Danita Reads

The Great Italian Holiday Mix-Up

by Sandy Barker

(4 / 5)

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for providing a free review copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

This was a story that was inviting and easy to get pulled into. I really loved the setting on Capri and thought it was described beautifully. It was like going on vacation! The book brings us a scenario where 2 different couples use a travel planning company to find the perfect destination, only for them to accidentally get paired with each other’s partners in completely different countries. The characters who ended up in Capri, Delaney and Nick, were easy to relate to and like. I will say that I was a bit uncomfortable with some of the things happening between the two of them since they were both in other relationships. It helped though that both of their conflicted feelings about this were portrayed well, and things didn’t go as far as they potentially could have. For readers who are triggered by any type of cheating, this might not be the right book for you. All that said, this was still a couple that I liked and was rooting for. I also enjoyed both characters’ passion about movies.

Stops Along the Way

by Anna Sortino

coming May 19, 2026

(3.5 / 5)

I want to thank Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for providing a free review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

I liked this book for the most part – it was quick to read and pulled me out of an impending reading slump. I’m always up for a fun road trip, which was a big part of the story. There was a lot of disability representation since Iris, the narrator, had hearing loss and her sister, Amelia had vision loss. I liked that both of their disabilities were normalized while still showing some of the challenges they experienced. There’s also a pretty big gaming theme, which I thought was fun. The romance that developed was cute at first, but then things just felt confusing and changed quickly. I ended up losing interest in that part of the story by the end, especially since the pace changed and there was a jump in time. In the end, I think I would have liked to see a bit more character development with a less rushed ending, but the book did keep my interest pretty well along the way.

April 11, 2026 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Young Adult 0

First and Forever

by Lynn Painter

coming May 12, 2026

(4 / 5)

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the free review copy of this book! All opinions are completely my own.

First and Forever is a sports romance between a football player and a fan of the team. I thought the book was a cute story that I enjoyed. It was a quick read, and I felt like I was flying through the pages. It’s no surprise that football was a big theme, but it didn’t really matter that I went into it with minimal knowledge about the game. The main characters, Duffy and Connor, were likable, and I especially liked their flirty banter. The plot basically went in the direction I was expecting it to, so nothing really surprised me about it. That said, the book was a nice little escape and kept my interest well. The spice level was pretty low since it was closed door. Possible content warnings include sick family members and the previous loss of a parent.

March 27, 2026 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Women's Fiction 0

Seconds to Spare

by Rachel Reiss

coming May 12, 2026

(4.5 / 5)

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing a free review copy of Seconds to Spare! All opinions are completely my own.

Imagine you’re on a plane, flying over the Pacific Ocean, when the unthinkable happens… the plane goes into a freefall. Then imagine being stuck in a 28 minute time loop, repeating this scenario over and over hundreds of times. In Seconds to Spare, this is reality for Evelyn.

I really liked this book! As you can imagine from the description, this it’s packed with a range of emotions, from desperation and confusion to pure adrenaline. The descriptive nature of the book kept it very immersive, right down to the sounds you could hear in the background. Despite the 28 minute time loop, I was impressed that the story didn’t feel super repetitive. At first we’re getting snapshots from various loops that Evelyn experiences, with different conversions or actions. Then another character, Rion, wakes up for the first time and we start to experience more consecutive, full loops, but by then things actually started to feel more linear despite the key events that repeat each loop. There were a lot of side characters since we meet many of the other passengers on the plane, but I was able to keep track of the important ones without much effort. I liked Evelyn and Rion and seeing how they both evolve and grow over the course of this crazy scenario. I couldn’t help but root for them to survive and find a way to break the loop. I thought their emotions were portrayed very well in a way that made me feel like I was experiencing them. This book was a wild ride for sure, and I look forward to seeing more from the author in the future!

March 25, 2026 by danimae1981 Fiction Thriller Young Adult 0

Paradox

Cash & Colcord #2

by Douglas Preston & Aletheia Preston

coming April 21, 2026

(3 / 5)

I want to thank Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the free audiobook of Paradox. All opinions in my review are completely my own.

I was excited to read this book since I really enjoyed the first book in the series, Extinction, but I ended up being a bit underwhelmed. Paradox is following some of the same main characters from Extinction, but I thought the feel of this book was very different and didn’t appeal to me as much. Even the characters felt different from how they previously were, and almost all the characters were unlikable. The plot didn’t tie in too much to what happened in the first book, though there are enough references that might be confusing if you haven’t read it. Through this book there were so many characters and storylines that I started to lose track of what was going on, then my mind would wander and I’d lose interest. It also seemed to focus heavily on police procedure, with suspect interviews, investigation, autopsies, and even some legal proceedings, more than I would have preferred. The plot went into some directions I wasn’t expecting, with alien conspiracies and a lot of ties to religion and Catholicism. Some things that happened toward the end just felt weird and not explained well. As far as the crimes, I thought I knew for sure who was behind everything, but I ended up being surprised. I guess you could say it at least wasn’t predictable.

I read the audiobook version of the book, and I really liked the narrator. Characters had different voices and some even had accents. I thought the pacing was great too.

March 18, 2026 by danimae1981 Audiobook Fiction Mystery Thriller 0

Second Chance Duet

by Ana Holguin

Narrated by Jacqueline Sol

(4 / 5)

Thank you to Hachette Audio, Forever, and NetGalley for providing a free review audiobook of Second Chance Duet! All opinions are completely my own.

I really enjoyed this one! I thought both Celia and Oliver were relatable characters in their own ways. They were both very driven, leading to a rivalry between them when they were in college. The book has a dual timeline, so we are able to follow their story in the present as well as get perspective about their history and rivalry from the past. The present timeline was definitely my favorite, and I loved seeing the walls between Celia and Oliver come down as they finally got to know each other better. Even though there was a lot of friction between them at times, I liked that it didn’t feel mean or unjustified. Oliver had issues communicating so often came across in ways he probably didn’t intend to… I couldn’t really blame Celia for feeling the way she did about him. It was nice to see how much Oliver improved over time. He was actually quite sweet once Celia got to know the real him. A lot of Celia’s story is about her struggle trying to break into a tough industry composing music. I liked learning about Celia’s Latina heritage (with some basic Spanish mixed in here and there) plus her strong bond with her family. I absolutely loved the romance that developed and was glad that it didn’t feel rushed. The theme with the characters composing music for a TV show was fun too!

I was lucky enough to receive the audiobook copy of this book. While the narrator wasn’t quite as expressive as some narrators I’ve listened to, I still think she did a good job. The various characters had different voices, and she really captured Oliver’s quiet nature. A couple times the audio quality seemed reduced, but most of it sounded fine.

March 13, 2026 by danimae1981 Audiobook Fiction Romance 0

The Demonic Inventions of Aurelie Blake

by Mara Rutherford

coming April 14, 2026

(3 / 5)

Thank you to HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley for providing a free review copy of this book! All opinions are completely my own.

I’m so conflicted about this book… I enjoyed the first 75-80% of it and considered it a pretty solid 4 star read. But as I got closer to the end, I started to get frustrated with the direction things were going. The premise of demons appearing whenever something was created was unique, and I was curious to learn more about it. But at times I ended up feeling a bit confused by it and how it all came to be. The romance had tension and I was liking it, but then it started to feel like it was just moving way too fast, with Aurelie and Des acting in ways that didn’t seem to line up with what we knew of their characters previously. Honestly, I started to question what they saw in each other beyond a physical attraction. And speaking of out of character, there’s so much emphasis about Aurelie being really smart, yet sometimes she was frustratingly oblivious. There’s a pretty big reveal toward the end, which I had figured out long before that, and I found it hard to believe that Aurelie didn’t. Meanwhile, I had other questions that I was hoping to finally see explained, but they never were. I know this is the start of a series, so I’m not surprised that it leaves off with a bit of a cliffhanger and things still left to explore, but I was left underwhelmed enough with the ending that I’m not sure if I’ll continue on. Don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t a bad book that I had a hard time finishing or anything like that. I guess it just didn’t quite go in the direction I was hoping it would.

March 8, 2026 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

The Escape Game

by Marissa Meyer & Tamara Moss

coming April 7, 2026

(5 / 5)

I want to thank Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for providing a free review copy of The Escape Game! All opinions are completely my own.

The Escape Game was one of my most anticipated reads for 2026, so I was beyond excited to receive an ARC copy of the book. Marissa Meyer has been a favorite author of mine, and this book just sounded so interesting… escape rooms, reality TV, and a murder mystery? Plus a gorgeous cover? Yes please!

I went into this book with high expectations, and I’m happy to say that it did not disappoint. The writing kept me hooked, engaged, and constantly wanting to read more to see what would happen next. It was fast-paced, exciting, and just fun to read. A lot of the characters were quirky, and I felt like I could relate to each of the main characters in one way or another. The plot felt like it had good depth to it. I loved the idea of an escape room themed reality show, and it’s the type of thing I’d love to watch. It really had an escape room feel to it with great descriptions. Usually I didn’t have enough information to try to solve the puzzles myself, but it was fun to predict how the characters should approach it. The murder mystery and other mysteries in the story were pretty complicated. I was able to figure some of the things out, though sometimes not long before they were revealed. Others really kept me guessing and ended up surprising me. There’s plenty of clues along the way, but even then I was constantly second guessing. By the end the story feels pretty well wrapped up while still building anticipation for the next book. I can’t wait!

March 4, 2026 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Mystery Thriller Young Adult 0

Rolls and Rivalry

Gaming and Romance #3

by Kristy Boyce

coming May 5, 2026

(4 / 5)

I received a free review copy of this book from Random House Children’s Books and Delacorte Romance through NetGalley; all opinions are completely my own.

Rolls and Rivalry is the third book in the Gaming and Romance series by Kristy Boyce, but all of the books can be read as standalone. There’s no character overlap beyond a couple cameos, which were fun since I had read the previous books.

At first I wasn’t sure if I’d like this book as much as the first two books in the series because I really wasn’t loving the rivalry that was going on. Some of the pranks seemed a bit mean. But as I got to know the characters better and the walls between them starting coming down, I liked the book a lot more. It turned out to be pretty cute actually, and I felt like the characters learned a lot about themselves and each other over the course of the story. A big theme in the story was Dungeons & Dragons. Since the characters in the book were new to the game I was able to follow it fine even though I’ve never personally played before. I liked how D&D was able to bring the characters together in multiple ways. Another big theme in the book is marching band, which was described really well and felt interesting. The book itself was very readable and I found it hard to put down, reading almost the whole thing in a single day. I’m glad I ended up reading this whole series and would love to read more by the author in the future!

March 2, 2026 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Young Adult 0

Lights Out

by Jenni Fletcher

(4 / 5)

I want to thank Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, Margaret K. McElderry Books, and NetGalley for providing a free review copy of the book. All opinions are completely my own.

Lights Out is a fake dating romance story that takes us into the world of Formula 1 racing. I have to admit that I knew very little about the sport going into the book but found it very accessible since our narrator, Maisie, also didn’t know much about it. The car races really brought a lot of excitement and energy to the story. The book was a quick, easy, fast-paced read that was hard to put down. I liked the chemistry between Maisie and Gio. There were some situations along the way that I didn’t really like how one or both of them acted, but I was glad to see that most of it was reflected on and discussed later in the story. They both had their issues, but I also felt like it made them feel human. It was also nice to see Maisie working through some of her fears from past trauma and addressing her mental health. Overall, the book was a fun read that I enjoyed.