readintowonderland's reviews
454 reviews

This was an absolutely splendid time that was so lighthearted and fun! They were so supportive of each other the whole time. It was lovely to see a plus-sized FMC who was celebrated for who she was.

Bonus points because I adore Jacob Morgan's narration. It definitely made me blush a few times.

A proper review is coming when I process my thoughts 

Due to its heavy nature, it took me a while to get through this one. The first 30% of the book is generally quite lighthearted until the things with Ade really hit. Then it becomes a long and hard journey for the boys. It was such a powerful and truthful story that many queer people around the world unfortunately experience. Especially in countries where being gay is illegal. 

The story was a great combination of discussing heavy topics and showing the power of a found family. I adored Ade and Stefan together. They had a lot of deep and thoughtful conversations that were refreshing to see. All of the side characters added a lot to the story. 

For a debut novel, this was incredibly strong and well-thought-out. I'll be interested to see how Dípè's writing is in the future. 

I received this book as an arc from the author. My review is honest and voluntary. 

It wasn't as engaging as I hoped but I did like the winery aspects. The winery seems like a wonderful place to visit. 

I gotta admit, this book would've been significantly shorter if the girls simply communicated their feelings. It was just frustrating to read about.

This one was certainly more gory than I typically enjoy but I was happy that most of the gore was pretty brief. That said, if you don't like gore, I don't recommend this one as it is certainly graphic. The early part of the book weren't particularly by the end but I definitely didn't want to read the later parts at night. 

There was a lot of fantastic queer rep which was definitely my favorite part. It does a great job discussing the role of queerness in the horror industry which I wasn't aware of before this book. I feel like this story is a wonderful way to dip your toes into the concept. 

The audiobook's casting choices were fantastic. The narrators conveyed so much emotion which really helped with my immersion in the story.

There was some helpful advice here but in addition, there were a lot of narrow-minded perspectives. It felt like the book was a little overly focused on having a narcissistic parent being the root of all your problems. Not every mental health problem people have is the result of their parent being a narcissist but it felt like that was what McBride attributed to all of their patients. 

I don't typically get personal at all in my reviews but I think it is important to warn people who think they may have grown up with a narcissistic parental figure. There will be real stories that are gonna hit HARD. So ensure you are in a good place mentally before diving in or it may cause some unfortunate flashbacks. 

 This story was fantastic in terms of demonstrating healthy communication and how people can find commonalities with one another when they open up about their lives.

There is trans, gay, and pansexual rep in this story which was lovely to see. The identities of the characters legitimately contribute to the story and their development and connection. 

My only real complaint is that I wanted more. I want to see where the story goes after the appointment and see these wonderful characters develop more. 

What an incredible and powerful story! It spoke volumes about the power of the beauty industry, the desire to fit in, and complicated family ties. 

A proper review is coming when I process my thoughts

Oh my gosh, this book was so so great! Noah and Lotte are absolutely adorable and oh-so-sweet to each other. I loved seeing them together. Their quick and close bond was so clear and beautiful to see. Their flirting definitely made me blush a few times. 

I have to compliment Bindi on how truly realistic her dialogue felt. The whole time it felt like I was witnessing real conversations between dynamic and varied individuals. All of the hockey chirps and adorable moments helped a lot too. 

This one made me laugh out loud so many times. It was funny from the first page. I was constantly telling my partner about the funny moments because I couldn't keep my amusement to myself. 

There were a lot of fun and clever references throughout the book. It was like a fun easter egg hunt while reading.

There was the perfect blend of including hockey in an informed and purposeful way without including it too much for anyone who may not know as much about the sport. The reader can learn along with Lotte about the fun involved in the hockey world.

This book does contain a number of spicy scenes. If spice is not your thing, I do not recommend this book. That said, the spicy scenes truly contributed to the plot and character development. More than I've ever seen in a book before. Their sensuality and care towards each other during intimate moments felt legitimate. 

This wholeheartedly deserves my first 5-star of the year, even though I was in a slump while reading it so it took me ages to finish, I adored every moment! If you love romances that will make you blush and laugh, this is the perfect book for you. 

I received this book as part of Bindi's team. My review is honest and voluntary.

This book does have a good bit of helpful advice for those with ADHD struggling to organize their life and time. I appreciate the gentle and encouraging approach the authors took. It makes some good points but few I haven't heard before.

My one complaint about it was that there was a ton of tone shifting, making it difficult to focus on the content. (Which I already struggle with when reading nonfiction because of ADHD). It would continually flip-flop between conversational and clinical. My advice to those with ADHD who speed up audiobooks when listening to them is to slow this one down a bit from your typical listening speed. 

Overall if you have ADHD and find planning out your time to be a challenge, you may find this book helpful. If you don't have ADHD this isn't really the book to educate you about it. If you have looked up a lot of advice on the subject, you likely won't get much from reading it. 

This one was interesting but again it felt like the thrilling aspects were heavily limited to the beginning and the end. The middle just felt like a ton of filler, and not much was happening. I will give this book props for employing setting well and in a unique way.