joinreallife's reviews
1379 reviews

What a fricking wild ride. The first half was slow and I can definitely see people not making it that far, not feeling invested enough to power through. But at about the 75% mark, things REALLY ramp up and kept me on the edge of my seat. I'm a reader who doesn't mind being confused, so that didn't deter me in the least. I don't think I even still understand what exactly happened, but I don't necessarily think "understanding" is the point. I really appreciated that they were themselves in each life - I think trying to have their reincarnated bodies look different in each time they live would have felt too gimmicky to me, and the same bodies allows them to really lean into the feeling of recognition, which is harder to pull off if they're always in different bodies. It's about love across space and time, about time travel, about reincarnation, about sacrifice, and discovery. Going to be pondering this one for a minute. 3.5 stars, rounded up.

This was a lovely collection of novellas by four different authors, intertwined as they all take place during the annual "Revelry" event in 1815 presented by the dying Duke of Greystoke. As is often the case with anthologies, I liked some of these more than others, I think my favourite being Erica Ridley's Mischief & Mistletoe. The flip side of that is that there's truly something for everyone! There's a bit of insta-love, if you like that. There's second chance romance. There's marriage in trouble. And there's forbidden romance. Heroes range from lovably arrogant to deliciously thoughtful, the heroines are all bold, independent women trying to make the best decisions for themselves and their families. Thoroughly enjoyable, if the tiniest bit long for me personally.

For fans of The Good Place and A Christmas Carol, I guess? And also, of course, House in the Cerulean Sea, although this one is definitely more overtly dark than that one. Personally, I had a hard time feeling emotionally connected to the main characters, especially because I realized the thing that makes me not love TJ Klune's "whimsical" books as much as other people is that the love interest is basically a manic pixie dream girl, with no development or growth except what aids the main character. I honestly felt the most connected to a bit character. This one felt pretty intentionally emotionally manipulative - like talking to a grieving mom about things only she and her dead daughter shared to get her to accept her child's death - and I'm not quite sure how I personally feel about that, but I have a feeling that other people are going to really like this one because it's some Up-type shit, and people loved that.

Honestly, this was EXACTLY what I wanted it to be and was so much fun. It was giving me Halloweentown, Caspar, Hocus Pocus vibes, with some delightful steaminess. Vivi and Rhys met nine years ago in the small town where she lives with her aunt and cousin, and which is named for his ancient ancestor who founded the town. Unfortunately, it ended in heartbreak when Rhys spilled the beans about his betrothal. Whoops. Nine years later, he's returning to repower the ley lines when things go awry and mysteries have to be solved.

It really was a perfect fall read. Not too angsty, which is not my favourite thing. The relationship development was really subtly and skillfully done, almost making it feel like it wasn't happening at all - which I mean in the best way! It mirrored how the characters themselves didn't really see it happening until BAM! they realize they're in love. There was a tiny bit of instalove since their relationship is mostly fueled by feelings that were kindled nearly a decade ago during a barely three month "fling," and while that's not usually my fave, I truly didn't mind it here because Vivi and Rhys were just so stinking adorable. I loved the banter, I love Vivi's aunt and cousin, I love the B-plot focus on women in history being erased or forgotten. I can see people feeling like the ending happens too quickly, and I admit when I got to that 95% mark, I was like, "how...?" But that last chapter? Chef's kiss perfection for me.

 Thanks to Wattpad and Netgalley for the advance copy. Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me at 14%. I'm bummed because the synopsis seemed fun and we always need more fat character rep. I don't appreciate a main character's sibling's autism being used as a method of character growth for the MC. I also didn't love some casual biphobia that happened in the bit I did read. Is there a glanced-over mention of the MC thinking about how she can use brown makeup to get golden skin like a classmate? In South Africa? I don't love that. Even the 14% I did read was plodding and at nearly 400 pages, I think there could have been some more firm editing here. And this may be trivial, but the target audience seems to be young adult and there are references to Julio Iglesias and David Hasselhoff. I'm sorry, do current teens know who those dudes are? My thought is no, but maybe that's not the case in South Africa, which is where the author is from. Thanks again to the publisher and Netgalley, and sorry this one didn't work for me. :( 

Class. Power. Parental expectations. Societal expectations. Knowledge. Rebellion. Magic. There's a blurb that says it's Pride and Prejudice meets Dr. Strange and Mr. Norrell, and while I haven't read the latter, I 100% believe it. It made me emotional and hopeful. I loved it immensely. Polk is well on her way to becoming a favourite. 

 This was just delightful. I laughed out loud several times, and it was certainly steamy. Glad I'm rationing myself with the KJ Charles books. Whew! 

This is a cute, at times dark, story about twin witches who miss the bus to magic school and hijinks ensue. Unfortunately some of those hijinks are related to the fact that witches are generally frowned upon in the current moment, and the possibility that there may be more to their magical family than they knew. I really liked the art style here, and the story was engaging and kept me interested at every turn. I'm not sure if I was just reading too fast, but I sometimes found the panels a bit jam-packed, and I think the pacing was off in a few places, but overall, it was really fun.

Okay, I am now invested in interplanetary friendship. Who could have predicted? Definitely felt akin to reading The Martian, in the best way. The science went entirely over my head, but as with The Martian, it didn't really matter.

“Once upon a time, when stones were soft and stars were bits of dust, I loved a monster.” I mean, what a FANTASTIC line.

This is a really sweet, soft fantasy about a girl called Willodeen. Strong found family vibes (which is a perpetual fave) and an enduring, impactful story. Willodeen loses her mom, dad, and younger brother in a fire that rages through their small village and leaves her injured as well. She is taken in and nursed by two older women who live together, but can't quite let herself get attached to them because she doesn't want to be hurt again. For related reasons, she's also quite isolated and has a hard time making friends. But a thing she does love doing is observing the unique wildlife in their village. She has a small hummingbear (a creation of this fantastical world that is a very small bear that can fly like a hummingbird, freaking adorable) who is injured and has adopted her, and she likes to explore the woods, especially looking for screechers, an animal deemed less than desirable by the community because of its powerful stink when frightened. Coincidentally, around the same time the screecher population is dwindling because of a bounty the village has placed on them, the hummingbears also stop building their nests in the village, which is a problem as the hummingbears have been a big draw for tourists. Willodeen investigates why this might be, along with an accidental friend she's made, Connor, a boy who lives in the village and crafts fantastical creations, including a model screecher that he gifts to Willodeen on her eleventh birthday.

This book made me unexpectedly emotional? It is a book about the importance of community - not just with other people, but with nature. About being vulnerable and strong, and having your voice heard, even when you're a young person. And about there being value to be found in all living things, if only there is an attempt at understanding.

It's got lots of short chapters, which makes it a good choice for younger kids looking to get into longer chapter books but still needing some solid stopping points.

CW: death of a parent