to scream!]]> Ryan La Sala Marieke 4
Also, why is Ollie’s last name Dutch? Is that just me reading too much into it, or is there something there?

Anyway. If you loved The Honeys and Beholder, The Dead of Summer is something different—but in the best way. It’s told from Ollie’s perspective, mixed with audio transcriptions and other epistolary bits from a marine biology PhD student. The story keeps tossing you between now and then, and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, needing to know more and more and more. And then that plot twist. I didn’t see it coming. And the cliffhanger! Now I’m stuck here with my theories and no answers. Sigh.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars, rounded down (for now) because I need that sequel first.

Follow me on ]]> 4.54
author: Ryan La Sala
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.54
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/01
date added: 2025/07/01
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, mystery-thriller-dark-academia, young-adult
review:
Okay, Ryan, you just left us hanging like that? With a cliffhanger? And now I have to wait, what, another year to find out what happens to Ollie and his friends? To the Suds? All of the Suds?

Also, why is Ollie’s last name Dutch? Is that just me reading too much into it, or is there something there?

Anyway. If you loved The Honeys and Beholder, The Dead of Summer is something different—but in the best way. It’s told from Ollie’s perspective, mixed with audio transcriptions and other epistolary bits from a marine biology PhD student. The story keeps tossing you between now and then, and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, needing to know more and more and more. And then that plot twist. I didn’t see it coming. And the cliffhanger! Now I’m stuck here with my theories and no answers. Sigh.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars, rounded down (for now) because I need that sequel first.

Follow me on
]]> 222376752 Holly Black meets Lex Croucher in this contemporary fantasy about a love story to raise the dead.

At Demdike College of Witchcraft, Orlando is an outcast. Not just for being the only shapeshifter in a college of witches. Not just for being a really bad shapeshifter, with no control over their magic or when their body switches between male and female forms. But because their girlfriend Elizabeth died - and it was Lando's fault.

Then charming new boy Bastian arrives with a proposition: he knows a spell that can raise Elizabeth from the dead. It's dangerous but Lando will try anything. But as Lando's attraction to Bastian grows, questions start to arise. Who is Bastian? What does he really want? And who will survive the resurrection spell?

For fans of V.E. Schwab and Rainbow Rowell, Emma Hinds' Witchlore is a spellbinding contemporary fantasy where the passion is as real as the magic.]]> 352 Emma Hinds 1250369495 Marieke 4
TW: Be aware that the first pages include suicidal ideation.

Lando lost their girlfriend Elizabeth and feels like everyone blames them. When their new classmate Bastian says he knows a spell to bring Elizabeth back, the two of them begin working together and… start liking each other more and more.

I’m not a huge fantasy fan, I say it time and again, but this one is just for me. It’s contemporary and character-driven enough to let me feel all the feels, and the worldbuilding is easy to follow. Lando’s grief is palpable throughout the first half of the story, and I rooted for them and Bastian so much.

Thank you, Wednesday Books, for this great ARC!

Follow me on ]]> 4.05 2025
author: Emma Hinds
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/18
date added: 2025/07/01
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, lgbtqia, young-adult
review:
Witchlore is a pleasant surprise. This story about Lando, a shapeshifter who shifts between genders, has the lightheartedness of F. T. Lukens’ books and the grief found in Michelle Kulwicki’s At the End of the River Styx.

TW: Be aware that the first pages include suicidal ideation.

Lando lost their girlfriend Elizabeth and feels like everyone blames them. When their new classmate Bastian says he knows a spell to bring Elizabeth back, the two of them begin working together and… start liking each other more and more.

I’m not a huge fantasy fan, I say it time and again, but this one is just for me. It’s contemporary and character-driven enough to let me feel all the feels, and the worldbuilding is easy to follow. Lando’s grief is palpable throughout the first half of the story, and I rooted for them and Bastian so much.

Thank you, Wednesday Books, for this great ARC!

Follow me on
]]> 222906568 From Stonewall Award–winning author Abdi Nazemian (Only This Beautiful Moment) comes the epic queer love story of a lifetime. Perfect for fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Shahriar believes he was born in the wrong time. All he’s ever wanted is to love and be loved, but 1895 London doesn’t offer him the freedom to be his true self, and Oscar Wilde’s trial for gross indecency has only reaffirmed that. But one night—and one writer—will grant Shahriar what he’s always wished the opportunity to live in a time and place where he can love freely. Rechristened as Shams and then as Bram, he finds what feels like eternal happiness. But can anything truly be eternal?

Oliver doesn’t feel that 1920s Boston gives him a lot of options to be his full self. He knows he could only ever love another boy, but that would break his beloved mother’s heart. Oliver finds freedom and acceptance in the secret queer community at Harvard that his cousin introduces him to. When he meets a mysterious boy with eyes as warm as a flame, his life is irrevocably changed, forever.   

Spanning one hundred and thirty years of love and longing, this tale of immortal beloveds searching for their perfect place and time is a vibrant hymn to the beauty of being alive, a celebration of queer love and community, and a reminder that behind every tragic thing that ever existed, there is something exquisite.]]> Abdi Nazemian 0063339706 Marieke 4
Shahriar has huge dreams. Believes in a world that gets better over time. He’s desperate for eternal love. He’s also selfish. According to Lily, one of the side characters (but the most important one!) he’s: ”An unloved child who thinks he can remake the world in his image.”

Oliver is used to hiding. He thrives in groups where he can be himself. Needs love from other people. He’s also depressed at times. ”I always told you I was afraid. That it was the worst of my qualities.

Exquisite Things is a story about two seventeen-year-olds who find eternal life. And always stay seventeen. The concept is marvelous and only an author like Abdi Azemian can pull this off. Two POVs in three different timelines. He did it in Only This Beautiful Moment and is doing it again, a story so small and so grand at the same time.

I don’t want to say too much about it. Just know the two boys live their lives on their own—sometimes decades apart—but always find their way back to each other. The eighties timeline stood out for me the most. The harshness of that time, but also filled with so much love and music: Spandau Ballet, the Human League, David Bowie, and so many others.

Some people always look back. Nostalgic because in the past everything seemed to be better. Others live in the future, with big dreams. But maybe we should try to live more in the now, even with all the terrible stuff happening at the moment. Hold on to the ones we love. And to ourselves. Give ourselves breathing room.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars, rounded down to 4 because I could’ve done with a few less adverbs in the dialogue tags.

Thank you HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley for this amazing ARC!

Follow me on ]]> 4.50
author: Abdi Nazemian
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/07
date added: 2025/06/30
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, lgbtqia, young-adult
review:
An eternal life. That’s what some of us sometimes wish for, right? I’m afraid to die. I want to stay in this world and see with my own eyes what happens. I want to make a difference. I want to be with my loved ones. But what if they’re all gone and I’d be the only one still living? Hmmm, the world might be incredibly lonely by then.

Shahriar has huge dreams. Believes in a world that gets better over time. He’s desperate for eternal love. He’s also selfish. According to Lily, one of the side characters (but the most important one!) he’s: ”An unloved child who thinks he can remake the world in his image.”

Oliver is used to hiding. He thrives in groups where he can be himself. Needs love from other people. He’s also depressed at times. ”I always told you I was afraid. That it was the worst of my qualities.

Exquisite Things is a story about two seventeen-year-olds who find eternal life. And always stay seventeen. The concept is marvelous and only an author like Abdi Azemian can pull this off. Two POVs in three different timelines. He did it in Only This Beautiful Moment and is doing it again, a story so small and so grand at the same time.

I don’t want to say too much about it. Just know the two boys live their lives on their own—sometimes decades apart—but always find their way back to each other. The eighties timeline stood out for me the most. The harshness of that time, but also filled with so much love and music: Spandau Ballet, the Human League, David Bowie, and so many others.

Some people always look back. Nostalgic because in the past everything seemed to be better. Others live in the future, with big dreams. But maybe we should try to live more in the now, even with all the terrible stuff happening at the moment. Hold on to the ones we love. And to ourselves. Give ourselves breathing room.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars, rounded down to 4 because I could’ve done with a few less adverbs in the dialogue tags.

Thank you HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley for this amazing ARC!

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]]> 223709906 “A captivating and gorgeously written story about longing, destiny, and the infinite possibilities, and versions, of love. No one writes romance like Dustin Thao and this one is a beauty.” —Kathleen Glasgow, #1 bestselling author of Girl in Pieces

Fall in love all over again with Oliver’s story in the hotly-anticipated companion to bestselling sensation You’ve Reached Sam.

It’s been a year since his best friend, Sam, died. Even though Oliver knows he won’t get a response, he can’t stop texting Sam’s number, especially as the anniversary of his death approaches.

Then one day he accidentally hits the call button, and someone picks up.

The voice on the other end isn’t Sam. Sam’s number was reassigned and a stranger has been receiving Oliver’s private and vulnerable messages for months. But Ben, a college student in Seattle, won’t remain a stranger for long. When they finally meet in person, their spark is undeniable. Everything seems perfect until Oliver discovers something strange might be keeping them apart.

Dustin Thao’s star-crossed return to Ellensburg, WA is a sliding-doors romance sure to break your heart wide open.]]> Dustin Thao 0593858492 Marieke 4 Sometimes, time feels like it’s moving faster than I can catch up to it. Like everyone’s left on the train while I’m still standing at the platform, waiting.

You’ve Found Oliver isn’t just a sequel. It’s easily readable as a standalone and is literally You’ve Reached Sam meets When Haru was Here AND a glimpse of What Happens in Amsterdam. Plus, it’s the least heartbreaking of the three.

This cover is gorgeous and shows so well what this story is about. I feel I’m writing an extension on the review I wrote before this one about Abdi Nazemian’s Exquisite Things. Both stories are about love and how we perceive time, hold on to the nostalgia for what’s been, instead of living in the now, or even having dreams and move forward.

Oliver’s mind is constantly in the past, still with Sam, his best friend who he lost almost a year before. Time is moving on, and Oliver has to follow, but he somehow gets stuck while still texting Sam’s number, not having friends other than Sam’s girlfriend, Julie, and not knowing what to do in the future. Then he accidentally calls Sam’s number and Ben picks up.

Only when we stop trying to pin it down, does time begin to move in another direction.

I love Dustin Thao’s writing. It’s vivid and palpable, and I gobbled up the words and sentences. To be honest, though, for a while I felt this was a nice story, but nothing more. It’s not a full-on tearjerker. It even felt pretty light. But the more I read, the more I realized there was so much happening between the lines. And maybe that fits Oliver’s story so well. This story forces you to think deeper, to peel off the layers. When you just lose someone, you’re allowed to cry. But when time moves on, the people around you expect that you move on, too. You probably cry less, but that feeling in your chest when you see that person again, talk to them, hold them, doesn’t disappear that fast. But burying yourself in the past might also mean missing so much you’d love. Which means we need to let go. Oliver needs to let go even though it’s hard to do so. And, d*mn, that last part made me cry.

I’m learning a home is more than the house you live in. It’s something you make yourself. With the people you meet, the places you go.

If you’ve read this story, I want to talk to you about two things. I thought there were some mistakes related to traveling from one place to another. But now I think Dustin Thao did it on purpose.

And I really want to talk about that ending, especially to people from … I loved it so much! If you’ve read it, you know what I mean.

Thank you, Rafa from Penguin Random House International, for one of my most anticipated 2025 releases!

Follow me on ]]> 4.00 2025
author: Dustin Thao
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/09
date added: 2025/06/29
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, grief-trauma, lgbtqia, young-adult
review:
Sometimes, time feels like it’s moving faster than I can catch up to it. Like everyone’s left on the train while I’m still standing at the platform, waiting.

You’ve Found Oliver isn’t just a sequel. It’s easily readable as a standalone and is literally You’ve Reached Sam meets When Haru was Here AND a glimpse of What Happens in Amsterdam. Plus, it’s the least heartbreaking of the three.

This cover is gorgeous and shows so well what this story is about. I feel I’m writing an extension on the review I wrote before this one about Abdi Nazemian’s Exquisite Things. Both stories are about love and how we perceive time, hold on to the nostalgia for what’s been, instead of living in the now, or even having dreams and move forward.

Oliver’s mind is constantly in the past, still with Sam, his best friend who he lost almost a year before. Time is moving on, and Oliver has to follow, but he somehow gets stuck while still texting Sam’s number, not having friends other than Sam’s girlfriend, Julie, and not knowing what to do in the future. Then he accidentally calls Sam’s number and Ben picks up.

Only when we stop trying to pin it down, does time begin to move in another direction.

I love Dustin Thao’s writing. It’s vivid and palpable, and I gobbled up the words and sentences. To be honest, though, for a while I felt this was a nice story, but nothing more. It’s not a full-on tearjerker. It even felt pretty light. But the more I read, the more I realized there was so much happening between the lines. And maybe that fits Oliver’s story so well. This story forces you to think deeper, to peel off the layers. When you just lose someone, you’re allowed to cry. But when time moves on, the people around you expect that you move on, too. You probably cry less, but that feeling in your chest when you see that person again, talk to them, hold them, doesn’t disappear that fast. But burying yourself in the past might also mean missing so much you’d love. Which means we need to let go. Oliver needs to let go even though it’s hard to do so. And, d*mn, that last part made me cry.

I’m learning a home is more than the house you live in. It’s something you make yourself. With the people you meet, the places you go.

If you’ve read this story, I want to talk to you about two things. I thought there were some mistakes related to traveling from one place to another. But now I think Dustin Thao did it on purpose.

And I really want to talk about that ending, especially to people from … I loved it so much! If you’ve read it, you know what I mean.

Thank you, Rafa from Penguin Random House International, for one of my most anticipated 2025 releases!

Follow me on
]]> 211653177 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award Finalist

In their comics debut, Theo Parish masterfully weaves an intimate and defiantly hopeful memoir about the journey one nonbinary person takes to find a home within themself. Combining traditional comics with organic journal-like interludes, Theo takes us through their experiences with the hundred arbitrary and unspoken gender binary rules of high school, from harrowing haircuts and finally the right haircut to the intersection of gender identity and sexuality—and through tiny everyday moments that all led up to Theo finding the term “nonbinary,” which finally struck a chord.

“Have you ever had one of those moments when all of a sudden things become clear…like someone just turned on a light?”

A whole spectrum of people will be drawn to Theo’s storytelling, from trans or questioning teens and adults, to folks who devoured Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe or The Fire Never Goes Out by ND Stevenson, to any person looking to dive a little deeper into the way gender can shape identity. Throughout the book, Theo’s crystal-clear voice reminds the reader that it’s okay not to know, it’s okay to change your mind, and it’s okay to take your time finding your way home.

“We are all just trying to find a place to call our own. We are all deserving of comfort and safety, a place to call home.” ]]> 224 Theo Parish 1035017628 Marieke 0 to-read 4.51 2024
author: Theo Parish
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 231821990 What happens when the British Crown Prince falls in love with an American influencer who wants to get rid of the monarchy? Prince Auggie swears he’s no kind of dashing prince: daydreamer, private—and also secretly very gay. He’s instantly horrified when his father, reality TV addict King James, signs Auggie up for a reality TV show to promote the monarchy, where the man with the most talents wins—and to help find Auggie a bride, the very last thing Auggie wants. But duty calls.

When Auggie finds out his co-star is irritatingly gorgeous Thomas Golden, the charismatic dual American-English heir to the Golden hotel fortune, it’s another step too far. There’s at least one problem: Prince Auggie’s already recently crossed paths with Thomas Golden one disastrous night in a London club. Plus, there’s that whole second not-so-small, not-so-secret problem—the Golden family wants to get rid of the monarchy.

Once Auggie and Thomas arrive on set in the English countryside, it’s already unapologetically hate at first sight. It’s going to be a very long summer of filming…until sparks fly behind the scenes. They make a searing heatwave all their own as they secretly date. But soon, real reality strikes, and Auggie must choose between the life he’s destined for as the future king—or dare risk everything for love.]]> 374 Hayden Stone 1069490105 Marieke 0 2.60
author: Hayden Stone
name: Marieke
average rating: 2.60
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/28
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, currently-reading
review:

]]> 228342315 Happiness needs to be earned in the face of impossible odds, or there’s no beauty in it.

London, 1867. Dorian Gray is the heir to a title and their family’s estate, but they’ve never been given the chance to decide whether that’s actually what they want out of life. Forcibly estranged from their father by their manipulative grandfather, Dorian feels trapped in the life that has been decided for them.

Then one night they sneak out of their grandfather’s house, they meet a sweet and talented young painter named Basil, who immediately recognizes Dorian as his new muse. They agree to sit for Basil for a portrait, and Dorian is struck by the beauty and depth that Basil paints into their likeness—and they dare to begin hoping there might be more to life than being their grandfather’s perfect, empty-headed heir.

Dorian is further elated when Basil introduces them to the world of molly houses and drag performers—they’ve never seen such joyful variety of humanity and gender expression. But, as the barrier between the London they know and the one they're discovering begins to crumble, Dorian must face the fact that freedom and safety do not come hand in hand.

The aftermath of this realization pulls Dorian into a terrible downward spiral, torn between guilt over their own actions and hatred for the suffocating expectations of society. They push away those closest to them, surrounding themself instead with vapid courtiers and decadent socialites. And as Dorian’s spiral of self-loathing deepens, something strange happens—Basil’s portrait of them begins to change. Their smile becomes a little sharper, the glint in their eyes a little colder.

Dorian will have to choose—embrace the wickedness within and allow themself to become what they were always meant to be, or dare to try for something far more fragile and dangerous: a life of their own making.]]> 304 Elle Grenier 1250329787 Marieke 0 4.67 2026
author: Elle Grenier
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/28
shelves: to-read, arc-netgalley-edelweiss
review:

]]> 228342391
Forced to work together under Legion orders, Keller and Lament team up with a motley crew of specialists to investigate a mysterious visionary who can predict catastrophes. As they begin to peel back layers, however, they realize there's more to the story than meets the eye. With threats mounting and secrets unfolding, Keller and Lament will need to trust one another in order to stop the dangers at play. But with trust comes other feelings—ones neither of them is prepared for.

With the fate of the universe hanging in the balance, the only thing worse than failing their mission might just be losing each other.]]> 368 S.G. Prince 1250406463 Marieke 0 4.88
author: S.G. Prince
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.88
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/28
shelves: to-read, arc-netgalley-edelweiss
review:

]]> 228342325 Two teen boys grapple with identity and accountability and set off a ripple effect within their community after a school assembly is disrupted by a shouted slur.

Freshmen Dayton and Farshid couldn’t be more different—or so it seems.

When Dayton takes a dare and shouts the f-slur at a visiting author during a school event, it sets off a chain reaction that forces both boys to face parts of themselves they’d rather ignore.

Dayton, grappling with the fallout of his actions, faces rejection from his friends, disappointment from his parents, and a growing awareness of the harm he’s caused. Meanwhile, Farshid is left to untangle his own feelings—about himself and about the quiet struggle of coming to terms with his queerness in a world steeped in heteronormativity.

As their lives unexpectedly intersect, Dayton and Farshid must reckon with what kind of men they want to become and whether they have the courage to defy toxic masculinity and societal expectations.

Timely, raw, and deeply thought-provoking, this novel is perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Nic Stone.]]> 224 Adib Khorram 1250405556 Marieke 0 4.80
author: Adib Khorram
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.80
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/28
shelves: to-read, arc-netgalley-edelweiss
review:

]]> 231544998 A Premier League football star must defend his roster spot—and his heart—when a threateningly talented and handsome midfielder joins his team in this utterly charming debut romance, a profound love letter to the world’s most popular sport.

Oliver Harris is football royalty in London. Ordinarily the star of the Camden Roses is calm, cool, and collected, keeping his club relevant with his prowess in the midfield and mighty left foot. But this season, the threats There’s Camden’s management to contend with—complete with a new, prickly Dutch coach, eager for better results—and a mid-season injury, which sidelines him when his team needs him most. When a recruit is called up to fill in, Oliver fears he’ll be replaced. If he can mentor this younger talent, then they might just have a chance at winning, together.

After a string of lackluster performances in his native Spain, Leonardo Davis-Villanueva is looking for one last shot at the club he always dreamed of, where he once played in the youth academy. Oliver immediately finds confident, eager Leo irritating. He can barely go through the motions, let alone coach him, without outright hostility. When he comes to admire Leo’s skill and warms to his humor and energy, though, he begins to see Leo as a friend—and then, to his mounting horror, as something more.

Leo craves Oliver’s attention and partnership; Oliver can’t afford to fall in love with his teammate. He’s always kept a tight lid on his sexuality in a league that’s never had a player come out. As the season heats up, a lot more than football hangs in the balance. Can Oliver—and Leo—win when it counts most?]]> Kallie Emblidge Marieke 0
I tried, really, I did. Basically, this is a fine story. I liked seeing a Dutch coach. But one thing started to irritate me, and eventually it turned into anger.

Oliver is injured but desperate to return. Leo is the new player, trying to earn a regular spot on the team. All the players have nutrition plans. But they also drink. Alcohol, I mean. They get tipsy and drunk. During the season. Not just once but several times. The injured players go to a pub during a match. And drink pints like they’re spectators. After a match, they get drunk. At Oliver’s birthday party, they drink vodka straight from the bottle.

Come on. Maybe hockey players get drunk regularly during the season, but most footballers (the soccer kind) don’t. Some European clubs even have strict rules about alcohol.

And to finish my rant (I know this is nitpicking): why call it “Eindhoven” when it’s PSV? There are two professional clubs in Eindhoven.

So, my first 2026 read could’ve been a great one. Sadly, I got too mad to finish it. If you’re interested in this book, definitely check out other reviews.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group, for this ARC. I’m sorry that I had to DNF.]]> 4.46
author: Kallie Emblidge
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.46
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2025/06/25
date added: 2025/06/25
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, lgbtqia, romance
review:
Two Left Feet was one of my most anticipated 2026 releases. I was so excited about this soccer romance. But I’m throwing in the towel at 43%.

I tried, really, I did. Basically, this is a fine story. I liked seeing a Dutch coach. But one thing started to irritate me, and eventually it turned into anger.

Oliver is injured but desperate to return. Leo is the new player, trying to earn a regular spot on the team. All the players have nutrition plans. But they also drink. Alcohol, I mean. They get tipsy and drunk. During the season. Not just once but several times. The injured players go to a pub during a match. And drink pints like they’re spectators. After a match, they get drunk. At Oliver’s birthday party, they drink vodka straight from the bottle.

Come on. Maybe hockey players get drunk regularly during the season, but most footballers (the soccer kind) don’t. Some European clubs even have strict rules about alcohol.

And to finish my rant (I know this is nitpicking): why call it “Eindhoven” when it’s PSV? There are two professional clubs in Eindhoven.

So, my first 2026 read could’ve been a great one. Sadly, I got too mad to finish it. If you’re interested in this book, definitely check out other reviews.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group, for this ARC. I’m sorry that I had to DNF.
]]> 235811959 From the author of Love at First Set, a hilariously sexy enemies-to-lovers, second-chance rom-com about a reclusive former child star turned florist whose quiet life is turned upside down when her annoyingly hot ex (and former costar) shows up in town, with plans to write a tell-all memoir.

Former child star Anderson “Andy” Ducharme is hiding—has been for a long time, if she’s honest with herself, which she isn’t.

When she suddenly cut off all ties and left LA six years earlier to work in a flower shop in coastal New England, she wasn’t just running away from toxic relationships, embezzling agents, and all the rest of her Hollywood life; she was running to something… sort of, if you squinted, and if you accepted that what she was running toward was little more than a vacation daydream she had made up with her (in)famous ex, and former costar, Nicole “Nikki” Price. 

Then Nikki announces her plan to write a tell-all book about growing up in Hollywood and their tumultuous time on the Nik and Andy show, and Andy’s feelings of hurt and betrayal come rushing back. Emboldened by anger (and maybe one too many drinks), Andy does something very she texts her ex for the first time in years. No one’s more shocked than Andy when Nikki actually shows up to her small florist shop, looking for answers.

Andy is fully prepared to send Nikki away, but it seems Nikki has some unfinished business as well. Now that she finally knows where Andy’s been hiding, she’s not letting her go so easy. And with each passing encounter, Andy can’t deny the simmering physical attraction that threatens to boil over every time they get close.

But can the two of them really reunite without wrecking Andy’s carefully rebuilt life? Or is she setting herself up for a fresh heartbreak? 

TROPES

second-chancecelebritysmall townfwbformer exes
]]> Jennifer Dugan 0063420333 Marieke 0 to-read 0.0
author: Jennifer Dugan
name: Marieke
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 224106205 A swoon-worthy sapphic romance following two women who are thrown together on a European adventure, from the Lambda Literary Award–winning author of the “sexy, insightful, and utterly charming” (BuzzFeed) Kiss Her Once for Me.

Thirty-five-year-old Seattleite Sadie Wells needs an escape. She’s desperate to escape her monotonous routines, the family business that has consumed her entire life, and the unexpected gay panic that has her questioning everything she thought she knew about herself. So when her injured sister offers Sadie her place on a tour along Portugal’s Camino de Santiago, she decides this is the perfect chance to get away from it all.

After three glasses of wine on the plane and some turbulence convince Sadie she won’t even survive the flight, she confesses all her secrets to her seatmate, Mal. The the plane doesn’t crash, and it turns out Mal is on her Camino tour. Worst of all, Sadie learns that she is on a tour specifically for queer women, and that her two-hundred-mile trek will be a journey of self-discovery, whether she wants it to be or not.

Fascinated by the woman who drunkenly came out to her on the plane, Mal offers to help Sadie relive the queer adolescence she missed out on as they walk the Camino. As Sadie develops her newfound confidence, Mal grapples with a complicated loss and unexpected inheritance. But as their relationship blurs the lines between reality and practice, they both must decide if they will forever part at the end of the tour or chart a new course together.

With “funny, poignant” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) prose, Alison Cochrun explores the power of letting go of your past and realizing that it’s never too late to live as your authentic self.]]> Alison Cochrun Marieke 4
I remember when Alison walked the Camino herself and shared her journey on Instagram; it definitely shows in this story. I always get a little nervous when American authors write about Europe, and I’m not always a fan. But Alison did a great job capturing the atmosphere (though I did find Stefano a bit of an Italian stereotype).

The Camino is such a great setting for a love story—two weeks of walking with the same group of people, bonding over blisters, laughter, and long conversations. The writing was so vivid, I felt like I was right there in Portugal (and later Spain) with them. I especially loved Sadie’s journey of self-discovery, and Mal quickly became my favorite: strong, extroverted, and guarded when it came to feelings. She was such a compelling character!

Oh, and one thing Alison, I’m sorry, but I do think stroopwafels are better than nata!

Now, I can’t wait for what Alison has in store for us next!

Thank you, Atria Books and NetGalley for this amazing ARC.

Follow me on ]]> 4.31 2025
author: Alison Cochrun
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/26
date added: 2025/06/23
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, lgbtqia, romance
review:
I'm a huge Alison Cochrun fan, and while this isn’t my favorite of her books (Here I Go Again and The Charm Offensive still hold that title), I really enjoyed it!

I remember when Alison walked the Camino herself and shared her journey on Instagram; it definitely shows in this story. I always get a little nervous when American authors write about Europe, and I’m not always a fan. But Alison did a great job capturing the atmosphere (though I did find Stefano a bit of an Italian stereotype).

The Camino is such a great setting for a love story—two weeks of walking with the same group of people, bonding over blisters, laughter, and long conversations. The writing was so vivid, I felt like I was right there in Portugal (and later Spain) with them. I especially loved Sadie’s journey of self-discovery, and Mal quickly became my favorite: strong, extroverted, and guarded when it came to feelings. She was such a compelling character!

Oh, and one thing Alison, I’m sorry, but I do think stroopwafels are better than nata!

Now, I can’t wait for what Alison has in store for us next!

Thank you, Atria Books and NetGalley for this amazing ARC.

Follow me on
]]> 222376682 A life-affirming novel of family, mending, and how we learn to love, from the award-winning Bryan Washington.

In Tokyo, the son works as an English tutor, drinking his nights away with friends at a gay bar. He’s entangled in a sexual relationship with a married man, and while he has built a chosen family in Japan, he is estranged from his family in Houston, particularly his mother, whose preference for the son’s oft-troubled homophobic brother, Chris, pushed him to leave home. Then, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, ten years since they’ve last seen each other, the mother arrives uninvited on his doorstep.

Separated only by the son’s cat, Taro, the two of them bristle against each other immediately. The mother, wrestling with memories of her youth in Jamaica and her own complicated brother, works to reconcile her good intentions with her missteps. The son struggles to forgive. But as life begins to steer them in unexpected directions— the mother to a tentative friendship with a local bistro owner, and the son to cautiously getting to know a new patron of the bar—the two of them begin to see each other more clearly. Sharing meals and conversations and an eventful trip to Nara, both mother and son try the best they can to define where “home” really is—and whether they can find it even in each other.

Written with understated humor and an open heart, moving through past and present and across Houston, Jamaica, and Japan, Bryan Washington’s Palaver is an intricate story of family, love, and the beauty of a life among others.]]> 336 Bryan Washington 0374609071 Marieke 0 to-read 3.71
author: Bryan Washington
name: Marieke
average rating: 3.71
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222798695
Summoned to Hell on assignment, Lucifer tells Callum that completing his next task will wipe the remaining tasks from his ledger and he will return Callum’s soul to him upon completion. All Callum must do is ensure his latest charge, Augustus, makes it from London to America, by the next blood moon.

As they journey across the sea, Callum grows to care for Augustus “Auggie”. Auggie seems unlike any mark Callum has ever been charged with and Callum wonders why such a noble boy would sell his soul to the devil.

Upon reaching New York, Callum discovers that Auggie never sold his soul to the devil at all but is an innocent. But is Callum willing to forfeit his own freedom to save Auggie?]]> 384 David Ferraro Marieke 0 to-read 5.00
author: David Ferraro
name: Marieke
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220487253 Andrew Joseph White Marieke 0 to-read 5.00 2027
author: Andrew Joseph White
name: Marieke
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2027
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 231692461 400 Erik J. Brown 0063338327 Marieke 0 to-read 5.00
author: Erik J. Brown
name: Marieke
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 215149259 The Walking Dead meets Yellowjackets in If We Survive This, a tense and emotional young adult horror novel from award-winning author Racquel Marie about a teen girl leading a group of survivors on a perilous journey during the apocalypse.

Flora Braddock Paz is not the girl who survives. A colorful creative who spends as much time fearing death as she does trying to hide that fear from her loved ones, she’s always considered herself weak. But half a year into the global outbreak of a rabies mutation that transforms people into violent, zombielike "rabids," she and her older brother Cain are still alive. With their mom dead, their dad missing, and their LA suburb left desolate, they form a new plan to venture out to the secluded Northern California cabin they vacationed in growing up―their best chance at a safe haven and maybe even seeing their dad again.

The dangers of the world have changed, but so has Flora. Still, their journey up the state is complicated by encounters with familiar faces, new allies, hidden truths, and painful memories of the family’s final time making this trip last year. And for Flora, one thing inevitably remains: No matter how far you run, death is never far behind.]]> 336 Racquel Marie 125035269X Marieke 4 I can handle so much these days. More than I ever thought possible. It’s a strange thing, really, to discover that you were wrong about yourself.

I don’t really see this YA as horror, even though it’s pitched as one. For me, it’s more of an apocalyptic story like All That’s Left in the World, with the horror feeling of The Honeys. It’s genre-bending because it’s also part contemporary with its dual timeline and way more introspective than those books above. 

The central theme in this story is fear. Flora has OCD even though she has hidden it all her life and might look like a girl who only cares about her appearance. But deep inside, she has locked up so much anxiety, and her biggest fear is death. But this was Flora.

Now Flora doesn’t care at all (even though her OCD still screams in her head). Nothing is the same anymore, and Flora fights. She runs. Always runs. To stay alive. And most important of all, to save her brother. But as her brother says, ”You don't always have to be the hero.” 

I loved the sibling dynamics between Flora and Cain, but the scene that touched me most was the one with Biscuit and Adán and June when tears sprang to our eyes.

Although there is a lot of action in this story (with bloodshed and gore), it’s mainly character-driven, and Flora's internal (sometimes spiraling) thoughts predominate. I skipped some parts because I'm not the best for so many graphic scenes with blood, but overall, I flew through the book. Racquel Marie’s writing always fascinates me, whether it is contemporary or something more gruesome.

Thank you, Fiercereads and NetGalley, for this harsh but beautiful ARC! 

Follow me on ]]> 4.08 2025
author: Racquel Marie
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/01
date added: 2025/06/18
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, bipoc, fantasy-scifi-dystopian, grief-trauma, lgbtqia, mental-health, young-adult
review:
I can handle so much these days. More than I ever thought possible. It’s a strange thing, really, to discover that you were wrong about yourself.

I don’t really see this YA as horror, even though it’s pitched as one. For me, it’s more of an apocalyptic story like All That’s Left in the World, with the horror feeling of The Honeys. It’s genre-bending because it’s also part contemporary with its dual timeline and way more introspective than those books above. 

The central theme in this story is fear. Flora has OCD even though she has hidden it all her life and might look like a girl who only cares about her appearance. But deep inside, she has locked up so much anxiety, and her biggest fear is death. But this was Flora.

Now Flora doesn’t care at all (even though her OCD still screams in her head). Nothing is the same anymore, and Flora fights. She runs. Always runs. To stay alive. And most important of all, to save her brother. But as her brother says, ”You don't always have to be the hero.” 

I loved the sibling dynamics between Flora and Cain, but the scene that touched me most was the one with Biscuit and Adán and June when tears sprang to our eyes.

Although there is a lot of action in this story (with bloodshed and gore), it’s mainly character-driven, and Flora's internal (sometimes spiraling) thoughts predominate. I skipped some parts because I'm not the best for so many graphic scenes with blood, but overall, I flew through the book. Racquel Marie’s writing always fascinates me, whether it is contemporary or something more gruesome.

Thank you, Fiercereads and NetGalley, for this harsh but beautiful ARC! 

Follow me on
]]> 224003242 A “big-hearted and true” (Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize winner) debut novel set in a small rural town amid a congressional race when life-changing secrets are unearthed by the candidates, their families, and a clique of gay second homeowners.

The trendy rural town of Griffin has become a popular destination for weekenders and the city’s second homeowners but now a congressional race in this swing district is highlighting tensions between life-long residents and new arrivals. The campaign pits local pub owner and town supervisor Chip Riley against the wealthy young carpetbagger Paul Banks, challenging the social and political loyalties of their families and friends with lasting repercussions.

Diane Riley, Chip’s wife, is a religiously devout real estate agent who feels conflicted about selling second homes—including to Paul and his much older husband, Stan. The Riley’s eldest son Joe is grieving the recent overdose death of his best friend and spiraling into drugs himself, while their youngest son, Will, is a newly out college student seduced by the decadent lifestyle and sexual openness of Paul’s clique but burdened by his sense of obligation to his father.

Meanwhile, Stan Banks uses the race to give purpose to the pain of losing his brother to AIDS, even as he begins to doubt Paul’s readiness for office. And within their growing circle of city transplants, Eric Larimer finds unexpected connection with a local farmer that opens his eyes to the region’s complexity as Leon Rogers, still reeling from a divorce, becomes increasingly desperate to infiltrate the Banks’s exclusive crew.

Spanning six months from Memorial Day to Election Day, Town & Country paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of a community in flux. For readers of Fredrick Backman and Jen Beagin, this “powerful and extremely well-written book” (Colum McCann, National Book Award winner) asks the essential and timeless What makes a home, and what do we owe our neighbors?]]> 304 Brian Schaefer 1668086891 Marieke 4
I struggled through the first quarter, but once I got up to speed, I began to appreciate the contrasts between all the characters. The story paints such a clear picture of a small town in a swing state, highlighting the minor differences that ultimately shape people's political choices.

Town & Country introduces a large cast of characters, from the mostly white, cheating, rich gay men buying the biggest houses as summer retreats and hosting pool parties in their tiny bathing suits, to Griffin’s mostly white original residents: Diana, a real estate agent raised by progressive parents who turned to the church as an adult; her husband, who owns the local pub and is now running for Congress; and their children, one a drug addict, the other recently out as gay.

I was most drawn to the storyline between Eric and Dalton. Eric is part of the gay clique but starts to like the quietness of the village, while Dalton is a young gay farmer living with his dad, and they’re barely getting by.

While reading, the current situation in the US was constantly in the back of my mind. Something just gnaws at me each time I see that man on television or online, and I hate the polarization. This book shows the struggles of real people, and I admire the way Brian Schaeffer depicts flawed characters. Eric and Dalton both picture the differences between the two groups so clearly and also show that those differences might not be that big after all.

Actual rating 4.5 stars

Follow me on ]]> 3.89 2025
author: Brian Schaefer
name: Marieke
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/14
date added: 2025/06/18
shelves:
review:
The publisher compares Brian Schaeffer to Fredrik Backman, and I can see why. Both writers introduce a large number of main characters at a rapid pace, making the first 20–30% of the story hard to follow. Add in the head-jumping, which I’m usually not a fan of but feels natural with both authors, along with a small village setting where tensions run high between people, and it’s easy to draw the comparison, especially to Backman’s Beartown series.

I struggled through the first quarter, but once I got up to speed, I began to appreciate the contrasts between all the characters. The story paints such a clear picture of a small town in a swing state, highlighting the minor differences that ultimately shape people's political choices.

Town & Country introduces a large cast of characters, from the mostly white, cheating, rich gay men buying the biggest houses as summer retreats and hosting pool parties in their tiny bathing suits, to Griffin’s mostly white original residents: Diana, a real estate agent raised by progressive parents who turned to the church as an adult; her husband, who owns the local pub and is now running for Congress; and their children, one a drug addict, the other recently out as gay.

I was most drawn to the storyline between Eric and Dalton. Eric is part of the gay clique but starts to like the quietness of the village, while Dalton is a young gay farmer living with his dad, and they’re barely getting by.

While reading, the current situation in the US was constantly in the back of my mind. Something just gnaws at me each time I see that man on television or online, and I hate the polarization. This book shows the struggles of real people, and I admire the way Brian Schaeffer depicts flawed characters. Eric and Dalton both picture the differences between the two groups so clearly and also show that those differences might not be that big after all.

Actual rating 4.5 stars

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]]> 236053743
Missing his best friend, his high-maintenance boyfriend, and troubled by the paranormal occurrences rattling his nerves, James wishes he’d never moved.

But when his presence awakens Nathaniel, the ghost of a seventeen year old trans boy who has haunted the walls of this house since the 1700s, things take a surprising turn.

After a false start or two, Nathaniel and James hit it off, an easy connection that could become something more.

But only if they survive.

Because Nathaniel isn’t the only ghost haunting this house.In the basement hides a dark entity, longing to escape, to claim their souls.

Can James and Nathaniel cross the boundaries of the living and the dead in order to see each other and themselves for who they truly are?



]]> 319 Caspian Faye 1915585325 Marieke 0 to-read 0.0
author: Caspian Faye
name: Marieke
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 203047973 After a group of teens visits a dangerous island where three are left behind, the surviving girls realize they must return to confront the sinister force hunting them. This dark YA thriller is perfect for fans of Yellowjackets.

Eight were lost. Five were found. None will ever be free.

For Evie Williams, life is about to get a lot more complicated. Haunted by the events of a school trip to Hollow Lake National Park that went disastrously wrong, Evie and her friends returned changed, their lives forever marked by the mysterious Island they encountered—and the three girls they left behind.

Now, someone is picking off those who were involved, one by one. Their families, friends, and even online investigators are all caught in a deadly game. The stakes are raised when Evie receives a chilling to save her loved ones, she must return to the Island.

As Evie and the other "Lost Girls" navigate the treacherous terrain of the Island once more, they must confront the secrets they’ve buried, the horrors they witnessed, and the person—or thing—that’s hunting them. But some secrets refuse to stay hidden, and the Island demands a price for freedom.]]> Rebekah Faubion Marieke 0 to-read 4.50
author: Rebekah Faubion
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222175440 A whipsmart, blazingly funny novel about heartbreak, unconventional love, and the way society could be, from National Book Award finalist Alejandro Varela

The narrator of Middle Spoon appears to be living the He has a doting husband, two precocious children, all the comforts of a quiet bourgeois life—and a sexy younger boyfriend to accompany him to farmers markets and cocktail parties. But when his boyfriend abruptly dumps him, he spirals into heartbreak for the first time and must confront a world still struggling to understand polyamorous relationships. Faced with the judgment of friends and the sting of rejection, he’s left to wonder if sharing a life with both his family and his lover could ever truly be possible.

With a big heart and just the right dose of the anxieties that define the modern era, Middle Spoon reveals the rawness of infatuation while reimagining what relationships, marriage, and family life can look like. Alejandro Varela boldly probes the corners of society in desperate need of change—from taboos around intimacy to the shortcomings of Oscar season, pop culture, and gluten-free food—offering a surprising perspective on the tangled dynamics that shape our lives. Equal parts heart-wrenching and uproariously funny, Middle Spoon is for anyone who has longed, nursed a broken heart, or grappled with love at its messiest.]]> 336 Alejandro Varela 0593835174 Marieke 0 to-read 4.00
author: Alejandro Varela
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223140401 An aspiring young actor must find her place at a cutthroat arts boarding school in this gothic YA debut for fans of Ace of Spades and If We Were Villains.

Violet Costantino knows she is already on thin ice this school year: her scholarship has taken a significant hit due to her panic attack during her final performance in acting class last semester—which simultaneously shattered her dreams of becoming a leading lady. This year, she is determined to keep her head down and just get through unscathed. But the school seems to have other plans for Violet: to her extreme foreboding, she is cast as one of the leads in the annual Halloween play. What’s worse, the beautiful, infuriatingly talented Frankie Lin and Violet’s ex-crush, Hunter Kinsley, are both cast as her love interests. Despite her initial reluctance, Violet is drawn in by the glamor of the Dark Cove Theatre Society, and she cautiously starts believing that maybe she is cut out for this after all. But lurking in the shadows of Violet’s fragile self-confidence is the rumor of the Society curse, which is said to cause one cast member to drop out before opening night every year, mysteriously and without reason.

In this captivating YA debut, The Dark Cove Theatre Society illustrates both the intoxicating and insidious nature of success and the price we are often forced to pay for it. Passages of found text—glimpses of the school’s handbook, secret letters, and other peeks into life at the Academy—seamlessly woven into the plot will immerse readers even further into the lush, magnetic world of Dark Cove.]]> 280 Sierra Marilyn Riley 1834020093 Marieke 0
Thank you so much, Annick Press, for this ARC.

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]]> 4.07
author: Sierra Marilyn Riley
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.07
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2025/06/11
date added: 2025/06/11
shelves:
review:
I really like the writing and the diverse cast. I’m a huge fan of dark academia. The thing is though, the footnotes distract me. A lot. It might have been different if I had read a physical book where the footnotes are at the bottom of the page, but jumping back and forth on my Kindle pulls me out of the story too much. I’m at 13% and the 30th footnote. So, with pain in my heart I decided to DNF.

Thank you so much, Annick Press, for this ARC.

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]]> 235992797 From the New York Times bestselling author of If I See You Again Tomorrow comes a delightful and heartwarming novel about family, love, grief, and one precocious houseplant, that reminds us of the beauty of living a life in full Bloom.

Morris Warner is withering away. After the sudden death of his husband, Fred, he has shut himself off from the world. No more going to movies with friends, or swims in Lake Michigan, instead preferring the quiet loneliness of his history books and Jeopardy episodes with only the cat to hear his answers.

Morris’s stepdaughter, Sloan, feels like she has nowhere to grow. She’s about to get married to the man of her dreams, if only her mother will let her actually plan her own wedding and trust her to build her own life after her father’s death.

Jade is drying out. Literally. As a plant in Morris’s home, she and her plant housemates have been slowly wasting away, leaf by falling leaf, since Fred’s death and Morris’s lack of care. She needs to come up with a plan to make her new owner come back to life, no matter what it takes.

New York Times bestselling author Robbie Couch’s Bloom is a wondrous novel where family, love, kindness, and yes, Mother Nature, triumph.]]> 288 Robbie Couch 1668093553 Marieke 0 to-read 0.0
author: Robbie Couch
name: Marieke
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 231149413 From National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree Jenny Tinghui Zhang, a novel about a pop idol and his superfan, whose stories shockingly collide

Freshman Minnie is adrift at college in Austin, Texas, when she discovers a boy band called HOURglass and the online forums that worship them. She especially loves Halo, whose sharp edges feel somehow familiar. After a brief romance goes painfully awry, Minnie pours everything into her new fandom, clinging to each livestream and bonding with other fans online. But when a scandal threatens to expose Halo to harm, Minnie decides that she is the only one who can save him.

Except Halo’s secret is darker than anything the tabloids could imagine. Before he was a superstar heartthrob, he was a high school dropout haunted by a tragic accident. When he is recruited for HOURglass, it feels like a chance to become someone else. And when he is onstage in front of his fans, he can almost forget the horrors of his past--until one of those very fans threatens to destroy everything.

Dazzling, entrancing, and deeply heartfelt, Superfan is about fandom in all its magic and its terror, and the extreme lengths to which we go to rid ourselves of loneliness.]]> Jenny Tinghui Zhang 1250369673 Marieke 0 to-read 0.0
author: Jenny Tinghui Zhang
name: Marieke
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222658364 From bestselling author Sonora Reyes comes a poignant and searingly honest companion novel to the multi-award-winning The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School, following beloved character Cesar Flores as he comes to terms with his sexuality, his new bipolar diagnosis, and more mistakes than he can count.

Seventeen-year-old Cesar Flores is finally ready to win back his ex-boyfriend. Since breaking up with Jamal in a last-ditch effort to stay in the closet, he’s come out to Mami, his sister, Yami, and their friends, taken his meds faithfully, and gotten his therapist’s blessing to reunite with Jamal.

Everything would be perfect if it weren’t for The Thoughts—the ones that won’t let all his Catholic guilt and internalizations stay buried where he wants them. The louder they become, the more Cesar is once again convinced that he doesn't deserve someone like Jamal—or anyone really.

Cesar can hide a fair amount of shame behind jokes and his “gifted” reputation, but when a manic episode makes his inner turmoil impossible to hide, he’s faced with a stark burn every bridge he has left or, worse—ask for help. But is the mortifying vulnerability of being loved by the people he’s hurt the most a risk he’s willing to take?]]> 384 Sonora Reyes 0063358409 Marieke 5
I choose to live.

I started my last review with “oh Sam,” and I could honestly start this one with “oh Cesar.” Sometimes I read a book that makes me hold my breath the entire time, wanting to scream “NO, NO, NO,” while a stone lodges itself behind my ribs. This was one of those books. It felt so personal and real—and all those chapter names with their subtitles gave me even more chills.

I’m hurting them to hurt myself.

I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, and the deeper I got, the more the tears started to gather behind my eyes. But the book is also hopeful, and I think it’s so important to end a story about mental illness on a hopeful note.

My closet isn’t as loving toward me as Jamal’s. Mine is dark and stuffy, and I feel like I’m locked in.

Cesar’s story is raw and messy and beautiful, and my heart ached so much for him. But also for Jamal—that boy! I love him so, so much. All the side characters felt incredibly real too, and I really hope Sonora Reyes writes a third book in this universe. I’m already rooting for a new couple, with a complicated, messy story of their own.

Thank you, Harper Collins Children’s Books and NetGalley, for this beautiful and so important ARC!

Follow me on ]]> 4.56 2025
author: Sonora Reyes
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/06/06
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, lgbtqia, mental-health, young-adult
review:
I feel kind of silly for not having read Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School yet. But after loving The Luis Ortega Survival Club and now completely falling for The Golden Boy’s Guide to Bipolar, it’s definitely shooting to the top of my TBR.

I choose to live.

I started my last review with “oh Sam,” and I could honestly start this one with “oh Cesar.” Sometimes I read a book that makes me hold my breath the entire time, wanting to scream “NO, NO, NO,” while a stone lodges itself behind my ribs. This was one of those books. It felt so personal and real—and all those chapter names with their subtitles gave me even more chills.

I’m hurting them to hurt myself.

I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, and the deeper I got, the more the tears started to gather behind my eyes. But the book is also hopeful, and I think it’s so important to end a story about mental illness on a hopeful note.

My closet isn’t as loving toward me as Jamal’s. Mine is dark and stuffy, and I feel like I’m locked in.

Cesar’s story is raw and messy and beautiful, and my heart ached so much for him. But also for Jamal—that boy! I love him so, so much. All the side characters felt incredibly real too, and I really hope Sonora Reyes writes a third book in this universe. I’m already rooting for a new couple, with a complicated, messy story of their own.

Thank you, Harper Collins Children’s Books and NetGalley, for this beautiful and so important ARC!

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]]> 156727073
Seventeen-year-old Jamie Taher-Foster has big plans for Senior Year. She's made a list of things and places in Toronto she and her boyfriend of three years, Ben Cameron, need to check off before graduating. And the biggest plan of all: a very special night for the two of them at the upcoming Winter Formal. But then Ben arrives back home after a summer away with an unthinkable announcement: he wants to break up.

And when Jamie discovers him with Olivia Chen the next day, she is determined to get him back. Even if that means fake dating the younger, curly-haired, TikTok dancer, Axel Dahini, whose bicycle she accidentally ran over.

Though she and Axel have nothing in common aside from their shared Arab heritage—she’s a messy, type A with anxiety, he’s carefree but meticulous—their forced time together brings them to better understand one another. And for Jamie, it just might mean learning that not all experiences or people need to be crossed off a list.]]> Jackie Khalilieh Marieke 4 Edit: Reposting this review (and might do it again) since two of the top reviews include uncomfortable comments about queer characters and non-religious or culturally diverse families. I hope you’ll give mine (and the other positive ones) a little love instead.

You Started It is Jackie Khalilieh’s tribute to Arab boys to show us that they are more than one-dimensional stereotypes, and boy, did she do well. Axel Dahini, you’re the sweetest, smartest, most charming, most caring fictional boy I have met in a while!

I already loved Something More, Jackie’s debut, but You Started It is better. Jackie is the queen of writing flawed teen girls, and Jamie is one of them. Often an anxious mess with lots of insecurities, and sometimes angry or really sweet, but always holding back, Jamie doesn’t color outside the lines, even though she lets her emotions override clear thinking. Oh, and her messy room. From the beginning, it was obvious that Ben wasn't the right guy for her. But Axel? Axel, who dared Jamie to take risks, to embrace who she is, and to show how to love? Axel was so good for Jamie. Smiles grew on my face so many times when Axel and Jamie were together, and that scene at the Arab wedding was just top-notch.

There’s another Arab man worth mentioning. Amo Eli was such a fantastic side character!

The only reason I'm not giving this five stars is because of the third-act-breakup. I understood that fallout to a certain extent, but I'm just a (known) hater of those breakups. But that ending, on the other hand? It was so good again! And I also adored how Jackie included Olivia and Ben in that final part. So, actual rating 4.5 stars. 

Thank you, Tundra Books and Edelweiss, for this amazing ARC! 

Follow me on ]]> 4.06 2025
author: Jackie Khalilieh
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/25
date added: 2025/06/05
shelves:
review:
Edit: Reposting this review (and might do it again) since two of the top reviews include uncomfortable comments about queer characters and non-religious or culturally diverse families. I hope you’ll give mine (and the other positive ones) a little love instead.

You Started It is Jackie Khalilieh’s tribute to Arab boys to show us that they are more than one-dimensional stereotypes, and boy, did she do well. Axel Dahini, you’re the sweetest, smartest, most charming, most caring fictional boy I have met in a while!

I already loved Something More, Jackie’s debut, but You Started It is better. Jackie is the queen of writing flawed teen girls, and Jamie is one of them. Often an anxious mess with lots of insecurities, and sometimes angry or really sweet, but always holding back, Jamie doesn’t color outside the lines, even though she lets her emotions override clear thinking. Oh, and her messy room. From the beginning, it was obvious that Ben wasn't the right guy for her. But Axel? Axel, who dared Jamie to take risks, to embrace who she is, and to show how to love? Axel was so good for Jamie. Smiles grew on my face so many times when Axel and Jamie were together, and that scene at the Arab wedding was just top-notch.

There’s another Arab man worth mentioning. Amo Eli was such a fantastic side character!

The only reason I'm not giving this five stars is because of the third-act-breakup. I understood that fallout to a certain extent, but I'm just a (known) hater of those breakups. But that ending, on the other hand? It was so good again! And I also adored how Jackie included Olivia and Ben in that final part. So, actual rating 4.5 stars. 

Thank you, Tundra Books and Edelweiss, for this amazing ARC! 

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]]> 232242978
Seventeen-year-old Nick Carrington wants nothing more than to leave Greenwood, Oklahoma, behind and make a name for himself in the papers. But when tragedy strikes, dreams turn into a twisted reality. Forced to start anew in Harlem, only a letter of acceptance from the prestigious West Egg Academy is able to pull him back into the world.

But the supposedly integrated private boys’ school is more of a catchy headline than a fact, with the same prejudices Nick left behind back home. And his secret but growing feelings for the founder’s wickedly charismatic son, Jay Gatsby Jr.— who dances past society’s conventions with practiced ease—only add more complications.

When Nick’s cutting pen exposes dangerous truths about West Egg and leads to perilous consequences, he and Jay must decide whether to spend a lifetime outrunning trouble or be the ones to light the match. Can they not only fight back but triumph? Or will the powers that be win yet again?]]> 384 Ryan Douglass 0063312484 Marieke 0 to-read 0.0
author: Ryan Douglass
name: Marieke
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 213075628 In Coney Island, true love rises to the surface. With lush illustrations and buoyant prose, Venessa Vida Kelley forges an unforgettable New York fairytale.

Benigno “Benny” Caldera knows an orphaned Boricua blacksmith in 1910s New York City can’t call himself an artist. But the ironwork tank he creates for famed Coney Island playground, Luna Park, astounds the eccentric sideshow proprietor who commissioned it. He invites Benny to join the show’s eclectic cast and share in their shocking secret: the tank will cage their newest exhibit, a live merman stolen from the salty banks of the East River.

More than a mythic marvel, Benny soon comes to know the merman Río as a kindred spirit, wise and more compassionate than any human he’s ever met. Despite their different worlds, what begins as a friendship of necessity deepens to love, leading Benny’s heart into uncharted waters where he can no longer ignore the agonizing truth of Río’s captivity—and his own.

Releasing Río could mean losing his found family, his new home, and his soulmate forever. Yet Benny’s courageous choice may just reveal a love strong enough to free them both.]]> 464 Venessa Vida Kelley 1645661539 Marieke 4
Told from Benigno’s perspective (I refuse to call him Benny), interspersed with amazing illustrations and Rio’s voice, this book is a remarkable debut. Benigno and Rio both were such beautiful persons: Benigno, the young Puertorican blacksmith, so gentle and caring, and Rio, the merman who kept his distance from people at first because they killed his mother and held him captive in the glass container that Benigno had made until Benigno gained his trust and something beautiful grew between the two of them.

Oh, and I simply love Matthias!

I already loved Venessa Vida Kelly’s illustrations, and now I want to read more of her writing. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next! Because of those illustrations, I recommend buying a physical copy of this book!

Thank you so much, Erewhon Books and NetGalley, for this fantastic ARC!

Follow me on ]]> 4.30 2025
author: Venessa Vida Kelley
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/10
date added: 2025/06/01
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, fantasy-scifi-dystopian, history, lgbtqia, romance
review:
The sweetness of E.L. Massey’s Like Real People Do meets Shaun David Hutchinson’s historical setting of Before We Disappear. Add beautiful prose and fantastic illustrations, and Vanessa Vida Kelly presents you When the Tide Held the Moon.

Told from Benigno’s perspective (I refuse to call him Benny), interspersed with amazing illustrations and Rio’s voice, this book is a remarkable debut. Benigno and Rio both were such beautiful persons: Benigno, the young Puertorican blacksmith, so gentle and caring, and Rio, the merman who kept his distance from people at first because they killed his mother and held him captive in the glass container that Benigno had made until Benigno gained his trust and something beautiful grew between the two of them.

Oh, and I simply love Matthias!

I already loved Venessa Vida Kelly’s illustrations, and now I want to read more of her writing. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next! Because of those illustrations, I recommend buying a physical copy of this book!

Thank you so much, Erewhon Books and NetGalley, for this fantastic ARC!

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]]> 223469504 The lush Gothic drama of Crimson Peak meets the murderous intrigue of Knives Out with an LGBTQIA+ love story to die for from award-winning author KJ Charles.

WHO WILL SURVIVE LACKADAY HOUSE?

When Zeb Wyckham is summoned to a wealthy relative's remote Gothic manor, he is horrified to find all the people he least wants to see in the world: his estranged brother, his sneering cousin, and his bitter ex-lover Gideon Grey. Things couldn't possibly get worse.

Then the master of the house announces the true purpose of the gathering: he intends to leave the vast family fortune to whoever marries his young ward, setting off a violent scramble for her hand. Zeb wants no part of his greedy family—but when he tries to leave, the way is barred. The walls of Lackaday House are high, and the gates firmly locked. As the Dartmoor mists roll in, there's no way out. And something unnatural may be watching them from the house's shadowy depths…

Fear and paranoia ramping ever-higher, Zeb has nowhere to turn but to the man who once held his heart. As the gaslight flickers and terror takes hold, can two warring lovers reunite, uncover the murderous mysteries of Lackaday House—and live to tell the tale?]]> K.J. Charles 1464227535 Marieke 0 to-read 4.22 2025
author: K.J. Charles
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 228342207 Jenny Han meets Mean Girls in Freddie and Stella Got Hot, Maggie Horne's YA rom-com about getting revenge and falling in love.

By the time the Beaumont-Gardiner Award is announced, everyone's going to hate Levi Preston. And they're going to love us.

Freddie and Stella are on a mission: take down their former best friend turned queen bee Levi Preston by depriving her of the one thing she wants more than anything: The Beaumont-Gardiner Award. Only the coolest, smartest, and - let’s face it - hottest girls win . . . so Freddie and Stella are going to have to get a whole lot cooler, smarter, and hotter.

At first, it seems to work – Freddie and Stella slowly manage to worm their way in with the cool girls. With every shopping date, agonizing salon appointment, and hot yoga class, the girls get closer to the in-crowd and Levi fades more and more into the background. The higher they rise, though, the more uneasy Freddie starts to feel. Stella’s gone from her lovable, goofy best friend to someone she barely recognizes, using her newfound power for evil at every opportunity. Soon, Freddie realizes she’s created a monster – and she needs Levi’s help to put a stop to it.]]> 336 Maggie Horne 1250377374 Marieke 0 to-read 5.00 2026
author: Maggie Horne
name: Marieke
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222361626 "A hilarious and charming descent into love, fake dating, and actual Hell. I couldn't stop grinning." - Aiden Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of Cemetery Boys

A swoon-worthy YA rom com about an ambitious college student whose plans get derailed when he discovers his roommate is the prince of hell.

Owen is not going to college to have fun. Nothing is going to stop him from achieving his study hard, get a good job, and set himself up for the rest of his life. The last thing he needs is to have a loud, obnoxious, and infuriatingly hot roommate. Especially since said roommate just so happens to be the prince of hell.

Prince Zarmenus has come to Point University for the first-ever Earth/hell exchange program, and he's determined to make the most of it. Which may or may not include wild parties, bringing in random boys to his and Owen's room, and accidentally setting Owen's furniture on fire. Sparks fly (literally) as Owen and Zar clash, but Zar's actions threaten to not only ruin Owen's peaceful college life, but demon-human relations as well. To clean up his image, he asks Owen to be his fake boyfriend and teach him how to be a better human in exchange for an internship that will secure Owen’s future. That, and Zar will consider being a better roommate.

A deal is struck, and the two start pretending to be in a relationship where they each have agendas of their own. Only Owen has a secret—dating his mortal enemy, even if it’s fake, is the most fun he's ever had.

Charming and fun, My Roommate from Hell is a rom com with a magical twist. Think just one bed, but that bed is in hell, surrounded by fire and brimstone.]]> 352 Cale Dietrich 1250887798 Marieke 0 4.38 2025
author: Cale Dietrich
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/31
shelves: to-read, arc-netgalley-edelweiss, lgbtqia, young-adult
review:

]]> 221251738
Rosa Capistrano has been attending posh North Phoenix High School to boost her chances of a college education and a career in journalism, thanks to the groundbreaking Brown v. Board of Education verdict for desegregation. But though she’s legally allowed to be there, it’s still unsafe for Mexican Americans. That’s why she’s secretly passing as Rosie, a white girl. All she has to do to secure her future is make sure her Mexican home life and her white school experience never intersect.

However, Rosa’s two worlds collide when her best friend Ramon and classmate Julianne meet and find themselves entangled in a star-crossed romance. Rosa is terrified about what their relationship could mean for her and them . . . and her worst fears are soon realized in an unspeakable tragedy. Rosa is thrown into the center of a town-wide scandal and her true identity is put in the spotlight. With the help of Marco, Ramon’s brooding and volatile brother whose passion ignites hers, Rosa must choose what is more important to her—protecting her fragile future, or risking everything to help her friends find justice.

Rosa by Any Other Name is a harrowingly beautiful coming-of-age tale that shines a light on an important and often overlooked facet of US history.]]> 416 Hailey Alcaraz 0593525574 Marieke 4 bipoc, history, young-adult
Rosa By Any Other Name is inspired by Romeo and Juliet. But this isn’t a tragedy. It’s a murder. I clenched my fists while reading.

The story digs into the supposed integration of Mexican Americans in the 1950s. Supposed, because even though Mexican kids have been allowed into white schools for two years, it’s still dangerous. So Rosa becomes Rosie. A white girl, at least on paper.

This story grabbed me by the throat. Not just because the Romeo and Juliet thread is gut-wrenching. Or because Rosa watches, caught in the middle, unsure what to do. Until she finds her voice and starts pushing back. It hit me just as hard because of what’s happening in the US right now. The feeling that a story like this could be real again. Unthinkable not long ago. Now, it feels frighteningly close.

So yes, this story is raw, infuriating, and heartbreaking. But there’s a sliver of hope in it too. Not everything is solved by the end, far from it. And that feels right for a story like this.

If you’re expecting a romance, this isn’t it. Marco is the love interest, and there’s a hint of enemies-to-lovers, but that part shifts quickly. Above all, Rosa By Any Other Name is a contemporary story that left a brick in my stomach.

Follow me on ]]> 4.57
author: Hailey Alcaraz
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.57
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/22
date added: 2025/05/30
shelves: bipoc, history, young-adult
review:
Actual rating 4.5 stars.

Rosa By Any Other Name is inspired by Romeo and Juliet. But this isn’t a tragedy. It’s a murder. I clenched my fists while reading.

The story digs into the supposed integration of Mexican Americans in the 1950s. Supposed, because even though Mexican kids have been allowed into white schools for two years, it’s still dangerous. So Rosa becomes Rosie. A white girl, at least on paper.

This story grabbed me by the throat. Not just because the Romeo and Juliet thread is gut-wrenching. Or because Rosa watches, caught in the middle, unsure what to do. Until she finds her voice and starts pushing back. It hit me just as hard because of what’s happening in the US right now. The feeling that a story like this could be real again. Unthinkable not long ago. Now, it feels frighteningly close.

So yes, this story is raw, infuriating, and heartbreaking. But there’s a sliver of hope in it too. Not everything is solved by the end, far from it. And that feels right for a story like this.

If you’re expecting a romance, this isn’t it. Marco is the love interest, and there’s a hint of enemies-to-lovers, but that part shifts quickly. Above all, Rosa By Any Other Name is a contemporary story that left a brick in my stomach.

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]]> 217159452 After spending the year suffering as a reality TV villain IRL, Alec Braud will do anything to get his redemption arc.

Alec Braud may have won his season of the hit teen reality TV show Campfire Wars, but he’s lost the war of public opinion. At seventeen, he’s the most hated teen in America just because he betrayed his showmance, Joaquín Delgado. Alec only did it to use the cash prize to help his parents’ wildlife rehabilitation center. And Joaquín forgave him—so why can’t everybody else?

Joaquín was the golden boy of their season, and everyone still loves him—including Alec. So when he asks Alec to join him on a trip to re-create classic movie kisses for his art school portfolio, Alec agrees in the hopes it’ll mend his reputation. What could possibly go wrong on a week-long cross-country road trip with his ex and lots of fake kissing?

Lines get blurred between what part of the trip is for the camera and what isn’t. From there, things get even more complicated when trouble at his parents’ wildlife rehabilitation center tempts Alec to attend a CW convention for a chance to get his family more money. At the convention, Alec hears that villains from other seasons are plotting to get onto an upcoming allstars season to redeem themselves—and they want him to join.

With former players trying to recruit him, Joaquín hinting he might want to get back together with him, and show execs whispering in his ear, Alec will have to decide for himself who he really is and what he really wants.]]> 371 Blair Hanson Marieke 5
Messy, witty, and at times chest-tightening, those are the words that come to mind when I think about this book.

The banter is just chef’s kiss. Not just between Alec and Joaquín or the other characters, but also in Alec’s own head. It’s actually a fantastic place to be—Alec, who wants to do good but is also a total disaster of a person, disheveled and morally gray in all the best ways, driven by a constant need for approval, and endlessly overlooking the red flags around him.

I fell hard for Alec’s longing and yearning in the first part of the story. From page one, I wanted him and Joaquín back together so badly. And yet, a little voice in the back of my head kept whispering warnings. I shoved them into a box and locked the lid tight. Just like Alec did.

The second half of the book gave me even more to think about. Again, just like Alec.

At its core, this story is about embracing who you are with all your flaws and building healthy relationships. And even though it’s not really a romcom, we need more books like these because this is what teens’ lives actually look like. Complicated. Messy. Full of love and fun, but also full of shi*tty things because sometimes, things just are tough.

Actual rating 4.5 stars, rounded up to five.

Thank you so much, Pagestreet and NetGalley, for this messy and delightful ARC!

Follow me on ]]> 3.88 2025
author: Blair Hanson
name: Marieke
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/17
date added: 2025/05/25
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, lgbtqia, young-adult
review:
Okay, this story feels like a real romcom, but if you’re expecting a swoony romance, I’m going to disappoint you: it isn’t. A.M. Woody, who blurbed this book, calls their own stories romtraums, and maybe America’s Not-So Sweetheart isn’t a romcom, isn’t a romtraum, but a traumcom. Traum because Alec was painted as the villain on that reality show, and now everyone hates him. Everyone except Joaquín, his ex, the guy he’s still madly in love with.

Messy, witty, and at times chest-tightening, those are the words that come to mind when I think about this book.

The banter is just chef’s kiss. Not just between Alec and Joaquín or the other characters, but also in Alec’s own head. It’s actually a fantastic place to be—Alec, who wants to do good but is also a total disaster of a person, disheveled and morally gray in all the best ways, driven by a constant need for approval, and endlessly overlooking the red flags around him.

I fell hard for Alec’s longing and yearning in the first part of the story. From page one, I wanted him and Joaquín back together so badly. And yet, a little voice in the back of my head kept whispering warnings. I shoved them into a box and locked the lid tight. Just like Alec did.

The second half of the book gave me even more to think about. Again, just like Alec.

At its core, this story is about embracing who you are with all your flaws and building healthy relationships. And even though it’s not really a romcom, we need more books like these because this is what teens’ lives actually look like. Complicated. Messy. Full of love and fun, but also full of shi*tty things because sometimes, things just are tough.

Actual rating 4.5 stars, rounded up to five.

Thank you so much, Pagestreet and NetGalley, for this messy and delightful ARC!

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]]> 231126846 A relentless, horror-inducing psychological suspense for fans of The Push and Baby Teeth by New York Times bestselling author CG Drews.

Single mother Elodie’s life has become a fairy tale. She’s met Bren, equal parts golden-retriever devoted and sinfully handsome. He’s whisked her and her autistic son, Jude, to the crumbling family house he’s renovating. She has a new husband, a new house, and a new baby on the way. Everything is perfect.

Then Jude claims he can hear voices in the walls. He says their renovations are “hurting” the house. Even Elodie can’t ignore it–something strange is going on. The question is, is it with the house, or with her son?

Then the one secret Elodie has been hiding is revealed, and no one is safe anymore.

A pulse-pounding, clever take on the haunted house novel, You Did Nothing Wrong examines the complexities of motherhood and the twisted bonds of family as it races to its shocking ending.]]> 304 C.G. Drews 1250369991 Marieke 0 to-read 5.00 2026
author: C.G. Drews
name: Marieke
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217163697 "The world is full of miracles, but none greater than how far a young person can be carried by someone else's belief in them."

Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of a wide expanse of sea. But Louisa, soon to be eighteen years old and an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise. She is determined to find out the story behind these three enigmatic figures.

More than two decades before, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up every morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.

Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that, after a chance encounter in an alleyway, will unexpectedly be placed into Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to discover how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more anxious she becomes about what she'll find. Louisa's complicated life is proof that happy endings are sometimes possible, but they don't always take the form we expect them to.

Fredrik Backman's signature charm, humor, and attention to the poignant details of everyday life are on full display in this funny, moving novel. His most heartfelt and personal tale yet, My Friends is a stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of art and friendship.]]> 436 Fredrik Backman 1982112824 Marieke 5
I knew beforehand that I was an idiot for picking up Fredrick Backman’s new gem as the first book of 2025. How am I supposed to get through the rest of the year now that I’ve already found my favorite?

Listen, Beartown fans. I know Benji is your favorite (mine, too). That you all love Maya. And Amat. And all the other ones (I do, too). But here’s a book that’s, without a doubt, Fredrik Backman’s best so far. And for those who don’t like his writing much, I understand. I know he ignores all those writing rules. But you know what? His writing is pure. It comes from his heart. The things he says are so true. And therefore, I’m addicted to his writing. And to his characters.

The artist, oh, how I longed to be with him a little longer, seen as strange, not enough for a boy at all, but with a heart so big that he only sees beauty in other people even though he doesn’t see beauty in himself. And Louisa, a tall, big girl, the foster kid, who recognizes so much more in the artist’s painting than all those other people. Because she’s an artist, too. And she’s so much like Jaer, the one who protects the people he loves, no matter what, and Ali, the witty daredevil, rough, and full of ideas. Last but definitely not least, there’s Ted. Neurotic, bookish, old-soul Ted, who wanted to stop the time at fourteen and only falls in love with geniuses. Oh, Ted, how I wanted to hug you at times. And your genius friends, including Louisa.

I can’t put into words what this book did to me. Tears shone in my eyes when I was only a few pages in, and then I burst out laughing, followed by hot water dripping on the floor. No, not from the shower. From my eyes. Goosebumps crawled over my skin, and that lump in my throat never seemed to be far away. That is until another smile tugged at the corners of my mouth, and I was suppressing the laughter erupting from my stomach.

This story is about friendship. About people who nestle themselves in your heart and refuse to leave, wherever you are and whatever happens. This story is about love, so much love. KimKim, Louisa, Jaer, Ally, and Ted will always have a piece of my heart. And, of course, Christian, because without you, this painting probably wouldn’t exist, and I don’t want to think about what that fourteen-year-old would have done instead.

Now, I have one wish left: a movie. I desperately need one so I can cry again. And laugh so incredibly hard. And everything in between.

Thank you so much, Atria Books, NetGalley, and, of course, Fredrik Backman, for the best book I’ll probably read in 2025!

Follow me on ]]> 4.48 2025
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/05
date added: 2025/05/24
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, fiction, grief-trauma, lgbtqia, mental-health, most-memorable-2025
review:
Okay, Fredrik Backman, so you just decided to shred my heart into pieces? So much so that I had to stop reading from time to time because otherwise, I’d be a sobbing mess? Well, thanks a lot. Also, for this masterpiece, by the way.

I knew beforehand that I was an idiot for picking up Fredrick Backman’s new gem as the first book of 2025. How am I supposed to get through the rest of the year now that I’ve already found my favorite?

Listen, Beartown fans. I know Benji is your favorite (mine, too). That you all love Maya. And Amat. And all the other ones (I do, too). But here’s a book that’s, without a doubt, Fredrik Backman’s best so far. And for those who don’t like his writing much, I understand. I know he ignores all those writing rules. But you know what? His writing is pure. It comes from his heart. The things he says are so true. And therefore, I’m addicted to his writing. And to his characters.

The artist, oh, how I longed to be with him a little longer, seen as strange, not enough for a boy at all, but with a heart so big that he only sees beauty in other people even though he doesn’t see beauty in himself. And Louisa, a tall, big girl, the foster kid, who recognizes so much more in the artist’s painting than all those other people. Because she’s an artist, too. And she’s so much like Jaer, the one who protects the people he loves, no matter what, and Ali, the witty daredevil, rough, and full of ideas. Last but definitely not least, there’s Ted. Neurotic, bookish, old-soul Ted, who wanted to stop the time at fourteen and only falls in love with geniuses. Oh, Ted, how I wanted to hug you at times. And your genius friends, including Louisa.

I can’t put into words what this book did to me. Tears shone in my eyes when I was only a few pages in, and then I burst out laughing, followed by hot water dripping on the floor. No, not from the shower. From my eyes. Goosebumps crawled over my skin, and that lump in my throat never seemed to be far away. That is until another smile tugged at the corners of my mouth, and I was suppressing the laughter erupting from my stomach.

This story is about friendship. About people who nestle themselves in your heart and refuse to leave, wherever you are and whatever happens. This story is about love, so much love. KimKim, Louisa, Jaer, Ally, and Ted will always have a piece of my heart. And, of course, Christian, because without you, this painting probably wouldn’t exist, and I don’t want to think about what that fourteen-year-old would have done instead.

Now, I have one wish left: a movie. I desperately need one so I can cry again. And laugh so incredibly hard. And everything in between.

Thank you so much, Atria Books, NetGalley, and, of course, Fredrik Backman, for the best book I’ll probably read in 2025!

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]]> 219441104 When the mayor of a small Alabama town starts targeting Pride events, bad boy Zeke begins hosting a series of “Pride Speakeasies” in this joyful queer coming-of-age!

There’s nothing Zeke Chapman wants more than to tarnish the perfect reputation his father is so obsessed with. He quit the baseball team, started fighting at school, and nearly flunked junior year. Newly out as gay, Zeke isn’t sure where his queer identity fits in with his bad-boy persona. His father has always told him to stay quiet and not attract attention, but his friends are pushing him to be just as out and proud as they are. Most days, Zeke isn’t sure how to be a “good gay” or what that even means.

When his best friend, Sawyer, begs him to help the QSA plan Pride Day, he obliges—mostly to piss his dad off. But then the mayor announces an ordinance that cancels all LGBTQ+ celebrations. Angered by the injustice—and his father’s support of it—Zeke decides to put his rebellious ways to good use and plans a series of underground “Pride Speakeasies”.

As the speakeasies grow, and the community comes together to declare him “King of Pride”, Zeke finally feels like he’s doing something that matters. But friendship drama, a mysterious cyber-crush, and rising tension with his rival and ex Cohen “Coco” Fisher threaten to undermine his newfound pride. When his final party ends in near-disaster, Zeke must ask himself what he’s really trying to do. After all, there’s a reason that the first pride was a riot.]]> 315 Matthew Hubbard 0593707230 Marieke 5
Some stories aren’t just funny, beautiful, or thought-provoking. Some are also incredibly important. A Rebel’s Guide to Pride is one of those books. It’s a timely story that reflects the current situation in the US all too well: a father who wants to erase his son’s sexuality, a program that claims to “put families first” (as in, man, woman, kids) to keep children “safe,” and a mayor determined to wipe out anything that even looks queer. It feels eerily familiar, doesn’t it? It also left a brick in my stomach.

These days, I hold my breath every time I watch the news. But stories like Matthew Hubbard’s also make me smile. Because even in difficult times, there’s always hope.

Thank you, Matthew, for writing a story like this. And thank you, Delacorte Press and NetGalley, for trusting me with an ARC.

Follow me on ]]> 4.39 2025
author: Matthew Hubbard
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/05/24
shelves:
review:
A rebel with a cause. That’s who Zeke is now. As the son of James Anthony Chapman, aka JACass (I laughed out loud), he’s spent his life hiding, always dancing to his father’s tune. Until one day, he decides he wants to dance on his own, and with people who truly understand him. Because Zeke is done hiding.

Some stories aren’t just funny, beautiful, or thought-provoking. Some are also incredibly important. A Rebel’s Guide to Pride is one of those books. It’s a timely story that reflects the current situation in the US all too well: a father who wants to erase his son’s sexuality, a program that claims to “put families first” (as in, man, woman, kids) to keep children “safe,” and a mayor determined to wipe out anything that even looks queer. It feels eerily familiar, doesn’t it? It also left a brick in my stomach.

These days, I hold my breath every time I watch the news. But stories like Matthew Hubbard’s also make me smile. Because even in difficult times, there’s always hope.

Thank you, Matthew, for writing a story like this. And thank you, Delacorte Press and NetGalley, for trusting me with an ARC.

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]]> 199531917 In this third book of the USA Today and #1 New York Times mega-bestselling They Both Die at the End series, two strangers—each with their own complicated relationship to Death-Cast—help each other learn to live.

Paz Dario stays up every night, waiting for the Death-Cast call that would mean he doesn’t have to keep faking his way through this lonely life. After a devastating day, Paz decides he’s done waiting around for Death-Cast. If they say he’s not dying, he’ll just have to prove them wrong. But right before Paz can die, a boy saves his life.

Alano Rosa is heir to the Death-Cast empire that encourages everyone to live their best lives, but he doesn’t feel in control of his own existence thanks to his father. And with a violent organization called the Death Guard threatening Alano, his End Day might be closer than he thinks. It’s time to live.

Fate brings Paz and Alano together, but it’s now up to the boys to survive the tragic trials ahead so no one dies at the end.

This book contains themes that some readers may find difficult.]]> 720 Adam Silvera 0063240858 Marieke 3
Can you hear me out? I really hope that when Adam Silvera submits his next manuscript, you won’t just be in awe of your client—or maybe scared to hurt his feelings—and actually tell him to trim, trim, and trim some more.

At its core, this is a powerful and important story. A bit too much insta love, sometimes a bit too cheesy, and sometimes a bit too A Little Life alike (please check the TW’s below), but overall a fantastic story. Sadly, it got buried under lots and lots and lots of words. It’s a book that should’ve punched me in the gut, and made me squirm as tears rolled down my cheeks. Instead, I found myself sighing and rushing through 720 pages. And still, it took me eleven freaking days to finish.

So, dear editor, if No One Knows Who Dies in the End is just as long—or longer—please, cut at least a third of it. Maybe even more. Sometimes fans need less, not more.

Still an Adam Silvera fan

TW: This book deals with suicide and self-harm. Not just a mention or a few pages, but like the whole story. So, if either of those topics is triggering for you, it might be best to skip this one.

Follow me on ]]> 4.10 2025
author: Adam Silvera
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/18
date added: 2025/05/22
shelves:
review:
Dear editor,

Can you hear me out? I really hope that when Adam Silvera submits his next manuscript, you won’t just be in awe of your client—or maybe scared to hurt his feelings—and actually tell him to trim, trim, and trim some more.

At its core, this is a powerful and important story. A bit too much insta love, sometimes a bit too cheesy, and sometimes a bit too A Little Life alike (please check the TW’s below), but overall a fantastic story. Sadly, it got buried under lots and lots and lots of words. It’s a book that should’ve punched me in the gut, and made me squirm as tears rolled down my cheeks. Instead, I found myself sighing and rushing through 720 pages. And still, it took me eleven freaking days to finish.

So, dear editor, if No One Knows Who Dies in the End is just as long—or longer—please, cut at least a third of it. Maybe even more. Sometimes fans need less, not more.

Still an Adam Silvera fan

TW: This book deals with suicide and self-harm. Not just a mention or a few pages, but like the whole story. So, if either of those topics is triggering for you, it might be best to skip this one.

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]]> 222376570 Sparks fly and lovers dance in this gorgeous, yearning Cinderella retelling from bestselling author Freya Marske—a queer Gothic romance perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and T. Kingfisher.

Ella is a haunting.

Murdered at sixteen, her ghost is furiously trapped in her father's house, invisible to everyone except her stepmother and stepsisters.

Even when she discovers how to untether herself from her prison, there are limits. She cannot be seen or heard by the living people who surround her. Her family must never learn she is able to leave. And at the stroke of every midnight, she finds herself back on the staircase where she died.

Until she forges a wary friendship with a fairy charm-seller, and makes a bargain for three nights of almost-living freedom. Freedom that means she can finally be seen. Danced with. Touched.

You think you know Ella's the ball, the magical shoes, the handsome prince.

You're halfway right, and all-the-way wrong.

Rediscover a classic fairy tale in this debut novella from "the queen of romantic fantasy" (Polygon).

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 144 Freya Marske 125034171X Marieke 0 to-read 4.14 2025
author: Freya Marske
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 233008942 In this story of intense friendship and grit, two down-and-out teens escape the hopelessness of their lives and chase a different future through rock-climbing -- from the New York Times bestselling author of My Absolute Darling.

Dan and Tamma are two teenagers in their last year of high school in the southern Mojave Desert. One is a gifted golden child, the other a mouthy burnout. Climbing boulders in trash-strewn parking lots during cold desert nights, they seal their unique bond and dream of a life of adventure.

As the year progresses and adult reality looms, they are rocked by change and pulled apart by irreconcilable obligations. Differences of class, talent, and prospects take on new importance; options dwindle, and their decisions grow ever more consequential and perilous. It feels inevitable, finally, that something must give.

With a magnificent gift for nature writing and a joyful appreciation for the redemptive power of friendship, Gabriel Tallent gives readers a rollicking, adrenaline-filled, and soul-searching novel about risking everything to change your life.]]> 416 Gabriel Tallent 0593714180 Marieke 0 to-read 5.00 2026
author: Gabriel Tallent
name: Marieke
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223081566
As long as Simran has known Rajan, her immigrant community has warned her away. She knows what they call him, especially since he got out of juvie: an addict. A gangbanger. A killer.

But Simran can’t believe Rajan is beyond hope. She’s seen his thoughtfulness firsthand: He’s the only one who’s noticed the pressure she’s under to be perfect—and how close she is to breaking.

So when Rajan’s old gang tries to force him back in, Simran makes a desperate bargain: She’ll become their bookkeeper to clear his debts and keep him out of prison.

But Rajan won’t leave her side while she works, and their forbidden attraction is becoming harder to ignore. Worse, there’s a gang war brewing—and neither of them is likely to get through it unscathed . . . if they get through it at all.]]> 416 Jesmeen Kaur Deo Marieke 0 to-read 5.00 2025
author: Jesmeen Kaur Deo
name: Marieke
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 231363394 Jake has fallen head over heels for Dandelion. The only problem? Dandelion is dead.

When Poppy discovers unanswered messages from a charming stranger in her late sister's dating app, she makes an impulsive She'll meet him, just once, on what would have been Dandelion's fortieth birthday. It's exactly the kind of wild adventure her vivacious sister would have pushed her toward.

Jake is ready to find something real—and not least because his ex-wife's twentysomething boyfriend has moved into their old family home. When he meets the intriguing woman who calls herself Dandelion, their connection is undeniable, and he can think of little else.

As their relationship deepens, Poppy finds herself trapped in a double life she never meant to create. Every moment with Jake feels genuine, electric, and totally right—despite the fact they're tangled in deceit. As the lines between grief and love blur, Poppy faces a keep her sister's memory alive through her lies, or risk everything for a chance at her own happiness?

With sparkling wit and aching tenderness, debut author Rosie Storey gives us a modern love story about the courage it takes to live again after loss and finding hope in the most unexpected places.]]> 368 Rosie Storey 0593954343 Marieke 0 to-read 4.18 2026
author: Rosie Storey
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217388303 Brooklyn 99 meets The Charm Offensive in this sparkling romantic murder it's murder cute in the first degree when a detective finds himself falling for the lead suspect in a career-making case.

At 29, Detective Rav Trivedi is the youngest member of the NYPD’s homicide squad, and his future looks bright. He may be a bit of an outsider in the department – an ivy-league educated gay Brit with a weakness for designer suits – but his meteoric rise and solve rate prove he belongs.

So when his CO assigns him lead on the high-profile murder of a record executive, Rav is ready for action. He won’t be distracted by TV crews, tabloids, or what’s trending on social media, nor by the ridiculously hot rock star with a clear motive and no alibi.

This is it, his shot, and he is not going to screw it up—certainly not by falling in love with his number one suspect…]]> 320 Erin Dunn 1250397359 Marieke 5
Sometimes, I know from the first page that I’ll like, correct, love a story, and He’s to Die For is one of those books. I hadn’t seen the book before; I just found it on NetGalley, read the blurb, and decided to request it. I’m so happy that I did because this is just the kind of story I fall head over heels with. 

For those who don’t like thrillers or mysteries but do like romances, I believe this one's for you, too. He’s to Die For is just a warm bath, with some twists and turns that might give you a shiver once in a while, and a few rougher scenes, but overall, this story makes you glow on the inside and grow that smile on your face so many times. I call it fluff with heavier themes underneath. I rooted for Rav and Jack so much and fell in love with them both. Rav, the (half-Indian) Brit, so posh and driven and still so caring. And Jack, anxious, protective, sweet Jack, full of grief but also full of love. 

He’s to Die For might end up being one of my favorite 2025 reads. Even though it’s only January. Even though it’s a bit insta love. And even though Rav is Indian without hardly any heritage mentioned (another thing in common with The Charm Offensive). I really want you all to read this one, everyone!

Thank you so, so much, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley, for this awesome ARC!

Follow me on ]]> 3.93 2025
author: Erin Dunn
name: Marieke
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/28
date added: 2025/05/14
shelves: lgbtqia, most-memorable-2025, mystery-thriller-dark-academia, romance, arc-netgalley-edelweiss
review:
I just unapologetically pushed that five-star button. This ‘The Charm Offensive but make it a mystery’ with fanfic writing like E.L. Massey’s and Taylor Fitzpatrick’s (without the hockey, though) just hit the right notes with me.

Sometimes, I know from the first page that I’ll like, correct, love a story, and He’s to Die For is one of those books. I hadn’t seen the book before; I just found it on NetGalley, read the blurb, and decided to request it. I’m so happy that I did because this is just the kind of story I fall head over heels with. 

For those who don’t like thrillers or mysteries but do like romances, I believe this one's for you, too. He’s to Die For is just a warm bath, with some twists and turns that might give you a shiver once in a while, and a few rougher scenes, but overall, this story makes you glow on the inside and grow that smile on your face so many times. I call it fluff with heavier themes underneath. I rooted for Rav and Jack so much and fell in love with them both. Rav, the (half-Indian) Brit, so posh and driven and still so caring. And Jack, anxious, protective, sweet Jack, full of grief but also full of love. 

He’s to Die For might end up being one of my favorite 2025 reads. Even though it’s only January. Even though it’s a bit insta love. And even though Rav is Indian without hardly any heritage mentioned (another thing in common with The Charm Offensive). I really want you all to read this one, everyone!

Thank you so, so much, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley, for this awesome ARC!

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]]> 214152343
However, not every team member is happy about Aiden’s position on the team, wary of how his autism will present itself on game day. Tensions rise. A fight breaks out. Cops are called.

When Brandon tries to interfere on behalf of his brother, he is arrested by the very same cops who, just hours earlier, were chanting his name from the bleachers. When trumped up charges appear for felony assault on an officer, everything Brandon has worked for starts to slip away and the brothers’ relationship is tested. With Brandon’s trial inching closer, Aiden is desperate to find a way to clear his brother’s name while also trying to answer the one looming question plaguing his brain: what does it mean to be Black and autistic?]]> 384 DeAndra Davis 1665952652 Marieke 5 THE HATE U GIVE, but make it autistic. This story is amazing! And the brotherly love is so, so beautiful!

Do you know that feeling when you find a special book about a special person—in this case, two special people? A book that draws you in immediately and pulls at you like a magnet and won’t let go?

”You’re Black, and you have big emotions, big reactions … but we live in a society where those emotions in a Black body aren’t as acceptable.”

Aiden is Black, autistic, a high school junior, and loves football, even though he’s not on the high school team. His older brother Brandon is the biggest football talent in the US and has a bright future ahead of him. Then, Aiden finally gets his chance to play the game he loves the most. But when a fight breaks out, Brandon defends Aiden as officers walk in, and Brandon ends up being arrested himself.

Football is organized chaos. Rule-driven disorder. A route, perfectly run, is the most beautiful dance. A formation, altered on the fly, is the best improvisational theater. I have always loved it. I have always wanted to be a part of it.

I rarely read a book where the brotherly love is so palpable on every page. Even when Aiden feels guilty, and Brendon blames him. Even then, their bond is powerful. But it’s not only those two brothers who captured my heart. Side characters like Isabella, and Reg and Bernard (two footballers, boyfriends, and such fierce cinnamon rolls) crept inside my heart, too. Even Greg, although I had to warm up to him. I rooted for those two brothers so much and wanted to scream out loud to those cops: just listen to Brandon. Listen to what he has to say! Throughout the story, rage simmered in my chest, but those last couple of chapters made tears shine in my eyes. Not because I was angry but because of those beautiful conversations Aiden had with his parents and Brandon. And I loved Aiden’s nuance, even though I’d fully understood if he wouldn’t hadn’t. In the end, I closed my ereader with a satisfied sigh.

”When people get to know you, they tend to see you as a good person despite being Black, rather than accepting that maybe Black people aren’t what they thought in the first place.

I can’t wait what she has in store for us next! DeAndra Davis is definitely an author to watch out for.

Thank you so much, Simon and Schuster Children’s Books and NetGalley, for this amazing ARC!

Follow me on ]]> 4.47 2025
author: DeAndra Davis
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/03
date added: 2025/05/13
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, bipoc, neurodiverse-autism-adhd-dcd-etc
review:
THE HATE U GIVE, but make it autistic. This story is amazing! And the brotherly love is so, so beautiful!

Do you know that feeling when you find a special book about a special person—in this case, two special people? A book that draws you in immediately and pulls at you like a magnet and won’t let go?

”You’re Black, and you have big emotions, big reactions … but we live in a society where those emotions in a Black body aren’t as acceptable.”

Aiden is Black, autistic, a high school junior, and loves football, even though he’s not on the high school team. His older brother Brandon is the biggest football talent in the US and has a bright future ahead of him. Then, Aiden finally gets his chance to play the game he loves the most. But when a fight breaks out, Brandon defends Aiden as officers walk in, and Brandon ends up being arrested himself.

Football is organized chaos. Rule-driven disorder. A route, perfectly run, is the most beautiful dance. A formation, altered on the fly, is the best improvisational theater. I have always loved it. I have always wanted to be a part of it.

I rarely read a book where the brotherly love is so palpable on every page. Even when Aiden feels guilty, and Brendon blames him. Even then, their bond is powerful. But it’s not only those two brothers who captured my heart. Side characters like Isabella, and Reg and Bernard (two footballers, boyfriends, and such fierce cinnamon rolls) crept inside my heart, too. Even Greg, although I had to warm up to him. I rooted for those two brothers so much and wanted to scream out loud to those cops: just listen to Brandon. Listen to what he has to say! Throughout the story, rage simmered in my chest, but those last couple of chapters made tears shine in my eyes. Not because I was angry but because of those beautiful conversations Aiden had with his parents and Brandon. And I loved Aiden’s nuance, even though I’d fully understood if he wouldn’t hadn’t. In the end, I closed my ereader with a satisfied sigh.

”When people get to know you, they tend to see you as a good person despite being Black, rather than accepting that maybe Black people aren’t what they thought in the first place.

I can’t wait what she has in store for us next! DeAndra Davis is definitely an author to watch out for.

Thank you so much, Simon and Schuster Children’s Books and NetGalley, for this amazing ARC!

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]]> 218266465 in love with Walter Holland. He just happens to be her favorite moderately famous, chaotically bisexual YouTuber. Who she just happened to invite to prom. (But it’s fine. No, for real. If you delete the post, it didn’t happen.)

Okay, maybe her friends are right: She’s slightly parasocially infatuated. But Amelia just knows sparks would fly—if only she could connect with Walter for real.

If only he would host a meet and greet.

If only it were just a short road trip away.

And if only Amelia could talk her best friends into making it the perfect last hurrah before graduation—even her newly single, always-cynical, guitar-toting best friend Natalie.

One thing’s for sure: All roads lead to butterflies.

But what if Amelia’s butterflies aren’t for Walter at all?]]> 304 Becky Albertalli 0063045923 Marieke 5  
Amelia, If Only is by far Becky’s loudest novel. Amelia is just more than a little crazy (not meant negatively). Her mind! Amelia herself calls it the Amelia brain ecosystem. It just keeps going and going and going, and sometimes, I found it hard to follow her leaps of thought. But she’s also so hilarious. I laughed out loud about all these nicknames, and Markillean Freddie Markury was the funniest (even though my autocorrect disagrees since it tried to correct the name at least five times).
 
Have you ever been a fan of someone? And wanted to know everything about them? Even to the point where you count that artist, or influencer, or athlete, or whoever it may be among your personal friends while you've never met that someone in person? Or even secretly dreamt about a romantic relationship with that person? Yep. That’s what this story is about, and Becky did a fantastic job portraying what it means to be a fan or a stan of someone and how it influences lives. In between Amelia’s story, the reader gets an insight into an insane fandom through YouTube transcriptions, Twitter-, Reddit-, and Instagram threads. And I loved reading those snippets. It was so real! Just like Amelia, I wanted to meet Walter so badly. And I have to admit, it was a slow, slow, slow burn until that first meeting. All those transcripts and threads hyped me up so much and kept me flying through the pages. 

And did you know that Imogen and Tessa appear in this story? Oh, and there's an Adib Khoram reference! I smiled so hard when I read those passages! 
 
So, is this story even better than Imogen, Obviously? Well, I loved the friend group, laughed out loud about Amelia’s unhinged thoughts, and couldn’t tear my eyes from all those transcriptions and threads. I loved, loved the overall story, and yes, I think I liked this story even more than Imogen. Yes, dear readers, it’s true! This story is better than Imogen’s. So, preorder it now!

Oh, and Becky? Please let those two cinnamon buns be the couple in your next story!

Thank you, HarperCollins Children Books and NetGalley, for this crazy, witty, and sweet story!

Follow me on ]]> 3.76 2025
author: Becky Albertalli
name: Marieke
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/17
date added: 2025/05/13
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, lgbtqia, young-adult, fat-mcs-lis
review:
Love, Simon might be Becky Albertalli’s most popular book, but in my opinion, Imogen, Obviously is her best so far. And now, I got to read Amelia, If Only. From the moment I started reading, my hands were shaking a bit, and my heart thudded in my throat. Would this one even be better than Imogen?
 
Amelia, If Only is by far Becky’s loudest novel. Amelia is just more than a little crazy (not meant negatively). Her mind! Amelia herself calls it the Amelia brain ecosystem. It just keeps going and going and going, and sometimes, I found it hard to follow her leaps of thought. But she’s also so hilarious. I laughed out loud about all these nicknames, and Markillean Freddie Markury was the funniest (even though my autocorrect disagrees since it tried to correct the name at least five times).
 
Have you ever been a fan of someone? And wanted to know everything about them? Even to the point where you count that artist, or influencer, or athlete, or whoever it may be among your personal friends while you've never met that someone in person? Or even secretly dreamt about a romantic relationship with that person? Yep. That’s what this story is about, and Becky did a fantastic job portraying what it means to be a fan or a stan of someone and how it influences lives. In between Amelia’s story, the reader gets an insight into an insane fandom through YouTube transcriptions, Twitter-, Reddit-, and Instagram threads. And I loved reading those snippets. It was so real! Just like Amelia, I wanted to meet Walter so badly. And I have to admit, it was a slow, slow, slow burn until that first meeting. All those transcripts and threads hyped me up so much and kept me flying through the pages. 

And did you know that Imogen and Tessa appear in this story? Oh, and there's an Adib Khoram reference! I smiled so hard when I read those passages! 
 
So, is this story even better than Imogen, Obviously? Well, I loved the friend group, laughed out loud about Amelia’s unhinged thoughts, and couldn’t tear my eyes from all those transcriptions and threads. I loved, loved the overall story, and yes, I think I liked this story even more than Imogen. Yes, dear readers, it’s true! This story is better than Imogen’s. So, preorder it now!

Oh, and Becky? Please let those two cinnamon buns be the couple in your next story!

Thank you, HarperCollins Children Books and NetGalley, for this crazy, witty, and sweet story!

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]]> 217420712 Young Royals meets The Prince and Me when a disgraced princess falls for a new student at their all-girls boarding school, but the two must hide their forbidden love at all costs.

Princess Rosemary of Henland can’t afford distractions. She’s working tirelessly to repair her image following a scandal that lost the trust of both her country and her best friend. Unfortunately, when a beautiful and funny new student joins her boarding school, Rose finds herself quite distracted indeed.

Attending Bramppath College on a music scholarship, talented pianist Danni expects to be an outcast amongst the wealthy children of the elite, but she is pleasantly surprised to be taken in by the ex-best friend of the princess. The more Danni gets to know her new classmates, the more intrigued she becomes by Rose.

When somebody sees something they shouldn’t and rumors circulate throughout Henland, Rose and Danni must either find a way to deflect the ever-increasing eyes on their relationship, or end it altogether. Because one thing is clear: if Rose’s fragile reputation takes any more hits, the palace will do whatever they must to separate Rose and Danni. Forever.]]> 352 Sophie Gonzales 1250352495 Marieke 4
Danni was immediately my favorite, but I had to warm up to Rose. She felt so empty and insensible, especially about what happened in Amsterdam. Yes, my country’s capital, even though that part was a bit of a stereotype. Dutchies, you probably know what I mean when you read it. But I forgive Sophie because I flew through the story and enjoyed myself so much. Back to Rose, because while my heart fell into pieces after reading what exactly happened in Amsterdam, she didn’t flinch. At all. But later on, in the second half of the story, I learned that Rose wasn’t a princess with a heart of stone. She was just short-circuiting and pushed the trauma away.

A few weeks back, I read Amelia, If Only, and I was surprised by the similarities with this story. Or maybe I shouldn’t be because those two authors are friends. One of the side plots in Nobody in Particular is parasocial relationships, which is the main plot in Amelia, If Only.

Anyway, I loved this take on Young Royals and I haven’t even said how much I adore the cover! I highly recommend this one to you all!

Thank you, Nomaris from Macmillan International, for this fantastic ARC!

Follow me on ]]> 4.08 2025
author: Sophie Gonzales
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/08
date added: 2025/05/12
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, lgbtqia, young-adult
review:
It’s been a while since I read one of Sophie Gonzales’ books, and now I remember why I love her writing so much. It’s vibrant and light and just dances on the pages. Add a dual narrative with two distinct voices, and it made me fall head over heels.

Danni was immediately my favorite, but I had to warm up to Rose. She felt so empty and insensible, especially about what happened in Amsterdam. Yes, my country’s capital, even though that part was a bit of a stereotype. Dutchies, you probably know what I mean when you read it. But I forgive Sophie because I flew through the story and enjoyed myself so much. Back to Rose, because while my heart fell into pieces after reading what exactly happened in Amsterdam, she didn’t flinch. At all. But later on, in the second half of the story, I learned that Rose wasn’t a princess with a heart of stone. She was just short-circuiting and pushed the trauma away.

A few weeks back, I read Amelia, If Only, and I was surprised by the similarities with this story. Or maybe I shouldn’t be because those two authors are friends. One of the side plots in Nobody in Particular is parasocial relationships, which is the main plot in Amelia, If Only.

Anyway, I loved this take on Young Royals and I haven’t even said how much I adore the cover! I highly recommend this one to you all!

Thank you, Nomaris from Macmillan International, for this fantastic ARC!

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]]> 217896267 From acclaimed author Kevin Christopher Snipes comes a moving romance about two star-crossed boys trapped in a millennium-spanning cycle of reincarnation whose only hope of escape may be a price that neither is willing to pay. Perfect for fans of Adam Silvera and Eliot Shrefer!

Out and proud, Riley Iverson knows there’s nothing more cringe than crushing on a straight boy. But from the moment that the handsome, sporty, and painfully heterosexual Jackson Haines walks into his life, Riley can’t help but feel an instant and undeniable connection. Mainly because, as impossible as it seems, Jackson is the spitting image of the boy who’s recently appeared in Riley’s dreams—dreams set in another time and another place where he and Jackson were desperately in love.

At first Riley tries to dismiss the coincidence as a product of his hormone-fueled, overactive imagination, but as his friendship with Jackson deepens into something more, the dreams prove harder to ignore. Especially when Jackson begins having them too. Plunged into increasingly vivid visions of the past, the boys find themselves in various eras scattered throughout history. No matter where or when their dreams take them, though, two things remain Riley and Jackson are always together, and they always die at the end.

As it becomes increasingly difficult to view their dreams as anything but warnings, the boys are forced to consider the possibility that their burgeoning relationship might be propelling them headfirst into their own tragic ending. But is it worth staying apart to save their lives if the price is forsaking a love that has defied not only time and space but even death itself?]]> 400 Kevin Christopher Snipes 0063062615 Marieke 4 Recipe: take 60% cuteness from Simon James Green, add 20% love that’s needed to survive from The Darkness Outside Us, and top off with 20% Death-Cast from They Both Die at the End.

Don’t Let Go is pitched as Adam Silvera meets Eliot Schrefer, but I need to tell you that this story is far from angsty. It’s sweet, vivid, and witty. At least, most of the time …

The book starts with Pompeii and the eruption of Vesuvius, and I immediately sat on the edge of my seat. Just like I did when I met the boys in the now. Even though Riley was five seconds hostile towards Jackson, this changed fast, and a strong bond grew between those guys who dared to be incredibly vulnerable to each other. So many smiles danced on my face, even in those ancient times when they were so in love and always died at the end (it’s in the blurb).

I adored the first part of this story and still loved the second half. I only wanted a bit more tension until I sat on the edge of my seat again and gasped for air! My heart was full of love and I cried big, ugly tears. That ending was perfect! I’m not sure, though, if everyone will feel the same way …

Actual rating: first half 5 stars, second half 3.5-4 stars, ending 5 stars.

Thank you, HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley, for this fantastic ARC!

Follow me on ]]> 4.03 2025
author: Kevin Christopher Snipes
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/10
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, lgbtqia, young-adult
review:
Recipe: take 60% cuteness from Simon James Green, add 20% love that’s needed to survive from The Darkness Outside Us, and top off with 20% Death-Cast from They Both Die at the End.

Don’t Let Go is pitched as Adam Silvera meets Eliot Schrefer, but I need to tell you that this story is far from angsty. It’s sweet, vivid, and witty. At least, most of the time …

The book starts with Pompeii and the eruption of Vesuvius, and I immediately sat on the edge of my seat. Just like I did when I met the boys in the now. Even though Riley was five seconds hostile towards Jackson, this changed fast, and a strong bond grew between those guys who dared to be incredibly vulnerable to each other. So many smiles danced on my face, even in those ancient times when they were so in love and always died at the end (it’s in the blurb).

I adored the first part of this story and still loved the second half. I only wanted a bit more tension until I sat on the edge of my seat again and gasped for air! My heart was full of love and I cried big, ugly tears. That ending was perfect! I’m not sure, though, if everyone will feel the same way …

Actual rating: first half 5 stars, second half 3.5-4 stars, ending 5 stars.

Thank you, HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley, for this fantastic ARC!

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]]> 60729369
When rumors and gossip about Evie's housing predicament spread like wildfire, she decides the only way to survive is to lean into her questionable new reputation... but she's definitely going to require help. Her grumpy emo dorm mate Salem Grayson isn't exactly her first choice, but he does need her help to repair his relationship with his parents every bit as much as she needs his to learn how to be cool. And so they make a pact - he'll teach her how to be bad, if she teaches him how to be good.

It's a flawless plan, except while Salem thrives academically, even romantically, and - annoyingly enough - even physically, Evie's quest feels like one dead end after another, and the girl she's becoming certainly doesn't feel remotely cool. But when Evie realizes what she wants more than anything, she'll have to contend with her thrice-broken heart and figure out how to become someone capable of chasing happiness.

Dahlia Adler’s Come As You Are is about refusing to accept less than you deserve, and realizing that the best relationships are with people who know exactly who you are.]]> Dahlia Adler Marieke 4 arc-netgalley-edelweiss
First of all, Måneskin makes an appearance in this story. For all of you who’ve never heard of this band, they won Eurovision a couple of years ago and then conquered the world. 

Another thing, Dahlia used one of her own books as a cameo. I laughed out loud.

Okay, so now to the story and the MCs themselves. Evie is someone who you either love or hate. She can be pretty direct and, therefore, get under your skin. But I loved the way she settled into the all-boys-dorm-except-for-her. And Salem, the weed-smoking emo boy (I have no clue, btw why he suddenly stopped smoking), was such a good, bad guy. 

And … I want to highlight Matt. The ladder on the cover is his. For his sleep dates. And there were a lot of them. He was clear about it: no cheating because he didn’t do relationships. His friendship with both Evie and Salem was a fantastic one. 

Thank you, Wednesday Books and NetGalley, for this witty and quirky ARC!

Follow me on ]]> 3.93 2025
author: Dahlia Adler
name: Marieke
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/05
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss
review:
If you’re in want of an easily readable story that lifts the corners of your lips, you need to pick up one of Dahlia Adler’s YAs. Don’t expect stories full of twists and depth because they’re pretty simple, but I just had a great time with Come as You Are.

First of all, Måneskin makes an appearance in this story. For all of you who’ve never heard of this band, they won Eurovision a couple of years ago and then conquered the world. 

Another thing, Dahlia used one of her own books as a cameo. I laughed out loud.

Okay, so now to the story and the MCs themselves. Evie is someone who you either love or hate. She can be pretty direct and, therefore, get under your skin. But I loved the way she settled into the all-boys-dorm-except-for-her. And Salem, the weed-smoking emo boy (I have no clue, btw why he suddenly stopped smoking), was such a good, bad guy. 

And … I want to highlight Matt. The ladder on the cover is his. For his sleep dates. And there were a lot of them. He was clear about it: no cheating because he didn’t do relationships. His friendship with both Evie and Salem was a fantastic one. 

Thank you, Wednesday Books and NetGalley, for this witty and quirky ARC!

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]]> 216522629 A stunning debut novel from the acclaimed young Irish poet Seán Hewitt, reminiscent of Garth Greenwell and Douglas Stuart in the intensity of its evocation of sexual awakening.

Set in a remote village in the North of England, Open, Heaven unfolds over the course of one year in which two sixteen year old boys meet and transform each other’s lives.

James—a sheltered, shy sixteen-year-old—is alone in his newly discovered sexuality, full of an unruly desire but entirely inexperienced. As he is beginning to understand himself and his longings, he also realizes how his feelings threaten to separate him from his family and the rural community he has grown up in. He dreams of another life, fantasizing about what lies beyond the village’s leaf-ribboned boundaries, beyond his autonomy, tenderness, sex. Then, in the autumn of 2002, he meets Luke, a slightly older boy, handsome, unkempt, who comes with a reputation for danger. Abandoned by his parents—his father imprisoned, and his mother having moved to France for another man—Luke has been sent to live with his aunt and uncle at their farm just outside the village. James is immediately drawn to him, like the pull a fire makes on the air, dragging things into it and blazing them into its hot, white centre, drawn to this boy who is beautiful and impulsive, charismatic, troubled. But underneath Luke’s bravado is a deep wound—a longing for the love of his father and for the stability of family life.

Open, Heaven is a novel about desire, yearning, and the terror of first love. With the striking economy and lyricism that animate his work as a poet, Hewitt has written a mesmerizing hymn to boyhood, sensuality, and love in all its forms. A truly exceptional debut.]]> 224 Seán Hewitt 0593802845 Marieke 5 His escape was the inverse of mine, his history the history I was trying to run from, the one he was trying to run back towards.

Think of the aching longing in Swimming in the Dark, the beautiful writing of Douglas Stuart’s Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo, and perhaps most of all, the dual timeline and heartbreak of Philippe Besson’s Lie with Me. But be aware that this is not a romance or a love story.

Open, Heaven is a stunningly written coming-of-age novel, and I’m a sucker for those. The yearning, the pain—give me all of it. So when a friend recommended Open, Heaven, a book I hadn’t even heard of before, I rushed to NetGalley, saw it was on Read Now, and immediately downloaded it. I dove in right away.

This is one of those quiet books that carry immense emotions. It’s about love and connection, about chasing dreams. But it’s also about the push and pull of time—the urge to escape into the future while simultaneously wanting to freeze the present. And, in reverse, the desperate need to hold on to the past, even when a glorious future awaits.

Thank you, Knopf and NetGalley, for this breathtaking coming-of-age story!

Follow me on ]]> 3.98 2025
author: Seán Hewitt
name: Marieke
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/12
date added: 2025/05/10
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, fiction
review:
His escape was the inverse of mine, his history the history I was trying to run from, the one he was trying to run back towards.

Think of the aching longing in Swimming in the Dark, the beautiful writing of Douglas Stuart’s Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo, and perhaps most of all, the dual timeline and heartbreak of Philippe Besson’s Lie with Me. But be aware that this is not a romance or a love story.

Open, Heaven is a stunningly written coming-of-age novel, and I’m a sucker for those. The yearning, the pain—give me all of it. So when a friend recommended Open, Heaven, a book I hadn’t even heard of before, I rushed to NetGalley, saw it was on Read Now, and immediately downloaded it. I dove in right away.

This is one of those quiet books that carry immense emotions. It’s about love and connection, about chasing dreams. But it’s also about the push and pull of time—the urge to escape into the future while simultaneously wanting to freeze the present. And, in reverse, the desperate need to hold on to the past, even when a glorious future awaits.

Thank you, Knopf and NetGalley, for this breathtaking coming-of-age story!

Follow me on
]]> 227884038 Red, White & Royal Blue meets the theater world of London’s dazzling West End in this nuanced, queer debut romance in which a fake dating publicity stunt between rival co-stars results in romantic sparks neither of them expected.

After winning his first Olivier Award for his performance in the West End’s top musical, The Wooden Horse, fabulously talented Jonah Penrose is the new shining star of London’s theatre scene. But Jonah’s success can’t erase the pain of a recent breakup, fix his self-doubt, or remedy his father’s ailing mind.

Enter stage right, Dexter the West End’s golden boy, the newest cast member of The Wooden Horse, and someone Jonah finds to be intolerable and arrogant.

Everything about Dexter is infuriatingly perfect, from his dashing looks and casual but cutting notes on Jonah’s performances to his obnoxious sweaters that cost more than Jonah’s rent. Worse yet, while Dexter was supposed to play Jonah’s enemy in the show, his role switches to his love interest after a bout of illness temporarily sidelines half of the cast.

Jonah’s plan to stay as far away from Dexter as possible is thwarted when fans mistake their on-stage tension for romantic chemistry and tickets start selling like hotcakes. With fans desperate to catch a glimpse of the West End’s ‘hottest couple,’ the show’s producer pushes the co-stars to put on a show of their own and convince the world that they are in love.

While pretending to be head over heels for his co-star is the last thing Jonah wants, he reluctantly agrees. Yet as he gets to know Dexter better, he learns there’s more to him than meets the eye. As the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur and Jonah’s feelings become less of an act, he must decide if he’s willing to entrust his heart to someone again.

At turns both passionate and poignant, heartfelt and intimate, The Dramatic Life of Jonah Penrose is a love letter to the theater, to life in your thirties, and to what happens when you throw out the script and improvise the life you want.]]> 288 Robyn Green 0063453673 Marieke 0 to-read 4.58
author: Robyn Green
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.58
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223097545
Stella Chen’s life ground to a halt when her brother unexpectedly passed away a year ago. Raised together by their grandmother in the Chinese countryside before rejoining their parents in the United States, his absence destroys the connective tissue in her family. With another jarring move her senior year, from rural Illinois to unfamiliar surroundings in San Diego, she is left alone and adrift in her family’s suffocating silence and the void of unanswered questions around her brother’s death.

So when Stella’s parents force her to join her estranged childhood friend Alan Zhao for a college tour all over California, Stella dreads it. Alan is a reminder of everything Stella wishes she could be — popular, gregarious, unburdened — and a reminder of how lost she is.

As this road trip takes Stella and Alan down beautiful coastlines and through fraught family dynamics, Stella can’t help but feel the spark of why she and Alan were once so close. Before long, they find themselves pulled into each other’s orbits, forcing unspoken feelings and long-hidden truths into the light.]]> 304 XiXi Tian 0063086077 Marieke 5
This story is about Stella, but the more I read, the more my heart ached for Sam, her brother, who died nine months before.

Stella captures it perfectly in the chapter "The halfway point." She and Sam lived as two different people: in China, like fluttering butterflies, free and light; in the US, wearing their armor, day after day. And Stella learned that last part from the best: Sam.

On the surface, this book could be pitched as a story about two ex-friends going on a road trip to visit colleges and slowly falling for each other. But that’s just the top layer. Beneath it lies so much more: themes of belonging, expectations, and communication.

Stella never learned how to talk about her feelings. Worse, in her family, no one talks at all. They keep secrets, burying the things that hurt. So, they don’t talk about Sam. Not once. They just go on like he never existed. Alan is the opposite, at least when he’s with Stella. Sunshine Alan wants to fit in so badly. But he also knows those two worlds. I loved their road trip, watching them slowly open up to each other, realizing that even Alan, who seemed to have it all, was struggling too.

But the flashbacks—Stella talking to Sam—were the most precious and intimate moments of all. While reading them, rage and love battled with each other in my chest, along with sadness and frustration. Tears pricked my eyes more than once. And when I finally learned the full truth about Sam, I nearly screamed.

Sweet, sweet Sam, I only got to know you through Stella’s eyes, but I wish we could have met somehow. Please know that you’ll always have a piece of my heart.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Thank you, HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley, for this beautiful ARC!

Follow me on ]]> 4.75 2025
author: XiXi Tian
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.75
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/03
date added: 2025/05/08
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, grief-trauma, young-adult
review:
Oh, Sam.

This story is about Stella, but the more I read, the more my heart ached for Sam, her brother, who died nine months before.

Stella captures it perfectly in the chapter "The halfway point." She and Sam lived as two different people: in China, like fluttering butterflies, free and light; in the US, wearing their armor, day after day. And Stella learned that last part from the best: Sam.

On the surface, this book could be pitched as a story about two ex-friends going on a road trip to visit colleges and slowly falling for each other. But that’s just the top layer. Beneath it lies so much more: themes of belonging, expectations, and communication.

Stella never learned how to talk about her feelings. Worse, in her family, no one talks at all. They keep secrets, burying the things that hurt. So, they don’t talk about Sam. Not once. They just go on like he never existed. Alan is the opposite, at least when he’s with Stella. Sunshine Alan wants to fit in so badly. But he also knows those two worlds. I loved their road trip, watching them slowly open up to each other, realizing that even Alan, who seemed to have it all, was struggling too.

But the flashbacks—Stella talking to Sam—were the most precious and intimate moments of all. While reading them, rage and love battled with each other in my chest, along with sadness and frustration. Tears pricked my eyes more than once. And when I finally learned the full truth about Sam, I nearly screamed.

Sweet, sweet Sam, I only got to know you through Stella’s eyes, but I wish we could have met somehow. Please know that you’ll always have a piece of my heart.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Thank you, HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley, for this beautiful ARC!

Follow me on
]]> 231127304 Sparks fly in this second chance m/m rom com when an unlucky-in-love event manager realizes the man-of-honor at the high profile wedding he's planning is the same man who broke his heart.

They say you never forget your first kiss. But Jordan Carter wishes he could forget the one he shared with Jamie Peters as teens. And the one they almost shared again last year before Jamie made it clear he wasn’t the “right” man for Jordan to be with while he’s figuring himself out.

Now, Jordan’s fully focused on his career at 24 Carter Gold, his family’s event planning company, and ready to move on - until his boss assigns him to plan a new client’s high-profile wedding. The bride’s man-of-honor? None other than Jamie.

As things ramp up the closer they get to the wedding, so does Jordan’s relationship with Jamie, with sarcastic asides turning into steamy hook-ups. But can Jordan afford to pursue Jamie if he’s still unsure who he is? Or is knowing who he loves enough? Venue shopping, cake-tastings, and dress fittings with the man he can’t forget just might change the man Jordan Carter is meant to become.

Last First Kiss by Julian Winters is a second chance romance about finding yourself–and the love of your life.]]> 352 Julian Winters 1250326265 Marieke 0 to-read 3.50
author: Julian Winters
name: Marieke
average rating: 3.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217123871 Inspired by true events—a thoughtful, timely, and emotionally compelling story about coming of age, coming out, and coming into your own…

So much of who I was had to be hidden. I wondered how it would feel to let that part of me be on full display. Maybe I'd be given the chance to feel. To forget. Or even to breathe…

For most sixteen year olds, life is all about friends, fun, and family. But for Matt Franco, it's different. Because Matt and his family are undocumented immigrants—like many other Brazilian emigres in his town. And that means he can't get a job, he can't get a driver's license, and as for college? Get real. But Matt is also carrying a burden much closer to his own heart.

Matt is gay.

And right now, he's the only one who knows it. But that changes when handsome, kind-eyed, and charming transfer student James Alberte walks into class. Because James isn't just some queer teen crush. He's everything Matt could ask for—and it's James' love, strength, and support that helps Matt finally come out to the world.

Unfortunately, love doesn't necessarily make Matt's situation any easier. He's still stranded by his immigrant status, with a future that seems headed for a dead end. And if he's ever going to be happy, Matt will have to decide what he wants, where he's headed—and who he is at heart.

It won't be simple. And it certainly won't be easy.

But when it comes to life, love, and everything in between, what is?

The author of The Whispers of the Fallen and Henderbell series offers a moving, heartfelt story perfect for fans of Adam Silvera's More Happy Than Not.

Praise for The Other Side of the Ocean:
"This novel is brilliantly executed, threaded through with linguistic gems and deeply rooted in both Brazilian culture and the mind of a teenage boy ... Heartfelt and authentically grounded; a must-read." — Kirkus, Starred Review!

"Drawing from events in his own life, Netto infuses the narrative with heartbreaking realness. While primarily a romance, this novel's observations on immigration and citizenship seem more relevant and realistic with each passing day...Recommend to readers searching for realistic LGBTQ+ romance novels and fans of Jenny Torres Sanchez's We Are Not From Here (2020)." — Booklist, Starred Review!

"J.D. Netto's timely and illuminating story captures the longing, joy, and heartache of being young, an immigrant, undocumented, queer - and in love." — Alex Sanchez, LAMBDA Award-winning author of Rainbow Boys and You Brought Me the Ocean

"A deeply moving story that sheds light on the reality of so many undocumented teenagers in America.." — Sasha Alsberg, #1 NYT Bestselling Author of The Androma Saga and Breaking Time duology]]> 280 J.D. Netto 1625677197 Marieke 3
While reading, I kept comparing his story to Daniel Aleman’s Indivisible and found The Other Side of the Ocean felt like a weaker version. Both main characters have a younger sister, both are gay, and their names, Mateus and Mateo, are nearly identical.

I didn’t connect to Matt as much as I hoped. The romance felt rushed (I felt like I barely knew James), the scenes with Matt’s dad didn’t go deep enough (especially the one where he tries to talk with his kids), and there were too many plot threads. The religious storyline felt like too much on top of everything else. Maybe with more revisions, a longer page count, and maybe a bit more focus on that Dreamers part (and less on the religious) this could have hit harder.

Don’t get me wrong, this is not a bad book. It’s a quick read, and I like the last chapters with the realistic ending the most. I just kept thinking it could have been more.

Kirkus and all those authors loved it, so maybe it’s just me. So therefore definitely check out other reviews!

Thank you JAB books for this ARC.

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]]> 4.53
author: J.D. Netto
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.53
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/07
date added: 2025/05/07
shelves:
review:
A starred Kirkus review saying that this novel is brilliantly executed, threaded through with linguistic gems and deeply rooted in Brazilian culture and the mind of a teenage boy. Blurbs from authors whose writing I admire. An intriguing premise about an undocumented gay teen set in 2011. And yet …

While reading, I kept comparing his story to Daniel Aleman’s Indivisible and found The Other Side of the Ocean felt like a weaker version. Both main characters have a younger sister, both are gay, and their names, Mateus and Mateo, are nearly identical.

I didn’t connect to Matt as much as I hoped. The romance felt rushed (I felt like I barely knew James), the scenes with Matt’s dad didn’t go deep enough (especially the one where he tries to talk with his kids), and there were too many plot threads. The religious storyline felt like too much on top of everything else. Maybe with more revisions, a longer page count, and maybe a bit more focus on that Dreamers part (and less on the religious) this could have hit harder.

Don’t get me wrong, this is not a bad book. It’s a quick read, and I like the last chapters with the realistic ending the most. I just kept thinking it could have been more.

Kirkus and all those authors loved it, so maybe it’s just me. So therefore definitely check out other reviews!

Thank you JAB books for this ARC.

Follow me on

]]> 217045791 For readers of All the Light We Cannot See and In Memoriam, a moving and deeply humane story about a trans man who must relinquish the freedoms of prewar Berlin to survive first the Nazis then the Allies while protecting the ones he loves.

In 1932 Berlin, Bertie, a trans man, and his friends spend carefree nights at the Eldorado Club, the epicenter of Berlin's thriving queer community. An employee of the renowned Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld at the Institute of Sexual 카지노싸이트, Bertie works to improve queer rights in Germany and beyond, but everything changes when Hitler rises to power. The institute is raided, the Eldorado is shuttered, and queer people are rounded up. Bertie barely escapes with his girlfriend, Sofie, to a nearby farm. There they take on the identities of an elderly couple and live for more than a decade in isolation.

In the final days of the war, with their freedom in sight, Bertie and Sofie find a young trans man collapsed on their property, still dressed in Holocaust prison clothes. They vow to protect him—not from the Nazis, but from the Allied forces who are arresting queer prisoners while liberating the rest of the country. Ironically, as the Allies' vise grip closes on Bertie and his family, their only salvation becomes fleeing to the United States.

Brimming with hope, resilience, and the enduring power of community, The Lilac People tells an extraordinary story inspired by real events and recovers an occluded moment of trans history.]]> 320 Milo Todd 1640097031 Marieke 5  
Pitched as All the Lights We Cannot See meets In Memoriam, The Lilac People was a huge surprise for me. This story, told in a dual timeline, is about Bertie, a transexual man during the thirties and forties in Nazi Germany.

When people hurt bad enough, they’ll grab any idea to make their own lives better, no matter how illogical.

What surprised me the most was what I didn’t know yet about that time. Have you ever heard of The Institute of Sexual 카지노싸이트, where transexual people got surgery and a new passport in the twenties and thirties of the last century? I didn’t and found this part fascinating. Bertie works at the Institute and is confident in his life as a man. Okay, he sometimes needs to pretend (back then, they didn’t have hormones yet), but overall, he’s happy. Until Hitler comes to power and he has to flee.

If it helps, I believe everyone is acting in one way or another in this world. We’re all afraid to be ourselves. And the saddest part is that fear is unnecessarily genuine.

The Lilac People shows us the time before and after WWII. Before: a happy time full of parties and friends, eventually turning into something sinister. And afterward: tucked away on a farm where, after the war, the Americans suddenly pose a threat because they arrest queer people. Bertie, his girlfriend Sofie, his best friend Gert (oh Gert), and Karl, who fled Dachau as a trans man, came to live in this beautiful and informative story.

Anger is not bad. Anger is how we tell ourselves that we’ve been wronged, that we’ve been mistreated, and that it’s not okay. Anger is a beautiful emotion. We just need to express it properly.
 
Does the pitch of ATLWCS meets In Memoriam fit this book? Well, it’s written in a dual timeline and gives us an insight into German life during those years, like ATLWCS, and has poetical writing and queer characters surviving a war, like In Memorial. But that’s where the similarities end. I believe The Lilac People is a unique story on its own that provides insight into a mostly unknown part of history. I also highly recommend the author’s note in the back (also about the Institute because its owner, Hirschfeld, had a messy and tangled relationship with racism, misogyny, and eugenics).

History isn’t artifacts or pictures or things. History is the people who made them. The history is us. And we’ll keep passing it on.

Follow me on

 
]]> 4.34
author: Milo Todd
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.34
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/04
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, history, lgbtqia
review:
Actual rating 4.5 stars.
 
Pitched as All the Lights We Cannot See meets In Memoriam, The Lilac People was a huge surprise for me. This story, told in a dual timeline, is about Bertie, a transexual man during the thirties and forties in Nazi Germany.

When people hurt bad enough, they’ll grab any idea to make their own lives better, no matter how illogical.

What surprised me the most was what I didn’t know yet about that time. Have you ever heard of The Institute of Sexual 카지노싸이트, where transexual people got surgery and a new passport in the twenties and thirties of the last century? I didn’t and found this part fascinating. Bertie works at the Institute and is confident in his life as a man. Okay, he sometimes needs to pretend (back then, they didn’t have hormones yet), but overall, he’s happy. Until Hitler comes to power and he has to flee.

If it helps, I believe everyone is acting in one way or another in this world. We’re all afraid to be ourselves. And the saddest part is that fear is unnecessarily genuine.

The Lilac People shows us the time before and after WWII. Before: a happy time full of parties and friends, eventually turning into something sinister. And afterward: tucked away on a farm where, after the war, the Americans suddenly pose a threat because they arrest queer people. Bertie, his girlfriend Sofie, his best friend Gert (oh Gert), and Karl, who fled Dachau as a trans man, came to live in this beautiful and informative story.

Anger is not bad. Anger is how we tell ourselves that we’ve been wronged, that we’ve been mistreated, and that it’s not okay. Anger is a beautiful emotion. We just need to express it properly.
 
Does the pitch of ATLWCS meets In Memoriam fit this book? Well, it’s written in a dual timeline and gives us an insight into German life during those years, like ATLWCS, and has poetical writing and queer characters surviving a war, like In Memorial. But that’s where the similarities end. I believe The Lilac People is a unique story on its own that provides insight into a mostly unknown part of history. I also highly recommend the author’s note in the back (also about the Institute because its owner, Hirschfeld, had a messy and tangled relationship with racism, misogyny, and eugenics).

History isn’t artifacts or pictures or things. History is the people who made them. The history is us. And we’ll keep passing it on.

Follow me on

 

]]> 208185074 In this fresh, speculative blend of queer romance and coming-of-age, Eddie meets Theo in present-day New York and Francis in a New York of the past... torn between eras and his heart, he must make a decision that will change his life forever.

High school has just ended and Eddie is at a loss for what's next. He had a falling out with his best friend, and he never really related to the rest of his peers in the sleepy Colorado town he calls home. The future is bleak.

Until his ancient and eccentric great aunt Cookie asks him to care for her in New York City as she recuperates from an illness. Eddie leaps at the opportunity. Soon after he arrives at her tiny Greenwich Village apartment, homebound Cookie asks Eddie to use her vintage polaroid camera to snap pictures of her favorite places she can no longer visit. But something's unusual about this camera. When he takes a photo, he's launched back in time to an entirely different New York of the early 20th century.

As Eddie explores the underground queer life of the Roaring 20, he discovers new undercurrents of his own identity. Not to mention a dangerously handsome boy in scuffed boots and tattered stovepipe trousers who keeps popping up in his visions of the past.

But when Eddie begins to develop a crush on the mercurial Francis, a cute baker named Theo enters the picture—and he's in the present. Caught between timelines and feelings, Eddie must make a decision about what he's willing to his romantic fantasies of the past or a reality that might just be what he's wanted all along.]]> 336 Tucker Shaw 1250327105 Marieke 4
Right Beside You is indeed a strange little baby. I had to get used to it first. It’s like someone is watching from a circling helicopter, and then suddenly, the helicopter quickly descends and zooms in on details. Details of New York, details of the past, details of Cookie’s ninety-nine-year-old life, and details of Eddie’s life.

This story is about being afraid to fail since everything we do is visible—through cameras, social media, and other apps on our phones. We always check things—whether a movie is good, whether a restaurant is good, or whether we’re driving the right way. According to ninety-nine-year-old Cookie, we’re afraid to be different, afraid to be ourselves. This applies to Eddie, too.

So Eddie escapes to the past, together with Francis, and lives like he never lived before. But there’s also Theo, who is such a sweet guy aka cinnamon roll in the present.

Don’t read this book because you want to read a romance. Because it isn’t. Read it because you want to read a love song about New York and the past. Because you want to read a love song to (queer) joy. And because you want to follow Eddie’s journey to growth, from a boy who hides to a boy who is brave and shines.

Thank you, Tatiana and Chantal, from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, for this awesome ARC!

Follow me on ]]> 4.13
author: Tucker Shaw
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.13
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/22
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, lgbtqia, young-adult
review:
A strange little baby. That’s how Tucker Shaw called this story. Just like When You Call My Name, it’s a dedication. Again, to New York. To all those actors from the past. To a time when things were more simple.

Right Beside You is indeed a strange little baby. I had to get used to it first. It’s like someone is watching from a circling helicopter, and then suddenly, the helicopter quickly descends and zooms in on details. Details of New York, details of the past, details of Cookie’s ninety-nine-year-old life, and details of Eddie’s life.

This story is about being afraid to fail since everything we do is visible—through cameras, social media, and other apps on our phones. We always check things—whether a movie is good, whether a restaurant is good, or whether we’re driving the right way. According to ninety-nine-year-old Cookie, we’re afraid to be different, afraid to be ourselves. This applies to Eddie, too.

So Eddie escapes to the past, together with Francis, and lives like he never lived before. But there’s also Theo, who is such a sweet guy aka cinnamon roll in the present.

Don’t read this book because you want to read a romance. Because it isn’t. Read it because you want to read a love song about New York and the past. Because you want to read a love song to (queer) joy. And because you want to follow Eddie’s journey to growth, from a boy who hides to a boy who is brave and shines.

Thank you, Tatiana and Chantal, from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, for this awesome ARC!

Follow me on
]]> 61290459 “You never know what’s going to happen, Milo. No matter how hard you try to control things, this is our summer in Paris, and it might just be unpredictable. There might just be boys.”

Milo is determined to have the most magical summer in Paris after winning an apprenticeship at a prestigious fashion house. The plan is work hard, impress the team, and land a permanent job. With his best friend Celeste by his side, nothing will stand in his way of getting what he wants—especially not a boy.

Enter Rhodes London’s resident tabloid magnet and the son of a famous footballer. Milo is devastated to learn that Rhodes’ connections have also landed him an apprenticeship, which means he’s now the competition. Milo knows he has to win at any cost, so he can’t risk getting close to Rhodes, no matter how nice and charming and cute he is . . .]]> Robby Weber Marieke 0

Follow me on ]]> 4.11 2025
author: Robby Weber
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at: 2025/04/26
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, romance, young-adult
review:
I’m calling it quits at 24%. I love the cover and the premise, but somehow Robby Weber’s characters just aren’t for me. So, instead of giving a bad rating, I decided to DNF.


Follow me on
]]> 220160387 An artist's life, a pact with the devil, a novel about the dangerous illusions of the silver screen.

G.W. Pabst, one of cinema's greatest, perhaps the greatest director of his when the Nazis seized power he was filming in France, to escape the horrors of the new Germany he flees to Hollywood. But under the blinding California sun, the world-famous director suddenly looks like a nobody. Not even Greta Garbo, who he made famous, can help him. And thus, almost through no fault of his own, he finds himself back in his homeland of Austria, which is now called Ostmark. The returning family is confronted with the barbaric nature of the regime. But Goebbels, the minister of propaganda in Berlin, wants the film genius, he won't take no for an answer and makes big promises. While Pabst still believes that he will be able to resist these advances, that he will not submit to any dictatorship other than art, he has already taken the first steps into a hopeless entanglement.

Daniel Kehlmann's novel about art and power, beauty and barbarism is a triumph. The Director shows what literature is capable of.]]> 352 Daniel Kehlmann 1668087790 Marieke 0 to-read 4.23 2023
author: Daniel Kehlmann
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 215492426 From acclaimed author K. Ancrum comes a queer romantic thriller in which the lives of Hollis, a boy in search of meaning, and Walt, a spirit with unfinished business, collide when Walt takes possession of Hollis's body...and maybe his heart. For fans of Adam Silvera and Aiden Thomas!

Hollis Brown is stuck. Born to a Blue-Collar American Dream, Hollis lives in a rotting small town where no one can afford to leave. Hollis's only bright spots are his two best friends, cool girls Annie and Yulia, and the thrill of fighting his classmates.

As if his circumstances couldn’t get worse, a chance encounter with a mysterious stranger named Walt results in a frightening trap. After unknowingly making a deal at the crossroads, Hollis finds himself losing control of his body and mind, falling victim to possession. Walt, the ghost making a home inside him, has a deep and violent history rooted in the town Hollis grew up in and he has unfinished business to take care of.

As Walt and Hollis begin working together to put Walt’s spirit to rest, an unspeakable bond forms between them, and the boys begin falling for one another in unexpected ways. But, it’s only a matter of time before Hollis’s best friends begin to notice that something about Hollis isn’t quite…right.

With the threat of a long overdue exorcism looming before them, will Walt and Hollis be able to protect their love and undo the curse that turned their town from a garden of possibility into a place where dreams go to die?]]> 384 K. Ancrum 0063285835 Marieke 5
Kayla Ancrum has a specific way of writing, and I love it. I already said it before: her chapters are short, blunt, and bitten off, and her lyrical writing feels almost like writing in verse. You can’t do anything but surrender, and from the first page on, my heart got stuck in my throat.

Just like Icarus, this story is about loneliness and finally believing in a future. Walt and Hollis were so good for each other. Two boys living in one body, Hollis is angry at Walt, but soon, they start to cooperate as one. Hollis, the one who doesn’t care; Walt, the one who might care too much—two boys who complete each other.

I’m afraid of a lot of things.

And I’m not afraid of anything. Maybe we were meant to teach each other shit or something. I can teach you to face your fears, and you can teach me to actually be nice to people.

Even though The Corruption of Hollis Brown is an eerie and gritty story, it also warms you on the inside. There’s so much love, and I believe we need books full of love these days. And if you like baking: Kayla included several recipes, especially of bread.

Thank you, HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley, for this fantastic ARC!

Follow me on ]]> 4.28 2025
author: K. Ancrum
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/08
date added: 2025/04/27
shelves: bipoc, lgbtqia, mystery-thriller-dark-academia, young-adult, arc-netgalley-edelweiss, most-memorable-2024
review:
Think of the grittiness of a small village without any prospect that affects its youth. Darkness looms over Hollis Brown, and he constantly pushes the boundaries. A lonely boy who lets other teens beat him, who doesn’t care, and goes to the train tracks to … well, train hopping and do other things that are not safe. The movie Trainspotting came to mind, even though that story is way different. It’s the atmosphere, I guess.

Kayla Ancrum has a specific way of writing, and I love it. I already said it before: her chapters are short, blunt, and bitten off, and her lyrical writing feels almost like writing in verse. You can’t do anything but surrender, and from the first page on, my heart got stuck in my throat.

Just like Icarus, this story is about loneliness and finally believing in a future. Walt and Hollis were so good for each other. Two boys living in one body, Hollis is angry at Walt, but soon, they start to cooperate as one. Hollis, the one who doesn’t care; Walt, the one who might care too much—two boys who complete each other.

I’m afraid of a lot of things.

And I’m not afraid of anything. Maybe we were meant to teach each other shit or something. I can teach you to face your fears, and you can teach me to actually be nice to people.

Even though The Corruption of Hollis Brown is an eerie and gritty story, it also warms you on the inside. There’s so much love, and I believe we need books full of love these days. And if you like baking: Kayla included several recipes, especially of bread.

Thank you, HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley, for this fantastic ARC!

Follow me on
]]> 206012667
In a tight-knit Levantine Christian family in 1960s Cairo, Tarek's entire life is written in advance. He'll be a doctor like his father, marry, and have children. Under the watchful eye of the family's strong women, he starts to do just that - until a patient's son, Ali, enters his life and turns it upside down. The two men's unsayable relationship sparks a series of events as dramatic as the Six-Day War and assassination of President Anwar Sadat playing out in the background.

The turn of the millennium finds Tarek living as a doctor in Montreal. Someone is writing about him and to him, piecing together a past he wants only to forget. But who is the writer of this tale? And will Tarek figure it out in time?

From Cairo's grand boulevards and hidden alleys to Montreal's grim winter, from the reign of Nasser to the early 2000s, What I Know About You tells the heartbreaking story of a famil]]> 224 Éric Chacour 1552454851 Marieke 0 to-read 4.16 2023
author: Éric Chacour
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223296312 Heartstopper meets Eat Pray Love in this swoony, spicy, second-chance romance from USA Today bestselling author Adib Khorram about two former classmates unexpectedly reuniting in Italy.

Ramin Yazdani's marriage proposal has just gone bottoms up: his ex dumped him in public for being boring. Bent on proving him wrong, Ramin books a spontaneous solo trip to Italy. When he runs into his high school crush while in a gelateria, however, his resolve to reinvent himself is put to the test.

Noah Bartlett’s in a rut. Since his divorce, he's become a bit of a homebody. So when his ex-wife insists he join her and their son on an Italian holiday, Noah reluctantly agrees. But his reticence turns to excitement when he sees his former classmate, who's aged just like a fine wine. As a teenager, Ramin fascinated him—and since Noah now knows that fascination was code for crush—all those feelings are quick to come rushing back.

Soon Ramin and Noah are tumbling headfirst into a relationship. Only Ramin fears Noah’s feelings won’t last without Ramin’s adventurous new persona—and Noah's not sure he can be the supportive partner Ramin deserves. With the days counting down to the end of their trip, can their love last without the magic of Italy?]]> 384 Adib Khorram 1538739550 Marieke 0 to-read 4.39
author: Adib Khorram
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.39
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222818681 CEO seeks dating coach

Critically acclaimed and reader-favorite author Susan Lee’s hilarious adult debut is a shimmering and joyful look at the magnificent—and sometimes suffocating—weight of family, the ways we limit ourselves, and the irresistible power of love.

Julia Song, CEO of Starlight Cosmetics, is at the height of her career. Then why does she feel like such a failure? Maybe because she’s thirty and single, with a terrible track record at dating. And in the eyes of her Korean family, that is just unacceptable. It never really bothered her—that is until her beloved grandmother drops the bomb that she is sick and her dying wish is for Julia to get married. Impossible. So in a moment of weakness, Julia asks her family for help. Set her up on three dates to help her find The One. But it will never work—Julia is undateable. If only there was a coach for that…

Tae Kim knows about the weight of familial expectation. He’s currently unemployed, living in his parents’ basement to care for his ill father. Sure, he’s become somewhat of a fix-it man for the Korean community around town, but that’s not a real job. And the pressure to get his life together is getting to be too much. So when the Julia Song—his childhood crush—asks for his help, it may be just the distraction he needs. He’ll do whatever it takes, even coach her for these three dates. Problem is, the more time they spend together and the closer they get, the more Tae wonders if anyone is good enough for Julia…including him.]]> 336 Susan Lee 1335001093 Marieke 0 to-read 4.39 2025
author: Susan Lee
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 224004584 A group of Harvard alums have played a secret game for decades but as the stakes rise, deadly consequences emerge from old lies. An unputdownable debut thriller for readers of the suspenseful novels of Julia Bartz and Ruth Ware.

Harvard promised them everything.

Ambitious futures, peers who pushed each other toward their absolute best, and an education that would open doors for the rest of their lives. And though they started out as roommates, Sara, Bee, Dina, Allie, Wesley, and Claudine soon became family. They had their whole bright lives ahead of them—until their senior year, when a shocking tragedy changed everything.

Twenty years later, five of the roommates still indulge in a secret tradition they’ve kept alive since their campus the Circus, a harmless elimination-style “killing” game played across the private rooms and hidden alleys of New York City. The game is a nod to their younger selves and a tribute to the sixth roommate they lost too young. But this year, Sara wants out of the game—until she discovers there is a small fortune awaiting the winner of this final round.

As the Circus unfolds, Sara begins to suspect that the others aren’t playing by the rules, and as the danger turns real and the old friends start pointing fingers, she discovers that even those closest to her harbor secrets of their own…secrets that could kill.]]> 240 Alissa Lee 1668094002 Marieke 0 to-read 3.02
author: Alissa Lee
name: Marieke
average rating: 3.02
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 228691356 What is wrong meets what feels right in this romance set in Italy by the New York Times bestselling author of Deep End.

Maya Killgore is twenty-three and still in the process of figuring out her life.

Conor Harkness is thirty-eight, and Maya cannot stop thinking about him.

It’s such a cliché, it almost makes her heart implode: older man and younger woman; successful biotech guy and struggling grad student; brother’s best friend and the girl he never even knew existed. As Conor loves to remind her, the power dynamic is too imbalanced. Any relationship between them would be problematic in too many ways to count, and Maya should just get over him. After all, he has made it clear that he wants her gone from his life.

But not everything is as it seems—and clichés sometimes become plot twists.

When Maya’s brother decides to get married in Taormina, she and Conor end up stuck together in a romantic Sicilian villa for over a week. There, on the beautiful Ionian coast, between ancient ruins, delicious foods, and natural caves, Maya realizes that Conor might be hiding something from her. And as the destination wedding begins to erupt out of control, she decides that a summer fling might be just what she needs—even if it’s a problematic one.]]> 416 Ali Hazelwood Marieke 0 to-read 3.97 2025
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Marieke
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 56347420
In the beginning, Owen’s story was blank . . . then he was befriended by Lily, the aspiring author who helped him find his voice. Together, the two have spent years navigating first love and amassing an inseparable friend group. But all of it is upended one day when his school’s administration learns Owen’s that he was sexually assaulted by a classmate.

In the ensuing investigation, everyone scrambles to hold their worlds together.

Owen, still wrestling with his self-destructive thoughts and choices.

His father, a mission-driven military vet ready to start a war to find his son’s attacker.

The school bureaucrats, who seem most concerned with kowtowing to the local media attention.

And Lily, who can’t learn that Owen is the mystery victim everyone is talking about . . . because once she does, it will set off a chain of events that will change their lives forever.

Heartbreaking and hopeful, this is a coming-of-age story that explores how we rebuild after the world comes crumbling down.]]> 352 Zack Smedley 1645673324 Marieke 5 Messy. Devastating. Ugly. Incredibly important!! Remember Deposing Nathan? Zack Smedley did it again. He destroyed me in every possible way!

When I started reading, I felt fidgety, and I was scrolling back and forth, trying to guess the plot twists in advance … because, well, yeah, I had Deposing Nathan on my mind. And it was like I was too hyper to read my most anticipated book of 2021 … Slowly, I started reading instead of almost hyperventilating and guessing and second-guessing. And suddenly, I found myself on the edge of my seat, but I still wasn’t sure if Tonight We Rule the World was as brilliant as Deposing Nathan or if I wanted it to be as brilliant. And then there was Owen’s driving lesson, and I exhaled and calmed down. From that point on, I drowned myself in the story and didn’t care if I never surfaced again.

When it was revealed what exactly happened to Owen, my ugly first hunch turned out to be correct. I was so mad and wanted to scream and shout, and write down every single word that bubbled up in me, one word in particular, in capitals, but I can’t use that word here because of spoilers. After that, I found some parts really, really hard to read, and they made my heart thunder in my throat, my stomach churn, and tears spring to my eyes. I clenched my fists more than once, and I sobbed, and I wanted to yell at those pages: NO, NO, NO! NOOOO!

I love how Zack pulled me in with his simple and blunt writing, his compelling and vivid dialogues, perfectly matching every character. The way he sets the pace, slower in the first half and getting more and more frantic in the second half. Be prepared for that second half. It probably rips your heart out of your body and shreds it into a million pieces. I couldn’t stop crying while reading the last chapters. I wanted to hug one character besides Owen so badly; those who already read the book know who I’m referring to. And please think twice about picking this up if you’ve ever been sexually assaulted or manipulated.

Thank you, Zack, for addressing these incredibly heavy and important topics. This book needs to be available in every school library worldwide and discussed in every classroom!! I still have goosebumps on my body while writing this …

Follow me on ]]> 4.22 2021
author: Zack Smedley
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/23
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: most-memorable-2021, young-adult, heartbreaking, neurodiverse-autism-adhd-dcd-etc, grief-trauma
review:
Messy. Devastating. Ugly. Incredibly important!! Remember Deposing Nathan? Zack Smedley did it again. He destroyed me in every possible way!

When I started reading, I felt fidgety, and I was scrolling back and forth, trying to guess the plot twists in advance … because, well, yeah, I had Deposing Nathan on my mind. And it was like I was too hyper to read my most anticipated book of 2021 … Slowly, I started reading instead of almost hyperventilating and guessing and second-guessing. And suddenly, I found myself on the edge of my seat, but I still wasn’t sure if Tonight We Rule the World was as brilliant as Deposing Nathan or if I wanted it to be as brilliant. And then there was Owen’s driving lesson, and I exhaled and calmed down. From that point on, I drowned myself in the story and didn’t care if I never surfaced again.

When it was revealed what exactly happened to Owen, my ugly first hunch turned out to be correct. I was so mad and wanted to scream and shout, and write down every single word that bubbled up in me, one word in particular, in capitals, but I can’t use that word here because of spoilers. After that, I found some parts really, really hard to read, and they made my heart thunder in my throat, my stomach churn, and tears spring to my eyes. I clenched my fists more than once, and I sobbed, and I wanted to yell at those pages: NO, NO, NO! NOOOO!

I love how Zack pulled me in with his simple and blunt writing, his compelling and vivid dialogues, perfectly matching every character. The way he sets the pace, slower in the first half and getting more and more frantic in the second half. Be prepared for that second half. It probably rips your heart out of your body and shreds it into a million pieces. I couldn’t stop crying while reading the last chapters. I wanted to hug one character besides Owen so badly; those who already read the book know who I’m referring to. And please think twice about picking this up if you’ve ever been sexually assaulted or manipulated.

Thank you, Zack, for addressing these incredibly heavy and important topics. This book needs to be available in every school library worldwide and discussed in every classroom!! I still have goosebumps on my body while writing this …

Follow me on
]]> 220487230 Andrew Joseph White Marieke 0 to-read 5.00 2026
author: Andrew Joseph White
name: Marieke
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 231109687 For fans of Survivor and Less, this fast-paced debut novel shines an unflinching light on the drama of reality TV when a gay man returns to the cut-throat show he won in his youth after his adult life begins to unravel.

Following the car accident that ended his football career and left his body scarred, 22-year-old Luke Griffin joins the cast of Endeavor, a new competition-based reality show that pits the tabloids’ darlings against one another in tasks of endurance and problem solving. At first, he thrives, effortlessly forming friendships and even a romantic relationship that he thinks will last a lifetime. But Luke has aspirations far bigger than the show's million-dollar prize, and soon a series of betrayals leads to irreversible tragedy, changing the course of his and his fellow contestants' lives forever.
 
Ten years later, Luke’s world looks very he is now a father of two and the stay-at-home husband to America’s only openly gay senator. When his husband's serial cheating is exposed, Luke impulsively joins the cast of Endeavor's latest season in a desperate bid to earn some fast cash. Back on set, he is confronted with everything he tried to leave in the bitter rivalries, shattered friendships, and crushing guilt, all of which threaten to tear down the walls he’s spent a decade building. As Season 20 of Endeavor kicks off, Luke must give everything to the game, even as he finally learns what it means––and what it costs––to face the truth.

Combining the fabulous rivalries of The Traitors with the epic physical stunts of The Challenge, THE BOOK OF LUKE offers a grounded portrait of what it means to reinvent yourself when no one will let you forget your past - especially if it's immortalized on streaming services.]]> 400 Lovell Holder 1538770156 Marieke 0 to-read 4.38
author: Lovell Holder
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.38
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 58984692 Two sisters. A shocking racist incident. The summer that will change both of their lives forever.

Despite having had near-identical upbringings, sisters Annalie and Margaret agree on only one thing: that they have nothing in common. Nineteen-year-old Margaret is driven, ambitious, and keenly aware of social justice issues. She couldn't wait to leave their oppressive small-town home and take flight in New York. Meanwhile sweet, popular, seventeen-year-old Annalie couldn't think of anything worse - she loves their town, and feels safe coasting along in its confines.

That is, until she arrives home one day to find a gut-punching racial slur painted on their garage door.

Outraged, Margaret flies home, expecting to find her family up in arms. Instead, she's amazed to hear they want to forget about it. Their mom is worried about what it might stir up, and Annalie just wants to have a 'normal' summer - which Margaret is determined to ruin, apparently.

Back under each other's skins, things between Margaret and Annalie get steadily worse - and not even the distraction of first love (for Annalie), or lost love (for Margaret) can bring them together.

Until finally, a crushing secret threatens to tear them apart forever.]]> 368 XiXi Tian 0063086026 Marieke 0 to-read 4.05 2022
author: XiXi Tian
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223721432 MURDER WON'T STAY BURIED.

The brand-new 2025 thriller from award-winning crime writer William Hussey, author of Killing Jericho, the Genre-Busting Crime Novel of the Year award winner 2024 and Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year shortlisted breakout hit.

While Scott Jericho is tasked with investigating the most baffling case of his career, his partner Harry is set upon his own fateful path.

In a rundown seaside town, a young man has vanished without a trace. Jericho's investigation of this disappearance will unravel a diabolical plot and expose a secret long buried. A secret hinted at by the paper men hanging from the trees in a nearby wood, by the ravings of the local 'wise woman', and by the eerie waxworks of a defunct fairground attraction.

As fates collide and an impossible murder is executed, a twisted killer from the past is closing in on Harry and Jericho. But is it already too late for Jericho to save himself and the man he loves?

PRAISE FOR WILLIAM HUSSEY'S JERICHO

'A detective who breaks every mould' - JANICE HALLETT
'An absolute cracker' - T.M. LOGAN
'A first-class thriller' - CHRIS WHITAKER
'One hell of a ride' - THE TIMES
'Revelatory' - VAL MCDERMID
'A genuine triumph' - IAN MOORE
'What more could a reader ask for?' - JOHN CONNOLLY
'A thrilling helter-skelter' - SARAH PINBOROUGH
'A fantastically gothic thriller' - SJ WATSON
'A blisteringly new brand of hero' - SARAH HILARY]]> 378 William Hussey 1804181684 Marieke 4
The first two Scott Jericho books kept me on the edge of my seat. I love Scott as a character, with all his flaws and quirks, but Harry is my favorite!

I’ve been waiting for this third installment for so long, ever since I first read the other two in 2021. And now that it’s finally here, I couldn’t be more excited. Once again, it’s compelling and immersive, even with the quieter setting. I love how William Hussey weaves the mystery with Scott’s personal life.

I highly recommend this series, and while you can read each book on its own, reading them in order makes it even more satisfying.

Thank you, Bonnier Books and NetGalley for this great ARC!

Follow me on ]]> 4.45
author: William Hussey
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.45
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/29
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves:
review:
Hideous Beauty was my first William Hussey book, and it hooked me immediately. I still remember that YA story so vividly, and I really hope William writes something like it again, maybe even a sequel. So when I found out he also wrote adult mysteries, I couldn’t have been happier.

The first two Scott Jericho books kept me on the edge of my seat. I love Scott as a character, with all his flaws and quirks, but Harry is my favorite!

I’ve been waiting for this third installment for so long, ever since I first read the other two in 2021. And now that it’s finally here, I couldn’t be more excited. Once again, it’s compelling and immersive, even with the quieter setting. I love how William Hussey weaves the mystery with Scott’s personal life.

I highly recommend this series, and while you can read each book on its own, reading them in order makes it even more satisfying.

Thank you, Bonnier Books and NetGalley for this great ARC!

Follow me on
]]> 222505665 Anita Kelly delivers their YA debut—a sweet and satisfying queer romance about two teens who fall for each other while trying to save the local donut shop where they’re working for the summer.

“Relaxing” and “getting a tan” may be on most teens’ summer to-do lists, but for chronically freckled and deeply anxious Penny Dexter? Not a chance. Socking money away for college? Of course. Babysitting her siblings? Sure. Becoming a climate scientist and saving the world? She wishes.

At least she can tackle the tuition money with the seasonal gig she landed at Delicious Donuts. But when she finds out that her genderqueer nemesis, Mateo della Penna, will also be working behind the counter, Penny’s summer of mindless labor instantly vanishes before her eyes. Mateo is ridiculous and artsy, and their favorite kind of donut is Boston Crème (gross!). But the duo’s two-and-a-half-year feud will have to take a backseat when the donut shop is threatened by a corporate takeover.

As their small town faces big pressure, and anxiety threatens everything Penny’s worked for, there’s still one person who remains by her side. And though their taste in donuts is questionable, Mateo’s presence manages to keep Penny calm and focused. Could it be that Penny’s found the perfect, most infuriating person to change the world with?
]]> Anita Kelly 0369761472 Marieke 0 4.66
author: Anita Kelly
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.66
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read, arc-netgalley-edelweiss, lgbtqia, young-adult
review:

]]> 229093104
Joel’s not an admirer of the police, but DS Fowler has the most irresistible handwriting he’s ever seen. If the policeman’s tests let him spend time unnerving the handsome copper, why not play along?

But when Joel looks at a powerful man's handwriting and sees a murderer, the policeman and the graphologist are plunged into deadly danger. Their enemy will protect himself at any cost--unless the sparring pair can come together to prove his guilt and save each other.]]> 255 K.J. Charles 1912688247 Marieke 0 to-read 4.26 2025
author: K.J. Charles
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214379870 On a hotly-contested battlefield, a prince whose touch creates life meets a soldier chosen by death. But can they forge a future together, from opposite sides of a great war?

A lyrical and character-driven queer fantasy for those who loved She Who Became the Sun, The Song of Achilles and Sistersong.

Prince Elician is a Giver – a closely-guarded secret. He can heal any wound and bring the dead back to life. He also can’t be killed, so is cursed to watch his country wage an endless war. Reapers can kill with a single touch. And when one attacks Prince Elician near a hotly contested battlefield, the Reaper expects a terrible punishment. Instead, Elician offers him a new life on enemy territory.

Cat, as Elician calls him, hadn’t realized he could ever find someone who would make life worth living. Yet Elician’s enemies plan to turn his kindness against him. As the pieces of a deadly plot come together, tensions escalate at court and on the battlefield. The fires of conflict burst into new flame – but can those who wield the powers of life and death find peace?

A powerful and richly-imagined tale from a bold new voice in fantasy fiction, Lindsey Byrd's The Sun Blessed Prince is a sweeping, enemies-to-lovers, found-family adventure.]]> 432 Lindsey Byrd 1035046903 Marieke 0
Please, check out reviews from readers who enjoyed this story.

Follow me on ]]> 4.00 2025
author: Lindsey Byrd
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves:
review:
I just have one thing to say. Sometimes, a premise is so strong that a book immediately lands on my most anticipated list. And when the cover matches the premise, my excitement skyrockets. But sometimes, it also takes a nosedive and crashes to the ground. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened when I started reading this book. So, I decided to DNF.

Please, check out reviews from readers who enjoyed this story.

Follow me on
]]> 215748674 A classmates-to-friends-to-lovers romance that's equal parts raunchy, heartfelt, queer, and Mexican-American, centered on college football (the REAL football)!

Gabriel Piña knows who he is: a college goalkeeper, a future Liga MX or MLS star, and definitely straight. He’s starting his freshman year with a lot of eyes on him and even more potential, but he’s got this. Nothing will have him straying off the path to greatness.

That is, until his philosophy classmate Vale volunteers to tutor him. Vale, the same guy who Gabi, in a moment of history repeating itself, might’ve kissed very briefly—and only once—just to help him out at a party. Vale, the smart, supportive, compassionate new friend with beautiful brown eyes and a smile that keeps Gabi, for completely inexplicable reasons, constantly in a daydream.

As a friendship blooms and the two spend more and more time together, Gabi finally begins to recognize something about himself: maybe he’s not as straight as he thought he was. But a larger and darker realization lingers. Someone like Gabi—a brown, Mexican futbolista with dreams of playing for El Tri—can’t also be bisexual. He’s seen the way his teammates and community react to queerness in their sport. It would be the exact type of straying off path that destroys his future.

Or, maybe Gabi could be brave enough to embrace all those parts of himself and forge his own path, one that includes a boyfriend and the beautiful game.

A sports romance for those who keep rewatching Bend It Like Beckham and rereading Red, White & Royal Blue and the incredible collection of queer soc—football romances out there, Futbolista follows the first semester of one guy's freshman year of college, navigating who he is, who he’s allowed to be, and who he wants to be.]]> 400 Jonny Garza Villa 1646145097 Marieke 5 Take the emotions from ‘Stars in Your Eyes’, add a splash of Rachel Reid, cover it with Jonny Garza Villa’s writing, and ta-da: Futbolista is born!

Ander & Santi is my favorite of Jonny Garza Villa’s books, but it now competes with Futbolista, and Futbolista might be the winner.

When I started reading this book, I wasn’t sure if this story would hit me that hard. I even sighed for a moment when Gabi began to like Leana. But, oh boy, this story has so much to offer.

Gabi’s growth throughout this story is immense. Starting as a cocky, almost macho soccer player, he turns into a thoughtful goalkeeper who opens himself up to changes. Vale helps him with it, but indirectly, his philosophy professor Coolidge, maybe even more. Gabi’s so scared of falling out of line. Of being ‘not normal.’ And that part of being scared to be ‘not normal’ resonated so much with me. From that moment, I couldn’t tear my eyes from Futbolista.

I didn’t think this story would bring me to tears, but while reading the second part, so much rage simmered inside my chest. I wanted to yell, scream, and fight, but instead, I just sat on the couch, those tears burning behind my eyes.

But I also smiled. I loved, loved, loved Vale! Sweet, sparkling Vale. He was such a cute cinnamon roll. And I also adored Pérez. And Kat. Jonny writes such awesome characters. And in the end, a smile danced on my face while my eyes were wet again.

As someone from Europe, I cheered for Jonny Garza Villa so much because they called soccer football in this book, and that is the only right word for this sport!

Read this one y’all! Read it because you love sports romances. Read it because you love character growth. Or just read it because you’re a fan of Jonny Garza Villa’s books.

Thank you, Querido and Edelweiss, for this fantastic ARC!

Follow me on ]]> 4.29
author: Jonny Garza Villa
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.29
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/18
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, bipoc, lgbtqia, most-memorable-2024
review:
Take the emotions from ‘Stars in Your Eyes’, add a splash of Rachel Reid, cover it with Jonny Garza Villa’s writing, and ta-da: Futbolista is born!

Ander & Santi is my favorite of Jonny Garza Villa’s books, but it now competes with Futbolista, and Futbolista might be the winner.

When I started reading this book, I wasn’t sure if this story would hit me that hard. I even sighed for a moment when Gabi began to like Leana. But, oh boy, this story has so much to offer.

Gabi’s growth throughout this story is immense. Starting as a cocky, almost macho soccer player, he turns into a thoughtful goalkeeper who opens himself up to changes. Vale helps him with it, but indirectly, his philosophy professor Coolidge, maybe even more. Gabi’s so scared of falling out of line. Of being ‘not normal.’ And that part of being scared to be ‘not normal’ resonated so much with me. From that moment, I couldn’t tear my eyes from Futbolista.

I didn’t think this story would bring me to tears, but while reading the second part, so much rage simmered inside my chest. I wanted to yell, scream, and fight, but instead, I just sat on the couch, those tears burning behind my eyes.

But I also smiled. I loved, loved, loved Vale! Sweet, sparkling Vale. He was such a cute cinnamon roll. And I also adored Pérez. And Kat. Jonny writes such awesome characters. And in the end, a smile danced on my face while my eyes were wet again.

As someone from Europe, I cheered for Jonny Garza Villa so much because they called soccer football in this book, and that is the only right word for this sport!

Read this one y’all! Read it because you love sports romances. Read it because you love character growth. Or just read it because you’re a fan of Jonny Garza Villa’s books.

Thank you, Querido and Edelweiss, for this fantastic ARC!

Follow me on
]]> 214565619
Lord Nicholas Monterris, the last remaining heir of a crumbling ducal house, must marry to save his family from complete decline. His father chooses Lady Leaf Serral, eldest daughter of his greatest rival, at which point Nic is sure it can’t get any worse. Until he learns the head negotiator is to be Dashiell sa Vare, an old flame he has neither forgiven nor forgotten, a man their rigid class structure forbids him to love.

Locked in the mouldering grandeur of Monterris Court (a house more haunting manifestation of dynastic ambition and ancestral guilt than home), the first dead body is troubling. The second, a warning that someone doesn’t want the contract to go ahead. But while Nic and his wife-to-be team up to banter their way through a secret murder investigation, it’s Dashiell he can’t stop thinking about. What would be worse? To love and have to let go, or to wholly deny the yearning of one’s heart forever?

Perfect for fans of Freya Marske and Alexis Hall, The Gentleman and His Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide is the perfect blend of gothic and romantic – including a locked room murder mystery, forbidden love and otherworldly automatons.]]> 464 Rebecca Ide 1668070936 Marieke 4
A Gentleman and His Vowsmith is light, sweet, and funny, even though it’s not only a romance but also a mystery (just like the above mentioned series). I always love it when a historical story (in this case, one with magical elements) has a strong and a bit brash female character in it. I really liked Nic and Dash, but Leaf was by far my favorite. Fearlessly, she wanted to investigate the deaths, stood up to her father, and was simply the star of the book.

This story is for all of you who just want to smile, don’t mind a few dead people (there’s a little tension, but it is often dismissed fast due to the snarkiness in the story), and love a few speculative/magical elements, but not too much.

Thank you, Saga Press Books and NetGalley, for this entertaining ARC!

Follow me on ]]> 3.63 2025
author: Rebecca Ide
name: Marieke
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/23
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, fantasy-scifi-dystopian, history, lgbtqia, romance
review:
When I first read the blurb of The Gentleman and his Vowsmith, I didn’t think much about it, only that it could be a nice read. It is, everyone, and with the magic of Freya Marske’s The Last Binding series and the wit from K.J. Charles’ Will Darling, it’s even more than a nice read.

A Gentleman and His Vowsmith is light, sweet, and funny, even though it’s not only a romance but also a mystery (just like the above mentioned series). I always love it when a historical story (in this case, one with magical elements) has a strong and a bit brash female character in it. I really liked Nic and Dash, but Leaf was by far my favorite. Fearlessly, she wanted to investigate the deaths, stood up to her father, and was simply the star of the book.

This story is for all of you who just want to smile, don’t mind a few dead people (there’s a little tension, but it is often dismissed fast due to the snarkiness in the story), and love a few speculative/magical elements, but not too much.

Thank you, Saga Press Books and NetGalley, for this entertaining ARC!

Follow me on
]]> 199288865
Ever since he was a kid, Fielder Lemon’s large, opinionated Italian-American family has lived next to Ricky DeLuca and his large, opinionated Italian-American family. For almost as long, Fielder has known that he wants to marry Ricky one day. And he thought Ricky felt the same way—until Ricky breaks up with Fielder the day after his high school graduation, saying he needs to figure out who he is on his own.

One year later, Fielder is asked to be one of the best men in his cousin's destination wedding on the Amalfi Coast in Italy, but there's a twist: his cousin is marrying Ricky’s sister. Fielder hasn’t talked to or seen Ricky once during the last entire, terrible year, but he hasn’t given up on his first love quite yet—and isn't a wedding in an Italian lemon grove the perfect setting to rekindle their relationship? Except Ricky might have already moved on.

Now, Fielder has less than a week to do the impossible and win back Ricky’s heart while also trying not to ruin his cousin’s wedding. But if there's one thing Fielder knows, it's that when life gives you lemons, take a bite!]]> Steven Salvatore Marieke 3
Ricky’s (the love interest) mom says somewhere in the story, ”Sorry about that. He means well, but he’s a bit much sometimes—”

That’s also how I feel about this book. Don’t get me wrong, the descriptions of the Italian landscape were incredible, the Coven (Fielder’s mom and her sisters) hilarious, with Nonna the icing on the cake, but Fielder was indeed a bit much, sometimes. Add that Ricky and Fielder only started talking at 1/3 of the story and all those fourth wall breaks (where the MC talks to the reader), and I was like: whoa. I felt so overwhelmed.

Ricky’s POV was, thank God, a bit quieter, but I didn’t feel much. I didn’t feel the chemistry between those two boys, I didn’t root for them, I didn’t even particularly like them. And I definitely didn’t like that whole Cam thing.

And now I’m mad at myself for not loving this book as much as I wanted to. I did love all those beautiful descriptions of Amalfi, though, but I can’t rate a book 4 or 5 stars, just because of a gorgeous setting, right? So, please, if you want to read this book, check out other reviews and ignore mine.

Thank you, Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books and NetGalley, for this ARC.

Follow me on ]]> 4.22 2025
author: Steven Salvatore
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/21
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves:
review:
I have mixed feelings about this book, and I hate that I feel this way. I loved Steven Salvatore’s previous YA books—No Perfect Places is one of the most underrated and underread books I’ve ever read—and I adore his vivid writing. I also love that he writes different kinds of YA stories, more uplifting ones and more serious ones. The thing is, though, I think I like the serious ones more.

Ricky’s (the love interest) mom says somewhere in the story, ”Sorry about that. He means well, but he’s a bit much sometimes—”

That’s also how I feel about this book. Don’t get me wrong, the descriptions of the Italian landscape were incredible, the Coven (Fielder’s mom and her sisters) hilarious, with Nonna the icing on the cake, but Fielder was indeed a bit much, sometimes. Add that Ricky and Fielder only started talking at 1/3 of the story and all those fourth wall breaks (where the MC talks to the reader), and I was like: whoa. I felt so overwhelmed.

Ricky’s POV was, thank God, a bit quieter, but I didn’t feel much. I didn’t feel the chemistry between those two boys, I didn’t root for them, I didn’t even particularly like them. And I definitely didn’t like that whole Cam thing.

And now I’m mad at myself for not loving this book as much as I wanted to. I did love all those beautiful descriptions of Amalfi, though, but I can’t rate a book 4 or 5 stars, just because of a gorgeous setting, right? So, please, if you want to read this book, check out other reviews and ignore mine.

Thank you, Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books and NetGalley, for this ARC.

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]]> 210202493 A sweet and sexy hockey romance about two ex-teammates and former best friends with benefits who are about to discover whether you can ever really have a second chance, from the USA TODAY bestselling author of Heated Rivalry and The Long Game.

After moving back to his hometown ten years ago, Riley Tuck thought he had left his major league hockey career—and his broken heart—far behind. But when an unexpected tragedy strikes, it brings ex-teammate and former best friend with benefits Adam Sheppard back into his life.

Coming to the small town of Avery River, Nova Scotia, might have been a mistake. Adam’s not sure he’ll ever win back Riley’s trust after the way they left things—and the attention he’s getting as a huge hockey star isn’t exactly helping. Yet the chemistry that crackles between them is undeniable, even now.

As Adam helps Riley navigate his grief, long-buried feelings start to resurface. But they’ll have to square off with their complicated past if they’re going to have a real shot at a new beginning.]]> 336 Rachel Reid 1335015329 Marieke 4
Riley’s grief was so palpable in the first part of the story. His love for his father shone through the pages, and I loved all those small family dynamics. They were all so relatable. I immediately wanted to hug him.

Even though I hated the way Adam had treated Riley in the past, he was the one I had a soft spot for. Without many words, Adam was so quietly caring. All those tender moments, bringing coffee and breakfast in the morning, just lying in bed and comforting Riley because he needed it.

I think the tenderness in this story stood out for me the most. Two grown-up men who’d already lived a part of their lives and finally felt they were coming home. And that epilogue was chef’s kiss.

Thank you, Harlequin Romance and NetGalley, for this wonderful ARC. I loved reading it!

Follow me on ]]> 4.03 2025
author: Rachel Reid
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/01
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, lgbtqia, romance
review:
Oh, I liked this one more than Time to Shine (I liked that one too, but this one just a bit more!). It just hit all the right notes, a slow burn second chance romance (okay, the story itself only takes place in a week or so), two men in their forties (we need more older MCs!), and the first pages grief-stricken (and we know I’m a sucker for sadder stories).

Riley’s grief was so palpable in the first part of the story. His love for his father shone through the pages, and I loved all those small family dynamics. They were all so relatable. I immediately wanted to hug him.

Even though I hated the way Adam had treated Riley in the past, he was the one I had a soft spot for. Without many words, Adam was so quietly caring. All those tender moments, bringing coffee and breakfast in the morning, just lying in bed and comforting Riley because he needed it.

I think the tenderness in this story stood out for me the most. Two grown-up men who’d already lived a part of their lives and finally felt they were coming home. And that epilogue was chef’s kiss.

Thank you, Harlequin Romance and NetGalley, for this wonderful ARC. I loved reading it!

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]]> 222476129 From the USA Today bestselling author of BOYFRIEND MATERIAL and HUSBAND MATERIAL comes a charming New Adult LGBTQIA+ romance perfect for fans of Heartstopper.

Drew's always prided himself on being the "right" kind of nerd. He plays sports, has a solid group of friends, and never had any problem talking to girls. Sure, he spends time playing Heroes of Legend, the biggest MMORPG on the planet, but it's just a fun hobby, not his identity. Falling for someone in a video game? Not his style.

Until it is.

Enter witty, kind, razor-sharp, and a healer who's saved Drew's virtual skin more times than he can count. She's also, turns out, a boy in real life. The realization knocks Drew off-balance, but it doesn't take long for him to figure out the simple truth—he likes Kit, no matter Kit's gender.

The real challenge? Kit's reality is leagues apart from Drew's. Being online is his life, and while he's willing to come out of his shell an inch at a time, there's such a wide gulf between them that Drew's left can love truly bridge the distance…or are they fated to remain in separate worlds forever?]]> 384 Alexis Hall 1728250897 Marieke 0 to-read 3.86 2016
author: Alexis Hall
name: Marieke
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217267448 A USA TODAY BESTSELLER!

Falling in love with your husband is anything but convenient in this steamy romance from the New York Times bestselling author of Business or Pleasure.

Dani Dorfman has somehow made it to her thirties without knowing what she wants to do with her life. So when an office romance ends poorly and gets her fired, she applies for a job in Amsterdam, idly dreaming of escaping the mess she’s created, but never imagining she'll actually get it.

Except she does. By the end of her first week in Amsterdam, she’s never felt more adrift or alone. Then she crashes her bike into her high school ex-boyfriend—and suddenly life is blooming with new opportunities.

Wouter van Leeuwen was a Dutch exchange student Dani’s family hosted, a forbidden love that ended in a painful breakup. Years later, there’s still sizzling chemistry between them, and okay, maybe a little animosity. More importantly, Wouter needs to be married to inherit a gorgeous family home on a canal—and when Dani's job falls apart, she needs a visa. As the marriage of convenience pushes them together in unexpected ways, Dani must decide whether her new life is yet another mistake—or if it's worth taking a risk on a second chance.]]> 378 Rachel Lynn Solomon 0593548566 Marieke 5
Of course, Rachel Lynn Solomon added a few stereotypes like the windmills and the cheese and the stroopwafels (syrup waffles), but also so much more. All those things that really feel Dutch: from biking without a helmet to wheelbarrow bikes with three kids inside, from Appie (Nick name for Albert Heijn, a grocery store) to HEMA (just our everything store), from peeking inside houses to renting unfurnished apartments (even without floors), from our coffeeshops which aren’t coffeeshops (oops …) to the ‘lekker’ hand wave, from the tiny sinks in the bathrooms with only cold water to Dutch flags with a backpack hanging outside after high school graduation, from poffertjes (small pancakes) to hagelslag (little chocolate sprinkles), and of course, she called soccer football! Like all Americans should do!

And as I said, I loved Dani and Wouter. Dani with the port-wine stain on her face and parents who are always overprotective, even now she’s thirty, and Wouter with his thinning hair and the way he always needs to take care for others. Two real people who fell head over heels. At seventeen and now again.

So yes, I fell in love with this book and with my own country.

It would be awesome if Luitingh Sijthoff translated this book just like they did with Business or Pleasure. But if you’re Dutch and can read in English, then I’d recommend picking up this one in English so you can have that fantastic feeling of being an English-speaking person in a Dutch-speaking city.

Thank you, Rafa from Penguin Random House International, for this amazing book! So, so good! En dank je wel Rachel Lynn Solomon voor dit waanzinnige boek! Zo, zo goed!

Follow me on ]]> 3.78 2025
author: Rachel Lynn Solomon
name: Marieke
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/27
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, romance, most-memorable-2024
review:
It’s been a while since I loved a book this much, and it might be because I adored Dani and Wouter, but it might even be more because this fantastic story is set in my home country. It’s the book you need to read if you want to experience Europe without your eyebrows braided together because the author decided to use every cliche available.

Of course, Rachel Lynn Solomon added a few stereotypes like the windmills and the cheese and the stroopwafels (syrup waffles), but also so much more. All those things that really feel Dutch: from biking without a helmet to wheelbarrow bikes with three kids inside, from Appie (Nick name for Albert Heijn, a grocery store) to HEMA (just our everything store), from peeking inside houses to renting unfurnished apartments (even without floors), from our coffeeshops which aren’t coffeeshops (oops …) to the ‘lekker’ hand wave, from the tiny sinks in the bathrooms with only cold water to Dutch flags with a backpack hanging outside after high school graduation, from poffertjes (small pancakes) to hagelslag (little chocolate sprinkles), and of course, she called soccer football! Like all Americans should do!

And as I said, I loved Dani and Wouter. Dani with the port-wine stain on her face and parents who are always overprotective, even now she’s thirty, and Wouter with his thinning hair and the way he always needs to take care for others. Two real people who fell head over heels. At seventeen and now again.

So yes, I fell in love with this book and with my own country.

It would be awesome if Luitingh Sijthoff translated this book just like they did with Business or Pleasure. But if you’re Dutch and can read in English, then I’d recommend picking up this one in English so you can have that fantastic feeling of being an English-speaking person in a Dutch-speaking city.

Thank you, Rafa from Penguin Random House International, for this amazing book! So, so good! En dank je wel Rachel Lynn Solomon voor dit waanzinnige boek! Zo, zo goed!

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]]> 220099288
Jonah Prince is just trying to survive another night, same as he has done since his life derailed at seventeen. When his services are requested as a surprise for someone’s birthday, the last person he expects to see is the man from the bar who showed him kindness.

It doesn’t take long in a room together to see the cracks in Jonah’s facade. He’s afraid of someone, even if he can’t say it out loud. Hungry, guarded, and jumping at shadows, it’s clear he is in desperate need of a break, and Liam is in a unique position to grant him one—even if it’s just for a night.

Drawn together by their mutual need for escape, the two of them fall into an arrangement of weekly meetings inside the cheapest hotel rooms Chicago has to offer. The encounters are not sexual in nature, but an unexpected intimacy blossoms between them over time. For Jonah, it’s one night a week of guaranteed safety. For Liam, it’s the first real friendship he has ever known.

But soon, the circumstances that exist outside their private series of rooms begin closing in around them, reminding them that they can’t live in a bubble forever.]]> 338 A.J. Barlowe Marieke 0
Don’t get me wrong, I flew through the pages and the story which reminded me a bit of Suki Fleet’s books kept pulling me in. I especially appreciated all those talks without any sexual intention and the sweetness of those two boys together. The thing is, though, the story itself didn’t touch me as much as I was expecting to. I can’t quite put my finger on it; why rage didn’t run through my chest or why I didn’t blink once to push back my tears. Maybe the plot is too cliche, maybe the boys’ characters should have been more fleshed out, maybe those conversations could have been expanded more. Maybe it’s even all of these things. I just don’t know.

What I do know, though, is that I'll definitely read another story by AJ. Barlow because I’m curious about what they have in store for us next.

Follow me on ]]> 4.17 2024
author: A.J. Barlowe
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/18
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves:
review:
Probably a slightly different opinion than most of you have. I’m torn on this one. The writing itself is beautiful, the characters and their relationship really sweet, the plot full of angst, so just up my alley, and before I started reading–even while reading the first chapters–I was convinced I’d push that five start button without any hesitation. But instead, I have no clue how to rate this story, so therefore I won’t rate it at all.

Don’t get me wrong, I flew through the pages and the story which reminded me a bit of Suki Fleet’s books kept pulling me in. I especially appreciated all those talks without any sexual intention and the sweetness of those two boys together. The thing is, though, the story itself didn’t touch me as much as I was expecting to. I can’t quite put my finger on it; why rage didn’t run through my chest or why I didn’t blink once to push back my tears. Maybe the plot is too cliche, maybe the boys’ characters should have been more fleshed out, maybe those conversations could have been expanded more. Maybe it’s even all of these things. I just don’t know.

What I do know, though, is that I'll definitely read another story by AJ. Barlow because I’m curious about what they have in store for us next.

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]]> 214282654 When a teen has an unexpected vision about a future murder, he must juggle newfound interest from the supernatural community with trying to prevent the murder from happening in this new romantic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author F.T. Lukens.

Fifteen-year-old Cam Reynolds wants to spend his sophomore year flying under the radar. That shouldn’t be too hard, considering he’s a human going to school with kids who have paranormal powers, like his best friend and witch, Al, and his longtime werewolf crush, Mateo.

Then Cam has a psychic glimpse of the future in front of most of the student body, seeing a gruesomely murdered teen girl from the point of view of the killer. When Cam comes to, he knows two someone he goes to school with is a future murderer, and his life is about to change. No longer a mere human but a clairvoyant, one of the rarest of supernatural beings, Cam finds himself at the center of attention for the first time.

As the most powerful supernatural factions in the city court Cam and his gift, he’ll have to work with his friends, both old and new, to figure out who he can trust and who might be a werewolf in sheep’s clothing. Because the clock is ticking, and Cam and his friends must identify the girl in the vision, find her potential killer, and prevent the murder from happening. Or the next murder Cam sees might be his own.]]> 0 F.T. Lukens 166595096X Marieke 3
Until 80% of the story, I was sure this would be a glorious four-star read. And then it wasn’t because F.T. Lukens decided to throw 80% of the plot into the last 20% of the story.

But let’s start with the lovely things.
I always love F.T. Lukens’ stories, especially the contemporary, speculative ones. Even though Love at Second Sight starts with a glimpse of a murder, it’s overall a light, witty lower YA story with a great friend group and a sweet romance. What I liked the most that all that lightness covered a far more serious theme, the acceptance of being different and that it’s okay to be different instead of wanting to be normal. The friend group was an excellent example of very different people who always had each other’s back.

I adored Cam and Mateo, and they were such a cute couple, but to be honest, I wanted way more time with Mateo. He was a pretty shy boy who was more in the background, and I’d have loved to have more time alone with them.

And then came that last 20%, and my eyebrows braided together. I just didn’t like that rushed ending where suddenly the villains took the upper hand, villains that shouldn’t be villains this late in a YA story. It’s like an unnecessary third-act break-up in a romance. So yeah, that’s why I rounded my 3.5-star rating down to a sad three stars.

Thank you, Simon and Schuster Children’s Books and Edelweiss, for this ARC!

Follow me on ]]> 3.67 2025
author: F.T. Lukens
name: Marieke
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, fantasy-scifi-dystopian, lgbtqia, romance, young-adult
review:
I’m sorry, okay … actual rating 3.5 stars.

Until 80% of the story, I was sure this would be a glorious four-star read. And then it wasn’t because F.T. Lukens decided to throw 80% of the plot into the last 20% of the story.

But let’s start with the lovely things.
I always love F.T. Lukens’ stories, especially the contemporary, speculative ones. Even though Love at Second Sight starts with a glimpse of a murder, it’s overall a light, witty lower YA story with a great friend group and a sweet romance. What I liked the most that all that lightness covered a far more serious theme, the acceptance of being different and that it’s okay to be different instead of wanting to be normal. The friend group was an excellent example of very different people who always had each other’s back.

I adored Cam and Mateo, and they were such a cute couple, but to be honest, I wanted way more time with Mateo. He was a pretty shy boy who was more in the background, and I’d have loved to have more time alone with them.

And then came that last 20%, and my eyebrows braided together. I just didn’t like that rushed ending where suddenly the villains took the upper hand, villains that shouldn’t be villains this late in a YA story. It’s like an unnecessary third-act break-up in a romance. So yeah, that’s why I rounded my 3.5-star rating down to a sad three stars.

Thank you, Simon and Schuster Children’s Books and Edelweiss, for this ARC!

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]]> 227786697 New from Ray Stoeve comes an enemies-to-lovers romance about nemeses who are forced to share their school’s Queer Alliance presidency following a tie in the election.

Sidney has one goal for their junior year. Well . . . two, if they’re being honest. Number become president of their school’s Queer Alliance club. And number keep their self-diagnosed anxiety in check so their grades don’t tank like they did last year.

But when the election results in a tie with none other than Sidney’s arch nemesis, the class clown Forrest, the two are forced to share the presidency until a revote at the end of term. Sidney expects Forrest to be insufferable, but it turns out that working together is . . . kind of nice?

As surprising feelings for Forrest emerge, Sidney’s techniques for managing their anxiety stop working. With the reelection approaching and assignments starting to pile up, will all this pressure be too much for Sidney to handle on their own?]]> 304 Ray Stoeve 1419764993 Marieke 0 to-read 5.00 2026
author: Ray Stoeve
name: Marieke
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 219209767
She never belonged in his world. He never thought he’d leave it.

When Weslie Fleet wins a golden ticket aboard the Boundless, humanity’s most opulent starliner, it’s a dream―and a danger. Raised in the dust-ridden ruins of Earth, she is thrust into the gleaming luxury of Mars’s elite, where every whispered word carries weight and every glance is a silent judgment. And none watch her closer than Jupiter, the golden boy of Mars’s high society, bound by duty, legacy, and a future he never chose.

Their reluctant partnership was supposed to be a one-off assignment. Instead, it becomes a battle of wills, a spark that ignites, and a love neither of them anticipated. But fate is as cruel as it is unpredictable, and when the Boundless veers off course, love won’t be enough to save them.

The ship is failing. The odds are impossible. And in the darkness of space, survival is the only thing that matters.

But some loves are worth defying the stars for.]]> 400 E.L. Starling 1649378408 Marieke 0 to-read 4.20 2025
author: E.L. Starling
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217344808 Their only path to victory is each other . . .

George and Lucas can't stand each other - which makes it awkward being on the same Cambridge University rowing team. The uber-charming, womanising George got parachuted into Cambridge from America for his sporting prowess, despite his subpar grades, whereas Lucas worked for everything he's got - which sadly doesn't include a boyfriend. When George is told that this year he'll have to sit his exams fair and square, Lucas agrees to help him study - in exchange for help in wooing his crush, Amir.

Together, they embark on a journey to seduce, cheat, and beat their way to the top. They face rivals within their own squad, cutthroat competitors at Oxford, and their own annoyance with each other. But as they get closer, they find that they actually make a great duo. Will Lucas and George help their rowing team beat their arch rivals in a centuries-old feud? Will George manage to pass his fiendishly hard exams? Will Lucas finally work up the courage to ask Amir out? And what will Lucas and George do when they realise that what they really want is each other - even if that means changing their lives forever.

For readers of Red, White and Royal Blue and Oar Than Friends, See You at the Finish Line is a brand-new LGBTQ+ enemies to lovers romance with a love story that will warm your heart.]]> Zac Hammett 1804189936 Marieke 0
Okay, first of all, I’m sorry. My previous read was a gem and might have influenced my reading journey. So, basically, there’s nothing wrong with this story. The thing is, though, the part I read didn’t feel groundbreaking or unique or anything like that. Except for the rowing, it felt like it was done a thousand times before. It was okay, nothing more, nothing less, and I was bored. So, I decided to DNF. Please check out other reviews if you want to read this one.

Follow me on ]]> 3.76
author: Zac Hammett
name: Marieke
average rating: 3.76
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/23
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves:
review:
Well, that was quick. DNF after 22%.

Okay, first of all, I’m sorry. My previous read was a gem and might have influenced my reading journey. So, basically, there’s nothing wrong with this story. The thing is, though, the part I read didn’t feel groundbreaking or unique or anything like that. Except for the rowing, it felt like it was done a thousand times before. It was okay, nothing more, nothing less, and I was bored. So, I decided to DNF. Please check out other reviews if you want to read this one.

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]]> 216948295 An Observer Best Debut of 2025

An ordinary town.
An extraordinary boy.
The heart-warming, life-affirming debut story of a baby found on a beach and the fisherman who adopts him.

'Compassionate, lyrical and full of devilment' - Louise Kennedy, author of Trespasses

1973. In a close-knit community on Ireland’s west coast, a baby is found abandoned on the beach. Named Brendan by Ambrose Bonnar, the fisherman who adopts him, the baby captivates the town and the boy he grows to be will captivate them still – no one can quite fathom Brendan Bonnar.

For Christine, Ambrose’s wife, Brendan brings both love and worry. For Declan, their son, his new brother’s arrival is the start of a life-long rivalry. And though Ambrose brings Brendan into his home out of love, it is a decision that will fracture his family and force this man – more comfortable at sea than on land – to try to understand himself and those he cares for.

Told over two decades, Garrett Carr's The Boy from the Sea is a novel about a restless boy trying to find his place in the world and a family fighting to hold itself together. It is a story of ordinary lives made extraordinary, a drama about a community who can’t help but look to the boy from the sea for answers as they face the storm of a rapidly changing world.

]]> 330 Garrett Carr 1035044544 Marieke 4
The novel flows like the gentle waves of the sea, spanning two decades without ever speeding up. It maintains a deliberately slow pace, requiring readers to surrender to its lyrical prose and unique narrative style. Although I found the pacing a bit too slow at times, I was captivated by Brendan’s newfound family: Ambrose, with his soft spot for the boy from the sea; Declan, who was jealous of the boy he didn’t want to call his brother; and Christine, who tried to hold everything together. The Irish setting added another layer of depth to the story.

Actual rating 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 because of the beautiful writing and the enchanting atmosphere.

Thank you, Knopf and NetGalley, for this wonderful novel.

Follow me on ]]> 4.11 2025
author: Garrett Carr
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/15
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves:
review:
The Boy from the Sea is a beautifully crafted story, narrated through the perspectives of the residents of an Irish village. It feels as though an observer from above is watching over Brendan and the people whose lives he touches, often zooming in on intimate scenes and dialogues. As a reader, you experience the emotions of all the main characters—almost except Brendan’s. This narrative choice gives Brendan, the boy found by the sea as a newborn, an otherworldly quality. His quietness only deepens the story’s mystique.

The novel flows like the gentle waves of the sea, spanning two decades without ever speeding up. It maintains a deliberately slow pace, requiring readers to surrender to its lyrical prose and unique narrative style. Although I found the pacing a bit too slow at times, I was captivated by Brendan’s newfound family: Ambrose, with his soft spot for the boy from the sea; Declan, who was jealous of the boy he didn’t want to call his brother; and Christine, who tried to hold everything together. The Irish setting added another layer of depth to the story.

Actual rating 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 because of the beautiful writing and the enchanting atmosphere.

Thank you, Knopf and NetGalley, for this wonderful novel.

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]]> 220217801
Juggling a new job, the prospect of her parents' restaurant being sold, and keeping her best friend from going full bridezilla, dealing with The Ex is the last thing she needs. But somehow the spark between them is only getting hotter—and threatening to ruin everything.]]> 496 Bolu Babalola 0063306980 Marieke 0 to-read 4.59 2025
author: Bolu Babalola
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216970893 From the author of Spontaneous comes a '90s mixtape of a young adult novel that delivers a summer romance with an unearthly twist.

It was just one swim… How could they know it would never end?

It's the summer of 1994 and Trevor can barely wrap his mind around the fact that he and his friends have graduated high school. The future is a murky thing, filled with a college experience he feels neutral about at best, endless mixtape relistens, and the growing realization that his crush on the enigmatic Sarah isn't going anywhere.

That is, until Sarah approaches him with a mission: they're going to swim in all the pools in the neighborhood. Soon, their quest leads to them sneaking into backyard pools every night and continuing to get closer. But not close enough for Trevor, who yearns for Sarah despite her college boyfriend, despite her "not yet"s, despite the way she keeps pulling away the moment things feel real.

So when they learn about a natural pool hidden deep in the woods, it starts off as just another spot to check off their summer bucket list. But once they get there, they soon realize the natural pool has a curious hold on them, and something very strange is happening…]]> 240 Aaron Starmer 0525555641 Marieke 4
Do you know that feeling? When you’re longing to move forward, but at the same time don't want to leave the familiar things behind? Starting a new job, or literally moving houses, or in this case, teens on the cusp of adulthood who just graduated and have that last long summer ahead of them before they leave for college. Some of them can’t wait to leave everything behind, while others would prefer to freeze time.

Night Swimming is a coming-of-age speculative YA novel set in 1994, written in short, blunt sentences without any frills, about mix tapes and parties and pool visits in which nothing seems to happen. The pacing is intriguingly slow and fits the story so well. Sometimes, when you seem to have all the time in the world, you stop thinking and just enjoy yourself. After all, you have plenty of time. Or you start to worry about all the changes that will be coming, and you freeze in the moment. Those worries, those changes, the time that literally seems to be fixed but at the same time flies by at lightning speed, that is what this story is about.

The teens in this story all experience this last summer together differently. Trevor views everything almost from a helicopter position and only wants one thing: to kiss Sarah. Sarah is a free-spirited mind who wants nothing more than to leave everything (and everyone) behind her. Jared doesn't really want to think about who he actually is. Bev’s mother is seriously ill. Lori seems to be lost and literally gets lost. Buck loses himself to alcohol and weed. Heather and Schulz can be found at every party. And that one person whose first-person POV fills the space between the chapters and let goosebumps run down my arms from the very first chapter.

Night Swimming is different from any story I’ve ever read and, therefore, unique. It reminded me a little of the TV series Lost. I actually loved this short getaway from my own life and am curious about Aaron Starmer’s other books.

Thank you, Penguin Random House International, for this beautiful ARC! 

Follow me on ]]> 3.61 2025
author: Aaron Starmer
name: Marieke
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/28
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves:
review:
A fascinating cover, an atmospheric blurb, and an eerie story about graduating teens that seems to stand still while the tension in the background almost feels unbearable. 

Do you know that feeling? When you’re longing to move forward, but at the same time don't want to leave the familiar things behind? Starting a new job, or literally moving houses, or in this case, teens on the cusp of adulthood who just graduated and have that last long summer ahead of them before they leave for college. Some of them can’t wait to leave everything behind, while others would prefer to freeze time.

Night Swimming is a coming-of-age speculative YA novel set in 1994, written in short, blunt sentences without any frills, about mix tapes and parties and pool visits in which nothing seems to happen. The pacing is intriguingly slow and fits the story so well. Sometimes, when you seem to have all the time in the world, you stop thinking and just enjoy yourself. After all, you have plenty of time. Or you start to worry about all the changes that will be coming, and you freeze in the moment. Those worries, those changes, the time that literally seems to be fixed but at the same time flies by at lightning speed, that is what this story is about.

The teens in this story all experience this last summer together differently. Trevor views everything almost from a helicopter position and only wants one thing: to kiss Sarah. Sarah is a free-spirited mind who wants nothing more than to leave everything (and everyone) behind her. Jared doesn't really want to think about who he actually is. Bev’s mother is seriously ill. Lori seems to be lost and literally gets lost. Buck loses himself to alcohol and weed. Heather and Schulz can be found at every party. And that one person whose first-person POV fills the space between the chapters and let goosebumps run down my arms from the very first chapter.

Night Swimming is different from any story I’ve ever read and, therefore, unique. It reminded me a little of the TV series Lost. I actually loved this short getaway from my own life and am curious about Aaron Starmer’s other books.

Thank you, Penguin Random House International, for this beautiful ARC! 

Follow me on
]]> 223878710
Paz Dario stays up every night, waiting for the Death-Cast call that would mean he doesn’t have to keep faking his way through this lonely life. After a devastating day, Paz decides he’s done waiting around for Death-Cast. If they say he’s not dying, he’ll just have to prove them wrong. But right before Paz can die, a boy saves his life.

Alano Rosa is heir to the Death-Cast empire that encourages everyone to live their best lives, but he doesn’t feel in control of his own existence thanks to his father. And with a violent organization called the Death Guard threatening Alano, his End Day might be closer than he thinks. It’s time to live.

Fate brings Paz and Alano together, but it’s now up to the boys to survive the tragic trials ahead so no one dies at the end.

This book contains themes that some readers may find difficult.]]> Adam Silvera Marieke 0 to-read 4.33
author: Adam Silvera
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 211004198 They Wish They Were Us meets All That’s Left to Say in this dark academia thriller about who is allowed to break the rules—and who suffers the consequences.

The week before Luna’s twin sister Solina was supposed to return for her final semester at Kingswood Academy, an elite boarding school in the Washington mountains, she told Luna she was dropping out. When Luna refused to let her throw away her future, Solina disappeared.

Twelve hours later, she was dead.

Luna knows Solina’s death wasn’t an accident, even if the police say otherwise. There’s a reason Solina didn’t want to go back to Kingswood, and Luna knows she’ll find the truth there. All she has to do is become Solina. Playing her sister comes easy, but finding answers is far from it. Between the cunning, cruel people Solina called her friends, Luna's budding feelings for her roommate, and the harsh realization that Solina had dark secrets, getting to the bottom of her sister’s murder is more difficult than Luna could have ever anticipated. But when you have nothing left to lose, you’re willing to do anything to get what you want.

There’s no limit to how far Luna will go to avenge her sister—even if she has to burn all of Kingswood to the ground.]]> 288 Elle Gonzalez Rose 1547616032 Marieke 4
You know, I really liked Elle Gonzalez Rose’s YA contemporary romances, but Elle just knows my soft spot: sadder, darker stories with flawed characters full of anger.

As soon as I read the blurb of this story, I knew I had to read the book. A teen who loses her identical twin and suspects she got killed and therefore takes her sister’s place at her boarding school to find out who murdered her twin.

From the first page, this story hisses and puffs and eventually stirs up a raging fire. Luna is a fighter and has always been a fighter. So when the police dismiss Solina’s death as an accident, she’s enraged.

My hair stood up when Luna met her sister’s friends. Every time Hunter touched her, I wanted to pull away. Whenever Polly talked to her, I cringed. And Gabe? He was so unreadable. Even Claudia made my gut churn, even though she was the nicest of the bunch.

I love it when an author is multi-talented and can write in different genres. Now, I’m longing for a darker contemporary romance, but another dark academia would be great, too!

Thank you, Erin, from MacMillan International, for this great ARC!

Follow me on ]]> 3.46 2025
author: Elle Gonzalez Rose
name: Marieke
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/13
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: arc-netgalley-edelweiss, mystery-thriller-dark-academia, young-adult, grief-trauma, lgbtqia
review:
Actual rating 4.5 stars.

You know, I really liked Elle Gonzalez Rose’s YA contemporary romances, but Elle just knows my soft spot: sadder, darker stories with flawed characters full of anger.

As soon as I read the blurb of this story, I knew I had to read the book. A teen who loses her identical twin and suspects she got killed and therefore takes her sister’s place at her boarding school to find out who murdered her twin.

From the first page, this story hisses and puffs and eventually stirs up a raging fire. Luna is a fighter and has always been a fighter. So when the police dismiss Solina’s death as an accident, she’s enraged.

My hair stood up when Luna met her sister’s friends. Every time Hunter touched her, I wanted to pull away. Whenever Polly talked to her, I cringed. And Gabe? He was so unreadable. Even Claudia made my gut churn, even though she was the nicest of the bunch.

I love it when an author is multi-talented and can write in different genres. Now, I’m longing for a darker contemporary romance, but another dark academia would be great, too!

Thank you, Erin, from MacMillan International, for this great ARC!

Follow me on
]]> 217513554 Two competing meteorologists are forced to find common ground in this opposites attract, When Harry Met Sally inspired romance, from New York Times bestselling author B.K. Borison.

Jackson Clark and Delilah Stewart have had their fair share of run-ins over the years, often ending in disaster. While Jackson thrives on routine and organization from the comfort of his radio booth, Delilah loves the spontaneity and adventure out in the field. When they’re partnered against their will to cover the snowstorm of the century, they find themselves scrambling to figure out how to work together.

Eager to be taken seriously as a journalist, Delilah offers Jackson a deal. If he can help her ace this assignment, she’ll help him rediscover his long-lost fun side. With an undiscovered chemistry burning beneath their clashes, the unlikely partnership quickly tumbles into an easy and surprising friendship.

But when other feelings start to enter the equation, can Jackson and Delilah withstand the storm? Or does what happens in the mountains, stay in the mountains?]]> B.K. Borison Marieke 0 to-read 4.28 2026
author: B.K. Borison
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 221984084
Perfect for fans of atmospheric queer fantasy romance, including The Raven Cycle, Cemetery Boys and Sixteen Souls.

With Gabriel missing and the death premonition still unbroken, Miles and Charlee race to work out where he is. Armed with the grimoire, they might stand a chance of breaking the curse on Gabriel's family and preventing his death—but only if they can find him.

Miles's parents are furious to learn he's been helping Gabriel—and they don't even know the half of it. Miles is sure understanding the feud between their families is key to lifting the curse. Plus, he'd like them to get to know the boy he's hoping he's maybe, sort-of dating.

With new premonitions changing everything they thought they knew and the dark power of the grimoire whispering in their ears, Miles and Gabriel are running out of time. Both their lives are on the line, and danger might be closer to home than they realize…]]> Camilla Raines 1835410006 Marieke 0 to-read 5.00
author: Camilla Raines
name: Marieke
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 221228051 Bestselling and award-winning author Mason Deaver’s adult romance debut follows a journalist in a dead-end job who agrees to teach his disastrous blind date how to be a better boyfriend. Readers will delight in this sweet and steamy queer romance with trans representation!

Eli Francis is stuck. Stuck in an assistant position at the online magazine Vent when he should be a writer. Stuck with a boss who dangles a promotion but would rather he just fetch the coffee. Stuck working alongside the ex who has had no trouble moving up at work…or moving on.

When Eli’s roommates push him to date so he can get over his ex once and for all, they set him up with Peter Park. Tall, handsome, and unbelievably awkward. The date is a complete disaster, and further proof to Eli that love isn’t for him. But when his boss overhears Eli recounting the catastrophic night, he suggests teaching Peter to be a better boyfriend through a series of simulated dates so he can write an article about it.

But Eli has other ideas…Eli plays along, pretending to write the article, while secretly interviewing Peter about growing up queer in the South and coming-of-age dating wise in adulthood. Eli hopes writing this sort of piece will finally get him the promotion he deserves. And in exchange, he will teach Peter how to be a better boyfriend.

But the more time Eli spends with Peter, the closer they become, and the lines between what’s real and what’s fake begin to blur. Before long Eli is forced to face his greatest fears to become the writer he wants to be and secure the love he’s always needed. ]]> 384 Mason Deaver 0063394308 Marieke 0 to-read 4.04 2025
author: Mason Deaver
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223854541 A down-on-her-luck woman makes a deal with a crafty demon to win back her ex-girlfriend after a proposal gone awry, only to discover the girl of her dreams might be the devil she knows, from nationally bestselling author Alexandria Bellefleur.

Samantha Cooper is having a day from hell.

In less than 24 hours, her life has unraveled, leaving her single and with nowhere to live. Adding insult to injury, she’s trapped in an elevator with a gorgeous woman claiming to be a demon.

Daphne is not at all what Samantha expected from someone claiming to be an evil supernatural entity. She’s pretty, witty, dressed in pink, and smells nice. And she’s here to offer Samantha a deal she can’t refuse. Six wishes in exchange for one tiny trade—Samantha’s soul. There’s a glaring loophole in their contract, one Samantha fully intends to exploit so she doesn’t fork over her soul. After all, she only needs one wish to win her ex back.

Hell-bent to gather the last of the one thousand souls she needs so that she can be free of her own devilish deal, Daphne grants each of Samantha’s wishes . . . with a twist, so that Samantha is forced to make another.

As Samantha’s wishes dwindle and Daphne offers her glimpses into the life she thought she wanted, the unlikely pair grows close. Perhaps the girl of Samantha’s dreams is actually the stuff of nightmares, but Samantha and Daphne will have to outsmart the Devil himself if they want a chance at happily ever after.]]> 336 Alexandria Bellefleur 0593952502 Marieke 0 to-read 3.94 2025
author: Alexandria Bellefleur
name: Marieke
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222376745 Ali Hazelwood meets Dungeons & Dragons in this enemies-to-lovers fantasy academia romcom where rival grad student wizards are forced to work together without killing―or falling for―each other.

Will they conjure love, or evoke chaos? Two rival wizards are about to find out.

Sebastian Walsh: twenty-four. Grad student at Lesiara University in the Mageus of Evocation program. Human. The first of his family to go to college rather than the military (and it goes over at family get-togethers about as well as you’d think).

Elethior Tourael: also twenty-four. Also a grad student, but in the far more inferior Mageus of Conjuration program. Half-elf. The latest in a long line of Touraels to grace the hallowed halls of Lesiara U (what would the world do if the Touraels ran out of rich douches to lead their magical weapons manufacturing empire?).

―and the other finalist for the Mageus Research Grant.

Sebastian needs that grant to fund the last few months of research for his degree, after which he’ll get a job that actually helps people. He isn’t about to let anyone snatch this from him, least of all a snob who doesn’t even need the money because his family is loaded thanks to war profiteering.

But there’s something worse than having a conceited academic nemesis steal grant money from you: you could be forced to work with him. Thio is secretive, broody, and his stunning biceps take up far too much shared lab space―but even as volatile as their partnership is, Sebastian just might find himself falling for his rival―and it could blow up his whole future.]]> 336 Sara Raasch 1250333237 Marieke 0 to-read 4.49 2025
author: Sara Raasch
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217241790
1915: Given another chance to write themselves into the narrative, two men emerge. Torn away from their homes and serving on the frontlines of World War One, the pair find themselves drawn to one another after each suffers an immense lose. With no memory of their history together, they attempt to hold onto one another as the war takes its toll and hope runs thin. Grief, however, can be lethal, and war knows no mercy.

Our dearest friendships can become our biggest tragedies, and memories can cause be our greatest undoing.]]> 550 Kieran Dimitri Marieke 0 to-read 4.78 2025
author: Kieran Dimitri
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.78
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 203177517 Caspien Deveraux was poison.

It took me years to realise that he hadn’t been born like that. He’d been cultivated and nurtured by a careful hand and a bitter heart.

When I first met him, he was a bud. One primed to bloom beautifully and deadly. One I should have torn out at the root.

I loathed him. I loved him. And until him, I hadn’t known just how completely those two things could exist at once.]]> 599 Scarlett Drake Marieke 5
I hate Caspien. I want to protect 15-year-old Caspein with my life. I loathe Caspien. I want to hug 19-year-old Caspien so bad. I despise him. Or …

Okay, put a couple of self-destructive people in a book, and I’ll probably love the story. I know, I know, most of you love sweetness and a guaranteed HEA. I love that too but have a soft spot for those fucked-up, toxic, and incredibly tense books, preferably gorgeously written. So yeah, that’s what Oleander is. Just like the plant. Looking beautiful, but also so dangerous.

After reading the prologue, I already knew I’d love this book. All those slivers of the past shining through, all that tension, and then all the hatred that suddenly disappeared.

I rooted for Jude and sometimes wanted to yell at him to stop caring about Caspien and instead start living. But even though he tried, he couldn’t. His scars constantly reopened, and his love for Cas seeped out of those wounds. At these moments, I hated Cas even more. And still …

I kept wondering why Cas did what he did. And I had my suspicions early on. D*mn, Cas, d*mm. Anger exploded inside my body when I found out I was right. I knew early on in the story he was 15 years old when it all started. A kid!

That last email from Jude to Cas broke me, but I also kept hope—hope that they’d both be alright in the end—because that is what those two guys deserved.

This book is written from Jude’s POV, but the last chapter is from Cas’ and I adored it.

Follow me on ]]> 4.47 2024
author: Scarlett Drake
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/18
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves:
review:
Actual rating 4.5 stars.

I hate Caspien. I want to protect 15-year-old Caspein with my life. I loathe Caspien. I want to hug 19-year-old Caspien so bad. I despise him. Or …

Okay, put a couple of self-destructive people in a book, and I’ll probably love the story. I know, I know, most of you love sweetness and a guaranteed HEA. I love that too but have a soft spot for those fucked-up, toxic, and incredibly tense books, preferably gorgeously written. So yeah, that’s what Oleander is. Just like the plant. Looking beautiful, but also so dangerous.

After reading the prologue, I already knew I’d love this book. All those slivers of the past shining through, all that tension, and then all the hatred that suddenly disappeared.

I rooted for Jude and sometimes wanted to yell at him to stop caring about Caspien and instead start living. But even though he tried, he couldn’t. His scars constantly reopened, and his love for Cas seeped out of those wounds. At these moments, I hated Cas even more. And still …

I kept wondering why Cas did what he did. And I had my suspicions early on. D*mn, Cas, d*mm. Anger exploded inside my body when I found out I was right. I knew early on in the story he was 15 years old when it all started. A kid!

That last email from Jude to Cas broke me, but I also kept hope—hope that they’d both be alright in the end—because that is what those two guys deserved.

This book is written from Jude’s POV, but the last chapter is from Cas’ and I adored it.

Follow me on
]]> 216879676 320 Stephan Lee 1546128166 Marieke 0 to-read 0.0 2025
author: Stephan Lee
name: Marieke
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 53086843
Heartbroken, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his things, and tries everything to forget him and the tragic way he died. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces back memories. Desperate to hear his voice one more time, Julie calls Sam’s cellphone just to listen to his voicemail.

And Sam picks up the phone.

In a miraculous turn of events, Julie’s been given a second chance at goodbye. The connection is temporary. But hearing Sam’s voice makes her fall for him all over again, and with each call it becomes harder to let him go. However, keeping her otherworldly calls with Sam a secret isn’t easy, especially when Julie witnesses the suffering Sam’s family is going through. Unable to stand by the sidelines and watch their shared loved ones in pain, Julie is torn between spilling the truth about her calls with Sam and risking their connection and losing him forever.]]> 296 Dustin Thao 1250762030 Marieke 4 You want to feel something. Something meaningful, and intense. You want to feel that thing in your heart and stomach. You want to be moved. To care about something, or fall in love.

This quote is exactly why I love books like these.

You’ve Reached Sam has been collecting dust on my TBR for years, and I know I’m super late to the party, but I figured that because You’ve Found Oliver (have you seen that cover?!?!) releases in September, I really needed to pick up You’ve Reached Sam. And I’m so happy that I did!

I read quite a few reviews beforehand from people who loved the story and people who hated it. I belong to the first category, even though I don’t think this story is flawless. Sam was a bit too perfect for me, and I found the timeline a bit weird, especially at the beginning of the story, but overall, this novel took a piece of my heart.

We all deal differently with grief, and that’s what You’ve Reached Sam is about. Julie withdraws and seems made of stone to others, but she is in so much pain inside that she can't even attend Sam's funeral. Mika, Sam's cousin, doesn't understand Julie. She is constantly in tears and attends every memorial service (and there are quite a few). And Oliver, sweet Oliver, carries a secret with him and wants to talk about Sam so badly.

I started to care about all three of them, but most of all about Oliver, and therefore, I can’t wait to read the sequel. I expect it to shred my heart in pieces and hopefully mend it together in the end.

Bye, beautiful Sam.

You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we walk in fields of gold

Follow me on ]]> 3.63 2021
author: Dustin Thao
name: Marieke
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/03
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves:
review:
You want to feel something. Something meaningful, and intense. You want to feel that thing in your heart and stomach. You want to be moved. To care about something, or fall in love.

This quote is exactly why I love books like these.

You’ve Reached Sam has been collecting dust on my TBR for years, and I know I’m super late to the party, but I figured that because You’ve Found Oliver (have you seen that cover?!?!) releases in September, I really needed to pick up You’ve Reached Sam. And I’m so happy that I did!

I read quite a few reviews beforehand from people who loved the story and people who hated it. I belong to the first category, even though I don’t think this story is flawless. Sam was a bit too perfect for me, and I found the timeline a bit weird, especially at the beginning of the story, but overall, this novel took a piece of my heart.

We all deal differently with grief, and that’s what You’ve Reached Sam is about. Julie withdraws and seems made of stone to others, but she is in so much pain inside that she can't even attend Sam's funeral. Mika, Sam's cousin, doesn't understand Julie. She is constantly in tears and attends every memorial service (and there are quite a few). And Oliver, sweet Oliver, carries a secret with him and wants to talk about Sam so badly.

I started to care about all three of them, but most of all about Oliver, and therefore, I can’t wait to read the sequel. I expect it to shred my heart in pieces and hopefully mend it together in the end.

Bye, beautiful Sam.

You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we walk in fields of gold

Follow me on
]]> 214438353 A contemporary YA gothic romance about a dark family secret, a lush, mysterious garden, and a love that never dies, from New York Times bestselling author Goldy Moldavsky.

Aspiring artist Rose Pauly is not happy moving from her home in New York City right before her senior year of high school. But on her first miserable day in Connecticut, she meets Hart Hargrove. The two share an immediate, undeniable connection.

Hart introduces Rose to his slice of paradise–the immense private garden nestled behind the Hargrove family mansion. There, the two spend a fever dream of a summer together. But as their bond blossoms into love, Rose can't shake the feeling that all is not as it seems.

When Rose uncovers the truth about the garden, she's forced to question how genuine her love story truly is. But Hart can't bear to lose Rose, and he will stop at nothing to save their relationship.

Posing haunting questions about beauty and desire, this is an atmospheric and darkly romantic tale that will enthrall readers.]]> 336 Goldy Moldavsky 1250863325 Marieke 0 to-read 3.94 2025
author: Goldy Moldavsky
name: Marieke
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 221452838 A poignant coming-of-age story with the sensitivity and haunting power of What Belongs to You and Swimming in the Dark, about a young boy wrestling with his sexuality as war breaks out in modern Ukraine.

In many ways, twelve-year-old Artem’s life in Chernihiv, Ukraine, is normal. He spends his days helping on his grandfather’s sunflower farm, drawing in his sketchbook—a treasured gift from his father, who works in America—and swimming in the river with his little brother, Yuri. In secret, Artem has begun wrestling with romantic feelings for his best friend, Viktor. In a country where love between two boys is unthinkable, Artem has begun to worry that growing up, his life will never be normal.

Then, on a February night, Artem and Yuri are woken by explosions—the beginning of a war that will tear their life in two. The invading Russians destroy their home, killing their mother and grandfather, and leaving young Artem and Yuri to fend for themselves. Fleeing in hopes of somehow reuniting with their father, the brothers traverse the country their ancestors once fought and died for, with nothing but their backpacks and each other. Surrounded by death and destruction, Artem is certain of one thing—that whatever may come, he must keep himself and his brother alive.

A harrowing and gorgeous tale of love, identity, lost innocence, and survival set in a time of devastating war, The Sunflower Boys is a powerful, heartrending exploration of young queer love, the Ukrainian spirit, and a family’s struggle to survive.]]> 352 Sam Wachman 0063418223 Marieke 0 to-read 4.67 2025
author: Sam Wachman
name: Marieke
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>