I finished so many books recently so I figured it would be easier to just do a quick book roundup post of all of my reviews instead of a bunch of short reviews!
Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.
Here are all of the reasons you should read this book: fake dating, reality dating tv show redemption arc, cupcakes, BIPOC characters, grumpy/sunshine, CUPCAKES.
It is a really cute book and it was fun to read. I loved the character growth throughout the book and it was nice to see the different characters come into their own personalities more throughout the book. I think it was a really realistic plotline and I would love to read companion books about the other men of this bakery/football team. Definitely check it out when it is released!
My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth
Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.
I was so intrigued by the concept of this book. It is a YA romance that is touching on inequality in STEM, specifically in engineering and robotics – since it seems like a lot of STEM conversations in books recently has been related to things like biology and chemistry – as well as discussing what it is like to be a high school senior. Since this book switches perspectives between the two leads, Teo and Bel, who both come from very different backgrounds, it gives a nice contrast to the story and shows a wide range of scenarios that can happen as a senior in high school. What is it like to have everything figured out but have immense pressure to be the very best, feeling like everyone depends on you? That is what Teo deals with throughout the book. Bel, on the other hand, strives to find her purpose and place in the world, while being a free spirit and female in the sciences, which is historically unkind to non-male presenting folx.
It is a very cute story, and I think it will appeal to a lot of different people. It is definitely YA and has a lot of great messages in it, but it wasn’t quite my cup of tea. I think for me I was just getting too annoyed at some of the behaviors Teo and Bel had, specifically things that made them who they were, so it made it a little more difficult for me to read. However, I think this is a very necessary book to exist, and I think there is a wide range of people who will really enjoy this story.
It Takes a Villa by Kilby Blades
Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.
Would you be willing to go to Italy and to take over an abandoned/falling down building on the Amalfi Coast if you only had to pay 1 euro? The catch you ask? You have six months to remodel the whole building to the standards set forth by the council in charge of the program, you better have hundreds of thousands of euros for the remodel because things will obviously go wrong, and if you are like our lead Natalie, you are going to be completely alone. Well, she is alone until Pietro meets her and falls head over heels.
This book was really sweet, and I enjoyed reading this book a lot. It is a book about family, finding oneself, finding passions, and remembering history. I loved the alternating points of view between Pietro and Natalie, and Kilby does a great job of making me really feel like I was there with the characters. If I didn’t already want to visit Italy, I especially do now. This was a nice decompression book for me to read during a time of stress, because even the stressful parts were not overly anxiety inducing for me. If you are looking for a sweet romance book, this is one that would be a good bet.
The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R. M. Romero
Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Publishing for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.
This was a fascinating book to read. I was so intrigued by a story that was about Jewish folklore in Prague, especially with a biracial lead who was dealing with multicultural conflict on top of everything else. The art and Jewish history that was present throughout this book made it intriguing to read, even if it was a bit confusing to follow at times. I am also Jewish and was raised with some of this folklore, so it was interesting to see how it was spun into a YA novel. I loved seeing how the author’s experiences in clearing out Jewish cemeteries in Eastern Europe tied into the myth of this book. I think my hang-ups with this book really just came down to writing style – but that is such a personal preference. This was such a unique book and I am really happy I had the opportunity to read it.
Across the Aisle by Stephanie Vance
Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.
I was excited to read a book about lobbying, especially one that was about lobbying something near to my heart – environmental factors. What I wasn’t expecting was the strong feelings I had towards the characters due to the political opinions they held. I realize they are fictional characters, but I know real people have some of these opinions and boy did it get to me at times. I found myself getting as worked up as the leads when they were running into bureaucratic red tape, and the fact that decisions couldn’t be made because of pigheadedness was incredibly frustrating to read. It was cute watching Dallas and Grant fall for each other, but at times it felt a little too insta-love for me. I have already recommended this book to some of my political activist friends though, because I know they will love it, because it is well written and definitely can rile you up. Depending on your political views you can find it frustrating at times (at least if you are like me) but I can say that Stephanie does a good job balancing everything throughout the book so it doesn’t feel overly political. I won’t say my political opinions (but if you read my other book reviews I think you can tell) but I will say this, I was happy with the end result. This was a nice quick read for me, and I think if the topic interests you, check it out.
From Gay to Z: A Queer Compendium: A Queer Compendium by Justin Sayre
Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.
This was an interesting book to receive and read through. I appreciate the disclaimer at the beginning that this is just what Justin decided to include in this compendium, as there is so much history and so many options in the LGBTQIA+ community that could be added in something like this. It was fun to read through the different letters and see what Justin picked out and the short little blurbs explaining what the different topics were. Things ranged from Alexis Arquette to Gay Bars (just in general) to Rent (the musical), all with varying degrees of detail in their explanations, but year markers where appropriate. It was a nice little snapshot into different topics, and the full published version should have pictures as well (mine didn’t because it was a digital copy). I think this will be a really cool coffee table book and a nice conversation piece. It would also be interesting to see an expanded edition, or second edition maybe 10 years down the line with new information as things in the community change and more details arise for some of the people who are still alive and are listed in this book.