100 Afternoon Sweets by Sarah Kieffer

100 Afternoon Sweets by Sarah Kieffer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ How silly of me reviewing this ARC when now I want a print copy to bake with! Gorgeous photos and clear descriptions. I particularly have my eye on Cranberry Caramel Upside-Down Cake, Toasted Sesame Blondies, Lemon Cake Squares, Pecan Espresso Bars, Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, Passion Fruit S'mores Pie, Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars, Coffee Blondies, Cherry Pie Bars, Caramel Rhubarb Shortbread Bars. The section on buttercreams will definitely up my cake game. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley

How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 This was a fun romp with loveable characters, themes of found family and defying expectations, and a lot of humor. I enjoyed the portrayal of people at different stages of life coming together and being kind of ridiculous. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali (NetGalley ARC 7/2) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐This initially reminded me a bit of My Brilliant Friend. This is a story fundamentally about women’s friendship and a great way to learn about Iran’s history through a beautiful story. There were also luscious descriptions of food along the way and my heart aches for the experiences of the women of Iran but also of women everywhere during this time period of backsliding when it comes to women’s rights. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

The Unwedding by Ally Condie

The Unwedding by Ally Condie ⭐⭐⭐💫 3.5 stars. I had mixed feelings. It was a page-turner, great setting, intriguing premise. It was a borderline thriller but not so scary that I put it aside (I generally avoid thrillers but like mysteries). It did feel like it started to drag around halfway through and for me that's when the suspense starts to get tedious. I did not care for the main character. I think there were too many side characters so they were underdeveloped. I stayed up late to finish it and was excited to get to the end, but then felt a bit underwhelmed by the time I got there. Also - why didn't she ever tell us Ravi's backstory?

 

The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan

The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan (NetGalley ARC 7/2) ⭐⭐⭐ This book was compelling and especially the last third I was eager to read quickly. However, it really dragged in sections where it became more recitation of facts than storytelling, and the jumps in storyline were sometimes jarring. It's also very hard to stay with the unlikeable main character. It felt like there was a compelling story within this book, but it needed sharper editing and a bit more focus and it still could have tied together in a satisfying way. It felt like it only had one foot in historical fiction and while I'm glad I finished, it took some effort. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Same Bright Stars by Ethan Joella

Same Bright Stars by Ethan Joella (NetGalley ARC 7/2) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I really enjoyed this novel. At first I just liked the writing and found it a bit meandering, but then the story continued to unfold and deepen. It drew me in so much that I read more than half of it in one day to finish. Warm themes of found family and small town community. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

 

System Collapse by Martha Wells

System Collapse by Martha Wells ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I didn't want this to end as there are no more books out in the series currently (I read that more are coming?) This continued the storyline from Network Effect which I also loved.

Murder at the Breakers by Alyssa Maxwell

 

Murder at the Breakers by Alyssa Maxwell ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Late 19th century historical fiction/mystery. It was pretty fun and I liked it enough to consider continuing the series, although I guessed the murderer pretty early.

The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan

The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan ⭐⭐⭐⭐ elements of the Emmy Lake Chronicles as it’s set in London during the blitz. Found family and how books bring people together. It had three perspectives which I think made it longer than necessary and it wrapped very tidily.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This took me a few tries until I finally got into it 😁 It definitely had magic and found family vibes. I’ll be interested in picking up the 2nd book but won’t rush to it like I might for other series.

A View from the Stars by Cixin Liu

A View from the Stars by Cixin Liu ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Huge fan of 3 Body Problem series so I was eager to check this out. A collection of short stories, essays, and interviews from the author of 3 Body Problem reflecting on writing and sci-fi. I probably enjoyed the short stories the most which showcased his trademark sense of humor and out of the box thinking.

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3.75 stars) I enjoyed most of the writing and story, but it should have been 100 pages shorter. The story was slow, I knew where it was headed, and it just felt like it was dragging its feet to reach the ending.

Murder at the White Palace by Allison Montclair

Murder at the White Palace by Allison Montclair (Sparks & Bainbridge #6) NetGalley ARC ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I can't tell if the writing is better with each book, or it's simply that I love the characters more and more. I tried to not gulp the book down too quickly, but I liked it so much it was hard not to read it fast. I was eager to get my hands on this book and so happy that I got to read it early. A great combo of historical fiction and mystery with a storyline deeply connected to the beloved characters. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Well it's been about 10 years since I started posting my cooking adventures on Instagram and abandoned this little blogspot but guess what - I am back and posting book reviews now instead!